Stairwell inspection system and stairwell inspection method

Abstract

To obtain a stairwell inspection system that allows for easy inspection of stairwells. [Solution] The stairwell inspection system (100) comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle (1) equipped with an imaging unit (14), a display unit (24) that displays images captured by the imaging unit (14), and an aircraft control unit (2) that controls the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle (1). The aircraft control unit (2) controls the unmanned aerial vehicle (1) so that it flies over the stairwell (200) to be inspected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a staircase inspection system and a staircase inspection method for inspecting a staircase room installed in a building.

Background Art

[0002] For staircase rooms such as emergency stairs installed in a building, inspection work such as checking for obstacles that may impede evacuation and checking the lighting operation of emergency lights is carried out regularly or irregularly.

[0003] In addition, a system for remotely inspecting emergency lights installed in a staircase room or the like has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The inspection system according to Patent Document 1 can transmit an inspection command to an emergency light having a function connectable to a network, and can arbitrarily set the transmission timing of the inspection command or the timing of status monitoring through the network.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The inspection of the staircase room is usually carried out visually. Therefore, the inspector needs to move to each floor on foot to conduct the inspection. Especially when inspecting the staircase room in a high-rise building, the burden becomes large.

[0006] The system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a system that focuses only on inspecting emergency lights. Therefore, it does not perform a general inspection of the staircase room.

[0007] This disclosure is made to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a stairwell inspection system and a stairwell inspection method that can easily inspect stairwells. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The stairwell inspection system according to this disclosure comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with an imaging unit, a display unit that displays images captured by the imaging unit, and an aircraft control unit that controls the operation of the UAV. The aircraft control unit controls the UAV so that it flies through the stairwell to be inspected.

[0009] Furthermore, the stairwell inspection method described herein is a method in which an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with an imaging unit flies sequentially through each floor of the stairwell to be inspected, and a display unit displays the images captured by the imaging unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to this disclosure, a stairwell inspection system and a stairwell inspection method can be obtained that allow for easy inspection of stairwells. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This figure shows a stairwell inspection system and a stairwell to be inspected according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a stairwell inspection system. [Figure 3] Figure 1 illustrates an example of the flight pattern of an unmanned aerial vehicle. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the stairwell inspection system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the stairwell inspection system of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the stairwell inspection system described herein, the inspector moves an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with an imaging unit sequentially to each floor of the stairwell to be inspected. The inspector then checks the images acquired by the imaging unit through a display unit on a remote controller. This allows the inspector to easily inspect the stairwell without having to walk to each floor.

[0013] The stairwells have almost the same structure on each floor, and the areas to be inspected do not differ significantly from floor to floor. Therefore, a key technical feature of the unmanned aerial vehicle is that it can sequentially move to each floor of the stairwell by repeatedly performing the same flight pattern used when flying through one level of the stairwell.

[0014] Embodiment 1. Figure 1 shows a stairwell inspection system and a stairwell to be inspected in Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

[0015] The stairwell inspection system 100 is a system for inspecting stairwells 200, such as emergency stairwells, installed in buildings, and includes an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and a remote controller 2.

[0016] Unmanned aircraft 1 is an aircraft that flies autonomously while maintaining its attitude. Unmanned aircraft 1 communicates wirelessly with remote controller 2 and flies in accordance with instructions from remote controller 2.

[0017] The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is equipped with an imaging unit 14. The imaging unit 14 is a camera that images the area in front of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. In order to be able to image not only the area in front of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 but also other directions, multiple cameras or a single 360-degree camera may be mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 as the imaging unit 14.

[0018] The remote controller 2 is a flight control unit that controls the operation of the unmanned aircraft 1 manually by the inspection operator 10 or automatically by the method described later. The remote controller 2 includes a display unit 24 described later, and can display the captured image captured by the imaging unit 14 through the display unit 24.

[0019] Note that the remote controller 2 may be a dedicated device specialized for the operation of the unmanned aircraft 1, or may be a smartphone, tablet PC, notebook PC, etc. with a predetermined aircraft operation program installed.

[0020] In FIG. 1, the emergency light 60 is an emergency lighting fixture that illuminates the staircase room 200 of the staircase. The emergency light 60 is installed on each floor of the staircase room 200 or on the dance floor midway through the staircase.

