Unmanned aircraft flight control system and terrain measurement system

Abstract

A flight control system (1) for an unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a total station (2) for tracking an unmanned aerial vehicle (3) having a reflector 7 mounted thereon and the reflector and acquiring measurement data including three-dimensional coordinates of the reflector, wherein the total station is provided with a tracking unit that tracks the reflector, a TS-data transmission unit that has an optical axis parallel to or roughly parallel to a tracking optical axis of the tracking unit and that emits TS-data transmission light (23), and a TS-calculation control unit, the unmanned aerial vehicle has a light receiver that receives the TS-data transmission light and generates a light receiving signal, and has a UAV-calculation control unit that controls flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the TS-calculation control unit superposes the measurement data on the TS-data transmission light, and the UAV-calculation control unit separates the measurement data from the light receiving signal and acquires the flying position of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an unmanned aircraft flight control system that transmits the flight position of the unmanned aircraft to the unmanned aircraft in real time, and a topography measurement system that mounts a shape measuring instrument on the unmanned aircraft and measures topography from the sky. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, unmanned aircraft have become widespread and developed, and are used for photography, transporting small cargo, etc. Unmanned aircraft are either remotely controlled in a state where they can be seen, or the position of the unmanned aircraft is acquired using GPS and the unmanned flight is performed according to a set program. In this case, the real-time flight position of the unmanned aircraft is not required to be highly accurate.

[0003] Furthermore, photogrammetry based on aerial photographs is widely used to measure topography. In recent years, a method of acquiring aerial photographs by mounting a camera on an unmanned aerial vehicle and taking pictures of the ground from the sky has become widespread.

[0004] In addition, when a camera is mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle and used to photograph the ground from the sky, a reflector is attached to the unmanned aerial vehicle, this reflector is tracked by a total station, the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle is measured, the photographing position of the unmanned aerial vehicle is identified based on the measurement results, and topography is measured based on the photographing position and the image.

[0005] Conventionally, the position data of the drone was stored in a total station, and after the measurement was completed, the drone's photographed data and the position data were combined to calculate the topographical measurement results. Therefore, the measurement data could not be viewed in real time, and the measurement status was judged after the drone completed photographing and after the total station measured the position. For this reason, if the measurement status was judged to be insufficient and remeasurement was required, the measurement work had to be carried out again from the beginning, resulting in a significant loss of time.

[0006] In addition, conventionally, the position data of unmanned aircraft was stored in a total station, so in order for the unmanned aircraft to know its own flight position in real time, a separate position measuring device was required, making the system configuration complicated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-1450 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-145784 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention provides a system in which the flight position of an unmanned aircraft measured by a total station can be transmitted to the unmanned aircraft in real time in an unmanned aircraft flight control system or terrain measurement system using a total station and an unmanned aircraft. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention relates to an unmanned aircraft flight control system comprising an unmanned aircraft equipped with a reflector and a total station (TS) that tracks the reflector and acquires measurement data including three-dimensional coordinates of the reflector, wherein the total station comprises a tracking unit that tracks the reflector, a TS-data transmission unit that has an optical axis parallel or approximately parallel to the tracking optical axis of the tracking unit and that emits TS-data transmission light, and a TS-calculation control unit, wherein the unmanned aircraft comprises a receiver that receives the TS-data transmission light and emits a received light signal, and a UAV-calculation control unit that controls the flight of the unmanned aircraft, wherein the TS-calculation control unit superimposes the measurement data on the TS-data transmission light, and the UAV-calculation control unit separates the measurement data from the received light signal, and the flight position of the unmanned aircraft is acquired in real time.

[0010] The present invention also relates to an unmanned aircraft flight control system, in which the UAV-calculation control unit is configured to control the flight of the unmanned aircraft based on the three-dimensional coordinates contained in the measurement data.

[0011] The present invention also relates to a flight control system for an unmanned aircraft in which the tracking unit emits pulses of tracking light at a predetermined cycle, and the TS data transmission light is emitted within the time section of the light emission interval so as not to interfere with the tracking light and reflected tracking light.

[0012] The present invention also relates to a flight control system for an unmanned aircraft in which the tracking unit also serves as the TS data transmission unit, and the tracking unit emits tracking light as the TS data transmission light within a time section of an emission interval.

[0013] The present invention also relates to a flight control system for an unmanned aircraft in which the optical receiver includes the reflector, a reflective film formed on the reflective surface of the reflector and transmitting a portion of the light, and a light receiving element that receives the TS data transmission light through the reflective film.

[0014] The present invention also provides a topographical measurement system comprising an unmanned aircraft equipped with a reflector and a shape measuring instrument provided at a known position relative to the reflector, and a total station (TS) for tracking the reflector and acquiring measurement data including the three-dimensional coordinates of the reflector, the total station comprising a tracking unit for tracking the reflector, a TS-data transmission unit having an optical axis parallel or approximately parallel to the tracking optical axis of the tracking unit, for emitting a TS-data transmission light, and a TS-calculation control unit, the unmanned aircraft receiving the TS-data transmission light and emitting a receiving light signal. The UAV-calculation control unit has a light receiver that transmits light to the unmanned aerial vehicle and a UAV-calculation control unit that controls the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the TS-calculation control unit superimposes the measurement data on the TS data transmission light, the UAV-calculation control unit acquires shape data using the shape measuring device, and the UAV-calculation control unit separates the measurement data from the received light signal, acquires the position of the shape measuring device in real time, associates the position of the shape measuring device with the shape data, and acquires the three-dimensional coordinates of the shape measuring device when the shape data is acquired.

[0015] The present invention also relates to a topographical measurement system in which the UAV-calculation control unit is configured to control the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle based on three-dimensional coordinates contained in the measurement data.

[0016] The present invention also relates to a topographical measurement system in which the tracking unit emits pulses of tracking light at a predetermined cycle, and the TS data transmission light is emitted within the time division of the emission interval so as not to interfere with the tracking light and reflected tracking light.

