Inspection device and inspection method

Abstract

To provide an inspection device and an inspection method capable of more reliably and efficiently performing inspection or the like on infrastructure equipment where access to an inspection place is difficult.SOLUTION: An inspection device according to the present invention comprises: an unmanned aerial vehicle; a measuring instrument for inspection; a suspension mechanism for suspending the measuring instrument for inspection from the unmanned aerial vehicle; and a joint mechanism that is interposed between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the suspension mechanism, and bendable in at least two directions of a longitudinal direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle and a lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and has a damper mechanism that damps vibration caused by bending operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an inspection device and an inspection method.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, when inspecting facilities and buildings generally referred to as infrastructure, such as a solar power generation facility with a large number of solar power generation panels, a wind power generation facility using wind turbines, a bridge, etc., an inspection is performed using an unmanned aircraft such as a drone. Such an inspection method is an effective method especially for facilities provided in places where it is difficult for people to approach.

[0003] As a technique using a drone as described above, for example, a method has been proposed for the purpose of enabling wide-range comprehensive observation and local observation of a specified location when observing crops. In this method, it includes a shaft frame that is tiltably supported in an arbitrary direction via a gimbal, a GPS device having a GPS antenna provided at the upper end of the shaft frame, and an imaging unit provided at the lower end of the shaft frame and provided in a known relationship with the GPS antenna, and the imaging unit can be moved up and down by a telescopic sub-shaft. However, in this method, a structure for passing the shaft frame through the central part of the drone is required, and a dedicated drone is required. Also, for vibration suppression, a gimbal structure using a motor is used, electrical control is required, the structure becomes complicated, and power is consumed, which also affects the flight time.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] As described above, it has been conventionally considered to perform various inspections using unmanned aircraft such as drones. However, the method has not yet been established.

[0006] On the other hand, in recent years, in the inspection work of social infrastructure such as power generation and power transmission facilities built in places where it is not easy for people to access, such as mountainous areas and the open sea, due to the influence of a declining birthrate, an aging population, and population decline, a shortage of manpower has become a problem.

[0007] One of the reasons for this is that social infrastructure is located in places where it takes time to access, such as mountainous areas. For example, in the case of a hydroelectric power plant, it is a dam deep in the mountains near the source of a river or underground around the dam, and in the case of a wind power plant, it is in a coastal area or on a ridgeline in a mountainous area where the annual average wind speed is strong and it is possible to keep a distance from human habitation due to noise problems, etc. In addition to limited transportation means, it is often installed in places with a harsh natural environment. In many cases, it is difficult to access the inspection location. In addition to this, the working environment can be severe, such as outdoor work, high-altitude work, and work near high-voltage equipment. Also, such infrastructure is usually unmanned, and for the reasons mentioned above, the frequency of inspections may decrease, and it is also conceivable that the probability of problems occurring will increase proportionally. Furthermore, when an abnormality occurs in the infrastructure, it takes time to respond, and there is concern about the expansion of social impacts due to delays in restoration.

[0008] Therefore, efforts are being made to deploy drones that regularly patrol and inspect in place of humans by streamlining the inspection work or permanently installing them near the infrastructure facilities. Such drones are equipped with a camera on the drone's housing or a camera that can be attached via a gimbal and can perform pan-tilt operations, enabling visual inspections by taking pictures of the inspection target from the drone.

[0009] However, when the camera is attached in this way, there are places where it is difficult to take pictures. For example, in places close to the ground or structures, the flow of wind (airflow) is often disturbed by the shape of the ground or structures, and the wind generated by the drone (downwash) hits the ground or structures, causing turbulence in the airflow. As a result, the drone cannot fly stably, and there is a risk of crashing or coming into contact with structures.

[0010] In addition, dust (dirt) and fallen leaves deposited on the ground or structures may be lifted by the wind generated by the drone, interfering with the acquisition of inspection images or hitting the drone's propellers, which may also cause a factor for crashing. Furthermore, in places close to the ground, weeds and branches may extend into the planned inspection route (flight path), making it impossible to continue flying. Also, for example, it is necessary to inspect places where it is difficult for the drone to enter or approach, such as under structures or between structures.

[0011] The present invention has been made to address such conventional circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an inspection device and an inspection method capable of more reliably and efficiently performing inspections of infrastructure where access to the inspection location is difficult.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] The inspection device according to the embodiment includes an unmanned aircraft, a measuring instrument for inspection, a suspension mechanism for suspending the measuring instrument for inspection from the unmanned aircraft, and a joint mechanism interposed between the unmanned aircraft and the suspension mechanism, which is bendable in at least two directions, namely the front-rear direction of the unmanned aircraft and the left-right direction perpendicular thereto, and has a damper mechanism for attenuating vibrations caused by the bending operation.

