Control device, aircraft system

Abstract

To efficiently perform flight control of a plurality of unmanned flying objects that transport loaded objects in coordination with each other.SOLUTION: A control device which is provided as a separate body from a plurality of unmanned flying objects that transport loaded objects in coordination with each other comprises: a communication unit which performs communication with the unmanned flying objects; and a control unit which performs flight control of the plurality of unmanned flying objects by issuing a flight instruction to each of the plurality of unmanned flying objects.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device and an air vehicle system, and more particularly to a technology for transporting a payload by multiple unmanned air vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a system in which a load is hoisted and transported by multiple helicopters. In this system, one helicopter is designated as a master helicopter and the others as slave helicopters, and the flight of the slave helicopter is controlled by the master helicopter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-30431 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (e.g. drones) work together to transport cargo, it is possible to have multiple unmanned aerial vehicles perform the same operations by issuing the same flight instructions to the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. However, in reality, each unmanned aerial vehicle has its own individual differences, so even if the same flight instructions are given, they may not necessarily perform the same operations.

[0005] As a result, multiple unmanned aerial vehicles need to be controlled separately, but if each unmanned aerial vehicle were to perform flight control taking into account its payload and the status of other unmanned aerial vehicles, the computational load on each unmanned aerial vehicle would increase, which could lead to inefficiencies.

[0006] This proposal was invented against this background, and aims to provide efficient flight control for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles that work together to transport payloads. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The control device according to the present invention is a control device provided separately from a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles that cooperate to support a payload, and includes a communication unit that communicates with the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; A sensor for detecting a load on each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; A control unit that controls the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicles by issuing flight instructions to the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles. The control unit performs flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the center of gravity position of the load and the load applied to the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles detected by the sensor. . This allows multiple unmanned aerial vehicles that transport cargo in coordination to be flight-controlled by independent control devices. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently control the flight of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles that transport cargo in coordination. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an aircraft system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drone. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a drone. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a control device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating control during forward movement. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a first diagram illustrating control during left turning. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a second diagram illustrating the control during left turning. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an aircraft system according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] <1. Aircraft Systems> Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an aircraft system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the aircraft system 1 includes multiple drones 2. The drones 2 are an example of an unmanned aircraft, and four drones are provided in this embodiment. Note that there is no limit to the number of drones 2, as long as multiple drones 2 (two or more) are provided.

[0011] A support mechanism 3 made of a wire, a metal rod, or the like is suspended from the bottom of the drone 2. A load container 4 is attached to the lower end of the support mechanism 3. In this embodiment, the support mechanisms 3 are attached to the four corners of the load container 4.

[0012] The cargo container 4 is equipped with a cargo 5 to be transported and a control device 6 that controls the flight of the drone 2. Therefore, the drone 2 supports the cargo 5 and the control device 6 via the support mechanism 3 and the cargo container 4.

[0013] In the aircraft system 1, two drones 2 are arranged side by side on the forward direction side (front), and two drones 2 are arranged side by side on the backward direction side (rear). Each drone 2 is also controlled to face in the forward direction. Each drone 2 flies while maintaining its respective arrangement position (positional relationship).

[0014] In the aircraft system 1, flight instructions are transmitted to a control device 6 from a transmitter 7 operated by a pilot. The flight instructions include four types: throttle for ascending and descending, rudder for turning, elevator for moving forward and backward, and aileron for moving left and right. When the pilot operates the controls, the transmitter 7 transmits to the control device 6 a flight instruction corresponding to the operated control.

[0015] When the control device 6 receives an operation instruction from the transmitter 7, it transmits (issues) flight instructions to the four drones 2 based on the received operation instruction and information acquired by various sensors (sensors and modules) described below, thereby controlling the flight of the four drones 2. Note that the flight instructions transmitted from the control device 6 to the drones 2 include four types of controls: throttle, rudder, elevator, and aileron, just like the flight instructions transmitted from the transmitter 7.

