Drone equipped with communication antenna, and monitoring system and monitoring method using the drone

Abstract

To provide: a drone equipped with a reduced weight antenna capable of maintaining a better state of wireless communication with a passive-type IC tag installed on an object to be monitored; and a monitoring system and monitoring method using the drone.SOLUTION: An antenna 7 that constitutes a communication device 6, is a two-element patch antenna in which two antenna elements 8 are arranged side by side on a lower side of a reflection plate 9. The reflection plate 9 and each antenna element 8 are formed of an aluminum alloy plate with a thickness of 3 mm or less. The reflection plate 9 is installed on the drone 1 such that a camera through-hole 9a formed between each antenna element 8 at a center of the reflection plate 9, is located at a center of the drone 1 in a planar view. The reflection plate 9 and each antenna element 8 are visible in a field of view looking up directly below the drone 1, and a camera device 5 arranged above the reflection plate 9 acquires image data below the drone 1 through the camera through-hole 9a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drone equipped with an antenna for communicating with a passive IC tag installed on an object to be monitored, and a surveillance system and surveillance method using this drone. [Background technology]

[0002] A monitoring system has been proposed that uses a communication device mounted on a drone to acquire pressure data in a marine hose from a passive IC tag installed in the marine hose, and determines the presence or absence of a fluid leak based on this pressure data (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The wireless communication distance between the passive IC tag and the communication device is generally 2 m or less. Therefore, when performing this wireless communication, it is necessary to position the drone in an upper position close to the IC tag and hover it so that the antenna of the communication device is within, for example, 2 m of the IC tag. Therefore, it is desirable to install the antenna as low as possible relative to the drone, and it is also desirable to have an antenna specification that can increase the wireless communication distance with the IC tag.

[0003] The drone operator positions the drone at an upper position close to the IC tag by referring to image data captured by a camera device mounted on the drone. Therefore, it is necessary that the antenna mounted on the drone is not in a position that gets in the way when the camera device acquires image data. It is also necessary to ensure that the presence of the camera device does not adversely affect wireless communication between the antenna and the IC tag. Furthermore, even if the antenna specification allows for a large wireless communication distance with the IC tag, the load on the drone increases as the weight of the antenna increases, shortening the flight time. Therefore, there is room for improvement in reducing the weight of the antenna mounted on the drone while maintaining good wireless communication between the antenna and the IC tag and acquiring monitoring data from the IC tag more reliably. Note that monitoring based on data acquired from a passive IC tag using a communication device mounted on a drone in this way can be applied not only to marine hoses but also to other monitored objects. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-46929 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a drone equipped with a lightweight antenna capable of maintaining better wireless communication with a passive IC tag installed on an object to be monitored, as well as a surveillance system and surveillance method using this drone. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the drone of the present invention is a drone equipped with a communication device and a camera device having an antenna used for wireless communication with a passive IC tag installed on a monitored object, the antenna being a two-element patch antenna having a reflector and two plate-shaped antenna elements arranged side by side at a distance on the underside of the reflector, the reflector and each of the antenna elements being formed from an aluminum alloy plate having a thickness of 3 mm or less, a camera through hole being formed at a position corresponding to between each of the antenna elements in the center of the reflector, the reflector being installed on the drone so that the camera through hole is located in the center of the drone in a planar view, the reflector and each of the antenna elements appear in a field of view looking up from directly below the drone, the camera device being positioned above the reflector, and image data below the drone being acquired by the camera device through the camera through hole.

[0007] The monitoring system of the present invention is a monitoring system for an object to be monitored comprising the above-mentioned drone, an IC tag installed on the object to be monitored, and a arithmetic device into which monitoring data acquired by the communication device from the IC tag via wireless communication is input, wherein the IC tag stores detection data acquired by a sensor unit that detects the state of the object to be monitored, and the detection data acquired by the communication device from the IC tag via wireless communication is used as the monitoring data, and the state of the object to be monitored is determined by the arithmetic device based on the monitoring data.

