WO2022153391A1

WO2022153391A1 - Estimation system for estimating self-location and/or attitude of unmanned aerial vehicle, flight control system, unmanned aerial vehicle, program, and recording medium

Info

Publication number: WO2022153391A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/000814
Authority: WO
Inventors: ティトゥスヴォイタラ; ビンセントテオドラステジャウィリヤ; ニクラスベリストロム; クリストファートーマスラービ
Original assignee: 株式会社Acsl
Priority date: 2021-01-13
Filing date: 2021-01-13
Publication date: 2022-07-21
Also published as: JPWO2022153391A1

Abstract

Provided is a system for estimating the location of an unmanned aerial vehicle in the case when autonomous flight is carried out by the unmanned aerial vehicle within the interior space of a structure such as a tunnel.　In the present invention, a self-location estimation system comprises a transverse cross-sectional position/attitude estimation unit which matches a circle to transverse cross-sectional measurement data acquired by a transverse cross-sectional measurement data acquisition unit, estimates a first position of the center point O1' of the circle in a relative coordinate system that uses the unmanned aerial vehicle inside the transverse cross section as a reference, estimates a second position of the center point O2' of piping in the relative coordinate system on the basis of the transverse cross-sectional measurement data, estimates a direction of the second position with respect to the first position in the relative coordinate system, and estimates the self-location and attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle in an absolute coordinate system that uses the direction of the center of the piping with respect to the center of the tunnel as a reference axis.

Description

Estimating systems, flight control systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, programs, and recording media that estimate the self-position and / or attitude of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The present invention relates to an estimation system for estimating the self-position and / or attitude of an unmanned aerial vehicle, a flight control system, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a program, and a recording medium.

Recently, attempts have been made to inspect structures such as tunnels with drones. The drone can estimate its own position using GPS satellite positioning information and fly autonomously along the flight plan route, but in the internal space inside a structure such as a tunnel, accurate position information can be obtained by GPS. Difficult to get. Therefore, in such an environment, a technique has been proposed in which self-position estimation by laser SLAM is an alternative to self-position estimation by GPS (Non-Patent Document 1 below). Here, the laser SLAM uses LIDAR that irradiates the surroundings with laser light and measures the distance to the irradiation target based on the time until the irradiated light is received, and based on the output from LIDAR, the self-position and the map. It is a technique to estimate the above in parallel.

In self-position estimation by laser SLAM, self-position is estimated by referring to the map based on the measurement data from LIDAR. However, the inner wall surface of a tunnel (tank) extending in the vertical direction often has a rotationally symmetric shape such as a circle, and the map itself is also rotationally symmetric, making it difficult to estimate the self-position with high accuracy.

Therefore, the present invention estimates the position and / or attitude of an unmanned aerial vehicle when the unmanned aerial vehicle autonomously flies in the internal space of a structure having a rotationally symmetric cross section such as a tunnel (tank) extending in the vertical direction. One of the purposes is to provide a system and method for the purpose.

One aspect of the present invention is an estimation system that estimates the self-position and / or attitude of an unmanned aircraft, wherein the unmanned aircraft is a predetermined unmanned aircraft within a cross section in a direction crossing the longitudinal flight path of the unmanned aircraft. It includes a cross-section measuring device that measures the spatial shape with reference to the direction and generates cross-section measurement data. Cross-section measurement data acquisition unit that acquires cross-section measurement data generated by the cross-section measurement device when flying in the internal space of a structure provided with an internal structure extending in the vertical direction, and cross-section measurement data. The cross-section measurement data acquired by the acquisition unit was matched with the first predetermined rotationally symmetric shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the inner wall surface of the structure, and matched in the relative coordinate system based on the unmanned aircraft in the cross-section. The first position of the first feature point, which is the center of the first predetermined shape, is estimated, and based on the cross-section measurement data acquired by the cross-section measurement data acquisition unit, the second related to the internal structure in the relative coordinate system. It provides an estimation system including a relative coordinate system calculation unit that estimates the second position of two feature points and calculates the direction of the second position with respect to the first position in the relative coordinate system. ..

In one aspect of the invention, an unmanned aerial vehicle in an absolute coordinate system with respect to the direction of the point corresponding to the second feature point of the internal structure relative to the point corresponding to the first feature point of the structure in the cross section. A position / attitude estimation unit in the cross section for estimating the self-position and / or attitude of the vehicle can be further provided.

In one aspect of the present invention, the position / orientation estimation unit in the cross section coordinates the relative coordinate system with the absolute coordinate system so that the direction of the second position with respect to the first position in the relative coordinate system corresponds to the reference axis. It can be configured to transform and estimate the heading direction of an unmanned aircraft in an absolute coordinate system.

In one aspect of the present invention, the position / orientation estimation unit in the cross section has a position in which the direction of the second position with respect to the first position in the relative coordinate system corresponds to the reference axis and the first position in the relative coordinate system. However, the coordinates in the absolute coordinate system of the unmanned aircraft can be estimated by converting the coordinates so as to correspond to the coordinates in the absolute coordinate system corresponding to the first feature point of the structure.

In one aspect of the present invention, the first predetermined shape can be either a circle, an ellipse, or a rectangle.

In one aspect of the present invention, a gap region in which no data exists in the region near the matched first predetermined shape in the cross-sectional measurement data is specified, and the angle range of the gap region with respect to the unmanned aircraft is substantially bisectored. , The distance between the preset first feature point and the second feature point is set as the radius, and the intersection with the circle centered on the first feature point can be estimated as the second position. ..

In one aspect of the present invention, the relative coordinate system calculation unit matches the cross-sectional measurement data with a second predetermined shape corresponding to the portion corresponding to the internal structure, and a predetermined point in the matched second predetermined shape. The relative coordinates of can be estimated as the second position.

In one aspect of the present invention, the cross-sectional measurement data is discrete data, and the relative coordinate system calculation unit can remove outliers in the discrete data and perform matching.

One aspect of the present invention includes the above estimation system, a flight control unit that flies an unmanned aerial vehicle along a set flight planning route based on the self-position and / or attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle estimated by the estimation system. It provides a flight control system for unmanned aerial vehicles, including.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle having the above estimation system.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle having a flight control system.

