Disaster observation system

Abstract

This disaster observation system comprises a helicopter, a drone that is installed outside the airframe of the helicopter, and a connection mechanism that connects and separates the airframe and the drone. The drone has an observer that acquires observation data of a disaster site, and a transmitter that transmits the observation data to the outside.

Description

Disaster Observation System

[0001] The present invention relates to a disaster observation system. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-045391, filed on March 21, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] When a disaster such as a forest fire occurs, it is necessary to quickly and in detail grasp the situation. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses the construction of an inexpensive disaster prevention system by installing a large number of forest fire sensors that detect forest fires in forest areas. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 below discloses a fire detection device that detects fires on Earth using observation data from a radiometer mounted on an artificial satellite.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-233977 International Publication No. 2022 / 186306

[0004] However, the forest fire sensor described in Patent Document 1 cannot be applied unless the location where a fire is predicted to occur is identified in advance, and a fire does not necessarily occur at the location where the forest fire sensor is installed. Furthermore, while the fire detection device described in Patent Document 2 can cover a wide observation range based on satellite observation data, it is difficult to quickly obtain detailed information useful for on-site firefighting activities for small fires in the early stages of a fire. Forest fires, in particular, tend to spread over time, posing challenges from the perspective of early response. Thus, because challenges arise whether viewing a disaster site from a microscopic or macroscopic perspective, it is preferable to immediately travel to the site and observe it directly, if possible. However, transportation networks to disaster sites such as forest fires, floods, and landslides are likely to be disrupted, and even if one arrives at the site, it is difficult to access in the case of a fire, for example. Therefore, detailed and rapid observation has been difficult until now.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a disaster observation system that can observe disaster situations closely, in detail, and quickly.

[0006] To solve the above problems and achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following measures. (1) A disaster observation system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a helicopter; a drone mounted on the exterior of the helicopter body; and a coupling mechanism for coupling and decoupling the helicopter body and the drone, wherein the drone has an observation device for acquiring observation data of the disaster site and a transmitter for transmitting the observation data to an external location. According to the disaster observation system described in (1) above, the helicopter carrying the drone travels at high speed to the disaster site. After arriving at the disaster site, the coupling mechanism is operated to detach the drone from the helicopter body. The detached drone approaches the disaster site to a distance inaccessible to the helicopter or personnel on the ground, while acquiring observation data using the observation device. The observation data acquired in this manner is used to analyze the damage situation and extent of the disaster site. In this way, combining the long-distance and high-speed travel capabilities of a helicopter with the maneuverability of a drone enables detailed and rapid observation of the disaster situation up close.

[0007] (2) The disaster observation system described in (1) above may be configured as follows: the helicopter is a hybrid helicopter having a main wing, and the drone is connected to the underside of the main wing via the connecting mechanism. In the case of (2) above, the main wing can block the downwash created by the helicopter's main rotor so that it does not directly reach the drone. Therefore, the connecting mechanism can be operated to separate the drone from the airframe, and the transition operation of the drone to autonomous flight can be stabilized.

[0008] (3) The disaster observation system described in (1) or (2) above may be configured as follows: A first receiver located on the ground, and A second receiver installed in the helicopter, wherein the transmitter transmits the observation data to the first receiver and the second receiver. In the case of (3) above, the observation data acquired by the drone can be received by the first receiver and the second receiver, so that the situation on the scene can be shared in real time between the helicopter pilot and the ground troops having the first receiver.

[0009] (4) The disaster observation system described in any one of (1) to (3) above may be configured as follows: The drone further includes a control unit, a plurality of support columns, and a propeller attached to each of the support columns. After a predetermined time has elapsed since the drone separated from the connecting mechanism, the control unit initiates the deployment of each support column and the rotation of each propeller. In the case of (4) above, the drone falls freely for a predetermined time immediately after separation from the helicopter body by operating the connecting mechanism, allowing the drone to quickly detach from the helicopter and suppress the effects of downwash. Then, once the predetermined time has elapsed and the drone has sufficiently separated from the helicopter, the control unit deploys each support column and initiates the rotation of each propeller. This series of operations allows the drone to smoothly transition to autonomous flight.

