Moving body, moving body control device, and moving body control method

Abstract

To enable a submersible moving body detachably attached to a moving body capable of moving on the water to photograph a structure in the water not by operator's control.SOLUTION: A moving body 100 is a moving body in which a water surface moving body 1 moving on the water and a submersible moving body 2 submerging in the water are connected in an attachable and detachable state. The water surface moving body 1 includes an instruction information acquisition part 171 for acquiring a photographing instruction including an instruction to photograph a structure and position information of the structure, a movement control part 173 for moving the water surface moving body 1 in the submersible moving body 2-connected state to a position separate from a structure by a prescribed distance and close to the structure on the water on the basis of the position information in the case where the instruction information acquisition par 171 acquires the photographing instruction, and a submersion control part 174 for transmitting control data to make the submersible moving body 2 photograph the structure in the water to the submersible moving body 2 when the water surface moving body 1 moves to the position close to the structure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a moving body capable of operating underwater, a moving body control device for controlling the moving body, and a moving body control method for moving the moving body. [Background technology]

[0002] A combined water-air drone is known in which a surface drone capable of flying in the air is coupled with a submersible drone capable of operating underwater, moves to a predetermined location, and then separates the submersible drone, which is then recovered after the submersible drone has completed its work (see, for example, non-patent document 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] KDDI Corporation, KDDI Research, Inc., Prodrone Inc., “World’s first water-air combined drone succeeds in remote underwater photography ~ Safe and efficient inspection of offshore wind power generation equipment without launching a ship ~”, [online], December 14, 2021, KDDI, [Searched February 25, 2022], Internet<URL:https: / / news.kddi.com / kddi / corporate / newsrelease / 2021 / 12 / 14 / 5593.html> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to operate a conventional combined water-air drone, an operator had to operate the combined water-air drone using a control device while visually observing the combined water-air drone or while looking at images taken by the combined water-air drone.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and has as its object to enable an underwater vehicle that can be attached and detached to a vehicle that can move on the water surface to photograph underwater structures without being operated by an operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of the moving body of the present invention is a moving body in which a surface moving body that moves on the water and a submersible moving body that submerges underwater are detachably connected, and the surface moving body has an instruction information acquisition unit that acquires a photographing instruction including an instruction to photograph a structure and position information of the structure, a movement control unit that, when the instruction information acquisition unit acquires the photographing instruction, moves the surface moving body to which the submersible moving body is coupled based on the position information to a position near the structure on the water a predetermined distance away from the structure, and a submersible control unit that, when the surface moving body moves to the position near the structure, transmits control data to the submersible moving body to cause the submersible moving body to photograph the structure underwater.

[0007] The movement control unit may move the surface vehicle so as to circle the structure on the water, and the submersible control unit may transmit the control data to the submersible vehicle to cause the submersible vehicle to circle the structure underwater in parallel with the movement of the surface vehicle.

[0008] The movement control unit may determine a travel distance required for the submersible moving body to orbit the structure based on the three-dimensional shape of the structure, and transmit a measured required time determined based on the determined travel distance and the movement speed of the submersible moving body to an external device.

[0009] The moving body may further have a memory unit which stores a circling start position, which is the position at which the surface-water moving body starts circling the structure, and the movement control unit may move the surface-water moving body starting from the circling start position, along the structure within a predetermined distance from the structure, until it returns to the circling start position.

[0010] The movement control unit may move the surface vehicle to a position that is a first distance or more away from the structure and is within a second distance from a position where the submersible vehicle is to photograph the structure.

[0011] The submersion control unit may generate the control data for photographing a plurality of areas of the structure in the depth direction at an underwater position the predetermined distance away from the structure.

[0012] The submersible control unit may analyze the image data generated by the submersible vehicle photographing the structure, and when it determines that the deepest position of the structure has been photographed, generate the control data for moving the submersible vehicle horizontally and then in a direction approaching the water surface.

[0013] When the submersible control unit receives notification from the submersible mobile body that the structure is not within a range that can be photographed, it may generate the control data for moving the submersible mobile body horizontally and then in a direction approaching the water surface.

[0014] The submersion control unit may generate the control data for photographing a plurality of target positions of the structure parallel to the water surface at a predetermined position in the depth direction.

[0015] The surface vehicle may further have an analysis unit that identifies abnormal image data including areas indicating damage by analyzing one or more image data pieces generated by the submersible vehicle photographing the structure, and a communication unit that transmits the abnormal image data to an external device.

[0016] The analysis unit may determine the absolute position of the submersible moving body based on the absolute position of the surface moving body at the time the abnormal image data was captured and the relative position of the submersible moving body based on the position of the surface moving body, and the communication unit may transmit the abnormal image data to an external device in association with the absolute position of the submersible moving body determined by the analysis unit.

[0017] A second aspect of the mobile body control device of the present invention is a mobile body control device that controls a mobile body in which a surface mobile body that moves on the water and a submersible mobile body that submerges underwater are detachably connected, and has an instruction information acquisition unit that acquires a photographing instruction including an instruction to photograph a structure and position information of the structure, a movement control unit that, when the instruction information acquisition unit acquires the photographing instruction, moves the surface mobile body to which the submersible mobile body is connected based on the position information to a position near the structure on the water a predetermined distance away from the structure, and a submersible control unit that transmits control data to the submersible mobile body to cause the submersible mobile body to photograph the structure underwater when the surface mobile body moves to the position near the structure.