One aspect of the present invention is an estimation method in which the self-position and / or attitude of an unmanned aircraft is estimated by a computer, and the unmanned aircraft is an unmanned aircraft in a cross section in a direction crossing the vertical flight path of the unmanned aircraft. It includes a cross-section measuring device that measures the spatial shape with respect to a predetermined direction and generates cross-section measurement data, and forms an internal space in which an unmanned aircraft extends along a predetermined path in the vertical direction. A cross-section measurement data acquisition step for acquiring cross-section measurement data generated by a cross-section measurement device when flying in the internal space of a structure provided with an internal structure extending in the vertical direction in the space, and the acquisition. The first predetermined shape that is rotationally symmetric corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the inner wall surface of the structure is matched with the cross-sectional measurement data, and the first predetermined shape that is matched in the relative coordinate system based on the unmanned aircraft in the cross-section. Based on the first feature point estimation step for estimating the first position of the first feature point, which is the center of, and the acquired cross-sectional measurement data, the second feature point related to the internal structure in the relative coordinate system. Provided is a self-position estimation method including a second feature point estimation step for estimating a second position of the above and a calculation step for calculating the direction of the second position with respect to the first position in a relative coordinate system. Is.

One aspect of the present invention provides a program for causing a computer to execute the above method.

One aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable recording medium on which the above program is recorded.

According to the present invention, the position and / or attitude of an unmanned aerial vehicle is estimated when the unmanned aerial vehicle autonomously flies in the internal space of a structure having a rotationally symmetric cross section such as a tunnel (tank) extending in the vertical direction. Systems and methods for this can be provided.

It is an external view of the multicopter which is an example of the unmanned aerial vehicle (multicopter) which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flight control system of the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing unit of the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of the information processing unit of the information processing unit of the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. It is a horizontal sectional view of the tunnel which shows the tunnel and the flight plan path in one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 5A. It is a horizontal cross-sectional view which shows the area which can measure by a cross-sectional measurement apparatus. It is a figure which shows how the position estimation part in the optical cross section matches the circle corresponding to the inner wall surface of a tunnel with respect to the vertical cross section data. It is a figure which shows a mode of comparing a matched circle model and a cross-sectional measurement data. It is a figure which shows the state of specifying the intersection of the circle C3 where the center of a pipe exists, and the bisector L3. Coordinates are converted from the relative coordinate system based on the unmanned aerial vehicle to the absolute coordinate system. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of autonomously flying in a tunnel by the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. 1 and photographing the inner wall surface of the tunnel. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of performing autonomous flight by the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. 1 in detail.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific aspects described below, and various aspects can be taken within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. For example, the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention is not limited to the multicopter shown in FIG. 1, and may be any unmanned aerial vehicle such as a rotary wing aircraft and a fixed wing aircraft. Further, the system configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is not limited to that shown in the figure, and any configuration can be adopted as long as the same operation is possible. For example, the function of the communication circuit may be integrated into the flight control unit, or the operation executed by a plurality of components may be executed by a single component, or the function of the main calculation unit may be distributed to a plurality of calculation units. , The operation performed by a single component may be performed by a plurality of components. Further, various data stored in the memory of the unmanned aircraft 1 may be stored in a different location, and the information recorded in the various memories also distributes one type of information to a plurality of types. It may be stored together, or a plurality of types of information may be collectively stored in one type.

In the following explanation, a case where an unmanned aerial vehicle autonomously flies in a tunnel extending in the vertical direction and images the inner wall surface of the tunnel will be described. The shape of the tunnel is known from a design drawing or the like. In this embodiment, the internal space inside the tunnel has a circular shape of an inner wall surface in a horizontal cross section (cross section), and the shape of the inner wall surface in the same cross section is in the vertical direction (vertical direction). ) Is a shape that extends. Further, in the tunnel, a pipe having a circular horizontal cross section extends in the vertical direction.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a multicopter which is an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle (multicopter) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In terms of appearance, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 has a control unit 101, six motors 102 driven by control signals from the control unit 101, and six rotors (rotors) that rotate by driving each motor 102 to generate lift. It includes a wing) 103, six arms 104 connecting the control unit 101 and each motor 102, and a landing gear 105 that supports the unmanned aerial vehicle at the time of landing. The number of the motor 102, the rotor 103, and the arm 104 can be 3 or more, such as 3, 4, and so on, respectively. The six motors 102 are rotated by the control signal from the control unit 101, and by controlling the rotation speed of each of the six rotors 103, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 can perform ascending, descending, flying back and forth and left and right, turning, and the like. Flight is controlled.

Further, a pedestal 106 is attached above the control unit 101. A camera 108 for photographing an object with high resolution is attached to the pedestal 106 via a support member 107 that rotatably supports the camera 108.

Further, in front of the pedestal 106, a cross section measuring device (horizontal cross section LIDAR) 109 for measuring the shape of the surrounding space with respect to the horizontal cross section (horizontal cross section) is provided. In the present embodiment, the cross-section measuring device 109 has a horizontal cross-section LIDAR, and irradiates a pulse laser at a predetermined angular interval around the vertical axis in a horizontal plane while the unmanned aircraft 1 is landing or hovering. Then, by receiving the reflected laser that hits the object in the surrounding space, the distance to the object in the surrounding space can be measured based on the time from irradiation to light reception. By driving the cross-sectional measurement device 109 while the unmanned aircraft 1 is flying in the tunnel, the cross-sectional measurement device 109 relates to the horizontal cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape) of the inner wall surface (shape of the tunnel internal space) of the tunnel. Generate cross-section measurement data. The cross-sectional measurement data is, for example, a set of discrete data of polar coordinates with respect to the front of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. In the present embodiment, the horizontal cross section LIDAR is used as the cross section measuring device 111, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by capturing the entire circumference of the cross section with a visible light camera centered on an unmanned aerial vehicle and integrating the captured images to create a 3D model, the shape of the inner wall surface of the tunnel in the cross section can be measured and crossed. The self-position in the plane can be estimated. SfM is known as an algorithm for creating such a 3D model, and Dense Visual SLAM is known as an algorithm for estimating a self-position using SfM.