[0013] The inspection method of the embodiment uses an inspection device comprising a drone, a measuring instrument for inspection, a suspension mechanism for suspending the inspection measuring instrument from the drone, a joint mechanism interposed between the drone and the suspension mechanism, the joint mechanism being bendable in at least two directions of the longitudinal direction of the drone and the lateral direction orthogonal thereto, and having a damper mechanism for attenuating vibration caused by the bending motion, to inspect infrastructure facilities.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an inspection device and an inspection method capable of more reliably and efficiently inspecting infrastructure facilities that are difficult to access for inspection.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, an inspection device and an inspection method according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the case of inspecting a solar power generation facility as infrastructure will be described, but the same can be similarly implemented in the inspection of other infrastructure, for example, wind turbines in a wind power generation facility, bridges, and the like.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of an inspection apparatus and an inspection method according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a large number of solar panels 101 are arranged in a solar power generation facility. Inspection of this solar power generation facility, for example, inspection of the back surface, pedestal, wiring, etc. of the solar panel 101 is performed using an inspection apparatus 100. The inspection apparatus 100 includes an unmanned aircraft (drone) 102 and an inspection camera (imaging camera) 106 which is a measuring instrument for inspection. Note that the measuring instrument for inspection is not limited to the inspection camera 106, and other measuring instruments, for example, a laser rangefinder, etc. can also be used.

[0018] The inspection camera 106 is suspended from the unmanned aircraft 102 by a suspension mechanism 105. This suspension mechanism 105 has a telescopic mechanism 104 and is made telescopic by this telescopic mechanism 104. Further, a joint mechanism 103 is provided between the unmanned aircraft 102 and the suspension mechanism 105 and the telescopic mechanism 104.

[0019] The suspension mechanism 105 and the telescopic mechanism 104 enable the inspection camera 106 to be suspended from the unmanned aircraft 102 at an arbitrary height. As a result, with the altitude of the unmanned aircraft 102 (H1 shown in FIG. 1) kept high, the height of the inspection camera 106 (H2 shown in FIG. 1) can be lowered, and inspection of the back surface, pedestal, wiring, etc. of the solar panel 101 can be performed. Therefore, even when the interval (W shown in FIG. 1) between the solar panel 101 and the adjacent solar panel 101 is narrow, these can be safely inspected without flying the unmanned aircraft 102 between them.

[0020] The suspension mechanism 105 and the telescopic mechanism 104 preferably have a certain degree of rigidity. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a multi-stage telescopic structure (telescopic mechanism) can be used. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a connecting bending mechanism (such as a drive chain, a cable chain, etc.) that can be bent in one direction and a winding mechanism for winding this can also be used.

[0021] When flying the unmanned aircraft 102, the joint mechanism 103 is for preventing the weight of the suspension mechanism 105, the inspection camera 106, etc. from interfering with the movement of the unmanned aircraft 102 becoming diagonal for attitude control, and for preventing them from making pendulum-like movements and swaying excessively.

[0022] An example of the structure of the joint mechanism 103 is shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, (a) is a partially cut-away side view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of (a). In the configuration example shown in FIG. 4, the joint mechanism 103 includes a first joint portion 131 that can be bent in a first direction with respect to the fixed-side base body 130 to the unmanned aircraft 102, and a second joint portion 132 that is provided below the first joint portion 131 and can be bent in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Note that the second joint portion 132 can be bent in the left-right direction in FIG. 4 around the support shaft 132a. Also, the first joint portion 131 can be bent in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 4 around the support shaft 131a.

[0023] A damper mechanism 133 is disposed around these first joint portion 131 and second joint portion 132. For the damper mechanism 133, for example, an elastically deformable elastic member such as rubber or sponge can be used. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the surroundings of the first joint portion 131 and the second joint portion 132 are surrounded by an elastic member such as rubber or sponge configured in a cylindrical shape. By this damper mechanism 133, the movement of the suspension mechanism 105 and the inspection camera 106 is suppressed to a certain extent, and when movement occurs, an action of converging this movement is exerted, preventing them from swaying excessively and from continuing to sway like a pendulum. Note that the damper mechanism 133 can be adjusted to have the necessary elastic force and damping force by changing its material, thickness, and size, and can be easily changed according to the weight of the suspension mechanism 105 and the inspection camera 106 to be suspended.

[0024] In the joint mechanism 103 with the above configuration, the first joint portion 131 and the second joint portion 132 enable bending in the first direction and the second direction perpendicular to the first direction. This direction is attached to the unmanned aircraft 102 so as to match the flight direction of the unmanned aircraft 102 in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.