[0018] A third aspect of the mobile body control method of the present invention is a method executed by a computer to control a mobile body in which a surface mobile body that moves on the water and a submersible mobile body that submerges underwater are detachably connected, and includes the steps of: acquiring a photographing instruction by the computer including an instruction to photograph a structure and position information of the structure; when the photographing instruction is acquired, moving the surface mobile body to which the submersible mobile body is coupled based on the position information to a position near the structure on the water a predetermined distance away from the structure; and when the surface mobile body has moved to the position near the structure, transmitting control data to the submersible mobile body to cause the submersible mobile body to photograph the structure underwater. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, an effect is achieved in that an underwater vehicle that can be attached and detached to a vehicle that can move on the water surface can photograph underwater structures without being operated by an operator. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a mobile object control system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a mobile object control system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a mobile object control system. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a mobile object control system. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an underwater vehicle 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a management server 3. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the water vehicle 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] [Overview of the mobility control system] 1 to 4 are diagrams for explaining an overview of a mobile object control system. The mobile object control system includes a mobile object 100 and a management server 3 which is a mobile object control device that controls the mobile object 100.

[0022] The moving body 100 is formed by detachably connecting a surface moving body 1 capable of moving on the water surface and a submersible moving body 2 capable of submerging underwater. The surface moving body 1 may be capable of flying. The moving body 100 can move in either a state in which the submersible moving body 2 is housed in the surface moving body 1, or a state in which the submersible moving body 2 is not housed in the surface moving body 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the surface moving body 1 and the submersible moving body 2 may be connected by a cable C even in a state in which the submersible moving body 2 is not housed in the surface moving body 1.

[0023] The surface vehicle 1 is provided with a movement mechanism 10 for moving the surface vehicle 1, and an attachment / detachment mechanism 11 for attaching and detaching the submersible vehicle 2. The movement mechanism 10 includes, for example, a thruster for moving the surface vehicle 1 on the water. The movement mechanism 10 may include mechanisms necessary for flying the surface vehicle 1, such as a propeller and a rudder. The attachment / detachment mechanism 11 includes members that form a space to accommodate the submersible vehicle 2, a mechanism for fixing the submersible vehicle 2, and a mechanism for releasing the submersible vehicle 2.

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a state in which a submersible mobile body 2 is housed in a surface mobile body 1, and the submersible mobile body 2 has not yet reached a location for photographing a structure K. The surface mobile body 1 moves with the submersible mobile body 2 housed inside to a position near the structure K indicated by instruction information received from a management server 3. The instruction information includes an instruction to photograph the structure K and position information of the structure K. The position near the structure K is a position a predetermined distance away from the structure K at which the mobile body 100 will not collide with the structure K even if it is hit by a gust of wind or waves.

[0025] When the moving body 100 reaches a position near the structure K, as shown in Fig. 2, the surface moving body 1 releases the submersible moving body 2, and the submersible moving body 2 photographs multiple positions of the structure K underwater. The submersible moving body 2 photographs the side of the structure K while moving, for example, in a circle around the structure K. In order for the submersible moving body 2 to be able to photograph multiple positions of the structure K, the surface moving body 1 moves along the structure K while maintaining a predetermined distance from the outer wall of the structure K, and transmits control data to the submersible moving body 2 for causing the submersible moving body 2 to move underwater along the structure K in parallel with the movement of the surface moving body 1.

[0026] The submersible mobile body 2 photographs the structure K, for example, at a predetermined time interval or a predetermined distance interval, while moving in a direction specified by the surface mobile body 1 and photographing the structure K in a direction specified by the surface mobile body 1. The surface mobile body 1 transmits control data indicating the direction of movement and photographing orientation to the submersible mobile body 2 via cable C, thereby causing the submersible mobile body 2 to photograph the structure K.

[0027] The dashed lines in Fig. 2 indicate the underwater movement path of the submersible mobile body 2. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the submersible mobile body 2 repeats horizontal and vertical movements from a movement start point S to a movement end point G, thereby photographing a plurality of underwater positions of a structure K.

[0028] 3 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the movement paths of the surface vehicle 1 and the submersible vehicle 2 as viewed from above the structure K when the structure K is a ship. The surface vehicle 1 and the submersible vehicle 2 may move along one side of the structure K from a movement start point S to a movement end point G as shown in FIG. 3, and then move along the opposite side of the structure K from the movement end point G to the movement start point S as shown in FIG. 3. By having the surface vehicle 1 and the submersible vehicle 2 circle the structure K in this way, the submersible vehicle 2 can photograph multiple positions on all sides of the structure K.

[0029] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a movement path when the structure K is a seawall. When the structure K has long surfaces in the vertical and horizontal directions as shown in Fig. 4, the submersible vehicle 2 performs operations while moving up and down. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the surface vehicle 1 moves the submersible vehicle 2 downward while keeping the position of the surface vehicle 1 fixed. The surface vehicle 1 may change the length of the cable C in response to a change in the position of the submersible vehicle 2.

