Automatic landing system for vertical take-off and landing craft, vertical take-off and landing craft, and landing control method for vertical take-off and landing craft

Abstract

An automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing craft, a vertical take-off and landing craft, and a landing control method for a vertical take-off and landing craft comprise: a relative position acquisition unit which defines the position of an artificial satellite as a reference point, which compares carrier phase data conveyed from the artificial satellite to a vertical take-off and landing craft with carrier phase data conveyed from the artificial satellite to a landing target point, and which acquires the relative positions of the vertical take-off and landing craft and the landing target point; and a control unit which controls the vertical take-off and landing craft so that the relative positions reach zero.

Description

Automatic landing system for vertical take-off and landing aircraft, vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and landing control method for vertical take-off and landing aircraft

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and a landing control method for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for guiding a vertical take-off and landing aircraft to a target point. For example, one such technique is described in Patent Document 1. The automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft in Patent Document 1 controls the vertical take-off and landing aircraft so that the relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft and the landing target point becomes zero.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-062719

[0004] In a conventional automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, when the vertical take-off and landing aircraft is located away from the landing target point, the system calculates the relative position based on the position coordinates of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft acquired by GPS and the position coordinates of the landing target point. On the other hand, when the vertical take-off and landing aircraft is located above the landing target point, the system calculates the relative position based on an image of the landing target point captured by a camera. This requires multiple processes to calculate the relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft and the landing target point, which poses a problem of system complexity.

[0005] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and a landing control method for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft that simplify the system.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the present disclosure comprises a relative position acquisition unit that acquires the relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft and the landing target point by comparing carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite to the vertical take-off and landing aircraft with carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite to the landing target point using the position of the satellite as a reference point, and a control unit that controls the vertical take-off and landing aircraft so that the relative position becomes zero.

[0007] The vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the present disclosure also includes an automatic landing system for the vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

[0008] In addition, the landing control method for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft disclosed herein includes a step of obtaining the relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft and the landing target point by comparing carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite to the vertical take-off and landing aircraft with carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite to the landing target point using the position of the satellite as a reference point, and a step of controlling the vertical take-off and landing aircraft so that the relative position becomes zero.

[0009] According to the automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and the landing control method for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the present disclosure, it is possible to simplify the system.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the first embodiment heads toward a landing target point. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the first embodiment has landed at the landing target point. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining processing by a guidance calculation unit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for a landing control method for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a landing operation of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in an approach mode. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in a high-altitude hovering mode. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in a low-altitude hovering mode. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in a landing mode. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a relative position calculation process. FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the second embodiment heads toward a landing target point. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a marker provided at a landing target point.

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and when there are multiple embodiments, the present disclosure also includes configurations that combine the embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the embodiments include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially identical, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range.

[0012] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to this embodiment, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to this embodiment heading towards a landing target point, Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the first embodiment landing at the landing target point, and Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the processing of a guidance calculation unit.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1 , a vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 according to the first embodiment is an air vehicle (e.g., a helicopter, a drone, etc.) serving as a rotary-wing aircraft. In this embodiment, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is an unmanned aircraft. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 may be any air vehicle capable of forward movement, backward movement, turning, and hovering, and may be a manned aircraft. Furthermore, if the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is an unmanned aircraft, and remote manual control is performed during flight control of the unmanned aircraft by autopilot, flight control based on remote manual control takes precedence. Similarly, if the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is a manned aircraft, and manual control is performed during flight control of the manned aircraft by autopilot, flight control based on manual control takes precedence. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is equipped with an automatic landing system 100, and flight is controlled by the automatic landing system 100 to land at a landing target point 2 shown in FIG. 2 .

[0014] (Landing target point) In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2 , the landing target point 2 is provided on the ship 5. Therefore, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 lands (lands) on the ship 5, which is a mobile body that moves on water. However, the landing target point 2 is not limited to the ship 5, and may be provided on a mobile body that moves on land, such as a vehicle, or may be provided on stationary equipment or the ground. Although not shown, the ship 5 is provided with a restraining device for restraining the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 when it lands at the landing target point 2.

[0015] 1, the ship 5 includes a navigation device 60, an RTK positioning processing unit (landing target point relative position measurement unit) 70, a data transmission device 80, and an operation display unit 90. The ship 5 also includes a driver's cab 8 and a structure 9 such as a hangar.

[0016] The navigation device 60 is, for example, an inertial navigation system (INS) (registered trademark), and acquires the pitch and roll attitude angles, heading, speed, acceleration, and position coordinates in a global coordinate system of the ship 5. In the present embodiment, the navigation device 60 is described as being an inertial navigation system, but is not particularly limited thereto, and any navigation device 60 may be used. In the present embodiment, the navigation device 60 is an inertial navigation system including a GPS (Global Positioning System) as a position measurement unit to improve the accuracy of position measurement. In the present embodiment, the navigation device 60 is described as being an inertial navigation system including a GPS, but is not particularly limited thereto, and any position measurement unit capable of measuring position with high accuracy may be used. For example, a quasi-zenith satellite system may be used. Alternatively, if the position can be measured with high accuracy by the navigation device 60 alone, a configuration without a position measurement unit such as a GPS may be used. The navigation device 60 may also acquire at least some of the various data using a sensor.

[0017] The RTK positioning processor 70 is included in the automatic landing system 100, which will be described later, and applies a satellite positioning method using a satellite 200 (see FIG. 3). That is, the RTK positioning processor 70 is an RTK (Real Time Kinematic)-GPS, which measures the position coordinates of the landing target point 2 based on carrier phase data transmitted from the satellite 200 to the landing target point 2, using the position of the satellite 200 as a reference point. The RTK-GPS receives signals from multiple satellites using receivers in two mobile stations. The RTK-GPS exchanges information between the two receivers based on signals received from multiple satellites, thereby correcting for deviations and obtaining accurate position information. The RTK-GPS can suppress errors to within a few centimeters. The RTK positioning processing unit 70 has an antenna 70a and uses RTK-GPS to measure the position coordinates (Xa, Ya) or position coordinates (Xa, Ya, Za) of the landing target point 2, with the position of the artificial satellite 200 as the reference point.

