Inspection Equipment

Abstract

To provide an information acquisition unit which acquires not only airframe related information from the above while flying, but acquires also airframe related information from an airframe surface using an inspection device traveling on a grounding part, although the inspection device cannot secure airspace for flying near the grounding part on the aircraft, for example, in the vicinity of a surface on a lower side of a fuselage.SOLUTION: An inspection device 100 for inspecting an aircraft includes: one or more rotary wings 30; traveling wheels 9; and an information acquisition unit 6 for acquiring airframe related information that is information related to an airframe from the airframe, while the inspection device flies or travels in the periphery of the airframe 70 of the aircraft.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an inspection apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, inspection devices for inspecting aircraft have been known. For example, in Patent Document 1, a drone equipped with an inspection sensor is used as the inspection device. In this inspection device, the drone flies around the aircraft, an arm is extended from the drone, and a sensor attached to the tip of the arm is brought close to the surface of the aircraft body to inspect the surface of the aircraft body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-109395 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a configuration like the inspection device in Patent Document 1, in which an arm is extended from a flying drone to bring a sensor close to the surface of the aircraft's body, there is a problem that airspace cannot be secured for flying the drone near the ground contact area of ​​the aircraft, for example, near the surface of the underside of the fuselage, making it impossible to inspect the aircraft surface in such areas. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] As one embodiment of the present disclosure, an inspection device (100) for inspecting an aircraft is provided. The inspection device includes one or more rotors (30), wheels (9) for running, and an information acquisition unit (6) for acquiring aircraft-related information, which is information about the aircraft, from an airframe (70) of the aircraft while the inspection device is flying or running around the airframe.When inspecting the underside of the aircraft, the aircraft-related information is acquired while traveling on the ground with the wheels, and when inspecting the upper part of the aircraft, the aircraft-related information is acquired while flying. .

[0007] This form of inspection device is equipped with one or more rotors, wheels for running, and an information acquisition unit that acquires aircraft-related information, which is information about the aircraft, from the aircraft while the inspection device is flying or running around the aircraft fuselage.Therefore, the information acquisition unit can not only acquire aircraft-related information from above while flying, but even if there is no airspace available for the inspection device to fly near the ground contact area of ​​the aircraft, for example near the surface of the underside of the fuselage, it can acquire aircraft-related information from the surface of the aircraft by having the inspection device run over the ground contact area.

[0008] The present disclosure may be implemented in various forms, such as, for example, a method for inspecting an aircraft. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating a schematic configuration of the inspection device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a side view showing a schematic grounded state of the inspection device; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an inspection device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a path of an inspection device flying or running around an aircraft to be inspected. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the imaging direction of an imaging camera. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of a traveling state of the inspection device. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for an abnormality detection process. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a path of an inspection device in another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A. First embodiment: A-1.Device configuration: 1 and 2, an inspection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is configured with an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (hereinafter, also referred to as an "eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft)." The inspection device 100 inspects an inspection target aircraft 70 shown in FIG. 4, which is an inspection target.

[0011] The inspection device 100 is configured as an unmanned aerial vehicle that is electrically driven and can take off and land vertically. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the inspection device 100 includes a main body 20, a plurality of rotors 30, a plurality of electric drive systems 10 (hereinafter also referred to as "EDS (Electric Drive System) 10"), an information acquisition unit 6, a plurality of wheels 9, a battery 40, a converter 42, a distributor 44, a control device 50, a main body communication unit 64, and an alarm unit 66. The inspection device 100 of this embodiment includes four rotors 30, four EDSs 10, and four wheels 9. For convenience of illustration, Figs. 2 and 3 show two rotors 30, two EDSs 10, and two wheels 9 of the four rotors 30, two EDSs 10, and two wheels 9 of the four rotors 30, two EDSs 10, and two wheels 9.

[0012] 1 and 2, the main body 20 corresponds to a portion of the inspection device 100 excluding the rotor 30, the EDS 10, the wheels 9, and the information acquisition unit 6. As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 20 includes a trunk 21, a support column 22, four first support parts 23, and four second support parts 24.

