Position control system of aircraft, aircraft, and position control method of aircraft

Abstract

To suitably remove an aircraft from a mobile body such as a marine vessel.SOLUTION: A position control system of an aircraft controls a relative position of an aircraft relative to a mobile body, when removing the aircraft loaded on the moving mobile body. The position control system of an aircraft comprises: a position detector which is provided on the aircraft to acquire a position of the aircraft; and a controller for controlling flight operation of the aircraft. The controller acquires a travel speed and a travel direction of the mobile body on the basis of a detection result of the position detector, and causes the aircraft to perform a climb operation on the basis of the acquired travel speed and travel direction of the mobile body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an aircraft position control system, an aircraft, and an aircraft position control method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a control device for taking off and landing an aircraft on a ship has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The control device of Patent Document 1 includes a hull motion prediction device that predicts the hull motion of the ship, a takeoff / landing state indication device that receives the output of the hull motion prediction device and calculates the takeoff / landing state of the aircraft on the ship, an indication transmission device that transmits the output of the takeoff / landing state indication device, an indication reception device that receives the output of the indication transmission device, and a flight motion control device that controls the flight motion in response to the output of the indication reception device. The hull motion prediction device, the takeoff / landing state indication device, and the indication transmission device are provided on the ship, and the indication reception device and the flight motion control device are provided on the aircraft.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Patent Document 1 is for takeoff and landing of a fixed-wing aircraft. When taking off from the ship, the aircraft taxis on the ship. On the other hand, it is common for a rotary-wing aircraft to take off and leave the ground by ascending from the takeoff / landing point. For this reason, conventionally, the rotary-wing aircraft does not move in conjunction with the movement of the ship, and ascends while maintaining its position based on the position at the timing when takeoff from the ship is instructed. In this case, while the ship is moving forward, the rotary-wing aircraft takes off from the ship and ascends. Then, since the rotary-wing aircraft moves relatively backward with respect to the ship, there is a risk of physically interfering with the ship.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an aircraft position control system, an aircraft, and an aircraft position control method that can suitably separate an aircraft from a moving body such as a ship.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The aircraft position control system of the present disclosure is an aircraft position control system that controls the relative position of an aircraft with respect to a moving body when the aircraft mounted on the moving body moves, and is provided on the aircraft, A position detection unit that acquires the position of the aircraft, and a control unit that controls the flight operation of the aircraft, wherein the control unit acquires the moving speed and moving direction of the moving body based on the detection result of the position detection unit, and based on the acquired moving speed and moving direction of the moving body, the aircraft is caused to perform a climbing flight operation.

[0007] The aircraft of the present disclosure includes the above-described aircraft position control system.

[0008] The aircraft position control method of the present disclosure is an aircraft position control method executed by a position control system that controls the relative position of an aircraft with respect to a moving body when the aircraft mounted on the moving body moves, and the position control system acquires the moving speed and moving direction of the moving body based on the detection result of a position detection unit provided on the aircraft, and based on the acquired moving speed and moving direction of the moving body, executes causing the aircraft to perform a climbing flight operation.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, an aircraft can be suitably separated from a moving body such as a ship.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited by this embodiment. Also, the constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be replaced by those skilled in the art and are easy, or those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the constituent elements described below can be combined as appropriate, and when there are multiple embodiments, the embodiments can also be combined.

[0012] [First Embodiment] Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the aircraft position control system according to the first embodiment.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the aircraft 1 is a flying body as a rotary-wing aircraft (for example, a helicopter, a drone, etc.). In the present embodiment, the aircraft 1 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Note that the aircraft 1 may be any flying body capable of moving forward, backward, sideways, turning, and hovering, and may be a manned aircraft. The aircraft 1 is equipped with a position control system 100, and the flight is controlled by the position control system 100.

[0014] (Position Control System) The position control system 100 according to the present embodiment is a system that controls the relative position of the aircraft 1 with respect to the ship 5 in order to suppress physical interference with the ship 5 when the aircraft 1 mounted on the ship 5 as a moving body is disembarked. The position control system 100 may be configured as a system mounted only on the aircraft 1, or may be configured as a system mounted across the aircraft 1 and the ship 5. In the present embodiment, it is applied to the ship 5 as a moving body, but it may be applied to a land vehicle such as a car as a moving body.

