Display processing device, display processing method and display processing program for distribution state of dispersed materials

Abstract

To facilitate easy and uniform dispersal in using a drone of a simple configuration to disperse dispersal materials over a field.SOLUTION: A processing circuit is configured to: display a field map representing a field on a display; on the basis of position information indicating the location of a drone and dispersal operation information indicating that the drone's dispersal apparatus is in a dispersal operation, calculate a dispersal area on the field map at every prescribed cycle, the dispersal area representing a region where dispersal material has been dispersed; determine whether overlapping portions exist in which the multiple dispersal areas calculated at the predetermined cycles overlap; and, if it is determined that the multiple dispersal areas have the overlapping portions, determine characteristic parameters of the display colors of the multiple dispersal areas such that the characteristic parameters of the display colors of the overlapping portions are different from the characteristic parameters of the display colors of non-overlapping portions in which the multiple dispersal areas do not overlap.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, method, and program for displaying on a display the distribution state of a spray material sprayed on a field by a spraying device mounted on a drone. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system for spraying a substance such as medicine, fertilizer, or feed from the air by a drone. In the system, a control signal for spraying is generated according to the attitude, speed, etc. of the drone. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-52721 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above system, the drone is expensive because the control of the drone's spraying device is complicated. When a drone with a simple configuration is used to spray a crop in a field, unless the drone is operated by an experienced user, the distribution of the crop in the field is likely to be uneven.

[0005] Therefore, one aspect of the present disclosure aims to make it possible to easily and evenly spray a spray material when using a drone with a simple configuration to spray a spray material in a field. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A display processing device for the distribution state of a scattering material according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a processing device that displays on a display the distribution state of a scattering material scattered on a field by a spraying device of a drone, and includes a processing circuit, the processing circuit causes a field map showing the field to be displayed on the display, acquires position information showing the position of the drone, acquires spraying operation information showing that the spraying device is performing a spraying operation, and calculates at a predetermined interval a spraying area showing the range on the field map where the scattering material has been scattered based on the position information and the spraying operation information. The display device is configured to: determine whether the multiple scatter areas calculated at each predetermined period have overlapping portions where the multiple scatter areas overlap; when it is determined that the multiple scatter areas have overlapping portions, determine characteristic parameters of the display colors of the multiple scatter areas so that the characteristic parameters of the display colors of the overlapping portions are different from the characteristic parameters of the display colors of the non-overlapping portions of the multiple scatter areas that do not overlap with each other; and display the multiple scatter areas on the field map on the display in a display color having the determined characteristic parameters.

[0007] A processing method for displaying the distribution state of a scattering material according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a processing method for displaying on a display the distribution state of a scattering material scattered in a field by a scattering device of a drone, and includes the steps of: displaying a field map showing the field on the display; acquiring location information indicating the position of the drone; acquiring scattering operation information indicating that the scattering device is in a scattering operation; calculating a scattering area indicating the range on the field map where the scattering material has been scattered based on the location information and the scattering operation information at a predetermined period; determining whether or not the multiple scattering areas calculated at the predetermined period have overlapping portions where they overlap with each other; when it is determined that the multiple scattering areas have overlapping portions, determining characteristic parameters of the display colors of the multiple scattering areas so that characteristic parameters of the display colors of the overlapping portions are different from characteristic parameters of the display colors of the non-overlapping portions of the multiple scattering areas that do not overlap with each other; and displaying on the display the multiple scattering areas on the field map in display colors having the determined characteristic parameters.

