Method for checking and repairing structure using unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

To provide a method for checking and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle which has less restriction on a work time and on instruments that can be used, without requiring a large battery to be loaded therein and is configured to prevent power-supply cable for supplying power from inhibiting the vehicle from flying stably.SOLUTION: In a method for checking and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle 1, a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles respectively transport a plurality of power-supply members having vacuum adsorbing devices that can adsorb to the structure, which are connected to an electricity generator by wire to connect the power supply members to each other by wire, so as to make a power supply facility extend, and the unmanned aerial vehicles checks and repairs the structure while receiving power supply from the installed power-supply members.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle, and more particularly to a method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle having a power supply relay means and a vacuum suction device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the current maintenance of structures, manual inspection and repair work is carried out while temporary scaffolding is installed. This not only increases the cost of inspection and repair work, but also creates the problem that, due to the huge stock of structures that need to be inspected and repaired, inspection and repair work cannot be carried out before the end of their useful life due to a lack of personnel. Another problem is that lane restrictions are required because temporary scaffolding and bridge inspection vehicles must be installed during inspection and repair work.

[0003] In order to solve such problems, inspection and repair using flying robots has been proposed as a method for easily performing maintenance. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wired drone group in which a drone group is formed by connecting multiple drones 1 in series with a wired cable 2, the wired cable 2 has a function of supplying power to each drone 1 and / or communicating with each drone 1, and a control device 3 that controls the movement of the drone group is connected to the drone 1 at one end of the drone group (see claim 1 in the scope of claims of Patent Document 1, paragraphs

[0024] to

[0026] of the specification, and Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, etc.).

[0004] Patent Document 2 also discloses a drone 1 having multiple propellers 2 and capable of three-dimensional movement, in which a mecanum wheel 9 is disposed on the upper part of the drone 1 body, and the drone 1 is capable of horizontal movement by the propulsion force of the mecanum wheel 9 in a state in which the mecanum wheel 9 is in contact with a structure by the lift of the propellers 2 (see claim 1 in the scope of claims of Patent Document 2, paragraphs

[0025] to

[0044] of the specification, and Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings, etc.). Patent Document 2 also discloses inspecting the inner wall surface of a tunnel while feeding power to the drone 1 from the ground by a wired power feeding device (see claim 6 in the scope of claims of Patent Document 2, paragraph

[0043] of the specification, and Figure 6 of the drawings, etc.).

[0005] Patent Document 3 also discloses a suspended drone equipped with a main body and a rotor, in which a magnetic wheel that magnetically attracts to the iron part of a building and runs is attached to the upper part of the main body (see claim 1 of Patent Document 3, paragraphs

[0011] to

[0021] of the specification, and Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings). Patent Document 3 also describes that "wired operation is suitable for inspecting elevated roads and undersides of bridges, since the height is less than several tens of meters." and that "when wired, a cable that combines the control line, power line, and lines for controlling measuring instruments and measuring data can be connected to the main body of the suspended drone. This eliminates the need to load a suspended drone battery, and the weight of the suspended drone can be reduced" (see claim 1 of Patent Document 3, paragraph

[0027] of the specification, and Figure 9 of the drawings).

[0006] The unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 have the advantage that the battery capacity can be reduced or eliminated because they are powered by wire. However, the power supply cable and the like for power supply are themselves heavy and may fall if they come into contact with the rotor, which creates a problem of impeding the stability of the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0007] In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) described in Patent Document 3 is magnetically attracted, and therefore has the problem of being unable to be attracted to concrete structures.

[0008] On the other hand, Patent Document 4 discloses a drone air vehicle 1D having a vacuum suction device 50 equipped with an adsorption portion and a suction fan at the tip of a multi-joint robot arm 40 (see claim 6 in the claims of Patent Document 4, paragraphs

[0051] to

[0056] of the specification, Figure 6 in the drawings, etc.).

