Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), information processing methods for UAVs, and UAV systems

Abstract

Provides drones, information processing methods, and systems that can effectively capture targets. By means of implementation, the drone includes: a capture mechanism, a flight mechanism, and a control unit. The capture mechanism is used to capture a target. The flight mechanism enables the drone to fly. The control unit uses the flight mechanism to approach the target to a predetermined distance, uses the capture mechanism to generate sound, and uses the capture mechanism to capture the target.

Description

Drone for Capturing Drones and System Embodiments of the present invention relate to a drone for capturing drones and a system. A system is provided that uses a capturing drone to capture unidentified flying objects such as illegal drones. When such a system detects an unidentified flying object as a target, it causes the capturing drone to approach the target and captures the target with a capturing net fired from a net gun. Moreover, there may be birds flying around the target. Conventional systems sometimes misidentify the birds flying around as targets. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-12477 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent No. 7102239 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-69833 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-26749 [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In order to solve the above problems, a drone, an information processing method, and a system that can effectively capture a target are provided. [Means for Solving the Problems] According to an embodiment, the capturing drone includes a capturing mechanism, a net gun, a flight mechanism, and a control unit. The capturing mechanism is used to capture the target. The net gun makes a sound when shooting the capturing net. When approaching the target to a predetermined distance, the sound generated when the net gun is fired is used as a threatening sound to drive away false targets such as birds, avoid misidentifying the target, and use the capturing mechanism to capture the target. The following will be described with reference to the drawings for the embodiments. The monitoring system of the embodiment captures an unidentified flying object that has invaded a predetermined area (monitoring area). The monitoring system uses a radar or the like to detect an unidentified flying object as a target. The monitoring system notifies the capturing drone of the target. The capturing drone approaches the target and then fires a net gun at the target. The capturing drone transports the captured target to a predetermined position by the net gun. For example, the unidentified flying object is an illegal drone or the like. The monitoring system is used for security places such as airports. FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the monitoring system 1 of the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the monitoring system 1 includes a radar 2, a camera 3, a monitoring control device (personal computer) 10, a capturing drone 20, and the like. The monitoring control device 10 is connected to the radar 2, the camera 3, and the capturing drone 20. The monitoring system 1 may also include a configuration as needed in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, or exclude a specific configuration from the monitoring system 1. The monitoring system 1 here is used to capture the target 4. For example, the target 4 is an unidentified flying object such as an illegal drone. Radar 2 (detection mechanism) detects flying objects in a predetermined area that includes the monitoring area. Radar 27 is used to detect the direction and distance of the presence of flying objects. Here, Radar 2 is used to detect the target 4. For example, Radar 2 is a type of detection mechanism and is composed of: an irradiation mechanism that irradiates radio waves with a predetermined frequency, and a receiving mechanism that detects reflected waves. Radar 2 detects flying objects in a predetermined area based on the reflected waves. Camera 3 is a type of detection mechanism and photographs a predetermined area (photographing area) that at least partially overlaps with the monitoring area. The photographing area may also include the monitoring area or may be included in the monitoring area. Camera 3 photographs the flying objects in the photographing area. For example, two types of cameras 3 using visible light and infrared rays can also be used to photograph flying objects. The capture drone 20 captures the target 4 according to the control from the monitoring control device 10. The capture drone may also receive flight control from a pilot and can be flown by the pilot. The capture drone 20 is equipped with a sound generating mechanism 28 and a net gun 29, etc. The net gun 29 emits a predetermined sound (scaring sound) when shooting out the net. The scaring sound can scare birds (hawks, kites, buzzards, crows, pigeons, etc.) flying around the target 4. The scaring sound causes the birds flying around the target 4 to retreat or be excluded. Here, in the situation where the capture net is not installed on the net gun, a blank cartridge is used by ejecting pressurized gas to generate the scaring sound. Moreover, the scaring sound can also be used in combination with the warning sound possessed by the capture drone. The structure of the sound generating mechanism 28 is not limited to a specific structure. The net gun 29 is a capture mechanism for capturing the target 4. The net gun 29 is used to shoot out a net for capturing the target 4. The net gun 29 shoots out the capture net towards the target 4 by the ejecting gas from a pressure cylinder such as nitrogen. The net gun 29 is connected to the net by a rope or the like. The net gun 29 can maintain the state of capturing the target 4. This will be described in detail later for the capture drone 20. The monitoring control device 10 (upper device, information processing device) uses Radar 2, Camera 3, etc. to detect the target 4. When the monitoring control device 10 detects the target 4, it sends a capture instruction for capturing the target 4 to the capture drone 20. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of the monitoring control device 10. As shown in Figure 2, the monitoring control device 10 is equipped with: a control unit 11, an operation unit 15, a display unit 16, a radar interface 17, a camera interface 18, and a communication interface 19 for communicating with the capture drone, etc. The control unit 11 is interconnected with the operation unit 15, the display unit 16, the radar interface 17, the camera interface 18, and the communication interface 19 for communicating with the capture drone via a data bus or the like. The monitoring and control device 10 may also have a structure as needed in addition to the structure shown in FIG. 2, or a specific structure may be excluded from the monitoring and control device 10. The control unit 11 has a function of controlling the overall operation of the monitoring and control device 10. The operation unit 15 is used to receive inputs of various operations from the operator. The operation unit 15 sends a signal indicating the input operation to the control unit. For example, the operation unit 15 is composed of a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, or the like. The display unit 16 displays