[0010] According to the disaster observation system of each of the above aspects of the present invention, it becomes possible to observe the disaster situation closely, in detail, and quickly.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hybrid helicopter provided in a disaster observation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view showing a plurality of drones equipped on the hybrid helicopter, and is an enlarged perspective view of part A in Fig. 1 as viewed from below and in front. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the drone, showing the stored configuration. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the drone, showing the flight configuration. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the case of observing a forest fire using the disaster system.

[0012] The disaster observation system of the present invention is a system that can quickly move to disaster sites that are difficult for people to approach, such as fire sites such as forest fires, volcanic eruptions, floods, earthquakes, and nuclear power plant accidents, and can observe the disaster situation in detail from the sky. In the embodiment described below, the disaster observation system will be described using an example in which it is applied to forest fire observation. The disaster observation system of this embodiment includes a hybrid helicopter 10, a drone 30, a fire engine 50, and a wireless communication system that enables two-way communication between them.

[0013] [Compound Helicopter] First, a compound helicopter 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. The compound helicopter 10 is a conventional helicopter equipped with wings. The compound helicopter 10 includes an airframe (airframe) 11, a cockpit 12, a pair of main wings 13, a pair of pylons (connection mechanisms; see Figure 2) 14, a pair of tails 15, a pair of side propellers 16, a tail propeller 17, a main rotor 18, a jet engine 19, support legs 20a, 20b, and a helicopter-side transceiver (second receiver) 21.

[0014] The aircraft body 11 is a streamlined aircraft body that is long in the longitudinal direction. A cockpit 12 where a pilot sits and steers the aircraft is located at the front of the aircraft body. A pair of main wings 13 are horizontal wings that extend horizontally from the longitudinal center of the aircraft body 11 along the lateral direction and constitute part of the aircraft body. Side propellers 16 are fixed to the ends of each main wing 13. By setting different propeller pitch angles between the left and right side propellers 16, the aircraft body 11 has a steering function for changing its direction. Furthermore, the side propellers 16 also provide thrust to the aircraft body 11 in the flight direction through the rotation of the propellers. Additionally, multiple pylons 14 are arranged side by side on the underside of each main wing 13 adjacent to the aircraft body 11. That is, as shown in Figure 2, a total of four pylons 14 are arranged at equal intervals on the underside of the main wing 13 on the left side in the direction of flight, in a direction from the side of the aircraft body 11 toward the left side propeller 16. Similarly, a total of four pylons 14 are arranged at equal intervals on the underside of the main wing 13 on the right side in the direction of flight, in a direction from the side of the aircraft body 11 toward the right side propeller 16. Therefore, the total number of pylons 14 is eight, but the number of pylons 14 is not limited to eight and may be one to seven, or nine or more. The detailed configuration of the pylons 14 will be described later.

[0015] The pair of tail fins 15 includes horizontal wings extending horizontally in the left-right direction from the rear end of the aircraft body 11 in the longitudinal direction, and vertical wings connected to the ends of each of these horizontal wings. These tail fins 15 ensure the flight stability (straight flight) of the aircraft body 11 during flight. The tail propeller 17 is a propeller located at the rear end of the aircraft body 11 in the longitudinal direction, and provides thrust to the aircraft body 11 in the flight direction through rotation of the propeller. The main rotor 18 is a large blade located at the center and upper part of the aircraft body 11 in the longitudinal direction, and provides lift to the aircraft body 11 through rotation. The jet engine 19 is located at the center and upper part of the aircraft body 11 in the longitudinal direction, and provides thrust to the aircraft body 11 in the flight direction.

[0016] The pair of support legs 20a are arranged at the front lower part of the aircraft body 11 and support the aircraft body 11 on the ground. These support legs 20a are housed inside the aircraft body 11 during flight to reduce air resistance. The support leg 20b is arranged at the rear lower part of the aircraft body 11 and supports the aircraft body 11 on the ground together with the pair of support legs 20a.