[0008] The monitoring method of the present invention is a method for monitoring an object to be monitored using the above-mentioned drone, the IC tag installed on the object to be monitored, and a arithmetic device into which monitoring data acquired from the IC tag by the communication device via wireless communication is input, and is characterized in that the state of the object to be monitored is detected by a sensor unit installed on the object to be monitored, the detection data by the sensor unit is stored in the IC tag, the detection data is acquired from the IC tag by the communication device via wireless communication, this detection data is used as the monitoring data, and the state of the object to be monitored is determined by the arithmetic device based on the monitoring data. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the drone of the present invention, a two-element patch antenna is used as the antenna constituting the communication device mounted on the drone, and the reflector and each of the antenna elements are formed of an aluminum alloy plate having a thickness of 3 mm or less, which makes it easy to increase the wireless communication distance with the IC tag while reducing the weight of the antenna. Furthermore, since the reflector and each of the antenna elements are visible when looking up at the drone from directly below, the antenna can wirelessly communicate with the IC tag without being blocked by the camera device or other parts of the communication device.

[0010] The camera through-hole formed at a position corresponding to the gap between the antenna elements in the center of the reflector is located at the center of the drone in a plan view. The camera device arranged above the reflector obtains image data below the drone through the camera through-hole, so that the drone operator can refer to this image data to accurately position the drone at an upper position close to the IC tag and hover it. As a result, it is possible to maintain wireless communication between the IC tag and the antenna in a better state, which is advantageous for more reliably obtaining data indicating the state of the monitored object from the IC tag.

[0011] According to the monitoring system and the monitoring method of the present invention, the wireless communication between the IC tag and the antenna can be maintained in a better state, so that the monitoring data stored in the IC tag can be acquired more reliably. Therefore, it is advantageous for grasping the state of the monitored object with high accuracy. Furthermore, since the drone is light-weighted, the flying time of the drone per one flight is increased, which is advantageous for performing the monitoring work quickly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an embodiment of a drone from a front view. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the drone of FIG. 1 in a plan view. [Diagram 3] 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a camera device and an antenna as viewed from a cross section taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the antenna of FIG. 3 as viewed from below. [Diagram 5] BB cross-sectional view of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a surveillance system. [Figure 7] 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a portion of the marine hose of FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is an explanatory view illustrating a part of the marine hose in a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the IC tag in FIG. 7 and its periphery. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a monitoring system in which a computing device and a terminal device are connected through a communication network. [Figure 11] 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another embodiment of the monitoring system in an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a marine hose. FIG. [Figure 12] 12 is an explanatory view illustrating a part of the marine hose in a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 11. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, a drone of the present invention and a surveillance system and surveillance method using the drone will be described based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.

[0014] The embodiment of the drone 1 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is used to grasp the status of various monitored objects. Arrows W, D, and H in the figures indicate the width, depth, and height directions of the drone 1, respectively. The monitored object is, for example, a floating marine hose 18 used while floating on the water surface, as shown in Figure 6. A communication device 6 mounted on the drone 1 wirelessly communicates with a passive IC tag 13 attached to the marine hose 18.

[0015] The radio waves (R1, R2) used for this wireless communication are right-handed circularly polarized waves. The frequency of these radio waves (R1, R2) is mainly in the UHF band (range 860MHz to 930MHz, depending on the country, 915MHz to 930MHz in Japan), and the HF band (13.56MHz) is sometimes used.

[0016] As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the drone 1 has multiple propellers 1a, supports 2a, 2b, and 2c spaced apart vertically, and four legs 3. A frame structure is constructed by the supports 2a, 2b, and 2c and the legs 3, and one propeller 1a is installed on each arm extending from the uppermost support 2a. The drone 1 is not limited to the structure illustrated in this embodiment, and various known structures can be adopted.

