Aircraft position control system, aircraft, and aircraft position control method

Abstract

Provided is an aircraft position control system that, during detachment of an aircraft mounted on a mobile body that moves, controls the relative position of the aircraft with respect to the mobile body, the aircraft position control system comprising: a position detection unit that is provided to the aircraft and acquires the position of the aircraft; and a control unit that controls a flight operation of the aircraft. The control unit acquires the movement speed and the movement direction of the mobile body on the basis of the detection result of the position detection unit, and causes the aircraft to fly upward on the basis of the acquired movement speed and movement direction of the mobile body.

Description

Aircraft position control system, aircraft, and aircraft position control method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an aircraft position control system, an aircraft, and an aircraft position control method.

[0002] A control system for taking off and landing an aircraft on a ship is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The control system of Patent Document 1 includes a hull motion prediction device that predicts the hull motion of the ship, a takeoff and landing condition indication device that receives the output of the hull motion prediction device and calculates the takeoff and landing condition of the aircraft on the ship, an instruction transmitting device that transmits the output of the takeoff and landing condition indication device, an instruction receiving device that receives the output of the instruction transmitting device, and a flight motion control device that controls flight motion in response to the output of the instruction receiving device. The hull motion prediction device, takeoff and landing condition indication device, and instruction transmitting device are provided on the ship, and the instruction receiving device and flight motion control device are provided on the aircraft.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-71998

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes takeoff and landing for fixed-wing aircraft, which taxi over the ship during takeoff. Rotary-wing aircraft, on the other hand, typically ascend from the takeoff and landing point to take off. For this reason, conventionally, rotary-wing aircraft do not move in tandem with the movement of the ship, but instead ascend while maintaining a position based on the position at the time the command to take off is issued. In this case, the rotary-wing aircraft takes off and ascends while the ship moves forward. This means that the rotary-wing aircraft moves relatively behind the ship, which could result in physical interference with the ship.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an aircraft position control system, an aircraft, and an aircraft position control method that can suitably detach an aircraft from a moving body such as a ship.

[0006] The aircraft position control system of the present disclosure is an aircraft position control system that controls the relative position of an aircraft mounted on a moving vehicle when the aircraft detaches from the moving vehicle, and is equipped with a position detection unit that is provided on the aircraft and acquires the position of the aircraft, and a control unit that controls the flight operation of the aircraft, and the control unit acquires the movement speed and movement direction of the moving vehicle based on the detection results of the position detection unit, and causes the aircraft to fly upward based on the acquired movement speed and movement direction of the moving vehicle.

[0007] The aircraft of the present disclosure is equipped with the above-described aircraft position control system.

[0008] The aircraft position control method disclosed herein is an aircraft position control method executed by a position control system that controls the relative position of an aircraft mounted on a moving vehicle when the aircraft detaches from the moving vehicle, wherein the position control system acquires the moving speed and direction of the moving vehicle based on the detection results of a position detection unit provided on the aircraft, and performs an ascending flight operation of the aircraft based on the acquired moving speed and direction of the moving vehicle.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, an aircraft can be suitably detached from a moving body such as a ship.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an aircraft position control system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram relating to aircraft position control according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram relating to aircraft motion determination according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram relating to a takeoff platform in the aircraft position control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart relating to an aircraft position control method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an aircraft position control system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram relating to aircraft position control according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram relating to an estimator according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram relating to aircraft position control according to a third embodiment.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially identical. Furthermore, the components described below can be combined as appropriate, and when there are multiple embodiments, the respective embodiments can also be combined.

[0012] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an aircraft position control system according to a first embodiment.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, aircraft 1 is a rotary-wing aircraft (e.g., a helicopter, a drone, etc.). In this embodiment, aircraft 1 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Note that aircraft 1 may be any aircraft capable of forward, backward, sideways, turning, and hovering, and may also be a manned aircraft. Aircraft 1 is equipped with a position control system 100, and flight is controlled by the position control system 100.