[0021] The emergency light 60 incorporates an emergency battery and continues to light for a specified time or more using the emergency battery even if a power failure occurs due to a disaster.

[0022] Depending on the type of emergency light, there are some that have a battery check function to actually measure the time and check whether they can continue to light for a specified time or more using the emergency battery. In addition, there are also emergency lights that can receive remote operation by infrared rays and activate the battery check. The emergency light 60 is assumed to be a type that can activate the battery check by such remote operation.

[0023] The staircase room inspection system 100 inspects the appearance and lighting state of the emergency light 60 as inspection items, and causes the emergency light 60 to perform the above battery check by remote operation.

[0024] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, when an obstacle 70 is placed in front of the emergency door 50, it becomes an obstacle when evacuating. The staircase room inspection system 100 inspects whether there is an object that becomes an obstacle when evacuating in the staircase room 200 together with the inspection of the emergency light 60.

[0025] Furthermore, if fire prevention equipment such as fire detectors and sprinklers are installed in the stairwell 200, the stairwell inspection system 100 can be used to inspect their appearance and operation.

[0026] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the stairwell inspection system 100 shown in Figure 1.

[0027] In Figure 2, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 comprises a communication unit 11, a control unit 12, a memory unit 13, an imaging unit 14, an illumination unit 15, an infrared irradiation unit 16, a rangefinder unit 17, and an autonomous flight control unit 18.

[0028] The communication unit 11 communicates wirelessly with the remote controller 2. In this embodiment 1, the communication unit 11 communicates data in a specific frequency band such as the 2.4GHz band.

[0029] The control unit 12 has a configuration that includes an arithmetic processing unit, a main memory, and an interface for controlling various hardware. The control unit 12 performs various arithmetic processing and controls various hardware within the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to commands from the remote controller 2.

[0030] The memory unit 13 is a secondary memory device that stores programs, parameters, and other information for flying the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The memory unit 13 also records images captured by the imaging unit 14 during flight and records operation logs.

[0031] The imaging unit 14 images the area around the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. In Embodiment 1, the imaging unit 14 images the area in front of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the direction of travel. As described above, if multiple cameras or 360-degree cameras are used as the imaging unit 14, it is possible to image various directions simultaneously.

[0032] The illumination unit 15 is an LED light, and illuminates areas where the captured image becomes unclear due to insufficient light.

[0033] The infrared irradiator 16 emits infrared light according to a specific irradiation pattern. By emitting infrared light from the infrared irradiator 16, the emergency light 60 can be remotely controlled to perform a battery check.

[0034] The rangefinder 17 irradiates the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 with laser light, millimeter waves, sound waves, etc., in the up, down, front, back, left, and right directions, and measures the distance to objects in each direction.

[0035] The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 flies while measuring the distance to the walls, floor, ceiling, and other objects of the stairwell 200 using the rangefinder 17, so as not to come into contact with these objects. In addition, by continuously measuring the distance to the walls, floor, and ceiling of the stairwell 200, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 can determine its current position based on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the stairwell 200.

[0036] Furthermore, by using advanced sensors such as LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) as the rangefinder 17, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 can also confirm the presence of obstacles 70 as shown in Figure 1.

[0037] The autonomous flight control unit 18 is a module that controls the unmanned aircraft 1 so that it can autonomously maintain its attitude during flight. The autonomous flight control unit 18 consists of an inertial measurement unit, a rotor motor, an autonomous control circuit, and the like. The autonomous control circuit includes at least a motor driver circuit that controls the rotor motor based on acceleration values, angular velocity values, and azimuth values ​​measured by the inertial measurement unit.

[0038] The remote controller 2 comprises a communication unit 21, a control unit 22, a storage unit 23, a display unit 24, and an operation unit 25.

[0039] The communication unit 21 performs wireless communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 using a frequency band such as the 2.4GHz band.

[0040] The control unit 22 includes a processing unit, main memory, etc., and controls various hardware within the remote controller 2.

[0041] The memory unit 23 stores control programs, parameters, and other necessary data. The memory unit 23 also stores captured images transmitted from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

[0042] The display unit 24 includes a liquid crystal monitor and displays the captured images transmitted from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

[0043] The control unit 25 is a functional unit that receives manual input from the inspection worker 10. In response to the manual input from the inspection worker 10, the control unit 25 causes the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 to perform various operations such as flight control and infrared illumination.