[0008] A display processing program for displaying the distribution state of scattered materials according to one embodiment of the present disclosure causes at least one processor to execute the method. The program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium is a non-transitory and tangible medium. The storage medium may be built into or attached to a computer, such as a mobile information terminal, a personal computer, a server, etc. The storage medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, storage, etc., and may be, for example, a hard disk, a flash memory, an optical disk, etc. The program stored in the storage medium may be executed in a computer to which the storage medium is directly connected, or may be executed in a computer connected to the storage medium via a network, such as the Internet. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the characteristic parameters of the display color of the overlapping areas of the field map on the display where the sprayed material overlaps are different from those of the non-overlapping areas, so that the user can easily perform spraying with little unevenness despite the simple configuration by looking at the sprayed area displayed on the field map. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a drone spraying system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the drone shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the operation terminal shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a display process of the operation terminal shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a continuation of the flowchart in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the scattering region display process shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the calculation of the dispersion area and the dispersion concentration. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining calculation of the drift distance of the scattering region. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining how to determine the overlapping parts and the number of overlaps between a plurality of scattering regions. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the determination of the characteristic parameters of the display color of the scattering area. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the determination of the characteristic parameters of the display color of the scattering area. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating altitude control of the drone shown in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a drone spraying system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the drone spraying system 1 includes a drone 11 and an operation terminal 12. The drone 11 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The drone 11 includes a spraying device 14. The spraying device 14 includes a tank that stores a spraying material, a nozzle that sprays the spraying material in the tank downward toward a field 13, and an actuator that opens and closes the nozzle. The spraying material is, for example, a chemical, fertilizer, or feed. When the nozzle is opened by the actuator, the spraying material in the tank falls downward from the nozzle due to its own weight. Note that the spraying device 14 may be any device that can spray the spraying material downward, and various types of known spraying devices may be used.

[0013] The operation terminal 12 is operated by a user to remotely control the drone 11. The operation terminal 12 communicates with the drone 11 via wireless communication. The wireless communication between the operation terminal 12 and the drone 11 may be, for example, direct wireless communication, and may be wireless communication using radio waves in the 2.4 GHz or 920 MHz band. The operation terminal 12 is connected to a communication network 16 via a public data communication network such as a mobile phone network. The communication network 16 is, for example, the Internet. A server 15 is connected to the communication network 16. The server 15 stores a field map 13A showing the field 13. An example of the field map 13A is shown in FIG. 10.

[0014] The drone 11 and the operation terminal 12 may be connected to the communication network 16 via a public data communication network such as a satellite communication network. If the location of the operation terminal 12 has an Internet environment, the operation terminal 12 may be connected to the communication network 16 via a wireless LAN, a wired LAN, or the like.

[0015] Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the drone 11 in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the drone 11 includes a processing circuit 20, a gyro sensor 24, an acceleration sensor 25, a satellite positioning sensor 26, an altitude sensor 27, a geomagnetic sensor 28, an airspeed sensor 29, a communication interface 30, a propeller actuator 31, a propeller 32, and a spraying device 14.

[0016] The processing circuit 20 includes a processor 21, a system memory 22, and a storage memory 23. The processor 21 may include a central processing unit (CPU). The system memory 22 may include a RAM. The storage memory 23 may include a hard disk, a flash memory, or a combination thereof. The storage memory 23 stores a flight program P1 and a spraying program P2. A configuration in which the processor 21 executes each of the programs P1 to P2 read from the storage memory 23 to the system memory 22 is an example of the processing circuit 20. A part or all of each of the programs P1 to P2 may be executed by a processor external to the drone 11, and the drone 11 may receive the execution results.

[0017] The gyro sensor 24 detects angular velocities around attitude axes set corresponding to the forward / backward, left / right, and up / down directions of the drone 11. The acceleration sensor 25 detects the acceleration of the drone 11 in the forward / backward, left / right, and up / down directions. The processor 21 can calculate the speed by integrating the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 25. The satellite positioning sensor 26 detects the position of the drone 11 using the positioning satellite 17 of the satellite positioning system shown in Fig. 1. The satellite positioning system is, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS).

[0018] The altitude sensor 27 detects the altitude of the drone 11. The altitude sensor 27 is, for example, a barometric pressure sensor or a radio wave sensor. The barometric pressure sensor can also serve as a speed sensor. The geomagnetic sensor 28 detects the magnetic force of the earth to know the direction based on the drone 11. The airspeed sensor 29 detects the relative speed of the drone 11 with respect to the atmosphere. The communication interface 30 includes an interface that connects to the communication network 16 via wired communication or wireless communication, and an interface that connects directly to the operation terminal 12 via wireless communication.

[0019] The drone 11 has, for example, four propellers 32. The behavior of the drone 11 is determined by adjusting the rotation speed of the four propellers 32. The propeller actuator 31 is provided individually for each of the four propellers 32 and drives each of the propellers 32. The sensors 24 to 29, the communication interface 30, and the propeller actuator 31 are connected to the processor 21.