[0017] The present invention also relates to a topographical measurement system in which the tracking unit also serves as the TS data transmission unit, and the tracking unit emits tracking light as the TS data transmission light within a time segment of a light emission interval.

[0018] The present invention also relates to a topographical measurement system in which the optical receiver includes the reflector, has a reflective film formed on the reflective surface of the reflector that transmits a portion of the light, and has a light receiving element that receives the TS data transmission light through the reflective film.

[0019] The present invention also relates to a topographical measurement system in which the total station has a TS-GNSS device, the unmanned aerial vehicle has a UAV-GNSS device, the TS-calculation control unit is configured to acquire the GNSS time when measurement data is acquired from the TS-GNSS device and associate the GNSS time with the measurement data, and the UAV-calculation control unit is configured to acquire the GNSS time when shape data is acquired by the UAV-GNSS device, associate the GNSS time with the shape data, and associate the measurement data and the shape data via the GNSS time.

[0020] The present invention also relates to a topographical measurement system in which the shape measuring instrument is a camera that photographs the earth's surface, and the UAV-calculation control unit performs photogrammetry from image data acquired by the camera and the three-dimensional coordinates of the camera at the time of image acquisition obtained from the TS-data transmission light.

[0021] The present invention also relates to a topographical measurement system in which the shape measuring instrument is a laser scanner that acquires point cloud data of the earth's surface, and the UAV-calculation control unit converts the point cloud data acquired by the laser scanner and the point cloud data obtained from the TS-data transmission light into three-dimensional data of the earth's surface system based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the laser scanner at the time of acquisition.

[0022] The present invention also relates to a topographical measurement system comprising an unmanned aircraft equipped with a reflector and a shape measuring instrument installed at a known position relative to the reflector, and a total station that tracks the reflector and acquires measurement data including the three-dimensional coordinates of the reflector, wherein the total station comprises a tracking unit that tracks the reflector and a TS-calculation control unit, and the unmanned aircraft has a UAV-data transmission unit that emits a UAV-data transmission light, and a UAV-calculation control unit that controls the flight of the unmanned aircraft, wherein the UAV-calculation control unit acquires shape data using the shape measuring instrument and superimposes the shape data on the UAV-data transmission light, and the TS-calculation control unit acquires the shape data from the UAV-data transmission light, associates the shape data with measurement data, and acquires the three-dimensional coordinates of the shape measuring instrument when the shape data is acquired.

[0023] The present invention also relates to a topography measurement system in which the total station has a TS-GNSS device, the unmanned aerial vehicle has a UAV-GNSS device, the UAV-calculation control unit is configured to acquire the GNSS time when shape data is acquired by the UAV-GNSS device and associate the GNSS time with the shape data, and the TS-calculation control unit is configured to acquire the GNSS time when measurement data is acquired from the TS-GNSS device, associate the GNSS time with the measurement data, and associate the measurement data and the shape data via the GNSS time.

[0024] The present invention also relates to a topographical measurement system in which the shape measuring instrument is a camera that photographs the earth's surface, the TS-calculation control unit acquires the three-dimensional coordinates of the camera at the time of image acquisition based on the measurement data, and performs photogrammetry from the image data and the three-dimensional coordinates.

[0025] The present invention also relates to a topographical measurement system in which the shape measuring instrument is a laser scanner that acquires point cloud data of the earth's surface, and the TS-calculation control unit converts the point cloud data into three-dimensional data of the earth's surface system from the three-dimensional coordinates of the laser scanner at the time of acquiring the point cloud data obtained from the point cloud data and the measurement data. Effect of the Invention

[0026] According to the present invention, there is provided a flight control system for an unmanned aircraft comprising an unmanned aircraft equipped with a reflector and a total station that tracks the reflector and acquires measurement data including three-dimensional coordinates of the reflector, wherein the total station comprises a tracking unit that tracks the reflector, a TS-data transmission unit that has an optical axis parallel or approximately parallel to the tracking optical axis of the tracking unit and that emits TS-data transmission light, and a TS-calculation control unit, and the unmanned aircraft comprises a receiver that receives the TS-data transmission light and emits a received light signal, and a UAV-calculation control unit that controls the flight of the unmanned aircraft, wherein the TS-calculation control unit superimposes the measurement data on the TS-data transmission light, and the UAV-calculation control unit separates the measurement data from the received light signal, and is configured to acquire the flight position of the unmanned aircraft in real time, so that the unmanned aircraft can fly based on high-precision position information measured by the total station during flight.

[0027] According to the present invention, there is provided a topographical measurement system comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a reflector and a shape measuring device provided at a known position relative to the reflector, and a total station for tracking the reflector and acquiring measurement data including three-dimensional coordinates of the reflector, the total station comprising a tracking unit for tracking the reflector, a TS-data transmission unit having an optical axis parallel or approximately parallel to the tracking optical axis of the tracking unit and emitting a TS-data transmission light, and a TS-calculation control unit, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a receiver for receiving the TS-data transmission light and emitting a receiving signal, and a UAV-calculation control unit for controlling the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The UAV-calculation control unit is configured to superimpose the measurement data on the TS-data transmission light, the UAV-calculation control unit acquires shape data using the shape measuring device, and the UAV-calculation control unit separates the measurement data from the received light signal, acquires the position of the shape measuring device in real time, associates the position of the shape measuring device with the shape data, and acquires the three-dimensional coordinates of the shape measuring device at the time the shape data is acquired.Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle can acquire highly accurate position information measured by the total station during flight, and can perform highly accurate topography measurements based on this position information.