Further, an altimeter 110 is provided above the control unit 101. As the altimeter, a barometric altimeter that measures altitude based on barometric pressure is suitable. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 also has an antenna 117.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flight control system for the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. The flight control system 200 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 includes a control unit 101, a motor 102 electrically connected to the control unit 101, a rotor 103 mechanically connected to the motor 102, a camera 108, a cross section measuring device 109, and an altimeter 110. , And IMU111.

The control unit 101 has a configuration for performing information processing for controlling the flight of the unmanned aircraft 1 and controlling electrical signals for that purpose, and typically arranges and wires various electronic components on a substrate. It is a unit that constitutes the circuit necessary to realize such a function. The control unit 101 is further composed of an information processing unit 120, a communication circuit 121, a control signal generation unit 122, a speed controller 123, and an interface 125.

The camera 108 is a camera for capturing an object (in the present embodiment, the inner wall of the tunnel) with high resolution. The camera 108 is attached to the pedestal 106 via a support member 107 that rotatably supports the camera 108, whereby the imaging direction can be changed. During the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, the camera 108 acquires image data of the shooting range of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, and the acquired image is stored in a storage device such as a memory described later. The image is typically a moving image consisting of a series of still images.

The IMU 111 is an inertial measurement unit (Inertial Measurement Unit) that detects translational motion with an acceleration sensor and rotational motion with an angular velocity sensor (gyro). Further, the IMU 111 can calculate the velocity by integrating the translational motion (acceleration) detected by the acceleration sensor, and can further calculate the moving distance (position) by integrating the velocity. Similarly, the angle (posture) can be calculated by integrating the rotational motion (angular velocity) detected by the angular velocity sensor.

The antenna 117 is an antenna for receiving a radio signal including information and various data for maneuvering and controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, and transmitting a radio signal including a telemetry signal from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

The communication circuit 121 demodulates maneuvering signals, control signals, various data, and the like for the unmanned aircraft 1 from the radio signals received through the antenna 117 and inputs them to the information processing unit 120, or telemetry output from the unmanned aircraft 1. It is an electronic circuit for generating a radio signal that carries a signal or the like, and is typically a radio signal processing IC. Note that, for example, the communication of the steering signal and the communication of the control signal and various data may be executed by different communication circuits in different frequency bands. For example, communicate with the transmitter of the controller (propo) for manual control at a frequency of 950 MHz band, and communicate data communication at a frequency of 2 GHz band / 1.7 GHz band / 1.5 GHz band / 800 MHz band. It is also possible to adopt a different configuration.

The control signal generation unit 122 has a configuration in which the control command value data obtained by calculation by the information processing unit 120 is converted into a pulse signal (PWM signal or the like) representing a voltage, and is typically an oscillation circuit and a switching circuit. Is an IC including. The speed controller 123 has a configuration of converting a pulse signal from the control signal generation unit 122 into a drive voltage for driving the motor 102, and is typically a smoothing circuit and an analog amplifier. Although not shown, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 includes a battery device such as a lithium polymer battery or a lithium ion battery, and a power supply system including a distribution system for each element.

The interface 125 converts the signal form so that it can be transmitted and received between the information processing unit 120 and the functional elements such as the camera 108, the cross section measuring device 109, the altimeter 110, and the IMU 111. It is a configuration that connects electrically. For convenience of explanation, the interface is described as one configuration in the drawings, but it is usual to use another interface depending on the type of the functional element to be connected. Further, the interface 125 may not be required depending on the type of signal input / output by the functional element to be connected. Further, in FIG. 2, even in the information processing unit 120 to which the interface 125 is connected without mediation, the interface may be required depending on the type of signals input / output by the functional element to be connected.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing unit of the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing unit 120 includes a cross-sectional shape data storage unit 130, a flight path data storage unit 131, a relative coordinate system calculation unit 136, a cross-sectional position / attitude estimation unit 132, and a self-position. It includes a data generation unit 133, a flight control unit 134, and a cross-sectional measurement data acquisition unit 135. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape data storage unit 130, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136, the position / attitude estimation unit 132 in the cross section, the self-position data generation unit 133, and the cross-section measurement data acquisition unit 135 are used. A self-position estimation system 140 that generates self-position data regarding the self-position of an unmanned aircraft is configured. In the present embodiment, the flight control system includes a self-position estimation system 140, a flight path data storage unit 131, and a flight control unit 134.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of an information processing unit of the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. The information processing unit 120 includes a CPU 120a, a RAM 120b, a ROM 120c, an external memory 120d, an input unit 120e, an output unit 120f, and a communication unit 120g. The RAM 120b, ROM 120c, external memory 120d, input unit 120e, output unit 120f, and communication unit 120g are connected to the CPU 120a via the bus 120h.

The CPU 120a comprehensively controls each device connected to the system bus 120h.
The ROM 120c and the external memory store the BIOS and OS, which are control programs of the CPU 120a, and various programs and data necessary for realizing the functions executed by the computer.

The RAM 120b functions as a main memory of the CPU 120a, a work area, and the like. The CPU 120a realizes various operations by loading a program or the like necessary for executing a process from the ROM 120c or the external memory 120d into the RAM 120b and executing the loaded program.
The external memory 120d is composed of, for example, a flash memory, a hard disk, a DVD-RAM, a USB memory, or the like.

The input unit 120e receives an operation instruction or the like from a user or the like. The input unit 120e is composed of, for example, an input device such as an input button, a keyboard, a pointing device, a wireless remote controller, a microphone, and a camera.

The output unit 120f outputs the data processed by the CPU 120a and the data stored in the RAM 120b, the ROM 120c, and the external memory 120d. The output unit 120f is composed of, for example, a CRT display, an LCD, an organic EL panel, a printer, and an output device such as a speaker.

The communication unit 120g is an interface for connecting / communicating with an external device via a network or directly. The communication unit 120g is composed of interfaces such as a serial interface and a LAN interface, for example.

In each

unit

121, 122, 125, 130 to 135 of the flight control system and the position estimation system shown in FIGS. This is realized by using the input unit 120e, the output unit 120f, the communication unit 120g, and the like as resources.