[0020] The processor 21 executing the flight program P1 may control the propeller actuator 31 while referring to the detection signals of the sensors 24 to 29 based on flight plan information input in advance to automatically fly the drone 11. The flight plan information includes information on the planned flight route, the planned flight speed, and the takeoff and landing points. The processor 20 may manually fly the drone 11 by controlling the propeller actuator 31 in response to the detection signals of the sensors 24 to 29. The processor 21 executing the flight program P1 may control the propeller actuator 31 while referring to the detection signals of the sensors 24 to 29 to fly the drone 11 based on a command received by the communication interface 30 from the operation terminal 12 operated by the user.

[0021] A user can manually input an up or down command, a right or left movement command, a forward or backward movement command, and a right or left turn command to the operation terminal 12. The processor 21 that executes the spraying program P2 controls the actuator of the spraying device 14 in response to a command from the operation terminal 12 to open or close the nozzle of the spraying device 14.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the operation terminal 12 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation terminal 12 includes a processing circuit 40, an operation interface 44, a display 45, and a communication interface 46. The processing circuit 40 has a processor 41, a system memory 42, and a storage memory 43. The processor 41 may include a central processing unit (CPU). The system memory 42 may include a RAM. The storage memory 43 may include a hard disk, a flash memory, or a combination thereof. The storage memory 43 stores a flight operation program P11, a spraying operation program P12, and a display processing program P13. A configuration in which the processor 41 executes each of the programs P11 to P13 read from the storage memory 43 to the system memory 42 is an example of the processing circuit 40.

[0023] The operation interface 44 is a user interface operated by a user. The operation interface 44 may be configured to allow input of commands related to flight plan information, flight speed, flight altitude, and flight direction for automatic flight. The operation interface 44 may be configured to allow input of commands to ascend or descend, move right or move left, move forward or backward, and turn right or turn left for manual flight. The operation interface 44 may be, for example, a lever, a handle, a touch panel, or the like.

[0024] The display 45 displays the farm field map 13A downloaded from the server 15 via the communication network 16. The display 45 displays the position of the drone 11 on the farm field map 13A. The display 45 displays the distribution state of the sprayed material sprayed by the spraying device 14 of the drone 11 on the farm field map 13A.

[0025] The communication interface 46 includes an interface for connecting to the communication network 16 via wired communication or wireless communication, and an interface for connecting directly to the drone 11 via wireless communication. The operation interface 44, the display 45, and the communication interface 46 are connected to the processor 41. The processing circuit 40 controls the display of the display 45. That is, the operation terminal 12 functions as a display processing device equipped with the processing circuit 40 that controls the display of the display 45.

[0026] Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the display process of the operation terminal 12 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a flowchart continuing from Fig. 4. Below, the description will be given along the flow of Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 with appropriate reference to the configurations of Figs. 1 to 3. Hereinafter, the process of the operation terminal 12 is executed by the processing circuit 40.

[0027] 4, the operation terminal 12 determines whether or not a switch signal to a mode for performing processing to display the distribution state of the sprayed material has been input by the user via the operation interface 44 (step S1). If it is determined that the mode selection has been input (step S1: Y), the operation terminal 12 receives the field map 13A from the server 15 via the communication network 16, and displays the field map 13A on the display 45 (step S2).

[0028] The operation terminal 12 determines whether the previous spraying result data for the field 13 is stored in the storage memory 43 or the server 15 (step S3). If it is determined that the previous spraying result data is not stored (step S3: N), the operation terminal 12 receives the position data of the drone 11 detected by the satellite positioning sensor 26 via the communication network 16, and displays a mark indicating the drone 11 on the field map based on the position data on the display 45 (step S7). Note that the operation terminal 12 continuously receives position information indicating the drone's position while the processes of Figures 4 and 5 are being performed.

[0029] If it is determined that the previous spray result data has been saved (step S3: Y), the operation terminal 12 displays on the display 45 an option for whether or not to apply the previous spray result data to the current initial state (step S4). The operation terminal 12 determines whether or not application of the previous spray result data has been selected (step S5). If it is determined that application of the previous spray result data has not been selected (step S5: N), the process proceeds to step S7 described above. If it is determined that application of the previous spray result data has been selected (step S5: Y), the operation terminal 12 displays the previous spray result data on the display 45 as the initial state of the distribution state of the current sprayed material (step S6), and proceeds to step S7.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, the operation terminal 12 judges whether or not the user has input a spraying instruction to the operation interface 44 (step S8). The spraying instruction corresponds to spraying operation information indicating that the spraying device 14 is in a spraying operation. When the user inputs a spraying instruction to the operation interface 44, a spraying command is issued from the operation terminal 12 to the drone 11 via the communication network 16. Upon receiving the spraying command, the drone 11 controls the spraying device 14 so that the spraying device 14 sprays the material to be sprayed in the field 13. That is, the operation terminal 12 acquires the input of the spraying instruction to the operation interface 44, thereby acquiring spraying operation information indicating that the spraying device 14 is in a spraying operation. When it is judged that a spraying instruction has been input to the operation interface 44 (step S8: Y), the operation terminal 12 executes a spraying area display process by referring to FIG. 6 (step S9).