[0018] The data transmission device 80 is included in the automatic landing system 100 (described later), and exchanges various signals via wireless communication with the data transmission device 40 mounted on the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1. The data transmission device 80 transmits the position coordinates (Xa, Ya) of the landing target point 2 on the ship 5, measured by the RTK positioning processing unit 70, to the data transmission device 40. The operation and display unit 90 is a user interface through which an operator on board the ship 5 grasps the control status and inputs various instructions. Examples of instructions input by the operator via the operation and display unit 90 include an instruction to switch control modes (described later). Details of the switch instructions will be described later. The instruction input via the operation and display unit 90 is transmitted from the data transmission device 80 to the data transmission device 40. The control status of the vertical take-off and landing 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] (Automatic Landing System) As shown in Fig. 1 , an automatic landing system 100 for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the first embodiment is a system that controls the position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 in order to land the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 in flight at a landing target point 2. The automatic landing system 100 is mounted on the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1. The automatic landing system 100 includes a navigation device 20, a control unit 30, and a data transmission device 40. The automatic landing system 100 is a control device, which is a controller, and is realized by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) executing various programs stored in a storage unit using a RAM as a working area.

[0020] (Navigation Device) Like the navigation device 60, the navigation device 20 is, for example, an inertial navigation system including a GPS. Like the navigation device 60, the navigation device 20 may be an inertial navigation system including a position measurement unit such as a GPS, or an inertial navigation system omitting a position measurement unit such as a GPS, and is not particularly limited. The navigation device 20 including a GPS acquires the pitch and roll attitude angles of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, the aircraft heading, the aircraft speed of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, the aircraft acceleration, and position coordinates in the Earth coordinate system. The navigation device 20 may also include an attitude angle sensor that detects the attitude angle of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, a speed detection sensor that detects the aircraft speed of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, an acceleration detection sensor that detects the aircraft acceleration of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, and a sensor that detects the aircraft heading of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1. The navigation device 20 outputs the acquired attitude angles, aircraft speed, aircraft acceleration, and position coordinates of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to the control unit 30.

[0021] The automatic landing system 100 includes an altitude sensor 25 that detects the altitude of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 above the ground or water surface. The altitude sensor 25 is, for example, a laser altimeter, and measures the relative altitude Δh (see FIG. 2 ) from the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to the landing target point 2. The altitude sensor 25 may be a radio altimeter, a barometric altimeter, or any other altimeter. These altimeters may be used in combination depending on the usage environment, i.e., to measure the altitude above the ground surface or the altitude above sea level. The altitude sensor 25 outputs the detected relative altitude Δh of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to the control unit 30. The altitude sensor 25 measures the altitude of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and outputs the measured value to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 may then calculate the relative altitude Δh (see FIG. 2 ) to the landing target point 2 based on the altitude of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 in a guidance calculation unit 34 (described later). Furthermore, the automatic landing system 100 may calculate the relative altitude Δh between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the ship 5 by performing image processing on an image captured by a camera, instead of using the altitude sensor 25. Note that the relative altitude Δh between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the ship 5 may be calculated using the relative position (Z) between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2, which will be described later.

[0022] (Control Unit) The control unit 30 has an RTK positioning processing unit (aircraft relative position measurement unit) 32, a guidance calculation unit 34, and a flight control unit 36.

[0023] (RTK Positioning Processor) Like the RTK positioning processor 70 described above, the RTK positioning processor 32 applies a satellite positioning system using the satellite 200. That is, the RTK positioning processor 32 measures the position coordinates of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 based on carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite 200 to the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, using the position of the satellite 200 as a reference point. RTK-GPS receives signals from multiple satellites using receivers in two mobile stations. RTK-GPS corrects deviations and obtains highly accurate position information by exchanging information between the two receivers based on signals received from multiple satellites. The RTK positioning processor 32 has an antenna 32a and uses RTK-GPS to measure the position coordinates (Xb, Yb) or (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, using the position of the satellite 200 as a reference point. However, because the RTK positioning processing unit 32 is mounted on the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, when the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 lands on the ship 5, a blind spot occurs where the radio signal from the satellite 200 does not reach the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 due to the obstruction of the structure 9 of the ship 5. In other words, a blind spot occurs for a plurality of satellites 200. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , when the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 lands on the landing target point 2 of the ship 5, a blind spot 210 occurs where the radio signal from the satellite 200d does not reach the antenna 32a of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1. In this case, the RTK positioning processing unit 32 sets a blind spot 210 according to the surrounding conditions for the antenna 32a (such as structures 9 on the ship 5), selects satellites 200a, 200b, 200c, and 200d that are not within the blind spot 210, and measures the position coordinates (Xb, Yb) or position coordinates (Xb, Yb, Zb) of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 using the selected satellites 200a, 200b, 200c, and 200d.

[0024] (Guidance Calculation Unit) The guidance calculation unit 34 calculates control variables for the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to guide the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to the target landing point 2. The control variables are control variables for adjusting the aircraft speed, attitude angle, rate of change of attitude angle, etc. of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1. To calculate the control variables, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative position (X, Y) between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the target landing point 2 and the relative speed between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the target landing point 2. Note that the guidance calculation unit 34 may also calculate the relative position (X, Y, Z) between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the target landing point 2 and the relative speed between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the target landing point 2. Furthermore, the guidance calculation unit 34 may be provided on the ship 5, and the control variables for the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, and the relative position (X, Y) and relative speed between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the target landing point 2 may be calculated on the ship 5 side.