image data from the control unit 11. For example, the display unit 16 is composed of a liquid crystal monitor. When the operation unit 15 is composed of a touch panel, the display unit 16 may also be integrally formed with the touch panel serving as the operation unit 15. The radar interface 17 (detection mechanism interface) is an interface for sending / receiving data to / from the radar 2. The radar interface 17 obtains the detection results of the radar 2 (such as the direction and distance of the existence of a flying object) from the radar 2 and supplies them to the control unit 11. The radar interface 17 may also supply power to the radar 2. The camera interface 18 (detection mechanism interface) is an interface for sending / receiving data to / from the camera 3. The camera interface 18 obtains the photographed image taken by the camera 3 from the camera 3 and supplies it to the control unit 11. The camera interface 18 may also supply power to the camera 3. The communication interface 19 for communicating with the capture drone is an interface for sending / receiving data to / from the capture drone 20. The communication interface 19 for communicating with the capture drone is connected to the capture communication unit 20 wirelessly. The communication interface 19 for communicating with the capture drone supplies capture commands and the like from the control unit 11 to the capture drone 20. The radar interface 17 and the camera interface 18 may also be integrated. Next, an example of the structure of the capture drone 20 will be described. FIG. 3 shows an example of the structure of the capture drone 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the capture drone 20 includes a control unit 21, a communication interface 25, a flight mechanism 26, and a net gun 29, etc. The control unit 21, the communication interface 25, the flight mechanism 26, and the net gun 29 are communicably connected via a data bus or a predetermined interface or the like. The capture drone 20 may also have a structure as needed in addition to the structure shown in FIG. 3, or a specific structure may be excluded from the capture drone 20. The net gun 29 is as described above. The communication interface 25 is an interface for sending / receiving data to / from the monitoring and control device 10 and the like. For example, the communication interface 25 supports a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) connection. The flight mechanism 26 is a mechanism that makes the capture drone 20 fly according to the control from the control unit 21. The flight mechanism 26 makes the capture drone 20 perform hovering, turning, forward movement, backward movement, ascending, and descending. For example, the flight mechanism 26 is composed of a motor and a propeller driven by the motor, etc. The radar 27 is a sensor for detecting an object in a predetermined area. For example, the radar 27 is used to detect obstacles, the target 4, etc. The radar 27 is used to detect the direction and distance of the existence of an object. The radar 27 notifies the control unit 21 of the direction and distance of the existence of the object. For example, the radar 27 is composed of an irradiation mechanism that irradiates radio waves with a predetermined frequency and a receiving mechanism that detects the reflected wave of the radio wave. The radar 27 detects an object in a predetermined area based on the reflected wave. Next, the functions implemented by the monitoring and control device 10 will be described. First, the control unit 11 has a function for detecting the target 4. For example, the control unit 11 inputs an operation to start monitoring an unidentified flying object through the operation unit 15. When this operation is input, the control unit 11 monitors the unidentified flying object using the radar 2, the camera 3, etc. For example, the control unit 11 determines whether there is an unidentified flying object in the monitoring area based on the detection signal from the radar 2. The control unit 11 determines whether there is an unidentified flying object in the monitoring area by analyzing the captured image from the camera 3 according to a predetermined image processing algorithm. The control unit 11 can also combine the detection signal from the radar 2 and the captured image from the camera 3 to determine whether there is an unidentified flying object in the monitoring area. When the control unit 11 determines that there is an unidentified flying object, it detects the unidentified flying object as the target 4. For example, the control unit 11 calculates the coordinates of the target 4 based on the detection signal from the radar 2 and the captured image from the camera 3, etc. The control unit 11 has a function of making the capture drone 20 capture the target 4. When the target 4 is detected, the control unit 11 sends a capture command instructing to capture the target 4 to the capture drone 20 through the communication interface 19. For example, the capture command includes the coordinates of the target 4. After sending the capture command to the capture drone 20, the control unit 11 also continuously detects the target 4 in the monitoring area. When the target 4 leaves the monitoring area, the control unit 11 determines whether there is any other target 4 in the monitoring area. If it is determined that there is another target 4, the control unit 11 sends a capture command indicating to capture the other target 4 to the capture drone 20. When the control unit 11 determines that there is no other target 4, it can also send a return command indicating to return to the predetermined position to the capture drone 20 through the communication interface 19. Next, the functions implemented by the capture drone 20 will be described. The functions implemented by the capture drone 20 are realized by executing the program stored in the internal memory of the control unit 21. First of all, the control unit 21 has the function of making the capture drone 20 approach the target 4 at a predetermined distance. The capture drone 20 approaches the target 4 and flies or remains stationary while maintaining a predetermined distance to track the target 4. It can also standby in a state of landing at a predetermined position. The control unit 21 receives a capture command from the monitoring and control device 10 through the communication interface 25. When receiving the capture command, the control unit 21 uses the flight mechanism 26 to make the capture drone 20 approach the target 4. For example, the control unit 21 uses the flight mechanism 26 to make the capture drone 20 fly to the coordinates of the target 4 according to the capture command. The control unit 21 has the function of generating a threatening sound. When the distance between the capture drone 20 and the target 4 becomes a predetermined distance, the control unit 21 uses the net gun 29 or the sound generating mechanism 28 to generate a threatening sound. The control unit 21 fires blank cartridges of the net gun using the net gun 29 or the sound generating mechanism 28. Or the control unit 21 can also shoot a capture net from the net gun 29 and generate a threatening sound. For example, the control unit 21 uses the flight mechanism 26 to move the capture drone 20 to a position where it can capture the target 4 indicated by the new capture command. For example, the control unit 21 moves the capture drone 20 so that the target 4 is covered