Control device and control method

Abstract

To provide a control device capable of obtaining a highly accurate image by a flight vehicle device.SOLUTION: Provided is a control device including a control unit that controls flight of an air vehicle device in accordance with flight information including a flight path of the air vehicle device. The air vehicle device includes an imaging device that photographs a photographing target, and a sensor that acquires a state of the air vehicle device. The control unit acquires, when photographing the photographing target, location information of the flight vehicle device and device information of the flight vehicle device at the time of photographing, and provides an image photographed by the flight vehicle device in flight to an external device together with the location information and the device information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device and a control method.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques related to a method of taking a photograph by attaching a camera to an aircraft that can be remotely controlled and imaging with the camera have been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By attaching a camera to the aircraft, it becomes possible to take pictures from above or from places where a tripod cannot be set up. In addition, by attaching a camera to the aircraft and imaging, various advantages such as cost reduction compared to using a real airplane or helicopter, safe imaging, imaging in low altitude or narrow places, and imaging while approaching the target can be obtained.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] If the situation of a place where it is difficult for a human to enter can be effectively imaged by using such an aircraft equipped with a camera, it is considered to be very useful for inspecting structures that are difficult for humans to approach. For example, it is conceivable to use an aircraft for inspecting social infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, dams, and roads built over rivers and seas, and industrial infrastructure such as airports, buildings, warehouses, factories, and plants.

[0005] Here, for images used in inspecting structures as described above, accuracy capable of detecting defects such as cracks of a specified size is required. As a method of taking such high-precision images without using an aerial work platform or the like, for example, it is conceivable to take images with a camera fixed to a tripod using a high-magnification zoom lens. However, with such a method, there is a limit to the range that can be photographed by the camera. On the other hand, if a flying object equipped with a camera is used, it is possible to approach the object and take a photograph. However, it is difficult for the flying object to come to a complete standstill due to the influence of wind, etc., and there is also an influence of vibration associated with the rotation of the propeller, etc., so it is difficult to obtain a high-precision image that accurately grasps the damage of the structure.

[0006] Therefore, a novel and improved control device, control method, and flying object device capable of obtaining high-precision images are proposed.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a control device including a display unit, a control unit, and an acquisition unit. The display unit displays a general view diagram including a photographing object. The control unit generates flight information including a flight path of a flying object based on a designated input of a region by a user with respect to the general view diagram. The control unit controls the flight of the flying object based on the flight information. The control unit controls the lighting state of a lighting device mounted on the flying object based on a photographing point for photographing the photographing object. The acquisition unit acquires an image of the photographing object taken during the flight of the flying object together with position information of the flying object at the time of photographing the image and information regarding the state of the flying object. The flight path is set such that the distance between the flying object and the photographing object is constant.

[0008] Also, according to the present disclosure, a control method is provided. The control method includes displaying an overview diagram including a shooting target on a display unit. The control method includes generating flight information including a flight path of the aircraft based on a user's designated input of an area on the overview diagram. The control method includes controlling the flight of the aircraft based on the flight information. The control method includes controlling the lighting state of a lighting device mounted on the aircraft based on a shooting point for shooting the shooting target. The control method includes acquiring an image of the shooting target taken by the aircraft during flight together with position information of the aircraft at the time of shooting the image and information regarding the state of the aircraft. The flight path is set so that the distance between the aircraft and the shooting target is constant.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to obtain a high-precision image in shooting by an aircraft device. Note that the above effects are not necessarily limited, and any of the effects shown in this specification, or other effects that can be grasped from this specification, may be achieved together with, or in place of, the above effects.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

[0012] With reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail. In the present specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0013] Note that the description will be made in the following order. 1. Overview 2. System configuration example 3. Functional configuration example 3.1. Hovering camera 3.2. Control terminal 4. Operation example of inspection system 5. Response to high-precision image acquisition 5.1. Functional configuration 5.2. Dimming control of lighting device (1) Shooting conditions (2) Configuration of lighting device (3) Light quantity control of lighting device according to inclination of aircraft 5.3. Control example of imaging device and lighting device during shooting 5.4. Lens tilt control of imaging device 6. Summary

[0014] <1. Overview> In describing the configuration of the flying object device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure and the method for photographing a structure thereby, first, based on FIG. 1, an overview of photographing a structure using the flying object device (hovering camera) 100 equipped with the imaging device according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of photographing a structure using the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment.

[0015] For the maintenance and management of structures such as roads, bridges, tunnels, and buildings, it is essential for humans to check the condition of the structures. Usually, such visual inspection of structures is generally carried out by workers approaching the structure to visually check for damage such as corrosion and cracks, or looseness of connecting members such as bolts, or by performing a sound inspection to check for the presence or absence of these abnormalities.

[0016] For the maintenance and management of bridges, especially concrete bridges, for the workers who conduct visual inspections and sounding inspections of bridge girders and piers, for example, it has been necessary to set up scaffolds on the back sides of piers and bridge girders, ensure the safety of workers, and block some or all of the traffic lanes for the placement of work vehicles. Due to these factors, not only the cost required for inspections, but also the cost required for arranging road guides due to traffic stoppage, and furthermore, the traffic congestion on detours caused by traffic stoppage can become problems.

[0017] In addition, there are also bridges that are difficult or impossible to set up scaffolds due to reasons such as being built over rivers or seas. Therefore, in view of these circumstances, a technology that enables inspection work of safe, non-traffic-impacting, and low-cost structures is desired.

[0018] Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the present inventors have studied a technology that enables inspection work of safe, non-traffic-impacting, and low-cost structures. And as will be described below, the present inventors have devised a technology that enables safe, non-traffic-impacting, and low-cost inspection work by using a flying object equipped with an imaging device (hereinafter, the flying object equipped with an imaging device is also referred to as a "hovering camera").

[0019] FIG. 1 schematically shows a bridge 1 constructed of concrete. When inspecting the concrete bridge 1, as described above, conventionally, a visual inspection has been performed by workers to check for damage such as cracks and corrosion. Since workers perform visual inspections, it has been necessary to set up scaffolds on the back sides of the piers 2 and bridge girders 3, ensure the safety of workers, and block some or all of the traffic lanes for the placement of work vehicles.

[0020] For such visual inspections, in this embodiment, the hovering camera 100 is used to inspect the bridge 1. The hovering camera 100 is a flying object equipped with an imaging device configured to fly automatically according to preset flight information (in this embodiment, information including a flight path and imaging positions of still images). Note that the information on the imaging positions of still images may include, for example, the position where imaging processing is executed, the imaging direction, the movement time to the position where the next imaging processing is executed, and the like.

[0021] For example, when inspecting the back side (bottom surface) of the bridge girder 3, the hovering camera 100 is made to fly automatically to cause the hovering camera 100 to image the back side of the bridge girder 3. By causing the hovering camera 100 to image the back side of the bridge girder 3, it becomes unnecessary to set up scaffolds on the back surfaces of the bridge pier 2 and the bridge girder 3 for the inspection of the bridge girder 3, the frequency of closing the traffic lane is reduced, or traffic closure becomes unnecessary. Also, for example, when inspecting the side (lateral side) of the bridge girder 3, the hovering camera 100 is made to fly automatically to cause the hovering camera 100 to image the side of the bridge girder 3. By making the hovering camera 100 fly automatically in this way and causing the hovering camera 100 to image the back side and the side of the bridge girder 3, the safety of the worker is ensured, the traffic is not affected, and the bridge 1 can be inspected at low cost.

[0022] At this time, the images captured by the hovering camera 100 are required to have an accuracy that enables confirmation of fine cracks and the like. In the hovering camera 100 according to this embodiment, in order to acquire high-precision images, an illumination mechanism for illuminating the imaging surface of the imaging target is provided on the flying object to make the illuminance on the imaging surface substantially constant. By illuminating the target illumination position (= that is, the imaging location) with uniform and constant illuminance or more, the imaging quality of the images is maintained. Hereinafter, the configuration of the hovering camera 100 according to this embodiment and the method of imaging a structure thereby will be described in detail.

[0023] <2. System configuration example> FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the inspection system 10 according to the present embodiment. The inspection system 10 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is a system for efficiently inspecting a structure, for example, a bridge 1. Hereinafter, an example of the system configuration of the inspection system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection system 10 according to the present embodiment includes a hovering camera 100, a control terminal 200, an information processing device 300, a wireless relay node 400, a position estimation node 500, a base station 600, a charging station 700, and a server device 800.

[0025] The hovering camera 100 is an example of the imaging device of the present disclosure, and is a flying object including the imaging device as described above. The hovering camera 100 is a flying object configured to automatically fly based on a designated flight path and capture a still image with the imaging device at a designated imaging position. The hovering camera 100 can fly, for example, by four rotors, and can fly while ascending, descending, and horizontally moving by controlling the rotation of each rotor. Of course, the number of rotors is not limited to such an example.

[0026] The flight path and the imaging position from the flight start position to the flight end position set in the hovering camera 100 are set, for example, as position information of GPS (Global Positioning System). Therefore, the hovering camera 100 can incorporate a GPS receiver that receives radio waves from GPS satellites and calculates the current position. The flight path set in the hovering camera 100 may have all of latitude, longitude, and altitude set as GPS position information, or only latitude and longitude may be set as GPS position information, and the altitude may be set, for example, as a relative height from the base station 600 described later.