[0025] 1 and 4 , the guidance calculation unit 34 performs processing using three coordinates: the Earth coordinate system, the ship inertial system, and the aircraft inertial system. That is, the guidance calculation unit 34 performs calculations using the heading ψa of the ship 5 obtained from the inertial navigation system of the navigation system 60, the heading ψb of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 obtained from the inertial navigation system of the navigation system 60, the relative position Lsen (Lx, Ly, Lz) between the antennas 32a and 70a measured by the RTK positioning processing units 32 and 70, an offset value OFSETa between the landing target point 2 on the ship 5 and the antenna 70a, and an offset value OFSETb between the camera 10 on the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the antenna 32a. First, the relative position Lsen (Lx, Ly, Lz) between the antennas 32a and 70a is coordinate-converted to the ship inertial system using the heading ψa of the ship 5. Next, the offset value OFSETa is subtracted from the result of the coordinate transformation into the ship inertial system to calculate the relative distance (ship inertial system) from the landing target point 2 to the antenna 32a of the VTOL aircraft 1. Next, the calculated relative distance (ship inertial system) is transformed into the aircraft inertial system using the heading ψa of the ship 5 and the heading ψb of the VTOL aircraft 1 to calculate the relative distance (aircraft inertial system) from the antenna 32a to the landing target point 2. The offset value OFSETb is then subtracted from the calculated relative distance (aircraft inertial system) to calculate the relative position Lab (aircraft inertial system) from the aircraft reference point (position of the camera 10). Hereinafter, the relative position Lab (aircraft inertial system) will be referred to as the relative position (X, Y, Z). Note that the relative position Lab (aircraft inertial system) may be converted into the ship inertial system and used as needed. The Earth coordinate system is a three-dimensional coordinate system with the three positive directions of North-East-Down, and is also called a local horizontal coordinate system. The ship inertial frame is a coordinate system with the landing target point 2 as its origin, and with the direction along the heading of the ship 5, the direction horizontally perpendicular to the heading of the ship 5, and the vertical direction as its orthogonal axes. The aircraft inertial frame is a coordinate system with the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 as its origin, with the direction along the heading of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 as its X-axis, the direction horizontally perpendicular to the heading of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 as its Y-axis, and the vertical direction as its Z-axis.

[0026] Furthermore, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative position (Xb, Yb) between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 based on the position coordinates (Xb, Yb) of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 acquired by the navigation device 20 and the position coordinates (Xa, Ya) of the ship 5 acquired by the navigation device 60 of the ship 5 and obtained through communication between the data transmission devices 40 and 80. ＧＰＳ , Y ＧＰＳ ), or further, the relative position (X ＧＰＳ , Y ＧＰＳ , Z ＧＰＳ The guidance calculation unit 34 directly calculates the relative position (X ＧＰＳ , Y ＧＰＳ Therefore, the guidance calculation unit 34 may calculate the relative position (Xb, Yb) between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 based on the position coordinates (Xb, Yb) of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 acquired by the RTK positioning processing unit 32 and the position coordinates (Xa, Ya) of the ship 5 on which the landing target point 2 is provided acquired by the RTK positioning processing unit 70 and transmitted by the data transmission device 40. ＧＰＳ , Y ＧＰＳ ) or relative position (X ＧＰＳ , Y ＧＰＳ , Z ＧＰＳ ) and functions as a relative position acquisition unit.

[0027] The guidance calculation unit 34 also calculates the relative velocity between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2. Therefore, the guidance calculation unit 34 functions as a relative velocity acquisition unit that acquires the relative velocity between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2. More specifically, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative velocity, for example, by using the difference between the body velocity of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the hull velocity of the ship 5, which are acquired by the navigation devices 20, 60. The guidance calculation unit 34 may also calculate the relative velocity based on a pseudo-differential of the relative position (X, Y). In other words, the guidance calculation unit 34 functions as a relative velocity acquisition unit that acquires the relative velocity. The guidance calculation unit 34 also calculates the relative orientation between the heading direction of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the heading direction of the ship 5. In this way, the guidance calculation unit 34 functions as a relative orientation acquisition unit that acquires the relative orientation between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2.

[0028] Furthermore, guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative altitude Δh to target landing point 2 based on the altitude of vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 detected by altitude sensor 25. Therefore, altitude sensor 25 and guidance calculation unit 34 function as a relative altitude acquisition unit that acquires the relative altitude Δh between vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and target landing point 2.

[0029] The guidance calculation unit 34 then calculates control variables through feedback control (e.g., PID control) based on the relative position (X, Y), relative velocity, relative orientation, and aircraft acceleration. In the first embodiment, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates control variables for the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 through feedback control so that the relative position (X, Y) and relative orientation become zero. The guidance calculation unit 34 may also calculate control variables for the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 through feedback control so that the relative velocity is within a predetermined speed and the aircraft acceleration is within a predetermined acceleration. The predetermined speed and the predetermined acceleration are ranges that satisfy the condition in which the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 can be said to be flying stably at a predetermined relative altitude Δh. For example, the predetermined speed is zero and the predetermined acceleration is zero. The guidance calculation unit 34 outputs the calculated control variables to the flight control unit 36. In calculating these control variables, the guidance calculation unit 34 controls the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 in multiple control modes to guide the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to the landing target point and land it. The control modes include an approach mode, a hovering mode including a high-altitude hovering mode and a low-altitude hovering mode, and a landing mode. Each control mode will be described in detail below.

[0030] (Flight Control Unit) The flight control unit 36 ​​controls each component of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 in accordance with the control amount calculated by the guidance calculation unit 34, thereby flying the vertical take-off and landing 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 vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1. In this way, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is guided to the target landing point 2.

[0031] In the first embodiment, the RTK positioning processing unit 32 and the guidance calculation unit 34 are described as functional units separate from the flight control unit 36, but the RTK positioning processing unit 32 and the guidance calculation unit 34 may be functional units integrated with the flight control unit 36. The flight control unit 36 ​​may perform the processing of the RTK positioning processing unit 32 and the guidance calculation unit 34.

[0032] (Landing Control Method for Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft) Next, as a landing control method for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to this embodiment, a procedure for guiding the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to the landing target point 2 and landing it by the control unit 30 will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the landing control method for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to this embodiment, and Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the landing operation of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

[0033] 5 and 6 , the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 executes a plurality of control modes in a series of landing operations from a flight state to landing (docking) on ​​the ship 5. Specifically, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 executes a series of landing operations by sequentially executing step S1 of executing the approach mode, step S2 of executing the high-altitude hovering mode, step S3 of executing the low-altitude hovering mode, and step S4 of executing the landing mode. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 also executes a step (step S19 described below) of executing an emergency mode that suspends execution of the high-altitude hovering mode and the low-altitude hovering mode and suspends the landing operation.