[0031] The operation terminal 12 determines whether or not a command to switch to a mode other than the mode for displaying the distribution state of the sprayed material has been input by the user via the operation interface 44 (step S10). If it is determined that a mode switching command has not been input (step S10: N), the process returns to step S8. That is, by making a NO determination in step S10 and periodically repeating step S9, the operation terminal 12 periodically calculates a spraying area indicating the range on the field map 13A where the sprayed material has been sprayed, based on the position information of the drone 11 and the operation information of the spraying device 14.

[0032] When it is determined that a mode switching command has been input (step S10: Y), the operation terminal 12 stores the latest spray result data in the storage memory 43 or the server 15 (step S11). Then, the operation terminal 12 ends the display of the distribution state of the sprayed material (step S12).

[0033] Fig. 6 is a flowchart explaining the scattering area display process shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 6, the operation terminal 12 receives the position information of the drone 11 detected by the satellite positioning sensor 26 via the communication network 16 (step S21). The operation terminal 12 receives the altitude information of the drone 11 detected by the altitude sensor 27 via the communication network 16 (step S22). The operation terminal 12 acquires wind information including the wind speed and wind direction at the position of the drone 11 via the communication network 16 (step S23).

[0034] The operation terminal 12 obtains the wind speed and wind direction at the position of the drone 11 by calculating the difference between the ground speed of the drone 11 and the airspeed of the drone 11 to obtain a wind vector. The operation terminal 12 obtains the ground speed of the drone 11 by calculating the amount of change per unit time of the position of the drone 11 detected by the satellite positioning sensor 26. The operation terminal 12 may obtain the ground speed of the drone 11 by integrating the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 25. The operation terminal 12 obtains the airspeed of the drone 11 from the airspeed sensor 29. The operation terminal 12 may obtain the airspeed of the drone 11 from the measured value of a multi-hole pitot tube provided on the drone 11 instead of the airspeed sensor 29.

[0035] The operation terminal 12 calculates the spraying area 50 on the field map 13A and the spraying concentration of the spraying area 50 (step S24). The spraying area 50 on the field map 13A is the range where the spraying material is sprayed from the spraying device 14 of the drone 11 to the field 13. The spraying concentration of the spraying area 50 is, for example, the mass of the spraying material sprayed per unit area of ​​the spraying area 50.

[0036] Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the calculation of the spraying area 50 and the spraying concentration. As shown in Fig. 7, the operation terminal 12 regards the altitude of the drone 11 as the altitude of the spraying device 14, and changes the area of ​​the spraying area 50 with the change in the altitude of the drone 11. The shape of the spraying area 50 is assumed to be circular. Specifically, the operation terminal 12 calculates the radius R (m) of the spraying area 50 based on the altitude H (m) of the drone 11 and the spraying angle θ (deg).

[0037] The operation terminal 12 receives the altitude H of the drone 11 from the drone 11. The spraying angle θ is the angle θ of the outer edge with respect to the center line of the cone-shaped collection of the sprayed material that is sprayed from the spraying device 14 and flies in the air. The spraying angle θ in this embodiment is a value specific to the spraying device 14. The operation terminal 12 may acquire the spraying angle θ by a user's input to the operation interface 44, may acquire the spraying angle θ from an information source via the communication network 16, or may receive the spraying angle θ from the drone 11. Then, the operation terminal 12 calculates the radius R of the spraying area 50 by the following formula (1) and determines the circular spraying area 50. That is, the operation terminal 12 changes the area of ​​the spraying area 50 in accordance with the change in the altitude H of the drone 11. In this way, the phenomenon in which the spraying area in the field 13 changes depending on the altitude H at which the drone 11 sprays the sprayed material is reflected in the display.