[0027] The control terminal 200 is an example of the control device of the present disclosure and is a terminal that executes control related to the flight of the hovering camera 100. As control related to the flight of the hovering camera 100, the control terminal 200 performs, for example, generation of flight information to be sent to the hovering camera 100, a takeoff instruction to the hovering camera 100, a return instruction to the base station 600 described later, and the like. Further, the control terminal 200 may control the hovering camera 100 when the hovering camera 100 becomes unable to fly automatically for some reason. The generation process of the flight information of the hovering camera 100 by the control terminal 200 will be described in detail later, but here, a simple example will be explained.

[0028] When generating the flight information of the hovering camera 100, the control terminal 200 reads information on the overview of the bridge 1 to be inspected, for example, an overview diagram of the bridge 1 to be inspected, and displays it on the screen. Points on this overview diagram of the bridge 1 are associated with points on the map data with detailed GPS information entered in advance. It is desirable that this association is made with at least two sets of points. By associating points on the overview diagram of the bridge 1 with points on the map data with detailed GPS information entered in advance, the flight path of the hovering camera 100 is defined as a GPS value. Then, the control terminal 200 generates the flight path of the hovering camera 100 based on this overview diagram of the bridge 1. The flight path of the hovering camera 100 is displayed superimposed on the overview diagram so that the user (worker for building inspection) can easily understand it.

[0029] When generating the flight information of the hovering camera 100, the control terminal 200 may consider the structure, dimensions of the bridge 1, and the part of the bridge 1 to be imaged by the hovering camera 100. When generating the flight information of the hovering camera 100, the control terminal 200 may generate flight information that causes the hovering camera 100 to image in detail the parts that are considered likely to be damaged.

[0030] As described above, in the flight path set for the hovering camera 100, all of the latitude, longitude, and altitude may be set as the GPS position information. However, it is conceivable that there is no altitude data in the overview diagram of the bridge 1. When there is no altitude data in the overview diagram of the bridge 1, in the flight path set for the hovering camera 100, only the latitude and longitude are set as the GPS position information, and the altitude may be set, for example, as the relative height from the base station 600.

[0031] When setting the flight information to be set for the hovering camera 100, the control terminal 200 desirably generates flight information such that the distance from the hovering camera 100 to the imaging target surface is constant when the hovering camera 100 images the bridge 1. By generating flight information such that the distance from the hovering camera 100 to the imaging target surface is constant when the hovering camera 100 images the bridge 1, the control terminal 200 can cause the hovering camera 100 to generate an image of the same scale.

[0032] The control terminal 200 is a portable device such as a notebook computer or a tablet terminal, and wirelessly transmits and receives information to and from the hovering camera 100. The control terminal 200 may directly perform wireless communication with the hovering camera 100. Note that in the inspection of a structure, particularly the bridge 1, the hovering camera 100 may fly beyond the communication range of the control terminal 200. Therefore, the control terminal 200 may perform wireless communication with the hovering camera 100 via the wireless relay node 400 installed at the time of inspection.

[0033] The control terminal 200 acquires the images captured by the imaging device during the flight of the hovering camera 100 and displays them on the display screen of the control terminal 200 as necessary. The control terminal 200 may also acquire the moving images captured by the imaging device during the flight of the hovering camera 100 in a streaming manner and display them on the display screen. By acquiring the moving images captured by the imaging device during the flight of the hovering camera 100 in a streaming manner and displaying them on the display screen, the control terminal 200 can present to the user the positions at which the hovering camera 100 is flying.

[0034] The information processing device 300 is a device that processes various information, and can be, for example, a device having a function of processing information such as a personal computer (PC) or a game console. In the present embodiment, the information processing device 300 has a function of displaying the images captured by the hovering camera 100 on the display screen of the information processing device 300 to allow the user to confirm the state of the bridge 1. The information processing device 300 also has a function of calculating the absolute damage position of the bridge girder 3 from the images captured by the hovering camera 100 and generating damage data described later. The information processing device 300 may have a function of transmitting the generated damage data to the server device 800. Note that the function of calculating the absolute damage position of the bridge girder 3 from the images captured by the hovering camera 100 and generating the damage data described later may also be possessed by the control terminal 200.

[0035] The information processing device 300 acquires the images captured by the hovering camera 100, for example, from the control terminal 200. The timing at which the information processing device 300 acquires the images captured by the hovering camera 100 is not particularly limited. For example, the information processing device 300 may acquire the images captured by the hovering camera 100 from the control terminal 200 at the timing when one flight of the hovering camera 100 ends.

[0036] The wireless relay node 400 is a device that relays wireless communication between the hovering camera 100 and the control terminal 200. As described above, in the inspection of a structure, particularly a bridge 1, the hovering camera 100 may fly beyond the communicable range of the control terminal 200. Therefore, wireless communication between the hovering camera 100 and the control terminal 200 can be performed via the wireless relay node 400 installed during the inspection of the structure. The number of wireless relay nodes 400 is not limited to one, and multiple nodes may be installed depending on the inspection range of the bridge 1. Therefore, wireless communication between the hovering camera 100 and the control terminal 200 can be performed via a plurality of wireless relay nodes 400. The hovering camera 100 can switch the communication destination between the control terminal 200 and the wireless relay node 400 according to the radio wave conditions.

[0037] The wireless relay node 400 can be installed at an appropriate location on the bridge surface (preferably on the sidewalk) during the inspection of the bridge 1. The wireless relay node 400 may also be installed so as to be suspended from the railing of the bridge girder 3. Before the inspection of the bridge 1, it is desirable to confirm, for example, using the control terminal 200, that the wireless relay node 400 operates normally by a predetermined method.

[0038] The position estimation node 500 is a device for estimating the current position of the hovering camera 100. As described above, the flight path of the hovering camera 100 is set as, for example, GPS position information. At this time, if there is nothing to block the radio wave from the GPS satellite, the hovering camera 100 can know its current position with extremely high accuracy. However, it is inevitable that the hovering camera 100 will dive under the bridge girder 3. For example, if the radio wave from the GPS satellite is blocked by the bridge girder 3 or multipath occurs due to the reflection of the radio wave by the bridge 1, etc., the hovering camera 100 may not be able to know its current position with high accuracy.

[0039] Therefore, in the present embodiment, a position estimation node 500 is provided to accurately obtain the current position of the hovering camera 100 under the bridge girder 3. As the position estimation node 500, for example, an AR (Augmented Reality) marker may be used, or a GPS signal transmitter may be used.

[0040] When an AR marker is used as the position estimation node 500, in order to enable the hovering camera 100 to recognize the current position, for example, the position estimation node 500 is suspended from both ends of the bridge 1, and the hovering camera 100 is made to image the position estimation node 500. Then, the hovering camera 100 that has imaged the position estimation node 500 is made to fly between the designated position estimation nodes 500. The hovering camera 100 can grasp the position between the position estimation nodes 500, for example, based on the integrated value of a sensor (e.g., an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) sensor) provided in the hovering camera 100 and the distance to the position estimation node 500 of the destination calculated from the captured image. Therefore, the hovering camera 100 can accurately obtain the current position even under the bridge girder 3 by imaging the position estimation node 500.

[0041] Also, when a GPS signal transmitter is used as the position estimation node 500, in order to enable the hovering camera 100 to recognize the current position, the position estimation node 500 is installed, for example, at the diagonals or four corners of the bridge 1. The hovering camera 100 can accurately obtain the current position even under the bridge girder 3 by receiving the GPS signal emitted from the position estimation node 500.

[0042] The base station 600 is a device provided for the takeoff and landing of the hovering camera 100. The base station 600 is equipped with a GPS receiver and calculates the current position by receiving radio waves from GPS satellites. The current position calculated by the base station 600 is sent to the control terminal 200. By sending the current position calculated by the base station 600 to the control terminal 200, the control terminal 200 can display the position of the base station 600 on the overview diagram of the bridge 1.

[0043] The base station 600 may have a function of checking the operation of the hovering camera 100. The operation check of the hovering camera 100 executed by the base station 600 may include, for example, checking the communication function, checking the imaging function, checking the flight function, calibration of various sensors, and the like. Needless to say, the method of calibrating the sensors of the hovering camera 100 is not limited to the method using the base station 600. For example, as a method of calibrating the sensors of the hovering camera 100, there may be a method of fixing the hovering camera 100 to a calibration jig dedicated to calibration and rotating the hovering camera 100 in the pitch direction and the roll direction to calibrate the sensors.

[0044] The charging station 700 charges the secondary battery provided in the hovering camera 100. The hovering camera 100 uses a battery as a power source and consumes the power stored in the battery during flight and imaging. If the battery provided in the hovering camera 100 is a secondary battery, the charging station 700 can restore the power consumed by the hovering camera 100 by charging the battery. The charging station 700 may charge the hovering camera 100 by connecting a cable or the like to the hovering camera 100 and supplying power to the hovering camera 100. Alternatively, the charging station 700 may charge the hovering camera 100 by supplying power to the hovering camera 100 by a non-contact power transmission method.

[0045] The server device 800 is a device that stores various data. In the present embodiment, the server device 800 may store the damage data generated by the information processing device 300.