[0014] (Position Control System) The position control system 100 according to this embodiment is a system that controls the relative position of the aircraft 1 with respect to the ship 5, which is a mobile body, when the aircraft 1 mounted on the ship 5 is to depart, in order to suppress physical interference with the ship 5. The position control system 100 may be configured as a system mounted only on the aircraft 1, or may be configured as a system mounted on both the aircraft 1 and the ship 5. Note that in this embodiment, the position control system 100 is applied to the ship 5 as a mobile body, but it may also be applied to a land vehicle such as a car as a mobile body.

[0015] 1, the ship 5 includes a control unit 50, a navigation device 70, a data transmission device 80, and an operation display unit 90. The ship 5 also includes a marker 7 that serves as a target for the aircraft 1 when it lands (lands on the ship), and a takeoff platform (platform) 60 on which the aircraft 1 is placed when it takes off (takes off the ship).

[0016] The navigation device 70 is, for example, an inertial navigation system (INS), and acquires the pitch and roll attitude angles, heading, speed, acceleration, and position coordinates in the Earth coordinate system of the ship 5. In the first embodiment, the navigation device 70 is described as being an inertial navigation system, but is not particularly limited thereto, and any navigation device 70 may be used. In the first embodiment, the navigation device 70 is an inertial navigation system including a GPS (Global Positioning System) to improve the accuracy of position measurement, and functions as a position detection unit. The navigation device 70 includes a GPS compass 71, which detects the direction of the ship 5 from the relative positional relationship of two or more antennas. Therefore, the navigation device 70 acquires the position and direction of the ship 5. In the first embodiment, the invention is described as being applied to an inertial navigation system including a GPS, but is not particularly limited to a GPS and any position detection unit capable of measuring a position with high accuracy may be used, for example, a system using a quasi-zenith satellite system may be used, or a configuration may be adopted in which a position measurement unit such as a GPS is omitted as long as the position can be measured with high accuracy using only the navigation system 70. Furthermore, the navigation system 70 may acquire at least a part of the various data using a sensor.

[0017] The data transmission device 80 exchanges various signals with the data transmission device 40 installed on the aircraft 1 via wireless communication.

[0018] The operation and display unit 90 is a user interface through which an operator on board the vessel 5 grasps the control status and inputs various instructions. The instructions input on the operation and display unit 90 are transmitted from the data transmission device 80 to the data transmission device 40. The control status of the aircraft 1 is transmitted from the data transmission device 40 to the data transmission device 80. In other words, the data transmission devices 40 and 80 are capable of two-way communication.

[0019] The control unit 50 includes an integrated circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 50 controls the operation of the ship 5 based on input data. The control unit 50 has an automatic landing calculation device 55, which supports the aircraft 1 to automatically land on the ship 5. The automatic landing calculation device 55 determines, for example, whether the ship 5 is in a state where the aircraft 1 can land, and specifically controls the operation of the ship 5 so that the relative wind is in a predetermined wind direction and at a predetermined wind speed.

[0020] Next, the marker 7 and the platform 60 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the platform of the aircraft position control system according to this embodiment. The marker 7 is provided integrally with the platform 60, and the platform 60 is installed on the ship 5.

[0021] The takeoff platform 60 includes a base 61, a flat plate 62, a marker 7, and a platform body 65 installed on the top surface. The base 61 serves as a framework. The flat plate 62 is installed on the upper surface of the base 61 and has a flat upper surface. The marker 7 is sheet-like and is provided on the upper surface of the flat plate 62. The marker 7 is an AR marker, for example, color-coded in two colors, black and white, and serves as a marker for the aircraft 1 to capture the position of the target landing point. The platform body 65 is installed on the marker 7. The platform body 65 changes the inclination angle of the mounting surface on which the aircraft 1 is placed relative to the upper surface of the marker 7. The platform body 65 has a mechanism for changing the attitude angle of the aircraft 1 so that the nose of the installed aircraft 1 is in a pitch-down state. The platform body 65 may be a mechanism for manually changing the inclination angle or a mechanism for automatically changing the inclination angle. When the tilt angle of the platform body 65 is changed automatically, the platform 60 is connected to the control unit 50 of the ship 5 , and the tilt angle of the platform 60 is changed by the control unit 50 .