by the range of the net gun 29. When moving the capture drone 20, the control unit 21 fires the net gun 29. When the target 4 is captured by the net from the net gun 29, the control unit 21 uses the flight mechanism 26 to make the capture drone 20 return to the predetermined position in the state where the target 4 has been captured. In the case of failing to capture the target 4, the control unit 21 can also use the flight mechanism 26 to make the capture drone 20 return to the predetermined position. In the case where no new capture command is received within the predetermined period, the control unit 21 uses the flight mechanism 26 to move the capture drone 20 to a position where it can capture the current target 4. The example of the operation of the control unit 21 to capture the current target 4 is the same as the example of the operation to capture the target 4 indicated by the new capture command, so the description is omitted. Next, an operation example of the monitoring system 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the monitoring system 1. The capture drone 20 is waiting in a state of landing at a predetermined position. First, the control unit 11 of the monitoring control device 10 starts monitoring for unidentified flying objects in the monitoring area using the radar 2, the camera 3, etc. (S11). When starting the monitoring for unidentified flying objects, the control unit 11 detects the unidentified flying object as the target 4 (S12). When the target 4 is detected, the control unit 11 sends a capture command instructing to capture the detected target 4 to the capture drone 20 through the communication interface 19 (S13). The control unit 21 of the capture drone 20 receives this capture command through the communication interface 25. When receiving this capture command, the control unit 21 uses the flight mechanism 26 to make the capture drone 20 approach the target 4 indicated by this capture command (S14). When the distance between the capture drone 20 and the target 4 becomes a predetermined distance, the control unit 21 uses the net gun 29 to eject pressurized gas to generate a threatening sound (S15), or the monitoring control device 10 uses the sound generating mechanism 28 to generate a threatening sound. The timing of the control unit 21 or the monitoring control device 10 issuing an instruction to generate a threatening sound can also be the same timing as S13 or the same timing as S15. In the case where the control unit 11 of the monitoring control device 10 detects a bird as the target 4, the detected bird as the target 4 will take evasive action due to the threatening sound. In the case where the bird retreats from the monitoring area due to the threatening sound, the control unit 11 determines whether there is another target 4 in the monitoring area. Here, the control unit 11 determines that there is another target 4 in the monitoring area. When it is determined that there is another target 4 in the monitoring area, the control unit 11 sends a capture command instructing to capture this target 4 to the capture drone 20 through the communication interface 19 (S16). The control unit 21 of the capture drone 20 receives this capture command through the communication interface 25. The control unit 21 of the capture drone 20 uses the net gun 29 to capture the target 4 according to the capture command sent in S13 or S16 (S17). When capturing the target 4, the control unit 21 uses the flight mechanism 26 to make the capture drone 20 return to the predetermined position (S18). When the capture drone 20 returns, the monitoring system 1 ends its operation. In the case where it is determined that there is no other target 4 in the monitoring area, the control unit 11 of the monitoring control device 10 can also send a return command to the capture drone 20 through the communication interface 19. The control unit 21 of the capture drone 20 can also use the flight mechanism 26 to make the capture drone 20 return to the predetermined position according to the return command. The control unit 11 of the monitoring and control device 10 can also send a command instructing to generate a threatening sound to the capture drone 20 when the capture drone 20 approaches the target 4 to a predetermined distance. The control unit 21 of the capture drone 20 can also generate a threatening sound using the net gun 29 or the sound generating mechanism 28 according to this command. After generating the threatening sound, the control unit 11 of the capture drone 20 can send a notification indicating that the threatening sound has been generated to the monitoring and control device 10 through the communication interface 25. The capture drone 20 can also standby in a state of flying to a predetermined position. The capture drone 20 can also be equipped with a plurality of net guns 29. In this case, the capture drone 20 can also fire a net from the next net gun 29 in the case of failing to capture the target 4. The capture mechanism provided in the capture drone 20 can also have a structure other than the net gun 29. The structure of the capture mechanism is not limited to a specific structure. The monitoring system 1 can also be equipped with a plurality of capture drones 20. The monitoring system 1 can also be equipped with a drone for detecting unidentified flying objects. The monitoring system with the above structure detects the target in the monitoring area. The monitoring system makes the capture drone approach the detected target. The monitoring system generates a threatening sound from the net gun 29 or the sound generating mechanism 28 provided in the capture drone. As a result, the monitoring system can make the birds retreat or be excluded from the monitoring area when detecting birds as the target. Therefore, the monitoring system can appropriately change the target even when misidentifying birds as the target. Even when the monitoring system appropriately detects the target, there are sometimes birds flying around the target. In this case, the monitoring system can retreat or exclude the birds around the target by the threatening sound. As a result, the monitoring system can prevent the birds around the target from being entangled by the net. Although several embodiments of the present invention are described, the embodiments are only presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The embodiments and variations include the scope or gist of the invention, and also include the scope equivalent to the invention described in the claims. 1: Monitoring system 2: Radar 3: Camera 4: Target 10: Monitoring and control device 11: Control unit 15: Operation unit 16: Display unit 17: Radar interface 18: Camera interface 19: Communication interface 20: Capture drone 21: Control unit 25: Communication interface 26: Flight mechanism 27: Radar 28: Sound generating mechanism 29: Net gun [FIG. 1] is a display diagram schematically showing a structural example of a monitoring system according to an embodiment. [FIG. 2] is a block diagram showing a structural example of a monitoring control device according to an embodiment. [FIG. 3] is a block diagram showing a structural example of a drone according to an embodiment. [FIG. 4] is a timing diagram showing an operation example of the monitoring system according to an embodiment. 1: Monitoring system 2: Radar 3: Camera 4: Target 10: Monitoring control device 20: Drone for capture 28: Sound generating mechanism 29: Net gun