[0028] According to the present invention, there is provided a topographical measurement system comprising an unmanned aircraft equipped with a reflector and a shape measuring instrument installed at a known position relative to the reflector, and a total station which tracks the reflector and acquires measurement data including the three-dimensional coordinates of the reflector, wherein the total station comprises a tracking unit which tracks the reflector, and a TS-calculation control unit, and the unmanned aircraft has a UAV-data transmission unit which emits a UAV-data transmission light, and a UAV-calculation control unit which controls the flight of the unmanned aircraft, and the UAV-calculation control unit acquires shape data using the shape measuring instrument and superimposes the shape data on the UAV-data transmission light, and the TS-calculation control unit is configured to acquire the shape data from the UAV-data transmission light, associate the shape data with the measurement data, and acquire the three-dimensional coordinates of the shape measuring instrument at the time the shape data was acquired, so that the measurement results by the shape measuring instrument can be sequentially confirmed on the TS side, and a decision can be made to re-measure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a total station used in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a UAV used in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a light receiver. [Diagram 5] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the emission timing of distance measurement light, tracking light, and TS data transmission light, the operation timing of the light receiving shutter, and the light receiving timing of the light receiver. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a total station used in a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a UAV used in a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an optical system of a UAV in a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an optical system of a total station in a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing another example of the optical receiver in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an aerial photogrammetry system using a data transmission method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] The aerial photogrammetry system 1 is composed of a surveying device with a tracking function and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV3).

[0033] In the following description, a total station is used as the surveying instrument 2 having a tracking function.

[0034] A total station 2 is installed at a known point (a point whose three-dimensional coordinates are known). The total station 2 has a telescope unit 5 that can rotate in the horizontal and vertical directions, and is capable of sighting the measurement target and measuring the distance by laser. The vertical and horizontal angles of the telescope unit 5 are detected by a vertical angle detector and a horizontal angle detector, respectively, and the three-dimensional coordinates of the measurement target can be measured based on the detected vertical angle, horizontal angle, and distance measurement results.

[0035] In addition, the telescope unit 5 has a tracking function, and can measure a measurement target (for example, a prism 7) having a retroreflective property while tracking the measurement target. Furthermore, since the measurement target is measured by the total station 2, the obtained measurement result (three-dimensional coordinates) is highly accurate.

[0036] The UAV 3 can fly by remote control or unmanned (autonomous), and has a camera 6 for photogrammetry. In this case, the camera 6 functions as a shape measuring instrument, and the image (image data) acquired by the camera 6 corresponds to shape data. The position data of the UAV 3 required for the UAV 3 to fly autonomously can be the measurement results of the UAV 3 by a total station (described later) or the position data acquired by a UAV-GNSS device 27 (described later).

[0037] The camera 6 has an imaging optical axis that is vertical when the UAV 3 is in a horizontal position. Alternatively, the camera 6 is provided on the UAV 3 via a gimbal mechanism, and is set so that the imaging optical axis is always vertical regardless of the position of the UAV 3. As the camera 6, a camera or video camera capable of acquiring digital images is used, and the camera 6 is capable of acquiring still images and continuous images.

[0038] The UAV 3 is provided with a reflector having retroreflective properties on its underside as a measurement target. A full-circle prism 7 is preferably used as the reflector. The relationship between the optical reference position of the prism 7 and the optical reference position of the camera 6 is fixed, and the positional relationship is known. The reference optical axis of the prism 7 is parallel to the imaging optical axis of the camera 6.

[0039] The total station 2 will be outlined with reference to FIG.

[0040] The total station 2 mainly comprises a TS-arithmetic control unit 11, a TS-storage unit 12, a distance measurement unit 13, a tracking unit 14, a TS-data transmission unit 15, an angle measurement unit 16, and a TS-GNSS device 17.

[0041] The distance measuring unit 13 functions as an optical distance meter, emitting distance measuring light 21 toward a measurement target, receiving the distance measuring light 21 reflected by the measurement target, and measuring the distance to the measurement target based on the time difference between the emission timing and the reception timing and the speed of light. The distance measuring unit 13 is controlled by the TS-calculation control unit 11, and the measurement results obtained by the distance measuring unit 13 are input to the TS-calculation control unit 11. Incidentally, pulsed light is used as the distance measuring light 21.

[0042] The TS-calculation control unit 11 may be a CPU specialized for this device, a general-purpose CPU, an embedded CPU, a microprocessor, or the like. A received signal is input from the TS-GNSS device 17 to the TS-calculation control unit 11, and the TS-calculation control unit 11 obtains a time signal (GNSS time) from the received signal. Furthermore, the TS-calculation control unit 11 associates the distance measurement result with the GNSS time at the time of distance measurement.

[0043] The tracking unit 14 has an optical axis (tracking optical axis) parallel or approximately parallel to the optical axis (distance measurement optical axis) of the distance measurement unit 13, and irradiates a tracking light 22 onto a tracking target (i.e., a measurement target) at the same or approximately the same timing as the irradiation of the distance measurement light 21. Incidentally, a pulsed light is used as the tracking light 22.

[0044] The tracking unit 14 also has a light receiving unit (not shown) that receives the tracking light 22 reflected by the tracking target. The light receiving unit has a tracking light receiving shutter (not shown) that limits or prohibits reception of the reflected tracking light. The light receiving unit also calculates the deviation from the reference position of the light receiving unit based on the position of the reflected tracking light on the light receiving unit, and the light receiving result of the light receiving unit is input to the TS-calculation control unit 11, which controls the vertical angle and horizontal angle of the telescope unit 5 so that the light receiving position coincides with the reference position.

[0045] In addition, the light receiving signal of the light receiving section of the distance measuring unit 13 and the light receiving signal of the tracking unit 14 are optically separated by changing the wavelength so as not to interfere with each other. For example, red light is used as the distance measuring light 21 and infrared light is used as the tracking light 22, and lights having different wavelengths are used for the distance measuring light 21 and the tracking light 22, and the distance measuring light 21 and the tracking light 22 are separated by a wavelength selection film and a wavelength selection filter.