The cross-sectional shape data storage unit 130 stores the cross-sectional shape data related to the cross-sectional shape of the inner wall surface of the tunnel. Further, the flight route data storage unit 131 stores flight plan route data. The cross-sectional shape data storage unit 130 and the flight path data storage unit 131 are realized by reading the data recorded in the storage medium and storing the data in the memory. The cross-sectional shape data storage unit 130 and the flight path data storage unit 131 can be omitted by incorporating the cross-sectional shape data and the flight plan route data into the program.

In the present embodiment, the information processing unit 120 functions as a self-position estimation system and a flight control system, but it may be configured to be provided in an unmanned aerial vehicle by mounting these systems separately from the information processing unit 120. .. Further, the self-position estimation system and the flight control system or its components need not be configured as one physical device, but may be composed of a plurality of physical devices. In addition, the self-position estimation system and flight control system can be used as any suitable device such as a computer, PC, smartphone, tablet terminal of a ground station separate from the unmanned aerial vehicle, a cloud computing system, or a combination thereof. It may be configured. In addition, the functions of each part of the self-position estimation system and the flight control system may be one or more of one or more devices provided in the unmanned aerial vehicle and one or more devices separate from the unmanned aerial vehicle. It may be a configuration that is distributed and executed in.

5A-5B show a tunnel and a flight plan route according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5A is a horizontal sectional view of the tunnel, and FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 5A. As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5B, in the present embodiment, the cross section of the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300 is circular, and has the same cross-sectional shape and extends in the vertical direction. Further, the pipe 310 extends in the vertical direction in the inner section of the tunnel, and the cross section of the cross section of the outer wall surface 312 of the pipe 310 is circular.

Therefore, in the cross-sectional shape data showing the shape of the inner wall surface 302 of the known tunnel, for example, the center of the circular tunnel 300 is set as the origin (X = X ₀ (= 0), Y = Y ₀ (= 0)). It is recorded in an absolute coordinate system in which the direction of the center of the pipe 310 with respect to the center of the tunnel 300 is the Y-axis direction and the height direction is the Z-axis direction. In such an absolute coordinate system, the cross-sectional shape data indicating the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel is a circle represented by (XX ₀ ) ² + (YY ₀ ) ² = R ₀ ² with a radius of R ₀ . Become. Further, the cross-sectional shape data showing the shape of the outer wall surface 312 of the pipe 310 for the known tunnel is the center of the tunnel 300 with the center of the pipe 310 as X = X ₁ (= 0), Y = Y ₁ and the radius R ₁ . The distance between the pipe 310 and the center of the pipe 310 is R ₂ = Y ₁ , and the circle is represented by (XX ₁ ) ² + (Y-R ₂ ) ² = R ₁ ² . In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape data has the center of the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300 as the origin, the XY axis is set so that the center of the pipe 310 is located on the Y axis, and the radius of the inner wall surface of the tunnel 300. It includes R ₀ , the center coordinates of the pipe 310, and the radius R ₁ of the pipe 310, but is not limited to this, and the distance between the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300 and the center of the pipe 310 (R in the above example). Only ₂ ) needs to be included.

In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape data includes data indicating a circle as a geometric shape corresponding to the inner wall surface of the tunnel, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the cross-sectional shape data is not limited to this, depending on the cross-sectional shape of the inner wall surface of the tunnel. It may include data indicating a two-dimensional shape such as an ellipse or a rectangle. Further, data indicating an ellipse, a rectangle, or the like may be included depending on the cross-sectional shape of the outer wall surface of the pipe. The geometric shape referred to here is, for example, a shape that can be specified by mathematical formulas related to the X coordinate, the Y coordinate, and the Z coordinate. Further, the present invention is suitable for the cross-sectional shape data when the geometric shape is rotationally symmetric. The term "rotational symmetry" as used herein means a state in which the cross-sectional shape of the inner wall surface is rotated around a specific point and is substantially equal to the original shape, and is an elliptical shape, a rectangle, or a regular polygon. Etc. are included.

The flight plan route data is data representing a three-dimensional (X, Y, Z) flight plan route in the absolute coordinate system of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, and is typically a series of a plurality of ways existing on the flight plan route. It is the data of the set of points P ₁ to P _mn . Each waypoint P ₁ to P _mn is set by three-dimensional coordinates (X, Y, Z) in the absolute coordinate system. A flight planning path is typically a set of straight lines connecting a plurality of waypoints in order, but can also be a curve of a predetermined curvature within a predetermined range of the waypoints. The flight plan route data may include data that determine the flight speed at a plurality of waypoints. Flight planning route data is typically used to determine flight planning routes in autonomous flight, but can also be used as a guide during flight in non-autonomous flight. Flight plan route data is typically input and stored in the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 prior to flight. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape data and the flight planning route data are represented by the XY coordinate system with the center of the tunnel 300 as the origin, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the central direction of the pipe with respect to the center of the tunnel is expressed. As a reference, it may be expressed in height Z and polar coordinates with the center of the tunnel as the origin.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B, the flight plan route is set as a repetition of the following meandering route.
-In the cross section (XY cross section), a predetermined angle is moved clockwise along the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300 on _a concentric circle (for example, waypoints P1 to _Pn ).
-Move a predetermined distance in the vertical direction (for example, waypoints P _n to P _{n + 1} )
-In the cross section (XY cross section), a predetermined angle is moved counterclockwise along the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300 (for example, waypoints P _{n + 1} to P _{2 n} ).
-Move a predetermined distance in the vertical direction (for example, waypoints P _2n to P _{2n + 1} )

The relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 calculates the relative coordinates of each feature point in the relative coordinate system based on the cross section measurement data acquired by the cross section measuring device 109.
The position / attitude estimation unit 132 in the cross section crosses the unmanned aircraft in the cross section based on the relative coordinates calculated by the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 and the cross section shape data recorded in the cross section shape data storage unit 130. The in-plane self-position (X, Y) and heading θ are estimated.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a region that can be measured by the cross-sectional measurement device. The midpoint D in the figure indicates the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The cross-section measuring device 109 irradiates the laser beam at predetermined angles with reference to a predetermined angle (in front of the unmanned aircraft 1: the direction of the arrow) in the horizontal cross section, and irradiates the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300 and the pipe 310 with reference to the laser beam. The light reflected by the outer wall surface 312 is received, and the distance to the object (the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300 and the outer wall surface 312 of the pipe 310) is measured according to the time from irradiation to light reception. Therefore, the cross-section measurement data obtained from the cross-section measuring device 109 is based on the front of the unmanned aircraft 1 and the position of the unmanned aircraft 1 as the origin, up to the angle α _i irradiated with the laser beam and the object. The discrete data Q1 to Qn in the relative coordinate system in which the distance r _i of the above is paired. The relative coordinates of each discrete data Qi are (α _i , r _i ) (i = 1, ..., N).