[0022] The takeoff platform 60 changes the attitude of the aircraft 1 placed on the platform body 65 so that the aircraft 1 is in a pitch-down state with the nose lowered by changing the tilt angle of the platform body 65. In other words, the takeoff platform 60 functions as a pitch-down unit that pitches down the aircraft 1.

[0023] (Aircraft) As shown in FIG. 1 , the aircraft 1 includes a navigation device 20 , a control unit 30 , a flight control unit 36 ​​, and a data transmission device 40 .

[0024] Like the navigation device 70, the navigation device 20 is, for example, an inertial navigation system (INS) and functions as a position detection unit. The navigation device 20 also includes a GPS compass 21, which detects the orientation of the aircraft 1 from the relative positional relationship of two or more antennas. Therefore, the navigation device 20 acquires the position and orientation of the aircraft 1. Note that the navigation device 20 is not particularly limited to the GPS compass 21, and a compass such as a gyrocompass may be applied. Furthermore, like the navigation device 70, the navigation device 20 may be an inertial navigation device including a position measurement unit such as a GPS, or an inertial navigation device omitting a position detection unit such as a GPS, and is not particularly limited.

[0025] The navigation device 20, which includes a GPS, acquires the attitude angles of the aircraft 1 in the roll, yaw, and pitch directions, the aircraft speed, inertial velocity, aircraft acceleration, heading, and position coordinates in the Earth coordinate system of the aircraft 1. The navigation device 20 may also include an attitude angle sensor that detects the attitude angle of the aircraft 1, a speed sensor that detects the aircraft speed of the aircraft 1, an acceleration sensor that detects the aircraft acceleration of the aircraft 1, and a sensor that detects the heading of the aircraft 1. The navigation device 20 outputs the acquired attitude angle, aircraft speed, inertial velocity, aircraft acceleration, heading, and position coordinates of the aircraft 1 to the flight control unit 36.

[0026] 1, the position control system 100 also includes an altitude sensor 25 that detects the altitude of the aircraft 1 above the ground or water surface. The altitude sensor 25 is, for example, a laser altimeter, and measures the relative altitude from the aircraft 1 to the target landing point. Note that the altitude sensor 25 may be a radio altimeter, a barometric altimeter, or any other altimeter.

[0027] The control unit 30 includes an integrated circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. The control unit 30 has a guidance calculation unit 34 and a flight control unit 36.

[0028] The guidance calculation unit 34 calculates control variables for guiding the aircraft 1. The control variables are used to adjust the aircraft speed, attitude angle, rate of change of the attitude angle, and the like of the aircraft 1.

[0029] The flight control unit 36 ​​controls each component of the aircraft 1 in accordance with the control amount calculated by the guidance calculation unit 34 to fly the aircraft 1. The flight control unit 36 ​​controls the blade pitch angle, rotation speed, etc. of each rotor in accordance with the control amount, and adjusts the aircraft speed, attitude angle, rate of change of attitude angle, etc. of the aircraft 1. In this way, the aircraft 1 is guided to the target position. Note that in this embodiment, the guidance calculation unit 34 is described as a functional unit separate from the flight control unit 36, but the flight control unit 36 ​​and the guidance calculation unit 34 may be an integrated functional unit. In other words, the processing of the guidance calculation unit 34 may be performed in the flight control unit 36.

[0030] (Aircraft Position Control) Next, position control of the aircraft 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2, 3, and 5. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram relating to aircraft position control according to this embodiment. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram relating to aircraft vibration determination according to this embodiment. Figure 5 is a flowchart relating to an aircraft position control method according to this embodiment.