[0016] In the aircraft system 1, the payload 5 is supported by multiple (four) drones 2, making it possible to transport a heavier payload 5 than when the payload 5 is supported by a single drone 2.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the drone 2. As is well known, various shapes and structures are known for unmanned aerial vehicles that fall into the category of drones, and Fig. 2 is merely one example.

[0018] 2, the drone 2 has a main body 11 disposed in the center. A support mechanism 3 (see FIG. 1) is suspended from the lower part of the main body 11. Four arms 12 are attached to the main body 11 so as to protrude in all four directions, and a motor 13 and a propeller 14 rotated by the motor 13 are attached near the tip of each arm 12. In addition, skids 15 are attached below and near the tip of each arm 12. The four skids 15 function as legs when landing.

[0019] The drone 2 has two propellers 14 arranged side by side on the forward direction side (front) and two propellers 14 arranged side by side on the backward direction side (rear).

[0020] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the drone 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the drone 2 includes, as a control configuration, a flight controller 21, a battery 22, a power supply unit 23, an ESC (Electric Speed ​​Controller) 24, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module 25, a status display LED (Light Emitting Diode) 26, a front / rear display LED 27, a six-axis gyro sensor 28, an air pressure sensor 29, a telemetry module 30, a magnetic sensor 31, a communication unit 32, a buzzer 33, and the like.

[0021] The flight controller 21 is composed of a microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), etc., and controls each part related to flight operations. The flight controller 21 controls the ESC 24 in response to flight instructions from the control device 6 received, for example, via a communication unit 32, and controls the attitude, speed, etc. of the aircraft.

[0022] The power supply unit 23 generates the power supply voltage required for each part using the battery 22 as a power source, and supplies each part as an operating power supply voltage. Note that the power supply voltage lines to each part are omitted in the figure to avoid complication. The power supply unit 23 also charges the battery 22. In addition, the power supply unit 23 performs power supply operations and charging operations under the control of the flight controller 21.

[0023] The motors 13 are a group of four motors 13 attached to the ends of the arms 12 as shown in FIG. An ESC 24 is provided for each of the motors 13. In the figure, the four ESCs 24 are shown as one. The motors 13 are driven while their rotation speeds are controlled by the ESCs 24.

[0024] The GPS module 25 includes a GPS antenna and a receiver, detects position information, and notifies the flight controller 21 of the position information.

[0025] The status display LED 26 displays various statuses of the drone 2 by lighting up, blinking, emitting different colors, etc. under the control of the flight controller 21. The front / rear display LED 27 indicates the front and rear of the drone 2 by emitting light based on the control of the flight controller 21.

[0026] The six-axis gyro sensor 28 is a sensor that detects angular velocities in the X, Y, and Z directions and acceleration in the rotational direction of each axis, and notifies the flight controller 21 of the detection information. The flight controller 21 determines and controls the attitude of the aircraft based on the detection information of the six-axis gyro sensor 28.

[0027] The air pressure sensor 29 detects air pressure and notifies the flight controller 21. This enables the flight controller 21 to detect altitude.

[0028] The telemetry module 30 performs processing to transmit various states, sensing information, images, and the like of the drone 2 to the control device 6 via the communication unit 32. This allows the control device 6 to check the flight status, altitude, battery status, and the like of the drone 2. The telemetry module 30 may perform processing to transmit various states, sensing information, images, and the like of the drone 2 to the transmitter 7 via the communication unit 32. This allows the pilot to check the flight status, altitude, battery status, images, and the like of the drone 2. Additionally, transmissions from telemetry module 30 may be made to either controller 6 or transmitter 7, or both.

[0029] The magnetic sensor 31 detects the direction by magnetism and notifies the flight controller 21. The communication unit 32 communicates with the control device 6. For example, the communication unit 32 receives flight instructions from the control device 6 wirelessly or via wire. The buzzer 33 generates a buzzer sound for alerts or notifications under the control of the flight controller 21.

[0030] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the control device 6. As shown in Fig. 4, the control device 6 includes, as a control configuration, a control unit 41, a battery 42, a power supply unit 43, a GPS module 44, a six-axis gyro sensor 45, an air pressure sensor 46, a telemetry module 47, a magnetic sensor 48, a communication unit 49, and the like.

