Unmanned aerial vehicle control method, unmanned aerial vehicle, and program

Abstract

To make a drone fly more stably even in various circumstances.SOLUTION: The present invention is directed to a method of controlling an unmanned flying body. The unmanned flying body has a thrust generating unit, and a control apparatus for controlling an output of the thrust generating unit. The control apparatus carries out a step of acquiring information of atmosphere in an environment where the unmanned flying body flies, a step of determining a flight parameter for use in control of flight of the unmanned flying body in the environment by using the acquired information of atmosphere, and a step of adjusting the output of the thrust generating unit by using the determined flight parameter.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Inspections of steelmaking facilities such as blast furnaces, converters, annealing furnaces, and coke gas ovens, as well as boilers at various power plants and petrochemical refining facilities, require labor-saving and time-saving inspections to ensure safety and improve yield. For example, in the case of steelmaking facilities, immediately after operation is stopped, the facilities may be hot or filled with gases toxic to humans. Therefore, personnel must wait until the environment is suitable for work before they can begin. Therefore, by using drones for inspections, it is possible to begin inspections faster than manual operations and without the need for personnel to enter the facility.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for inspecting furnace walls inside a boiler using a drone. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-127049 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above-described facilities, there are environments where the prevailing atmosphere is different from atmospheric pressure, such as high-temperature atmospheres or environments filled with various gases. The thrust obtained during drone flight can vary greatly depending on the atmosphere of the various environments. There is a demand for drones to maintain a stable attitude for imaging and inspection in various atmospheres.

[0006] Therefore, the present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a program that enable drones to fly more stably in a variety of environmental atmospheres. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is equipped with a thrust generating unit and a control device for controlling the output of the thrust generating unit, and the control device acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, uses the acquired atmospheric information to determine flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment, and uses the determined flight parameters to adjust the output of the thrust generating unit.

[0008] Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, there is provided an unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a thrust generating unit and a control device for controlling the output of the thrust generating unit, wherein the control device comprises an atmospheric information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, a flight parameter determination unit that uses the acquired atmospheric information to determine flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, and an output control unit that controls the output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters.

[0009] In addition, according to the present disclosure, there is provided a program for causing a control device that controls the output of a thrust generating unit provided in an unmanned aerial vehicle to function, the program causing the control device to function as an atmospheric information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, a flight parameter determination unit that uses the acquired atmospheric information to determine flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, and an output control unit that controls the output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, drones can be flown more stably in a variety of environmental atmospheres. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a use case in which a control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the flight controller 11 according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an overview of flight parameters according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the steelmaking facility S1 according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0013] <Summary> 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a use case in which a control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is a rotorcraft that obtains lift and thrust by a plurality of rotors 3.

[0014] 1, unmanned aerial vehicle 1 flies in the interior space of steel-making equipment S1, which is an example of target equipment, and performs tasks such as photographing a wall surface W1 of the steel-making equipment S1 with a camera, etc. Such unmanned aerial vehicle 1 may fly autonomously, or may be controlled by a user operating it from inside or outside the steel-making equipment S1.

[0015] The target facility may be, for example, a manufacturing facility for various raw materials and materials, such as a steelworks, a glass factory, or an oil refinery. The target facility may also be a facility related to a power plant, such as a thermal power plant, a hydroelectric power plant, or a nuclear power plant, or a facility related to various infrastructures, such as water supply and sewerage, gas, railways, roads, and communications. The target facility is not particularly limited as long as it can be inspected by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. In this embodiment, an example of the target facility is described as steelmaking facility S1 installed in a steelworks. The steelmaking facility S1 may be various facilities installed in a steelworks. Specifically, the steelmaking facility S1 may include facilities installed in a steelworks that perform processes such as blast furnaces, converters, hot metal pretreatment facilities, degassing facilities, electric furnaces, casting, forging, rolling, annealing, plating, painting, skin pass, and heat treatment, as well as facilities associated with steelmaking in a steelworks, such as coke ovens, denitration facilities, desulfurization facilities, dust collectors, chimneys, heat recovery systems, and boilers. The internal space (i.e., environment) of the steel-making equipment S1 may be a completely enclosed space, or may be a space that is not completely enclosed but is formed by a structure that separates it from the external environment. Such a space may include a spatial region outside an opening provided in the steel-making equipment S1, where the internal atmosphere passes through the opening due to convection and may be affected by the atmosphere. Various sensors 20 may also be provided in the steel-making equipment S1.