[0030] When the submersible mobile body 2 reaches the end of the structure K (e.g., the bottom of a ship), the surface mobile body 1 moves the submersible mobile body 2 horizontally, and the surface mobile body 1 also moves horizontally. After that, the surface mobile body 1 moves the submersible mobile body 2 upwards while keeping the position of the surface mobile body 1 fixed. By repeating such operations by the surface mobile body 1 and the submersible mobile body 2, it is possible to photograph the structure K from multiple positions on the structure K, even if the structure K has a surface that is long in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0031] The management server 3 is a mobile object control device, such as a computer, that transmits instruction information to the mobile object 100 via a network such as a mobile phone network or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The management server 3 creates instruction information for photographing a structure K specified by a user U on an information terminal 4. The management server 3 is managed, for example, by a business operator that uses the mobile object 100 to observe the state of underwater objects and perform maintenance on underwater objects.

[0032] The information terminal 4 is a terminal used by a business operator who photographs underwater objects using the mobile body 100, or a user U, such as a person who has requested the business operator to photograph the objects, and is, for example, a personal computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. The information terminal 4 displays a plurality of candidates for the structure K registered in advance, and transmits information for identifying the structure K specified by the user U from the plurality of candidates to the management server 3.

[0033] The captured image data generated by the submersible moving body 2 through photography is transmitted to the management server 3 via the surface moving body 1. The management server 3 associates the captured image data with the user U who has requested work using the moving body 100, stores the captured image data in a storage medium, and transmits the captured image data to the information terminal 4. The user U can check the captured image data via the information terminal 4.

[0034] [Configuration of water vehicle 1] 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the surface vehicle 1. The surface vehicle 1 has a movement mechanism unit 10, an attachment / detachment mechanism unit 11, a communication unit 12, an acoustic signal receiving unit 13, a GPS receiver 14, an imaging unit 15, a storage unit 16, and a control unit 17. The control unit 17 has an instruction information acquisition unit 171, a position identification unit 172, a movement control unit 173, a submersion control unit 174, and an analysis unit 175.

[0035] The movement mechanism unit 10 includes a thruster for moving the surface-water moving body 1 on water. The movement mechanism unit 10 may include mechanisms necessary for flying the surface-water moving body 1, such as a propeller and a rudder. The movement mechanism unit 10 operates based on the control of the movement control unit 173, and moves the surface-water moving body 1 in the air or on water.

[0036] The attachment / detachment mechanism 11 is a mechanism for attaching and detaching the submersible vehicle 2. The attachment / detachment mechanism 11 has, for example, an arm for fixing the submersible vehicle 2, and can switch between a state in which the submersible vehicle 2 is housed in the surface vehicle 1 and a state in which the submersible vehicle 2 is released from the surface vehicle 1 by changing the shape or orientation of the arm. The attachment / detachment mechanism 11 may include a mechanism for winding up the cable C.

[0037] The communication unit 12 has a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the management server 3. The communication unit 12 receives data including, for example, instruction information from the management server 3. The communication unit 12 inputs the received instruction information to the instruction information acquisition unit 171. The communication unit 12 may transmit captured image data generated by the submersible vehicle 2 photographing the structure K to the management server 3.

[0038] The acoustic signal receiving unit 13 has multiple receivers that receive acoustic signals emitted by the submersible vehicle 2. The acoustic signal receiving unit 13 inputs the multiple acoustic signals received by each of the multiple receivers to the position identifying unit 172. Since the multiple receivers are provided at different positions on the surface vehicle 1, the timing at which the acoustic signal emitted by the submersible vehicle 2 reaches each of the multiple receivers is different. The position identifying unit 172 identifies the relative position of the submersible vehicle 2 with respect to the surface vehicle 1 based on the timing at which the acoustic signal reaches each of the multiple receivers.

[0039] The GPS receiver 14 receives radio waves from GPS satellites. The GPS receiver 14 inputs to the position specifying unit 172 data that is included in the received radio waves and is used to specify the latitude and longitude.

[0040] The imaging unit 15 is a device that detects the distance to an object around the water vehicle 1, and is, for example, a compound eye camera or LiDAR. The imaging unit 15 may identify the three-dimensional shape of an object within a predetermined range (for example, within 30 m) from the water vehicle 1. The imaging unit 15 notifies the movement control unit 173 of the distance to the detected object.

[0041] The storage unit 16 has storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 16 stores instruction information received by the communication unit 12. The storage unit 16 may store captured image data transmitted from the submersible vehicle 2. The storage unit 16 stores a program executed by the control unit 17.

[0042] The control unit 17 has, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 17 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 16 to function as an instruction information acquisition unit 171, a position identification unit 172, a movement control unit 173, a submarine navigation control unit 174, and an analysis unit 175.

[0043] The instruction information acquisition unit 171 acquires, via the communication unit 12, an image capturing instruction including an instruction to capture an image of the structure K and position information of the structure K. The position information of the structure K is, for example, latitude and longitude information of a central position when the structure K is viewed from above, but may be latitude and longitude information of multiple positions on the contour line of the structure K. The instruction information acquisition unit 171 notifies the movement control unit 173 of the instruction information.

[0044] The position identifying unit 172 identifies the absolute position of the surface-water moving body 1. Specifically, the position identifying unit 172 identifies the latitude and longitude as information indicating the absolute position of the surface-water moving body 1 based on the data input from the GPS receiver 14.