[0031] The control unit 41 is configured by a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, EEPROM, etc., and controls each part of the control device 6. The control unit 41 also performs flight control of the multiple drones 2 based on the movement targets and attitude targets of the control device 6. The flight control will be described in detail later.

[0032] The power supply unit 43 generates the power supply voltage required for each of the above parts using the battery 42 as a power source, and supplies each part as an operating power supply voltage. Note that the power supply voltage lines to each part are omitted in the illustration to avoid complication. The power supply unit 43 also charges the battery 42. Moreover, the power supply unit 43 performs power supply operations and charging operations under the control of the control unit 41 .

[0033] The GPS module 44 includes a GPS antenna and a receiver, detects position information, and notifies the control unit 41 of the position information. The six-axis gyro sensor 45 is a sensor that detects angular velocities in the X, Y, and Z directions and acceleration in the rotation direction of each axis, and notifies the detection information to the control unit 41. The control unit 41 determines the attitude of the load container 4 (load 5, control device 6) based on the detection information of the six-axis gyro sensor 45.

[0034] The air pressure sensor 46 detects the air pressure and notifies the control unit 41. This enables the control unit 41 to detect the altitude.

[0035] The telemetry module 47 performs processing to transmit various states of the control device 6, sensing information, etc. to the transmitter 7 via the communication unit 49. This allows the pilot to check the flight status, altitude, battery status, video, etc. of the aircraft system 1.

[0036] The magnetic sensor 48 detects the direction by magnetism and notifies the control unit 41 of the direction. The communication unit 49 communicates with the transmitter 7 and the drones 2. For example, the communication unit 49 receives flight instructions wirelessly from the transmitter 7. In addition, the communication unit 50 transmits flight instructions to each drone 2 wirelessly or via a wire.

[0037] <2. Flight control by the control device 6> Next, the control of the multiple drones 2 by the control device 6 will be described. The control device 6 performs stabilization control to control the flight of each drone 2 so as to maintain a horizontal state as the target attitude of the control device 6. That is, in the stabilization control, the attitude of the load container 4 on which the payload 5 and the control device 6 are mounted is stabilized in a horizontal state.

[0038] The control unit 41 of the control device 6 detects the attitude of the control device 6, i.e., the attitude of the cargo container 4, based on the detection information notified from the 6-axis gyro sensor 45. Then, the control unit 41 adjusts the throttle of each drone 2 so that the cargo container 4 is in a horizontal state.

[0039] For example, if the load container 4 tilts forward, the control unit 41 issues a flight command to the two front drones 2 to increase the throttle (ascend). As a result, the two front drones 2 increase the rotation speed of the motor 13 in accordance with the flight command and ascend, reducing the forward tilt of the load container 4 and bringing the load container 4 closer to a horizontal state. When the load container 4 tilts forward, the control unit 41 may issue a flight instruction to the two rear drones 2 to lower the throttle (descend). The control unit 41 may also issue a flight instruction to the two front drones 2 to raise the throttle, and issue a flight instruction to the two rear drones 2 to lower the throttle.

[0040] Furthermore, when the right front of the load container 4 tilts downward, the control unit 41 issues a flight command to the right front drone 2 to increase the throttle. As a result, the right front drone 2 increases the rotation speed of the motor 13 in accordance with the flight command and ascends, reducing the tilt of the load container 4 and bringing the load container 4 closer to a horizontal state. When the right front of the load container 4 tilts downward, the control unit 41 may issue a flight instruction to the three drones 2 other than the right front one to lower their throttles. Also, the control unit 41 may issue a flight instruction to the one drone 2 at the right front to increase its throttle, and issue a flight instruction to the other three drones 2 to lower their throttles.

[0041] Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining control during forward movement. In Fig. 5, the outline arrow indicates the movement direction of the cargo container 4 (the cargo 5 and the control device 6), and the solid arrow indicates the movement direction of the drone 2.

[0042] When the control device 6 receives a flight instruction from the transmitter 7, it performs flight control of the multiple drones 2 so as to achieve a movement target based on the received flight instruction.

