Method and system for guiding mobile objects using drones

Abstract

The goal is to enable safer and easier guidance of the mobile object 10 solely through the operation of the drone 20. [Solution] A method for remotely guiding a mobile body moving on land or water using a drone includes the steps of connecting the drone and the mobile body with a guide rope 30, flying and controlling the drone in the air, and moving the mobile body in the direction in which the drone pulls the guide rope. A guidance system for a mobile body moving on land or water includes a remotely controllable drone, a guide rope connecting the mobile body and the drone, means 11 provided on the mobile body for detecting the pulling direction and pulling force of the guide rope being pulled by the drone, and mobile body moving means 12, 13, 14 for moving the mobile body in the detected pulling direction based on the pulling force.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for guiding a moving object such as a vehicle or a ship, and more particularly to a method and system for remotely guiding a moving object.

Background Art

[0002] With the development of remotely controllable drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), various technologies related to drones have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, a technology is proposed in which an operator or the like who operates a drone confirms the image of the disaster area projected on the monitor of a controller, receives the voice transmitted through a transceiver with the drone, and causes the voice to be emitted from a speaker mounted on the drone, so that specific and optimal evacuation guidance instructions can be given in real time. In Patent Document 2, a technology is proposed in which power having a periodic voltage or current waveform is supplied from a ground power supply unit to an unmanned aerial vehicle via a power supply line to enable the long-time flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle. In Patent Document 3, a technology is proposed in which a flying object is flown around a vehicle that can be remotely operated by a remote driver at a control center, and the peripheral information of the vehicle acquired by the flying object is notified to the remote driver at the control center, aiming to improve the safety of remote operation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] If we consider flying a drone around a moving object and using the drone to guide the object, it is expected that if the movement of the object can be guided solely by controlling the drone, there will be no need to control the drone and the object separately, making the movement of the object easier. Furthermore, if a drone equipped with a camera or other surrounding-perceptible sensors is flown around a moving object such as a vehicle, and the information from the drone can be perceived by its control device, the surrounding environment of the object can be detected or perceived from a high vantage point, which is expected to improve the safety of remotely controlling the movement of the object. In other words, if a moving object can be directly guided by a remotely controlled drone while observing the surrounding environment detected from a high vantage point, it will be possible to remotely guide the object more safely and easily, which is convenient.

[0005] Thus, the main objective of the present invention is to enable safer and easier guidance of a moving object solely by operating a drone. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, the above problem is solved in one embodiment by a method for remotely guiding a mobile body moving on land or water using a drone, The process of connecting the drone and the mobile body with a guide rope, The process of flying and controlling the aforementioned drone in the air The process by which the drone pulls the guide rope and moves the mobile body in the direction that pulls the mobile body, This is achieved by a method that includes [a specific method].

[0007] In the above, the mobile object may be a vehicle such as an automobile or a ship. The mobile object may be a mobile object for logistics, but is not limited to this. The drone may be of any type as long as it can be controlled via wireless communication and fly in the air. The guide rope may be of any type as long as it is connected between the drone and the mobile object and allows the drone to fly.

[0008] In the configuration of the present invention described above, the drone and the mobile body are connected by a guide rope, and the mobile body moves in the direction in which the drone moves. With this configuration, in a configuration in which the mobile body is guided and moved by the drone, the mobile body can be moved in any direction by simply controlling the drone, and control of the mobile body is unnecessary, thus making it easier to operate the mobile body. Furthermore, as already mentioned, if the drone is equipped with a camera or other sensor capable of recognizing the surroundings, and the drone is flown above the mobile body and the surrounding conditions recognized by the sensor are observed or the drone is controlled accordingly, the conditions around the mobile body can be observed from a high vantage point, making it possible to move the mobile body more safely.

[0009] In the above configuration, specifically, the mobile body may be provided with means for detecting the pulling direction and pulling force of the guide rope, and the mobile body may be configured to move automatically based on the detected pulling direction and pulling force of the guide rope. This makes it possible to move the mobile body in a desired direction and manner by adjusting the tension of the guide rope between the mobile body and the drone, and moving the drone in the direction in which the mobile body is to be moved. Furthermore, the mobile body may be moved such that the greater the pulling force detected by the mobile body, the greater the speed or acceleration of the mobile body. That is, the speed or acceleration of the mobile body may be adjustable by adjusting the relative position between the drone and the mobile body and the pulling force.

[0010] In the above configuration, the drone may be remotely controlled and moved. For example, the operator may control the drone while visually observing it from a distance, or, as already mentioned, if the drone is equipped with a camera or other sensors capable of recognizing its surroundings, the operator may control the drone while observing information from those sensors. The drone may also be moved by autopilot. Since the moving object will generally follow the drone's movements, it is convenient that the moving object can be moved to the desired location by controlling only the drone.

[0011] Incidentally, while drones are basically powered by electricity, that electricity can be supplied to the drone from a power source mounted on the mobile body via a guide rope. This eliminates the need to mount a battery to store energy in the drone (although a battery may still be mounted), making the drone lighter and allowing it to fly for longer periods of time.