[0045] The position identifying unit 172 may identify the position of the submersible mobile unit 2. Specifically, as described above, the position identifying unit 172 identifies the relative position of the submersible mobile unit 2 with respect to the surface mobile unit 1 based on the timing at which the acoustic signal arrives at each of the multiple receivers included in the acoustic signal receiving unit 13. The position identifying unit 172 may further identify the absolute position of the submersible mobile unit 2 based on the identified absolute position of the surface mobile unit 1 and the relative position of the submersible mobile unit 2.

[0046] The movement control unit 173 moves the surface moving body 1 by controlling the movement mechanism unit 10. When the instruction information acquisition unit 171 acquires an image capture instruction, the movement control unit 173 moves the surface moving body 1 to which the submersible moving body 2 is coupled to a position on the water near the structure K, a predetermined distance away from the structure K, based on the position information of the structure K notified from the management server 3. As described above, the position near the structure is a position away from the structure K by a predetermined distance such that the moving body 100 will not collide with the structure K even if it is hit by a gust of wind or waves, e.g., 10 m.

[0047] The movement control unit 173 moves the surface-water moving body 1 to a position near the structure based on, for example, the absolute position of the surface-water moving body 1 notified by the position identification unit 172 and the position of the structure K indicated by the position information of the structure K. However, since there is an error in the absolute position of the surface-water moving body 1 notified by the position identification unit 172, if only the absolute position of the surface-water moving body 1 notified by the position identification unit 172 is used, the surface-water moving body 1 may get too close to the structure K.

[0048] Therefore, the movement control unit 173 may move the surface moving body 1 based on the absolute position of the surface moving body 1 notified by the position identification unit 172 until the imaging unit 15 detects the structure K, and after the imaging unit 15 detects the structure K, may move the surface moving body 1 to a position near the structure based on the distance to the structure K detected by the imaging unit 15.

[0049] When the surface moving body 1 reaches a position near the structure, the movement control unit 173 instructs the submersion control unit 174 to submerge the submersion moving body 2. Thereafter, the movement control unit 173 moves the surface moving body 1 along the side of the structure K so that the distance to the structure K detected by the imaging unit 15 falls within a certain range. Then, as described with reference to FIG. 3, the movement control unit 173 moves the surface moving body 1 so as to circle the structure K on the water. For example, when the submersion moving body 2 moves in the horizontal direction, the movement control unit 173 moves the surface moving body 1 in the same direction as the submersion moving body 2.

[0050] The movement control unit 173 may move the surface moving body 1 by identifying the current position of the surface moving body 1 based on image data input from the imaging unit 15 using a technique of Visual SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping). The movement control unit 173 may move the surface moving body 1 by using the position or shape of the structure K identified using the reflected wave of a signal emitted by a multi-beam sonar. The movement control unit 173 may identify the three-dimensional shape of the underwater structure K based on the image data input from the imaging unit 15, and notify the submersion control unit 174 of the identified three-dimensional shape.

[0051] The movement control unit 173 moves the surface vehicle 1 to a position that is at least a first distance away from the structure K and is within a second distance from a position where the submersible vehicle 2 photographs the structure K. The movement control unit 173 identifies the three-dimensional shape of the structure K based on image data input from the imaging unit 15, for example, and moves the surface vehicle 1 while maintaining the first distance or more away from the structure K based on the identified three-dimensional shape of the structure K. The first distance is a distance at which the surface vehicle 1 does not collide with the structure K, and is, for example, 10 m. The second distance is the length of the cable C when the cable C is extended to its longest. By operating the movement control unit 173 in this manner, the submersible vehicle 2 can photograph the structure K, and the surface vehicle 1 is less likely to collide with the structure K.

[0052] The movement control unit 173 may store in the memory unit 16 the absolute position of the surface moving body 1 at the time when the surface moving body 1 is caused to start circling (for example, the position of the movement start point S in FIG. 3) as the circling start position. In this case, the movement control unit 173 moves the surface moving body 1 from the circling start position as a starting point, along the structure K within a predetermined distance from the structure K, circling the structure K, and returning to the circling start position. The predetermined distance is equal to the distance between the structure K and a position near the structure, and is, for example, 10 m. By the movement control unit 173 operating in this manner, the submersible moving body 2 can efficiently photograph all sides of the structure K.

[0053] The movement control unit 173 may specify a moving distance required for the submersible moving body 2 to go around the structure K based on the specified three-dimensional shape of the structure K, and transmit a measured required time specified based on the moving distance and the moving speed of the submersible moving body 2 to an external device (e.g., the management server 3). Specifically, the movement control unit 173 specifies an outline of the structure K at a height at which the surface moving body 1 moves based on, for example, the three-dimensional shape of the structure K specified based on captured image data or the three-dimensional shape of the structure K stored in advance in the storage unit 16, and calculates the length of the specified outline as the moving distance of the surface moving body 1. The movement control unit 173 may correct the calculated moving distance based on the distance between the structure K and the position to which the surface moving body 1 moves.

[0054] If the submersible mobile body 2 moves vertically below the surface mobile body 1, the distance traveled by the submersible mobile body 2 when circling the structure K is approximately equal to the calculated distance traveled by the surface mobile body 1. The movement control unit 173 can calculate the measurement required time by dividing the calculated movement distance by the movement speed of the submersible mobile body 2. The movement control unit 173 transmits the measurement required time to an external device, so that a user U who photographs the structure K using the mobile body 100 can know the time required for the task.