[0017] The drone 1 is equipped with a GNSS receiver 4, a camera device 5, and a communication device 6. The GNSS receiver 4 may be of various known specifications. The camera device 5 may be of various known digital cameras capable of acquiring image data of still or moving images. Currently, very small and lightweight camera devices 5 are commercially available, so such a camera device 5 may be adopted. The communication device 6 may be of various known specifications capable of wireless communication with a passive RFID tag. The drone 1 is also equipped with an altimeter, a battery for operating the on-board devices, and the like.

[0018] The GNSS receiver 4 is installed on the top support 2a, and is disposed in the center of the drone 1 in a plan view. The camera device 5 and the main body of the communication device 6 are installed on the middle support 2b. The camera device 5 is disposed in the center of the drone 1 in a plan view. The photographing lens of the camera device 5 faces downward. The antenna 7 that constitutes the communication device 6 is installed on the bottom support 2c. The antenna 7 and the main body of the communication device 6 are connected by a cable. The antenna 7 is fixed to the drone 1 via an insulator.

[0019] 3 to 5, the antenna 7 is a two-element patch antenna having a reflector 9 and two plate-like antenna elements 8 arranged side by side with a gap between them on the lower surface of the reflector 9. The reflector 9 and each antenna element 8 are made of the same material, and are formed of an aluminum alloy plate having a thickness of 3 mm or less. Various known aluminum alloys, such as Al-Mg and Al-Mg-Si aluminum alloy plates, can be used.

[0020] When the reflector 9 is rectangular as in this embodiment, the size is, for example, a width of 400 mm to 500 mm, a depth of 300 mm to 480 mm, and a height (thickness) of 0.5 mm to 3 mm. The reflector 9 is not limited to a rectangle, and can be other shapes such as a square, a circle, or an ellipse.

[0021] A camera through hole 9a is formed at a position corresponding to a gap between each of the antenna elements 8 in the center of the reflector 9 in a plan view, penetrating the reflector 9 from top to bottom. The diameter of the camera through hole 9a is 50 mm or less, and preferably, for example, 10 mm or more and 40 mm or less. The diameter of the photographing lens of the camera device 5 is 10 mm or less. The photographing lens of the camera device 5 and the camera through hole 9a are arranged coaxially above and below. Therefore, the camera device 5 arranged above the reflector 9 can acquire image data below the drone 1 through the camera through hole 9a.

[0022] Each antenna element 8 has the same shape, a substantially rectangular shape, with notches 8a formed at two opposing corners of the rectangle. The size of each substantially rectangular antenna element 8 is, for example, about 30% of the width of the reflector 9, about 50% of the width of the reflector 9, and about 0.5 mm to 3 mm in height (thickness).

[0023] The size of the notch 8a is, for example, a C-chamfer (C-20 to C-25) of 20 mm to 25 mm. As illustrated in Fig. 4, each antenna element 8 has a notch 8a at the upper right and lower left corners, but instead, the notch 8a may be provided at the upper left and lower right corners.

[0024] The antenna elements 8 are disposed at intervals in the width direction W. The interval between the antenna elements 8 in the width direction W (the interval between opposing sides) is, for example, 80 mm or more and 120 mm or less. The separation distance between the centers of the antenna elements 8 is, for example, 240 mm or more and 260 mm or less.

[0025] Each antenna element 8 is fixed to the reflector 9 by an insulating fixing part 10. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, each antenna element 8 and the reflector 9 are arranged with a gap therebetween by using the insulating fixing part 10 so that no current flows between them. That is, the insulating fixing part 10 has an insulating spacer interposed between the antenna element 8 and the reflector 9. The gap in the height direction H between each antenna element 8 and the reflector 9 is, for example, about 10 mm.

[0026] Each antenna element 8 is connected to a distributor 11 fixed to the upper surface of the reflector 9 through a conductive wire (communication cable) passing through the inside of one insulating fixing part 10. A communication cable connected to the main body of the communication device 6 is connected to this distributor 11. Therefore, each antenna element 8 is electrically connected to the main body of the communication device 6 through the distributor 11.