[0017] The helicopter transceiver 21 is a wireless communication device that constitutes part of the wireless communication system and can transmit control signals to each drone 30 and receive observation data acquired by each drone 30 via a wireless communication line. The helicopter transceiver 21 is also capable of two-way data communication with a fire engine 50 (Figure 5) on the ground. That is, the observation data acquired by each drone 30 can be integrated to generate integrated observation data of the disaster area, and this integrated observation data can be transmitted from the helicopter transceiver 21 to the fire engine 50 via a wireless communication line. Conversely, the helicopter transceiver 21 can also receive ground observation data held by the fire engine 50 via a wireless communication line.

[0018] [Drones] The hybrid helicopter 10 is equipped with eight drones 30, the same number as the pylons 14. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, one drone 30 is detachably connected to the lower end of one pylon 14. More specifically, a hook 31a, as shown in FIG. 4, is fixed to the upper part of the body 31 of the drone 30. Meanwhile, a groove (not shown) for receiving the hook 31a is formed at the lower end of the pylon 14. The hook 31a fits into this groove and locks, allowing the drone 30 to be supported and fixed below the pylon 14, as shown in FIG. 3. In this supported and fixed state, the fore-and-aft direction of the drone 30 coincides with the fore-and-aft direction of the hybrid helicopter 10, as shown in FIG. 3. That is, all of the drones 30 supported and fixed to the pylons 14 of the hybrid helicopter 10 are positioned with their fronts facing in the flight direction of the hybrid helicopter 10. Additionally, in this supported and fixed state, the struts 32 of the drone 30 are folded so as to align with the front-to-rear direction of the hybrid helicopter 10. Details of this storage form will be described later.

[0019] A spring (not shown) is provided within the groove of the pylon 14, applying a biasing force in a direction pushing the hook 31a locked in the groove out of the groove. A locking mechanism (not shown) is also provided within the groove to electromagnetically lock and hold the hook 31a in the groove. The locking mechanism can be remotely unlocked by operating from the cockpit 12. Therefore, while the hybrid helicopter 10 is waiting on the ground, an operator attaches each drone 30 to each pylon 14 by inserting the hook 31a into the groove. When the hook 31a is inserted into the groove, the locking mechanism detects this and electromagnetically locks the hook 31a. By repeating this attachment process, all drones 30 are securely fixed to their corresponding pylons 14.

[0020] 4 , the drone 30 includes a body 31, four struts 32, four strut deployment springs, four strut locks, four motors 33, four pairs of propellers 34, an observation device 35, a transceiver 36, a control unit 37, and two batteries 38. The body 31 has a long, streamlined shape along the flight direction, and houses the observation device 35, the transceiver 36, the control unit 37, and the battery 38 inside.

[0021] Each support 32 is composed of two front arms 32a arranged on the front side of the body 31 in the direction of flight, two rear arms 32b arranged on the rear side of the body 31 in the direction of flight, and four link mechanisms 32c. Each link mechanism 32c supports the front arm 32a and the rear arm 32b so that they can rotate freely around a vertical axis. These link mechanisms 32c connect the front arm 32a and the rear arm 32b to the body 31 so that they can be folded. Each link mechanism 32c is equipped with a support extension spring (not shown) that biases the front arm 32a and the rear arm 32b in the extension direction, and a support lock (not shown) that keeps the front arm 32a and the rear arm 32b in the folded state. Each support lock keeps the front arm 32a and the rear arm 32b locked in the folded state but will release the lock when instructed by the control unit 37. When the lock is released, the front arms 32 a and the rear arms 32 b are instantly deployed by the biasing force of the support pillar deployment springs. Even after deployment, the biasing force of the support pillar deployment springs continues to be applied to the front arms 32 a and the rear arms 32 b, so the pair of front arms 32 a maintain a state of being deployed diagonally forward when viewed from the body 31, and the pair of rear arms 32 b maintain a state of being deployed diagonally backward when viewed from the body 31.