[0031] In the position control of the aircraft 1, when the aircraft 1 leaves the ship, the ascending flight operation of the aircraft 1 is controlled in accordance with the operation of the ship 5. In the position control of the aircraft 1, the control unit 30 of the aircraft 1 acquires the movement speed and movement direction (heading) of the aircraft 1 based on the position of the aircraft 1 acquired by the navigation device 20 of the aircraft 1, and controls the flight operation of the aircraft 1 when leaving the ship based on the acquired movement speed and heading of the aircraft 1. Specifically, in the position control of the aircraft 1, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates a control amount based on the block diagram shown in Fig. 2. Note that while Fig. 2 calculates a control amount (pitch axis control command) related to the direction of the pitch axis, the same applies to the direction of the roll axis.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the guidance calculation unit 34 has a memory 101 for storing the ship speed, a subtractor 102, a limiter 103 and a control gain 104 for the relative speed, an integrator 105, a limiter 106 and a control gain 107 for the relative position, a control gain 108 for the vertical acceleration, and an adder 109.

[0033] The memory 101 stores the forward speed of the ship 5 when the aircraft 1 leaves the ship. The timing for storing the ship speed in the memory 101 may be when the instruction to leave the ship is issued or just before leaving the ship. In other words, the timing for storing the ship speed in the memory 101 may be any time between when the instruction to leave the ship is issued and just before leaving the ship. The ship speed stored in the memory 101 is acquired based on the position of the aircraft 1 acquired by the navigation device 20 of the aircraft 1. The ship speed stored in the memory 101 is based on the assumption that the ship 5 will be traveling at a constant speed in a predetermined heading when the aircraft 1 leaves the ship.

[0034] The subtractor 102 calculates a relative speed by subtracting the ship speed stored in the memory 101 from the forward speed, which is the actual speed of the aircraft 1. The limiter 103 limits the calculated relative speed so that it does not exceed a preset threshold. The control gain 104 multiplies the relative speed, which is an input signal, by a feedback control gain and outputs a pitch axis control variable as an output signal. The integrator 105 integrates the calculated relative speed to calculate a relative position. The limiter 106 limits the calculated relative position so that it does not exceed a preset threshold. The control gain 107 multiplies the relative position, which is an input signal, by a feedback control gain and outputs a pitch axis control variable as an output signal. The control gain 108 multiplies the longitudinal acceleration (i.e., acceleration in the vertical direction) of the aircraft 1, which is an input signal, by a feedback control gain and outputs a pitch axis control variable as an output signal. The adder 109 sums the control variable based on the relative position, the control variable based on the relative speed, and the control variable based on the longitudinal acceleration, and outputs the summed pitch axis control variable.

[0035] Therefore, the flight control unit 36 ​​controls the ascending flight operation of the aircraft 1 in accordance with the control amount calculated by the guidance calculation unit 34, thereby enabling the aircraft 1 to perform an ascending flight operation taking into account the speed and heading of the ship 5. Here, the ascending flight operation of the aircraft 1 when it leaves the ship may be performed based on the heading of the aircraft 1 as a reference. In other words, when the heading of the aircraft 1 is used as a reference, the flight control unit 36 ​​performs the ascending flight operation of the aircraft 1 without using the heading of the ship 5. Furthermore, the ascending flight operation of the aircraft 1 when it leaves the ship may be performed based on the heading of the aircraft 1 and the heading of the ship 5. In other words, when the heading of the aircraft 1 and the heading of the ship 5 are used, the flight control unit 36 ​​determines a reference heading based on the heading of the aircraft 1 and the heading of the ship 5, and performs the ascending flight operation based on the determined reference heading.

[0036] Next, the determination of motion of the ship 5 by the aircraft 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The control unit 30 of the aircraft 1 has a determiner 111 that determines motion in the pitch direction of the aircraft 1, a determiner 112 that determines motion in the roll direction of the aircraft 1, and an AND circuit 113.