[0046] The TS-data transmission unit 15 has an optical axis (transmission optical axis) parallel or approximately parallel to the distance measurement optical axis or tracking optical axis, and emits TS-data transmission light 23 in a time segment in which the tracking light 22 is not emitted, and irradiates the TS-data transmission light 23 onto the transmission optical axis. That is, the TS-data transmission light 23 is emitted in a time segment in which the light receiving unit of the tracking unit 14 restricts or prohibits light reception by a tracking light receiving shutter so that the tracking light 22, the reflected light of the tracking light 22, and the TS-data transmission light 23 do not interfere with each other in time.

[0047] The TS-calculation control unit 11 controls the emission of the TS-data transmission light 23 so as to superimpose the measurement data measured by the total station 2 onto the TS-data transmission light 23. Methods for superimposing the measurement data onto the TS-data transmission light 23 include optically modulating the TS-data transmission light 23, or emitting pulses of the TS-data transmission light 23 and superimposing the measurement data by ON / OFF control of the pulsed light.

[0048] The measurement data superimposed on the TS-data transmission light 23 is associated with GNSS time.

[0049] The angle measuring unit 16 has a vertical angle detector 18 and a horizontal angle detector 19, and detects the collimation direction of the telescope unit 5, i.e., the vertical angle and horizontal angle of the distance measurement optical axis. The composite angle of the vertical angle and horizontal angle is called the direction angle indicating the direction of the distance measurement optical axis.

[0050] The vertical angle and horizontal angle are input to the TS-calculation control unit 11, which measures the three-dimensional coordinates of the measurement object or the measurement point based on the vertical angle, horizontal angle and the distance measurement result of the distance measurement unit 13.

[0051] The TS-storage unit 12 may be a semiconductor storage device such as a RAM, a ROM, a Flash ROM, a DRAM, a memory card, or a USB memory.

[0052] Various programs are stored in the TS-storage unit 12. The programs include control programs for controlling the distance measurement unit 13, the tracking unit 14, and the TS-data transmission unit 15, or for controlling synchronization between the distance measurement unit 13, the tracking unit 14, and the TS-data transmission unit 15, as well as a distance measurement program for making the distance measurement unit 13 perform distance measurement, a tracking program for making the tracking unit 14 perform tracking, a data transmission program for making the TS-data transmission unit 15 transmit data, an angle measurement program for making the angle measurement unit 16 perform angle measurement, a calculation program for calculating three-dimensional coordinates based on the distance measurement data obtained by the distance measurement unit 13 and the angle measurement data obtained by the angle measurement unit 16, and a program for associating the distance measurement data and the angle measurement data with the GNSS time obtained from the TS-GNSS device 17.

[0053] The TS-storage unit 12 also stores distance measurement data obtained by the distance measurement unit 13, angle measurement data obtained by the angle measurement unit 16, and three-dimensional data of the measurement point or the measurement target. Hereinafter, distance measurement data, angle measurement data, and three-dimensional coordinate data are collectively referred to as measurement data. Therefore, the measurement data is associated with GNSS time.

[0054] FIG. 3 shows an outline of the UAV 3.

[0055] The UAV 3 mainly comprises a UAV-arithmetic control unit 25, a UAV-storage unit 26, a UAV-GNSS device 27, a receiver 28, a flight control unit 29, and an imaging control unit 30.

[0056] Furthermore, the UAV 3 has a required number of flight motors 31 (four flight motors 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d are shown in the figure) controlled by the flight control unit 29, and propellers 32 rotated by the flight motors 31. The UAV 3 also has the camera 6 whose image capturing is controlled by the imaging control unit 30.

[0057] The UAV-calculation control unit 25 may be a CPU specialized for this device, a general-purpose CPU, or an embedded CPU, microprocessor, etc., and the UAV-calculation control unit 25 executes various programs stored in the UAV-memory unit 26, performs various calculations, or performs integrated control of the flight control unit 29 and the imaging control unit 30.

[0058] Furthermore, some of the functions of the UAV-calculation control unit 25 may be assigned to the flight control unit 29 and the imaging control unit 30.

[0059] The UAV-storage unit 26 may be a semiconductor memory device such as a RAM, a ROM, a Flash ROM, a DRAM, a memory card, or a USB memory.

[0060] Various programs are stored in the UAV-storage unit 26. The programs include a flight control program for controlling flight, a flight plan program for autonomous flight, a calculation program for performing photogrammetry, an imaging control program for controlling the imaging control unit 30, a program for acquiring GNSS time from the UAV-GNSS device 27 and adding the shooting time in GNSS time to the image captured by the camera 6, a program for associating the measurement data transmitted from the TS-data transmission unit 15 with the image data acquired by the camera 6 based on the GNSS time, a program for performing photogrammetry based on the image data and measurement data, and a program for measuring the topography.

[0061] The optical receiver 28 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0062] The optical receiver 28 mainly includes a prism module 35 and an amplifier 36 .

[0063] The prism module 35 includes a prism 7 that retroreflects an incident light beam and a light receiving element 37 provided on the reflecting surface of the prism 7. The prism 7 has a plurality of reflecting surfaces, and the incident light beam is usually reflected a plurality of times by the plurality of reflecting surfaces. In the illustrated example, the incident light beam is reflected twice by the two reflecting surfaces and retroreflected. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, a partially transparent reflecting film 38 is formed on each of the two reflecting surfaces, and the light receiving element 37 is provided on each of the reflecting surfaces. The reflecting film 38 has an optical characteristic of reflecting most of the incident light beam and transmitting only a small portion of it. For example, in the case of tracking light, the reflecting film 38 has an optical characteristic of transmitting 10% of the incident tracking light and reflecting 90% of the incident tracking light. In addition, in the case of distance measurement light, the reflecting film 38 has a characteristic of reflecting 100% and a characteristic of transmitting 10% of the TS-data transmission light 23.

