Gas leak monitoring method, gas leak monitoring system, and gas leak monitoring program

Abstract

In the gas leak monitoring method, gas leaked from a site is detected using a gas detection device mounted on a first UAV, and position information of the gas is acquired using a position measurement device mounted on the first UAV. Then, a second UAV, on which a concentration measurement device including a contact gas sensor is mounted, is moved above the gas leakage position corresponding to the position information, and the concentration of the gas at the gas leakage position is measured. The leakage amount of the gas is calculated on the basis of the volume of the gas detected by the gas detection device and the concentration measured by the concentration measurement device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a gas leakage monitoring method and a gas leakage monitoring system.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Special Application No. 2022-138048 filed with the Japan Patent Office on August 31, 2022, and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] As a technology for monitoring gas leakage in a field, it is known to use a camera or other shooting device to shoot the field and detect the leaked gas based on the image data shot. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a black smoke detection system for detecting gas (black smoke) in a field using optical flow estimation. In this black smoke detection system, for the black smoke discharged from the flare chimney, two images of a time series shot continuously are used, and the local velocity vector in the image generated by the movement of the gas is calculated based on the optical flow estimation obtained by calculating between the two images. The velocity vector whose magnitude and direction are within the specified range among the velocity vectors thus obtained is extracted as the velocity vector representing the movement of the black smoke.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4266535 Summary of the invention

[0007] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0008] When it is desired to quantitatively evaluate the gas leaking from a site, the leakage amount M can be calculated based on the volume V and the concentration ρ of the gas (specifically, the leakage amount M can be obtained as the product of the volume V and the concentration ρ). The volume V of the gas can be estimated based on the range of the gas shown in the image data, for example, as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, but in order to obtain the concentration ρ of the gas with sufficient accuracy, it is necessary to directly measure the gas using, for example, a contact sensor at the gas leakage site. Therefore, when the site to be monitored is wide and the location where the gas leakage may occur is difficult to determine in advance, it is necessary to configure the contact sensor at multiple locations where there is a possibility of gas leakage, which is unrealistic.

[0009] At least one embodiment of the present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned situation, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a gas leakage monitoring method, a gas leakage monitoring system, and a gas leakage monitoring program capable of quantitatively evaluating gas leaked from a site.

[0010] Means for solving problems

[0011] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a gas leakage monitoring method according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

[0012] a detection step in which a gas leak from the site is detected using a gas detection device carried by the first UAV;

[0013] a position information obtaining step, in which the position information of the gas is obtained using a position measuring device carried by the first UAV;

[0014] a moving step in which a second UAV equipped with a concentration measuring device including a contact gas sensor is moved above a gas leakage position corresponding to the position information;

[0015] a concentration measuring step of measuring the concentration of the gas at the gas leakage position using the concentration measuring device; and

[0016] a leakage amount calculation step of calculating the leakage amount of the gas based on the volume of the gas detected by the gas detection device and the concentration measured by the concentration measurement device.

[0017] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a gas leakage monitoring system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

[0018] a first UAV equipped with a gas detection device for detecting gas leaking from the site and a position determination device for obtaining position information of the gas;

[0019] a second UAV capable of moving based on the position information and equipped with a concentration measuring device for measuring the concentration of the gas; and

[0020] A leakage amount calculation device is used to calculate the leakage amount of the gas based on the volume of the gas detected by the gas detection device and the concentration measured by the concentration measurement device.

[0021] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a gas leakage monitoring program according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute:

[0022] a detection step, in which a gas leak from the site is detected using a gas detection device carried by the first UAV;

[0023] a position information obtaining step, in which the position information of the gas is obtained using a position measuring device carried by the first UAV;

[0024] a moving step in which a second UAV equipped with a concentration measuring device including a contact gas sensor is moved above a gas leakage position corresponding to the position information;

[0025] a concentration measuring step of measuring the concentration of the gas at the gas leakage position using the concentration measuring device; and

[0026] a leakage amount calculation step of calculating the leakage amount of the gas based on the volume of the gas detected by the gas detection device and the concentration measured by the concentration measurement device.

[0027] Effects of the Invention

[0028] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a gas leakage monitoring method, a gas leakage monitoring system, and a gas leakage monitoring program capable of quantitatively evaluating gas leaked from a site can be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a UAV included in a gas leakage monitoring system according to an embodiment.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a configuration diagram of a gas leakage monitoring system according to one embodiment.