[0037] The determiner 111 receives an input of the displacement amount in the pitch direction of the aircraft 1. The determiner 111 calculates the difference between the input displacement amount and the average value of the displacement amount in the pitch direction, and outputs an output signal if the calculated difference is within a preset threshold value. The determiner 112 receives an input of the displacement amount in the roll direction of the aircraft 1. The determiner 112 calculates the difference between the input displacement amount and the average value of the displacement amount in the roll direction, and outputs an output signal if the calculated difference is within a preset threshold value. When the AND circuit 113 receives an output signal from the determiner 111 and an output signal from the determiner 112, it determines that the rolling of the ship 5 is small and outputs a determination flag indicating that the aircraft 1 can leave the ship.

[0038] Next, an aircraft position control method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5 . When controlling the position of the aircraft 1 when it is about to leave the ship, first, preparations for departure are made (step S1). Specifically, in step S1, the aircraft 1 is placed on the takeoff platform 60, and the ship 5 is sailed so that the relative wind relative to the aircraft 1 has a predetermined wind direction and a predetermined wind speed. At this time, the relative wind is set so that the upwind side of the relative wind is the nose of the aircraft 1 and the downwind side of the relative wind is the tail of the aircraft 1. Also, in step S1, the tilt angle of the takeoff platform 60 is adjusted according to the relative wind relative to the aircraft 1. That is, if the relative wind relative to the aircraft 1 is strong, the tilt angle is increased, thereby causing the aircraft 1 to be in a pitch-down state with its nose lowered. On the other hand, if the relative wind relative to the aircraft 1 is weak, the tilt angle is decreased, causing the aircraft 1 to be in a horizontal state.

[0039] After executing step S1, the control unit 30 of the aircraft 1 acquires a departure command (step S2). In step S2, the departure command is output, for example, from an operation unit that operates the aircraft 1. When the departure command is acquired in step S2, the aircraft 1 starts rotating its rotors and maintains a standby state (step S3). After this, the aircraft 1 acquires information about the motion of the ship 5 based on the position of the aircraft 1 detected by the navigation device 20 (step S4), and determines whether the aircraft 1 can leave the ship using the motion determination shown in FIG. 3 (step S5). That is, in step S5, if a determination flag is output in the motion determination shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 30 determines that the aircraft 1 can leave the ship (step S5: Yes), whereas if the determination flag is not output, the control unit 30 determines that the aircraft 1 cannot leave the ship (step S5: No). If the control unit 30 determines that the aircraft 1 cannot leave the ship, the control unit 30 again proceeds to step S4.

[0040] If the control unit 30 determines in step S5 that the aircraft 1 is able to take off, the aircraft 1 performs the relative position control shown in Fig. 2 while ascending until it reaches a predetermined altitude (step S6). Then, when the aircraft 1 reaches the predetermined altitude, the control unit 30 moves the aircraft 1 to a preset target position (step S7). After executing step S7, the control unit 30 ends the relative position control of the aircraft 1 at the time of takeoff.

[0041] In this embodiment, steps S6 and S7 are executed separately, but they may be executed simultaneously. That is, after executing step S5, the control unit 30 may cause the aircraft 1 to ascend toward a preset target position while executing the relative position control shown in FIG.

[0042] The target position may be set, for example, directly above the moving ship 5, and the ascending flight operation may be a flight operation of ascending vertically toward the target position. The target position may be arbitrarily set by the operator operating the aircraft 1 before or after the aircraft 1 leaves the ship, or may be set as a fixed position in advance.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the aircraft 1 is put into a pitch-down state using the takeoff platform 60, but the takeoff platform 60 may be omitted. That is, the pitch-down state may be achieved by flight control of the aircraft 1. For example, the rotation plane (rotor plane) of the main rotor of the aircraft 1 may be tilted forward, or the swashplate of the aircraft 1 may be tilted to achieve the pitch-down state.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the ship 5 will be traveling at a constant speed in a predetermined direction when the aircraft 1 leaves the ship, but the direction and speed of the ship 5 may be any, as long as the relative wind, which changes as the ship 5 navigates, can be predicted.

[0045] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 8. Fig. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an aircraft position control system according to the second embodiment. Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram relating to aircraft position control according to the second embodiment. Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram relating to an estimator according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, to avoid redundant description, only parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described, and parts that have the same configuration as the first embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.