[0055] The submersible control unit 174 controls the position of the submersible mobile unit 2. When the surface mobile unit 1 moves to a position near the structure, the submersible control unit 174 transmits control data to the submersible mobile unit 2 for causing the submersible mobile unit 2 to photograph the structure underwater.

[0056] When the submersible control unit 174 receives a notification from the movement control unit 173 that the surface moving body 1 has reached the rotation start position, it moves the submersible moving body 2 vertically or horizontally. More specifically, when the submersible moving body 2 is housed in the surface moving body 1 and the surface moving body 1 reaches a position near the structure K, the submersible control unit 174 releases the submersible moving body 2 by controlling the attachment / detachment mechanism unit 11. Next, with the submersible moving body 2 released from the surface moving body 1, the submersible control unit 174 transmits control data to the submersible moving body 2 via the cable C, thereby causing the submersible moving body 2 to start moving.

[0057] The submersible control unit 174 moves the submersible mobile body 2 to a plurality of positions by transmitting control data including an instruction to move in either the vertical or horizontal direction to the submersible mobile body 2. For example, when the submersible mobile body 2 is released from the surface mobile body 1, the submersible control unit 174 transmits control data including an instruction to descend vertically to the submersible mobile body 2. Thereafter, when the submersible control unit 174 receives a notice from the submersible mobile body 2 that it has reached the bottom end of the structure K, it transmits control data including an instruction to move horizontally and control data including an instruction to ascend vertically to the submersible mobile body 2. The submersible control unit 174 may transmit control data including an instruction to move horizontally to the submersible mobile body 2, and when the submersible control unit 174 receives a notice from the submersible mobile body 2 that it has reached the end of the structure K, it may transmit control data including an instruction to move vertically and control data including an instruction to move horizontally to the submersible mobile body 2.

[0058] The submersible control unit 174 may transmit control data indicating the orientation of the submersible mobile body 2 to the submersible mobile body 2. The submersible control unit 174 transmits, for example, control data indicating the orientation of the structure K relative to the submersible mobile body 2 to the submersible mobile body 2. The submersible control unit 174 may receive notification of the orientation of the submersible mobile body 2 from the submersible mobile body 2, and transmit control data indicating the difference between the notified orientation and the orientation of the structure K to the submersible mobile body 2.

[0059] The submersible control unit 174 transmits control data to the submersible mobile unit 2 for causing the submersible mobile unit 2 to orbit the structure K underwater in parallel with the movement of the surface mobile unit 1. The submersible control unit 174 generates control data for photographing multiple areas of the structure K in the depth direction at an underwater position a predetermined distance away from the structure K, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, for example.

[0060] If the submersible mobile body 2 has a compound eye camera or a distance sensor and can determine that no structure K is present within a predetermined distance, the submersible control unit 174 may determine the direction in which to move the submersible mobile body 2 based on a notification received from the submersible mobile body 2. For example, when the submersible control unit 174 receives a notification from the submersible mobile body 2, which is moving in a direction away from the water surface, of the determination result that no structure K is present within a predetermined distance, the submersible control unit 174 may generate control data for moving the submersible mobile body 2 horizontally and then in a direction approaching the water surface.

[0061] The submersion control unit 174 may generate control data for photographing a plurality of target positions of the structure parallel to the water surface at a predetermined position in the depth direction. The submersion control unit 174 sequentially transmits to the submersion mobile body 2 control data for moving the submersion mobile body 2 in the depth direction and control data for moving the submersion mobile body 2 in the horizontal direction parallel to the water surface, thereby enabling the submersion mobile body 2 to photograph the entire area of ​​the structure K as shown in Figures 2 and 4.

[0062] The submersible control unit 174 may periodically transmit control data including the absolute position of the submersible mobile unit 2. By transmitting such control data, the submersible mobile unit 2 can add the absolute position of the submersible mobile unit 2 at the time when the structure K was photographed to the captured image data.

[0063] When the submersible mobile body 2 photographs the structure K at a plurality of predetermined positions, it transmits the captured image data to the surface mobile body 1, for example, via the cable C. The plurality of predetermined positions are positions necessary for photographing the periphery (e.g., 360°) of the structure K. The submersible mobile body 2 transmits the captured image data performed by the submersible mobile body 2 to the surface mobile body 1, in association with the position and orientation of the submersible mobile body 2.

[0064] The position of the submersible mobile body 2 associated with the captured image data is, for example, the absolute position of the submersible mobile body 2 included in the control data transmitted by the submersible control unit 174. The orientation of the submersible mobile body 2 associated with the captured image data is, for example, the orientation measured by a compass possessed by the submersible mobile body 2. If the submersible mobile body 2 has a gyro sensor, the orientation of the submersible mobile body 2 may be a relative orientation with respect to the orientation of the surface mobile body 1, which is specified based on the magnitude of the angle of the submersible mobile body 2 that has changed after being released from the surface mobile body 1. The submersible mobile body 2 may transmit the captured image data to the surface mobile body 1 every time it generates the captured image data, or may transmit the captured image data to the surface mobile body 1 when the image capture of all areas of the structure K has been completed.