[0031] Figure 3 1 is a flowchart showing a gas leakage monitoring method according to one embodiment.

[0032] Figure 4 It is shown from the side using Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a scheme in which the concentration measuring device in step S3 measures the concentration.

[0033] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A variation of .

[0034] Figure 6 It is shown from the side using Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another scheme in which the concentration measuring device in step S3 measures the concentration.

[0035] Figure 7 It is shown from the side using Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another scheme in which the concentration measuring device in step S3 measures the concentration.

[0036] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of concentration distribution with respect to height. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the structures described as embodiments or shown in the accompanying drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely illustrative examples.

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a UAV included in a gas leakage monitoring system 1 according to an embodiment. Figure 2 It is a block diagram of a gas leakage monitoring system 1 according to one embodiment.

[0039] The gas leakage monitoring system 1 is a system for monitoring gas G (e.g., gas leakage or outflow from a facility) at a site F using a UAV 10 (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). It should be noted that the type of gas G to be monitored is not particularly limited. As an example, a case where carbon dioxide (CO2) gas is monitored will be described below.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, the UAV 10 includes a UAV body 12 and a plurality of propellers 14 (usually more than three propellers 14) mounted on the UAV body 12. The plurality of propellers 14 are each configured to rotate by being driven by a motor (not shown). The flight altitude, flight speed, flight direction, etc. of the UAV 10 can be controlled by adjusting the current value of each motor used to drive the plurality of propellers 14. As described later, a signal indicating the current value of each motor can be sent to the leakage amount calculation device 30 (see FIG. 1 ) via the wireless communication network 40. Figure 2 ).

[0041] The UAV 10 may be provided with at least one of an altimeter (not shown) for measuring the flight altitude H of the UAV 10 and a speedometer (not shown) for measuring the flight speed v of the UAV 10. At least one of a signal indicating the flight altitude H of the UAV 10 obtained by the altimeter and / or a signal indicating the flight speed v of the UAV 10 obtained by the speedometer may be transmitted to the leakage amount calculation device 30 via the wireless communication network 40.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the gas leakage monitoring system 1 includes a first UAV 10A, a second UAV 10B, and a leakage amount calculation device 30. It should be noted that the first UAV 10A and the second UAV 10B are Figure 1 The UAV 10 having the basic structure shown is equipped with various devices corresponding to the respective functions as described below (hereinafter, the first UAV 10A and the second UAV 10B are collectively referred to as "UAV 10" as appropriate).

[0043] The first UAV 10A is a UAV 10 equipped with a gas detection device 20 and a position measurement device 22. The first UAV 10A can communicate via the wireless communication network 40, and can send and receive control signals for realizing a moving path on the site F, and various information including detection results of the gas detection device 20 and measurement results of the position measurement device 22.

[0044] The gas detection device 20 is a structure for detecting gas G leaking from the site F while the UAV 10 is in flight. For example, the gas detection device 20 is a photographing device that can photograph the site F below the UAV 10 within the entire prescribed shooting field of view. In this case, the gas detection device 20 can be an infrared camera having a filter that selectively transmits infrared rays of a wavelength (4.3 μm in the case of CO2 gas) absorbed by the monitored gas G. In this way, by using an infrared camera that selectively filters a specific wavelength to form an image, only a specific gas G is imaged into the image data for the fluid (gas) in the shooting field of view. The image data containing the gas G detected by the gas detection device 20 can be sent to the leakage amount calculation device 30 via the wireless communication network 40.

[0045] The position measuring device 22 is a structure for measuring the position of the gas G detected by the gas detection device 20 in the site F. The measurement result of the position measuring device 22 is position information including the position coordinates in the site F, and the position information can be sent to the leakage amount calculation device 30 via the wireless communication network 40 (it should be noted that it can also be sent to the second UAV 10B). It should be noted that there is no limitation on the method of measuring the position by the position measuring device 22, but the position measuring device 22 can include a GPS sensor, for example, and obtain GPS position information as the position information.