[0046] The inspection system 10 according to this embodiment has the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and can cause the hovering camera 100 to image the bridge 1 and acquire an image of the bridge 1. By causing the hovering camera 100 to image the bridge 1, it is possible to eliminate the need to set up scaffolds on the piers and girders, reduce the frequency of closing some or all lanes to ensure the safety of workers, or eliminate the need for lane closures. That is, the inspection system 10 according to this embodiment enables low-cost and efficient inspection of the bridge 1.

[0047] As described above, the system configuration example of the inspection system 10 according to this embodiment has been described. Next, a functional configuration example of the hovering camera 100 and the control terminal 200 that make up the inspection system 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0048] <3. Functional configuration example> [3.1. Hovering camera] Based on FIG. 3, a functional configuration example of the hovering camera 100 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a functional configuration example of the hovering camera 100 according to this embodiment.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 3, the hovering camera 100 according to this embodiment includes an imaging device 101, an illumination device 105, rotors 104a to 104d, motors 108a to 108d, a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, a sensor unit 130, a position information acquisition unit 132, a storage unit 140, and a battery 150.

[0050] The control unit 110 controls the operation of the hovering camera 100. For example, the control unit 110 adjusts the rotational speed of the rotors 104a to 104d by adjusting the rotational speed of the motors 108a to 108d, performs imaging processing by the imaging device 101, controls the illumination of the illumination device 105, etc. Further, the control unit 110 can control the transmission and reception of information with other devices (for example, the control terminal 200) via the communication unit 120, and the recording and reading of information to and from the storage unit 140. The control unit 110 includes a processor or a processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and the functions of various functional units included in the control unit 110 are realized by the processor or the processing circuit performing various programs and processes. Further, the control unit 110 may include a memory or a storage device that temporarily or permanently stores programs executed in the processor or the processing circuit, and data read and written in the processes.

[0051] In the present embodiment, the control unit 110 controls flight by adjusting the rotational speed of the motors 108a to 108d based on flight information transmitted from the control terminal 200 and the execution of still image imaging processing on the imaging device 101. By controlling the motors 108a to 108d and the imaging device 101 based on the flight information transmitted from the control terminal 200, it becomes possible to provide an image based on the request of the control terminal 200 to the control terminal 200.

[0052] The imaging device 101 is composed of imaging elements such as lenses, CCD image sensors, CMOS image sensors, etc. The imaging device 101 provided in the body of the hovering camera 100 executes imaging of a still image or a moving image under the control from the control terminal 200. The image captured by the imaging device 101 is transmitted from the communication unit 120 to the control terminal 200. Also, in this embodiment, the imaging device 101 executes imaging processing based on the information of the imaging position of the still image included in the flight information transmitted from the control terminal 200. The image obtained by the imaging processing of the imaging device 101 can be recorded in the storage unit 140 or transmitted from the communication unit 120 to the control terminal 200. When imaging the bottom side of the bridge 1 with the hovering camera 100, it is conceivable that the sunlight is blocked by the bridge 1 and the brightness is insufficient. Therefore, as will be described later, the hovering camera 100 according to this embodiment is provided with an illumination device 105 for making the illuminance of the imaging range uniform during imaging.

[0053] The imaging device 101 can change the imaging direction to an arbitrary direction, for example, under the control from the control unit 110. For example, when the horizontal direction of the hovering camera is set to 0 degrees, it is possible to image the imaging direction represented in the range of ±90 degrees in the vertical direction. Since the imaging device 101 can change the imaging direction, the hovering camera 100 can image an image in a predetermined direction and provide the captured image to the control terminal 200. Then, the control unit 110 associates the position information of the hovering camera 100 at the time when the imaging device 101 captures a still image, the aircraft information at the time of imaging (that is, the information of the hovering camera 100 at the time of imaging), and the information of the imaging direction as the metadata of the still image.

[0054] Note that the position information of the hovering camera 100 may also include position information obtained by GPS positioning or positioning using the position estimation node 500. The aircraft information at the time of imaging includes, for example, the inclination of the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the reference plane (e.g., yaw angle, pitch angle, roll angle), the inclination of the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the imaging target, acceleration, angular velocity, and other information. Here, the reference plane is, for example, a horizontal plane with respect to the ground. The inclination of the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the imaging target is, for example, the angle formed by the imaging target such as the bottom surface or side surface of the bridge and the aircraft of the hovering camera 100. As a method of storing the associated metadata, the metadata may be added to the additional information area of the still image data (e.g., a specific area in the Exif format), or may be recorded as separate data such as recording the metadata in a file separate from the image file.

[0055] The rotors 104a to 104d cause the hovering camera 100 to fly by generating lift by rotation. The rotation of the rotors 104a to 104d is caused by the rotation of the motors 108a to 108d. The motors 108a to 108d rotate the rotors 104a to 104d. The rotation of the motors 108a to 108d can be controlled by the control unit 110.

[0056] The lighting device 105 is a mechanism for making the illuminance of the imaging range by the imaging device 101 of the hovering camera 100 uniform. The lighting device 105 is configured to include, for example, a plurality of light sources. As the light source, for example, an LED light source may be used. The detailed configuration of the lighting device 105 will be described later. In the present embodiment, the control unit 110 controls the light amount of the light sources constituting the lighting device 105 according to the attitude (inclination) of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the imaging surface of the imaging target. Thereby, the illuminance of the imaging range by the imaging device 101 can be made uniform, and the accuracy of the image captured by the imaging device 101 can be improved.

[0057] Note that the details of the process for improving the accuracy of the image acquired by the imaging device 101 by the control unit 110 according to the present embodiment will be described later.

[0058] The communication unit 120 performs information transmission and reception processing by wireless communication with the control terminal 200. The hovering camera 100 transmits the image captured by the imaging device 101 from the communication unit 120 to the control terminal 200. Also, the hovering camera 100 receives an instruction regarding flight from the control terminal 200 via the communication unit 120.

[0059] The sensor unit 130 is a group of devices that acquire the state of the hovering camera 100, and can be composed of, for example, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, an optical flow sensor, a laser range finder for measuring the distance to an object, and the like. The sensor unit 130 can convert the acquired state of the hovering camera 100 into a predetermined signal and provide it to the control unit 110 as necessary.

[0060] For example, the control unit 110 may generate information on the inclination of the aircraft with respect to the reference plane (for example, yaw angle, pitch angle, roll angle) from the acceleration information of the acceleration sensor and the angular velocity information by the gyro sensor provided by the sensor unit 130. Also, the control unit 110 can acquire the distance from the hovering camera 100 to the imaging target based on the sensing information by the laser range finder of the sensor unit 130. A plurality of laser range finders can be provided at a predetermined interval on the aircraft of the hovering camera 100. In that case, the control unit 110, by calculation using the sensing information from the plurality of laser range finders, can acquire, in addition to the information on the inclination of the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the reference plane, the information on the inclination of the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the surface of the imaging target.

[0061] The position information acquisition unit 132 acquires information on the current position of the hovering camera 100 using, for example, GPS, a vision sensor, or the like. The position information acquisition unit 132 can provide the acquired information on the current position of the hovering camera 100 to the control unit 110 as necessary. The control unit 110 executes flight control of the hovering camera 100 based on the flight information received from the control terminal 200 using the information on the current position of the hovering camera 100 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 132.

[0062] Also, the sensor unit 130 detects obstacles that may interfere with flight during flight. By the sensor unit 130 detecting an obstacle, the hovering camera 100 can provide information regarding the detected obstacle to the control terminal 200.

[0063] The storage unit 140 stores various information. Examples of the information stored by the storage unit 140 may include, for example, flight information of the hovering camera 100 transmitted from the control terminal 200, images captured by the imaging device 101, and the like.

[0064] The battery 150 stores electric power for operating the hovering camera 100. The battery 150 may be a primary battery that can only discharge, or may be a secondary battery that can also be charged. However, when the battery 150 is a secondary battery, the battery 150 can receive power supply from, for example, the charging station 700 shown in FIG. 2.

[0065] The hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment has a configuration as shown in FIG. 3, and thus can fly automatically based on the flight path included in the flight information transmitted from the control terminal 200, and execute imaging processing based on the information of the imaging position of the still image included in the flight information transmitted from the control terminal 200.

[0066] The functional configuration example of the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment has been described above with reference to FIG. 3.

[0067] [3.2. Control Terminal] Next, based on FIG. 4, a functional configuration example of the control terminal 200 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a functional configuration example of the control terminal 200 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the control terminal 200 according to the present embodiment includes a display unit 210, a communication unit 220, a control unit 230, and a storage unit 240. The control terminal 200 includes a processor or a processing circuit such as a CPU, and the functions of the display unit 210, the communication unit 220, and the control unit 230 are realized by the processor or the processing circuit performing various programs and processes. Further, the control terminal 200 includes, as the storage unit 240, a memory or a storage device that temporarily or permanently stores programs executed in the processor or the processing circuit and data read and written in the processes.

[0068] The display unit 210 is composed of a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL display device. The display unit 210 can display, for example, an image captured by the imaging device 101 or information for controlling the operation of the hovering camera 100. The display unit 210 is provided with a touch panel, and the user can directly operate on the information displayed on the display unit 210 by touching the display unit 210 with a finger or the like.