[0034] The approach mode is a mode in which, in response to a command from the ship 5, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 approaches the deck of the ship 5 and hovers over the target landing point 2. The high-altitude hovering mode is a mode in which the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 hovers at a predetermined high altitude over the target landing point 2. The low-altitude hovering mode is a mode in which the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 descends and hovers at a low altitude that is lower than in the high-altitude hovering mode. The landing mode is a mode in which the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 lands at the target landing point 2. The emergency mode is a mode in which the landing operation of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 on the ship 5 is aborted and the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 ascends.

[0035] The vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is capable of sequentially performing step S1 of executing the approach mode, step S2 of executing the high-altitude hovering mode, step S3 of executing the low-altitude hovering mode, and step S4 of executing the landing mode.

[0036] Each control mode will now be described in detail. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the approach mode, Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the high-altitude hovering mode, Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the low-altitude hovering mode, Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the landing mode, and Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a relative position calculation process. The processes shown in Figs. 7 to 11 are executed by the guidance calculation unit 34.

[0037] (Approach Mode) The guidance calculation unit 34 executes the approach mode (step S1 in FIG. 5). The approach mode will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7. In step S31, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates a relative position (X ＧＰＳ , Y ＧＰＳ ) is calculated (generated).

[0038] Next, in step S32, the guidance calculation unit 34 determines whether the approach mode button is turned on. The approach mode button is a button provided on the operation display unit 90 of the ship 5 for inputting a control mode transition instruction, and is turned on and off by an operator on board the ship 5. The operator turns on the approach mode button when preparations for the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to land on the ship 5 are complete. If the control unit 30 determines that the approach mode button is not turned on (No in step S32), it continues the processing of step S31. On the other hand, if the control unit 30 determines that the approach mode button is turned on (Yes in step S32), it proceeds to the processing of step S33.

[0039] In step S33, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative position (X ＧＰＳ , YＧＰＳ ) becomes zero. As a result, the guidance calculation unit 34 flies the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 toward the landing target point 2 in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the guidance calculation unit 34 performs feedback control so that the calculated relative orientation between the bow orientation of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the bow orientation of the ship 5 becomes zero, for example. As a result, the guidance calculation unit 34 flies the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 so that the bow orientation of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 coincides with the bow orientation of the ship 5 in the horizontal direction. Note that, as an example, the guidance calculation unit 34 performed feedback control so that the relative orientation becomes zero, but this is not particularly limited, and the relative orientation does not have to be zero. Furthermore, the guidance calculation unit 34 performs feedback control so that the relative altitude Δh measured by the altitude sensor 25 becomes a first relative altitude Δh1. As a result, the guidance calculation unit 34 descends the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 in the vertical direction from the initial altitude to the first relative altitude Δh1 (see FIG. 2 ) while maintaining the first relative altitude Δh1. The first relative altitude Δh1 is, for example, 8 m. In this way, in the approach mode, the relative position (X ＧＰＳ , Y ＧＰＳ ) to be zero, thereby controlling the flight of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 so that the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is within a predetermined range of the landing target point 2.

[0040] In step S34, the guidance calculation unit 34 executes an RTK positioning relative position calculation process to calculate the relative position (X, Y) as the horizontal distance between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2. Details of the RTK positioning relative position calculation process will be described later.

[0041] In step S35, the guidance calculation unit 34 determines whether the relative position (X, Y) as the horizontal distance between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 calculated in step S34 is within a threshold value. If the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the relative position (X, Y) is not within the threshold value (No in step S35), it executes the processing from step S33 onwards again. That is, it determines that the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is not sufficiently close to the landing target point 2, and executes the processing from step S33 onwards again. Then, the guidance calculation unit 34 repeatedly executes the processing from step S33 onwards until the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is sufficiently close to the landing target point 2. If the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the relative position (X, Y) is within the threshold value (Yes in step S35), it determines that the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is sufficiently close to the landing target point 2, and the guidance calculation unit 34 ends the approach mode and transitions to a high-altitude hovering mode in step S36.

[0042] (High-Altitude Hovering Mode) Returning to the description of FIG. 5 , when the approach mode is terminated, the guidance calculation unit 34 executes the high-altitude hovering mode in step S2. The high-altitude hovering mode will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 8 . In the high-altitude hovering mode, the guidance calculation unit 34 executes feedback control in step S41 so that the relative position (X, Y) calculated in the RTK positioning relative position calculation process becomes zero. The guidance calculation unit 34 also executes feedback control so that the calculated relative orientation between the heading of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the heading of the ship 5 becomes zero, for example. Furthermore, the guidance calculation unit 34 executes feedback control so that the relative altitude Δh measured by the altitude sensor 25 becomes the first relative altitude Δh1. As a result, the guidance calculation unit 34 maintains the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 at the first relative altitude Δh1 while hovering directly above the landing target point 2 in the vertical direction. Then, in step S42, the guidance calculation unit 34 executes the RTK positioning relative position calculation process again.

[0043] In step S43, the guidance calculation unit 34 determines whether the relative position (X, Y) calculated in step S42 is within a second threshold value and whether the low-altitude hovering mode button is turned on. The second threshold value is set to a value equal to or less than the first threshold value in the approach mode. The low-altitude hovering mode button is a button provided on the operation display unit 90 of the ship 5 for inputting an instruction to switch control modes and is turned on and off by an operator on board the ship 5. The operator visually confirms whether the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is flying stably at the first relative altitude Δh1, and turns on the low-altitude hovering button if the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is flying stably. In step S43, it is determined whether a first condition for switching from the high-altitude hovering mode to the low-altitude hovering mode is met. That is, in the first embodiment, the first condition includes the relative position (X, Y) being within the second threshold value and an instruction to switch to the low-altitude hovering mode by the operator.

[0044] If the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the relative position (X, Y) is not within the second threshold value (No in step S43), it executes the processing from step S41 onwards again. Furthermore, if the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the low-altitude hovering mode button is not turned on (No in step S43), it also executes the processing from step S41 onwards again. The guidance calculation unit 34 then repeatedly executes the processing from step S41 onwards until the relative position (X, Y) of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 with respect to the landing target point 2 becomes within the second threshold value. If the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the relative position (X, Y) is within the second threshold value and that the low-altitude hovering mode button is turned on (Yes in step S43), it ends the high-altitude hovering mode and transitions to landing mode, as step S44.