[0016] The control method for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment can be used, for example, when the steelmaking facility S1 is operating or is cooling after operation has stopped. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 can inspect, for example, the wall surface W1 of the steelmaking facility S1. At such times, the space within the steelmaking facility S1 may be hotter than the atmosphere due to processing by the steelmaking facility S1, or it may be at low or high pressure due to the use of gases different from the atmosphere. Because it is difficult for workers to enter such spaces, manual inspection is difficult from the standpoints of safety and work efficiency.

[0017] Therefore, one possible method is to fly an unmanned aerial vehicle, such as a drone, into the environment of the steelmaking facility S1 and perform inspections using the unmanned aerial vehicle. However, the atmosphere in the environment described above can be high temperature or low / high pressure. When attempting to fly an unmanned aerial vehicle in such a space, the density of the atmosphere in the space fluctuates with fluctuations in temperature and pressure, making it difficult for the unmanned aerial vehicle to generate stable thrust. This makes it difficult to ensure sufficient accuracy in inspection work such as photography and sensing.

[0018] Therefore, according to this embodiment, a control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 for a steelmaking facility S1 senses the atmosphere of the environment of the steelmaking facility S1 to acquire information about the atmosphere and controls the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 based on the information about the atmosphere. More specifically, this control method determines flight parameters for controlling the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 based on the information about the atmosphere, and controls the output of thrust generating units such as the motor and rotor of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 based on the determined flight parameters. This control method appropriately adjusts the output controlled by the flight controller of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to the atmosphere. This allows the output to be adjusted to an appropriate value according to the atmosphere, regardless of flight instructions to the flight controller, thereby enabling more stable flight regardless of the atmosphere of the space within the steelmaking facility S1. Furthermore, this control method eliminates the need to customize the flight controller according to the atmosphere; it is only necessary to determine flight parameters corresponding to the flight control, making it possible to easily control the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 even in harsh atmospheres such as those described above. An example of this embodiment is described below.

[0019] First, the hardware configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment comprises a main body 2, rotors 3, a motor 4, and a camera / sensor 5. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 also comprises, in the main body 2, a flight controller 11, a battery 14, an ESC (Electric Speed Controller) 15, and a transceiver 16. Note that the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 2 is just one example, and rotorcraft having a different configuration from the main body 2 shown in FIG. 2 may also be included in the scope of the present invention.

[0020] The main body 2 is formed by a frame and the like that constitutes the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The material that constitutes the main body 2 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, carbon fiber resin, glass fiber resin, magnesium, magnesium alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, steel, titanium, or other materials. The rotors 3 are attached to the motor 4. The rotors 3 rotate due to the rotation of the motor 4, thereby generating lift (thrust) for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The rotors 3 and the motor 4 are an example of a thrust generating unit. In this embodiment, the rotors 3 are provided at four locations, front, rear, left, and right, but the present invention is not limited to this example. The number of rotors 3 provided can be changed as appropriate depending on the structure, shape, equipment, size, etc. of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

[0021] The flight controller 11 may have one or more processors, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a programmable processor such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The flight controller 11 has and has access to a memory 12. The memory 12 stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that the flight controller 11 can execute to perform one or more steps. The flight controller 11 is an example of a control device.

[0022] The memory 12 may include a separable medium or an external storage device, such as an SD card or random access memory (RAM). Data acquired from the camera / sensor 5 may be directly transmitted to and stored in the memory 12. For example, still image and video data captured by the camera 5 may be recorded in an internal memory or an external memory.