[0025] As a result, when the unmanned aircraft 102 flies in all directions (front, rear, left, and right), it does not prevent the movement that causes it to tilt for attitude control. Also, when the inspection camera 106 is lifted and lowered by the lifting and lowering mechanism 105 to obtain an imaging image, etc., it is possible to prevent the inspection camera 106 from shaking excessively. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the lifting and lowering mechanism 105 and the inspection camera 106 from shaking and colliding with surrounding structures, or the flight of the unmanned aircraft 102 from becoming unstable due to shaking.

[0026] Note that the configuration of the joint mechanism 103 is not limited to the above configuration, and other configurations may be adopted. For example, a configuration that uses a spherical bearing to enable bending and is provided with a damper mechanism around it can be used. Also, a configuration that uses an elastic deformable columnar rubber, etc., to enable bending and has a damper function due to the elasticity of this rubber can be used. However, in the configuration shown in FIG. 4, since the bending directions are indirectly separated, the damper function acts in each direction, whereas in the case of a spherical bearing or columnar rubber, bending and damping occur omnidirectionally at one location. Therefore, compared to the configuration shown in FIG. 4, there is a possibility of more shaking or torsion occurring. On the other hand, in the joint mechanism 103 shown in FIG. 4, the bending directions are limited to the front-rear and left-right flight directions of the unmanned aircraft 102, and torsion, etc., does not occur.

[0027] FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of the inspection device 100 having the configuration shown in FIG. 2 with the unmanned aircraft 102 landed. In this case, since a multi-stage telescopic structure (telescopic mechanism) is used as the hoisting mechanism 105 and the telescopic mechanism 104, it is in a state where the multi-stage telescopic structure is contracted at the time of landing. Note that the multi-stage telescopic structure is contracted by winding up the wire disposed therein with a motor provided in the telescopic mechanism 104.

[0028] On the other hand, when a connecting bending mechanism that can be bent in one direction and a winding mechanism that winds it up, as shown in FIG. 3, are used as the hoisting mechanism 105 and the telescopic mechanism 104, in addition to landing in a state where the connecting bending mechanism is wound up by the winding mechanism, as shown in FIG. 6, it is also possible to land by bending the connecting bending mechanism while keeping it extended.

[0029] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an environment in which the inspection camera 106 can take a picture even for an inspection target at a position where it is difficult for an unmanned aircraft 102 such as a drone to fly, for example, a position with a low height.

[0030] Also, according to the structure of the present embodiment, the drone may have a normal structure, and it can be used for infrastructure inspection without preparing a drone with a special structure, and cost reduction is possible. Furthermore, the education time for a pilot with the skill to operate a special airframe is also unnecessary. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a fully automatic infrastructure inspection, which also leads to the solution of the shortage of manpower.

[0031] As described above, some embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0032] 100... Inspection device, 101... Solar panel, 102... Unmanned aircraft, 103... Joint mechanism, 104... Telescopic mechanism, 105... Hoisting and lowering mechanism, 106... Inspection camera, 130... Fixed-side base body, 131... First joint part, 131a... Support shaft, 132... Second joint part, 132a... Support shaft, 133... Damper mechanism.

Claims

1. An unmanned aircraft, a measuring instrument for inspection, a suspension mechanism for suspending the measuring instrument for inspection from the unmanned aircraft, a joint mechanism interposed between the unmanned aircraft and the suspension mechanism, being bendable in at least two directions of the longitudinal direction of the unmanned aircraft and the lateral direction perpendicular thereto, and having a damper mechanism for attenuating vibrations caused by the bending operation, A inspection device characterized by comprising the above.

2. The inspection device according to Claim 1, wherein the joint mechanism has a first joint portion bendable in the longitudinal direction and a second joint portion bendable in the lateral direction, and the damper mechanism is composed of an elastic member surrounding the first joint portion and the second joint portion. A inspection device characterized by the above.

3. The inspection device according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the suspension mechanism is extendable and retractable. A inspection device characterized by the above.

4. The inspection device according to Claim 3, wherein the suspension mechanism is extendable and retractable by a telescopic mechanism. A inspection device characterized by the above.

5. The inspection device according to Claim 3, wherein the suspension mechanism is extendable and retractable by a connecting bending mechanism bendable in one direction and a winding mechanism for winding the same. A inspection device characterized by the above.

6. An unmanned aircraft, a measuring instrument for inspection, a suspension mechanism for suspending the measuring instrument for inspection from the unmanned aircraft, a joint mechanism interposed between the unmanned aircraft and the suspension mechanism, being bendable in at least two directions of the longitudinal direction of the unmanned aircraft and the lateral direction perpendicular thereto, and having a damper mechanism for attenuating vibrations caused by the bending operation, Inspecting infrastructure using the inspection device comprising the above. A inspection method characterized by the above.

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