[0015] (Ship) As shown in FIG. 1, the ship 5 includes a control unit 50, a navigation device 70, a data transmission device 80, and an operation display unit 90. The ship 5 also includes a marker 7 that is a target when the aircraft 1 lands (lands on the ship), and a disembarkation platform (mounting platform) 60 on which the aircraft 1 is placed when it takes off (disembarks).

[0016] The navigation device 70 is, for example, an inertial navigation device (INS: Inertial Navigation System), and acquires the attitude angles in the pitch direction and roll direction of the ship 5, the heading, the speed, the acceleration, the position coordinates in the earth coordinate system, and the like. In Embodiment 1, the navigation device 70 is described by applying it to an inertial navigation device, but it is not particularly limited, and any navigation device 70 may be used. Further, in Embodiment 1, the navigation device 70 is an inertial navigation device including a GPS (Global Positioning System) in order to improve the measurement accuracy of the position, and functions as a position detection unit. The navigation device 70 includes a GPS compass 71, and the GPS compass 71 detects the azimuth of the ship 5 from the relative positional relationship of two or more antennas. Therefore, the navigation device 70 acquires the position and azimuth of the ship 5. In Embodiment 1, it is described by applying it to an inertial navigation device including a GPS, but it is not particularly limited to the GPS, and any position detection unit that can accurately measure the position may be used. For example, it may use a quasi-zenith satellite system, or if the navigation device 70 alone can accurately measure the position, a configuration in which a position measurement unit such as a GPS is omitted may be used. Further, the navigation device 70 may acquire at least a part of various data by a sensor.

[0017] The data transmission device 80 exchanges various signals with the data transmission device 40 mounted on the aircraft 1 by wireless communication.

[0018] The operation display unit 90 is a user interface for an operator on board the ship 5 to grasp the control status and input various instructions. The instructions input by the operation display unit 90 are transmitted from the data transmission device 80 to the data transmission device 40. Further, the control status of the aircraft 1 is transmitted from the data transmission device 40 to the data transmission device 80. That is, the data transmission device 40 and the data transmission device 80 are capable of two-way communication.

[0019] The control unit 50 includes, for example, an integrated circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 50 controls the operation of the ship 5 based on the input data. The control unit 50 has an automatic landing arithmetic unit 55, and the automatic landing arithmetic unit 55 supports the aircraft 1 that automatically lands on the ship 5. The automatic landing arithmetic unit 55 determines, for example, whether the ship 5 is in a state where the aircraft 1 can land, and specifically, controls the operation of the ship 5 so that the relative wind has a predetermined wind direction and a predetermined wind speed.

[0020] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the marker 7 and the takeoff platform 60 will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the takeoff platform of the aircraft position control system according to the present embodiment. The marker 7 is integrally provided on the takeoff platform 60, and the takeoff platform 60 is installed on the ship 5.

[0021] The takeoff platform 60 has a base 61, a flat plate 62, a marker 7, and a platform body 65 installed on the uppermost surface. The base 61 is a frame that forms a framework. The flat plate 62 is installed on the upper surface of the base 61, and the upper surface is a flat surface. The marker 7 is in the shape of a sheet and is provided on the upper surface of the flat plate 62. The marker 7 is, for example, an AR marker color-coded in two colors, black and white, and serves as a marker for the aircraft 1 to capture the position of the target landing point. The platform body 65 is installed on the marker 7. The platform body 65 changes the tilt angle of the mounting surface on which the aircraft 1 is mounted with respect to the upper surface of the marker 7. The platform body 65 is a mechanism that changes the attitude angle of the aircraft 1 so that the nose of the installed aircraft 1 is in a pitch-down state. Note that the platform body 65 may be a mechanism that manually changes the tilt angle or a mechanism that automatically changes the tilt angle. When the tilt angle of the platform body 65 is automatically changed, the takeoff platform 60 and the control unit 50 of the ship 5 are connected, and the control unit 50 changes the tilt angle of the takeoff platform 60.