[0069] The communication unit 220 performs wireless communication to transmit and receive information to and from the hovering camera 100. The control terminal 200 receives, from the hovering camera 100 via the communication unit 220, an image captured by the imaging device 101. Further, the control terminal 200 transmits an instruction regarding the flight of the hovering camera 100 from the communication unit 220 to the hovering camera 100. An instruction regarding the flight of the hovering camera 100 can be generated by the control unit 230.

[0070] The control unit 230 controls the operation of the control terminal 200. For example, the control unit 230 can control the display process of characters, graphics, images, and other information on the display unit 210 and the transmission and reception process of information with other devices (for example, the hovering camera 100) via the communication unit 220. Further, the control unit 230 includes a flight information generation unit 232 and a display control unit 234.

[0071] The flight information generation unit 232 generates flight information to be transmitted to the hovering camera 100. When generating the flight information, the flight information generation unit 232 uses, for example, information about the structure to be inspected stored in the storage unit 240 described later. When the flight information generation unit 232 generates the flight information, before the hovering camera 100 takes off, it causes the communication unit 220 to transmit the generated flight information.

[0072] Here, an example of the flight information generation process by the flight information generation unit 232 will be briefly described. When generating the flight information of the hovering camera 100, the flight information generation unit 232 reads a general view diagram of the bridge 1 to be inspected. The read general view diagram of the bridge 1 is displayed on the display unit 210 by the display control unit 234. As described above, points on this general view diagram of the bridge 1 are associated in advance with points on a map data with detailed GPS information. It is desirable that this association is made with at least two sets of points. By associating points on the general view diagram of the bridge 1 with points on the map data with detailed GPS information in advance, the flight path of the hovering camera 100 is defined as a GPS value (a set of latitude and longitude).

[0073] Then, the flight information generation unit 232 generates the flight path of the hovering camera 100 based on this general view diagram of the bridge 1. When generating the flight path of the hovering camera 100, the flight information generation unit 232 uses information related to the structure such as the construction method, width, span length, etc. of the bridge 1, the flight available time of the hovering camera 100, and the inspection method of the bridge 1. Concrete bridges are divided into reinforced concrete (RC) and PC (prestressed concrete) according to the reinforcement method, and are divided into, for example, RCT girder bridges, PCT girder bridges, PC hollow floor slab bridges, RC box girder bridges, PC box girder bridges, etc. according to the shape of the girder. Therefore, if the construction method of the bridge 1 to be inspected is known, the flight information generation unit 232 can generate a flight path suitable for the construction method of the bridge 1. Then, the flight information generation unit 232 superimposes and displays the flight path of the hovering camera 100 on the general view diagram of the bridge 1.

[0074] The flight information generation unit 232 defines the flight path of the hovering camera 100 as a GPS value (a pair of latitude and longitude) as described above. By defining the flight path of the hovering camera 100 as a GPS value by the flight information generation unit 232, the hovering camera 100 can determine at which position to execute the imaging process during flight based on the GPS value.

[0075] The display control unit 234 controls the display of characters, graphics, images, and other information on the display unit 210. For example, when the flight information generation unit 232 generates flight information to be transmitted to the hovering camera 100, the display control unit 234 executes control to display a schematic diagram of the structure to be inspected (bridge 1) and the generated flight information on the display unit 210.

[0076] The storage unit 240 stores various information. Examples of the information stored in the storage unit 240 include information regarding the structure to be inspected (bridge 1). The information regarding the structure to be inspected may include, for example, a schematic diagram of the structure to be inspected (bridge 1) and the construction method of the structure to be inspected. Also, if it is known in advance which locations of the structure to be inspected are likely to be damaged, the information regarding the structure to be inspected may include information about the parts that are likely to be damaged.

[0077] Note that the control terminal 200 may receive, for example, from the information processing device 300 at the time of inspection of the structure, instead of storing in advance in the storage unit 240 the information regarding the structure to be inspected (bridge 1).

[0078] The control terminal 200 according to the present embodiment has the configuration as shown in FIG. 4, and thus can generate flight information to be transmitted to the hovering camera 100 based on the information regarding the structure to be inspected (bridge 1). Then, the control terminal 200 can acquire an image captured based on the flight information by the hovering camera 100 that flies based on the flight information.

[0079] The functional configuration example of the control terminal 200 according to the present embodiment has been described above.

[0080] <4. Operation Example of Inspection System> Based on FIG. 5, an operation example of the inspection system 10 according to the above-described embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the inspection system 10 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, an operation example of the inspection system 10 according to the present embodiment is shown when the hovering camera 100 is flown and the hovering camera 100 is used to image the bridge 1 to inspect the bridge 1. When inspecting the bridge 1 using the hovering camera 100, it is assumed that the wireless relay node 400 and the position estimation node 500 are previously installed at appropriate positions on the bridge 1.

[0081] First, the control terminal 200 that generates flight information of the hovering camera 100 reads information about the bridge 1 including a general view of the bridge 1 to be inspected, and displays the general view of the bridge 1 on the display unit 210 (step S101). The reading of the information about the bridge 1 is executed by, for example, the flight information generation unit 232, and the display of the general view of the bridge 1 on the display unit 210 is executed by, for example, the display control unit 234. The control terminal 200 that displays the general view of the bridge 1 on the display unit 210 causes the user to specify the area of the bridge 1 to be inspected using the general view of the bridge 1 displayed on the display unit 210 (step S102). The process of causing the user to specify in step S102 is executed by, for example, the flight information generation unit 232.

[0082] For example, when a part of the bridge 1 is to be inspected, the control terminal 200 causes the user to specify the area to be inspected in the general view of the bridge 1 displayed on the display unit 210. Also, for example, when the entire bridge 1 is to be inspected, the control terminal 200 causes the user to specify the areas of all parts of the bridge 1 in the general view of the bridge 1 displayed on the display unit 210.

[0083] After causing the user to specify the area of the bridge 1 to be inspected, the control terminal 200 then generates flight information of the hovering camera 100 in the area to be inspected specified by the user based on the information about the bridge 1 (step S103). The generation process of the flight information in step S103 is executed by, for example, the flight information generation unit 232.

[0084] When the control terminal 200 generates the flight information of the hovering camera 100 in step S103 above, it uses information related to the structure such as the construction method, width, and span length of the bridge 1, the flightable time of the hovering camera 100, and information such as the inspection method of the bridge 1. For example, when the T-girder is used as the construction method of the bridge 1, the control terminal 200 generates, as flight information, a flight path in which the hovering camera 100 repeats ascending and descending on the bottom side of the bridge 1. Further, the control terminal 200 may use the information of the imaging target surface of the bridge 1 when generating the flight information of the hovering camera 100 in step S103 above. For example, when the user selects to image the side surface of the bridge 1, the control terminal 200 generates, as flight information, a flight path along the side surface of the bridge 1, and when the user selects to image the bottom surface of the bridge 1, the control terminal 200 generates, as flight information, a flight path that reciprocates on the bottom side of the bridge 1.

[0085] When the flight information of the hovering camera 100 is generated in the above step S103, subsequently, the control terminal 200 transmits the generated flight information to the hovering camera 100 and transmits a takeoff instruction to the hovering camera 100 (step S104). The transmission of the generated flight information and the transmission of the takeoff instruction are executed, for example, by the flight information generation unit 232 through the communication unit 220.

[0086] The hovering camera 100 that receives flight information and a takeoff instruction from the control terminal 200 and takes off from the base station 600 flies based on the flight information sent from the control terminal 200, executes imaging processing, and acquires a still image (step S105). The hovering camera 100 acquires the position information at the time of executing the imaging processing for obtaining the still image and the information of the aircraft at the time of imaging processing, and associates them with the still image. The information of the aircraft at the time of imaging processing may include, for example, the inclination of the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the reference plane (for example, yaw angle, pitch angle, roll angle), acceleration, and angular velocity information. Further, the hovering camera 100 may stream and transmit the moving image captured by the imaging device 101 during flight to the control terminal 200. The control terminal 200 can stream and acquire the moving image captured by the imaging device during the flight of the hovering camera 100 and display it on the display screen, thereby presenting to the user the position where the hovering camera 100 is flying.

[0087] When the hovering camera 100 executes the imaging processing, it is desirable to keep the distance from the imaging target surface (for example, the side surface or the bottom surface of the bridge girder 3) constant at all imaging points. By keeping the distance from the imaging target surface constant at all imaging points, the hovering camera 100 can obtain still images captured with the same size.

[0088] Also, when a part that is highly likely to be damaged is included in the flight path of the hovering camera 100, the hovering camera 100 may capture a plurality of still images for that part by changing the imaging direction of the imaging device, irradiating infrared rays with different wavelengths, or changing the shutter speed. Further, when a part that is highly likely to be damaged is included in the flight path of the hovering camera 100, the hovering camera 100 may make the interval between the positions where the imaging processing is performed for that part narrower than that of other parts.

[0089] When the hovering camera 100 finishes the imaging process at the last imaging location, it automatically flies to the base station 600 and returns to the base station 600 (step S106). Then, the control terminal 200 acquires the image captured by the hovering camera 100 that has returned to the base station 600 from the hovering camera 100 (step S107). Note that the acquisition of the image captured by the hovering camera 100 may be performed in this manner after the hovering camera 100 returns to the base station 600. However, the control terminal 200 may sequentially acquire the still image each time the hovering camera 100 executes the imaging process to obtain a still image.