[0044] In Embodiment 1, the display unit 24 is configured to be integrated with the remote controller 2, but a dedicated monitor separate from the remote controller 2 may be provided as the display unit 24.

[0045] Next, we will explain the flight control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle 1.

[0046] Typically, stairwells have almost the same structure on each floor, with each floor repeating vertically. Furthermore, emergency lights, fire detectors, and sprinklers are located in the same positions on each floor. Therefore, the areas to be inspected do not differ significantly from floor to floor.

[0047] In other words, in Embodiment 1, when inspecting the stairwell 200, a flight pattern for one floor is defined, and the unmanned aircraft 1 is flown to automatically repeat this flight pattern. This reduces the operational burden on the inspection worker 10.

[0048] Therefore, in Embodiment 1, the remote controller 2 stores the flight pattern of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 when it flies over one floor of the stairwell 200. Then, when inspecting the stairwell 200, the remote controller 2 automatically sends an operation signal to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 to repeat this flight pattern.

[0049] Figure 3 illustrates the flight pattern of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 shown in Figure 1. In the following example, we assume that the inspection is carried out from the lower floor to the upper floor of the stairwell 200. Also, for the sake of simplicity, the depth direction of Figure 3 will not be considered here.

[0050] The remote controller 2 stores the operation procedure performed by the inspection worker 10 when the unmanned aircraft 1 is flown one flight level as a flight pattern. Therefore, the flight pattern is information that arranges in chronological order the timing of each operation performed by the inspection worker 10, such as ascending, descending, forward / backward movement, left / right movement, and turning.

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 3, the operating procedure for the flight route R from the starting point P1 to the ending point P4 is stored in the remote controller 2 as a flight pattern. Also in the example shown in Figure 3, the unmanned aircraft 1 emits infrared light at points P2 and P3 as it approaches the emergency light 60 in order to cause the emergency light 60 to perform a battery check. The flight pattern also includes information on the timing of this infrared light emission.

[0052] Furthermore, since the unmanned aircraft 1 flies to the upper floors by repeating the flight route R, point P4 becomes the starting point for the next upper floor. For this reason, as shown by the dashed line C, the endpoint point P4 is made to coincide with the starting point point P1. This reduces the positional deviation that occurs as the aircraft progresses through the floors.

[0053] In the example shown in Figure 3, in order to correctly determine the positions of the starting point P1 and the ending point P4, the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is started from a position where it is placed on the floor, and at the end of the flight, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is placed on the floor. However, if the position can be determined, the flight may also be started in the air and ended in the air at the same position on the floor above.

[0054] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the stairwell inspection system 100 shown in Figure 1. Here, the unmanned aircraft 1 is assumed to fly by repeating the flight route R shown in Figure 3. Furthermore, the inspection is described as starting from the first floor and proceeding sequentially to the upper floors.

[0055] In step S101, the remote controller 2 stores the flight pattern. As described above, the remote controller 2 flies the unmanned aircraft 1 from point P1 on the first floor, via points P2 and P3, to point P4 on the second floor, in response to the operation from the inspection worker 10. The operation procedure at this time is stored in the remote controller 2 as the flight pattern. Points P2 and P3 are also stored as points to which infrared light is emitted.

[0056] In step S101, as described above, the flight pattern for the uphill direction is stored, but the flight pattern for the downhill direction may also be stored. In this case, after the unmanned aircraft 1 reaches point P4 on the second floor, the unmanned aircraft 1 is directed from point P4 to point P1 on the first floor. This allows the flight pattern for the downhill direction to also be stored in the remote controller 2.

[0057] In step S102, the remote controller 2 receives input from the inspection worker 10 and obtains the number of floors to be inspected. Based on the obtained number of floors, the remote controller 2 determines the number of repetitions of the flight pattern.

[0058] Then, in step S103, the inspection worker 10 places the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 on point P1 on the first floor and performs a predetermined start operation. As a result, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 begins flight. At this time, imaging by the imaging unit 14 also begins, and the captured image is displayed on the display unit 24 of the remote controller 2.

[0059] Subsequently, in step S104, the unmanned aircraft 1 flies while receiving control commands from the remote controller 2 based on the flight pattern. At this time, the remote controller 2 automatically transmits control commands to the unmanned aircraft 1, but also accepts interrupt operations from the inspection worker 10 via the operation unit 25. By performing these interrupt operations, the inspection worker 10 can manually make fine adjustments to the flight of the unmanned aircraft 1, preventing it from deviating significantly from the flight route R.

