JP6975284B2 - Location information acquisition system, location information acquisition method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a location information acquisition system, a location information acquisition method and a program.

Inspections, surveys, surveillance, environmental surveys, etc. are carried out using images obtained by autonomously flying autonomous mobile objects equipped with cameras such as drones and taking pictures of structures and the surface of the ground from the air. ing. Such an autonomous mobile body is a signal transmitted by a satellite positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System), receives a signal indicating the position of the autonomous mobile body, and moves autonomously based on the position indicated by the received signal. do.

Kengo Okumura, Takashi Yoshino "Proposal of Indoor Navigation System Using 2D Code and Sensor", 2011 Information Processing Society of Japan Kansai Branch Meeting, C-08

However, depending on the place where the autonomous mobile body moves, such as under a bridge, there are places where the GPS signal does not reach. In such a case, the autonomous moving body may not be able to grasp the position of its own device and may move to a position deviating from an appropriate position. For example, Visual-SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) has been proposed as a method for a moving body to grasp its own position in an environment where a signal transmitted by a satellite positioning system cannot be received. Visual-SLAM simultaneously creates a map for grasping its own position by a camera mounted on the moving body. Visual-SLAM grasps the relative position between the object grasped by the camera and the self-position, and cannot grasp the absolute position unlike the satellite positioning system. For example, when moving a place where a predetermined structure repeatedly appears, such as under a bridge, there is a possibility that the self-position may be lost when a technique for grasping a relative position such as Visual-SLAM is used.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for a mobile body to acquire a position of its own device in an environment in which a signal transmitted by a satellite positioning system cannot be received.

One aspect of the present invention is a first moving body that acquires position information using a satellite positioning system and autonomously moves based on the acquired position information, and a position of its own device based on the position of the first moving body. The second moving body is provided with a second moving body, and the second moving body autonomously moves on a path satisfying a predetermined movement condition determined in advance based on the position of the first moving body, and the movement is described. The conditions are a condition of moving in a predetermined building in which a predetermined structure repeatedly appears, and a reference situation in which a predetermined predetermined positional relationship between the structure and the second moving body is satisfied repeatedly. The first moving body moves while repeating a unit reference operation including a stopping operation, and the position where the first moving body stops is set as a stop position. The direction in which the structure is located closest to the user is a position information acquisition system that satisfies a predetermined condition.

One aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned position information acquisition system, and the predetermined condition is that the direction in which the structure closest to the stop position is located is the same or continuous for each constant stop position. Is.

One aspect of the present invention is the above-described position information acquisition system, the position of the first moving body viewed from the second moving body in the standards situation, the second moving in the previous reference situation It is different from the position of the first moving body as seen from the body.

One aspect of the present invention is a first moving body that acquires position information using a satellite positioning system and autonomously moves based on the acquired position information, and a position of its own device based on the position of the first moving body. The second moving body is provided with a second moving body, and the second moving body autonomously moves on a path satisfying a predetermined movement condition determined in advance based on the position of the first moving body, and the movement is described. The condition is that the condition of moving in a predetermined building in which a predetermined structure appears repeatedly and the reference situation in which the predetermined positional relationship between the structure and the second moving body are satisfied repeatedly appear. The first moving body moves while repeating a unit reference operation including a stopping operation, and the position where the first moving body stops is set as a stop position. The direction in which the structure is located closest to the structure is a position information acquisition method performed by a position information acquisition system that satisfies a predetermined condition, and the first mobile body acquires position information using a satellite positioning system. It is a position information acquisition method having a movement step of autonomously moving based on the acquired position information and an acquisition step of the second moving body acquiring the position of its own device based on the position of the first moving body. ..

One aspect of the present invention is a program for operating a computer as the above-mentioned location information acquisition system.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible for a mobile body to acquire the position of its own device in an environment where it cannot receive a signal transmitted by a satellite positioning system.

An explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of the position information acquisition system 100 of the embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the hardware composition of the reference moving body 1 and the moving body 2 for photography provided in the position information acquisition system 100 of an embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the functional structure of the control part 11 in an embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the functional structure of the control part 21 in an embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process executed by the position information acquisition system 100 of an embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the unit moving shooting operation in an embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the functional structure of the moving body 2a for photography in the modification.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of the position information acquisition system 100 of the embodiment. The position information acquisition system 100 is a system for photographing a photographing target.

The subject of photography is a building in which a predetermined structure appears repeatedly. The subject of photography is, for example, a bridge. When the object to be photographed is a bridge, the predetermined structure that appears repeatedly is a pier. The bridge 9 in FIG. 1 is an example of an object to be photographed.

The position information acquisition system 100 includes a reference moving body 1 and a moving body for photographing 2. The reference mobile body 1 is a signal transmitted by a satellite positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System), and receives a signal indicating reference mobile body position information. The reference moving body position information is information indicating the position of the reference moving body 1. Hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity, the position information acquisition system 100 will be described by taking the case where the satellite positioning system is GPS as an example. Further, hereinafter, a signal indicating reference moving object position information transmitted by GPS is referred to as a GPS signal.

The reference moving body 1 is an autonomous moving body that moves to a predetermined position according to a predetermined timing at a predetermined timing based on the reference moving body position information indicated by the received GPS signal. An autonomous mobile body is a mobile body such as a drone that moves autonomously.

The reference moving body 1 has a mark for the photographing moving body 2 to grasp the position of the reference moving body 1. The mark is, for example, a mark printed on the surface of the housing of the reference mobile body 1. The mark 10 in FIG. 1 is an example of a mark for the photographing moving body 2 to grasp the position of the reference moving body 1. Hereinafter, the position information acquisition system 100 will be described by taking as an example the case where the mark 10 for grasping the position of the reference moving body 1 is used for the moving body 2 for photographing.

The photographing moving body 2 is an autonomous moving body including a camera. The photographing moving body 2 photographs the surroundings of its own device by a camera. The moving body 2 for shooting is a set of information (hereinafter referred to as “shooting result related information”) in which the image of the shooting result, the information indicating the direction of the camera when the image of the shooting result is acquired, and the shooting time are associated with each other. Remember as.

The shooting moving body 2 acquires the actual position based on the shooting result-related information. The actual position is the actual position of the moving body 2 for photographing. The photographing moving body 2 moves based on the acquired actual position.

Hereinafter, a specific example of the operation of the reference moving body 1 and the shooting moving body 2 will be described by taking the case where the bridge 9 is the shooting target. The operation of the moving body 2 for shooting at the time of shooting is an operation of moving a route (hereinafter referred to as a “designated route”) that satisfies a predetermined movement condition while adjusting the position of the own device based on the information related to the shooting result. Is.

Hereinafter, such an operation of the photographing moving body 2 that moves the designated path while adjusting the position of the own device based on the photographing result-related information is referred to as a matching operation. Note that adjusting the position means moving to a position that satisfies the predetermined condition when the position deviates from the position that satisfies the predetermined condition. Specifically, it means moving back to the designated route when the route deviates from the designated route.

Specifically, for the matching operation, the difference between the position of the own device and the expected position (hereinafter referred to as "expected position difference") is acquired based on the information related to the printing result, and the acquired expected position difference is reduced. However, it is an operation to move on the specified route. The stamped image shooting result-related information is the photographed result-related information indicating the stamped image. The stamp image is an image in which the stamp 10 is reflected.

The expected position is a position where the moving body 2 for photographing is expected to exist. The expected position is, for example, a predetermined position. The expected position may be, for example, the position of the photographing moving body 2 inferred based on the history of control regarding the movement of the photographing moving body 2. The expected position may be, for example, a position on a designated path inferred based on the history of control regarding the movement of the photographing moving body 2. In such a case, the matching operation is an operation of moving to the expected position when the expected position is not reached.

Hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the position information acquisition system 100 will be described by taking as an example the case where the autonomous moving body is a drone that moves autonomously by flying. Further, for the sake of simplicity of the following description, the position information acquisition system 100 will be described by taking the case where the photographing target is the bridge 9 as an example. Further, for the sake of simplicity of the following description, the position information acquisition system 100 will be described by taking as an example a case where the expected position is a position on a designated path estimated based on the history of control regarding the movement of the photographing moving body 2.

A specific example of the movement between the reference moving body 1 and the photographing moving body 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, each of the pier 901, the pier 902, the pier 903, the pier 904, and the pier 905 is the pier of the bridge 9. The pier 902 is a pier adjacent to the pier 901. The pier 903 is a pier adjacent to the pier 902, not the pier 901. The pier 904 is a pier adjacent to the pier 903. The pier 905 is a pier adjacent to the pier 904, not the pier 903.

The reference mobile body 1 performs a reference operation in the GPS space. The GPS space means a space where GPS signals can reach. The reference operation is an operation in which the following unit reference operations are repeatedly executed. Hereinafter, the unit reference operation will be described by taking the case where the time point when the unit reference operation is started is time t1 and the reference moving body 1 is located at the position P1-1 near the pier 901 at time t1. The position P1-1 is a position satisfying the condition that the nearest pier is the pier 901. Time t1 is the time when the reference moving body 1 reaches the position P1-1.

The reference moving body 1 during execution of the reference operation is located at the position P1-1 in the vicinity of the pier 901 at time t1. The reference moving body 1 during execution of the reference operation is located at the position P1-1 until the reference movement start timing. The reference movement start timing is the timing at which the reference moving body 1 starts moving.

The reference moving body 1 during execution of the reference operation starts moving from the position P1-1 at the reference movement start timing, and reaches the position P1-2 in the vicinity of the pier 903 at time t2. Position P1-2 is a position satisfying the condition that the nearest pier is the pier 903. Further, the direction in which the nearest pier (that is, the pier 903) seen from the reference moving body 1 at the position P1-2 is located and the closest pier (that is, the pier 901) seen from the reference moving body 1 at the position P1-1. It is different from the direction in which it is located. The reference moving body 1 during execution of the reference operation stops at the position P1-2 until the next reference movement start timing.

The reference moving body 1 which is the reference moving body 1 during execution of the reference movement and is located at the position P1-2 starts moving from the position P1-2 at the reference movement start timing, and at the time t3, the position P1 near the pier 903. Reach -3. The position P1-3 is a position satisfying the condition that the nearest pier is the pier 903, and is a position different from the position P1-2. Further, the direction in which the nearest pier (that is, the pier 903) seen from the reference moving body 1 at the position P1-3 is located and the closest pier (that is, the pier 901) seen from the reference moving body 1 at the position P1-1. ) Is located in the same direction. The reference moving body 1 during execution of the reference operation stops at the position P1-3 until the next reference movement start timing.

The operation of the reference moving body 1 from the time t1 to the time t3 is one unit reference operation. The next unit reference operation executed by the reference moving body 1 is an operation of moving from the position P1-3 to the position P-15 shown below.

The reference moving body 1 which is the reference moving body 1 during execution of the reference movement and is located at the position P1-3 starts moving from the position P1-3 at the reference movement start timing, and at the time t4, the position P1 near the pier 905. Reach -4. Position P1-4 is a position satisfying the condition that the nearest pier is the pier 905. Further, the direction in which the nearest pier (that is, the pier 905) seen from the reference moving body 1 at the position P1-4 is located and the closest pier (that is, the pier 902) seen from the reference moving body 1 at the position P1-2. It is the same as the direction in which it is located. The reference moving body 1 during execution of the reference operation stops at the position P1-4 until the next reference movement start timing.