[0090] As described above, an operation example of the inspection system 10 according to the present embodiment has been explained. Thus, according to the inspection system 10 according to the present embodiment, flight information transmitted to the hovering camera 100 can be generated by the control terminal 200, and an image can be captured by the hovering camera 100 based on the flight information.

[0091] <5. Correspondence to High-Precision Image Acquisition> By flying the hovering camera 100 and having the hovering camera 100 image the bridge 1, it becomes possible to grasp the state of a place where a worker cannot easily approach, such as the bottom surface of the bridge girder 3. Here, for the image acquired by the imaging device 101, a high-precision image is required that can accurately grasp the detection target such as damage to the structure. Therefore, in order to acquire a high-precision image, the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment first performs illumination control by the control unit 110 on the illumination device 105 so that the illuminance within the imaging range of the imaging device 101 is substantially uniform.

[0092] In addition, in the shooting by the hovering camera 100, there is a concern that the aircraft vibrates due to external disturbances such as wind or the operation of the aircraft drive system, and blurring occurs in the captured image. Therefore, in the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 110 performs processing to remove the influence of the vibration of the imaging device 101 so that the captured image does not blur. Hereinafter, the processing for acquiring a high-precision image by the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

[0093] [5.1. Functional Configuration] First, based on FIG. 6, the functions of the control unit 110 for high-precision image acquisition in the hovering camera 100 according to this embodiment will be described. Note that FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functions of the control unit 110 for high-precision image acquisition provided in the hovering camera 100 according to this embodiment. Note that the control unit of the hovering camera according to the present disclosure does not necessarily have to have all the functions shown in FIG. 6 as functions for high-precision image acquisition, and it may have at least any one of the functions.

[0094] As a function for high-precision image acquisition, the control unit 110 of the hovering camera 100 according to this embodiment includes, as shown in FIG. 6, a shooting parameter setting unit 111, a detection information acquisition unit 113, an illumination control unit 115, a shutter control unit 117, and an attitude control unit 119. As described above, the shooting parameter setting unit 111, the detection information acquisition unit 113, the illumination control unit 115, the shutter control unit 117, and the attitude control unit 119 are realized by a processor or a processing circuit such as a CPU performing various programs and processes.

[0095] The shooting parameter setting unit 111 sets the shooting parameters of the imaging device 101 and the illumination device 105. Examples of the shooting parameters include the shutter speed and shooting gain of the imaging device 101, and the set illuminance of the illumination device 105. The shooting parameters are, for example, preset in the storage unit 140 of the hovering camera 100. The shooting parameter setting unit 111 acquires the shooting parameters necessary to obtain the required image quality for the captured image from the storage unit 140, and outputs them to the illumination control unit 115, the shutter control unit 117, and the attitude control unit 119 for setting to the imaging device 101 and the illumination device 105.

[0096] The detection information acquisition unit 113 acquires the position information of the aircraft and the aircraft information at the time of imaging acquired by the sensor unit 130 and the position information acquisition unit 132 of the hovering camera 100. The detection information acquisition unit 113 outputs the acquired various types of information to the illumination control unit 115, the shutter control unit 117, and the attitude control unit 119.

[0097] The illumination control unit 115 performs dimming so that the illuminance in the shooting range by the imaging device 101 illuminated by the illumination device 105 becomes substantially uniform. The illumination control unit 115 controls the on / off of the illumination device 105 based on the position information of the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 and the aircraft information at the time of imaging acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 113. Further, the illumination control unit 115 controls the light amount of the light source constituting the illumination device 105 so as to obtain the set illuminance input from the shooting parameter setting unit 111 according to the inclination of the aircraft included in the aircraft information.

[0098] The shutter control unit 117 controls the driving of the shutter of the imaging device 101. The shutter control unit 117 drives the shutter, for example, based on the shutter speed input from the shooting parameter setting unit 111. Further, the shutter control unit 117 controls the timing of driving the shutter based on the position information of the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 and the aircraft information at the time of imaging acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 113.

[0099] The attitude control unit 119 controls the inclination of the lens of the imaging device 101. Thereby, the attitude control unit 119 can control the shooting direction of the imaging device 100 to face the shooting range according to the attitude of the hovering camera 100. For example, when the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 is tilted with respect to the shooting surface due to an external disturbance such as wind, the attitude control unit 119 controls the drive mechanism for adjusting the inclination of the lens of the imaging device 101 so that the shooting direction is substantially perpendicular to the shooting surface.

[0100] By each functional unit of such a control unit 110, at least one of the imaging device 101 or the lighting device 105 is controlled so that a high-precision image can be acquired. Hereinafter, the control processes by each functional unit will be described respectively.

[0101] [5.2. Dimming Control of Lighting Device] First, based on FIGS. 7 to 12, the dimming control of the lighting device 105 according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the shooting range by the imaging device 101 of the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing one arrangement example of the light sources 106 constituting the lighting device 105 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing another arrangement example of the light sources 106 constituting the lighting device 105 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a characteristic example of the light sources constituting the lighting device 105. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the lighting device 105 is inclined by an angle θ with respect to the surface to be illuminated. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the illuminance change of the surface illuminated by the lighting device 105 when the hovering camera 100 is in the state of FIG. 11.

[0102] (1) Shooting Conditions In order to shoot a structure with the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment and detect damage to the structure, it is required to acquire an image with a predetermined accuracy. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, consider the case of shooting the back surface 3a of the bridge girder 3 and detecting cracks having a size equal to or larger than a predetermined size on the back surface 3a. In order to detect cracks having a size equal to or larger than a predetermined size, there is a required resolution per pixel of the captured image.

[0103] For example, assuming that an imaging device 101 with approximately 4000 horizontal pixels (13M Pixel) and an angle of view of 90° is used to detect cracks with a width of 0.2 mm or more. In this case, assuming that the distance d from the imaging device 101 to the back surface 3a of the bridge girder 3, which is the shooting surface, is 1 m, by shooting a shooting range S (L1 = L2 = 2 m) of 4 m 2 it is possible to acquire an image with the required resolution.

[0104] On the other hand, for the images used to detect damage to the structure, it is also required that there be no blur and the object to be photographed be clearly shown. Therefore, when acquiring the images with the above-mentioned resolution, the exposure time (i.e., shutter speed) without blur in the image, the gain (i.e., ISO sensitivity) for obtaining a clear image, and the illuminance of the photographing surface required at the time of photographing are acquired in advance as photographing parameters.

[0105] Here, the exposure time is set to a value that can remove the influence of the vibration of the body of the hovering camera 100. In normal photographing where a person uses a digital still camera to take an image, the vibration frequency of the photographer's hand shake is about 10 Hz. In contrast, the vibration frequency of the body of the hovering camera 100 has multiple peaks depending on the rotation speed of the propeller rotating at several hundred Hz. For this reason, the shake correction function incorporated in the lens module of the normal imaging device 101 cannot remove the blur of the image due to the vibration of the body. Therefore, it is desirable to set the exposure time according to the body of the hovering camera 100.

[0106] The photographing parameters may be set based on the measurement results using the actual hovering camera 100, or may be set based on the results obtained from a simulation based on a model simulating the actual machine. The photographing parameters are stored, for example, in the storage unit 140.

[0107] For example, when photographing the photographing range S of 4 m with the distance from the imaging device 101 to the photographing surface being 1 m 2 the exposure time is set to 1 / 250 [sec], the gain is set to ISO 200, and the illuminance at the time of photographing is set to 1000 [lux] as the photographing parameters. Note that the values of such photographing parameters are just examples, and the photographing parameters are set according to the photographing conditions, the stability of the body of the hovering camera 100, etc. For example, if the stability of the body of the hovering camera 100 is increased, the exposure time can be set longer, and the illuminance at the time of photographing can also be decreased.

[0108] The control unit 110 controls the imaging device 101 and the lighting device 105 so that imaging is performed with the imaging parameters set by the imaging parameter setting unit 111.

[0109] (2) Configuration of the lighting device Next, based on FIGS. 8 to 10, the configuration of the lighting device 105 mounted on the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. The lighting device 105 of the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment is a device that illuminates the imaging range S, and is used to realize the illuminance in the imaging range S even in an environment where the illuminance set as the imaging parameter cannot be sufficiently obtained by sunlight.

[0110] The lighting device 105 may be configured by arranging a plurality of light sources 106 on the body surface of the hovering camera 100. As the light source 106, for example, an LED light source can be used. Since the LED light source has directivity, the light emission direction of the light can be surely illuminated. Further, each light source 106 may be arranged so that the illuminance distribution in the imaging range S is substantially uniform. The illuminance distribution in the imaging range should be such that the required illuminance is exceeded at all points within the imaging range S.

[0111] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the lighting device 105 may be configured by arranging the light sources 106 at the central portion, the four corners, and the central portions of the respective sides with respect to the body plane 100a of the substantially rectangular hovering camera 100. Further, the light sources 106 may also be arranged on the body side surface 100b of the hovering camera. Note that the light source 106 can be installed at any position on the body surface of the hovering camera 100, and may be provided on the body bottom surface in addition to the body plane 100a and the body side surface 100b. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the light source 106 may be provided in a two-dimensional array on the surface facing the imaging object.