[0022] Each motor 33 has a rotation axis centered around a vertical axis and rotates while receiving power from a battery 38 when it receives an operation signal from the control unit 37. Each propeller 34 is composed of a pair (two blades). The base end of each propeller 34 is connected to the rotor of the motor 33 so that it can swing freely. When the rotor rotates, centrifugal force is used to deploy the pair of blades in opposite directions, and the pair of blades continues to rotate at high speed in this state, generating buoyancy. Once the drone 30 gains this buoyancy and enters a flying state, the control unit 37 can individually control the rotation speeds of the four motors 33 to perform flight control such as forward, backward, leftward movement, rightward movement, ascending, and descending.

[0023] The observation devices 35 include a normal camera 35a, a thermal camera 35b, and a laser rangefinder 35c. Note that these devices are merely examples, and other devices may be added as needed. The normal camera 35a is a standard CCD camera capable of capturing still or video images of the disaster site. The normal camera 35a has optical and digital zoom functions, allowing it to capture detailed enlarged images. The thermal camera 35b is equipped with a sensor that can detect far-infrared rays emitted by people and animals, allowing it to locate victims in need of rescue even in situations where visual confirmation is not possible at the disaster site. The laser rangefinder 35c emits a laser beam L toward the target and measures the time it takes for the laser beam to reflect off the target and return, thereby determining the distance from the drone 30 to the target.

[0024] The transceiver 36 performs data communication, such as transmitting observation data, with both the helicopter-side transceiver 21 and the ground transceiver 51 via the wireless communication line. The transceiver 36 also receives control signals transmitted from the helicopter-side transceiver 21. The control unit 37 performs movement within the observation site (disaster site) and observations using the observation device 35 in accordance with the control signals received by the transceiver 36. If necessary, control of each drone 30 can be transferred from the hybrid helicopter 10 in the sky to the fire engine 50 on the ground. In this case, the transceiver 36 receives control signals transmitted from the ground transceiver 51, and the flight and data communication of the drone 30 are controlled from the ground. The battery 38 supplies power to various electrical devices equipped on the drone 30. The battery 38 also has a fuel gauge (not shown) that notifies the control unit 37 when the remaining capacity of the battery 38 falls below a predetermined capacity. Upon receiving this notification, the control unit 37 switches to return control and automatically returns to the fire engine 50. Each returning drone 30 is retrieved by a fire engine 50 and returns to the base station for maintenance such as charging and equipment calibration.

[0025] The fire engine 50 shown in Figure 5 is equipped with a ground-side transceiver 51. This ground-side transceiver 51 is a wireless communication device that constitutes part of the wireless communication system, and is capable of transmitting control signals to each drone 30, receiving observation data acquired by each drone 30, and transmitting and receiving observation data to and from the hybrid helicopter 10 via wireless communication lines. Note that, although the present embodiment illustrates a form in which the ground-side transceiver 51 is equipped on the fire engine 50, the present invention is not limited to this form, and the ground-side transceiver 51 may also be equipped on a mobile terminal held by a worker on the ground.

[0026] An example of disaster observation using the disaster observation system described above will be described below. Here, as shown in FIG. 5 , a case where a forest fire breaks out and the fire originates from a house in the forest is taken as an example. First, upon receiving a report of the forest fire, the hybrid helicopter 10 is flown toward the fire site. As described above, the hybrid helicopter 10 is equipped with eight drones 30, but because they are positioned on the underside of the main wings 13, they are not directly affected by downwash generated by the main rotors 18 during movement. Furthermore, the high-speed movement performance of the hybrid helicopter 10 can be utilized to transport a large number of drones 30 into the air above the fire site.

[0027] After arriving at the fire scene, the hybrid helicopter 10 circles at low speed in the sky near the fire scene. A fire engine 50 also arrives near the fire scene. The pilot in the cockpit 12 then releases the locking mechanisms of each pylon 14, disengaging the hook 31a from the pylon 14. The drone 30 then begins to free fall, and after a predetermined time has passed since the locking mechanism was released, it transitions from the stowed configuration to the flight configuration. Specifically, the control unit 37 first releases the strut locks. The front arm 32a and the rear arm 32b are then instantly deployed by the biasing force of the strut deployment springs. The control unit 37 then initiates rotation of each motor 33, and each propeller 34 begins to rotate. The drone 30 can then move a sufficient distance away from the hybrid helicopter 10 by free falling before transitioning to the flight configuration, allowing for a smooth transition without being directly affected by downwash.