[0027] The reflector 9 is installed on the drone 1 so that the through hole 9a for the camera is located at the center of the drone 1 in a plan view. In addition, in the field of view looking up from directly below the drone 1, substantially the entire range of the reflector 9 and each of the antenna elements 8 appears, as illustrated in Fig. 4. In other words, in this drone 1, substantially nothing is disposed directly below the reflector 9 and each of the antenna elements 8.

[0028] In order to reduce the load on the drone 1, the total mass of the reflector 9 and each antenna element 8 is preferably 1.2 kg or less, more preferably 1.0 kg or less. 0.8 kg or less is even more preferable. In this way, in order to reduce the weight of the antenna 7, the reflector 9 and each antenna element 8 are more preferably 2 mm or less in thickness, more preferably 1.5 mm or less in thickness. However, if the reflector 9 is made too thin to reduce the weight, the rigidity decreases and deformation such as warping occurs, so the thickness is set to ensure the minimum required rigidity. Each antenna element 8 is also set to a thickness that ensures the minimum required rigidity. Therefore, the thickness of the reflector 9 and each antenna element 8 is 0.5 mm or more, more preferably 1 mm or more.

[0029] The reflector 9 has a shape in which the peripheral portion 9b is bent downward. By making the peripheral portion 9b bent downward, it is possible to compensate for the lack of bending rigidity that accompanies the thinning of the reflector 9. In particular, when the thickness of the reflector 9 is 1 mm or less, it is preferable that the peripheral portion 9b is bent downward.

[0030] In this embodiment, the entire range (entire periphery) of the peripheral portion 9b is bent downward, but it is also possible to bend only a part of the peripheral portion 9b of the reflector 9, such as only the peripheral portions 9b of two opposing sides, downward. The bend dimension (dimension in the height direction H) of the peripheral portion 9b bent downward is, for example, 10 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

[0031] The specifications of the antenna 7 (each antenna element 8 and reflector 9) are set in the above-mentioned appropriate range, taking into consideration the improvement of the gain of the antenna 7 when wireless communication between the antenna 7 and the IC tag 13 and the weight reduction of the antenna 7. In addition, when the antenna 7 is a one-element type patch antenna having one antenna element 8, the antenna element 8 is basically arranged in the center of the reflector 9. Therefore, even if a camera through hole 9a is formed in the center of the reflector 9, it is blocked by the antenna element 8, so it is necessary to form the camera through hole 9a in another position. However, if the camera through hole 9a is formed in a position other than the center of the reflector 9, the frequency characteristics of the antenna 7 when wireless communication with the IC tag 13 changes depending on the position of the camera through hole 9a. On the other hand, it has been found that if the antenna 7 is made a two-element type patch antenna and the camera through hole 9a is formed in a position corresponding to between the respective antenna elements 8 in the center of the reflector 9 as in this embodiment, the frequency characteristics of the antenna 7 when wireless communication with the IC tag 13 hardly changes depending on the presence or absence of the camera through hole 9a. Therefore, the antenna 7 has such specifications in this embodiment.

[0032] 6, an embodiment of the monitoring system of the present invention includes the above-mentioned drone 1, an IC tag 13 attached to a marine hose 18 that is an object to be monitored, and a computing device 12 to which monitoring data acquired by a communication device 6 from the IC tag 13 via wireless communication is input. In this embodiment, the computing device 12 is located at a remote location from the location where the marine hose 18 is used, and the communication device 6 and the computing device 12 are configured to be separate and independent from each other, but the communication device 6 and the computing device 12 can also be integrated and mounted on the drone 1.

[0033] A known computer is used as the arithmetic unit 12, and the arithmetic unit 12 performs various arithmetic processes using input data. The arithmetic unit 12 receives monitoring data acquired from the IC tag 13 by the communication device 6 and image data acquired by the camera device 5.