[0065] The submersible control unit 174 receives the captured image data transmitted by the submersible mobile unit 2. The submersible control unit 174 transmits the captured image data to the management server 3 so that the user U who requested the work can understand the progress. The captured image data transmitted by the submersible mobile unit 2 includes the relative position with respect to the surface mobile unit 1 and the orientation of the submersible mobile unit 2, and the submersible control unit 174 transmits the captured image data including the absolute position and orientation of the submersible mobile unit 2 converted based on the relative position to the management server 3.

[0066] The submersion control unit 174 raises the submersible mobile unit 2 when it acquires captured image data of the periphery of the structure K (e.g., in a 360° direction). The submersion control unit 174 may raise the submersible mobile unit 2 when a predetermined time has elapsed in which the remaining charge of the battery of the submersible mobile unit 2 falls below a threshold. The submersion control unit 174 raises the submersible mobile unit 2, for example, by controlling the attachment / detachment mechanism unit 11 to wind up the cable C. The submersion control unit 174 may transmit control data to the submersible mobile unit 2 including an instruction to raise the submersible mobile unit 2 to the position of the surface mobile unit 1 while winding up the cable C or without winding up the cable C. The submersible control unit 174 may raise the submersible mobile unit 2 by transmitting control data to the submersible mobile unit 2 including a direction and distance for moving the submersible mobile unit 2 toward the surface mobile unit 1 based on the relative position of the submersible mobile unit 2 with respect to the surface mobile unit 1.

[0067] If there is any captured image data that does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the submersible control unit 174 may move the submersible mobile unit 2 to return to the position where the captured image data was taken, without winding up the cable C, in order to take another image at the position where the captured image data was taken. The predetermined condition is, for example, that the sharpness is equal to or higher than a threshold value, and that the brightness is equal to or higher than a threshold value. If there is any captured image data that does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the submersible control unit 174 notifies the movement control unit 173 of the image taking position to which the mobile unit 1 should return, and the movement control unit 173 moves the surface mobile unit 1 to above the image taking position to which the mobile unit 1 should return. The submersible control unit 174 may instruct the submersible mobile unit 2 on the image taking conditions for taking another image. For example, if the sharpness of the captured image data is lower than a reference level, the submersible control unit 174 may transmit control data for turning on a light to the submersible mobile unit 2.

[0068] [Analysis of captured image data] The analysis unit 175 acquires, for example, via the submersible control unit 174, one or more captured image data generated by the submersible mobile unit 2 capturing an image of the structure K, and identifies abnormal captured image data including a region indicating damage by analyzing the acquired one or more captured image data. For example, the analysis unit 175 searches the captured image data for a region having a similarity to an evaluation image indicating damage that is stored in the storage unit 16 and equal to or greater than a threshold, and identifies the captured image data in which a region having a similarity to the evaluation image indicating damage that is equal to or greater than a threshold is detected as abnormal captured image data. The analysis unit 175 may identify abnormal captured image data by inputting the captured image data into a learning model that has been machine-learned using image data including an abnormal location as teacher data.

[0069] The analysis unit 175 inputs the abnormal captured image data to the communication unit 12, and the communication unit 12 transmits the abnormal captured image data to an external device (for example, the management server 3). The analysis unit 175 may transmit only the abnormal captured image data, or may transmit the abnormal captured image data with a flag indicating an abnormality attached thereto together with captured image data in which no abnormality was detected.

[0070] The analysis unit 175 may specify the absolute position of the submersible mobile unit 2 at the time the abnormal captured image data was captured, based on the absolute position of the surface mobile unit 1 at the time the abnormal captured image data was captured and the relative position of the submersible mobile unit 2 with respect to the position of the surface mobile unit 1. The analysis unit 175 inputs the abnormal captured image data to the communication unit 12 in a state in which the abnormal captured image data is associated with the absolute position of the submersible mobile unit 2 at the time the abnormal captured image data was captured. The communication unit 12 transmits the abnormal captured image data to an external device in association with the absolute position of the submersible mobile unit 2 specified by the analysis unit. The analysis unit 175 specifies the abnormal captured image data in this manner, and the communication unit 12 transmits the abnormal captured image data to an external device, thereby reducing the amount of captured image data transmitted to the external device.

[0071] [Administration Server 3 Configuration] 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of the management server 3. The management server 3 has a first communication unit 31, a second communication unit 32, a storage unit 33, and a control unit 34. The control unit 34 has a reception unit 341, an instruction information generation unit 342, and an image data acquisition unit 343.

[0072] The first communication unit 31 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the information terminal 4 via a network. For example, the first communication unit 31 transmits record data input from the reception unit 341 to the information terminal 4, and receives designated data input at the information terminal 4. The first communication unit 31 inputs the received designated data to the reception unit 341.

[0073] The second communication unit 32 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the surface vehicle 1 via the network. The second communication unit 32 transmits, for example, instruction information to the surface vehicle 1, and receives data (for example, captured image data) indicating the results of the submersible vehicle 2 executing a predetermined operation.

[0074] The storage unit 33 has storage media such as a ROM, a RAM, and an SSD. The storage unit 33 stores a program executed by the control unit 34. The storage unit 33 also stores the names and positions of the multiple structures K in association with each other.