[0064] Therefore, when tracking light is incident on the prism module 35, 90% of the tracking light is retroreflected, and 10% of the light passes through the reflective film 38 and is detected by the light receiving element 37. The light receiving element 37 outputs a light receiving signal, which is amplified by the amplifier 36 and input to the UAV-calculation control unit 25. The light receiving signal may be amplified within the UAV-calculation control unit 25. A plurality of prisms may be arranged horizontally and radially to enable detection from any direction in 360 degrees.

[0065] The operation will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0066] The telescope unit 5 collimates the prism 7 and irradiates the distance measuring light 21. The distance measuring light 21 is retroreflected by the prism 7 and the reflected distance measuring light is received by the distance measuring unit 13, where distance measurement and angle measurement are performed. Also, the tracking light 22 and the TS-data transmission light 23 are irradiated. The tracking light 22, the TS-data transmission light 23 and the distance measuring light 21 have the same optical axis or approximately the same optical axis, so that the tracking light 22 and the TS-data transmission light 23 are both incident on the prism 7.

[0067] The tracking light 22 is retro-reflected by the prism 7, and the reflected tracking light is received by the tracking unit 14 to track the prism 7, i.e., track the UAV 3.

[0068] As shown in Fig. 5, the distance measuring light 21 and the tracking light 22 are both pulsed lights and are emitted at the same timing. The light emission cycle of the pulsed lights is, for example, 50 Hz. A shutter provided in the tracking unit 14 is opened for a predetermined time t1 from the timing of emission of the tracking light 22, and the light receiving unit of the tracking unit 14 can receive the reflected light of the tracking light 22. The distance measuring light 21 does not interfere with the tracking light 22 because of a different wavelength, and is received by the distance measuring unit 13 a predetermined time after the timing of the distance measuring light 21. As described above, the reflected lights of the distance measuring light 21 and the tracking light 22 are optically separated, so there is no problem even if the reflected lights are received at the same timing.

[0069] The predetermined time t1 is set to be longer than the time it takes for the tracking light 22 to travel from being emitted to being reflected by the prism 7 (measurement object) and then returning.

[0070] TS-data transmission light 23 is emitted in the time segment from t2 (>t1) after the emission timing until the next pulse emission. Measurement data measured in the previous time segment is superimposed on this TS-data transmission light 23. For example, measurement data measured by the distance measurement light emitted in segment P1 is superimposed on the TS-data transmission light 23 emitted in segment P2 in Fig. 5.

[0071] The light emission cycle of the pulsed light is determined by the processing speed (response speed) of the light receiving element. For example, in the tracking unit 14, a CCD or CMOS, which is a collection of pixels, is used as the light receiving element used in the light receiving unit of the tracking unit 14. In detecting the reflected tracking light, the output of each pixel is checked in order, so the next pulsed light cannot be received until the check is completed for all pixels. Therefore, the light emission cycle of the pulsed light is determined by the response performance of the light receiving element. When a general light receiving sensor used in commercially available digital cameras and video cameras is used, the light emission cycle of the pulsed light is about 50 Hz. In this embodiment, a light emission cycle of about 50 Hz is sufficient to obtain a sufficient effect.

[0072] The TS data transmission light 23 is emitted during the time period when the shutter is closed, so even if the reflected data transmission light reflected by the prism 7 enters the tracking unit 14, it will not interfere with the tracking received light signal.

[0073] A portion of the TS-data transmission light 23 incident on the prism 7 passes through the reflective film 38 and is received by the light receiving element 37. The received light signal output from the light receiving element 37 is amplified by the amplifier 36 and input to the UAV-calculation control unit 25.

[0074] Here, the distance measuring light 21 and the tracking light 22 are also incident on the light receiving element 37, but the waveforms of the light receiving signals output by the light receiving element 37 are different in wavelength from the distance measuring light 21, the tracking light 22 and the TS-data transmission light 23, so they can be easily distinguished.

[0075] The UAV-arithmetic and control unit 25 separates the superimposed measurement data from the received light signal. The measurement data is three-dimensional coordinate data of the prism 7, i.e., the camera 6, and is associated with GNSS time. The UAV-arithmetic and control unit 25 controls the flight of the UAV 3 based on the separated measurement data. Furthermore, the separated measurement data is stored in the UAV-storage unit 26.

[0076] The imaging control unit 30 acquires ground image data by the camera 6 at a predetermined time interval during the flight of the UAV 3. The UAV-arithmetic control unit 25 acquires the GNSS time when the image was acquired from the UAV-GNSS device 27, identifies the time when the image was captured by the camera 6 using the GNSS time, and associates the acquired image data with the GNSS time. The three-dimensional coordinates of the prism 7 measured by the total station 2, i.e., the three-dimensional coordinates of the UAV 3, are transmitted to the UAV 3 in approximately real time, and are linked (associated) with the three-dimensional coordinates by the GNSS time.

[0077] The image data associated with the GNSS time is stored in the UAV-storage unit 26. The UAV-arithmetic and control unit 25 performs photogrammetry based on the image data stored in the UAV-storage unit 26, the measurement data, and the position data transmitted from the total station 2.

[0078] The UAV-calculation control unit 25 searches or interpolates the position data transmitted from the total station that matches the GNSS time based on the GNSS time when the image data was acquired, thereby identifying the three-dimensional coordinates at which the image data was acquired. Thus, each image data becomes data with three-dimensional coordinates, and the UAV-calculation control unit 25 performs photogrammetry based on the image data. The results of the photogrammetry are stored in the UAV-storage unit 26.

[0079] While performing photogrammetry, the UAV-arithmetic and control unit 25 also determines whether there is an abnormality in the photogrammetry results in parallel. Therefore, the determination of photogrammetry abnormalities can be performed during flight.

[0080] If an abnormality is determined as a result of the photogrammetry, the part (area) where the abnormality is determined is photographed again and measurement is performed using the total station 2. Therefore, the remeasurement can be performed in a minimum amount of time.