[0009] The drone air vehicle 1D described in Patent Document 4 has a vacuum suction device 50, which allows the drone air vehicle 1D to be attached to a structure by the vacuum suction device 50, and by fixing the drone air vehicle 1D in a stable and stationary state, it is possible to perform detailed inspection work such as taking close-up photographs of fine scratches on the inspected structure and performing tapping inspections.

[0010] However, the drone aircraft 1D described in Patent Document 4 calculates the moving speed of the vacuum suction device 50, the amount of movement from the reference position, and the moving direction from the detection value of the acceleration sensor, and moves the vacuum suction device 50 in the opposite phase to the disturbance direction based on this value, correcting the position and attitude of the vacuum suction device 50 before the disturbance to maintain a stable flight attitude, and there is a problem that the robot arm cannot be used for inspection or repair during flight or suction. In addition, since the drone aircraft 1D described in Patent Document 4 is not configured to be powered by wire, the battery that can be mounted on the aircraft does not have enough power, which causes a problem of restrictions on work time and usable equipment. Furthermore, if the battery capacity is increased, the unmanned aircraft also becomes large, causing a problem of being unable to enter narrow spaces.

[0011] Patent Document 5 also discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 that includes a main body 10 having a thrust generating unit 12 for flying in the air, a vacuum suction device 20 having an suction unit 21 attached to the main body 10, and a control device that controls the operation of the thrust generating unit 12 and the vacuum suction device 20, and that can fix the main body 10 to a wall surface by vacuum suction of the suction unit 21 (see claim 6 in the claims of Patent Document 5, paragraphs

[0015] to

[0025] of the specification, Figures 3 to 7 of the drawings, etc.).

[0012] The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 described in Patent Document 5 is capable of adhering to a wall surface W, and moving a movable object 72 by a hoist 70 winding up or down a string-like body 71, thereby performing various tasks (such as inspecting or painting the wall surface W). However, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 described in Patent Document 5 is not configured to be powered by wire, similar to the drone aerial vehicle 1D described in Patent Document 4, and therefore the battery that can be mounted on the aerial vehicle does not have enough power, resulting in a problem that the working time and the equipment that can be used are restricted. If the battery capacity is increased, the unmanned aerial vehicle also becomes larger, resulting in a problem that it cannot enter narrow spaces. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0013] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-75869 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-108818 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2019-84868 A [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 6844097 [Patent Document 5] Patent No. 6906264 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0014] The present invention has been devised in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a method for inspecting and repairing structures using an unmanned aerial vehicle which does not require the installation of a large battery, has few limitations on working time and equipment that can be used, and in which power cables are less likely to be an obstacle to stable flight. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] The method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 is a method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that a vacuum suction device capable of being adsorbed to a structure, a plurality of power supply members connected to a generator by wires are transported by a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, the power supply members are connected to each other by wires to extend a power supply facility, and the unmanned aerial vehicle inspects and repairs the structure while receiving power from the installed power supply members.

[0016] The method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, the power supply member is configured to be detachable from the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0017] The method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 or 2, the tip of the power supply facility is branched off into multiple power supply members via a wire.

[0018] The method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1 or 2, a communication cable for communicating with the unmanned aerial vehicle is also extended along with the power supply member. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the inventions of claims 1 to 4, an unmanned aerial vehicle transports a power supply member that can be attached to a structure, and the power supply facility is extended to the inspection and repair location of the structure, while the inspection and repair are performed by the unmanned aerial vehicle. Therefore, there is no need to install a large battery on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and there are fewer restrictions on working time and equipment that can be used.

[0020] In addition, according to the inventions of claims 1 to 4, the power supply facility is extended using a power supply member that can be attached to a structure, and one end of the power cable is connected to the power supply member on each of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles, and the power cable is transported in an extended state, so that the power cable for power supply is less likely to become an obstacle to the stable flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0021] In particular, according to the invention defined in claim 2, the power supply member is configured to be detachable from the unmanned aerial vehicle, making it easy to transport the power supply member by the unmanned aerial vehicle and gradually extend the power supply facility.