[0013] The body 21 constitutes the body portion of the inspection device 100. The body 21 has a symmetrical configuration with the main body axis AX as the axis of symmetry. In this embodiment, the "main body axis AX" refers to an axis that passes through the main body center of gravity CM and runs along the front-to-rear direction of the inspection device 100. In addition, the "main body center of gravity CM" refers to the center of gravity of the inspection device 100 at an empty weight when no cargo or the like is loaded. In this embodiment, the front of the inspection device 100 refers to the direction from the main body center of gravity CM toward the information acquisition unit 6 described below when the inspection device 100 is viewed in a plan view (when viewed from above).

[0014] The support pillar 22 has a generally columnar external shape, and is fixed to the upper part of the body 21. The support pillar 22 extends in the vertical direction when the inspection device 100 is stopped on the ground. In this embodiment, the support pillar 22 is disposed at a position overlapping with the center of gravity CM of the main body of the inspection device 100 when viewed in the vertical direction. One end of each of the four first supports 23 is fixed to the upper end of the support pillar 22.

[0015] The four first support parts 23 each have a generally rod-like external shape and are arranged radially at equal angular intervals so as to extend along a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. A rotor 30 and an EDS 10 are arranged on the other end of each first support part 23, i.e., the end located away from the support part 22.

[0016] Each of the four second support parts 24 has a generally rod-like external shape, and connects the other ends (ends not connected to the pillar part 22) of adjacent first support parts 23. For convenience of illustration, the four second support parts 24 are represented by straight lines in FIG.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the four rotors 30 are disposed at the ends of the first support parts 23 and the second support parts 24. The four rotors 30 are composed of two rotors 30a and two rotors 30b. The two rotors 30a are located forward of the center of gravity CM of the main body. On the other hand, the two rotors 30b are located rearward of the center of gravity CM of the main body. The four rotors 30 are configured to be usable as lift rotors for obtaining lift for the main body 20 and cruise rotors for obtaining thrust. Specifically, the four rotors 30 are used as lift rotors by controlling the rotation speeds of the rotors 30 to be equal. The four rotors 30 are used as cruise rotors by controlling the rotation speeds of the two rotors 30a on the front side and the two rotors 30b on the rear side to be different from each other. The rotors 30 are rotated independently of each other about their respective rotation axes. 3, each rotor 30 is provided with a rotation speed sensor 34 and a torque sensor 35. The rotation speed sensor 34 measures the rotation speed of the rotor 30. The torque sensor 35 measures the rotation torque of the rotor 30. The measurement results of the sensors 34, 35 are output to the control device 50. An EDS 10 is connected to each rotor 30.

[0018] The four EDSs 10 connected to the rotors 30 are configured as an electric drive system for driving and rotating the rotors 30. The four EDSs 10 drive and rotate the rotors 30, respectively.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, each EDS 10 has a drive unit 11, a drive motor 12, a gear box 13, a rotation speed sensor 14, a current sensor 15, a voltage sensor 16, a torque sensor 17, and an EDS-side memory unit 18.

[0020] The drive unit 11 is configured as an electronic device including an inverter circuit (not shown) and a controller (not shown) that controls the inverter circuit. The inverter circuit is configured with power elements such as IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) and MOSFETs (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors), and supplies a drive voltage to the drive motor 12 with a duty ratio according to a control signal supplied from the controller. The controller is electrically connected to the control device 50, and supplies a control signal to the inverter circuit according to a command from the control device 50.

[0021] In this embodiment, the drive motor 12 is a brushless motor, and outputs a rotational motion according to the voltage and current supplied from the inverter circuit of the drive unit 11. Instead of a brushless motor, any other motor such as an induction motor or a reluctance motor may be used.

[0022] The gear box 13 physically connects the driving motor 12 and the rotor 30. The gear box 13 has a plurality of gears (not shown) and reduces the rotation of the driving motor 12 before transmitting it to the rotor 30. Note that the gear box 13 may be omitted and the rotating shaft of the rotor 30 may be directly connected to the driving motor 12.

[0023] The rotation speed sensor 14 and the torque sensor 17 are provided on the drive motor 12, and measure the rotation speed and rotation torque of the drive motor 12, respectively. The current sensor 15 and the voltage sensor 16 are provided between the drive unit 11 and the drive motor 12, and measure the drive current and drive voltage, respectively. The measurement results from the sensors 14-17 are output to the control device 50 via the drive unit 11. The EDS side memory unit 18 stores the measurement data from each sensor.