[0045] (Low-Altitude Hovering Mode) Returning to the description of FIG. 5 , when the guidance calculation unit 34 ends the high-altitude hovering mode, it executes the low-altitude hovering mode in step S3. The low-altitude hovering mode will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9 . In the low-altitude hovering mode, the guidance calculation unit 34 performs feedback control so that the relative position (X, Y) calculated in the RTK positioning relative position calculation process becomes zero, as shown in step S51. The guidance calculation unit 34 also performs feedback control so that the calculated relative orientation between the heading of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the heading of the ship 5 becomes zero, for example. Furthermore, the guidance calculation unit 34 performs feedback control so that the relative altitude Δh measured by the altitude sensor 25 becomes a second relative altitude Δh2 that is lower than the first relative altitude Δh1. As a result, the guidance calculation unit 34 descends the altitude of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to a second relative altitude Δh2 (see FIG. 2 ) while hovering the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 directly above the landing target point 2. The second relative altitude Δh2 is, for example, 3 m. At this time, the guidance calculation unit 34 sets the descent speed of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to a first descent speed. The first descent speed is, for example, 0.6 m / s. Then, in step S52, the guidance calculation unit 34 again executes the RTK positioning relative position calculation process.

[0046] In step S53, the guidance calculation unit 34 determines whether the relative position (X, Y) calculated in step S52 is within a third threshold value (predetermined threshold value) and whether the landing mode button is turned on. The third threshold value is set to a value equal to or less than the second threshold value for high-altitude hovering. The landing mode button is a button provided on the operation display unit 90 of the ship 5 for inputting an instruction to switch control modes, and is turned on and off by an operator on board the ship 5. The operator visually confirms whether the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is flying stably at the second relative altitude Δh2, and turns on the landing mode button if the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is flying stably. In step S53, it determines whether a second condition (predetermined condition) for switching from the low-altitude hovering mode to the landing mode is satisfied. That is, in the first embodiment, the second condition includes the relative position (X, Y) being within the third threshold value and an instruction to switch to the landing mode by the operator. The operator may turn on the landing mode button even if the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is not stable.

[0047] If the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the relative position (X, Y) is not within the third threshold value (No in step S53), it executes the processing from step S51 onwards again. Furthermore, if the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the landing mode button is not turned on (No in step S53), it also executes the processing from step S51 onwards again. The guidance calculation unit 34 then repeatedly executes the processing from step S51 onwards so that the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is in a position where the relative position (X, Y) with respect to the landing target point 2 is within the third threshold value and the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 descends to the second relative altitude Δh2. If the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the relative position (X, Y) is within the third threshold value and the landing mode button is turned on (Yes in step S53), it ends the low-altitude hovering mode and transitions to the landing mode, as step S54.

[0048] (Landing Mode) Returning to the description of FIG. 5 , when the low-altitude hovering mode is terminated, the guidance calculation unit 34 executes the landing mode in step S4. The landing mode will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 10 . In the landing mode, the guidance calculation unit 34 executes feedback control in step S61 so that the relative position (X, Y) calculated in the RTK positioning relative position calculation process becomes zero. The guidance calculation unit 34 also executes feedback control so that the calculated relative orientation between the heading of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the heading of the ship 5 becomes zero, for example. Furthermore, the guidance calculation unit 34 executes vertical speed control to maintain a constant descent rate until the relative altitude Δh measured by the altitude sensor 25 becomes a third relative altitude Δh3. The descent rate is the degree of altitude descent per unit time. In the vertical speed control, the guidance calculation unit 34 sets the descent speed of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to a second descent speed. As a result, the guidance calculation unit 34 causes the relative altitude Δh of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to descend to a third relative altitude Δh3 (see FIG. 2 ). The third relative altitude Δh3 is, for example, 10 cm. The second descent speed is, for example, 1.0 m / s. In this embodiment, the second descent speed is set to be greater than the first descent speed in order to quickly land the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 at the target landing point 2 in the landing mode. However, the first descent speed and the second descent speed may be set to be greater than each other, or may be the same value. Furthermore, when the altitude of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 reaches the third relative altitude Δh3, the guidance calculation unit 34 causes the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to further descend while maintaining the control amount related to the attitude angle of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 when it reached the third relative altitude Δh3.

[0049] In step S62, the RTK positioning processing unit 32 determines whether the RTK positioning is in a fixed state. Whether the RTK positioning is in a fixed state can be calculated by processing similar to step S13 of the RTK positioning relative position calculation processing described below. Here, RTK positioning refers to the position accuracy acquired by the RTK positioning processing unit 32, with the fixed state having the highest accuracy and the float state having the next highest accuracy. If the RTK positioning processing unit 32 determines that the RTK positioning is in a fixed state (Yes in step S62), in step S63, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative position (X, Y) by the RTK positioning processing. The relative position (X, Y) can be calculated by processing similar to step S15 of the RTK positioning relative position calculation processing described below. On the other hand, if the RTK positioning processing unit 32 determines that the RTK positioning is not in a fixed state (No in step S62), it skips the processing of step S63 and proceeds to step S64. In the first embodiment, in the landing mode, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is in a state where it is sufficiently close to the landing target point 2 and can land near the landing target point 2, so the landing mode is continued. Note that if the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is a manned aircraft, the execution of the landing mode may be interrupted during execution of the landing mode based on the judgment of the pilot.

[0050] In step S64, the flight control unit 36 ​​determines whether the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 has landed on the target landing point 2. Whether the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 has landed on the target landing point 2 can be determined, for example, by providing a contact sensor on a leg (not shown) of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1. If the flight control unit 36 ​​determines that the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 has not landed on the target landing point 2 (No in step S64), it executes the processing from step S61 onwards again. As a result, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is controlled to descend in accordance with the procedure of step S61 until it lands on the target landing point 2. Then, if the flight control unit 36 ​​determines that the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 has landed on the target landing point 2 (Yes in step S64), the guidance calculation unit 34 ends the landing mode. This also ends the processing routine shown in FIG. 3 .