[0112] At this time, by appropriately setting the emission direction of the light source 106 according to the installation position of the light source 106, the illuminance distribution in the imaging range S can be made substantially uniform. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, among the light sources 106 arranged on the aircraft plane 100a, the emission direction of the light from the light source 106 provided at the center is made substantially perpendicular to the aircraft plane 100a. On the other hand, for the light sources 106 provided around the aircraft plane 100a, the emission direction of the light may be inclined from a direction perpendicular to the aircraft plane 100a toward the outside of the aircraft.

[0113] Further, as another configuration example of the lighting device 105, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, the lighting device 105 may be configured by arranging the light source 106 on the diagonal line with respect to the aircraft plane 100a of the substantially rectangular hovering camera 100. Also in this case, similar to the lighting device 105 in FIG. 8, the directivity of each light source 106 may be appropriately changed so that the illuminance distribution in the imaging range S becomes substantially uniform.

[0114] Here, as a method for making the illuminance distribution in the imaging range S of the lighting device 105 substantially uniform, in addition to adjusting the emission direction of the light from the light source 106, for example, a lens (not shown), which is an optical member for adjusting the directivity of the light source 106, may be provided on the light source 106. For example, FIG. 10 shows an example of the difference in directivity and illuminance between the case where a lens capable of reducing the directivity angle and increasing the illuminance is provided in the emission direction of the light from the light source 106 and the case of the light source 106 without the lens. As shown in FIG. 10, the light source 106 without the lens has directivity but no high peak in illuminance, while the light source 106 using the lens shows a remarkable peak in illuminance, and it becomes possible to irradiate a specific portion with strong light.

[0115] By changing the directivity of the light source 106 using such a lens and increasing the illuminance of the irradiated light, the illuminance distribution in the imaging range S can be made substantially uniform. In particular, as will be described later, in the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment, the light amount of the lighting device 105 is adjusted according to the inclination of the aircraft, and the illuminance distribution in the imaging range S is made substantially uniform.

[0116] Specifically, by providing a lens that changes the directivity and increases the illuminance of the irradiated light to at least a part of the light source 106 constituting the lighting device 105 of the hovering camera 100, the illuminance distribution in the imaging range S can be made substantially uniform with higher accuracy. For example, in the example of the lighting device 105 shown in FIG. 9, among the light sources 106 arranged on the diagonal line of the airframe plane 100a, for the light sources 106 arranged in the regions A1 to A4 near the four corners, a lens that changes the directivity and increases the illuminance of the irradiated light may be provided. Also, for the light sources 106 arranged in the regions A5 to A8 near the center, the lens may not be provided.

[0117] In the lighting device 105 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the airframe of the hovering camera 100 is simplified and represented as a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, but in the actual hovering camera 100, the airframe surface may be a curved surface. In this case, the light emission direction of each light source 106 constituting the lighting device 105 may be appropriately set according to the surface shape of the airframe. Also, the lens for changing the directivity of the light source 106 shown in the above example is just an example, and the characteristics of the lens used (such as the directivity angle and peak illuminance adjusted by the lens) are not limited to the above example. Also, a lens having a plurality of characteristics may be used to configure light sources 106 with a plurality of different directivities, and these may be combined to make the illuminance distribution in the imaging range S substantially uniform.

[0118] (3) Light quantity control of the lighting device according to the inclination of the airframe The hovering camera 100 according to this embodiment adjusts the light amount of the lighting device 105 according to the inclination of the aircraft body by the control unit 110. As described above, the lighting device 105 according to this embodiment is designed so that the illuminance distribution in the imaging range S is substantially uniform. However, even with such a lighting device 105, when the aircraft body is inclined against wind or the like, the target illuminance distribution of the imaging range S at the imaging position cannot be realized. For example, at the time of imaging, the attitude control is performed so that the aircraft body plane 100a of the hovering camera 100 is substantially parallel while maintaining the set distance d with respect to the imaging plane. However, for example, the hovering camera 100 may be inclined due to the influence of wind or the like. Then, the aircraft body plane 100a of the hovering camera 100 is inclined with respect to the imaging plane, and for the light source 106 provided at the outer peripheral portion of the aircraft body plane 100a, the distance from the light source 106 to the imaging plane may become larger than the set distance d.

[0119] Therefore, the control unit 110 controls the light amount of the lighting device 105 according to the inclination of the aircraft body of the hovering camera 100 detected by the sensor unit 130 mounted on the aircraft body, so that the illuminance distribution of the imaging range S at the imaging position is substantially uniform. Since the lighting device 105 may be fixed to the aircraft body and only the inclination of the imaging device 101 needs to be adjusted, the drive mechanism of the movable part of the hovering camera 100 can be simplified. As a result, the hovering camera 100 can be made lighter.

[0120] Based on FIGS. 11 and 12, the light amount control of the lighting device 105 will be described in more detail. Hereinafter, the light amount control according to the inclination of the aircraft body of the hovering camera 100 when the aircraft body is inclined with respect to the horizontal reference plane and the light amount control according to the inclination of the aircraft body of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the imaging object will be described. In FIG. 11, the imaging device 101 and the lighting device 105 of the hovering camera 100 are schematically shown. In FIG. 11, the imaging device 101 is shown on the light emitting surface 105a of the lighting device 105 in order to make the imaging direction by the imaging device 101 easy to understand. However, the installation position of the imaging device 101 is not limited to this position, and may be, for example, on one side surface of the hovering camera 100 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0121] First, the light quantity control according to the inclination of the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 when the aircraft is inclined with respect to a horizontal reference plane will be described. For example, it is the control executed when the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 is inclined with respect to the back surface portion of the bridge girder 3 of the bridge 1 when the back surface portion is substantially parallel to the horizontal plane as shown in FIG. 1.

[0122] First, the control unit 110 acquires the inclination of the aircraft of the hovering camera 100 based on the information acquired by the sensor unit 130. At this time, as information from the sensor unit 130, the control unit 110 uses the sensing information of the laser range finders provided at a plurality of locations on the hovering camera 100 to determine whether the hovering camera 100 is inclined with respect to the imaging surface of the imaging target. Whether the hovering camera 100 is inclined with respect to the imaging surface of the imaging target may be determined, for example, by whether at least one of the distances measured by a plurality of laser range finders provided on the same plane of the hovering camera 100 is a different value.

[0123] When the distances measured by each laser range finder are substantially the same (for example, when the difference between each distance is within a predetermined range), it is determined that the illuminance distribution in the imaging range S is substantially uniform, and the control unit 110 decides not to perform the light quantity control of the lighting device 105. On the other hand, when at least one of the distances measured by each laser range finder is a different value, the control unit 110 determines that the hovering camera 100 is inclined with respect to the imaging surface of the imaging target. Then, in this example, since the imaging surface of the imaging target is substantially parallel to the horizontal plane, the control unit 110 acquires the angle θ by which the light emitting surface 105a is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane P with the horizontal plane P as a reference. The angle θ can be acquired using, for example, the acceleration information of the acceleration sensor or the angular velocity information by the gyro sensor as information from the sensor unit 130.

[0124] When the light emitting surface 105a is inclined at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane P, a bias occurs in the illuminance distribution of the light irradiated from the lighting device 105 on the imaging surface Wa substantially parallel to the horizontal plane P. For example, in FIG. 11, it is inclined so that the right side (R) of the paper surface is separated from the imaging surface Wa (that is, the left side (L) of the paper surface approaches the imaging surface Wa). At this time, assuming that the light quantity of the light source 106 arranged on the right side (R) and the light quantity of the light source arranged on the left side (L) are the same, the light of the light source 106 on the right side (R) away from the imaging surface Wa is less likely to reach the imaging surface Wa than the light from the light source on the left side (L). For this reason, the illuminance distribution on the imaging surface Wa becomes darker on the right side (R) than on the left side (L), and the illuminance of the imaging range S does not become substantially uniform.

[0125] Therefore, in the present embodiment, by adjusting the light quantity of the light source 106 constituting the lighting device 105 according to the inclination angle θ of the light emitting surface 105a with respect to the horizontal plane P, the illuminance distribution on the imaging surface Wa is made substantially uniform. For example, FIG. 12 shows the output ratio of the light of the light source 106 of the lighting device 105 when the inclination angle of the light emitting surface 105a with respect to the horizontal plane P is 20°, and the difference in illuminance between the upper right region and the upper left region of the imaging range S of the imaging surface Wa. Here, the imaging range S is divided into five regions: a central region C, an upper right region UR, an upper left region UL, a lower right region BR, and a lower left region BL formed by dividing the imaging range S into left, right, upper, and lower parts.

[0126] Then, for the light source 106 facing the right region (upper right region UR, lower right region BR) and the light source 106 facing the left region (upper left region UL, lower left region BL), the output ratio of the light was changed, and the illuminance difference between the upper right region UR and the upper left region UL at that time was measured. Note that the characteristics of each light source 106 constituting the lighting device 105 are the same, and the adjustment amount of the light quantity of each light source 106 is represented by a ratio when the maximum rated light quantity that the light source 106 can output is 100%. The result is shown in the graph on the lower side of FIG. 12.