[0046] The first UAV 10A carries the gas detection device 20 and the position measurement device 22 in this way, detects the gas G in the field F with the gas detection device 20, and obtains position information by measuring the position of the gas G. The position information obtained by the first UAV 10A is transmitted to the second UAV 10B or the leakage amount calculation device 30 via the wireless communication network 40.

[0047] The second UAV 10B is a UAV 10 equipped with a concentration measuring device 24 for measuring the concentration of the gas G. The second UAV 10B can move above the position of the gas G detected by the gas detection device 20 (hereinafter appropriately referred to as the "gas leakage position") based on the position information obtained by the first UAV 10A. It should be noted that the second UAV 10B can obtain the position information obtained by the first UAV 10A from the leakage amount calculation device 30 via the wireless communication network 40, or directly from the first UAV 10B.

[0048] The concentration measuring device 24 includes a contact sensor and is configured to measure the concentration of the gas around the concentration measuring device 24. As described later, the second UAV 10B can measure the concentration of the gas G at a predetermined height from the site F by lowering the concentration measuring device 24 from the UAV body 12 or lowering the UAV body 12 carrying the concentration measuring device 24.

[0049] The leakage amount calculation device 30 is a structure for calculating the leakage amount of the gas G in the site F by sending and receiving various data via the first UAV10A and the second UAV10B and the wireless communication network 40, and is equipped with a first UAV control unit 32, a position information acquisition unit 34, a second UAV control unit 36, a concentration information acquisition unit 38, and a leakage amount calculation unit 39. For example, the leakage amount calculation device 30 includes a computer that has a processor (CPU or GPU, etc.), a storage device (memory device; RAM, etc.), an auxiliary storage unit, and an interface, that is, a hardware structure, and can send and receive various data between the first UAV10A and the second UAV10B via a specified interface. The processor is configured to process the signal received in this way. In addition, the processor is configured to process the program expanded in the storage device. In this way, various functions of the leakage amount calculation device 30 are realized.

[0050] The processing contents in the leakage amount calculation device 30 are installed as a program executed by the processor. The program can be stored in the auxiliary storage unit. When the program is executed, the program is expanded in the storage device. The processor reads the program from the storage device and executes the instructions included in the program.

[0051] The first UAV control unit 32 is a structure for controlling the first UAV 10A. Specifically, the first UAV control unit 32 controls the movement of the first UAV 10 in such a manner that the gas detection device 20 mounted on the first UAV 10A detects the gas G in the entire site F as a monitored object, and controls the movement in such a manner that, when the gas G is detected, the position of the gas G is measured using the position measurement device 22 mounted on the first UAV 10A.

[0052] The position information acquisition unit 34 is a configuration for acquiring position information corresponding to the position measured by the position measurement device 22 mounted on the first UAV 10A. The position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 34 may be stored in a storage device (not shown) in a readable manner.

[0053] The second UAV control unit 36 ​​is configured to control the second UAV 10B to move to the gas leakage location based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 34 and to measure the concentration of the gas G at the gas leakage location using the concentration measurement device 24 mounted on the second UAV 10B. The movement control of the second UAV 10B by the second UAV control unit 36 ​​is performed so that the second UAV 10B is located above the gas leakage location on the site F determined based on the location information.

[0054] The concentration information acquisition unit 38 is a structure for acquiring data related to the concentration of the gas G measured by the concentration measurement device 24 mounted on the second UAV 10B. The data related to the concentration acquired by the concentration information acquisition unit 38 can be stored in a storage device (not shown) in a readable manner.

[0055] The leakage amount calculation unit 39 is a configuration for calculating the leakage amount of the gas G detected by the gas detection device 20 mounted on the first UAV 10A. The leakage amount Q is calculated using the volume V and concentration ρ of the gas G by the following equation.

[0056] Q=V×ρ (1)

[0057] The volume V can be estimated, for example, by evaluating the diffusion of the gas G in the field F based on image data captured by the gas detection device 20 as an imaging device. The concentration p uses the data acquired by the concentration information acquisition unit 38 as described above.

[0058] It should be noted that if Figure 1 As shown, the leakage amount calculation device 30 is arranged at a remote location away from the first UAV 10A and the second UAV 10B, and can receive data related to the volume V and the concentration ρ via the wireless communication network 40. Thus, quantitative monitoring of gas leakage in the site F can be performed at a remote location.