[0051] (RTK Positioning Relative Position Calculation Processing) Next, the RTK positioning relative position calculation processing will be described with reference to FIG. 11 . In the RTK positioning relative position calculation processing, the guidance calculation unit 34 determines in step S11 whether the emergency mode button is turned off. The emergency mode button is provided on the operation display unit 90 of the ship 5 and is turned on and off by an operator on board the ship 5. The operator turns on the emergency mode button when he or she determines that the landing of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 on the ship 5 should be aborted. Specifically, the operator turns on the emergency mode button when he or she visually confirms that the flight state of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 is unstable due to, for example, the influence of wind or the occurrence of some kind of malfunction.

[0052] If the guidance calculation unit 34 determines in step S11 that the emergency mode button is turned on (No in step S11), it proceeds to step S19, where it executes the emergency mode. In the emergency mode, the guidance calculation unit 34 causes the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to ascend to a predetermined altitude (e.g., 20 m) sufficiently away from the ship 5 and maintains the current relative position (X, Y). When transitioning to the emergency mode, the guidance calculation unit 34 is capable of executing the emergency mode during step S2, which executes the high-altitude hovering mode, and step S3, which executes the low-altitude hovering mode, shown in FIG. 3 . Once the guidance calculation unit 34 has ascended the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to an altitude sufficiently away from the ship 5 by executing the emergency mode, it resumes the processing shown in FIG. 5 again from step S1.

[0053] On the other hand, if the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the emergency mode button is off (Yes in step S11), then in step S12, it selects the satellite 200 to be used by the RTK positioning processing units 32, 70. In this case, the RTK positioning processing unit 32 selects and sets the satellite 200 that will not be in the blind spot 210 until the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 transitions from approach mode to landing mode and lands at the landing target point 2. In step S13, it is determined whether the RTK positioning by the RTK positioning processing unit 32 is in a FIX state. RTK-GPS performs interferometric positioning calculations in real time to determine the position. The interferometric positioning calculations are calculated by multiplying the wave number by the wavelength. However, when the carrier wave arrives at the receiver, the decimal part of the wave can be determined, but the integer part is unknown. In this case, the integer part is called an integer value bias. Regarding the positioning solution, a solution in which the bias is calculated as an integer value is called a FIX solution, and a solution in which the bias is calculated as a real value is called a FLOAT solution. The accuracy of the FIX solution is about 5 mm to 20 mm, and the accuracy of the FLOAT solution is about 10 cm to several meters.

[0054] If the RTK positioning processing unit 32 determines that the RTK positioning is in a FIX state (Yes in step S13), then in step S14, it sets the RTK positioning accuracy degradation counter to a value of 0. Then, in step S15, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative position Lab between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2, that is, the relative position (X, Y, Z), based on the aircraft headings ψa and ψb, the relative position Lsen (Lx, Ly, Lz), and the offset values ​​OFSETa and OFSETb.

[0055] On the other hand, if the RTK positioning processing unit 32 determines in step S13 that the RTK positioning is not in a fixed state (No in step S13), the guidance calculation unit 34 determines in step S16 whether the RTK positioning by the RTK positioning processing unit 32 is in a float state. If the RTK positioning processing unit 32 determines that the RTK positioning is in a float state (Yes in step S16), the guidance calculation unit 34 adds a value of 1 to the RTK positioning accuracy degradation counter in step S17, and determines in step S18 whether the RTK positioning accuracy degradation counter is within a predetermined value. If the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the RTK positioning accuracy degradation counter is within the predetermined value (Yes in step S18), the guidance calculation unit 34 again executes the processing from step S11 onwards. If the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the RTK positioning accuracy degradation counter is not within the predetermined value (No in step S18), the guidance calculation unit 34 proceeds to step S19, where it transitions to execution of an emergency mode. That is, when the RTK positioning accuracy degradation counter exceeds a predetermined value, the guidance calculation unit 34 determines that the time during which the RTK positioning is not in a FIX state has exceeded a predetermined time, and executes the emergency mode. Furthermore, when the RTK positioning processing unit 32 determines that the RTK positioning is not in a FLOAT state (No in step S16), the RTK positioning processing unit 32 proceeds to step S19 and transitions to execution of the emergency mode. Furthermore, when the RTK positioning processing unit 32 determines that the RTK positioning is in a FLOAT state (Yes in step S16), the RTK positioning processing unit 32 may estimate the relative position (X, Y) between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 for a certain period of time.

[0056] Second Embodiment FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to a second embodiment, FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the second embodiment heading toward a target landing point, and FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a marker provided at the target landing point.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 12 , the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1A according to the second embodiment is an air vehicle such as a rotary-wing aircraft (e.g., a helicopter, a drone, etc.). The vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1A is equipped with an automatic landing system 100A, and its flight is controlled by the automatic landing system 100A, causing it to land at the target landing point 2 shown in Fig. 2 .

[0058] (Landing Target Point) In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13 , the landing target point 2 is provided on the ship 5. A marker 7 is provided at the landing target point 2, allowing the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to locate the position of the landing target point 2. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a marker provided at the landing target point. As shown in FIG. 14 , the marker 7 is, for example, an AR marker that is color-coded in two colors, black and white, and is a square marker. Note that the marker 7 is not limited to an AR marker and may be any marker that can locate the position of the landing target point 2 through image processing, such as an H mark or R mark indicating a landing point of a heliport. Furthermore, a plurality of markers 7 of different shapes may be provided on the ship 5, and the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 may be guided to the landing target point 2 corresponding to one of the different markers 7.

[0059] 1 , the ship 5 includes a navigation device 60, an RTK positioning processing unit 70, a data transmission device 80, and an operation display unit 90. The ship 5 is the same as that of the first embodiment except that a marker 7 is provided at the landing target point 2.

[0060] (Automatic Landing System) An automatic landing system 100A for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the second embodiment is a system that controls the position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 in order to land the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 in flight at a landing target point 2. The automatic landing system 100A is mounted on the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1. The automatic landing system 100A includes a navigation device 20, a control unit 30A, and a data transmission device 40. The navigation device 20 and the data transmission device 40 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0061] (Photographing Device) The camera 10 is a photographing device mounted on the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1A 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 photograph the marker 7. The camera 10 is provided to photograph the marker 7 provided at the landing target point 2 from the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1A. The photographing direction of the camera 10 is adjustable via a gimbal (not shown). In the second embodiment, the camera 10 is controlled by the control unit 30A so that its photographing range (angle of view) B (see FIG. 2 ) faces directly downward in the vertical direction, for example. Note that the camera 10 may also be controlled by the control unit 30 so that the photographing range B faces diagonally forward with respect to the vertical direction. Alternatively, the gimbal may be omitted from the camera 10, and the camera 10 may be fixed directly below the body of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1A so that the photographing direction faces, for example, downward in the vertical direction.