[0023] The flight controller 11 includes a control module configured to control the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. For example, the control module controls the motor 4, which is the propulsion mechanism of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, via the ESC 15 to adjust the spatial position, speed, and / or acceleration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, which has six degrees of freedom (translational motion x, y, and z, and rotational motion θx, θy, and θz). The rotation of the rotor 3 by the motor 4 generates lift for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The flight controller 11 can adjust the thrust of the rotor 3 by controlling the rotation speed of the motor 4 (rotation speed also means the number of rotations per given time).

[0024] The flight controller 11 can communicate with a transceiver 16 configured to transmit and / or receive data from one or more external devices (e.g., a piloting terminal 17). The transceiver 16 can use any suitable communication means, such as wired or wireless communication. The transceiver 16 can utilize one or more of any communication method, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), infrared, radio, WiFi, a point-to-point (P2P) network, a telecommunications network, or cloud communication.

[0025] The transceiver 16 can transmit and / or receive one or more of the data acquired by the sensors 5, the processing results generated by the flight controller 11, predetermined control data, user commands from a terminal or a remote controller, etc. The information acquired by the sensors 5 may be output to a piloting terminal 17 or the like via the transceiver 16.

[0026] The control terminal 17 is a device for controlling the operation of the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 may be controlled by an operator on the ground, or may be controlled by automatic or manual control based on an autonomous flight program (e.g., a GCS (Ground Control Station)) using flight path information and sensing. The control terminal 17 may be, for example, a transceiver (radio transmitter), a smartphone, a tablet, or other terminal. The control terminal 17 can send flight control instruction information to the flight controller 11.

[0027] The sensor 5 according to this embodiment may include, for example, an inertial sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a GPS sensor, a wind sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an air pressure sensor, an altitude sensor, a proximity sensor such as LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), or a vision / image sensor other than a camera. The sensor 5 may be mounted on the flight controller 11 or provided externally to the flight controller 11. When a camera 5 is provided, the camera may be any camera. For example, the camera 5 may be a general camera, an infrared camera, a stereo camera, or the like.

[0028] <Flight control method> Next, an example of a method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle in a steelmaking facility according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the flight controller 11 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the flight controller 11 includes an atmosphere information acquisition unit 101, a flight parameter determination unit 102, and an output control unit 103.

[0029] The atmospheric information acquisition unit 101 has a function of acquiring atmospheric information in the environment of the steelmaking facility S1 in which the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 flies. The atmospheric information here may include, for example, at least one of the atmospheric temperature, atmospheric pressure, and atmospheric gas type. Other atmospheric information may also include atmospheric humidity, etc.

[0030] Such atmospheric information may be information acquired by, for example, a sensor 5 provided on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. Specifically, information related to the temperature of the atmosphere may be temperature information acquired by a temperature sensor, which is an example of the sensor 5. Furthermore, information related to the atmospheric pressure may be pressure information acquired by a pressure sensor, which is an example of the sensor 5. Furthermore, such atmospheric information may be information acquired by, for example, a sensor 20 provided on the steelmaking facility S1. In this case, for example, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is configured to be able to communicate with the sensor 20 via the transceiver 16 or the like, and may acquire atmospheric information from the sensor 20 (for example, a measurement value obtained by the sensor). Note that the atmospheric information may be a measurement value obtained by the sensor, or may be information obtained by processing the measurement value.

[0031] The flight parameter determination unit 102 has a function of using the acquired atmospheric information to determine flight parameters used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the environment of the steelmaking facility S1. The flight parameters here may be, for example, parameters that indicate the relationship between the rotation speed (i.e., output) of the motor 4 and the thrust generated by the rotor 3 on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. Using such flight parameters, the rotation speed of the motor 4 can be adjusted to correspond to the thrust required to perform desired flight control on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The flight parameters may be stored, for example, in the memory 12 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. Furthermore, the flight parameters may be obtained, for example, by measuring the rotation speed (i.e., output) of the motor 4 and the thrust generated on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 by the rotor 3 multiple times under atmospheric conditions such as a predetermined temperature (e.g., atmospheric temperature or room temperature) and air pressure (e.g., atmospheric pressure) while changing the conditions, and analyzing the measurement data.