[0022] The shipboard aircraft stand 60 changes the attitude of the aircraft 1 installed on the stand body 65 by changing the tilt angle of the stand body 65 so that the aircraft 1 is in a pitch-down state with the nose lowered. That is, the shipboard aircraft stand 60 functions as a pitch-down unit that pitch-downs the aircraft 1.

[0023] (Aircraft) As shown in FIG. 1, the aircraft 1 includes a navigation device 20, a control unit 30, a flight control unit 36, and a data transmission device 40.

[0024] Similar to the navigation device 70, the navigation device 20 is, for example, an inertial navigation device (INS: Inertial Navigation System) and functions as a position detection unit. The navigation device 20 also includes a GPS compass 21, and the GPS compass 21 detects the azimuth of the aircraft 1 from the relative positional relationship of two or more antennas. Therefore, the navigation device 20 acquires the position and azimuth of the aircraft 1. Note that the GPS compass 21 is not particularly limited, and for example, a compass such as a gyrocompass may be applied. Also, similar to the navigation device 70, the navigation device 20 may be an inertial navigation device including a position measurement unit such as GPS, or an inertial navigation device excluding a position detection unit such as GPS, and is not particularly limited.

[0025] The navigation device 20 including GPS acquires the attitude angles of the aircraft 1 in the roll direction, yaw direction, and pitch direction, the body speed of the aircraft 1, the inertial speed, the body acceleration, the nose azimuth, and the position coordinates in the earth coordinate system, etc. Note that the navigation device 20 may have an attitude angle sensor that detects the attitude angle of the aircraft 1, a speed sensor that detects the body speed of the aircraft 1, an acceleration sensor that detects the body acceleration of the aircraft 1, and a sensor that detects the nose azimuth of the aircraft 1. The navigation device 20 outputs the acquired attitude angles, body speed, inertial speed, body acceleration, nose azimuth, and position coordinates of the aircraft 1 to the flight control unit 36.

[0026] In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the position control system 100 includes an altitude sensor 25 that detects the altitude of the aircraft 1 from the ground surface or water surface. The altitude sensor 25 is, for example, a laser altimeter and measures the relative altitude from the aircraft 1 to the target landing point. Note that as the altitude sensor 25, a radio altimeter or a pressure altimeter may be used, and any altimeter may be used.

[0027] The control unit 30 includes, for example, an integrated circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 30 has an induction calculation unit 34 and a flight control unit 36.

[0028] The induction calculation unit 34 calculates a control amount for guiding the aircraft 1. The control amount is a control amount for adjusting the aircraft speed, attitude angle, rate of change of attitude angle, etc. of the aircraft 1.

[0029] The flight control unit 36 controls each component of the aircraft 1 according to the control amount calculated by the induction calculation unit 34 to fly the aircraft 1. The flight control unit 36 controls the blade pitch angle, rotational speed, etc. of each rotor according to the control amount, and adjusts the aircraft speed, attitude angle, rate of change of attitude angle, etc. of the aircraft 1. Thereby, the aircraft 1 is guided to the target position. In this embodiment, the induction calculation unit 34 is described as a functional unit separate from the flight control unit 36, but the flight control unit 36 and the induction calculation unit 34 may be an integrated functional unit. That is, the processing of the induction calculation unit 34 may be performed in the flight control unit 36.

[0030] (Position Control of Aircraft) Next, with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the position control of the aircraft 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram regarding the position control of the aircraft according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram regarding the sway determination of the aircraft according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart regarding the position control method of the aircraft according to this embodiment.