[0062] (Control Unit) The control unit 30A has an RTK positioning processing unit 32, a guidance calculation unit 34A, a flight control unit 36, and an image processing unit 38. The RTK positioning processing unit 32 and the flight control unit 36 ​​are the same as those in the first embodiment. Here, the control unit 30A is equipped with an imaging control unit (not shown) that controls the imaging direction of the camera 10 via a gimbal (not shown) provided in the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1A.

[0063] (Image Processing Unit) The image processing unit 38 performs image processing on the image captured by the camera 10 to calculate the center (Cx, Cy) of the marker 7, i.e., the landing target point 2 (see FIG. 3 ). Here, the center (Cx, Cy) is a coordinate point in a camera-fixed coordinate system with the center of the image captured by the camera 10 as its origin, and can be calculated using the number of pixels from the center of the image. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14 , the image processing unit 38 identifies two diagonal lines Ld extending between the corners of the marker 7 through image processing, and determines the intersection of the two identified diagonal lines Ld as the center (Cx, Cy) of the marker 7. Note that the landing target point 2 is not limited to the center (Cx, Cy) of the marker 7, but may be one of the four corners of the marker 7, or may be a position offset from the center of the marker 7.

[0064] The image processing unit 38 may identify only one diagonal line Ld and determine the center position of the length of the identified diagonal line Ld as the center (Cx, Cy) of the marker 7. Alternatively, the image processing unit 38 may identify two or more diagonal lines Ld and determine the average center position of the lengths of the identified diagonal lines Ld as the center (Cx, Cy) of the marker 7. Furthermore, when performing trapezoidal correction on a square-shaped marker 7 using a function based on projective transformation, the image processing unit 38 may calculate the center (Cx, Cy) of the square based on the function. In this case, the trapezoidal correction may be performed using the coordinate points of the four corners of the marker 7 or the coordinate points of each point on the black and white color-coded boundary of the marker 7, and the other coordinate points may be calculated by interpolation. The image processing unit 38 outputs the calculated center (Cx, Cy) of the marker 7 to the guidance calculation unit 34A.

[0065] As described above, the image processing unit 38 may calculate the relative altitude Δh between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1A and the ship 5 by performing image processing on the image including the marker 7 captured by the camera 10. Furthermore, the image processing unit 38 may specify the orientation of the marker 7 by performing image processing on the image including the marker 7 captured by the camera 10, and calculate the heading direction of the ship 5 by correlating it with the heading direction of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1A acquired by the navigation device 20. Note that a marker for calculating the heading direction may be provided separately on the ship 5.

[0066] (Guidance Calculation Unit) The guidance calculation unit 34 calculates a control amount for the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to guide the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 to the target landing point 2. In order to calculate the control amount, the guidance calculation unit 34 calculates the relative position (X ｍａｒｋ , Y ｍａｒｋ , Z ｍａｒｋ ) and the relative velocity between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2.

[0067] As in the first embodiment, the guidance calculation unit 34A calculates the relative position Lab between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2, i.e., the relative position (X, Y, Z), based on the aircraft heading ψa and the aircraft heading ψb, the relative position Lsen (Lx, Ly, Lz), and the offset values ​​OFSETa and OFSETb.

[0068] Furthermore, the guidance calculation unit 34A calculates the relative position (X, Y) between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 based on the center (Cx, Cy) of the marker 7 calculated by the image processing unit 38, the orientation of the camera 10 (i.e., the heading of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1), and the altitude of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 (relative altitude Δh with respect to the landing target point 2). In this embodiment, the orientation of the camera 10 and the heading of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 are aligned, but this is not particularly limited, and the orientation of the camera 10 and the heading of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 do not have to be aligned. The relative position (X, Y) is the distance between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 in the horizontal direction.

[0069] As in the first embodiment, the guidance calculation unit 34A first calculates the relative position (X, Y) between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 based on the position coordinates (Xa, Ya) of the landing target point 2 measured by the RTK positioning processing unit 70, the position coordinates (Xb, Yb) of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 measured by the RTK positioning processing unit 70, and the altitude of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 (the relative altitude Δh of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 with respect to the landing target point 2). Then, when the guidance calculation unit 34A is unable to calculate the relative position (X, Y) through the processing of the RTK positioning processing unit 70, it calculates the relative position (X, Y) between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 based on the center (Cx, Cy) of the marker 7 calculated by the image processing unit 38, the orientation of the camera 10, i.e., the heading direction of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, and the altitude of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 (the relative altitude Δh with respect to the landing target point 2). ｍａｒｋ , Y ｍａｒｋ ) is calculated.

[0070] That is, in the RTK positioning relative position calculation process described in the first embodiment, if it is determined that the RTK positioning is not in a FLOAT state (No in step S16), or if it is determined that the RTK positioning accuracy degradation counter of the guidance calculation unit 34 is not within a predetermined value (No in step S18), the process does not proceed to the emergency mode process of step S19, and the relative position (X , C y ) between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 is calculated based on the center (Cx, Cy) of the marker 7 calculated by the image processing unit 38, the orientation of the camera 10, i.e., the heading direction of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, and the altitude of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 (relative altitude Δh with respect to the landing target point 2). ｍａｒｋ , Y ｍａｒｋ ) is calculated.

[0071] [Effects of this embodiment] The automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the first aspect comprises a guidance calculation unit (relative position acquisition unit) 34 that acquires the relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 by comparing carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite 200 to the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 using the position of the satellite 200 as a reference point with carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite 200 to the landing target point 2, and a flight control unit (control unit) 36 that controls the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 11 so that the relative position becomes zero.

[0072] According to the automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the first aspect, the guidance calculation unit 34 compares the carrier wave phase data from the artificial satellite 200 to the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 to obtain the relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2, thereby eliminating the need to calculate multiple relative positions and simplifying the system.