[0081] Furthermore, since photogrammetry is performed during flight, the acquisition of necessary data is completed by the time the UAV3 completes its scheduled flight, and measurements can be carried out efficiently.

[0082] Furthermore, the three-dimensional coordinates of the prism 7 measured by the total station 2, i.e., the three-dimensional coordinates of the UAV 3, are transmitted to the UAV 3 in approximately real time, so that the UAV 3 can recognize its own flight position in approximately real time.

[0083] Therefore, if a flight plan, a survey plan, etc. are stored in advance in the UAV-storage unit 26, the UAV-arithmetic and control unit 25 enables highly accurate autonomous flight of the UAV 3 according to the flight plan and the survey plan based on a flight control program, a flight plan program, and the three-dimensional coordinates of the UAV 3 transmitted from the total station. Autonomous flight makes it possible to perform surveying without remote control.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the photodetector 28 has a prism module 35 and an amplifier 36, and the prism module 35 is composed of a prism 7, a reflective film 38 provided on the reflective surface of the prism 7, and a photodetector 37. However, it is also possible to provide a partial reflection mirror in the optical path of the TS data transmission light 23 to reflect a portion of the TS data transmission light 23, and to detect the reflected light reflected by the reflection mirror with a photodetector.

[0085] Furthermore, the photodetector 28 may be configured to be separate from the prism 7. That is, an optical system for receiving only the TS-data transmission light 23 may be provided, and the TS-data transmission light 23 may be received by the photodetector 37 via the optical system.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the TS-data transmission unit 15 is provided separately from the tracking unit 14, but it is also possible to add a data transmission function to the tracking unit 14 and have it function as the TS-data transmission unit 15 and omit the TS-data transmission unit 15.

[0087] The tracking light required for tracking may be pulsed light emitted at a predetermined cycle, so that the tracking light is additionally emitted during the time interval between the pulsed lights, and the measurement data is superimposed on the tracking light. That is, the tracking light on which the measurement data is superimposed is emitted during the time interval during which the data transmission light is emitted, and the tracking light is used as the data transmission light.

[0088] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a camera is used as a shape measuring device for measuring the shape of the ground, but a laser scanner may be used as a shape measuring device instead of a camera. When a laser scanner is used, point cloud data (scanner data) is acquired as data for measuring the shape of the ground.

[0089] By obtaining the position of the laser scanner at the time of obtaining the point cloud data from the data transmission light, the point cloud data can be converted into three-dimensional coordinates in the earth's surface system (based on the total station 2).

[0090] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the shape measuring instrument may be omitted, and the accurate flight position of UAV3 measured by the total station may be transmitted from the total station to UAV3 in approximately real time, thereby configuring a system that enables autonomous flight of UAV3.

[0091] In this case, the light can reach a distance of 1 km or more, enabling autonomous flight over a wide range. Furthermore, the configuration required for data transmission can be the same as that of a total station, making the system configuration simple.

[0092] The second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0093] In the above embodiment, the measurement data transmitted to UAV 3 and the image data acquired by the UAV 3 are associated with each other by the UAV-calculation control unit 25 of the UAV 3 and stored in the UAV-memory unit 26, but the image data acquired by the UAV 3 may be transmitted to the total station 2, and the image data and the measurement data may be associated with each other by the total station 2 and stored in the TS-memory unit 12.

[0094] In addition, in Figs. 6 and 7, the same or equivalent parts as those shown in Figs. 2 and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0095] Also, the total station 2 tracks the retroreflector of the UAV 3 and obtains the flight position of the UAV 3, similar to the first embodiment.

[0096] The total station 2 has a light receiving sensor 41 that receives UAV-data transmission light 39 (described later) from the UAV 3, and a demodulator 42 that demodulates the light receiving signal output from the light receiving sensor 41 and separates the superimposed signal. The signal separated by the demodulator 42 is input to the TS-calculation control unit 11 and further stored in the TS-storage unit 12. The superimposed signal is image data or scanner data (shape data) acquired by the camera 6 as described later.

[0097] The above-mentioned various programs are stored in the TS-storage unit 12. Furthermore, the TS-storage unit 12 stores a data processing program for associating the signal detected by the demodulator 42 with the measurement data acquired by the total station 2 based on the GNSS time, and a program for performing photogrammetry based on image data and measurement data, and further for measuring the topography.

[0098] The UAV 3 has a UAV-data transmission unit 43 that emits the UAV-data transmission light 39. The UAV-data transmission unit 43 has a light emitting unit 44 and a modulator 47, and the light emitting unit 44 further includes a light emitting element 45 and a driver 46 for driving the light emitting element 45.

[0099] A modulation signal is input to the light emitting unit 44 from the modulator 47 controlled by the UAV-arithmetic control unit 25. The driver 46 causes the light emitting element 45 to emit light based on the modulation signal, whereby the light emitting unit 44 is optically modulated, and the UAV-data transmission unit 43 emits UAV-data transmission light 39 on which data is superimposed.

[0100] The data superimposed on the UAV-data transmission light 39 is image data acquired by the camera 6, and is image data further associated with the GNSS time acquired from the UAV-GNSS device 27.

[0101] To perform photogrammetry, image data is associated with position data (three-dimensional coordinate data) at the time of image capture, and the association between image data and position data is performed by the TS-calculation control unit 11 of the total station 2.

[0102] The TS-calculation control unit 11 separates image data associated with GNSS time from the UAV-data transmission light 39 , and stores the image data and measurement data in the TS-storage unit 12 .

[0103] The TS-calculation control unit 11 extracts image data stored in the TS-storage unit 12 and measurement data acquired by the total station 2 based on the GNSS time, and performs photogrammetry based on the identified image data and measurement data. The results of the photogrammetry are stored in the TS-storage unit 12.