[0075] The control unit 34 includes, for example, a CPU. The control unit 34 executes a program stored in the storage unit 33 to function as a reception unit 341, an instruction information generation unit 342, and an image data acquisition unit 343.

[0076] The reception unit 341 receives information for identifying a structure K to be photographed by the moving body 100. The information for identifying the structure K is, for example, image data of the structure K photographed by the information terminal 4. Since the image data is associated with the position and orientation of the information terminal 4, the reception unit 341 can identify the position of the structure K based on the image data.

[0077] The instruction information generating unit 342 generates an instruction to capture an image of the structure K of the capture target received by the receiving unit 341, and instruction information indicating the position of the structure K. When the user U designates multiple structures K as capture targets, the instruction information generating unit 342 generates instruction information indicating the multiple structures K selected by the user U.

[0078] The image data acquisition unit 343 acquires captured image data generated by the submersible mobile body 2 via the second communication unit 32. When the submersible mobile body 2 photographs a structure K, the image data acquisition unit 343 stores the captured image data in the storage unit 33 in association with the structure K. The image data acquisition unit 343 may also store the captured image data in the storage unit 33 in association with information for identifying the submersible mobile body 2 that photographed the structure K.

[0079] [Processing flow for surface vehicle 1] 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the surface vehicle 1. The flowchart shown in FIG.

[0080] First, the water moving body 1 acquires instruction information from the management server 3 (S11). The water moving body 1 moves toward a position near the structure K included in the acquired instruction information (S12). Specifically, the movement control unit 173 controls the movement mechanism unit 10 to move toward the position of the structure K.

[0081] The movement control unit 173 determines whether or not the moving body 100 has reached a position near the structure K during the movement of the moving body 100 (S13). If the movement control unit 173 determines that the moving body 100 has not reached a position near the structure K (NO in S13) by, for example, determining whether or not the structure K is captured in an image captured by the imaging unit 15, the movement control unit 173 continues the movement (S12). If the movement control unit 173 determines that the moving body 100 has reached a position near the structure K (YES in S13), the submersion control unit 174 controls the attachment / detachment mechanism unit 11 to release the submersible moving body 2 (S14).

[0082] When the submersible mobile unit 2 is released, the submersible mobile unit 2 starts photographing underwater. The submersible mobile unit 2 descends, for example, vertically (S15). When the submersible mobile unit 174 receives a notification from the submersible mobile unit 2 that it has reached the end of the structure K, it moves the submersible mobile unit 2 horizontally, and the movement control unit 173 moves the surface mobile unit 1 in the same direction as the submersible mobile unit 2 (S16).

[0083] When the submersible mobile unit 2 has moved a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction, the submersible mobile unit 2 is raised vertically (S17). When the submersible mobile unit 2 reaches a predetermined depth from the water surface, the submersible mobile unit 2 is moved horizontally, and the movement control unit 173 is caused to move the surface mobile unit 1 in the same direction (S18). The submersible mobile unit 174 and the movement control unit 173 repeat S15 to S18 until the submersible mobile unit 2 finishes photographing the area around the structure K (NO in S19).

[0084] When the submersible control unit 174 receives a notification from the submersible vehicle 2 that photographing of the surroundings of the structure K has been completed (YES in S19), the submersible control unit 174 controls the attachment / detachment mechanism unit 11 to wind up the cable C, and sends control data for raising the submersible vehicle 2 to the submersible vehicle 2, thereby raising the submersible vehicle 2 (S20). When the submersible vehicle 2 has risen and is housed in the surface vehicle 1, the movement control unit 173 moves the surface vehicle 1 toward the base (S21).

[0085] [Variations] In the above explanation, an example has been given of the surface moving body 1 having an instruction information acquisition unit 171, a movement control unit 173, and a submersible control unit 174, but a moving body control device (e.g., a computer) external to the surface moving body 1 may have functional units equivalent to the instruction information acquisition unit 171, the movement control unit 173, and the submersible control unit 174.

[0086] As an example, the management server 3 may have functional units equivalent to the instruction information acquisition unit 171, the movement control unit 173, and the submersible control unit 174. In this case, the instruction information acquisition unit of the management server 3 acquires from the information terminal 4 an image capture instruction including an instruction to capture an image of the structure K and position information of the structure K. Then, the movement control unit and the submersible control unit of the management server 3 acquire information indicating the position of the surface moving body 1 and the position of the submersible moving body 2 from the surface moving body 1. Then, the movement control unit possessed by the management server 3 transmits data for controlling the movement mechanism unit 10 to the surface moving body 1, and the submersible control unit possessed by the management server 3 transmits control data for moving the submersible moving body 2 to the submersible moving body 2 via the surface moving body 1.

[0087] Furthermore, the submersible mobile body 2 or the management server 3 may have the functionality of the analysis unit 175. When the submersible mobile body 2 has the functionality of the analysis unit 175, the submersible mobile body 2 may transmit only the abnormal captured image data to the surface mobile body 1, or may transmit the abnormal captured image data with a flag attached indicating that there is an abnormality.

[0088] [Effect of moving object 100] As described above, when the moving body 100 receives an imaging instruction including an instruction to image the structure K and position information indicating the position of the structure K, it moves the surface moving body 1 with the submersible moving body 2 coupled thereto to a position on the water near the structure a predetermined distance away from the structure K, based on the position information. Then, when the surface moving body 1 moves to the position near the structure, it transmits control data to the submersible moving body 2 for causing the submersible moving body 2 to image the structure K underwater. With the moving body 100 configured in this way, the submersible moving body 2 can image the structure K underwater without being operated by an operator.