At this time, for example, when the laser beam is irradiated from the cross section measuring device 109 as shown in FIG. 6, the reflected light is reflected in the cross section measuring device in the portion A of the outer wall surface 312 of the pipe 310 facing the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. Although it still reaches 109, most of the reflected light reflected by the side portion B of the outer wall surface 312 of the pipe 310 when viewed from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 does not go to the cross section measuring device 109. Therefore, the cross-section measuring device 109 cannot detect the side portion B of the outer wall surface 312 of the pipe 310 when viewed from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. Further, the laser beam does not reach the portion C located behind the pipe 310 on the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300. Therefore, the cross-section measuring device 109 cannot detect the portion C located behind the pipe 310 on the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300.

The cross-section measurement data acquisition unit 135 can control the cross-section measurement device 109 and can acquire the cross-section measurement data measured by the cross-section measurement device 109.

Based on this, in the present embodiment, the self-position in the cross section of the unmanned aerial vehicle is estimated as follows.
First, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 matches the first geometric shape corresponding to the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300, that is, a circle in the present embodiment, with respect to the vertical cross-sectional data. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how the position estimation unit in the optical cross section matches the circle corresponding to the inner wall surface of the tunnel with the vertical cross section data. Note that FIG. 7 shows only a part of the data constituting the vertical cross-sectional data.

As shown in FIG. 7, the vertical cross-sectional data consists of discrete points Q1 to Qn, and the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 matches circles with respect to the discrete points Q1 to Qn. As a circle matching algorithm, the least squares method, RANSAC, or the like can be applied, but RANSAC, which excludes outliers and performs matching, is suitable as in the case of linear matching. When matching circles by RANSAC, it is done as follows.
Step 1. First, three points are randomly selected from the discrete points Q1 to Qn.
Step 2. A temporary circle model that passes through the three points determined in step 1 is derived.
Step 3. The error between the obtained circular model and the discrete points Q1 to Qn is obtained. If the error is smaller than the predetermined value, it is added to the "correct model candidate".
Step 4. Repeat steps 1 to 3.
Step 5. Among the correct model candidates, the one that best matches the data is adopted as the result of circle matching.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, Q3 is far from the tendency of other discrete points among the discrete points corresponding to the inner wall surface of the tunnel. Then, in the example shown in FIG. 7, when Q3, Q4, and Q5 are selected in step 1, the circle model becomes C1. On the other hand, if Q1, Q4, and Q8 are selected in step 1, the circle model becomes C2. When the error between the circle models C1 and C and Q1 to Qn is obtained, the error of the circle model C1 becomes larger than the error of the circle model C2. Therefore, in step 5, values that deviate from the tendency of other data such as Q3 used when setting the circle model C1 are not used as data for determining the circle, and are outliers like the circle model C2. Circles with the effect of the value removed are matched. In this way, the first relative coordinates of the center point O ₁ ′ as the first feature point of the circle model C2 and the radius of the circle model C2 are estimated with reference to the front of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The center point O ₁ ′ as the first feature point of the circular model C2 corresponds to the center point of the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300 in the absolute coordinate system.

In this embodiment, RANSAC is used as an algorithm for matching by excluding outliers, but Markov Localization, Monte-Carlo Localization, Particle Filter, Hough Transform, etc. can also be used.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 compares the circular model C2 matched in this way with the cross-sectional measurement data. In FIG. 8, the area where the cross-sectional measurement data exists is shown by a thick line. As described above, the laser beam emitted from the cross-section measuring device 109 does not reach the portion of the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300 that is behind the pipe 310. Therefore, by comparing the matched circular model C2 with the cross-sectional measurement data, it is possible to identify the gap region G in the circular model C2 in which the discrete data of the cross-sectional measurement data does not exist in the vicinity. As a specific method for specifying the gap region G, for example, the distance from the circle model C2 is within a predetermined range (that is, the distance from the center point O ₁ ′ to the discrete point and the radius of the circle model C2. A method such as between both end points of the discrete points of the cross-sectional measurement data (where the difference between the two is equal to or less than a predetermined value) may be adopted. This gap region corresponds to the angle range in which the pipe 310 exists centering on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 (cross-section measuring device 109). Then, the bisector L3 in the angle range centered on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 (cross-section measuring device 109) in the gap region thus specified is specified. The bisector L3 indicates the direction of the point corresponding to the center of the pipe 310 with respect to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 with respect to the front of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. That is, the direction of the center of the pipe 310 in relative coordinates with respect to the front of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 can be estimated.

In the present embodiment, since the pipe 310 is circular, the bisector of the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 gap region is set, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the case where the shape of the pipe 310 is a quadrangle or the like is set. May apply a correction according to the shape to the bisector. For example, when the shape of the pipe is a quadrangle, a straight line or the like may be matched with the portion corresponding to the pipe in the cross-sectional measurement data, and the direction of the bisector may be corrected according to the angle of the straight line. .. The bisector when the above circles are matched and the bisector with correction are referred to as substantially bisectors. However, even if the shape of the pipe 310 is a quadrangle, it is not always necessary to apply correction, and even if a bisector is used, the direction of the center can be estimated with high accuracy.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 transfers the circle C3 in which the center of the pipe 310 centered on the center point O ₁ ′ of the circle model C2 exists and the bisector L3. Specify the relative coordinates of the intersection O ₂ '. The position where the center of the pipe 310 exists can be set as a circle having a radius R ₂ centered on the center point O ₁ of the tunnel 300 from the cross-sectional shape data. The relative coordinates of the intersection O 2'are the _second position (relative coordinates) of the center point as the second characteristic point of the pipe 310 with respect to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 with respect to the front of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.
Then, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 specifies the direction of the second relative coordinates of the intersection point O ₂ ′ with respect to the first relative coordinates of the center point O ₁ ′ of the circle model C2 specified as described above.