[0038] [Number 1] R=π(H tanθ)^2 ·····(1)

[0039] The operation terminal 12 changes the spray concentration D in the spraying area 50 in accordance with changes in the altitude H of the drone 11. Specifically, the operation terminal 12 calculates the spray concentration C in the spraying area 50 based on the altitude H of the drone 11, the spray material discharge amount F(g) per unit time of the spraying device 14, and the area S of the spraying area 50. The spray material discharge amount F(g) is a value specific to the spraying device 14. The area S of the spraying area 50 is calculated by the following formula (2).

[0040] [Number 2] S = πR^2 (2)

[0041] The operation terminal 12 then calculates the spray concentration C (g / m^2) in the spray area 50 using the following formula (3). This allows the display to reflect the phenomenon in which the amount of sprayed material per unit area in the field 13 changes depending on the altitude H at which the drone 11 sprays the material.

[0042] [Number 3] C=F / S (3)

[0043] Returning to Fig. 6, the operation terminal 12 calculates the drift distance D of the spraying area 50 (step S25). The cone-shaped collection of sprayed material sprayed from the spraying device 14 and flying in the air drifts due to the wind. Therefore, the position of the spraying area 50 on the field 13 when there is wind will shift from the position of the spraying area 50 on the field 13 when there is no wind.

[0044] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the calculation of the drift distance D of the spraying area 50. As shown in FIG. 8, when there is no drift due to wind, the spraying area 50W0 of the material sprayed from the spraying device 14 of the drone 11 is located vertically below the position of the drone 11. That is, on the display 45, the center of the spraying area 50W0 is located at the position indicated by the position information of the drone 11. When there is drift due to wind, the spraying area 50W1 of the material sprayed from the spraying device 14 of the drone 11 is shifted from the spraying area 50W0 by the drift distance D. The drift distance Df caused by the reference wind speed Wx is input in advance to the operation terminal 12. The operation terminal 12 calculates the drift distance D when the wind speed W is generated by the following formula (4).

[0045] [Number 4] D = (W / Wx)Df (4)

[0046] The operation terminal 12 then determines the wind direction acquired in step S23 as the drift direction of the spraying area 50W1 relative to the spraying area 50W0. The operation terminal 12 determines the position of the spraying area 50W1 on the field map 13A based on the drift distance D and drift direction calculated according to the wind information. This allows the display to reflect the phenomenon in which the sprayed material falling through the air is blown away by the wind.

[0047] Returning to Fig. 6, the operation terminal 12 determines whether or not the multiple spraying areas 50 calculated at each predetermined cycle have overlapping parts, and if there are overlapping parts, the number of overlapping parts (step S26). That is, one spraying area 50 is generated when the routine of steps S8 to S10 in Fig. 5 is executed once, and each time the routine of steps S8 to S10 is repeated, a spraying area 50 is generated sequentially in time series, and overlapping parts where those spraying areas 50 overlap each other may occur on the field map 13A.

[0048] Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining the determination of overlapping parts and the number of overlaps of the multiple spraying areas 50A-C. Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining the determination of characteristic parameters of the display color of each of the spraying areas 50A-C. As shown in Fig. 9, the multiple spraying areas 50A-C on the field map 13A are arranged with their positions shifted from each other in the movement direction of the drone 11. As shown in Fig. 10, each of the spraying areas 50A-C has non-overlapping parts L1, L5 that do not overlap each other, and overlapping parts L2-L4 that overlap each other.

[0049] In the non-overlapping portion L1, the spray concentration of the spray area 50A is set as it is as the spray concentration. In the overlapping portion L2, the sum of the spray concentration of the spray area 50A and the spray concentration of the spray area 50B is set as the spray concentration. In the overlapping portion L3, the sum of the spray concentration of the spray area 50A, the spray concentration of the spray area 50B, and the spray concentration of the spray area 50C is set as the spray concentration. In the overlapping portion L4, the sum of the spray concentration of the spray area 50B and the spray concentration of the spray area 50C is set as the spray concentration. In the non-overlapping portion L5, the spray concentration of the spray area 50C is set as it is as the spray concentration.

[0050] The operation terminal 12 prestores a first correlation between the characteristic parameters of the display color on the display 45 and the scattering concentration. Based on the first correlation, the operation terminal 12 determines the characteristic parameters of the display color of each of the portions L1-L5 of each scattering region 50A-C from the scattering concentration of the portion L1-L5. The characteristic parameters of the display color are, for example, transparency, saturation, brightness, or hue. As an example, the operation terminal 12 can determine the display color such that the transparency decreases with an increase in the scattering concentration while keeping the hue, saturation, and brightness fixed.