[0022] In particular, according to the invention of claim 3, the power supply facility is branched and multiple tip power supply members, which are the inspection and repair points, are installed, so that different tasks can be performed simultaneously using separate unmanned aerial vehicles without any restrictions on power consumption.

[0023] In particular, according to the invention of claim 4, a communication cable is also extended in conjunction with the power supply facility to relay instruction communications from the controller, so that instruction communications from the controller can be reliably transmitted to the unmanned aircraft 1 even in locations where wireless communication is difficult, such as when the unmanned aircraft 1 is hidden from the pilot behind a structure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the general configuration of an unmanned aerial vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power supply member. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a process explanatory diagram showing the power supply facility extension process of the structure inspection and repair method according to this embodiment, which proceeds in the order of (a) to (c). [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a process diagram showing the power supply facility tip installation process of the above-mentioned structure inspection and repair method, which proceeds in the order of (a) and (b). [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a process explanatory diagram showing the inspection and repair process of the above-mentioned structure inspection and repair method. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the above-mentioned method for inspecting and repairing a structure in a case where the power supply member is not detached from the unmanned aerial vehicle. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the above-mentioned structure inspection and repair method in which the power supply facility is branched. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the above-mentioned structure inspection and repair method in which a hovering unmanned aerial vehicle relays power supply facilities. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Hereinafter, a method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0026] <Unmanned aircraft> First, an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as the unmanned aerial vehicle 1) used in a method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a general configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

[0027] The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the illustrated embodiment is a multicopter (drone) known as a quadcopter, which is equipped with an aircraft body 10 having four arms, four (multiple) electric motors 11 provided at the tips of the four arms of the aircraft body 10, and rotors 12 (rotor wings) each driven to rotate by these electric motors 11.

[0028] (Aircraft body) The aircraft body 10 is equipped with a flight controller that controls the attitude and speed of the aircraft, a receiver that receives command radio waves sent from the transmitter and gives commands to the flight controller, an ESC (amplifier) ​​that transmits commands from the flight controller to a motor and controls the rotation speed of the motor described below, and a battery that supplies power to the receiver, ESC, etc.

[0029] The aircraft body 10 is also equipped with necessary sensors such as an ultrasonic sensor that measures the distance to an object, a pressure sensor that measures the height from the ground by measuring the air pressure, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that detects the acceleration and inclination of the aircraft by detecting the acceleration and angular velocity.

[0030] <Method of inspecting and repairing structures using unmanned aerial vehicles> Next, a method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as a method for inspecting and repairing a structure) will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 8. A bridge B1, which is a concrete structure, will be exemplified as the structure to be inspected and repaired, and an example of inspecting and repairing the vicinity of a narrow support S1 above a substructure such as a pier P1 of the bridge B1 will be described. Note that reference symbol B2 indicates the concrete deck of the bridge B1.

[0031] (Power supply facility extension process) First, in the structure inspection and repair method according to this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a power supply facility extension step is performed in which the power supply members 2 are connected and extended by a wired power cable L1.

[0032] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the power supply member 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the power supply member 2 is a power supply relay means that relays power from a generator 3 (power generation facility) via an extension cord reel 4, and includes a power supply member main body 20 that relays power from the generator 3 (power generation facility) and supplies it to the unmanned aerial vehicle, a vacuum suction device 21 for suctioning to a bridge B1, which is a structure, and a connection terminal 22 provided at an end of the power supply member main body 20 for connecting the power to a battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

[0033] The vacuum suction device 21 has a vacuum suction pump (not shown) and a suction pad that comes into contact with the structure, and has the function of adsorbing and fixing the structure to the structure by sucking up the air inside the suction pad and creating a low pressure vacuum state.