Next, the position / attitude estimation unit 132 in the cross section has the direction of the intersection point O ₂ ′ with respect to the center point O ₁ ′ in the relative coordinate system of the center point O2 of the pipe 310 with respect to the center point O1 of the tunnel 300 in the absolute coordinate system. Coordinate conversion of the relative coordinate system to the absolute coordinate system so that the coordinates of the center point O 1 ′ in the relative coordinate system correspond to the direction (Y-axis direction) and the coordinates of the center point O ₁ ′ in the relative coordinate system correspond to the center point O1 of the tunnel 300 in the absolute coordinate system. I do. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the direction of the intersection point O ₂ ′ with respect to the center point O ₁ ′ of the circle model C2 specified as described above is the Y direction in the absolute coordinate system, and the center of the circle model C2. The relative coordinate system with respect to the unmanned aircraft 1 is coordinate-converted to the absolute coordinate system so that the point O _1'is the origin. Thereby, the X coordinate, the Y coordinate and the heading θ of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 can be calculated.

The method of specifying the self-position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the second positional relationship of the pipe 310 is not limited to the method of specifying the gap region described above. That is, for example, a circle having a second predetermined shape is matched with the cross-sectional measurement data of the region inside the circle model C2 (particularly the region shown by A in FIG. 6), and a predetermined point of the matched circle is matched. The relative coordinates of the center point, which is the above, may be estimated as the relative coordinates corresponding to the center of the pipe 310, or both methods may be performed to improve the accuracy.

The self-position data generation unit 133 generates self-position data as a reference when the flight control unit 134 flies. Specifically, the self-position data generation unit 133 is based on the X coordinate, Y coordinate and heading θ estimated by the position / attitude estimation unit 132 in the cross section and the altitude (Z coordinate) acquired from the altitude meter 110. Generate self-position data including XYZ coordinates and heading θ.

The flight control unit 134 controls the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle so as to follow the flight plan route of the flight plan route data stored in the flight route data storage unit 131 based on the self-position data generated by the self-position data generation unit 133. do. Specifically, the attitude, speed, etc. of the unmanned aircraft 1 are determined by various sensors, and the current flight position, heading, etc. of the unmanned aircraft 1 are determined based on the self-position data generated by the self-position data generation unit 133. , The control command value for each rotor 103 is calculated by comparing with the target values such as the flight control signal, flight plan route (target), speed limit, altitude limit, etc., and the data indicating the control command value is output to the control signal generation unit 122. do. The control signal generation unit 122 converts the control command value into a pulse signal representing a voltage and transmits it to each speed controller 123. Each speed controller 123 converts the pulse signal into a drive voltage and applies it to each motor 102, thereby controlling the drive of each motor 102 and controlling the rotation speed of each rotor 103, whereby the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 Flight is controlled.

Hereinafter, the flow of autonomously flying in the tunnel by the above-mentioned unmanned aerial vehicle and photographing the inner wall surface of the tunnel will be described.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of autonomously flying in the tunnel by the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. 1 and photographing the inner wall surface of the tunnel. As shown in FIG. 11, first, the information processing unit 120 refers to the flight plan route data stored in the flight path data storage unit 131, and the flight control unit 134 sets the first waypoint as a target (as shown in FIG. 11). S100).

Next, the information processing unit 120 estimates the self-position and orientation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 by the self-position data generation unit 133, and the flight control unit 134 controls the rotation speed of the motor 102 based on the estimated self-position and orientation. , Perform autonomous flight toward the target (S110).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing in detail the flow of autonomous flight by the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. When estimating the self-position, first, the cross-section measurement data acquisition unit 135 controls the cross-section measurement device 109 to measure the cross-section measurement data, and controls the cross-section measurement device 109 to measure the cross-section measurement data. (S111: Cross section measurement data acquisition step).
Then, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 and the position / attitude estimation unit 132 in the cross section combine the vertical cross section measurement data acquired by the cross section measuring device 109 and the cross section data recorded in the cross section data storage unit 130. Based on this, the self-position (X, Y) and attitude (heading θ) in the vertical section of the unmanned aircraft in the cross section are estimated.

Specifically, first, as described with reference to FIG. 7, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 matches the lateral cross-sectional data with the circle corresponding to the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300, and the unmanned aircraft 1 The first relative coordinates (corresponding to the center coordinates of the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel) of the center position as the first feature point of the circle based on the position and orientation of the tunnel are specified (S112: first feature point estimation step). ..

Next, as described with reference to FIG. 8, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 is located behind the pipe 310 in the circle model C2 in the lateral cross-sectional data, and crosses the circle model C2 without reaching it. The gap region G corresponding to the angle range in which the discrete data of the surface measurement data does not exist in the vicinity is specified (S113).

Next, as described with reference to FIG. 9, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 sets the bisector L3 of the angle range of the gap region G centered on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 (cross-section measuring device 109). (S114).

Next, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 acquires the distance between the center of the tunnel 300 and the center of the pipe 310 based on the cross-sectional shape data, centers the center point of the matched circle, and has a radius of the center of the tunnel 300. A circle equal to the distance from the center of the pipe 310 is set. Then, the relative coordinates of the intersection of this circle and the bisector are calculated, and the calculated relative coordinates are set as the second relative coordinates of the second feature point corresponding to the center of the pipe 310 (S115: second). Feature point estimation step).

Next, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 calculates the direction of the center point O2 of the pipe 310 corresponding to the center of the pipe 310 with respect to the first relative coordinate of the center point O'of the circle in the relative coordinate system ( S116: Calculation step).
Then, the position / orientation estimation unit 132 in the cross section indicates that the direction of the intersection point O ₂ ′ with respect to the center point O ₁ ′ in the relative coordinate system is the direction of the center point O2 of the pipe 310 with respect to the center point O1 of the tunnel 300 in the absolute coordinate system. The coordinates are converted so as to correspond to (Y-axis direction) and the coordinates of the center point O ₁ ′ in the relative coordinate system correspond to the center point O1 of the tunnel 300 in the absolute coordinate system. As a result, the absolute coordinates of the self-position in the cross section of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the heading θ are estimated (S117: position / attitude estimation step in the cross section).