[0024] The information acquisition unit 6 shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 acquires information about the aircraft (hereinafter referred to as "aircraft-related information") from the aircraft (hereinafter referred to as "aircraft 70 to be inspected") to be inspected shown in FIG. 4. Such acquisition is performed while the inspection device 100 is flying or running around the aircraft 70 to be inspected. In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 6 has an imaging camera 6a. In FIG. 2, the information acquisition unit 6 is shown visible for the convenience of making the orientation of the imaging camera 6a easy to understand. The imaging camera 6a captures the aircraft 70 to be inspected. As shown in FIG. 5, the information acquisition unit 6 is configured to be able to adjust the direction DR of the imaging camera 6a independently of the attitude of the inspection device 100. For convenience of illustration, the aircraft 70 to be inspected is shown in FIG. 5 as a rectangle. In this embodiment, the captured image obtained by capturing an image of the inspection target, i.e., the aircraft, by the imaging camera 6a corresponds to the "aircraft-related information". In this embodiment, the captured images can be used to detect abnormalities that can be seen from the outside, such as scratches or unexpected irregularities on the surface of the inspection target aircraft 70.

[0025] The inspection device 100 flies or runs around the inspection target aircraft 70 in order to capture an image of the inspection target aircraft 70. In this embodiment, an inspection route is set in advance around the inspection target aircraft 70, i.e., six areas Ar1 to Ar6 in FIG. 4. The inspection device 100 then captures the inspection target aircraft 70 while flying or running along this inspection route to obtain a captured image. Specifically, the inspection device 100 selectively performs flying or running according to the areas Ar1 to Ar6 around the inspection target aircraft 70 shown in FIG. 4.

[0026] In this embodiment, the inspection route is set as a route in the order of area Ar1, area Ar2, area Ar3, area Ar4, area Ar5, and area Ar6. Area Ar1 is below the aircraft 70 to be inspected. Area Ar2 is in front of the aircraft 70 to be inspected. Area Ar3 is above the aircraft 70 to be inspected. Area Ar4 is behind the aircraft 70 to be inspected. Area Ar5 is to the right of the aircraft 70 to be inspected in the direction of travel. Area Ar6 is to the left of the aircraft 70 to be inspected in the direction of travel.

[0027] In area Ar1, the inspection device 100 travels on the ground below the inspection target aircraft 70 to capture an image of the inspection target aircraft 70. In areas Ar2 and Ar4, the inspection device 100 flies in front of or behind the inspection target aircraft 70. Specifically, in area Ar2, the inspection device 100 captures an image of the inspection target aircraft 70 while flying in front of the inspection target aircraft 70. In area Ar4, the inspection device 100 captures an image of the inspection target aircraft 70 while flying behind the inspection target aircraft 70. In area Ar3, the inspection device 100 flies above the inspection target aircraft 70 to capture an image of the inspection target aircraft 70. In areas Ar5 and Ar6, the inspection device 100 flies to the right or left of the inspection target aircraft 70 to capture an image of the inspection target aircraft 70.

[0028] 5, the information acquiring unit 6 changes an acquiring direction DR, which is a direction in which a captured image is acquired, as will be described in detail later.

[0029] The wheels 9 shown in Fig. 2, 5 to 6 are attached to the main body 20 and do not receive power from a power source for traveling. In other words, the wheels 9 are configured as driven wheels that follow the movement of the inspection device 100. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 6, the wheels 9 are attached to the body 21 of the main body 20 via a damper DP. A spring SP is arranged around the damper DP. The spring SP expands and contracts according to the magnitude of the thrust of the rotor 30, and plays a role in absorbing shocks from unevenness of the ground surface while the inspection device 100 is traveling. The spring SP shakes when absorbing such shocks, and such shaking does not subside immediately. The damper DP not only connects the wheels 9 to the body 21, but also suppresses the shaking of the spring SP.

[0030] 3 is composed of a lithium ion battery, and functions as one of the power supply sources in the inspection device 100. The battery 40 mainly supplies power to the drive unit 11 of each EDS 10 to drive each drive motor 12. Note that instead of the lithium ion battery, any type of secondary battery such as a nickel-metal hydride battery may be used, and instead of or in addition to the battery 40, any power supply source such as a fuel cell or a generator may be installed.