[0012] The above-described method of the present invention is realized by a system in which a drone is connected to a moving body by a guide rope. Therefore, according to the present invention, the above problem can be solved in another aspect by a guidance system for a moving body on land or water. A remotely controlled drone, A guide rope connecting the mobile body and the drone. The moving body is provided with means for detecting the pulling direction and pulling force of the guide rope being pulled by the drone, A moving means for moving the moving body in the detected pulling direction based on the pulling force, This is realized by a system that includes the following. In such a system, the mobile body moves in accordance with the drone's movements, and the drone may be controlled by a pilot or automatically controlled based on information detected by the drone. Power for its operation may also be supplied from the mobile body to the drone via a guide rope. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] Thus, in the above configuration, a drone connected to a guide rope is flown around the moving object, and the moving object follows the movement of the drone. According to such a configuration, when the moving object is moved by remote control, the moving object can be moved only by operating the drone, so that the operation for moving the moving object is easier than in the case where it is necessary to operate both the drone and the moving object. Further, if a sensor for recognizing the periphery of the moving object is mounted on the drone and the drone is operated based on the information, the periphery of the moving object can be detected from a high place. For example, it is possible to detect obstacles or the like at positions that cannot be directly visually recognized from the moving object, and thus it is possible to move the moving object more safely. The configuration of the present invention may be advantageously used, for example, for the movement of a moving object for logistics.

[0014] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(A) is a schematic diagram for explaining one aspect of a method and a system for guiding a moving object such as a vehicle using a drone according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1(B) is a diagram showing the configuration of a system for realizing the method for guiding a moving object according to the present embodiment in the form of a block diagram. [Figure 2] FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) are schematic diagrams for explaining another aspect of the method and the system for guiding a moving object according to the present embodiment, respectively. [Figure 3] FIGS. 3(A) to 3(D) are schematic diagrams for explaining a mode of speed control of a moving object according to the traction force of a guide rope by a drone in guiding a moving object such as a vehicle using a drone according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIGS. 4(A) to 4(C) are schematic diagrams for explaining a mode of steering control of a moving object according to the traction direction of a guide rope by a drone in guiding a moving object such as a vehicle using a drone according to the present embodiment.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0016] 10…Vehicle, 10a…Battery (power source), 10b…Power supply line, 11…Tractive force and traction direction detector, 12…Drive device, 13…Brake device, 14…Steering device, 20…Drone, 21…Camera (peripheral recognition sensor), 22…Drone operation controller, 23…Drone flight controller, 30…Guide rope, 40…Drone control device, 41…Monitor, 50…Drone automatic control device (computer device), 60…Ship, OP…Operator

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] The present invention will be described in detail with respect to several preferred embodiments while referring to the attached drawings below. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same parts.

[0018] Overview of using drones to guide moving objects such as vehicles As shown in FIG. 1(A), in guiding a moving body which may be the vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment, generally speaking, the vehicle 10 and the drone 20 are connected by a guide rope 30, the drone 20 is flown and moved arbitrarily, and by the drone 20 pulling the guide rope 30, the vehicle 10 is moved following it. The operation of the drone 20 may be achieved, in one aspect, as shown in the figure, by the operator OP remotely operating a drone control device 40 that communicates with the operation controller 22 of the drone 20 in an arbitrary form of wireless RT. Thereby, when the operator OP operates the drone 20 to move in the direction in which the vehicle 10 is desired to be moved, the vehicle 10 will be moved in the moved direction. Further, a camera for imaging the situation around the vehicle 10 or other sensors (such as millimeter wave radar, LIDAR, etc.) 2 to detect the surrounding situation is mounted on the drone 20, and the surrounding situation detected by the camera or the sensor 21 is transmitted to the control device 40 through the operation controller 22, and the surrounding situation may be visually presented to the operator OP using a monitor display or goggles 41 or the like. Thereby, the operator OP can operate the drone 20 while observing the surrounding situation of the vehicle 10 obtained from a high place by the drone 20.

[0019] Furthermore, in the above configuration, the guide rope 30 may be connected to a traction force / traverse direction detector 11 located at the front of the vehicle 10, and the traction force / traverse direction detector 11 may be configured to detect the traction force (tension) and traction direction of the guide rope 30 transmitted from the drone 20. The vehicle 10 may then be controlled to travel based on the traction force and traction direction of the guide rope 30 detected by the traction force / traverse direction detector 11, as will be described in detail later.