[0034] However, the above-mentioned connection terminal 22 is a socket-type connection terminal, but may be a magnet-type, and the connection terminal itself may be omitted for wireless power supply. For wireless power supply, known wireless power supply methods such as electromagnetic induction method (conventional type), electromagnetic induction method (magnetic field resonance type), electric field coupling method, electromagnetic wave method (microwave), and electromagnetic wave method (laser) can be adopted.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a process explanatory diagram showing the power supply facility extension process of the structure inspection and repair method according to the present embodiment, which proceeds in the order of (a) to (c). In this process, as shown in FIG. 3, one end of the power cable L1 and the power supply member 2 are connected to each of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 1, and the power cable L1 is transported in an extended state to extend the power supply facility extending from the generator 3. This eliminates the risk that the power cable L1 will come into contact with the rotor 12 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and cause the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 to crash, or that the power cable L1 will be caught in a gap in the bridge B1, which is a structure, and cannot be removed, thereby realizing stable flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. Note that the connection between the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the power cable L1 or the power supply member 2 can be exemplified by magnetic attraction by magnetic force or holding with a magic hand, but any means that allows for free and detachable connection can be used.

[0036] In addition, in this power supply facility extension process, it is preferable to also extend a communication cable (not shown) that communicates with a controller that controls the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 using power from the power supply member 2. This is because the area in which communication is possible with a wireless communication system is limited by the frequency band used, and there are places where wireless communication is difficult, such as when hidden behind a structure. For example, a communication cable can be extended to the power supply member 2 near the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in combination with the power supply facility to relay instruction communication from the controller, and instruction communication from the controller can be transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 via wireless communication from the power supply member 2 near the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

[0037] (Power supply facility tip installation process) Next, as shown in Fig. 4, in the method for inspecting and repairing a structure according to this embodiment, a power supply facility tip installation step is performed in which a tip power supply member 2' is installed so as to extend to and reach the tip of the power supply facility, which is the location where inspection and repair will be performed. Fig. 4 is a process explanatory diagram showing the power supply facility tip installation step of the method for inspecting and repairing a structure according to this embodiment, and proceeds in the order of (a) and (b).

[0038] In the power supply facility tip installation process, similar to the power supply facility extension process, one end of the power cable L1 and the power supply member 2 are connected to each of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 1, and the power cable L1 is transported in an extended state to install the power supply facility at the tip.

[0039] This process differs from the power supply facility extension process in that at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicles 1 is a work unmanned aerial vehicle 1' equipped with a robot arm for inspection and repair in addition to the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 described above, in order to install the tip power supply member 2' at the tip of the power supply facility where inspection and repair will be performed. This is because the unmanned aerial vehicle 1' that transported the tip power supply member 2' will be used to carry out inspection and repair work in the next process while receiving power from the tip power supply member 2' installed in this process. However, it is also possible to transport the tip power supply member 2' using the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and replace it with the work unmanned aerial vehicle 1' in the next process.

[0040] (Inspection and repair process) Next, as shown in Fig. 5, in the method for inspecting and repairing a structure according to this embodiment, an inspection and repair process is carried out in which the structure is inspected or inspected and repaired while receiving power from the tip power supply member 2' at the location where the inspection or repair is to be carried out. Fig. 5 is a process explanatory diagram showing the inspection and repair process of the method for inspecting and repairing a structure according to this embodiment.

[0041] As shown in Figure 5, in this process, an unmanned aerial vehicle 1' for work, which has a camera attached to the tip of a robot arm capable of taking videos and still images, is used to inspect the area to be inspected or repaired while receiving power from a tip power supply member 2' at the area to be inspected or repaired. In this process, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1' performs the inspection work while receiving power from a tip power supply member 2' attached to the structure, so there are few restrictions on the work time or the equipment that can be used even without a large battery, and the unmanned aerial vehicle can efficiently perform the inspection work near the narrow support S1 of the bridge B1, which is a structure, without being affected much by wind, etc.

[0042] Then, if it is determined that repairs are necessary as a result of inspection using video and still images via the unmanned aerial vehicle 1', as shown in Figure 5, the unmanned aerial vehicle that receives power from the tip power supply member 2' is replaced from the work unmanned aerial vehicle 1' equipped with a camera to a work unmanned aerial vehicle 1" equipped with a chipping machine or the like, and the necessary repair work is carried out. Because the necessary work is carried out using a different unmanned aerial vehicle, the weight per aircraft can be reduced, and there are fewer restrictions on work time and equipment that can be used without having to install large batteries.