[0028] After all drones 30 transition to flight mode and stabilize their attitude control, the pilot transmits observation instructions to each drone 30 via the helicopter transceiver 21. Upon receiving the observation instructions, each drone 30 photographs the fire scene using its normal camera 35a, identifies the person in need of rescue using its thermal camera 35b, and performs various distance measurements using its laser rangefinder 35c. The various photographed and measured data D is transmitted from each drone 30 to both the hybrid helicopter 10 and the ground transceiver 51 and used for forest fire extinguishing and rescue operations. After the forest fire is extinguished and the person in need of rescue is rescued, the drones 30 are gathered on the fire engine 50 and retrieved. After the recovery, each drone 30 is subjected to appropriate maintenance and has its battery 38 charged, and then reattached to the pylon 14 of the hybrid helicopter 10.

[0029] The essentials of the disaster observation system of this embodiment described above are summarized below: (1) The disaster observation system of this embodiment comprises a hybrid helicopter 10, a drone 30 mounted on the underside of the main wing 13 outside the fuselage body 11 of the hybrid helicopter 10, and a pylon 14 that connects and separates the main wing 13 and the drone 30, and the drone 30 has an observation device 35 that acquires observation data of the disaster site and a helicopter-side transceiver 21 that transmits the observation data to the outside.

[0030] (2) The disaster observation system described in (1) above may be configured as follows: the composite helicopter 10 is a helicopter having a main wing 13, and the drone 30 is connected below the main wing 13 via a pylon 14.

[0031] (3) The disaster observation system described in (1) or (2) above may be configured as follows: the system may further include a ground-side transceiver 51 arranged on the ground, and a helicopter-side transceiver 21 installed in the combined helicopter 10, and the transceiver 36 transmits observation data to the ground-side transceiver 51 and the helicopter-side transceiver 21.

[0032] (4) The disaster observation system described in any one of (1) to (3) above may be configured as follows: the drone 30 further includes a control unit 37, a plurality of pillars 32, and a propeller 34 provided on each of the pillars 32, and after a predetermined time has elapsed since the drone 30 separated from the pylon 14, the control unit 37 starts the deployment operation of each pillar 32 and the rotation operation of each propeller 34.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the drone 30 is mounted under the main wing 13, but it is not limited to being mounted under the main wing 13. The drone 30 may also be mounted on the airframe main body 11 via the pylon 14. In this case, it is preferable to select a position that is not directly exposed to downwash from the main rotor 18. In addition, in the above embodiment, the hybrid helicopter 10 is used as the helicopter, but this is not a limitation, and a normal helicopter without main wings may be used instead.

[0034] The disaster observation system according to each of the above aspects makes it possible to observe the disaster situation closely, in detail, and quickly, and therefore has great industrial applicability.

[0035] 10 Hybrid helicopter 11 Airframe body (airframe) 12 Cockpit 13 Main wing 14 Pylon (connecting mechanism) 15 Tail 16 Side propeller 17 Tail propeller 21 Helicopter side transceiver (second receiver) 30 Drone 50 Fire engine 51 Ground side transceiver (first receiver)

Claims

1. A disaster observation system comprising: a helicopter; a drone mounted on the outside of the helicopter body; and a connection mechanism for connecting and disconnecting the helicopter body and the drone, wherein the drone has an observation device for acquiring observation data of the disaster site and a transmitter for transmitting the observation data to the outside.

2. The disaster observation system described in claim 1, characterized in that the helicopter is a hybrid helicopter having a main wing, and the drone is connected to the underside of the main wing via the connecting mechanism.

3. A disaster observation system as described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a first receiver located on the ground; and a second receiver installed in the helicopter, wherein the transmitter transmits the observation data to the first receiver and the second receiver.

4. A disaster observation system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the drone further comprises a control unit, a plurality of support pillars, and a propeller attached to each of the support pillars, and the control unit initiates the deployment operation of each of the support pillars and the rotation operation of each of the propellers after a predetermined time has elapsed since the drone was separated from the connecting mechanism.

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