[0034] 6, a marine hose 18 is composed of a cylindrical hose body and connecting fittings 19 connected to both ends of the hose body in the longitudinal direction. Each connecting fitting 19 has a nipple 19b extending in the longitudinal direction of the hose body and a flange 19a joined to the nipple 19b. Marine hoses 18 are connected to each other via the connecting fittings 19, and generally about ten marine hoses 18 are connected together for use.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, the hose body of the marine hose 18 is laminated in the following order from the inner circumference side to the outer circumference side: an inner surface layer 20, a first reinforcing layer 21, a main body wire layer 22, a fluid retention layer 24, a second reinforcing layer 23, a buoyancy layer 25, and an outer surface layer 26. This marine hose 18 is a double carcass type having the first reinforcing layer 21 and the second reinforcing layer 23 laminated at intervals in the radial direction of the hose body with the fluid retention layer 24 interposed therebetween. The main body wire layer 22 can be provided as an option. The inner circumference side region of the inner surface layer 20 becomes a flow path 18a for the fluid L. Examples of the fluid L include crude oil, heavy oil, gasoline, LPG, water, seawater, and chemicals (alcohols refined from gasoline).

[0036] The first reinforcing layer 21, the main body wire layer 22, and the second reinforcing layer 23 are fixed to the nipples 19b by using nipple wires 21w, 22w, and 23w at both ends of each layer, and fixing rings 19c protruding from the outer circumferential surfaces of the nipples 19b at both ends of the hose main body. The fluid retention layer 24 formed between the first reinforcing layer 21 and the second reinforcing layer 23 serves as a space for storing the fluid L leaked from the flow path 18a.

[0037] 9, the IC tag 13 is housed in a casing 27 erected on the surface (the outer peripheral surface of the nipple 19b) of the marine hose 18 and is positioned above water. The IC tag 13 has an IC chip 13a installed on a substrate 15 and an antenna unit 14 connected to the IC chip 13a.

[0038] The IC chip 13a arbitrarily stores tag-specific information such as the identification number of the IC tag 13, and other necessary information. A commonly available specification is adopted as the IC tag 13, and for example, an RFID tag can be used. A sensor unit 16 that detects the state of the marine hose 18 is connected to the IC tag 13 (IC chip 13a). In this embodiment, a pressure sensor is used as the sensor unit 16. Although the IC chip 13a and the sensor unit 16 are in a suspended state in FIG. 9, they can also be laid flat like the antenna unit 14.

[0039] The IC tag 13 and the sensor unit 16 are arranged in the upper space of the casing 27. A check valve 28 is installed in the lower part of the upper space. A communication pipe 29 that communicates with the fluid retention layer 24 is connected to the lower space of the casing 27. Therefore, the check valve 28 is interposed between the upper space and the lower space of the casing 27. The check valve 28 allows only the flow of the fluid L and gas into the upper space and regulates the flow from the upper space to the lower space. Therefore, when the pressure value of the upper space rises, the pressure state is maintained. A known check valve 28 may be used. The sensor unit 16 detects the pressure value of the upper space, and the detection data is stored in the IC tag 13 (IC chip 13a).

[0040] Hereinafter, an example of a procedure for determining whether or not there is a leak of the fluid L in the marine hose 18 using an embodiment of a monitoring system having the drone 1 will be described.

[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the drone 1 is flown from a measurement base such as on land or on a ship and moved above the marine hose 18. The position coordinates of the drone 1 are grasped in real time by the GNSS receiver 4. The drone 1 can be flown to a desired position by a drone operator wirelessly controlling it using a controller communicably connected to the computing device 12. By inputting the position coordinates of the desired position into the control unit of the drone 1, the drone 1 can also be flown from the measurement base to the desired position by automatic control operation.

[0042] After the drone 1 is moved into the air above the marine hose 18, in order to perform wireless communication between the IC tag 13 and the communication device 6, the drone 1 is moved downward to bring the communication device 6 close to the IC tag 13. In more detail, when performing wireless communication between the IC tag 13 and the communication device 6, the drone operator refers to image data (image data of a top view of the marine hose 18) acquired in real time by the camera device 5, and positions and hovers the drone 1 so that the antenna 7 is in a position close to the IC tag 13 (antenna unit 14) (for example, within 1 m to 2 m from the IC tag 13), as illustrated in FIG.