[0031] In the position control of the aircraft 1, at the time of the aircraft 1 leaving the ship, in accordance with the operation of the ship 5, the ascending flight operation at the time of the aircraft 1 leaving the ship is controlled. In the position control of the aircraft 1, the control unit 30 of the aircraft 1 acquires the moving speed and moving direction (azimuth) of the aircraft 1 based on the position of the aircraft 1 acquired by the navigation device 20 of the aircraft 1, and controls the flight operation at the time of the aircraft 1 leaving the ship based on the acquired moving speed and azimuth of the aircraft 1. Specifically, in the position control of the aircraft 1, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the control amount based on the block diagram shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, the control amount (pitch axis control command) related to the direction of the pitch axis is calculated, and the same applies to the direction of the roll axis.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the guidance calculation unit 34 includes a memory 101 for storing the ship speed, a subtractor 102, a limiter 103 and a control gain 104 for the relative speed, an integrator 105, a limiter 106 and a control gain 107 for the relative position, a control gain 108 for the longitudinal acceleration, and an adder 109.

[0033] The memory 101 stores the forward speed of the ship 5 at the time of the aircraft 1 leaving the ship. The timing for storing the ship speed in the memory 101 may be when the instruction to leave the ship is issued, or may be immediately before leaving the ship. That is, the timing for storing the ship speed in the memory 101 may be any timing between when the instruction to leave the ship is issued and immediately before leaving the ship. Also, the ship speed stored in the memory 101 is acquired based on the position of the aircraft 1 acquired by the navigation device 20 of the aircraft 1. Note that the ship speed stored in the memory 101 assumes that the ship 5 sails at a constant ship speed in a predetermined azimuth at the time of the aircraft 1 leaving the ship.

[0034] The subtractor 102 calculates the relative speed by subtracting the ship speed stored in the memory 101 from the forward speed that becomes the actual speed of the aircraft 1. The limiter 103 restricts the calculated relative speed so that it does not exceed a preset threshold value. The control gain 104 multiplies the relative speed serving as the input signal by the gain of the feedback control to output the control amount of the pitch axis as an output signal. The integrator 105 integrates the calculated relative speed to calculate the relative position. The limiter 106 restricts the calculated relative position so that it does not exceed a preset threshold value. The control gain 107 multiplies the relative position serving as the input signal by the gain of the feedback control to output the control amount of the pitch axis as an output signal. The control gain 108 multiplies the longitudinal acceleration of the aircraft 1 (i.e., the acceleration in the vertical direction) serving as the input signal by the gain of the feedback control to output the control amount of the pitch axis as an output signal. The adder 109 sums up the control amount based on the relative position, the control amount based on the relative speed, and the control amount based on the longitudinal acceleration, and outputs the summed control amount of the pitch axis.

[0035] Therefore, the flight control unit 36 controls the ascending flight operation of the aircraft 1 according to the control amount calculated by the guidance calculation unit 34, so that the aircraft 1 can execute the ascending flight operation considering the ship speed and azimuth of the ship 5. Here, in the ascending flight operation when the aircraft 1 leaves the ship, the ascending flight operation may be executed based on the nose azimuth of the aircraft 1. That is, when the nose azimuth of the aircraft 1 is used as a reference, the flight control unit 36 executes the ascending flight operation of the aircraft 1 without using the azimuth of the ship 5. Also, in the ascending flight operation when the aircraft 1 leaves the ship, the ascending flight operation may be executed based on the nose azimuth of the aircraft 1 and the azimuth of the ship 5. That is, when the nose azimuth of the aircraft 1 and the azimuth of the ship 5 are used, the flight control unit 36 determines a reference azimuth based on the nose azimuth of the aircraft 1 and the azimuth of the ship 5, and executes the ascending flight operation based on the determined reference azimuth.

[0036] Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the determination of the sway of the ship 5 by the aircraft 1 will be described. The control unit 30 of the aircraft 1 includes a determiner 111 that determines the sway in the pitch direction of the aircraft 1, a determiner 112 that determines the sway in the roll direction of the aircraft 1, and an AND circuit 113.