Next, the self-position data generation unit 133 uses the lateral self-position (X, Y) and heading θ estimated by the position / attitude estimation unit 132 in the cross section and the altitude (Z) measured by the altimeter 110. Generate self-position data (S118: self-position data generation step). The self-position data generation unit 133 determines the accuracy of the generated self-position data based on the position information acquired from the IMU 111, and if the accuracy of the generated self-position data is low, the shooting in the tunnel is stopped. May be good.

Then, the flight control unit 134 determines whether or not the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 has reached the target based on the self-position data generated by the self-position data generation unit 133 (S119).

When the flight control unit 134 determines that the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 has not reached the target (NO in S119), the flight control unit 134 heads for the target based on the self-position data generated by the self-position data generation unit 133. The control command value for each rotor 103 is calculated so as to fly, and the data indicating the control command value is output to the control signal generation unit 122 (S120). The control signal generation unit 122 converts the control command value into a pulse signal representing a voltage and transmits it to each speed controller 123. Each speed controller 123 converts the pulse signal into a drive voltage and applies it to each motor 102, thereby controlling the drive of each motor 102 and controlling the rotation speed of each rotor 103, whereby the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 Flight is controlled.

By repeating such S111 to S120 at predetermined minute time intervals, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 autonomously flies toward the target. In this way, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 reaches the target and the flight control unit 134 determines in S119 that the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 has reached the target (YES in S119), the information processing unit 120 drives the camera 108. Then, the inner wall surface of the tunnel is photographed (S130). The image data of the captured image is stored in the memory of the information processing unit 120 or recorded in an appropriate terminal via the antenna 117.

Then, when the target reached by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is not the final waypoint P _mn (NO in S140), the next waypoint P is set as the target (S135), and S110 to S140 are repeated.

Well, if the target reached by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is the final waypoint P _mn (YES in S135), the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 determines that all the necessary steps have been completed, and the flight control unit 134 determines, for example, the initial stage. Finish the work by flying to return to the position.

According to this embodiment, the following effects are achieved.
Inside the tunnel, GPS and the like cannot be used, and further, the compass may not be used due to the influence of the geomagnetism. In such a case, when estimating the self-position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, it is conceivable to estimate the position by an algorithm such as laser SLAM. However, even if an attempt is made to estimate the position by an algorithm such as laser SLAM, it is difficult to estimate an accurate position if the cross-sectional shape of the tunnel or the like is rotationally symmetric. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 calculates the directions of the point O1'corresponding to the center of the tunnel 300 and the point O2' corresponding to the center of the pipe 310 in the relative coordinate system. Thereby, the relationship between the relative coordinate system and the absolute coordinate system can be specified based on this direction, and the accurate self-position can be estimated even in the tunnel 300 having a rotationally symmetric shape.
Further, in the present embodiment, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 matches a circle with the inner wall surface of the tunnel. The inner wall of a tunnel is often circular, elliptical, or rectangular, but even if it is matched with a rotationally symmetric shape such as a circle, ellipse, or rectangle, it will still be a circle, ellipse, or rectangle for an unmanned aircraft. It is not possible to uniquely identify the position of an unmanned aircraft only from the positional relationship of. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the point corresponding to the center of the pipe 310 in the cross-sectional measurement data is specified, the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be uniquely specified.

Further, in the present embodiment, the direction of the point O2'corresponding to the center of the pipe 310 with respect to the point O1'corresponding to the center of the tunnel 300 in the relative coordinate system of the position / attitude estimation unit 132 in the cross section is the reference axis. The coordinates are converted so as to correspond to a certain Y axis. This makes it possible to estimate the heading direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the absolute coordinate system.
Further, in the present embodiment, the direction of the point O2'corresponding to the center of the pipe 310 with respect to the point O1'corresponding to the center of the tunnel 300 in the relative coordinate system of the position / attitude estimation unit 132 in the cross section is the reference axis. The coordinates are transformed so that the point O1'in the relative coordinate system corresponds to the origin corresponding to the center of the tunnel in the absolute coordinate system. This makes it possible to estimate the coordinates of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the absolute coordinate system.

Further, in the present embodiment, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 identifies the gap region G in which no data exists within the range corresponding to the circle in the cross-sectional measurement data, and matches the gap region G with the angle bisector of the gap region G. By finding the intersection with the circle of radius _R2 centered on the center point O1'of the circle C2, the point corresponding to the center point of the pipe 310 in the relative coordinate system is estimated. Thereby, for example, the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 can be estimated even if the radius of the pipe 310 or the like is unknown. Further, for example, as in the present embodiment, even if the cross-sectional shape of the pipe 310 is circular and the side surface of the pipe 310 cannot be measured by the cross-sectional measuring device 109 when viewed from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, the pipe is piped. The relative coordinates of 310 can be estimated accurately.

Further, in the present embodiment, the cross-sectional measurement data is discrete data, and the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 removes outliers in the discrete data and performs matching. As a result, matching can be performed even when the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300 has irregularities such as lighting or a ventilation port or the like is formed.

In the present embodiment, the case where the circular pipe 310 extends in the vertical direction has been described, but the cross-sectional shape of the pipe 310 (internal structure) is not limited to this, and may be another shape such as a rectangle. good. When the cross-sectional shape of the internal structure is rectangular, when the bisector of the gap region is set in S113, the bisector does not necessarily pass through the center of the rectangle, but the error is small. Therefore, there is no problem in practical use.

In the present embodiment, the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 identifies the gap region in S113 after matching the circle with the cross-sectional measurement data in S112, and bisectors the angle range of the gap region in S114. The relative coordinates of the pipe 310 are calculated by setting and specifying the intersection of the bisector of the gap and the circle where the center of the pipe is located in S115. However, the method for calculating the relative coordinates of the pipe 310 by the relative coordinate system calculation unit 136 in the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the cross-sectional shape of the pipe 310 is circular, for example, a circle having a second predetermined shape is matched with data outside the range of the inner wall surface 302 of the tunnel 300 in the cross-sectional measurement data. Then, a predetermined position (for example, the center position) of the pipe 310 can be specified, and this position can be set as the position of the second feature point related to the pipe 310 in the relative coordinate system. As a matter of course, when the shape of the pipe 310 is elliptical or rectangular, the matching second predetermined shape may be changed accordingly. The second predetermined shape to be matched is preferably a geometric shape.