[0043] The camera through-hole 9a formed at a position corresponding to between the antenna elements 8 in the center of the reflector 9 is located in the center of the drone 1 in a plan view. The camera device 5 arranged above the reflector 9 acquires image data below the drone 1 through the camera through-hole 9a, so that the drone operator can refer to this image data to accurately position and hover the drone 1 at an upper position close to the IC tag 13 (for example, within 1 m to 2 m from the IC tag 13). In other words, the drone 1 can be positioned so that the IC tag 13 is located in the center of the acquired image data.

[0044] With the antenna 7 and the IC tag 13 (antenna section 14) in close proximity in this manner, as illustrated in Fig. 7, an outgoing radio wave R1 is transmitted from the antenna 7 to the IC tag 13. The outgoing radio wave R1 received by the antenna section 14 constituting the IC tag 13 generates power in the IC tag 13, activating the IC tag 13. The activated IC tag 13 transmits a reply radio wave R2 via the antenna section 14 using this power. This reply radio wave R2 is received by the antenna 7. In this manner, wireless communication is performed between the IC tag 13 and the communicator 6 by transmitting the reply radio wave R2 in response to the outgoing radio wave R1.

[0045] In this wireless communication, the detection data (pressure data) by the sensor unit 16 stored in the IC tag 13 is acquired by the communication device 6. The calculation device 12 uses the detection data acquired by the communication device 6 as monitoring data, and judges the state of the marine hose 18 based on this monitoring data.

[0046] For example, the pressure value in the fluid retention layer 24 in a healthy state where the fluid L is not leaking from the flow path 18a is determined in advance by performing a preliminary test or the like, and set as a reference value. The calculation device 12 compares the magnitude of the acquired monitoring data with the preset reference value. If the monitoring data is equal to or less than the reference value, the calculation device 12 determines that the fluid L is not leaking, and if the monitoring data is greater than the reference value, the calculation device 12 determines that the fluid L is leaking.

[0047] A temperature sensor may be used in addition to or instead of the pressure sensor as the sensor unit 16. By using the temperature sensor, it is possible to determine whether or not the inside of the marine hose 18 is abnormally heated.

[0048] In this embodiment, by employing a two-element patch antenna having the above-mentioned specifications as the antenna 7 constituting the communication device 6, it becomes easy to increase the wireless communication distance between the antenna 7 and the IC tag 13. That is, the frequency characteristics of the antenna 7 when wirelessly communicating with the IC tag 13 hardly change depending on the presence or absence of the camera through-hole 9a, and the antenna gain can be improved compared to a one-element patch antenna.

[0049] Furthermore, because the reflector 9 and each antenna element 8 are visible when viewed from directly below the drone 1, the antenna 7 can wirelessly communicate with the IC tag 13 more stably without being blocked by other components of the camera device 5 or the communication device 6. As a result, it is possible to maintain wireless communication between the IC tag 13 and the antenna 7 in a better state, which is advantageous for more reliably acquiring monitoring data indicating the state of the marine hose 18 from the IC tag 13. This is therefore advantageous for accurately grasping the state of the marine hose 18.

[0050] Furthermore, the reflector 9 and each antenna element 8 are made of an aluminum alloy plate with a thickness of 3 mm or less. Therefore, the weight of the antenna 7 is reduced, which reduces the load on the drone 1 and increases the flight time of the drone 1, which is advantageous for performing surveillance operations quickly.

[0051] 10, the arithmetic device 12 is connected to desired terminal devices 17 via a communication network such as the Internet. For example, various information (data) can be transmitted from the arithmetic device 12 to terminal devices 17 of related parties such as a management office of an operating company (user) of the marine hose 18, a sales company of the marine hose 18, or a manufacturing company, which are located remotely from the place where the marine hose 18 is used. Thus, the arithmetic device 12 can sequentially transmit monitoring data acquired by the communication device 6 and the results of judgments made by the arithmetic device 12 to each terminal device 17.