[0051] By doing this, on the display 45, the characteristic parameters of the display color of the overlapping portions L2-L4 of each of the scattering regions 50A-C are different from the characteristic parameters of the display color of the non-overlapping portions L1, L5 of each of the scattering regions 50A-C, and the characteristic parameters of the display color change depending on the number of overlaps of the overlapping portions L2-L4 of each of the scattering regions 50A-C.

[0052] Returning to Figure 6, the operation terminal 12 causes each of the spraying areas 50A-C on the field map 13A to be displayed on the display 45 in a display color having the determined characteristic parameters (step S28). This allows the user to quantitatively grasp the difference in the amount of sprayed water depending on the location by looking at the display of the spraying areas 50A-C on the field map 13A displayed on the display 45, thereby enabling spraying to be performed with less unevenness.

[0053] The operation terminal 12 may receive an input of a second correlation between the appropriate amount of the product to be sprayed per unit area of ​​the field 13 and the characteristic parameter of the display color, and display information that enables the user to visually grasp the second correlation on the display 45. For example, the operation terminal 12 may display a concentration level gauge 60 with an appropriate amount mark 61 on the display 45, as information indicating the second correlation, as shown in Fig. 10.

[0054] The portions of spraying areas 50A-C that are displayed visually in the same manner as the characteristic parameters of the display color of the level indicated by the appropriate amount mark 61 on the concentration level gauge 60 indicate that the spraying concentration is appropriate. By comparing the concentration level gauge 60 with the appropriate amount point 61 on the display 45 and the display of the spraying areas 50A-C, the user can determine whether the amount of spraying in each part of the field 13 is appropriate or not.

[0055] FIG. 11 is a drawing of another example for explaining the determination of the characteristic parameters of the display colors of the spraying regions 50A-C. FIG. 11 shows a situation in which the spraying regions overlap each other due to the influence of wind or the like when spraying in a plurality of rows. The multiple spraying regions 50A, 50B, 50D on the farm field map 13A have non-overlapping parts L11-L13 that do not overlap each other and overlapping parts L14-L17 that overlap each other. In this case, as in FIG. 10, on the display 45, the characteristic parameters of the display colors of the overlapping parts L14-L17 of each of the spraying regions 50A, 50B, 50D are different from the characteristic parameters of the display colors of the non-overlapping parts L11-L13 of each of the spraying regions 50A, 50B, 50D, and the characteristic parameters of the display colors change depending on the number of overlaps of the overlapping parts L14-L17 of each of the spraying regions 50A, 50B, 50D.

[0056] Fig. 12 is a flowchart explaining altitude control of the drone 11 shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 12, the operation terminal 12 judges whether or not the altitude of the drone 11 is specified (step S31). If it is judged that the altitude of the drone 11 is specified (step S31: Y), the operation terminal 12 commands the drone 11 to move to the specified height (step S32). On the other hand, if it is judged that the altitude of the drone 11 is not specified (step S31: N), the operation terminal 12 acquires altitude information from the drone 11 (step S33) and acquires wind information from the drone 11 (step S34).

[0057] The operation terminal 12 calculates the recommended height of the drone 11 according to the wind speed indicated by the acquired wind information (step S35). For example, the operation terminal 12 may calculate the recommended altitude within a predetermined altitude range between a maximum altitude and a minimum altitude so that the recommended altitude decreases as the wind speed increases. Then, the operation terminal 12 issues a command to the drone 11 to move to the calculated recommended altitude (step S36).

[0058] The technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, "obtain" may be "receive" or "calculate." Two blocks shown in sequence in the flowchart may be executed simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the circumstances. A part or all of each of the programs P11 to P13 may be executed by a processor outside the operation terminal 12, and the operation terminal 12 may receive the execution results.

[0059] As described above, the above embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. have been made as appropriate. In addition, it is also possible to combine the components described in the above embodiment to create a new embodiment. For example, a part of the configuration or method in one embodiment may be applied to another embodiment, and a part of the configuration in an embodiment can be separated from other configurations in that embodiment and arbitrarily extracted. In addition, the components described in the attached drawings and detailed description include not only components essential for solving the problem, but also components that are not essential for solving the problem in order to exemplify the technology.