[0037] The determiner 111 receives the displacement amount in the pitch direction of the aircraft 1. The determiner 111 calculates the difference between the input displacement amount and the average value of the displacement amounts in the pitch direction, and outputs an output signal when the calculated difference is within a preset threshold value. The determiner 112 receives the displacement amount in the roll direction of the aircraft 1. The determiner 112 calculates the difference between the input displacement amount and the average value of the displacement amounts in the roll direction, and outputs an output signal when the calculated difference is within a preset threshold value. When an output signal is input from the determiner 111 and an output signal is input from the determiner 112, the AND circuit 113 outputs a determination flag indicating that the aircraft 1 can leave the ship, assuming that the sway of the ship 5 is small.

[0038] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the position control method of the aircraft according to the present embodiment will be described. When performing position control of the aircraft at the time of the aircraft 1 leaving the ship, first, departure preparation is executed (step S1). Specifically, in step S1, the aircraft 1 is installed on the departure platform 60, and the ship 5 is navigated so that the relative wind with respect to the aircraft 1 has a predetermined wind direction and a predetermined wind speed. At this time, the relative wind is set so that the upwind side of the relative wind is the nose side of the aircraft 1 and the downwind side of the relative wind is the tail side of the aircraft 1. Also, in step S1, the tilt angle of the departure platform 60 is adjusted according to the relative wind with respect to the aircraft 1. That is, if the relative wind with respect to the aircraft 1 is large, the tilt angle is increased to put the aircraft 1 in a pitch-down state with the nose lowered. On the other hand, if the relative wind with respect to the aircraft 1 is small, the tilt angle is decreased to put the aircraft 1 in a horizontal state.

[0039] After the execution of step S1, the control unit 30 of the aircraft 1 acquires a disembarkation command (step S2). In step S2, the disembarkation command is output from, for example, an operation unit that operates the aircraft 1. When the disembarkation command is acquired in step S2, the aircraft 1 starts an operation of rotating the rotor blades and maintains a standby state (step S3). After that, the aircraft 1 acquires the sway of the ship 5 based on the position of the aircraft 1 detected by the navigation device 20 (step S4), and determines whether or not the aircraft 1 can disembark by the sway determination shown in FIG. 3 (step S5). That is, in step S5, in the sway determination shown in FIG. 3, when a determination flag is output, it is determined that the aircraft 1 can disembark (step S5: Yes). On the other hand, when the determination flag is not output, it is determined that the aircraft 1 cannot disembark (step S5: No). When the control unit 30 determines that the aircraft 1 cannot disembark, it proceeds to step S4 again.

[0040] In step S5, when the control unit 30 determines that the aircraft 1 can disembark, the aircraft 1 executes a climbing flight operation until it reaches a predetermined altitude while executing the relative position control shown in FIG. 2 (step S6). Then, when the aircraft 1 reaches the predetermined altitude, the control unit 30 moves the aircraft 1 to a preset target position (step S7). After the execution of step S7, the control unit 30 ends the relative position control of the aircraft 1 at the time of disembarkation.

[0041] In this embodiment, steps S6 and S7 are executed respectively, but they may be executed simultaneously. That is, after the execution of step S5, the control unit 30 may cause the aircraft 1 to perform a climbing flight operation toward a preset target position while executing the relative position control shown in FIG. 2.

[0042] Further, as the target position, for example, it may be set directly above the moving ship 5, and the climbing flight operation may be a flight operation that climbs vertically toward the target position. Also, the target position may be arbitrarily set by an operator who operates the aircraft 1 before and after the disembarkation of the aircraft 1, or may be set as a preset fixed position.

[0043] Also, in this embodiment, the aircraft 1 is pitched down using the disembarkation platform 60, but a configuration omitting the disembarkation platform 60 may be used. That is, the aircraft 1 may be pitched down by flight control. For example, the rotation plane (rotor plane) of the main rotor of the aircraft 1 may be tilted forward, or the swash plate of the aircraft 1 may be tilted so as to be in a pitched-down state.

[0044] Also, in this embodiment, when the aircraft 1 departs from the ship, it is premised that the ship 5 sails at a constant ship speed in a predetermined direction. However, as long as the relative wind that changes due to the navigation of the ship 5 can be predicted, particularly, the direction and speed of the ship 5 may be arbitrary.