[0059] Next, a gas leakage monitoring method using the gas leakage monitoring system 1 having the above-described configuration will be described. Figure 3 1 is a flowchart showing a gas leakage monitoring method according to one embodiment.

[0060] First, the first UAV control unit 32 uses the first UAV 10A to move on the site F while using the gas detection device 20 mounted on the first UAV 10A to detect the gas G present in the site F (step S1: detection process). The movement path of the first UAV 10A is set in such a way that the site F as the monitored object is included in the shooting range of the gas detection device 20, i.e., the shooting device. In addition, the detection of the gas G by the gas detection device 20 is performed, for example, by shooting the site F using the shooting device, i.e., the gas detection device 20. The detection result based on the gas detection device 20 is sent to the leakage amount calculation device 30 via the wireless communication network 40.

[0061] Next, the first UAV control unit 32 uses the position measuring device 22 mounted on the first UAV 10A to obtain the position information of the gas G detected in step S1 (step S2: position information obtaining process). The position information is obtained, for example, as three-dimensional coordinates indicating the position of the gas G in the site F. The position information obtained in step S2 is transmitted to the leakage amount calculation device 30 via the wireless communication network 40, and is obtained by the position information obtaining unit 34.

[0062] Next, the second UAV control unit 36 ​​moves the second UAV 10B based on the position information acquired in step S2 (step S3: moving process). The movement control in step S3 is performed so that the second UAV 10B is located above the gas leakage position determined based on the position information. For example, when the gas leakage position is determined by three-dimensional coordinates (x, y, z), the second UAV 10B is controlled to hover at a predetermined height at the position determined by the coordinates (x, y) when the site F is viewed from above.

[0063] Next, the second UAV control unit 36 ​​uses the concentration measuring device 24 mounted on the second UAV 10B to measure the concentration p of the gas G at the gas leakage position (step S4: concentration measuring process). As described above, the concentration measuring device 24 includes a contact sensor, so at the gas leakage position, the concentration p at the height where the concentration measuring device 24 is located is measured.

[0064] In one embodiment of step S4 (concentration measurement step), the concentration measurement device 24 may measure the concentration p while descending from the second UAV 10B to a predetermined height from the site F (ground surface). Figure 4 It is shown from the side using Figure 3FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a scheme for measuring the concentration p by the concentration measuring device 24 in step S3 of FIG. In this scheme, the second UAV 10B is provided with a lifting mechanism 25 for lifting the concentration measuring device 24 relative to the UAV body 12. The second UAV control unit 36 ​​controls the flight state of the second UAV 10B in a hovering manner above the gas leakage position, while lowering the concentration measuring device 24 from the UAV body 12 to a predetermined height H from the field F. Thus, the concentration measuring device 24 can measure the concentration p at the predetermined height.

[0065] It should be noted that in this embodiment, after the concentration ρ is measured at the predetermined height H, the concentration measuring device 24 is raised by the lifting mechanism 25 and stored in the UAV body 12 .

[0066] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 In this modification, an anti-sway mechanism 26 is provided at the lower part of the concentration measuring device 24. The anti-sway mechanism 26 is configured so as to contact the field F when the concentration measuring device 24 is lifted from the UAV body 12 to a predetermined height H by means of the lifting mechanism 25. Figure 5 In the example of , the anti-sway mechanism 26 is a rod member extending in the vertical direction, one end of which is attached to the lower part of the concentration measuring device 24, and the other end of which is in contact with the field F when the concentration measuring device 24 is at a predetermined height H. Thus, the concentration measuring device 24 that has descended from the second UAV 10B and is at the predetermined height H is in contact with the field F by the anti-sway mechanism 26 and the posture is stabilized, and the concentration ρ can be measured with good accuracy.

[0067] In another aspect of step S4 (concentration measuring step), the concentration measuring device 24 may measure the concentration p while being lowered from the second UAV 10B to the site F by the lifting mechanism 25 . Figure 6 It is shown from the side using Figure 3 Schematic diagram of another scheme for measuring the concentration p by the concentration measuring device 24 in step S3. In this scheme, the concentration measuring device 24 is lowered to the ground surface, that is, the site F, so that the concentration p of the gas G on the ground surface at the gas leakage location can be measured.