[0060] Furthermore, when the unmanned aircraft 1 reaches points P2 and P3 in Figure 3, it emits infrared light onto the emergency light 60. This causes the emergency light 60 to perform a battery check. At this time, whether or not the battery check has started correctly can be confirmed by the color of the LED installed on the emergency light 60.

[0061] After the unmanned aircraft 1 has flown to point P4 in step S105, in step S106, the remote controller 2 determines whether the unmanned aircraft 1 has flown the required number of times.

[0062] If the unmanned aircraft 1 has not flown for the specified number of times, the remote controller 2 returns to step S103. As a result, the unmanned aircraft 1 starts flying towards the upper floors according to its flight pattern, with the arrival point P4 now being its starting point.

[0063] On the other hand, once the unmanned aircraft 1 has flown the specified number of times, the remote controller 2 terminates the process shown in Figure 4.

[0064] While steps S103 to S105 are repeated, the inspection worker 10 visually views the images captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 displayed on the display unit 24. This allows the inspection worker 10 to visually inspect the stairwell 200. In addition to the visual inspection by the inspection worker 10, the stairwell 200 may also be inspected using AI-based image analysis.

[0065] Once the flowchart in Figure 4 is completed, the unmanned aircraft 1 will be located in the upper layer. However, by pre-setting the downhill flight pattern in step S101 above, inspections can also be performed in the downhill direction.

[0066] By storing the flight pattern in the downward direction as well, the inspection worker 10 can also check the images taken in the opposite direction to those taken in the upward direction through the display unit 24. Therefore, the stairwell 200 can be inspected from viewpoints that could not be confirmed during the upward inspection.

[0067] Furthermore, during the inspection in the downward direction, the inspection worker 10 can determine whether the battery check, which was started during the upward direction inspection, is continuing to be performed correctly by checking the color of the LED installed on the emergency light 60.

[0068] When using a single camera as the imaging unit 14, obtaining imaging results in opposite directions on the outbound and return flights prevents inspection omissions due to blind spots. Furthermore, when using multiple cameras or 360° cameras as the imaging unit 14, it becomes possible to prevent inspection omissions by only using the outbound flight.

[0069] In Embodiment 1, the flight pattern was defined as going from the first floor to the second floor of the stairwell 200, but it is not limited to this, and the flight pattern may be started from any floor. Alternatively, the flight pattern may start from the middle of the staircase and end at the same staircase position on the floor above.

[0070] Furthermore, while the flight pattern was defined as one floor from the first to the second floor of the stairwell 200, it is not limited to this, and the flight pattern may be defined as any number of floors specified.

[0071] Furthermore, while Embodiment 1 primarily described an upward flight pattern from lower floors to upper floors, a downward flight pattern from upper floors to lower floors is also possible.

[0072] To summarize the above, the flight pattern should be any flight pattern that occurs when the unmanned aircraft 1 flies over at least one floor of the stairwell 200 being inspected.

[0073] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the remote controller 2 functions as the aircraft control unit, and the remote controller 2 controls the unmanned aircraft 1 to perform repeated flights based on a flight pattern. Alternatively, the unmanned aircraft 1 may be equipped with the aircraft control unit function, allowing the unmanned aircraft 1 to autonomously perform repeated flights based on a flight pattern without instructions from the remote controller 2.

[0074] In this case, during step S101 in Figure 4 above, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 uses the rangefinder 17 to acquire its position relative to the floor, walls, and ceiling during flight, and also acquires acceleration values, angular velocity values, and azimuth values ​​from the inertial measurement unit. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 associates each of these pieces of information over time to create a flight pattern and stores it in the memory unit 13.

[0075] Furthermore, during inspection flights, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 uses the rangefinder 17 to measure the distance from the floor, walls, and ceiling to its current position, and obtains acceleration values, angular velocity values, and azimuth values ​​from the inertial measurement unit. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 then flies while comparing these values ​​with the flight pattern, ensuring that it does not deviate from the flight pattern.

[0076] Furthermore, while Embodiment 1 primarily described the inspection worker 10 checking the captured images on the spot, the captured images from each floor may be recorded in the memory unit 13 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 or the memory unit 23 of the remote controller 2, allowing for later visual inspection. It is also possible to apply image analysis to the recorded captured images for later inspection.