[0045] [Second Embodiment] Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a position control system for an aircraft according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram regarding the position control of the aircraft according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram regarding an estimator according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, in order to avoid redundant descriptions, parts different from the first embodiment will be described, and parts having the same configuration as the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

[0046] The position control system 100 according to the second embodiment acquires the relative position between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point and executes position control of the aircraft 1. For this reason, the position control system 100 further includes a camera 10 provided on the aircraft 1, an image processing unit 32 provided in the control unit 30 of the aircraft 1, and a marker 7 as a target landing point provided on the ship 5, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment. On the other hand, since the position control system 100 acquires the relative position, the memory 101 and the subtracter 102 provided in the first embodiment are omitted.

[0047] The camera 10 is a photographing device mounted on the aircraft 1 via a gimbal (not shown in the figure). The camera 10 may be a monocular camera, a compound eye camera, an infrared camera, etc., as long as it can photograph the marker 7. The camera 10 is provided for photographing the marker 7 provided at the target landing point from the aircraft 1. The camera 10 is capable of adjusting the photographing direction via a gimbal (not shown).

[0048] The image processing unit 32 performs image processing on the image captured by the camera 10 to detect the center position of the marker 7. The image processing unit 32 outputs the calculated center position of the marker 7 to the guidance calculation unit 34.

[0049] The guidance calculation unit 34 calculates a control amount for guiding the aircraft 1 to the target landing point (the center position of the marker 7). The control amount is a control amount for adjusting the aircraft speed, attitude angle, rate of change of attitude angle, etc. of the aircraft 1. The guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative coordinate position between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point in order to calculate the control amount. Specifically, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative position between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point and the relative altitude between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point as the relative coordinate position. Also, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative speed between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point, etc. The relative position is the distance between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point of the ship 5 in the horizontal direction. The relative altitude is the distance between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point of the ship 5 in the vertical direction.

[0050] The guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative position between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point based on the center position of the marker 7 calculated by the image processing unit 32, the azimuth of the camera 10, that is, the nose azimuth of the aircraft 1, and the altitude of the aircraft 1 (relative altitude with respect to the target landing point). Also, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative altitude to the target landing point based on the altitude of the aircraft 1 detected by the altitude sensor 25.

[0051] Also, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative speed between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point. More specifically, the guidance calculation unit 34 executes a relative speed estimation process for calculating the relative speed between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point by an estimator 120 (to be described later) based on the relative position and the aircraft speed.

[0052] Then, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates a control amount by feedback control (e.g., PID control) based on the relative position, relative altitude, relative speed, and aircraft acceleration. Note that the feedback control is not limited to PID control, and may be P control, PI control, PD control, etc. The guidance calculation unit 34 outputs the calculated control amount to the flight control unit 36.

[0053] Note that the relative position is not particularly limited to acquisition using the marker 7, the camera 10, and the image processing unit 32, and may be acquired using a highly accurate position detector such as GPS (e.g., RTK-GPS).

[0054] Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the guidance calculation unit 34 has an estimator 120 instead of the memory 101 and the subtractor 102 of the first embodiment. Further, the guidance calculation unit 34 has a configuration in which the integrator 105 of the first embodiment is omitted.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 8, the relative position and the forward speed, which is the actual speed of the aircraft 1, are input as input signals to the estimator 120. The estimator 120 includes a differentiator 125, a low-pass filter 126, a high-pass filter 127, and an adder 128.

[0056] The differentiator 125 receives the acquired relative position and calculates an estimated relative velocity by differentiating the relative position. The low-pass filter 126 is a filter that attenuates frequencies above a predetermined cut-off frequency with respect to the relative velocity input from the differentiator 125. In the figure, "s" is an operator and "τ2" is a time constant. The low-pass filter 126 removes the high-frequency components of the relative velocity and outputs the low-frequency components included in the relative velocity to the adder 128. The high-pass filter 127 receives the acquired forward velocity of the aircraft 1. The high-pass filter 127 is a filter that attenuates frequencies below a predetermined cut-off frequency with respect to the forward velocity of the aircraft 1. The high-pass filter 127 removes the low-frequency components of the forward velocity of the aircraft 1 and outputs the high-frequency components included in the relative velocity to the adder 128. The adder 128 adds together the relative velocity output from the low-pass filter 126 and the relative velocity output from the high-pass filter 127. Then, the adder 128 outputs the estimated relative velocity to the limiter 103. Note that the acquired relative position is directly input to the limiter 106.