[0060] The functions of the elements disclosed herein can be performed using circuits or processing circuits, including general purpose processors, special purpose processors, integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphic processing units (GPUs), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functions. Processors are considered processing circuits or circuits because they include transistors and other circuits. In this disclosure, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware that performs the recited functions or hardware that is programmed to perform the recited functions. The hardware may be hardware disclosed herein or other known hardware that is programmed or configured to perform the recited functions. In the case where the hardware is a processor, which is considered a type of circuit, the circuit, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software, and the software is used to configure the hardware and / or the processor.

[0061] [Aspects] The above-described embodiments are specific examples of the following aspects.

[0062] (Aspect 1) A processing device that displays on a display the distribution state of a sprayed material on a farm field by a spraying device of a drone, A processing circuit is provided, the processing circuit comprising: displaying a farm field map showing the farm field on the display; acquiring location information indicating a location of the drone; Acquiring spraying operation information indicating that the spraying device is performing a spraying operation; Calculating a spraying area indicating an area on the farm field map where the spraying material has been sprayed at a predetermined interval based on the position information and the spraying operation information; determining whether or not the plurality of scattering regions calculated at each predetermined period have an overlapping portion; determining, when it is determined that the plurality of scatter regions have the overlapping portions, characteristic parameters of display colors of the plurality of scatter regions such that characteristic parameters of display colors of the overlapping portions are different from characteristic parameters of display colors of non-overlapping portions of the plurality of scatter regions that do not overlap with each other; displaying the plurality of spray areas on the farm field map on the display in a display color having the determined characteristic parameter; A display processing device for displaying the distribution state of scattered material, configured to perform the above.

[0063] With this configuration, the characteristic parameters of the display color of the overlapping areas on the field map where the sprayed materials overlap are different from those of the non-overlapping areas, so that the user operating the drone can easily spray with little unevenness by looking at the sprayed area on the field map displayed on the display, despite the simple configuration.

[0064] (Aspect 2) A display processing device for the scattering distribution state according to aspect 1, wherein determining the characteristic parameter includes changing the characteristic parameter depending on the number of overlaps of the overlapping portions of the multiple scattering areas.

[0065] With this configuration, the characteristic parameters of the display color change depending on whether the number of overlapping spray areas in one overlapping portion is small or large. Therefore, by looking at the display of the spray areas on the field map shown on the display, the user can quantitatively grasp the difference in the amount of sprayed land depending on the location.

[0066] (Aspect 3) 3. The display processing device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the characteristic parameters include transparency, saturation, brightness, or hue.

[0067] With this configuration, the user can easily and intuitively grasp the difference in the amount of sprayed depending on the location by looking at the display color of the sprayed area on the field map displayed on the display.

[0068] (Aspect 4) The processing circuitry is configured to obtain altitude information indicative of an altitude of the drone; A display processing device for the scattering distribution state described in any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein calculating the scattering area includes at least one of changing the area of ​​the scattering area in accordance with a change in the altitude and changing a characteristic parameter of the display color of the scattering area in accordance with a change in the altitude.

[0069] According to this configuration, the display reflects the phenomenon in which the sprayed area and / or the amount sprayed per unit area in the field changes depending on the altitude at which the drone sprays the sprayed material, thereby improving the accuracy of the display of the sprayed area on the field map.

[0070] (Aspect 5) the processing circuitry is configured to obtain wind information indicative of wind speed and wind direction; A display processing device for the distribution state of a scattering material as described in any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein calculating the scattering area includes determining the position of the scattering area on the field map according to the wind information.

[0071] With this configuration, the phenomenon in which the spray material falling through the air is blown away by the wind is reflected in the display, thereby improving the accuracy of the display of the spray area on the farm field map.

[0072] (Aspect 6) The processing circuit is configured to obtain a relationship between an appropriate amount of the sprayed material per unit area of ​​the field and the characteristic parameter; A display processing device for the scattering material distribution state described in any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein displaying the multiple scattering areas on the display includes displaying information on the display that allows the relationship to be visually grasped.

[0073] According to this configuration, the user can see whether the amount of spraying in each part of the field is appropriate by looking at the information displayed on the display, which allows the user to perform spraying work accurately and efficiently.