[0077] Furthermore, although the inspection target in Embodiment 1 was limited to stairwells, the method of Embodiment 1 can be applied to any inspection target that can be inspected by repeating the same flight pattern. Examples of such inspection targets include not only stairwells but also escalator installation locations. Also, even if the same section is repeated on the same floor, if the flight pattern for one section and the flight pattern for moving to the next section are stored together, the same thing as the method described in Embodiment 1 can be achieved by repeating this process.

[0078] The features of this stairwell inspection system 100 can be summarized as follows, and it will be able to achieve the following effects.

[0079] The stairwell inspection system 100 comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 equipped with an imaging unit 14, a display unit 24 that displays the images captured by the imaging unit 14, and a remote controller 2 that controls the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

[0080] The remote controller 2 controls the unmanned aircraft 1 so that it flies through the stairwell 200.

[0081] This makes it easier to inspect the stairwell 200.

[0082] Furthermore, the remote controller 2 stores the flight pattern of the unmanned aircraft when it has flown at least one level of the stairwell, and controls the unmanned aircraft 1 so that it flies through the stairwell 200 while repeating the flight pattern.

[0083] This reduces the burden on the operator of the unmanned aircraft 1.

[0084] Furthermore, the unmanned aircraft 1 flies through the stairwell 200 while remotely controlling the emergency light 60 installed in the stairwell 200 to check the remaining battery level of the emergency light 60.

[0085] Normally, even when checking the batteries of the emergency lights 60, it is necessary to move through the stairwell 200 on foot, but by using the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, this can be done easily.

[0086] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the following method for inspecting a stairwell was also described.

[0087] In other words, the stairwell inspection method in Embodiment 1 is a stairwell inspection method in which an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 equipped with an imaging unit 14 flies sequentially through each floor of the stairwell 200 to be inspected, and a display unit 24 displays the images captured by the imaging unit 14.

[0088] In this stairwell inspection method, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 flies through the stairwell 200 by repeatedly performing the flight pattern that the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 used when flying through at least one floor of the stairwell 200.

[0089] This allows for easy inspection of the stairwell 200, similar to the stairwell inspection system 100. Furthermore, it reduces the operational burden on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

[0090] Furthermore, in the stairwell inspection method described above, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 can fly over the stairwell 200 while remotely controlling the emergency light 60 installed in the stairwell 200 to check the remaining battery level of the emergency light 60. Therefore, the battery check of the emergency light 60 can be easily performed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0091] 1 Unmanned aircraft, 2 Remote controller, 10 Inspection worker, 11, 21 Communication unit, 12, 22 Control unit, 13, 23 Memory unit, 14 Imaging unit, 15 Lighting unit, 16 Infrared illumination unit, 17 Rangefinder unit, 18 Autonomous flight control unit, 24 Display unit, 25 Operation unit, 50 Emergency door, 60 Emergency light, 70 Obstacle, 100 Stairwell inspection system, 200 Stairwell.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with an imaging unit, A display unit that displays the captured image captured by the aforementioned imaging unit, A flight control unit that controls the operation of the aforementioned unmanned aerial vehicle, Equipped with, The aircraft control unit controls the unmanned aircraft so that it flies through the stairwell to be inspected. Stairwell inspection system.

2. The aforementioned aircraft control unit, The flight pattern of the unmanned aircraft when it flew over at least one level of the aforementioned stairwell is stored. Controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle so that it flies through the stairwell repeating the flight pattern, The stairwell inspection system according to claim 1.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle flies through the stairwell while remotely controlling an emergency light installed in the stairwell to check the remaining battery level of the emergency light's emergency battery. The stairwell inspection system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. An unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with an imaging unit flies sequentially, moving through each floor of the stairwell to be inspected. The display unit displays the captured image captured by the imaging unit. Stairwell inspection method.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle flies through the stairwell by repeatedly performing the flight pattern that the unmanned aerial vehicle used when flying through at least one level of the stairwell. The method for inspecting a stairwell according to claim 4.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle flies through the stairwell while remotely controlling an emergency light installed in the stairwell to check the remaining battery level of the emergency light's emergency battery. The method for inspecting a stairwell according to claim 4 or 5.

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