[0020] Referring to Figure 1(B), in the system for guiding moving objects such as vehicles using a drone according to this embodiment, first, the operator OP operates the drone control device 40, and the control instructions are transmitted to the drone operation controller 22 via the wireless communication network RT between the drone control device 40 and the drone operation controller 22 of the drone 20. The drone flight controller 23 is configured to fly the drone 20 in a normal manner according to the control instructions. In this regard, if the drone 20 is equipped with a camera or sensor 21 that detects or recognizes the surrounding situation, the detection or recognition results are transmitted from the operation controller 22 to the drone control device 40 via the wireless communication network RT, and the surrounding situation is visually displayed on the monitor 41. This makes it possible to observe the situation around the vehicle 10 from a high vantage point and to further enhance the safety of the vehicle 10's movement. Then, when the drone 20 flies and pulls the guide rope 30, the pulling force and pulling direction are detected by the pulling force / pulling direction detector 11, and the drive unit 12, braking unit 13, and steering unit 14 of the vehicle 10 are activated appropriately in accordance with these detected values ​​so that the vehicle 10 moves in accordance with the drone 20.

[0021] Furthermore, instead of the operator OP controlling the drone 20 through the drone control device 40, the drone 20 may be controlled automatically by the drone autopilot device 50, as shown in Figure 2(A). The drone autopilot device 50 may be any type of computer device and may be configured to recognize the surrounding conditions in any manner using the detection values ​​of the camera or sensor 21 mounted on the drone 20 that detects or recognizes the surrounding conditions, and to control the drone 20. Also, the moving object guided by the drone 20 may be any type of vessel 60 that moves on the water, as shown in Figure 2(B).

[0022] Incidentally, in the configurations shown in Figures 1(A), 2(A), and (B), the drone 20 operates on electricity, and this electricity may be supplied to the drone 20 through the guide rope 30, which is connected to a power supply line 10b from a power source (battery or generator) 10a mounted on a ground or water-based mobile body 10 or 60, by a traction force / traverse direction detector 11. For this purpose, the guide rope 30 may be configured to also function as a power transmission line. With such a configuration, it becomes unnecessary to mount a power source for the drone 20 to drive it (batteries or solar cells may be mounted), the weight of the drone 20 can be reduced, and the drone 20 can be flown for extended periods of time.

[0023] Drone towing force and guidance of the moving object according to the towing direction As described above, in this embodiment, the mobile bodies 10 and 60 move in accordance with the movement of the drone 20 connected by the guide rope 30. At that time, the speed or acceleration and direction of movement of the mobile bodies 10 and 60 are determined according to the magnitude of the tension of the guide rope 30 (the force with which the drone 20 pulls the guide rope 30) detected by the traction force / trajectory detector 11 of the mobile bodies 10 and 60 (the drone 20 does not pull the mobile bodies). The steering direction and amount of steering of the mobile bodies 10 and 60 may be determined according to the traction direction of the guide rope 30 detected by the traction force / trajectory detector 11 of the mobile bodies 10 and 60.

[0024] Specifically, first, as shown in Figure 3(A), when the drone 20 is not pulling the guide rope 30 in any direction and no tension (other than its own weight) is acting on the guide rope 30 (T~0), the moving bodies 10 and 60 may remain stationary. Next, as shown in Figures 3(B) and (C), as the drone 20 moves in front of the moving body 10, the force with which the drone 20 pulls the guide rope 30 increases (T→T L →T H ), so that the speed of movement V (or acceleration) increases (V → V L →V H ), the drive mechanism of the mobile body may be activated. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3(D), when the drone 20 moves behind the mobile body 10 and pulls the guide rope 30 backward, the drive mechanism of the mobile body may be activated so that the mobile body moves backward.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4(A) and (C), when the drone 20 moves to the right or left of the mobile body 10, and the guide rope 30 is pulled to the right or left, the steering device may be activated so that the mobile body is steered in the corresponding direction and turns. The steering angle δ may be increased in accordance with the displacement angle θ from the center of the guide rope 30.

[0026] Thus, according to the configuration of this embodiment described above, when moving a mobile object by remote control, the mobile object can be moved simply by controlling the drone, making the operation for moving the mobile object easier. In particular, when the drone is equipped with sensors that recognize the surroundings of the mobile object and the drone is controlled based on that information, the surroundings of the mobile object can be observed from a high place, making it possible to move the mobile object more safely. The configuration of this embodiment is advantageous for use, for example, in moving mobile objects for logistics, but is not limited to this.

[0027] While the above description is made in relation to embodiments of the present invention, many modifications and changes are readily possible for those skilled in the art, and it will be clear that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated above, but can be applied to various devices without departing from the concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for remotely guiding a mobile object moving on land or water using a drone, The process of connecting the drone and the mobile body with a guide rope, The process of flying and controlling the aforementioned drone in the air The process by which the drone pulls the guide rope and moves the mobile body in the direction that pulls the mobile body, A method that includes this.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the moving body is provided with means for detecting the pulling direction and pulling force of the guide rope, and the moving body is automatically moved based on the detected pulling direction and pulling force of the guide rope.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drone is remotely controlled and moved.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein power is supplied to the drone from the mobile body through the guide rope.

5. A guidance system for a moving object on land or water, A remotely controlled drone, A guide rope connecting the mobile body and the drone. The moving body is provided with means for detecting the pulling direction and pulling force of the guide rope being pulled by the drone, A moving means for moving the moving body in the detected pulling direction based on the pulling force, A system that includes this.

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