[0052] As in the embodiment of the monitoring system illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12, the IC tag 13 can be installed in the fluid retention layer 24 at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction of the marine hose 18. The other configurations are the same as those of the previous embodiment. This IC tag 13 is placed in the fluid retention layer 24 in the process (molding process) of manufacturing the marine hose 18, and is fixed in the fluid retention layer 24 by vulcanization adhesion or the like. This IC tag 13 is designed so that the wireless communication state (communication strength) changes when it comes into contact with the fluid L. A target mark indicating the buried position of the IC tag 13 is provided on the surface of the outer surface layer 26 corresponding to the buried position of the IC tag 13.

[0053] An example of a procedure for determining whether or not leakage of the fluid L from the flow path 18a occurs using this monitoring system will be described below.

[0054] For example, in a sound state where the fluid L is not leaking from the flow path 18a, the strength of the reply radio wave R2 when wireless communication is performed between the communication device 6 and the IC tag 13 is grasped in advance by performing a pre-test or the like and set as a reference value. The drone operator refers to image data (image data of the top view of the marine hose 18) acquired in real time by the camera device 5, and positions the drone 1 at the above-mentioned target mark and hovers the drone 1 so that the antenna 7 is in a position close to the IC tag 13 (antenna unit 14) as illustrated in FIG. 11. Then, the strength of the reply radio wave R2 when wireless communication is performed between the communication device 6 and the IC tag 13 during hovering is used as monitoring data. Then, the calculation device 12 compares the magnitude of the acquired monitoring data with a preset reference value and judges whether or not the fluid L is leaking based on the comparison result.

[0055] The reflector 9 can also be designed to have many ventilation holes that penetrate vertically in addition to the camera through-hole 9a. It is advisable to scatter many ventilation holes on the reflector 9 within a range that ensures the minimum required rigidity of the reflector 9. By designing the reflector 9 to have many ventilation holes, it is possible to reduce the air resistance that the reflector 9 receives while the drone 1 is flying or hovering. This is advantageous for moving the drone 1 to a desired position with high accuracy and hovering it. In addition, the power consumption of the drone 1 is reduced, which is also advantageous for increasing the flight time of the drone 1 per flight.

[0056] The monitored object is not limited to the marine hose 18, and other examples include conveyor belts, pneumatic fenders, and extra-large tires for construction vehicles. As in the above-described embodiment, the communication device 6 mounted on the drone 1 is used to grasp the state of the monitored object based on monitoring data acquired from the passive IC tag 13 attached to the monitored object.

[0057] Furthermore, the present invention can be used not only to grasp the state of a monitored object in use, but also to grasp the state of a monitored object stored in a warehouse, factory, etc. In other words, the present invention can be applied for the purpose of inventory management of monitored objects, and the temperature, internal pressure state, etc. of a monitored object that is stored can be grasped.