[0032] However, as mentioned above, fluctuations in temperature and air pressure change the density of the molecules that make up the air in the atmosphere, which in turn changes the thrust obtained at the same rotation speed of the motor 4. Therefore, in an environment that is significantly different from the temperature and pressure in the normal atmosphere, it becomes difficult to adjust the thrust using only the predetermined flight parameters mentioned above, and it is therefore desirable to adjust the thrust in accordance with changes in temperature and air pressure.

[0033] Therefore, the flight parameter determination unit 102 determines flight parameters based on atmospheric information. Specifically, a plurality of flight parameters related to atmospheric information such as temperature and / or air pressure may be provided in advance, or flight parameters determined by a function using the atmospheric information as a parameter may be provided. The flight parameter determination unit 102 then determines the flight parameters using an evaluation value calculated based on the atmospheric information. Such an evaluation value may be, for example, a coefficient for correcting a reference flight parameter in accordance with the atmospheric information. Alternatively, a plurality of flight parameters may be provided in advance, either continuously or stepwise, and the flight parameter determination unit 102 may change from the plurality of flight parameters to a single flight parameter based on the atmospheric information.

[0034] The output control unit 103 has a function of adjusting the output of the thrust generation unit using the determined flight parameters. For example, when the unmanned aircraft 1 obtains flight control instruction information from a terminal (control terminal 17) for controlling the unmanned aircraft 1, the output control unit 103 controls the output of the thrust generation unit based on such flight control instruction information and the determined flight parameters. The flight control instruction information may include, for example, information for moving the unmanned aircraft 1 to a predetermined position or information for moving the unmanned aircraft 1 in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed. The flight controller 11 calculates the thrust for flying the unmanned aircraft 1 in a predetermined direction from such flight control instruction information, and calculates the rotational speed of the motor 4 using such thrust and the flight parameters. At this time, the output control unit 103 can calculate the rotational speed of the motor 4 according to the atmosphere of the environment of the iron-making facility S1 by using the determined flight parameters. The output control unit 103 outputs a signal related to the rotational speed of the motor 4 to the ESC 15, and the ESC 15 can control the output of the motor 4 to reach such rotational speed.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an overview of flight parameters according to the present embodiment. The graph shown in FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the rotational speed of the motor 4 and the output value of the thrust of the thrust generation unit (rotary wing 3). The parameters that define these relationships are the flight parameters. Here, T1, T2, and T3 shown in each graph indicate the temperature of the atmosphere of the environment in which the unmanned aircraft 1 flies, and have a relationship of T1 < T2 < T3.

[0036] At this time, the higher the temperature of the atmosphere, the higher the rotational speed of the motor 4 required to obtain the same thrust. Here, the flight parameter determination unit 102 can determine the flight parameters for determining the rotational speed of the motor 4 required to obtain the desired thrust according to the temperature of the atmosphere. For example, when the temperature of the atmosphere is higher than the temperature in the atmosphere, flight parameters are selected such that the rotational speed of the motor 4 increases. Thereby, the output control unit 103 can control the rotational speed of the motor 4 for obtaining the required thrust to be higher than normal.

[0037] Note that the higher the atmospheric pressure, the smaller the rotation speed of the motor 4 required to obtain the same thrust. This is because the higher the atmospheric pressure, the greater the density of the gas in the atmosphere, and the greater the thrust obtained from a motor with the same rotation speed. The flight parameter determination unit 102 can determine flight parameters for determining the rotation speed of the motor 4 required to obtain a desired thrust, depending on the atmospheric pressure. For example, if the atmospheric pressure is higher than the atmospheric pressure, the flight parameter that reduces the rotation speed of the motor 4 is selected. This allows the output control unit 103 to control the rotation speed of the motor 4 to obtain the required thrust so that it is smaller than usual.