[0068] In another aspect of step S4 (concentration measuring step), the concentration ρ at a predetermined height may be measured by lowering the second UAV 10B equipped with the concentration measuring device 24 . Figure 7 It is shown from the side using Figure 3Schematic diagram of another scheme for measuring the concentration ρ by the concentration measuring device 24 in step S3. In this scheme, the second UAV 10B does not have the aforementioned lifting mechanism 25, and the second UAV 10B is lowered to a specified height while the concentration measuring device 24 is stored in the UAV body 12, so that the concentration ρ of the gas G at the specified height can be measured.

[0069] Next, return Figure 3 The leakage amount calculation unit 39 calculates the leakage amount Q of the gas G based on the volume V and concentration ρ of the gas G detected in step S1 (step S5: leakage amount calculation process). In step S5, the volume V is estimated based on the diffusion of the gas G determined based on the image data of the site F obtained as the detection result of the gas detection device in step S1. In addition, the concentration ρ uses the measurement result in step S4. And the calculation of the leakage amount Q is performed based on the above-mentioned formula (1).

[0070] In another embodiment of step S4 (concentration measurement process), Figures 4 to 6 The concentration measuring device 24 is lowered from the second UAV 10B as shown, or as shown in Figure 7 When the second UAV 10B equipped with the concentration measuring device 24 is lowered as shown, the concentration p is measured at multiple different positions in the height direction during the lowering. In this scheme, by measuring multiple concentrations p at different heights, the concentration distribution with respect to height can be obtained. Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of concentration distribution with respect to height.

[0071] Then, in step S5 (leakage amount calculation step), the concentration ρ at the gas leakage position may be estimated based on the concentration distribution of the gas G thus acquired. By estimating the concentration ρ based on the concentration distribution, the leakage amount Q can be calculated using the concentration ρ with higher accuracy.

[0072] As described above, according to the above-mentioned embodiments, the gas G leaked in the site F is detected by means of the first UAV10A that can move in the site F, and the position information of the gas G (i.e., the gas leakage position) is obtained. The position information obtained by the first UAV10A is used by the second UAV10B, so that the second UAV10B moves to the gas leakage position. And the second UAV10B uses the concentration measuring device 24 carried by it to measure the concentration of the gas G at the gas leakage position. In addition, the volume V of the gas G can be estimated based on, for example, image data used in the detection of the gas G. Based on the volume V and concentration ρ of the gas G obtained in this way, the leakage amount Q of the gas G in the site F can be calculated, and the quantitative evaluation of the gas leakage in the site F can be achieved.

[0073] The contents described in each of the above-mentioned embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0074] (1) A gas leakage monitoring method of one embodiment includes:

[0075] a detection step in which a gas leak from the site is detected using a gas detection device carried by the first UAV;

[0076] a position information obtaining step, in which the position information of the gas is obtained using a position measuring device carried by the first UAV;

[0077] a moving step in which a second UAV equipped with a concentration measuring device including a contact gas sensor is moved above a gas leakage position corresponding to the position information;

[0078] a concentration measuring step of measuring the concentration of the gas at the gas leakage position using the concentration measuring device; and

[0079] a leakage amount calculation step of calculating the leakage amount of the gas based on the volume of the gas detected by the gas detection device and the concentration measured by the concentration measurement device.

[0080] According to the scheme (1) above, the gas leaked at the site is detected by a first UAV that can move at the site, and the position information of the gas (i.e., the gas leakage position) is obtained. The position information obtained by the first UAV is used by the second UAV, so that the second UAV moves to the gas leakage position. The second UAV uses the concentration measuring device carried by it to measure the concentration of the gas at the gas leakage position.

[0081] The volume of the gas can be estimated based on, for example, image data used for gas detection, etc. Based on the volume and concentration of the gas thus obtained, the amount of gas leakage in the field can be determined, and quantitative evaluation of gas leakage in the field can be achieved.

[0082] It should be noted that, in the present application specification, the concept of “detection” includes “detection”, for example, including detecting the presence or absence of gas leakage from a site and detecting various parameters related to the gas.

[0083] (2) In another embodiment, based on the embodiment of (1) above,

[0084] In the concentration measuring step, the concentration measuring device measures the concentration while descending from the second UAV to a predetermined height from the site.