[0043] For example, when a forward flight command is received from the transmitter 7, the control unit 41 sets forward as the movement target. Then, the control unit 41 issues a flight command to all drones 2 to move forward at the same speed. As a result, all drones 2 increase the rotation speed of the rear motor 13 in accordance with the flight command and move forward at the same speed. That is, the multiple drones 2 move the cargo container 4 at a speed in accordance with the flight command.

[0044] Fig. 6 is the first diagram for explaining control during left turning. In Fig. 6, the white arrow indicates the movement direction of the cargo container 4 (the cargo 5 and the control device 6), and the black arrow indicates the movement direction of the drone 2. In Fig. 6, the length of the black arrow indicates the speed of the drone 2.

[0045] When a flight command for turning left (rudder) is received from the transmitter 7, the control unit 41 determines the direction to be the movement target based on the received flight command and the direction detected by the magnetic sensor .

[0046] Then, the control unit 41 issues flight instructions to the two drones 2 on the right to move forward at a predetermined speed and turn left until the cargo container 4 and the drones 2 face the direction of the movement target. The control unit 41 also issues flight instructions to the two drones 2 on the left to move forward at a speed slower than the two drones on the right and turn left until the cargo container 4 and the drones 2 face the direction of the movement target. As a result, in the aircraft system 1, as the drones 2 advance, the cargo container 4 faces the direction of the movement target and each drone 2 also faces the direction of the movement target.

[0047] 7 is a second diagram for explaining control during left turning. In FIG. 7, the outline arrow indicates the moving direction of the cargo container 4 (the cargo 5 and the control device 6), and the solid arrow indicates the moving direction of the drone 2.

[0048] As another example of a case where a flight command for turning left (rudder) is received from the transmitter 7, the control unit 41 issues a flight command to the two drones 2 on the right to move forward and turn left until the cargo container 4 and the drones 2 face the direction of the movement target. The control unit 41 also issues a flight command to the two drones 2 on the left to move backward and turn left until the cargo container 4 and the drones 2 face the direction of the movement target. As a result, in the aircraft system 1, the cargo container 4 faces the direction of the movement target, and each drone 2 also faces the direction of the movement target.

[0049] In this way, the control device 6 performs flight control of the multiple drones 2 so as to achieve the horizontal state, which is the attitude target of the control device 6 itself, and to achieve the movement target based on the flight command from the transmitter 7. This enables the aircraft system 1 to move the cargo container 4 to a position based on the flight command from the transmitter 7 while maintaining the cargo container 4 in a stable attitude (horizontal state).

[0050] <3. Modifications> It should be noted that the embodiment is not limited to the specific example described above, and various modified configurations may be adopted.

[0051] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a modified aircraft system 100. As shown in Fig. 8, the aircraft system 100 differs from the aircraft system 1 of the embodiment in that a force gauge 101 is attached to each of the support mechanisms 3. The force gauge 101 is provided as a component of the control device 6. The force gauge 101 detects the force applied to the support mechanism 3, i.e., the load applied to the drone 2, and notifies the control unit 41.

[0052] Here, each drone 2 has a set allowable load (payload). The control unit 41 acquires the payload of each drone 2 in advance, and issues flight instructions to the drone 2 based on the load detected by the force gauge 101.

[0053] For example, when the payloads of all drones 2 are the same, the control unit 41 issues a flight instruction to the drone 2 with a heavy load to decrease the throttle so that the loads applied to all drones 2 are the same. Alternatively, the control unit 41 issues a flight instruction to the drone 2 other than the drone 2 with a heavy load to increase the throttle. This allows the load applied to all drones 2 to be uniform.

[0054] Furthermore, when the payloads of the drones 2 are different, the control unit 41 issues an instruction to each drone 2 to control the throttle so that the load applied to each drone 2 does not exceed the payload. For example, the control unit 41 issues a flight instruction to lower the throttle to a drone 2 with a small payload so that the load does not exceed the payload, and issues a flight instruction to raise the throttle to a drone 2 with a large payload.