[0089] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "build resilient infrastructure, promote industry, innovation and infrastructure."

[0090] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by distributing or integrating functionally or physically in any unit. In addition, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment resulting from the combination combines the effect of the original embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1 water vehicle 2 Submersible vehicle 3 Management Server 4. Information terminals 10 Moving mechanism section 11 Detachable mechanism 12 Communications Department 13 Acoustic signal receiving unit 14 Receiver 15 Imaging unit 16 Memory section 17 Control section 31 First Communications Department 32 2nd Communications Department 33 Storage section 34 Control section 100 Mobile 171 Instruction information acquisition unit 172 Location identification part 173 Movement control section 174 Submersion Control Unit 175 Analysis Department 341 Reception 342 Instruction information generation unit 343 Image data acquisition unit

Claims

1. A moving body in which a surface moving body that moves on the water and a submersible moving body that submerges in the water are detachably connected, The water vehicle is an instruction information acquisition unit that acquires a photographing instruction including an instruction to photograph a structure and position information of the structure; a movement control unit that moves the surface vehicle coupled to the submersible vehicle to a position near the structure on the water at a predetermined distance from the structure based on the position information when the instruction information acquisition unit acquires the image capture instruction; a submersible control unit that transmits control data to the submersible vehicle for causing the submersible vehicle to photograph the structure underwater when the surface vehicle moves to a position near the structure; A mobile object having the above configuration.

2. The movement control unit moves the water-borne moving body so as to circle the structure on the water, the submersible control unit transmits to the submersible vehicle the control data for causing the submersible vehicle to orbit the structure underwater in parallel with the movement of the surface vehicle; The moving body according to claim 1 .

3. the movement control unit determines a moving distance required for the submersible moving body to go around the structure based on a three-dimensional shape of the structure, and transmits a measured required time determined based on the determined moving distance and a moving speed of the submersible moving body to an external device; The moving body according to claim 2.

4. The water vehicle further has a storage unit that stores a rotation start position, which is a position where the water vehicle starts to rotate around the structure, the movement control unit moves the water moving body from the circling start position as a starting point, along the structure within a predetermined distance range from the structure, and around the structure until the water moving body returns to the circling start position; The moving body according to claim 2.

5. the movement control unit moves the surface vehicle to a position that is a first distance or more away from the structure and is a second distance or less away from a position where the submersible vehicle is caused to photograph the structure; The moving body according to claim 1 .

6. the submersion control unit generates the control data for photographing a plurality of areas of the structure in a depth direction at an underwater position at the predetermined distance from the structure. The moving body according to claim 1 .

7. the submersible control unit, when determining that the deepest position of the structure has been photographed by analyzing the captured image data generated by the submersible mobile unit photographing the structure, generates the control data for moving the submersible mobile unit horizontally and then in a direction approaching the water surface; The moving body according to claim 6.

8. the submersible control unit, when receiving a notification from the submersible moving body that the structure is not within a range that can be photographed, generates the control data for moving the submersible moving body in a horizontal direction and then in a direction approaching the water surface. The moving body according to claim 6.

9. the submersion control unit generates the control data for photographing a plurality of target positions of the structure parallel to the water surface at a predetermined position in the depth direction; The moving body according to claim 1 .

10. The water vehicle is an analysis unit that identifies abnormal captured image data including an area showing damage by analyzing one or more captured image data sets generated by the underwater vehicle photographing the structure; A communication unit that transmits the abnormal captured image data to an external device; Further comprising The moving body according to claim 1 .

11. The analysis unit identifies an absolute position of the submersible vehicle based on the absolute position of the surface vehicle at the time when the abnormal captured image data was captured and the relative position of the submersible vehicle with respect to the position of the surface vehicle; The communication unit transmits the abnormal captured image data to an external device in association with the absolute position of the underwater moving object identified by the analysis unit. The moving body according to claim 10.

12. A mobile body control device for controlling a mobile body in which a surface mobile body that moves on the water and a submersible mobile body that submerges in water are detachably connected, an instruction information acquisition unit that acquires a photographing instruction including an instruction to photograph a structure and position information of the structure; a movement control unit that moves the surface vehicle coupled to the submersible vehicle to a position near the structure on the water at a predetermined distance from the structure based on the position information when the instruction information acquisition unit acquires the image capture instruction; a submersible control unit that transmits control data to the submersible vehicle for causing the submersible vehicle to photograph the structure underwater when the surface vehicle moves to a position near the structure; A mobile control device having the above configuration.

13. A method for controlling a moving body in which a surface moving body that moves on the water and a submersible moving body that submerges in water are detachably coupled, the method comprising the steps of: The computer, acquiring a photographing instruction including an instruction to photograph a structure and position information of the structure; a step of moving the surface vehicle coupled to the submersible vehicle to a position near the surface structure at a predetermined distance from the structure based on the position information when the photographing instruction is acquired; When the surface vehicle moves to a position near the structure, transmitting control data to the submersible vehicle for causing the submersible vehicle to photograph the structure underwater; A mobile object control method comprising the steps of:

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