The reference moving body 1 which is the reference moving body 1 during execution of the reference movement and is located at the position P1-4 starts moving from the position P1-4 at the reference movement start timing, and at the time t5, the position P1 near the pier 905. Reach -5. The position P1-5 is a position satisfying the condition that the nearest pier is the pier 905, and is a position different from the position P1-4. Further, the direction in which the nearest pier (that is, the pier 905) seen from the reference moving body 1 at the position P1-5 is located and the closest pier (that is, the pier 901) seen from the reference moving body 1 at the position P1-1. ) Is located in the same direction. The reference moving body 1 during execution of the reference operation stops at the position P1-5 until the next reference movement start timing.

In this way, the reference mobile body 1 repeatedly executes the unit reference operation. The position where the reference moving body 1 stops in the reference operation (hereinafter referred to as “stop position”) is a position near every other pier. In addition, the directions of the closest piers as seen from the adjacent stop positions are different from each other. Note that each of position P1-1, position P1-2, position P1-3, position P1-4, and position P1-5 is an example of a stop position.

The photographing moving body 2 starts moving from the position P2-1 at time t1, moves in the space between the pier 901 and the pier 902, and reaches the position P2-2. During this period, the reference mobile body 1 is stopped at the position P1-1. The position P2-1 is a position satisfying the condition that the nearest pier is the pier 901. The position P2-2 is a position satisfying the condition that the positional relationship between the pier 902 and the own device is the same as the positional relationship between the pier 901 and the own device at time t1.

The moving body 2 for shooting takes a picture of the position of the reference moving body 1 with a camera at a predetermined cycle during movement, and adjusts the position of its own device based on the shooting result. Further, the moving body 2 for photographing takes a picture of the pier 901 and the pier 902 while moving in the space between the pier 901 and the pier 902.

The time when the moving body 2 for photographing reaches the position P2-2 is an example of the reference movement start timing. When the photographing moving body 2 reaches the position P2-2, the reference moving body 1 starts moving from the position P1-1 to the position P1-2.

The photographing moving body 2 starts moving from the position P2-2 at time t2, moves in the space between the pier 902 and the pier 903, and reaches the position P2-3. During this period, the reference mobile body 1 is stopped at the position P1-2. Position P2-3 is a position satisfying the condition that the nearest pier is the pier 903. The position P2-3 is a position satisfying the condition that the positional relationship between the pier 903 and the own device is the same as the positional relationship between the pier 901 and the own device at time t1.

The moving body 2 for shooting takes a picture of the position of the reference moving body 1 with a camera at a predetermined cycle during movement, and adjusts the position of its own device based on the shooting result. Further, the moving body 2 for photographing takes a picture of the pier 902 and the pier 903 while moving in the space between the pier 902 and the pier 903.

The time when the moving body 2 for photographing reaches the position P2-3 is an example of the reference movement start timing. When the photographing moving body 2 reaches the position P2-3, the reference moving body 1 starts moving from the position P1-2 to the position P1-3.

After the time t3, the moving body 2 for photographing also repeats the same operation as the time t1 from the time t1 to photograph the pier located before the pier 903 such as the pier 905.

In this way, the photographing moving body 2 autonomously moves on the designated route. The movement condition in the example of FIG. 1 includes a condition of moving in a predetermined building in which a predetermined structure repeatedly appears. The predetermined building is, for example, a bridge 9. In such a case, the predetermined structure that appears repeatedly is specifically the pier of the bridge 9 including the piers 901 to 905. Further, the movement condition in the example of FIG. 1 includes a condition of moving so that the reference situation appears repeatedly.

The reference situation is the situation of the position information acquisition system 100 in which a predetermined predetermined positional relationship between the predetermined structure and the moving body 2 for photographing is satisfied. The predetermined structure is specifically the pier of the bridge 9 including the piers 901 to 905. The predetermined positional relationship is, for example, the positional relationship between the moving body 2 for photographing and the pier 901 at time t1. In FIG. 1, the predetermined positional relationship appears at time t1, time t2, and time t3. The reference situation is, for example, the situation of the moving body 2 for photographing at time t1, time t2, and time t3.