[0055] In addition, the control unit 41 may issue flight instructions to adjust the position of each drone 2 so that the control device 6 is horizontal, based on the known center of gravity position of the cargo container 4 and the load applied to each drone 2 detected by the force gauge 101.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the control device 6 is mounted on the load container 4. However, the control device 6 may be formed integrally with the load container 4.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the flight control of the drone 2 is performed based on the flight command of the transmitter 7. However, for example, a target position may be set in advance, and the flight control of the drone 2 may be performed so as to move to that position.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the control unit 41 performs flight control of the multiple drones 2 based on the movement targets and attitude targets of the control device 6. However, the control unit 41 may perform flight control of the multiple drones 2 based on the movement targets or attitude targets of the control device 6.

[0059] <4. Summary> According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0060] The control device 6 is provided separately from the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles that transport cargo 5 in coordination, and is equipped with a communication unit 50 that communicates with the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (drones 2), and a control unit 41 that performs flight control of the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles by issuing flight instructions to each of the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. This allows the control device 6 to transport a payload 5 using multiple drones 2, even if the payload 5 is too heavy to be transported by a single drone 2. In this case, for example, the pilot simply issues flight instructions to the control device 6, and the control device 6 issues flight instructions to each drone 2 based on those flight instructions, thereby simplifying operations when transporting payload 5 using multiple drones 2. In addition, since each drone 2 does not need to perform flight control that takes into account the state of the other drones 2 or the state of the payload 5, flight control of multiple drones 2 that work together to transport the payload 5 can be efficiently performed.

[0061] The control device 6 is supported by a number of unmanned aerial vehicles together with the payload 5, and the control unit 41 issues flight instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicles so as to achieve the movement or attitude targets of the control device 6. This allows the control device 6 to calculate flight instructions to be issued to each drone 2 without taking into account the movement targets or attitude targets of each drone 2, thereby reducing the calculation load on the control unit 41 and enabling efficient flight control of multiple drones 2.

[0062] The control device 6 does not have flight capabilities. As a result, the control device 6 does not need to issue flight instructions to itself, thereby further reducing the calculation load on the control unit 41 and enabling efficient flight control of multiple drones 2.

[0063] The unmanned aerial vehicle (drone 2) is equipped with a sensor (force gauge 101) that detects the load on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the control unit 41 performs flight control of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles so that the load on the unmanned aerial vehicle does not exceed the allowable load capacity. This reduces the risk that the drones 2 will exceed their payload and become unable to fly when multiple drones 2 work together to transport a payload 5.

[0064] The aircraft system 1 comprises multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (drones 2) that work together to transport payload 5, and a control device 6 that is provided separately from the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles and controls the flight of the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles by issuing flight instructions to each of the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. This aircraft system 1 can achieve the same effects as the control device 6 described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 Air Vehicle Systems 2. Drone 3 Support mechanism 4. Cargo container 5. Cargo 6. Control device 41 Control section 50 Communications Department

Claims

1. A control device that is provided separately from a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles that transport payloads in cooperation with each other, A communication unit that communicates with the unmanned aerial vehicle; A sensor for detecting a load on each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; A control unit that performs flight control of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles by issuing flight instructions to each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; Equipped with The control unit performs flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the center of gravity position of the load and the load applied to the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles detected by the sensor. Control device.

2. The control device is supported by the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles together with the payload, The control unit issues flight instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle based on a movement target or an attitude target of the control device. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. The control device does not have flight capabilities The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The control unit controls the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle so that the load on the unmanned aerial vehicle does not exceed an allowable load capacity. The control device according to claim 1 .

5. Multiple unmanned aerial vehicles that work together to transport payloads; A control device that is provided separately from the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles and controls the flight of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles by issuing flight instructions to each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; Equipped with The control device includes: A communication unit that communicates with the unmanned aerial vehicle; A sensor for detecting a load on each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; A control unit that performs flight control of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles by issuing flight instructions to each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles; Equipped with The control unit performs flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the center of gravity position of the load and the load applied to the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles detected by the sensor. Aircraft system.

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