[0085] According to the above aspect (2), the second UAV lowers the concentration measuring device from the second UAV to a predetermined height of the site at the gas leakage position acquired by the first UAV, thereby appropriately measuring the gas concentration used for calculating the gas leakage amount.

[0086] (3) In another embodiment, based on the embodiment of (2) above,

[0087] In the concentration measuring step, the concentration measuring device is lowered from the second UAV in such a manner that an anti-sway mechanism provided at a lower portion of the concentration measuring device contacts the field.

[0088] According to the above solution (3), an anti-sway mechanism is provided at the bottom of the concentration measuring device descending from the second UAV. The anti-sway mechanism can stably maintain the posture of the concentration measuring device at a predetermined height by making the concentration measuring device descending from the second UAV contact the ground when the height reaches a predetermined height.

[0089] (4) In another embodiment, based on the embodiment of (1) above,

[0090] In the concentration measuring step, the concentration measuring device measures the concentration while descending from the second UAV to the site.

[0091] According to the above aspect (4), the second UAV lowers the concentration measuring device from the second UAV to the site at the gas leakage position acquired by the first UAV, thereby appropriately measuring the gas concentration used for calculating the gas leakage amount.

[0092] (5) In another embodiment, based on the embodiment of (1) above,

[0093] In the concentration measuring step, the concentration at the predetermined height is measured by lowering the second UAV equipped with the concentration measuring device.

[0094] According to the above aspect (5), by descending the second UAV equipped with the concentration measuring device to a predetermined height at the gas leakage position acquired by the first UAV, the concentration of the gas used for calculating the gas leakage amount can be appropriately measured.

[0095] (6) In another embodiment, based on the embodiment of (1) above,

[0096] In the concentration measuring step, the concentration measuring device measures the concentration at a plurality of different positions in a height direction while descending from the second UAV.

[0097] In the leakage amount calculation step, the concentration at the gas leakage position is estimated based on the concentration distribution of the gas.

[0098] According to the above-mentioned solution (6), the concentration of the gas is measured at different positions in the height direction at the gas leakage position, thereby obtaining the concentration distribution in the height direction. By using the thus obtained gas concentration distribution, the concentration of the gas at the gas leakage position can be estimated with good accuracy.

[0099] (7) A gas leakage monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises:

[0100] a first UAV equipped with a gas detection device for detecting gas leaking from the site and a position determination device for obtaining position information of the gas;

[0101] a second UAV capable of moving based on the position information and equipped with a concentration measuring device for measuring the concentration of the gas; and

[0102] A leakage amount calculation device is used to calculate the leakage amount of the gas based on the volume of the gas detected by the gas detection device and the concentration measured by the concentration measurement device.

[0103] According to the scheme of (7) above, the gas leaked at the site is detected using a first UAV that can move at the site, and the location information of the gas (i.e., the gas leakage location) is obtained. The location information obtained by the first UAV is used by the second UAV, so that the second UAV moves to the gas leakage location. And the second UAV uses the concentration measuring device carried by it to measure the concentration of the gas at the gas leakage location. In addition, the volume of the gas can be estimated based on, for example, image data used for gas detection. Based on the volume and concentration of the gas obtained in this way, the amount of gas leakage at the site can be calculated, and quantitative evaluation of gas leakage at the site can be achieved.

[0104] (8) In another embodiment, based on the embodiment of (7),

[0105] The leakage amount calculation device is arranged at a remote location away from the first UAV and the second UAV, and can receive data related to the volume and the concentration via a wireless communication unit.

[0106] According to the above-mentioned aspect (8), various data can be acquired from the first UAV and the second UAV movable at the site by wireless communication at a remote location, so that quantitative monitoring of gas leakage at the site can be performed at a remote location.

[0107] (9) A gas leak monitoring program of one embodiment causes a computer to execute:

[0108] a detection step, in which a gas leak from the site is detected using a gas detection device carried by the first UAV;

[0109] a position information obtaining step, in which the position information of the gas is obtained using a position measuring device carried by the first UAV;

[0110] a moving step in which a second UAV equipped with a concentration measuring device including a contact gas sensor is moved above a gas leakage position corresponding to the position information;

[0111] a concentration measuring step of measuring the concentration of the gas at the gas leakage position using the concentration measuring device; and

[0112] a leakage amount calculation step of calculating the leakage amount of the gas based on the volume of the gas detected by the gas detection device and the concentration measured by the concentration measurement device.