[0031] The converter 42 is connected to the battery 40, and steps down the voltage of the battery 40 and supplies it to auxiliary devices (not shown) and a control device 50 provided in the inspection device 100. The distributor 44 distributes the voltage of the battery 40 to the drive units 11 provided in each EDS 10.

[0032] The control device 50 is a microcomputer including a storage unit 51, a thrust control unit 52, a measurement control unit 53, a feature extraction unit 54, and an abnormality determination unit 55, and is configured as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The storage unit 51 has a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 51 stores data indicating an inspection route and standard shape data of the inspection target aircraft 70 in advance. The storage unit 51 also stores a control program for controlling the overall operation of the inspection device 100 in advance. The overall operation of the inspection device 100 corresponds to, for example, flight and running operations. The data indicating the inspection route stored in advance in the storage unit 51 is a predetermined movement route of the inspection device 100 set around the inspection target aircraft 70. The control device 50 controls the flight and running operations of the inspection device 100 along the movement route stored in the storage unit 51. The flying and running operations may be performed by piloting the vehicle crew, or may be performed based on commands from an external control unit 510 provided in an external device 500, which will be described later.

[0033] The thrust control unit 52 executes a control program pre-stored in the storage unit 51 to control the overall operation of the inspection device 100. The thrust control unit 52 controls the rotation speed and rotation direction of the drive motor 12 of each EDS 10 in the operation of the inspection device 100. The thrust control unit 52 controls the thrust of the rotor 30 so as to move the inspection device 100 along the movement path stored in the storage unit 51.

[0034] When the inspection device 100 travels forward, the thrust control unit 52 controls the rotation speed of the retreating rotor 30b attached to the retreating side among the rotors 30 attached to the fuselage 21 so as to be greater than the rotation speed of the advancing rotor 30a attached to the advancing side, as shown in FIG. 6. In this way, the entire main body 20 is inclined forward due to the difference in lift between the retreating rotor 30b and the advancing rotor 30a, and the lift includes a horizontal component, which becomes a horizontal thrust. As a result, the inspection device 100 travels forward. On the other hand, when the inspection device 100 travels while decelerating, the rotation speed of the advancing rotor 30a is controlled to be greater than the rotation speed of the retreating rotor 30b, although not shown. When the inspection device 100 is located in the area Ar1 in FIG. 4 and an image is taken of the turbine or the like below the inspection target airframe 70, the inspection device 100 travels on the ground.

[0035] As described above in Figure 5, the measurement control unit 53 controls the information acquisition unit 6 to adjust the orientation of the imaging camera 6a in accordance with the relative position of the inspection device 100 with respect to the inspected aircraft 70, and adjusts the acquisition direction for acquiring the image of the inspected aircraft 70.

[0036] The feature extraction unit 54 performs image processing on the captured image acquired by the information acquisition unit 6, and extracts the shape features of the inspection target aircraft 70.

[0037] The abnormality determination unit 55 performs an abnormality determination for the inspection target aircraft 70 based on the captured image after image processing by the feature extraction unit 54.

[0038] The main body communication unit 64 has a function of wireless communication, and is configured to transmit and receive information between the external communication unit 520 of the external device 500 and the inspection device 100, and to be able to communicate with the control device 50. Examples of wireless communication include wireless communication provided by telecommunications carriers such as 4G (fourth generation mobile communication system) and 5G (fifth generation mobile communication system), and wireless LAN communication conforming to the IEEE802.11 standard. Also, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) and wired communication conforming to the IEEE802.3 standard may be used. Note that the external device 500 may be, for example, a computer for management and control of a server device that controls the inspection and records the inspection results. Such a management and control computer may be, for example, a server device located in an air traffic control room, or may be a personal computer brought into the operation site of the inspection device 100 by a maintenance worker who performs maintenance and inspection including inspection.

[0039] The notification unit 66 issues notifications in accordance with instructions from the control device 50. In this embodiment, the notification unit 66 is configured with a display device mounted in the passenger compartment for displaying characters, images, etc., and a speaker for outputting voice, warning sounds, etc., and notifies the occupants of various information by visual information and audio information.