[0057] [Third Embodiment] Next, referring to FIG. 9, the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram regarding the position control of the aircraft according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment as well, in order to avoid redundant description, differences from the first and second embodiments will be described, and parts having the same configuration as those in the first and second embodiments will be described with the same reference numerals.

[0058] The position control system 100 according to the third embodiment is a system in which the relative position input to the limiter 106 in the position control system 100 according to the second embodiment is switched by the switch 131.

[0059] The switch 131 executes switching between a first connection pattern in which the acquired relative position is directly input to the limiter 106 and a second connection pattern in which the acquired relative position is input via the estimator 120 and the integrator 105. The switch 131 is switched and controlled by the control unit 30. For example, when the aircraft 1 departs from the ship, it switches to the first connection pattern, while when the aircraft 1 lands, it switches to the second connection pattern.

[0060] As described above, the aircraft 1 position control system 100, the aircraft 1, and the position control method according to the first to third embodiments are understood as follows, for example.

[0061] The aircraft 1 position control system 100 according to the first aspect is an aircraft 1 position control system 100 that controls the relative position of the aircraft 1 with respect to a moving body (ship 5) when the aircraft 1 mounted on the moving body (ship 5) moves away. It is provided on the aircraft 1 and includes a position detection unit (GPS compass 21) that acquires the position of the aircraft 1, and a control unit 30 that controls the flight operation of the aircraft 1. Based on the detection result of the position detection unit, the control unit 30 acquires the moving speed and moving direction of the moving body, and based on the acquired moving speed and moving direction of the moving body, causes the aircraft 1 to perform a climbing flight operation.

[0062] According to this configuration, since the movement of the moving body is considered, the aircraft 1 can be detached from the moving body, so the aircraft 1 can be preferably detached without physically interfering with the moving body. Further, since the position of the moving body can be acquired in the aircraft 1, it is not necessary to establish data communication with the moving body, and the aircraft 1 can be smoothly detached from the moving body.

[0063] As a second aspect, in the aircraft 1 position control system 100 according to the first aspect, the control unit 30 sets a target position and causes the aircraft 1 to perform a climbing flight operation toward the set target position.

[0064] According to this configuration, since the aircraft 1 can be made to perform a climbing flight operation toward the target position, by setting the target position to a position where the aircraft 1 and the moving body do not physically interfere with each other, physical interference between the aircraft 1 and the moving body can be reliably avoided.

[0065] As a third aspect, in the position control system 100 of the aircraft 1 according to the first or second aspect, the moving body is a ship.

[0066] According to this configuration, the separation of the aircraft 1 from the ship 5 can be suitably executed.

[0067] As a fourth aspect, in the position control system 100 of the aircraft 1 according to any one of the first to third aspects, the position detection unit further acquires the azimuth of the aircraft.

[0068] According to this configuration, since not only the position of the aircraft 1 but also the azimuth of the aircraft 1 can be acquired, a climbing flight operation based on the position and azimuth of the aircraft 1 can be executed. Thereby, considering the movement of the moving body and the aircraft 1, the climbing flight operation of the aircraft 1 can be accurately executed.

[0069] As a fifth aspect, in the position control system 100 of the aircraft 1 according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the control unit 30 acquires a change in the sway of the moving body based on the detection result of the position detection unit, and determines whether or not the climbing flight operation is executable based on the acquired change in the sway of the moving body.

[0070] According to this configuration, since the aircraft 1 can be separated from the moving body according to the sway of the moving body, a stable separation of the aircraft 1 can be executed.