[0073] The automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the second aspect is the automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the first aspect, further comprising: an RTK positioning processing unit (aircraft relative position measuring unit) 32 that measures the relative position between a reference point and the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1; and a guidance calculation unit 34 that measures the relative position between the reference point and the landing target point is provided on the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 side; an RTK positioning processing unit (landing target point relative position measuring unit) 70 that measures the relative position between the reference point and the landing target point is provided on the landing target point 2 side; and the guidance calculation unit 34 acquires the relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 based on the relative position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the relative position of the landing target point 2. As a result, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 calculates the relative position and performs flight control of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, thereby simplifying control.

[0074] The automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the third aspect is the automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the second aspect, further comprising the RTK positioning processing unit 32 selecting an artificial satellite 200 for which relative positioning can be measured from the current position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 until it lands at the landing target point 2. As a result, the RTK positioning processing unit 32 selects an artificial satellite 200 that is not in a blind spot 210 with respect to the ship 5, and the relative position can be appropriately acquired from the current position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 until it lands at the landing target point 2.

[0075] An automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to a fourth aspect is the automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the second or third aspect, further comprising an RTK positioning processor 32 that measures the relative positioning of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 when the RTK positioning is in a FIX state. This allows the RTK positioning processor 32 to appropriately acquire the relative position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 from its current position until it lands at the landing target point 2.

[0076] An automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to a fifth aspect is the automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, and further includes an RTK positioning processing unit 32 that estimates the relative positioning of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 when the RTK positioning is in the FLOAT state. This allows the RTK positioning processing unit 32 to appropriately acquire the relative position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 from its current position until it lands at the landing target point 2.

[0077] An automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to a sixth aspect is the automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising a camera (photographing device) 10 mounted on the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, a guidance calculation unit 34 that is able to acquire the relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 by performing image processing on an image captured by the camera 10 of a marker 7 provided at the landing target point 21, and when the RTK positioning by the RTK positioning processing unit 32 is not in a fixed state, a flight control unit 36 ​​controls the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 so that the relative position acquired by the image processing becomes zero. As a result, even if the RTK positioning processing unit 32 cannot acquire highly accurate relative positioning from the artificial satellite 200, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 can be controlled so that the relative position acquired based on the image captured by the camera 10 becomes zero.

[0078] The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the seventh aspect includes the automatic landing system 100 for the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. As a result, the RTK positioning processing units 32, 70 acquire the relative positioning of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2, and the guidance calculation unit 34 acquires the relative position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 based on the relative positioning, thereby improving the reliability of control of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 11.

[0079] A landing control method for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to an eighth aspect includes the steps of: acquiring the relative position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 by comparing carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite 200 to the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 with carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite 200 to the landing target point 2, using the position of the satellite 200 as a reference point; and controlling the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 so that the relative position becomes zero. As a result, the relative position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2 is acquired by comparing the carrier wave phase data from the satellite 200 to the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 and the landing target point 2, thereby eliminating the need for multiple calculation processes for relative positions and simplifying the system.

[0080] In the above-described embodiment, the automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft processes the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1 from the approach mode onward based on data from the RTK-GPS. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the processing up to the approach mode may also be processed based on data from the RTK-GPS. Furthermore, the processing up to the approach mode may be processed based on data from the GPS. In this case, the processing up to the approach mode is processed using data from the GPS, and the processing after the approach mode is processed based on data from the RTK-GPS. The process of switching between data from the GPS and data from the RTK-GPS is automatically performed, for example, as the vertical take-off and landing aircraft 1, 1A approaches the landing target point 2 of the ship 5, when the RTK positioning is in a fixed state and the aircraft approaches within a specified range of the landing target point 2.

[0081] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A Vertical take-off and landing aircraft 2 Landing target point 5 Ship 7 Marker 10 Camera (photographing device) 20 Navigation device 25 Altitude sensor 30, 30A Control unit 32 RTK positioning processing unit (aircraft relative position measurement unit) 34 Guidance calculation unit 36 ​​Flight control unit 38 Image processing unit 40 Data transmission device 60 Navigation device 70 RTK positioning processing unit (landing target point relative position measurement unit) 80 Data transmission device 90 Operation display unit 100, 100A Automatic landing system

Claims

1. An automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, comprising: a relative position acquisition unit that acquires the relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft and the landing target point by comparing carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite to the vertical take-off and landing aircraft using the position of the satellite as a reference point with carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite to the landing target point; and a control unit that controls the vertical take-off and landing aircraft so that the relative position becomes zero.

2. An automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft as described in claim 1, wherein an aircraft relative position measurement unit and the relative position acquisition unit that measure the relative position between the reference point and the vertical take-off and landing aircraft are provided on the vertical take-off and landing aircraft side, a landing target point relative position measurement unit that measures the relative position between the reference point and the landing target point is provided on the landing target point side, and the relative position acquisition unit acquires the relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft and the landing target point based on the relative position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft and the relative position of the landing target point transmitted from the landing target point relative position measurement unit.

3. An automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft as described in claim 2, wherein the aircraft relative position measurement unit selects an artificial satellite that can measure the relative position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft from its current position until it lands at the landing target point.

4. The automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 2, wherein the aircraft relative position measurement unit measures the relative position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft when RTK positioning is in a fixed state.

5. The automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 2, wherein the aircraft relative position measurement unit estimates the relative position of the vertical take-off and landing aircraft when RTK positioning is in a FLOAT state.

6. An automatic landing system for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft as described in any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising a photographing device mounted on the vertical take-off and landing aircraft, wherein the relative position acquisition unit is capable of acquiring the relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft and the landing target point by performing image processing on an image captured by the photographing device of a marker provided at the landing target point, and when RTK positioning by the aircraft relative position measurement unit is not in a fixed state, the control unit controls the vertical take-off and landing aircraft so that the relative position acquired by the image processing becomes zero.

7. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising the automatic landing system for vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1.

8. A landing control method for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, comprising: a step of obtaining a relative position between the vertical take-off and landing aircraft and the landing target point by comparing carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite to the vertical take-off and landing aircraft using the position of the satellite as a reference point with carrier wave phase data transmitted from the satellite to the landing target point; and a step of controlling the vertical take-off and landing aircraft so that the relative position becomes zero.

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