[0040] A-2. Anomaly detection processing: In this embodiment, when a drive command is issued to the inspection device 100, an abnormality detection process shown in Fig. 7 is executed. In this embodiment, a command to drive the inspection device 100 is issued from an external device 500. The abnormality detection process is a process in which the inspection device 100 detects the presence or absence of an abnormality in the inspection target aircraft 70. The abnormality detection process is performed with the inspection target aircraft 70 stopped on the ground.

[0041] Information on the inspection target aircraft 70 is input from the external device 500 (step S10). The information on the inspection target aircraft 70 is, for example, the type and name of the inspection target aircraft 70. The thrust control unit 52 moves the inspection device 100 to the start position of the inspection route pre-stored in the memory unit 51 (step S15). Note that an operator may carry the inspection device 100 and place it at the inspection start position.

[0042] The measurement control unit 53 adjusts the imaging direction of the imaging camera 6a to control the imaging of the inspection target aircraft 70 (step S20). The measurement control unit 53 adjusts the imaging direction of the imaging camera 6a while flying or running around the inspection target aircraft 70 along a predetermined route. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, when the inspection device 100 is located in the area Ar3, the direction DR of the imaging camera 6a is adjusted to face downward. Also, for example, as in the example of FIG. 5, when the inspection device 100 is located in the area Ar4, the direction DR of the imaging camera 6a is adjusted to face forward. Also, for example, when the inspection device 100 is located in the area Ar1, the direction DR of the imaging camera 6a is adjusted to face upward. The captured image is stored in the storage unit 51.

[0043] The feature extraction unit 54 performs image processing on the captured image captured in step S20, extracts features of the shape of the inspection target aircraft body 70, and performs data analysis (step S25). The data obtained by the data analysis is stored in the storage unit 51.

[0044] The abnormality determination unit 55 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the inspection target aircraft 70 (step S30). Specifically, the abnormality determination unit 55 compares the data obtained by the data analysis in step S25 with the standard shape data of the inspection target aircraft 70 pre-stored in the storage unit 51. For example, if the size of a dent on the aircraft surface of the inspection target aircraft 70 is larger than a predetermined threshold value for the standard shape data, the abnormality determination unit 55 determines that there is an abnormality (step S30: YES). If the size of a dent on the aircraft surface of the inspection target aircraft 70 is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold value for the standard shape data, the abnormality determination unit 55 determines that there is no abnormality (step S30: NO).

[0045] If the abnormality determination unit 55 determines that an abnormality exists (step S30: YES), it notifies the notification unit 66 that "an abnormality exists" (step S35). If the abnormality determination unit 55 determines that no abnormality exists (step S30: NO), it notifies the notification unit 66 that "no abnormality exists" (step S40).

[0046] The abnormality determination unit 55 records the determination result as to whether or not an abnormality exists in the storage unit 51 (step S45).

[0047] The inspection device 100, which is the inspection device of this embodiment described above, is equipped with wheels 9 for running attached to the main body 20, and an information acquisition unit 6 that acquires aircraft-related information, which is information about the aircraft 70 to be inspected, from the aircraft 70 to be inspected while the inspection device 100 is flying or running around the aircraft 70 to be inspected. Even if it is not possible to secure an airspace for the inspection device 100 to fly near the ground contact part of the aircraft 70 to be inspected, for example, near the surface of the underside of the fuselage, the information acquisition unit 6 can acquire aircraft-related information from the aircraft surface of the aircraft 70 to be inspected by the inspection device 100 running over the ground contact part.

[0048] The thrust control unit 52 controls the rotation speed of the multiple rotors 30 to realize traveling and deceleration of the main body unit 20. Specifically, when traveling the main body unit 20 in the forward direction, the thrust control unit 52 controls the rotation speed of the retreating side rotor 30b to be higher than the rotation speed of the advancing side rotor 30a, and when decelerating the traveling main body unit 20, the thrust control unit 52 controls the rotation speed of the advancing side rotor 30a to be higher than the rotation speed of the retreating side rotor 30b.

[0049] The information acquisition unit 6 has an imaging camera 6a, and the orientation DR of the imaging camera 6a is adjusted independently of the orientation of the inspection device 100. For this reason, the configuration is simpler than a configuration in which the inspection device 100 moves relative to the inspection target body 70.