[0071] As a sixth aspect, in the position control system 100 of the aircraft 1 according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, during the climbing flight operation of the aircraft 1, the aircraft 1 is further provided with a pitch-down unit that relatively pitch-downs the aircraft 1 with respect to the moving body.

[0072] According to this configuration, even when a relative wind is set for the aircraft 1, the aircraft 1 can be set in a pitch-down state, so that the separation from the moving body can be stably executed.

[0073] As a seventh aspect, in the position control system 100 of the aircraft 1 according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the pitch-down unit is a mounting table (ship's departure platform 60) provided at the departure point of the moving body from which the aircraft 1 departs, and the mounting table changes the inclination angle of the mounting surface on which the aircraft 1 is mounted with respect to the installation surface of the departure point.

[0074] According to this configuration, the aircraft 1 can be easily set in a pitch-down state only by changing the inclination angle of the mounting table.

[0075] The aircraft 1 according to the eighth aspect includes the above-described position control system 100 of the aircraft 1.

[0076] According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an aircraft 1 that can leave the moving body suitably and smoothly.

[0077] The aircraft 1 position control method according to the ninth aspect is an aircraft 1 position control method executed by a position control system 100 that controls the relative position of the aircraft 1 with respect to a moving body when the aircraft 1 mounted on the moving moving body departs. The position control system 100 acquires the moving speed and moving direction of the moving body based on the detection result of a position detection unit provided on the aircraft 1, and executes an ascending flight operation of the aircraft based on the acquired moving speed and moving direction of the moving body.

[0078] According to this configuration, since the aircraft 1 can be detached from the moving body in consideration of the movement of the moving body, the aircraft 1 can be suitably detached without physically interfering with the moving body. Further, since the position of the moving body can be acquired in the aircraft 1, it is not necessary to establish data communication with the moving body, and the aircraft 1 can be smoothly detached from the moving body.

Explanation of Signs

[0079] 1 Aircraft 5 Ship 7 Marker 10 Camera 20 Navigation device 21 GPS compass 30 Control unit 32 Image processing unit 34 Guidance calculation unit 36 Flight control unit 40 Data transmission device 50 Control unit 55 Automatic landing calculation device 60 Departure platform 70 Navigation device 71 GPS compass 80 Data transmission device 90 Operation display unit 100 Position control system

Claims

1. An aircraft position control system for controlling the relative position of an aircraft with respect to a moving body when the aircraft mounted on the moving body moves away, comprising: a position detection unit provided on the aircraft for acquiring the position of the aircraft; a control unit for controlling the flight operation of the aircraft, wherein the control unit: acquires the moving speed and moving direction of the moving body based on the detection result of the position detection unit; An aircraft position control system that causes the aircraft to perform a climbing flight operation based on the acquired moving speed and moving direction of the moving body.

2. The aircraft position control system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets a target position and causes the aircraft to perform a climbing flight operation toward the set target position.

3. The aircraft position control system according to claim 1, wherein the moving body is a ship.

4. The aircraft position control system according to claim 1, wherein the position detection unit further acquires the azimuth of the aircraft.

5. The control unit: acquires the change in the sway of the moving body based on the detection result of the position detection unit; The aircraft position control system according to claim 1, which determines whether the climbing flight operation can be executed based on the acquired change in the sway of the moving body.

6. The aircraft position control system according to claim 1, further comprising a pitch-down unit that relatively pitch-downs the aircraft with respect to the moving body during the climbing flight operation of the aircraft.

7. The pitch-down unit is a mounting table provided at the departure point of the moving body from which the aircraft departs, The aircraft position control system according to claim 6, wherein the mounting table changes the inclination angle of the mounting surface on which the aircraft is mounted with respect to the installation surface of the departure point.

8. An aircraft comprising the aircraft position control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An aircraft position control method executed by a position control system for controlling the relative position of an aircraft with respect to a moving body when the aircraft mounted on the moving body moves away, wherein the position control system: acquires the moving speed and moving direction of the moving body based on the detection result of a position detection unit provided on the aircraft; An aircraft position control method that executes causing the aircraft to perform a climbing flight operation based on the acquired moving speed and moving direction of the moving body.

Images