[0043] As described above, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1' for work use equipped with a camera and the unmanned aerial vehicle 1" for work use equipped with a chipping machine or the like have been described as examples, but the unmanned aerial vehicle can be equipped with various devices for inspection and repair, such as a robotic hand capable of grasping various objects, a sprayer for repair, and a hammering device for inspection.

[0044] Although the power supply member 2 and the tip power supply member 2' have been described as being detached from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, 1' and used as a power supply facility, as shown in Fig. 6, the power supply member 2 and the tip power supply member 2' may be used without being detached from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, 1'. This is to prevent failures when attaching and detaching the power supply member 2 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, etc. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a case in which the power supply member is not detached from the unmanned aerial vehicle in the method for inspecting and repairing a structure according to this embodiment.

[0045] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, the power supply facility can be branched and multiple tip power supply members 2' can be installed, with power being supplied to unmanned aerial vehicles 1', 1" from different tip power supply members 2', respectively, so that different tasks can be performed by separate unmanned aerial vehicles 1', 1". This is because, depending on the content of the repair, different tasks may need to be performed simultaneously. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the case where the power supply facility is branched in the structure inspection and repair method of this embodiment.

[0046] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 8, a hovering unmanned aerial vehicle 1 may be used to relay the power supply facility instead of a power supply member 2 that can be attached to a structure. This is because, depending on the structure or location of the structure, there may be cases where the structure cannot be attached by a vacuum suction device 21. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a case where a hovering unmanned aerial vehicle is used to relay the power supply facility in the structure inspection and repair method according to this embodiment.

[0047] According to the method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle of this embodiment described above, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, 1' carries a power supply member 2 that can be attached to a structure, and the power supply facility is extended to the inspection and repair location of the structure while the inspection and repair is performed by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, 1'. Therefore, there is no need to install a large battery in the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, and there are few restrictions on working time and equipment that can be used.

[0048] Furthermore, according to the method for inspecting and repairing structures using an unmanned aerial vehicle of this embodiment, the power supply facility is extended using a power supply member 2 that can be attached to the structure, and one end of the power cable L1 is connected to the power supply member 2 on each of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 1, and the power cable L1 is transported in an extended state, so that the power supply cable L1 is less likely to become an obstacle to the stable flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the method for inspecting and repairing structures using an unmanned aerial vehicle of this embodiment, the power supply facility is branched and multiple tip power supply members 2' are installed, so that different tasks can be performed simultaneously by separate unmanned aerial vehicles 1', 1" without any restrictions on power usage.

[0050] The method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, the above-mentioned and illustrated embodiments are merely specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by these. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1,1',1”:Unmanned aerial vehicle 10: Aircraft body 11: Electric motor 12: Rotor (rotor blade) 2: Power supply components (power supply facilities) 2': Tip power supply member (power supply facility) 20: Power supply component body 21:Vacuum suction device 22: Connection terminal 3: Generator (power generation facility) 4: Extension cord reel L1: Power cable (wired) B1:Bridge (structure) B2: Concrete floor slab P1: Pier (substructure: structure) S1: Support (structure)

Claims

1. A method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: A plurality of power supply members each having a vacuum suction device capable of being attached to a structure and connected to a generator by wires are transported by a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, the power supply members are connected to each other by wires to extend a power supply facility, and the structure is inspected and repaired by the unmanned aerial vehicles while receiving a supply of power from the installed power supply members. A method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

2. The power supply member is configured to be detachable from the unmanned aerial vehicle.

2. A method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in claim 1.

3. The tip of the power supply facility is branched into a plurality of power supply members by wire.

3. A method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or 2.

4. A communication cable for communicating with the unmanned aerial vehicle is also extended together with the power supply member.

3. A method for inspecting and repairing a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or 2.

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