[0104] Moreover, while the photogrammetry is being carried out, the TS-calculation control unit 11 also judges in parallel whether there is an abnormality in the result of the photogrammetry, so that the judgment of the abnormality in the photogrammetry can be carried out in almost real time.

[0105] Furthermore, since photogrammetry is performed during flight, the acquisition of necessary data is completed by the time the UAV3 completes its scheduled flight, and measurements can be carried out efficiently.

[0106] In the second embodiment, photogrammetry, image and measurement data processing, etc. are performed by the total station 2, so that the operator can more easily observe the measurement state and measurement results in real time.

[0107] 8 and 9 show an outline of the optical system in the second embodiment.

[0108] 8 shows a UAV-data transmission unit 43 and a receiver 28 provided in the UAV 3. The receiver 28 has the same configuration as the receiver 28 shown in FIG.

[0109] The optical axis of the UAV-data transmission unit 43 and the optical axis of the prism module 35 are parallel or approximately parallel.

[0110] The light emitting element 45 provided in the UAV-data transmission unit 43 is driven by the driver 46 based on the modulated signal from the modulator 47, and emits UAV-data transmission light 39. The UAV-data transmission light 39 is converted by a condenser lens 48 into a light beam having approximately the same spread (approximately 2 degrees) as the light beam of the tracking light, and is emitted toward the total station 2.

[0111] FIG. 9 shows an optical system of the telescope unit 5 (see FIG. 1) of the total station 2. As shown in FIG.

[0112] Distance measurement light emitted from distance measurement light source 51 is emitted to the measurement target via lens 52 and mirrors 53 and 54, and tracking light emitted from tracking light source 55 is emitted to the measurement target via mirrors 56 and 54. The distance measurement light and tracking light are emitted on the same optical axis, and the distance measurement light and tracking light have different wavelengths so as not to interfere with each other.

[0113] The reflected distance measuring light and reflected tracking light reflected by the measurement target are incident on and focused by the condenser lens 57. The reflected distance measuring light and reflected tracking light are separated by a dichroic mirror 58 into reflected distance measuring light and reflected tracking light. The reflected distance measuring light is received by a light receiving element 60, and the reflected tracking light is received by a light receiving element 61.

[0114] A data transmission light receiving section 63 is provided separately from the distance measuring and tracking optical system.

[0115] The data transmission light receiving section 63 has an optical axis parallel or approximately parallel to the optical axis of the distance measuring and tracking optical system, and a light receiving lens 65, a band pass filter 66, and a light receiving sensor 41 (see FIG. 6) are arranged on the optical axis.

[0116] The UAV-data transmission light 39 enters through the light receiving lens 65, and the bandpass filter 66 separates the modulated component from the UAV-data transmission light 39, and the modulated component enters the light receiving sensor 41. The light receiving sensor 41 generates a received light signal, which is input to a demodulator 42 (see FIG. 6).

[0117] The signal processing in the demodulator 42 is the same as in the above embodiment, and therefore will not be described.

[0118] Thus, the image signal from the UAV 3 is transmitted to the total station 2.

[0119] FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which the light emitting element 45 and the light receiver 28 are integrated together.

[0120] In FIG. 10, the same or equivalent parts as those shown in FIG. 4 are designated by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0121] A light emitting element 45 is provided at the center of the prism 7, at the boundary position of the reflecting surface in the drawing. It is desirable that the position of the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 45 is set back from the reflecting surface or set back from the boundary position of the reflecting surface so as not to block the TS-data transmission light 23 reflected by the reflecting surface.

[0122] The light emitting element 45 is driven by a driver 46 to emit optically modulated UAV-data transmission light 39.

[0123] Moreover, the prism 7 serves as a reflector to retroreflect the distance measuring light and the tracking light and to detect the measurement data superimposed on the tracking light.

[0124] In this embodiment, the prism 7 as the measurement object, the light receiving section, and the light emitting section 44 are concentrated and integrated into the prism 7, which has the advantage of being extremely compact and lightweight. [Explanation of symbols]

[0125] 1. Aerial photogrammetry system 2. Total Station 3. UAVs 5 Telescope section 6. Camera 7. Prism 11 TS-Calculation Control Unit 13 Ranging section 14 Tracking part 15 TS-Data Transmission Section 16 Angle measurement section 17 TS-GNSS equipment 21 Ranging light 22 Tracking light 23 TS-Data Transmission Optical 25 UAV-Computation and Control Unit 27 UAV-GNSS equipment 28 Receiver 29 Flight Control Unit 30 Imaging control section 37 Photodetector 39 UAV-Data Transmission Optical 41 Light receiving sensor 42 Demodulator 43 UAV-Data Transmission Unit 44 Light emitting part 45 Light emitting element 47 Modulator 51 Ranging light source 55 Tracking light source 58 Dichroic Mirror 63 Data transmission optical receiver

Claims

1. A flight control system for an unmanned aircraft including an unmanned aircraft equipped with a reflector and a total station that tracks the reflector and acquires measurement data including three-dimensional coordinates of the reflector, The total station is a distance measuring unit that emits a distance measuring light of a pulsed light to the reflector and receives the distance measuring light reflected by the reflector for each pulsed light, thereby measuring the distance of the reflector and acquiring measurement data; a tracking unit having a tracking optical axis parallel or substantially parallel to the optical axis of the distance measuring unit, the tracking unit tracking the reflector; a TS-data transmission unit having an optical axis parallel or approximately parallel to the tracking optical axis and emitting a TS-data transmission light; A TS-arithmetic control unit; The unmanned aircraft has a receiver that receives the TS-data transmission light and emits a reception signal, and a UAV-arithmetic and control unit that controls the flight of the unmanned aircraft; The TS-calculation control unit is configured to superimpose the measurement data acquired for each pulse light on the TS-data transmission light, and the UAV-calculation control unit is configured to separate the measurement data from the received light signal and acquire the flight position of the unmanned aircraft in real time, A flight control system for an unmanned aircraft in which the tracking unit is also used as the TS-data transmission unit, the tracking unit emits pulsed tracking light in the same cycle as the ranging light, emits additional tracking light within the emission interval between the pulsed light, and superimposes the measurement data on the additionally emitted tracking light to produce the TS-data transmission light.