[0038] Furthermore, the flight parameter determination unit 102 may determine flight parameters for determining the rotation speed of the motor 4 required to obtain a desired thrust, based on the type (gas species) of gas contained in the atmosphere and its proportion. For example, if the proportion of coke gas (coke oven gas) in the atmosphere is higher than that in the atmosphere, flight parameters that increase the rotation speed of the motor 4 are selected. This is because the specific gravity of coke gas is 0.47, which is a value smaller than 1. As a result, the output control unit 103 can control the rotation speed of the motor 4 to be higher than normal to obtain the required thrust. Also, for example, if the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than that in the atmosphere, flight parameters that decrease the rotation speed of the motor 4 are selected. This is because the specific gravity of carbon dioxide is 1.529, which is a value larger than 1. As a result, the output control unit 103 can control the rotation speed of the motor 4 to be lower than normal to obtain the required thrust.

[0039] Furthermore, the flight parameter determination unit 102 can determine flight parameters for determining the number of rotations of the motor 4 required to obtain a desired thrust, depending on the humidity of the atmosphere. For example, if the humidity of the atmosphere is higher than the humidity in the atmosphere, flight parameters that increase the number of rotations of the motor 4 are selected. This is because the higher the humidity of the atmosphere, the lighter the air becomes. This allows the output control unit 103 to control the number of rotations of the motor 4 required to obtain the required thrust so that it is higher than usual.

[0040] Next, a series of steps in the method for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the steel-making facility S1 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the steps in the method for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the steel-making facility S1 according to this embodiment.

[0041] First, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is present in an environment such as the inside of the steelmaking facility S1 by flight or the like, the atmosphere information acquisition unit 101 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 acquires atmospheric information (step S101). Such atmospheric information may be obtained from a sensor 5 mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, or may be obtained from a sensor 20 provided in the steelmaking facility S1.

[0042] Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 determines flight parameters based on the acquired atmospheric information (step S103). At this time, for example, the flight parameter determination unit 102 may determine new flight parameters based on the atmospheric information, or may determine new flight parameters by correcting previously determined flight parameters.

[0043] Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 acquires flight control instruction information from the control terminal 17 (step S105). Then, the output control unit 103 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 controls the output of the target thrust of the thrust generating unit based on the determined flight parameters (step S107). The detailed processing content of each functional unit is as described above.

[0044] In this control method for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, the processes described in steps S101 to S107 are performed continuously or intermittently. For example, the processes described above may be repeated at intervals of several milliseconds to several seconds, or may be performed intermittently at intervals of several tens of seconds to several minutes. The repetition interval for these processes can be determined appropriately depending on the type and size of the steelmaking equipment S1 and the degree of fluctuation in the environmental atmosphere.

[0045] In this way, the control method for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment uses atmospheric information about the environment of the steelmaking facility S1 to appropriately determine flight parameters used to control the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. This enables more stable control of the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, regardless of the magnitude or change of temperature or air pressure. Furthermore, by using atmospheric information acquired from the sensor 5 mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, flight control that takes into account the atmosphere near the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 becomes possible, further improving the accuracy of flight control.

[0046] The unmanned aerial vehicle control method according to this embodiment is particularly effective in special atmospheric environments (special atmospheric environments) where it is difficult for the unmanned aerial vehicle to generate stable thrust. A special atmospheric environment can be, for example, an environment where the temperature is 50°C or higher or where the proportion of gases other than air is 30% or higher. The unmanned aerial vehicle control method according to this embodiment can generate stable thrust for the unmanned aerial vehicle even in such special atmospheric environments, thereby ensuring sufficient accuracy in inspection work such as photography and sensing.

[0047] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art of the present disclosure can conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0048] Furthermore, the effects described herein are merely descriptive or exemplary and are not limiting. In other words, the technology according to the present disclosure may achieve other effects that will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of this specification, in addition to or in place of the above-described effects.