[0046] The position control system 100 according to the second embodiment acquires the relative position between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point, and performs position control of the aircraft 1. For this reason, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, the position control system 100 further includes a camera 10 provided on the aircraft 1, an image processing unit 32 provided in the control unit 30 of the aircraft 1, and a marker 7 provided on the ship 5 as the target landing point. On the other hand, because the position control system 100 acquires the relative position, the memory 101 and subtractor 102 provided in the first embodiment are omitted from the configuration.

[0047] The camera 10 is an imaging device mounted on the aircraft 1 via a gimbal (not shown). The camera 10 may be a monocular camera, a compound eye camera, an infrared camera, or the like, as long as it can capture an image of the marker 7. The camera 10 is provided to capture an image of the marker 7 provided at the target landing point from the aircraft 1. The imaging direction of the camera 10 can be adjusted via a gimbal (not shown).

[0048] The image processing unit 32 performs image processing on the image captured by the camera 10 to detect the center position of the marker 7. The image processing unit 32 outputs the calculated center position of the marker 7 to the guidance calculation unit 34.

[0049] The guidance calculation unit 34 calculates a control amount for guiding the aircraft 1 to the target landing point (the center position of the marker 7). The control amount is a control amount for adjusting the aircraft speed, attitude angle, rate of change of attitude angle, etc. of the aircraft 1. In order to calculate the control amount, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative coordinate position between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point. Specifically, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative position between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point and the relative altitude between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point as the relative coordinate position. The guidance calculation unit 34 also calculates the relative speed between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point, etc. The relative position is the distance between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point of the ship 5 in the horizontal direction. The relative altitude is the distance between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point of the ship 5 in the vertical direction.

[0050] The guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative position between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point based on the center position of the marker 7 calculated by the image processing unit 32, the orientation of the camera 10 (i.e., the nose orientation of the aircraft 1), and the altitude (relative altitude to the target landing point) of the aircraft 1. The guidance calculation unit 34 also calculates the relative altitude to the target landing point based on the altitude of the aircraft 1 detected by the altitude sensor 25.

[0051] The guidance calculation unit 34 also calculates the relative speed between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point. More specifically, the guidance calculation unit 34 executes a relative speed estimation process using an estimator 120 (described later) based on the relative position and aircraft speed to calculate the relative speed between the aircraft 1 and the target landing point.

[0052] The guidance calculation unit 34 then calculates a control amount by feedback control (e.g., PID control) based on the relative position, relative altitude, relative speed, and aircraft acceleration. Note that the feedback control is not limited to PID control, but may be P control, PI control, PD control, etc. The guidance calculation unit 34 outputs the calculated control amount to the flight control unit 36.

[0053] The relative position is not limited to being obtained using the marker 7, the camera 10, and the image processing unit 32, but may also be obtained using a highly accurate position detector such as a GPS (for example, an RTK-GPS).

[0054] 7, the guidance calculation unit 34 has an estimator 120 instead of the memory 101 and the subtractor 102 of the first embodiment. The guidance calculation unit 34 is configured without the integrator 105 of the first embodiment.

[0055] 8 , the relative position and the forward speed, which is the actual speed of the aircraft 1, are input as input signals to the estimator 120. The estimator 120 includes a differentiator 125, a low-pass filter 126, a high-pass filter 127, and an adder 128.

[0056] The differentiator 125 receives the acquired relative position and differentiates the relative position to calculate an estimated relative velocity. The low-pass filter 126 is a filter that attenuates frequencies equal to or higher than a predetermined cutoff frequency from the relative velocity input from the differentiator 125. In the figure, "s" is an operator, and "τ2" is a time constant. The low-pass filter 126 removes high-frequency components from the relative velocity and outputs the low-frequency components contained in the relative velocity to the adder 128. The high-pass filter 127 receives the acquired forward velocity of the aircraft 1. The high-pass filter 127 is a filter that attenuates frequencies equal to or lower than a predetermined cutoff frequency from the forward velocity of the aircraft 1. The high-pass filter 127 removes low-frequency components from the forward velocity of the aircraft 1 and outputs the high-frequency components contained in the relative velocity to the adder 128. The adder 128 adds together the relative velocity output from the low-pass filter 126 and the relative velocity output from the high-pass filter 127. The adder 128 then outputs the relative velocity, which is the estimated value, to the limiter 103. The limiter 106 is directly input with the acquired relative position.