[0074] (Aspect 7) A processing method for displaying on a display the distribution state of a sprayed material on a farm field by a spraying device of a drone, comprising: displaying a farm field map showing the farm field on the display; acquiring location information indicating a location of the drone; Acquiring spraying operation information indicating that the spraying device is performing a spraying operation; Calculating a spraying area indicating an area on the farm field map where the spraying material has been sprayed at a predetermined interval based on the position information and the spraying operation information; determining whether or not the scattering regions calculated at each predetermined period have overlapping portions; when it is determined that the plurality of scatter regions have the overlapping portions, determining characteristic parameters of display colors of the plurality of scatter regions such that characteristic parameters of display colors of the overlapping portions are different from characteristic parameters of display colors of non-overlapping portions of the plurality of scatter regions that do not overlap with each other; displaying the plurality of spray areas on the farm field map on the display in a display color having the determined characteristic parameter; A method for displaying and processing the distribution state of scattered material, comprising:

[0075] (Aspect 8) A processing program for displaying the distribution state of scattered material, which causes at least one processor to execute the method described in embodiment 7. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1. Drone spraying system 11. Drone 12 Operation terminal 13 Field 13A Field Map 14 Spraying equipment 40 Processing circuit 41 Processors 45 Display 50,50A~C spray area 60 Concentration Level Gauge 61 Proper amount mark L1,L5 overlap part L2~L4 Overlapping part P13 Display processing program

Claims

1. A processing device that displays on a display the distribution state of a sprayed material on a farm field by a spraying device of a drone, A processing circuit is provided, the processing circuit comprising: displaying a farm field map showing the farm field on the display; acquiring location information indicating a location of the drone; Acquiring spraying operation information indicating that the spraying device is performing a spraying operation; Calculating a spraying area indicating an area on the farm field map where the spraying material has been sprayed at a predetermined interval based on the position information and the spraying operation information; determining whether or not the plurality of scattering regions calculated at each predetermined period have an overlapping portion; determining, when it is determined that the plurality of scatter regions have the overlapping portions, characteristic parameters of display colors of the plurality of scatter regions such that characteristic parameters of display colors of the overlapping portions are different from characteristic parameters of display colors of non-overlapping portions of the plurality of scatter regions that do not overlap with each other; displaying the plurality of spray areas on the farm field map on the display in a display color having the determined characteristic parameter; A display processing device for displaying the distribution state of the scattering material, which is configured to perform the above.

2. The display processing device for displaying the scattered object distribution state according to claim 1 , wherein determining the characteristic parameter includes changing the characteristic parameter in accordance with an overlapping number of the overlapping portions of the plurality of scattered object regions.

3. The display processing device for the scattered object distribution state according to claim 1 , wherein the characteristic parameters include transparency, saturation, brightness, or hue.

4. The processing circuitry is configured to obtain altitude information indicative of an altitude of the drone; The display processing device of claim 1, wherein calculating the scattering area includes at least one of changing the area of ​​the scattering area in accordance with a change in the altitude and changing a characteristic parameter of the display color of the scattering area in accordance with a change in the altitude.

5. the processing circuitry is configured to obtain wind information indicative of wind speed and wind direction; The display processing device of claim 1 , wherein calculating the spraying area includes determining a position of the spraying area on the farm field map in accordance with the wind information.

6. The processing circuit is configured to obtain a relationship between an appropriate amount of the sprayed material per unit area of ​​the field and the characteristic parameter; A display processing device for scattering material distribution state according to claim 1 , wherein displaying the plurality of scattering areas on the display includes displaying information on the display that enables the relationship to be visually grasped.

7. A processing method for displaying on a display the distribution state of a sprayed material on a farm field by a spraying device of a drone, comprising: displaying a farm field map showing the farm field on the display; acquiring location information indicating a location of the drone; Acquiring spraying operation information indicating that the spraying device is performing a spraying operation; Calculating a spraying area indicating an area on the farm field map where the spraying material has been sprayed at a predetermined interval based on the position information and the spraying operation information; determining whether or not the plurality of scattering regions calculated at each predetermined period have overlapping portions; when it is determined that each of the plurality of scatter regions has the overlapping portion, determining characteristic parameters of display colors of the plurality of scatter regions such that characteristic parameters of display colors of the overlapping portion are different from characteristic parameters of display colors of non-overlapping portions of the plurality of scatter regions that do not overlap with each other; displaying the plurality of spray areas on the farm field map on the display in a display color having the determined characteristic parameter; A method for displaying and processing the distribution state of scattered material, comprising:

8. A processing program for displaying a distribution state of scattered material, the processing program causing at least one processor to execute the method according to claim 7.

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