[0050] The storage unit 51 stores in advance a movement path of the inspection device 100 set around the inspection target aircraft 70, which is used to acquire aircraft-related information. Since the inspection device 100 performs flight and running operations along the movement path stored in the storage unit 51, the process of recognizing the shape of the inspection target aircraft 70 in the inspection device 100 can be omitted.

[0051] B. Other embodiments: (B1) The inspection device 100 of this embodiment may further include a history unit that stores the routes traveled by the inspection device in the past, and a learning function unit that learns using the routes stored in the history unit and updates the travel routes stored in the storage unit. The updated travel routes are stored in the storage unit, thereby improving the efficiency of the flight and running operations of the inspection device 100.

[0052] (B2) In the inspection device 100, which is the inspection device of this embodiment, the abnormality determination unit 55 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the inspected aircraft 70, but the determination may also be made by a human being. In such a configuration, the captured image obtained as a result of step S20 may be displayed on a display device. Then, the inspection operator may visually check the captured image or the captured image that has been image-processed to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the inspected aircraft 70.

[0053] (B3) In the inspection device 100 according to the present embodiment, four rotors 30 are provided, but the number of rotors 30 does not have to be four as long as it is one or more.

[0054] (B4) In the inspection device 100 according to the present embodiment, four wheels 9 for running are provided, but the number of wheels is not limited to four and may be any number. Furthermore, the wheels 9 may be drive wheels connected to a power source. In this disclosure, the term "wheel" refers to a device in which steel plates are connected in a belt shape and attached around a wheel, in other words, a broad concept including a caterpillar.

[0055] (B5) In the inspection device 100 according to the present embodiment, the information acquisition unit 6 includes the imaging camera 6a, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The information acquisition unit 6 may include a displacement measuring device that uses a laser to measure reflected light, or an internal structure measuring device that uses X-rays.

[0056] (B6) In the inspection device 100, which is the inspection device of this embodiment, the abnormality determination unit 55 compares the data obtained by the data analysis in step S25 with the standard shape data of the inspection target aircraft 70 stored in advance in the storage unit 51, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The abnormality determination unit 55 may determine the presence or absence of an abnormality in the inspection target aircraft 70 by using data obtained by data analysis at the time of the previous inspection instead of the standard shape data as the comparison data. In this case, for example, the abnormality determination unit 55 determines that there is an abnormality when the size of a dent on the aircraft surface of the inspection target aircraft 70 is larger than a predetermined threshold change amount with respect to the data at the time of the previous inspection. The abnormality determination unit 55 determines that there is no abnormality when the size of a dent on the aircraft surface of the inspection target aircraft 70 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold change amount with respect to the data at the time of the previous inspection.

[0057] (B7) In the present embodiment, the inspection device 100 runs on the ground, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The inspection device 100 may run on any type of structure, for example, a mounting stand installed between the inspection target aircraft 70 and the ground. In addition, when imaging the upper surface of the inspection target aircraft 70, the inspection device 100 may run on the upper surface of the inspection target aircraft 70 instead of flying in the area Ar3.

[0058] (B8) The inspection device 100 of this embodiment selectively flies or runs on the inspection route in the order of area Ar1, area Ar2, area Ar3, area Ar4, area Ar5, and area Ar6 shown in FIG. 4, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the route of the inspection device in another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the inspection device 100 may selectively fly or run on the inspection route in the order of the thick arrows. Note that in FIG. 8, the inspection target aircraft 70 is stopped on the ground. Also, FIG. 8 is a top view of the inspection target aircraft 70, and the areas Ar1 to Ar6 correspond to the areas Ar1 to Ar6 in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 8, the inspection device 100 starts from above the center of the inspection target aircraft 70 in the area Ar3, flies backward in the rear side of the area Ar6, and flies in the area Ar4 behind the inspection target aircraft 70. After that, the inspection device 100 flies in the rear side of the area Ar5 toward the traveling direction, and flies along the right wing of the inspection target aircraft 70. After flying slightly above the right wing of the inspection target aircraft 70, the inspection device 100 flies in the front side of the area Ar5 toward the traveling direction. After that, the inspection device 100 flies in the area Ar2 in front of the inspection target aircraft 70, flies in the forward direction in the forward side of the area Ar6, flies slightly above the left wing of the inspection target aircraft 70, and then flies along the left wing in the area Ar6. After that, the inspection device 100 flies in the backward direction on the rear side of the area Ar6 as shown in the dashed line path in FIG. 8. After that, the inspection device 100 runs on the ground in the traveling direction along the dashed line shown in FIG. 8. Such a running area is the area Ar1 shown in FIG. 4. As described above, the inspection device 100 may fly or run on the inspection route shown in FIG. 8. In addition, after traveling along the dashed line travel path shown in Fig. 8, the inspection device 100 may fly into the area Ar3 and continue flying in the backward direction. In other words, after traveling along the dashed line path shown in Fig. 8, the inspection device 100 may fly along a path above the inspection target aircraft 70 that corresponds to a path parallel to the dashed line path.