[0057] [Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram relating to aircraft position control according to the third embodiment. Note that in the third embodiment, to avoid redundant description, only parts that differ from the first and second embodiments will be described, and parts that have the same configuration as the first and second embodiments will be described using the same reference numerals.

[0058] The position control system 100 according to the third embodiment is a system in which the relative position input to the limiter 106 in the position control system 100 according to the second embodiment is switched by a switch 131 .

[0059] The switch 131 switches between a first connection pattern in which the acquired relative position is directly input to the limiter 106, and a second connection pattern in which the acquired relative position is input via the estimator 120 and the integrator 105. The switch 131 is controlled by the control unit 30 to switch to the first connection pattern when the aircraft 1 takes off, and to switch to the second connection pattern when the aircraft 1 lands, for example.

[0060] As described above, the position control system 100, the aircraft 1, and the position control method of the aircraft 1 described in the first to third embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0061] The position control system 100 for an aircraft 1 in the first aspect is a position control system 100 for an aircraft 1 that controls the relative position of the aircraft 1 with respect to a moving vehicle (ship 5) when the aircraft 1 mounted on the moving vehicle detaches, and is equipped with a position detection unit (GPS compass 21) that is provided on the aircraft 1 and acquires the position of the aircraft 1, and a control unit 30 that controls the flight operation of the aircraft 1, and the control unit 30 acquires the movement speed and movement direction of the moving vehicle based on the detection results of the position detection unit, and causes the aircraft 1 to fly upward based on the acquired movement speed and movement direction of the moving vehicle.

[0062] According to this configuration, the aircraft 1 can be detached from the moving body taking into consideration the movement of the moving body, and therefore the aircraft 1 can be detached suitably without physically interfering with the moving body. Furthermore, since the position of the moving body can be acquired by the aircraft 1, there is no need to establish data communication with the moving body, and the aircraft 1 can be detached smoothly from the moving body.

[0063] As a second aspect, in the position control system 100 for the aircraft 1 according to the first aspect, the control unit 30 sets a target position and causes the aircraft 1 to fly upward toward the set target position.

[0064] With this configuration, the aircraft 1 can be made to fly upward toward the target position, and by setting the target position to a position where there is no physical interference between the aircraft 1 and the moving body, physical interference between the aircraft 1 and the moving body can be reliably avoided.

[0065] As a third aspect, in the position control system 100 for aircraft 1 according to the first or second aspect, the moving body is a ship.

[0066] This configuration allows the aircraft 1 to depart from the ship 5 in an efficient manner.

[0067] As a fourth aspect, in the position control system 100 for the aircraft 1 according to any one of the first to third aspects, the position detection unit further acquires the orientation of the aircraft.

[0068] According to this configuration, it is possible to acquire not only the position of the aircraft 1 but also the orientation of the aircraft 1, and therefore it is possible to perform an ascending flight operation based on the position and orientation of the aircraft 1. This allows the aircraft 1 to accurately perform an ascending flight operation, taking into account the movements of the moving body and the aircraft 1.

[0069] As a fifth aspect, in the position control system 100 of the aircraft 1 relating to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the control unit 30 acquires changes in the movement of the moving body based on the detection results of the position detection unit, and determines whether the ascending flight operation is executable based on the acquired changes in the movement of the moving body.

[0070] According to this configuration, the aircraft 1 can be departed from the moving body in accordance with the shaking of the moving body, thereby enabling the aircraft 1 to depart stably.

[0071] As a sixth aspect, the position control system 100 for the aircraft 1 relating to any one of the first to fifth aspects further includes a pitch down unit that pitches down the aircraft 1 relative to the moving body when the aircraft 1 is flying upward.