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising: a capture mechanism, a flight mechanism, and a control unit; wherein the capture mechanism is used to capture a target; the flight mechanism enables the UAV to fly; the control unit uses the flight mechanism to approach the target to a predetermined distance from it, uses the capture mechanism to generate sound, and uses the capture mechanism to capture the target, wherein the capture mechanism is a net gun for launching a capture net.

2. As in request item 1, the drone, where, The device is equipped with a radar for measuring the distance to the target; the control unit fires the capture net from the net gun and generates the sound when the distance measured by the radar becomes the predetermined distance.

3. As in request item 1, the drone, where, It is equipped with a communication interface for sending / receiving data with a host device; the control unit receives a capture command from the host device via the communication interface, instructing to capture the target, and uses the flight mechanism to approach the target to a predetermined distance based on the capture command.

4. For any of the drones requested in items 1 to 3, wherein, The aforementioned capture mechanism uses blank rounds to generate a threatening sound.

5. An information processing method for a drone, performed by a drone as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit of the drone detects a target, causes a drone equipped with a capture mechanism for capturing the target to approach the target to a predetermined distance, generates sound using the capture mechanism, and captures the target using the capture mechanism, wherein the capture mechanism is a net gun for firing a capture net.

6. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system comprising an information processing device and a UAV; the information processing device comprising: a detection mechanism interface, a UAV interface, and a first control unit; the detection mechanism interface transmitting / receiving data with a detection mechanism used to detect a target; the UAV interface transmitting / receiving data with the UAV; the first control unit transmitting a capture command instructing the UAV to capture the target via the UAV interface; the UAV comprising: a communication interface, a capture mechanism, a flight mechanism, and a second control unit; the communication interface transmitting / receiving data with the information processing device; the capture mechanism capturing the target; the flight mechanism causing the UAV to fly; the second control unit, based on the capture command, using the flight mechanism to bring the UAV close to the target at a predetermined distance, using the capture mechanism to generate sound to deter birds or other birds that mistakenly identify the target, and using the capture mechanism to capture the target; the capture mechanism is a net gun used to launch a capture net.

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