[0059] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features in each embodiment corresponding to the technical features in the form described in the Summary of the Invention column can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0060] The inspection apparatus and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a special-purpose computer provided by configuring a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the inspection apparatus and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a special-purpose computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the inspection apparatus and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more special-purpose computers configured by a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. In addition, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions executed by the computer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 6...information acquisition unit, 9...wheel, 30...rotor, 70...aircraft to be inspected, 100...inspection device

Claims

1. An inspection device (100) for inspecting an aircraft, comprising: One or more rotors (30); Wheels (9) for running the inspection device; an information acquisition unit (6) that acquires aircraft-related information, which is information about the aircraft, from the aircraft while the inspection device is flying or running around the aircraft; Equipped with When inspecting the underside of the aircraft, the aircraft-related information is acquired while traveling on the ground with the wheels; An inspection device that acquires information related to the aircraft while flying when inspecting the area above the aircraft.

2. 2. The inspection device according to claim 1, The information acquisition unit has an image capturing camera (6a) and acquires captured images of the aircraft as the aircraft-related information.

3. In the inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, A plurality of the rotors, the plurality of rotors including an advancing side rotor (30a) attached to an advancing side and a retreating side rotor (30b) attached to a retreating side; A thrust control unit (52) that controls the rotation speed of the plurality of rotors, the thrust control unit, when causing the vehicle to travel in the forward direction, controls the rotation speed of the retreating side rotor to be greater than the rotation speed of the advancing side rotor, and, when causing the vehicle to decelerate while traveling, controls the rotation speed of the advancement side rotor to be greater than the rotation speed of the retreating side rotor; An inspection device, wherein the wheels function as driven wheels that follow the movement of the inspection device.

4. In the inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the information acquisition unit is configured to be able to adjust an acquisition direction, which is a direction in which the aircraft-related information is acquired, independently of an orientation of the inspection device; The inspection device further comprises a measurement control unit (53) that controls the information acquisition unit to adjust the acquisition direction depending on the relative position of the inspection device with respect to the aircraft body.

5. In the inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a memory unit (51) that stores a movement path of the inspection device set around the aircraft for acquiring the aircraft-related information; a thrust control unit that controls a rotation speed of the one or more rotors so as to move the inspection device along the movement path; The inspection device further comprises:

6. 6. The inspection device according to claim 5, A history unit that stores a route traveled by the inspection device in the past; a learning function unit that learns using the route stored in the history unit and updates the travel route stored in the storage unit; The inspection device further comprises:

7. 2. The inspection device according to claim 1, Further comprising a main body to which the information acquisition unit is attached, An inspection device, wherein the wheels are attached to the main body via dampers.

8. 8. The inspection device according to claim 7, The inspection device further comprises a spring that elastically deforms in accordance with the expansion and contraction of the damper so as to absorb impact from the ground surface during running.

9. 5. The inspection device according to claim 4, When the wheels are running on the ground, the acquisition direction of the information acquisition unit is directed upward from the horizontal.

10. In the inspection device according to claim 2, An inspection device, wherein the orientation of the imaging camera is adjustable independently of the attitude of the inspection device.

11. In the inspection device according to claim 10, The inspection device further includes a measurement control unit that controls the information acquisition unit to adjust the orientation of the imaging camera according to the relative position of the inspection device with respect to the aircraft body.

12. 12. The inspection device according to claim 11, The measurement control unit is When inspecting the upper part of the aircraft, the direction of the imaging camera is adjusted to face downward; When inspecting the underside of the aircraft, the inspection device adjusts the direction of the imaging camera to face upward.

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