Further, in the present embodiment, the coordinates in the height direction are determined by the altimeter, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the coordinates in the height direction may be determined by the IMU.

Further, in the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the tunnel 300 extending in the vertical direction, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a chimney, a shaft in a building, and the like. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to tunnels and the like that extend the present invention diagonally upward. In this case, the cross-sectional shape data storage unit 130 may store the cross-sectional shape data of the tunnel 300 and the internal structure for each height.

1 Unmanned aerial vehicle 101 Control unit 102 Motor 103 Rotor 104 Arm 105 Landing gear 106 Pedestal 107 Support member 108 Camera 110 Altimeter 109 Cross section measuring device 111 IMU
117 Antenna 120 Information processing unit 120a CPU
120b RAM
120c ROM
120d External memory 120e Input unit

120f Output unit

120g Communication unit

120h System bus 121 Communication circuit 122 Control signal generation unit 123 Speed controller 125 Interface 130 Cross-sectional shape data storage unit 131 Flight path data storage unit 132 Cross-sectional position / attitude estimation unit 133 Self-position data generation unit 134 Flight control unit 135 Cross-section measurement data acquisition unit 136 Relative coordinate system calculation unit 140 Self-position estimation system 200 Flight control system 300 Tunnel 302 Inner wall surface 310 Piping 312 Outer wall surface

Claims

An estimation system that estimates the self-position and / or attitude of an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The unmanned aerial vehicle is a cross-section measuring device that measures a spatial shape based on a predetermined direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle in a cross section in a direction crossing the longitudinal flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle and generates cross-section measurement data. Including
When the unmanned aircraft flies in the internal space of a structure in which an internal space extending in the vertical direction along a predetermined path is formed and an internal structure extending in the vertical direction is provided in the internal space. , A cross-section measurement data acquisition unit that acquires the cross-section measurement data generated by the cross-section measurement device, and
The cross-sectional measurement data acquired by the cross-sectional measurement data acquisition unit is matched with a first predetermined shape that is rotationally symmetric corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the inner wall surface of the structure, and the unmanned aircraft in the cross-section is obtained. The first position of the first feature point, which is the center of the matched first predetermined shape in the reference relative coordinate system, is estimated.
Based on the cross-sectional measurement data acquired by the cross-sectional measurement data acquisition unit, the second position of the second feature point related to the internal structure in the relative coordinate system is estimated.
A relative coordinate system calculation unit that calculates the direction of the second position with respect to the first position in the relative coordinate system.
To prepare
Estimate system.
The self-position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the self-position of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the absolute coordinate system with the direction of the point corresponding to the second feature point of the internal structure as the reference axis with respect to the point corresponding to the first feature point of the structure in the cross section. / Or further provided with a position / posture estimation unit in the cross section for estimating the posture.
The estimation system according to claim 1.
The position / attitude estimation unit in the cross section
The relative coordinate system is coordinate-converted into an absolute coordinate system so that the direction of the second position with respect to the first position in the relative coordinate system corresponds to the reference axis, and the heading of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the absolute coordinate system. Is configured to estimate the direction of
The estimation system according to claim 2.
The position / attitude estimation unit in the cross section
The direction of the second position with respect to the first position in the relative coordinate system corresponds to the reference axis, and the first position in the relative coordinate system is the first feature of the structure. Coordinates are transformed so as to correspond to the coordinates of the absolute coordinate system corresponding to the points, and the coordinates in the absolute coordinate system of the unmanned aircraft are estimated.
The estimation system according to claim 2 or 3.
The first predetermined shape is either a circle, an ellipse, or a rectangle.
The estimation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The relative coordinate system calculation unit
In the cross-sectional measurement data, a gap region in which no data exists is specified in the region near the matched first predetermined shape.
The radius is the substantially bisector of the angular range of the gap region with respect to the unmanned aircraft, and the distance between the preset first feature point and the second feature point, and the first feature point The intersection with the circle centered on is estimated as the second position.
The estimation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The relative coordinate system calculation unit
A second predetermined shape corresponding to the portion corresponding to the internal structure is matched with the cross-sectional measurement data, and the relative coordinates of a predetermined point in the matched second predetermined shape are set as the second position. presume,
The estimation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The cross-sectional measurement data is discrete data and is
The relative coordinate system calculation unit removes outliers in the discrete data and performs matching.
The estimation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
The estimation system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and the estimation system.
A flight control unit that flies the unmanned aerial vehicle along a set flight planning route based on the self-position and / or attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle estimated by the estimation system.
Flight control system for unmanned aerial vehicles.
An unmanned aerial vehicle having the estimation system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
An unmanned aerial vehicle having the flight control system according to claim 9.
An estimation method that estimates the self-position and / or attitude of an unmanned aerial vehicle by computer.
The unmanned aerial vehicle is a cross-section measuring device that measures a spatial shape based on a predetermined direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle in a cross section in a direction crossing the longitudinal flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle and generates cross-section measurement data. Including
When the unmanned aircraft flies in the internal space of a structure in which an internal space extending in the vertical direction along a predetermined path is formed and an internal structure extending in the vertical direction is provided in the internal space. , A cross-section measurement data acquisition step for acquiring the cross-section measurement data generated by the cross-section measurement device, and
The acquired cross-sectional measurement data is matched with a first predetermined shape that is rotationally symmetric corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the inner wall surface of the structure, and the said in a relative coordinate system based on the unmanned aircraft in the cross section. A first feature point estimation step for estimating the first position of the first feature point, which is the center of the matched first predetermined shape, and a first feature point estimation step.
Based on the acquired cross-sectional measurement data, a second feature point estimation step for estimating the second position of the second feature point related to the internal structure in the relative coordinate system, and a second feature point estimation step.
A calculation step of calculating the direction of the second position with respect to the first position in the relative coordinate system.
Self-position estimation method including.
A program for causing a computer to execute the method according to claim 12.
A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 12 is recorded.