[0127] As shown in the lower part of FIG. 12, first, assume that the light output ratio of the light source 106 facing the right region and the light source 106 facing the left region are both 50%, and all the light sources 106 constituting the lighting device 105 emit light with the same light quantity. At this time, the illuminance difference between the upper right region UR and the upper left region UL was 83 [lux]. Then, as the light output ratio of the light source 106 facing the right region was gradually increased and the light output ratio of the light source 106 facing the left region was gradually decreased, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 12, the illuminance difference between the upper right region UR and the upper left region UL decreased. And when the light output ratio of the light source 106 facing the right region was about 85% and the light output ratio of the light source 106 facing the left region was about 25%, it was found that the illuminance difference between the upper right region UR and the upper left region UL in the imaging range S became substantially zero.

[0128] In this way, if the light quantity of the light source 106 is adjusted so that the illuminance difference between the regions in the imaging range S becomes substantially zero, the illuminance distribution in the imaging range S can be made substantially uniform.

[0129] The hovering camera 100 stores in advance in the storage unit 140 the output values of the respective light sources 106 for which the illuminance difference in each region of the imaging range S becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value for each inclination angle θ of the light emitting surface 105a with respect to the horizontal plane P. The output values of the respective light sources 106 to be set may be determined based on, for example, measurement results by an actual machine, or may be determined based on simulation results. The control unit 110 of the hovering camera 100 acquires from the storage unit 140 the setting values of the lighting device 105 corresponding to the inclination of the aircraft acquired from the measurement results of the sensor unit 130, and controls the output (light quantity) of each light source 106 of the lighting device 105 by the lighting control unit 115.

[0130] Note that the lighting control unit 115 may control each light source 106 constituting the lighting device 105, or may control each light source 106 for each predetermined group. For example, in the case of the lighting device as shown in FIG. 9, it may be controlled for each of the eight regions A1 to A8.

[0131] On the other hand, the light amount may be controlled according to the inclination of the body of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the imaging object. For example, when the imaging object such as the back surface part of a bridge girder of a bridge is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and the inclination of the body of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the imaging object is also inclined, the inclination of the body of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the imaging object may be calculated as follows, and the light amount control of the lighting device 105 may be performed.

[0132] Also in this case, the control unit 110 acquires the inclination of the body of the hovering camera 100 based on the information acquired by the sensor unit 130. Similar to the above, the inclination of the body of the hovering camera 100 may be obtained using the sensing information of the laser range finders provided at a plurality of locations on the hovering camera 100 as information from the sensor unit 130. When the distances measured by each laser range finder are not all substantially the same, it is determined that the body of the hovering camera 100 is inclined with respect to the imaging surface of the imaging object.

[0133] When the body of the hovering camera 100 is inclined with respect to the imaging surface of the imaging object, the control unit 110 calculates the inclination angle of the body of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the imaging object and uses it for the light amount control of the lighting device 105. The inclination angle of the body of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the imaging object can be obtained, for example, from the inclination of the imaging surface of the imaging object with respect to the horizontal plane P and the inclination of the body with respect to the horizontal plane P obtained using a gyro sensor when the inclination of the imaging surface of the imaging object with respect to the horizontal plane P is known. Alternatively, the inclination angle of the body of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the imaging object may be geometrically obtained from the distances measured by a plurality of laser range finders.

[0134] When the control unit 110 acquires the inclination angle of the body of the hovering camera 100 with respect to the imaging object, it acquires the set value of the lighting device 105 corresponding to the inclination of the body from the storage unit 140, and the lighting control unit 115 controls the output (light amount) of each light source 106 of the lighting device 105. Note that the set value stored in the storage unit 140 may be the same as the information used when performing light amount control based on the inclination angle θ of the body with respect to the horizontal plane P as described above.

[0135] [5.3. Control Example of Imaging Device and Lighting Device During Shooting] Hereinafter, based on FIGS. 13 to 15, a control example of the imaging device 101 and the lighting device 105 during shooting by the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a control example of the imaging device 101 and the lighting device 105 during shooting by the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining an example of shutter control of the imaging device 101. FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing the change status of the speed and acceleration of the hovering camera 100 during shooting work based on flight information.

[0136] When starting shooting work based on flight information, the hovering camera 100 first sets shooting parameters, which are setting information of the imaging device 101 and the lighting device 105 (step S200). The shooting parameters include, for example, the shutter speed and shooting gain of the imaging device 101, and the set illuminance of the lighting device 105. The shooting parameters are, for example, preset in the storage unit 140 of the hovering camera 100. The shooting parameter setting unit 111 acquires the shooting parameters necessary to obtain the required image quality of the captured image from the storage unit 140, and outputs them to the lighting control unit 115 and the shutter control unit 117 for setting the imaging device 101 and the lighting device 105.

[0137] Next, the detection information acquisition unit 113 acquires the position information of the aircraft and the aircraft information at the time of imaging acquired by the sensor unit 130 and the position information acquisition unit 132 (step S202). For example, the detection information acquisition unit 113 outputs the acquired various information to the lighting control unit 115 and the shutter control unit 117. Thereby, the lighting control unit 115 and the shutter control unit 117 can start controlling the lighting device 105 and the imaging device 101 so as to be the shooting parameters set in step S200.

[0138] The hovering camera 100 continues to move towards the shooting point until it reaches the shooting point. Here, when the hovering camera 100 enters the shooting area, which is a predetermined range including the shooting point, since the shooting point is approaching, the control unit 110 starts the shooting preparation (step S204). First, the lighting control unit 115 turns on the lighting device 105 (step S206). The lighting device 105 may be turned on during the movement towards the shooting point, or may perform lighting on the shooting range S during shooting. When entering the shooting area close to the shooting point, turning on the lighting device 105 can shorten the lighting time of the lighting device 105 and also suppress the consumed battery.

[0139] The entry into the shooting area may be determined, for example, when the hovering camera 100 starts to decelerate in order to stop at the shooting point. Alternatively, when an area within a predetermined distance from the shooting point is defined as the shooting area and it is specified from the position information of the aircraft that the hovering camera 100 is within the shooting area, it may be determined that the hovering camera 100 has entered the shooting area.

[0140] When the lighting device 105 is turned on, as described above, the dimming of each light source 106 of the lighting device 105 is performed according to the inclination of the aircraft obtained from the aircraft information. This dimming is performed so that the set illuminance set by the setting parameter is ensured at the shooting point and the illuminance distribution in the shooting range S of the shooting surface is substantially uniform.

[0141] Next, the shutter control unit 117 starts the shutter control of the imaging device 101 (step S208). When the hovering camera 100 reaches the shooting point, the shutter control unit 117 closes the shutter of the imaging device 101 and acquires an image at the shooting point. At this time, if the attitude of the hovering camera 100 is stable, blurring is less likely to occur in the captured image, and a more accurate image can be acquired. Therefore, in order to determine whether the attitude of the hovering camera 100 is stable, as shown in FIG. 14, the shutter control unit 117 checks whether the absolute value of the speed of the hovering camera 100 is less than the threshold speed v th and whether the absolute value of the acceleration is less than the threshold acceleration a th (step S2081).

[0142] For example, as shown in FIG. 15, when the hovering camera 100 enters the shooting area and its speed is linearly decreased, the acceleration of the hovering camera 100 changes so as to draw a parabola of a negative value. On the other hand, when the shooting at the shooting point is completed and the movement to the next shooting point is started, and the speed of the hovering camera 100 is linearly increased, the acceleration changes so as to draw a parabola of a positive value. However, when the hovering camera 100 does not move, the speed and acceleration are substantially zero, and the hovering camera 100 is in a stable state close to the stationary state. At this time, since the vibration of the body of the hovering camera 100 is small, the imaging device 100 can perform shooting without being greatly affected by the vibration of the body. The threshold speed v th and the threshold acceleration a th are set to positive values close to substantially zero, for example.

[0143] Then, when the absolute value of the speed of the hovering camera 100 is less than the threshold speed v th and the absolute value of the acceleration is less than the threshold acceleration a thWhen it becomes smaller, the shutter control unit 117 drives the shutter to take a picture (step S2083). At this time, the shutter speed of the imaging device 101 is determined based on the exposure time set in step S200 of FIG. 13. Therefore, since the photographing by the imaging device 101 is performed at a shutter speed that can remove the influence of the vibration of the aircraft body, it is possible to obtain a high-precision image with little blur.

[0144] Note that the shutter control process shown in FIG. 14 is a process executed between steps S208 to S214 of FIG. 13.

[0145] Returning to the description of FIG. 13, from the start of shutter control by the shutter control unit 117 in step S208 until the shutter control ends in step S214, the illumination control unit 115 continues to perform dimming control of the illumination device 105 according to the inclination of the aircraft body of the hovering camera 100. During the exposure time of the photographing, the dimming operation may be interrupted and the light source state may be fixed. Then, when the shutter operates in step S2083 of FIG. 14 and the photographing is completed (step S212), the shutter control by the shutter control unit 117 ends (step S214), and the illumination device 105 is turned off by the illumination control unit 115 (step S216).

[0146] Thereafter, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the photographing at all the photographing points set in the flight information has been completed (step S218). If there is a photographing point at which the photographing has not been completed in step S218, the hovering camera 100 moves to the next photographing point (step S220), and the process from step S202 is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if the photographing at all the photographing points has been completed in step S218, the hovering camera 100 returns to the base station 600 and ends the operation.