2. The unmanned aircraft flight control system of claim 1, wherein the UAV-calculation control unit is configured to control the flight of the unmanned aircraft based on the three-dimensional coordinates contained in the measurement data.

3. The receiver includes the reflector, a reflective film formed on the reflective surface of the reflector that transmits a portion of the light, and a light receiving element that receives the TS data transmission light through the reflective film.

4. A topographical measurement system including an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a reflector and a shape measuring device provided at a known position relative to the reflector, and a total station that tracks the reflector and acquires measurement data including three-dimensional coordinates of the reflector, a distance measuring unit that emits a distance measuring light of a pulsed light to the reflector and receives the distance measuring light reflected by the reflector for each pulsed light, thereby measuring the distance of the reflector and acquiring measurement data; the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a tracking unit having a tracking optical axis parallel or approximately parallel to the optical axis of the distance measuring unit and tracking the reflector, a TS-data transmission unit having an optical axis parallel or approximately parallel to the tracking optical axis of the tracking unit and emitting a TS-data transmission light, and a TS-calculation control unit, the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a light receiver that receives the TS-data transmission light and emits a received light signal, and a UAV-calculation control unit that controls the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the TS-calculation control unit superimposes the measurement data acquired for each pulse of light on the TS-data transmission light, the UAV-calculation control unit acquires shape data by the shape measuring device, and the UAV-calculation control unit is configured to separate the measurement data from the received light signal, acquire the position of the shape measuring device in real time, associate the position of the shape measuring device with the shape data, and acquire the three-dimensional coordinates of the shape measuring device when the shape data is acquired, A topographical measurement system in which the tracking unit is also used as the TS-data transmission unit, the tracking unit emits pulses of tracking light in the same cycle as the ranging light, emits additional tracking light within the emission interval between the pulsed lights, and superimposes the measurement data on the additionally emitted tracking light to produce the TS-data transmission light.

5. The topographical measurement system of claim 4, wherein the UAV-calculation control unit is configured to control the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle based on three-dimensional coordinates contained in the measurement data.

6. A topographical measurement system according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the receiver includes the reflector, a reflective film formed on the reflective surface of the reflector that transmits a portion of the light, and a light receiving element that receives the TS-data transmission light through the reflective film.

7. The topography measurement system of claim 4, wherein the total station has a TS-GNSS device, the unmanned aerial vehicle has a UAV-GNSS device, the TS-calculation control unit is configured to acquire GNSS time at the time of acquisition of measurement data from the TS-GNSS device and associate the GNSS time with the measurement data, and the UAV-calculation control unit is configured to acquire GNSS time at the time of acquisition of shape data by the UAV-GNSS device, associate the GNSS time with the shape data, and associate the measurement data and the shape data via the GNSS time.

8. A topographical measurement system according to claim 4 or claim 7, wherein the shape measuring instrument is a camera that photographs the earth's surface, and the UAV-calculation control unit performs photogrammetry from image data acquired by the camera and the three-dimensional coordinates of the camera at the time of image acquisition obtained from the TS-data transmission light.

9. A topographical measurement system according to claim 4 or claim 7, wherein the shape measuring instrument is a laser scanner that acquires point cloud data of the earth's surface, and the UAV-calculation control unit converts the point cloud data acquired by the laser scanner and the three-dimensional coordinates of the laser scanner at the time of acquiring the point cloud data obtained from the TS-data transmission light into three-dimensional data of the earth's surface system.

10. A topographical measurement system comprising an unmanned aircraft equipped with a reflector and a shape measuring device provided at a known position relative to the reflector, and a total station that tracks the reflector and acquires measurement data including three-dimensional coordinates of the reflector, the total station comprising a tracking unit that tracks the reflector, a data transmission light receiving unit, and a TS-calculation control unit, the unmanned aircraft having a UAV-data transmission unit that emits a UAV-data transmission light and a UAV-calculation control unit that controls the flight of the unmanned aircraft, the UAV-calculation control unit acquiring shape data by the shape measuring device and superimposing the shape data on the UAV-data transmission light, The TS-calculation control unit is configured to acquire the shape data from the UAV-data transmission light received by the data transmission light receiving unit, associate the shape data with measurement data, and acquire three-dimensional coordinates of the shape measuring device at the time of acquiring the shape data; The UAV-data transmission unit has a light-emitting element provided at the center of the reflector, and is configured to emit the UAV-data transmission light using the light-emitting element, forming a topographical measurement system.

11. The topography measurement system of claim 10, wherein the total station has a TS-GNSS device, the unmanned aerial vehicle has a UAV-GNSS device, the UAV-calculation control unit is configured to acquire GNSS time at the time of acquiring shape data by the UAV-GNSS device and associate the GNSS time with the shape data, and the TS-calculation control unit is configured to acquire GNSS time at the time of acquiring measurement data from the TS-GNSS device, associate the GNSS time with the measurement data, and associate the measurement data and the shape data via the GNSS time.

12. The topographical measurement system of claim 10, wherein the shape measuring instrument is a camera that photographs the earth's surface, and the TS-calculation control unit acquires three-dimensional coordinates of the camera at the time of image acquisition based on the measurement data, and performs photogrammetry from the image data and the three-dimensional coordinates.

13. The topography measurement system of claim 10, wherein the shape measuring instrument is a laser scanner that acquires point cloud data of the earth's surface, and the TS-calculation control unit converts the point cloud data into three-dimensional data of the earth's surface system based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the laser scanner at the time of acquiring the point cloud data obtained from the point cloud data and the measurement data.

Images