[0049] The following configurations also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. (Item 1) A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a thrust generating unit and a control device for controlling the output of the thrust generating unit; The control device Acquiring atmospheric information in an environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies; Using the acquired atmospheric information, determine flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment; adjusting the output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters; A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, including: (Item 2) A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle described in item 1, wherein the atmospheric information is acquired by a sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle. (Item 3) 3. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle according to item 1 or 2, wherein the information about the atmosphere includes information relating to at least one of the temperature of the atmosphere, the atmospheric pressure of the atmosphere, and the gas species of the atmosphere. (Item 4) the thrust generating unit includes a rotor and a motor that rotates the rotor; the flight parameters are parameters determined based on a relationship between an output of the motor and a thrust obtained by the rotor blades, 4. The unmanned aerial vehicle control method according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the flight parameters are determined using evaluation values obtained based on the information about the atmosphere. (Item 5) A control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle described in any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the control device adjusts the output of the thrust generating unit based on flight control instruction information obtained from a terminal for operating the unmanned aerial vehicle and the determined flight parameters. (Item 6) An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a thrust generating unit and a control device for controlling the output of the thrust generating unit, The control device an atmosphere information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies; a flight parameter determination unit that determines flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, using the acquired atmospheric information; an output control unit that controls an output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters; An unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with (Item 7) A program for causing a control device to function that controls the output of a thrust generating unit provided in an unmanned aerial vehicle, The control device an atmosphere information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies; a flight parameter determination unit that determines flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, using the acquired atmospheric information; an output control unit that controls an output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters; A program that functions as a [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1. Unmanned aerial vehicles 2 Main body 3 rotor blades 4 motors 5 sensors 11 Flight Controller 101 Atmosphere information acquisition unit 102 Flight parameter determination unit 103 Output control section

Claims

1. A method for controlling a drone flying in an internal space of a steelmaking facility, comprising: The drone includes a thrust generating unit including a rotor and a motor that rotates the rotor, and a control device that controls the output of the thrust generating unit; The control device Acquiring atmospheric information in an environment in which the drone flies; Using the acquired atmospheric information, determining flight parameters to be used for flight control of the drone in the environment; adjusting the output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters; Including, A method for controlling a drone, wherein the information about the atmosphere includes information about gas species in the atmosphere.

2. The drone control method according to claim 1, wherein the internal space of the steelmaking facility is a special atmospheric environment in which the temperature is 50°C or higher or the proportion of gases other than air is 30% or higher.

3. The drone control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the atmospheric information is acquired by a sensor mounted on the drone.

4. The drone control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the atmospheric information includes information relating to at least one of the temperature of the atmosphere, the atmospheric pressure, and the gas species of the atmosphere.

5. the flight parameters are parameters determined based on a relationship between an output of the motor and a thrust obtained by the rotor blades, A drone control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flight parameters are determined using evaluation values obtained based on the atmospheric information.

6. The drone control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control device adjusts the output of the thrust generating unit based on flight control instruction information obtained from a terminal for operating the drone and the determined flight parameters.

7. A drone for flying in the interior space of a steelmaking facility, comprising: a thrust generating unit having a rotor and a motor that rotates the rotor; and a control device for controlling the output of the thrust generating unit, The control device An atmosphere information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the drone flies; a flight parameter determination unit that determines flight parameters to be used for flight control of the drone in the environment in which the drone flies, using the acquired atmospheric information; an output control unit that controls an output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters; Equipped with The information about the atmosphere includes information about gas species in the atmosphere.

8. A program for causing a control device to function that controls the output of a thrust generating unit provided in a drone for flying in the internal space of a steelmaking facility and that includes a rotor and a motor for rotating the rotor, The control device An atmosphere information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the drone flies; a flight parameter determination unit that determines flight parameters to be used for flight control of the drone in the environment in which the drone flies, using the acquired atmospheric information; an output control unit that controls an output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters; It functions as The information about the atmosphere includes information about gas species in the atmosphere.

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