[0113] According to the scheme of (9) above, the first UAV that can move on the site is used to detect the gas leaking on the site and obtain the location information of the gas (i.e., the gas leakage location). The location information obtained by the first UAV is used by the second UAV, so that the second UAV moves to the gas leakage location. The second UAV uses the concentration measuring device carried by it to measure the concentration of the gas at the gas leakage location.

[0114] The volume of the gas can be estimated based on, for example, image data used for gas detection, etc. Based on the volume and concentration of the gas thus obtained, the amount of gas leakage in the field can be determined, and quantitative evaluation of gas leakage in the field can be achieved.

[0115] Description of reference numerals:

[0116] 1 Gas Leak Monitoring System

[0117] 12 Main Body

[0118] 14 Propeller

[0119] 20 Gas detection device

[0120] 22 Position measuring device

[0121] 24 Concentration measuring device

[0122] 25 Lifting mechanism

[0123] 26 Anti-sway mechanism

[0124] 30 Leakage calculation device

[0125] 32 First UAV Control Unit

[0126] 34 Position information acquisition unit

[0127] 36 Second UAV Control Unit

[0128] 38. Concentration information acquisition unit

[0129] 39 Leakage amount calculation unit

[0130] 40 Wireless communication network.

Claims

1. A gas leak monitoring method, wherein: The gas leakage monitoring method comprises: a detection step in which a gas leak from the site is detected using a gas detection device carried by the first UAV; a position information obtaining step, in which the position information of the gas is obtained using a position measuring device carried by the first UAV; a moving step in which a second UAV equipped with a concentration measuring device including a contact gas sensor is moved above a gas leakage position corresponding to the position information; a concentration measuring step of measuring the concentration of the gas at the gas leakage position using the concentration measuring device; and a leakage amount calculation step of calculating the leakage amount of the gas based on the volume of the gas detected by the gas detection device and the concentration measured by the concentration measurement device.

2. The gas leakage monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein: In the concentration measuring step, the concentration measuring device measures the concentration while descending from the second UAV to a predetermined height from the site.

3. The gas leakage monitoring method according to claim 2, wherein: In the concentration measuring step, the concentration measuring device is lowered from the second UAV in such a manner that an anti-sway mechanism provided at a lower portion of the concentration measuring device contacts the field.

4. The gas leakage monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein: In the concentration measuring step, the concentration measuring device measures the concentration while descending from the second UAV to the site.

5. The gas leakage monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein: In the concentration measuring step, the concentration at the predetermined height is measured by lowering the second UAV equipped with the concentration measuring device.

6. The gas leakage monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein: In the concentration measuring step, the concentration measuring device measures the concentration at a plurality of different positions in a height direction while descending from the second UAV. In the leakage amount calculation step, the concentration at the gas leakage position is estimated based on the concentration distribution of the gas.

7. A gas leak monitoring system, wherein: The gas leakage monitoring system comprises: a first UAV equipped with a gas detection device for detecting gas leaking from the site and a position determination device for obtaining position information of the gas; a second UAV capable of moving based on the position information and equipped with a concentration measuring device for measuring the concentration of the gas; as well as A leakage amount calculation device is used to calculate the leakage amount of the gas based on the volume of the gas detected by the gas detection device and the concentration measured by the concentration measurement device.

8. The gas leakage monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein: The leakage amount calculation device is arranged at a remote location away from the first UAV and the second UAV, and can receive data related to the volume and the concentration via a wireless communication unit.

9. A gas leak monitoring program, wherein: The gas leakage monitoring program is used to enable a computer to execute: a detection step, in which a gas leak from the site is detected using a gas detection device carried by the first UAV; a position information obtaining step, in which the position information of the gas is obtained using a position measuring device carried by the first UAV; a moving step in which a second UAV equipped with a concentration measuring device including a contact gas sensor is moved above a gas leakage position corresponding to the position information; a concentration measuring step of measuring the concentration of the gas at the gas leakage position using the concentration measuring device; as well as a leakage amount calculation step of calculating the leakage amount of the gas based on the volume of the gas detected by the gas detection device and the concentration measured by the concentration measurement device.

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