[0058] The present disclosure encompasses the following inventions: [Invention 1] A drone equipped with a camera and a communication device equipped with an antenna used for wireless communication with a passive IC tag installed on a monitored object. The antenna is a two-element patch antenna having a reflector and two plate-shaped antenna elements arranged side by side with a gap between them on the lower surface of the reflector, The reflector and each of the antenna elements are formed of an aluminum alloy plate having a thickness of 3 mm or less, a camera through hole is formed in a central portion of the reflector at a position corresponding to a space between the antenna elements; The reflector is installed on the drone such that the camera through-hole is located at the center of the drone in a plan view, and the reflector and each of the antenna elements appear in a field of view looking up from directly below the drone, The camera device is arranged above the reflector, and image data below the drone is acquired by the camera device through the camera through-hole. [Invention 2] The drone of Invention 1, wherein the total mass of the reflector and each of the antenna elements is 1.2 kg or less. [Invention 3] The drone according to Invention 1 or 2, wherein the reflector has a shape in which the peripheral portion is folded downward. [Invention 4] The drone according to any one of Inventions 1 to 3, wherein the reflector has a number of vertically penetrating ventilation holes formed therein in addition to the through hole for the camera. [Invention 5] A monitoring system comprising the drone according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the IC tag installed on the monitored object, and a computing device to which monitoring data acquired from the IC tag by the communication device via wireless communication is input, The IC tag stores detection data from a sensor unit that detects the status of the monitored object, and the detection data acquired from the IC tag by the communication device via wireless communication is used as the monitoring data, and the status of the monitored object is determined by the computing device based on the monitoring data. [Invention 6] The monitoring system according to Invention 5, wherein the object to be monitored is a marine hose. [Invention 7] A monitoring method using the drone according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the IC tag installed on the object to be monitored, and a computing device to which monitoring data acquired from the IC tag by the communication device through wireless communication is input, A monitoring method in which the state of the monitored object is detected by a sensor unit installed on the monitored object, detection data by the sensor unit is stored in the IC tag, the detection data is acquired from the IC tag via wireless communication by the communication device, this detection data is used as the monitoring data, and the state of the monitored object is determined by the computing device based on the monitoring data. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1. Drone 1a Propeller 2a, 2b, 2c support 3 legs 4 GNSS receiver 5. Camera equipment 6. Communication Devices 7 Antennas 8 Antenna elements (patches) 8a Notch 9 Reflector 9a Camera hole 9b Periphery 10 Insulating Fixture 11 Distributor 12 Arithmetic unit 13 IC tag 13a IC chip 14 Antenna section 15 Substrate 16 Sensor section 17 Terminal Equipment 18 Marine hose (monitored object) 18a Flow path 19 Connecting fittings 19a Flange 19b nipple 19c Fixed ring 20 Inner layer 21 First reinforcement layer 21w nipple wire 22 Body Wire Layer 22w nipple wire 23 Second reinforcement layer 23w nipple wire 24 Fluid retention layer 25 Buoyancy layer 26 Outer layer 27 Casing 28 Check valve 29 Communication pipe

Claims

1. A drone equipped with a camera and a communication device equipped with an antenna used for wireless communication with a passive IC tag installed on a monitored object. The antenna is a two-element patch antenna having a reflector and two plate-shaped antenna elements arranged side by side with a gap between them on the lower surface of the reflector, The reflector and each of the antenna elements are formed of an aluminum alloy plate having a thickness of 3 mm or less, a camera through hole is formed in a central portion of the reflector at a position corresponding to a space between the antenna elements; The reflector is installed on the drone such that the camera through-hole is located at the center of the drone in a plan view, and the reflector and each of the antenna elements appear in a field of view looking up from directly below the drone, The camera device is arranged above the reflector, and image data below the drone is acquired by the camera device through the camera through-hole.

2. The drone of claim 1 , wherein the combined mass of the reflector and each of the antenna elements is 1.2 kg or less.

3. The drone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reflector has a shape in which the peripheral portion is folded downward.

4. The drone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reflector has a number of vertically penetrating ventilation holes formed therein, separate from the camera through-hole.

5. A monitoring system comprising the drone according to claim 1 or 2, the IC tag installed on the monitored object, and a computing device to which monitoring data acquired from the IC tag by the communication device through wireless communication is input, The IC tag stores detection data from a sensor unit that detects the status of the object to be monitored, and the detection data acquired from the IC tag by the communication device via wireless communication is used as the monitoring data, and the status of the object to be monitored is determined by the computing device based on the monitoring data.

6. 6. The monitoring system according to claim 5, wherein the object to be monitored is a marine hose.

7. A monitoring method using the drone according to claim 1 or 2, the IC tag installed on the object to be monitored, and a computing device to which monitoring data acquired from the IC tag by the communication device through wireless communication is input, A monitoring method in which the state of the monitored object is detected by a sensor unit installed on the monitored object, the detection data by the sensor unit is stored in the IC tag, the detection data is acquired from the IC tag via wireless communication by the communication device, this detection data is used as the monitoring data, and the state of the monitored object is determined by the computing device based on the monitoring data.

Images