[0072] According to this configuration, even when a relative wind is set against the aircraft 1, the aircraft 1 can be pitched down, so that departure from the moving body can be carried out stably.

[0073] As a seventh aspect, in the position control system 100 for aircraft 1 relating to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the pitch down section is a platform (takeoff platform 60) provided at the takeoff point of the moving body from which the aircraft 1 departs, and the platform changes the inclination angle of the platform surface on which the aircraft 1 is placed relative to the installation surface of the takeoff point.

[0074] According to this configuration, the aircraft 1 can be easily put into a pitch-down state simply by changing the tilt angle of the mounting base.

[0075] The aircraft 1 according to the eighth aspect includes the position control system 100 for the aircraft 1 described above.

[0076] This configuration makes it possible to provide an aircraft 1 that can depart from a moving body in an appropriate and smooth manner.

[0077] The position control method for an aircraft 1 according to the ninth aspect is a position control method for an aircraft 1 executed by a position control system 100 that controls the relative position of the aircraft 1 with respect to a moving vehicle when the aircraft 1 mounted on the moving vehicle detaches, wherein the position control system 100 acquires the moving speed and moving direction of the moving vehicle based on the detection results of a position detection unit provided on the aircraft 1, and performs an ascending flight operation of the aircraft based on the acquired moving speed and moving direction of the moving vehicle.

[0078] According to this configuration, the aircraft 1 can be detached from the moving body taking into consideration the movement of the moving body, and therefore the aircraft 1 can be detached suitably without physically interfering with the moving body. Furthermore, since the position of the moving body can be acquired by the aircraft 1, there is no need to establish data communication with the moving body, and the aircraft 1 can be detached smoothly from the moving body.

[0079] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 aircraft 5 ship 7 marker 10 camera 20 navigation device 21 GPS compass 30 control unit 32 image processing unit 34 guidance calculation unit 36 ​​flight control unit 40 data transmission device 50 control unit 55 automatic landing calculation unit 60 takeoff platform 70 navigation device 71 GPS compass 80 data transmission device 90 operation display unit 100 position control system

Claims

1. An aircraft position control system that controls the relative position of an aircraft mounted on a moving vehicle when the aircraft detaches from the moving vehicle, comprising: a position detection unit that is provided on the aircraft and acquires the position of the aircraft; and a control unit that controls the flight operation of the aircraft, wherein the control unit acquires the moving speed and direction of the moving vehicle based on the detection result of the position detection unit, and causes the aircraft to fly upward based on the acquired moving speed and direction of the moving vehicle.

2. An aircraft position control system as described in claim 1, wherein the control unit sets a target position and causes the aircraft to fly upward toward the set target position.

3. An aircraft position control system as described in claim 1, wherein the moving body is a ship.

4. An aircraft position control system as described in claim 1, wherein the position detection unit further acquires the orientation of the aircraft.

5. The position control system of an aircraft as described in claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires changes in the motion of the moving body based on the detection results of the position detection unit, and determines whether or not the ascending flight operation is executable based on the acquired changes in the motion of the moving body.

6. An aircraft position control system as described in claim 1, further comprising a pitch down unit that pitches down the aircraft relative to the moving body when the aircraft is in an ascending flight operation.

7. An aircraft position control system as described in claim 6, wherein the pitch down section is a platform provided at the take-off point of the moving body from which the aircraft departs, and the platform changes the inclination angle of the platform on which the aircraft is placed relative to a setting surface at the take-off point.

8. An aircraft comprising an aircraft position control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A method for controlling the position of an aircraft carried on a moving vehicle by a position control system that controls the relative position of the aircraft with respect to the moving vehicle when the aircraft leaves the moving vehicle, wherein the position control system acquires the moving speed and direction of the moving vehicle based on the detection results of a position detection unit provided on the aircraft, and performs an ascending flight operation of the aircraft based on the acquired moving speed and direction of the moving vehicle.

Images