[0147] The above described a control example of the imaging device 101 and the lighting device 105 during shooting by the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment. In the above description, the case where both the dimming of the lighting device 105 by the lighting control unit 115 and the shutter control by the shutter control unit 117 are performed has been described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such an example. The dimming of the lighting device 105 by the lighting control unit 115 and the shutter control by the shutter control unit 117 can be executed independently of each other.

[0148] [5.4. Lens Tilt Control of Imaging Device] As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 110 of the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment includes an attitude control unit 119 that controls the tilt of the lens of the imaging device 101. The imaging device 101 includes a first drive unit that rotates the lens of the imaging device 101 in the tilt direction so that the shooting direction by the imaging device 101 can be changed in the tilt direction. Thereby, it is possible to continue shooting the same position regardless of the tilt of the aircraft.

[0149] In addition, the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment may further include a second drive unit that adjusts the tilt of the lens in the roll direction in order to acquire a higher-precision image. Thereby, for example, even when low-frequency vibrations of 100 Hz or less are generated in the aircraft due to disturbances such as wind, the attitude control unit 119 drives the second drive unit to adjust the tilt in the roll direction, thereby removing the influence of this vibration on shooting.

[0150] The first drive unit 162 and the second drive unit 164 that drive the lens of the imaging device 100 can be provided as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, for example. FIG. 16 is a schematic front view of the lower frame portion 107 of the hovering camera 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view showing the first drive unit 162 and the second drive unit 164 that drive the lens of the imaging device 101 from the plane side.

[0151] As shown in FIG. 16, the imaging device 101 is provided facing the front (positive Y-axis direction) of the lower frame portion 107 of the hovering camera 100, for example. As shown in FIG. 17, the lens of the imaging device 101 is provided rotatable in the tilt direction by a first drive unit 162. Thereby, the shooting direction of the imaging device 101 can be set to face downward, then the front, and further upward. Also, as shown in FIG. 17, the lens of the imaging device 101 according to the present embodiment is provided rotatable in the roll direction by a second drive unit 164 provided, for example, on the back side (negative Y-axis direction side, inside of the hovering camera 100) of the imaging device 101. The second drive unit 164 can rotate the lens in the roll direction by about ±15° from the state where the imaging device 101 faces the front, for example.

[0152] In this way, by providing a two-axis servo mechanism for the lens, not only can the same position be photographed regardless of the tilt of the aircraft body, but it is also possible to remove low-frequency vibrations, and it becomes possible to obtain a more accurate image.

[0153] <6. Summary> As described above, the configuration of the hovering camera 100 constituting the inspection system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the inspection work thereby, and the control of the lighting device 105 and the imaging device 101 at the time of image acquisition have been described. In such a hovering camera 100, without using a large gimbal, a single-lens reflex camera, etc., the posture of the aircraft body and the shooting conditions of the imaging device 101 and the lighting device 105 mounted on the flying object are controlled.

[0154] For example, the hovering camera 100 is provided with the lighting device 105, the tilt of the aircraft body is detected by the sensor unit 130 inside the hovering camera 100 by the lighting control unit 115, and the light amount of the lighting device 105 is adjusted according to the tilt of the aircraft body. Thereby, the illuminance on the shooting surface can be kept substantially uniform at a certain value or more, and it becomes possible to obtain an image of a certain quality without changing the parameters of the imaging device 101.

[0155] Also, by increasing the shutter speed, which is a shooting parameter of the imaging device 101, the influence of high-frequency vibrations that cannot be handled by normal shake correction is removed. As a result, it becomes possible to acquire a high-precision image with less blur. Further, by providing a servo mechanism that can rotationally drive the lens of the imaging device 101 in two axes in the tilt direction and the roll direction, it becomes possible to keep the shooting direction constant and remove the influence of low-frequency vibrations.

[0156] As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present disclosure can conceive of various modification examples or correction examples within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0157] For example, in the above embodiment, in order to make the illuminance distribution of the shooting range S on the shooting surface substantially uniform, only the inclination of the imaging device 101 is adjusted, and the lighting device 105 adjusts the light amount so that the illuminance when irradiated on the shooting surface is substantially uniform. However, the present technology is not limited to such examples. For example, it is also possible to integrate the imaging device 101 and the lighting device 105 and make the illuminance distribution of the shooting range S on the shooting surface substantially uniform by adjusting their inclinations. In this case, since the imaging device 101 and the lighting device 105 can be controlled integrally, the illuminance distribution of the shooting range S required for shooting can be easily set. Note that when the imaging device 101 and the lighting device 105 are integrated, the movable part in the hovering camera 100 becomes larger, so the overall weight may increase.

[0158] Also, the effects described in this specification are merely illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. That is, the technology according to the present disclosure can exhibit other effects that are obvious to those skilled in the art from the description of this specification, together with or instead of the above effects.

[0159] Note that the following configurations also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure. (1) A display unit that displays an overview diagram including the object to be photographed, generates flight information including a flight path of the aircraft based on a user's designated input of an area on the overview diagram, controls the flight of the aircraft based on the flight information, and a control unit that controls the lighting state of a lighting device mounted on the aircraft based on a photographing point for photographing the object to be photographed. An acquisition unit that acquires an image of the object to be photographed taken by the aircraft during flight, together with position information of the aircraft and information regarding the state of the aircraft at the time of photographing the image. The flight path is set such that the distance between the aircraft and the object to be photographed is constant. Control device. (2) The display unit of the control device according to (1) displays the image of the object to be photographed and the position of the base station. (3) The display unit of the control device according to (1) or (2) displays at least one of the inclination, acceleration, and angular velocity of the aircraft together with the image. (4) The acquisition unit of the control device according to any one of (1) to (3) acquires the image streamed by the aircraft. (5) The control unit of the control device according to any one of (1) to (4) adjusts the light amount of the lighting device so that the illuminance on the photographing surface of the object to be photographed becomes a predetermined illuminance according to the inclination of the aircraft body. (6) In the control device according to (5), the inclination of the aircraft body is the inclination with respect to the horizontal plane. (7) In the control device according to (5), the inclination of the aircraft body is the inclination with respect to the object to be photographed. (8) The control unit of the control device according to any one of (1) to (7) turns on the lighting device when the aircraft enters an imaging area near an imaging point for imaging the object to be imaged. (9) Displaying an overview diagram including the object to be photographed on a display unit; Generating flight information including a flight path of the aircraft based on a user's designated input of a region on the overview diagram; Controlling the flight of the aircraft based on the flight information; Controlling the lighting state of a lighting device mounted on the aircraft based on a photographing point for photographing the object to be photographed; Acquiring an image of the object to be photographed taken by the aircraft during flight together with position information of the aircraft and information regarding the state of the aircraft at the time of photographing the image; including The flight path is set such that the distance between the aircraft and the object to be photographed is constant. Control method. (10) The control method according to (9), further including displaying the image of the object to be photographed on the display unit and the position of the base station.

Explanation of Signs

[0160] 10 Inspection system 100 Hovering camera 101 Imaging device 104a~104d Rotors 105 Lighting device 108a~108d Motors 110 Control unit 111 Photographing parameter setting unit 113 Detection information acquisition unit 115 Lighting control unit 117 Shutter control unit 119 Attitude control unit 120 Communication unit 130 Sensor unit 132 Position information acquisition unit 140 Storage unit 150 Battery 200 Control terminal 300 Information processing device 400 Wireless relay node 500 Position Estimation Node 600 Base Station 700 Charging Station

Claims

1. A display unit that displays an overview including a subject to be photographed; generating flight information including a flight path of the aircraft based on a user's input of a designated area on the overview map; Controlling the flight of the aircraft based on the flight information; A control unit that controls a lighting state of a lighting device mounted on the flying object based on a shooting point at which the shooting object is shot; An acquisition unit that acquires an image of the subject captured by the aircraft during flight together with position information of the aircraft at the time of capturing the image and information regarding a state of the aircraft, The flight path is set so that the distance between the aircraft and the subject is constant. Control device.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit displays the image of the target and a position of a base station.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit displays at least one of an inclination, an acceleration, and an angular velocity of the flying object together with the image.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the image streamed by the air vehicle.

5. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit adjusts an amount of light of the lighting device in accordance with an inclination of a fuselage of the flying object so that an illuminance on an imaging surface of the imaging subject becomes a predetermined illuminance.

6. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein the inclination of the aircraft is an inclination with respect to a horizontal plane.

7. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein the inclination of the aircraft is an inclination with respect to the subject to be photographed.

8. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit turns on the lighting device when the flying object enters an image-taking area near an image-taking point where the image-taking subject is photographed.

9. Displaying an overview including a subject to be photographed on a display unit; generating flight information including a flight path of the aircraft based on a user's input of a designated area on the overview map; Controlling the flight of the aircraft based on the flight information; and Controlling the lighting state of a lighting device mounted on the flying object based on a photographing point at which the photographing object is photographed; Acquiring an image of the subject captured by the aircraft during flight, together with position information of the aircraft and information regarding a state of the aircraft at the time the image was captured; Including, The flight path is set so that the distance between the aircraft and the subject is constant. Control methods.

10. The control method according to claim 9 , further comprising displaying the image of the target and a position of a base station on the display unit.

Images