As mentioned above, the directions of the nearest piers as seen from the adjacent stop positions are different from each other. Therefore, the position of the reference moving body 1 seen from the photographing moving body 2 in the reference situation is different from the position of the reference moving body 1 seen from the photographing moving body 2 in the previous reference situation.

In FIG. 1, the photographing moving body 2 moves under the bridge 9 such as the space between the pier 901 and the pier 902 and the space between the pier 902 and the pier 903. Below the bridge is a non-GPS space. The non-GPS space is a space where GPS signals do not reach. In this way, the photographing mobile body 2 moves in the non-GPS space. However, since the photographing moving body 2 moves based on the position of the reference moving body 1 that moves in the GPS space even when moving in the non-GPS space, it can move autonomously on the designated route.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the reference moving body 1 and the photographing moving body 2 included in the position information acquisition system 100 of the embodiment.

The reference mobile unit 1 includes a control unit 11 including a processor 91 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) connected by a bus and a memory 92, and executes a reference mobile unit control program. The reference mobile body control program is a program that controls the operation of each functional unit included in the reference mobile body 1. The reference mobile body 1 functions as a device including a control unit 11, an input / output unit 12, a storage unit 13, and a rotor 14 by executing a reference mobile body control program.

More specifically, in the reference moving body 1, the processor 91 reads out the reference moving body control program stored in the storage unit 13, and stores the read reference moving body control program in the memory 92. When the processor 91 executes the reference moving body control program stored in the memory 92, the reference moving body 1 functions as a device including the control unit 11, the input / output unit 12, the storage unit 13, and the rotor 14.

The control unit 11 controls the reference mobile body 1. The control unit 11 controls, for example, the flight of the reference mobile body 1. Specifically, the flight control of the reference moving body 1 is performed by controlling the operation of the rotor 14. The control unit 11 controls, for example, the operation of the input / output unit 12.

The input / output unit 12 includes a GPS communication unit 120 and an operation communication unit 121.

The GPS communication unit 120 includes a communication interface for receiving GPS signals. The GPS communication unit 120 receives GPS signals via the communication interface. The GPS communication unit 120 outputs the received GPS signal to the control unit 11.

The operation communication unit 121 includes a communication interface for connecting to the operator terminal 3. The operator terminal 3 is a terminal device for operating the reference moving body 1 and the photographing moving body 2. The operator terminal 3 is, for example, a smartphone. The operator terminal 3 operates the reference moving body 1 and the shooting moving body 2 by transmitting an operation signal for operating the reference moving body 1 and the photographing moving body 2.

The operation signal is, for example, a signal instructing the reference moving body 1 and the photographing moving body 2 to start the flight. The operation signal is, for example, a signal transmitted to the photographing moving body 2 and is a signal instructing the transfer of the image data of the image taken by the photographing moving body 2 to the operator terminal 3. The operator terminal 3 receives the image data of the image taken by the moving body 2 for shooting. The operation communication unit 121 receives the operation signal transmitted by the operator terminal 3. The operation communication unit 121 outputs the received operation signal to the control unit 11.

The storage unit 13 is configured by using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 13 stores various information about the reference mobile body 1. The storage unit 13 stores, for example, a reference mobile control program in advance. The storage unit 13 stores information indicating the stop position (hereinafter referred to as “stop position information”) in advance. The stop position information does not necessarily have to be stored in advance, and may be transmitted from the operator terminal 3 as one of the information indicated by the operation signal. The storage unit 13 stores, for example, the history of control regarding the movement of the reference moving body 1.

The rotor 14 is a power unit that generates lift for freely flying the reference mobile body 1 in the air according to the control of the control unit 11. In FIG. 2, the number of rotors 14 included in the reference mobile body 1 is one, but it is not necessarily limited to one. The number of rotors 14 included in the reference mobile body 1 may be a plurality of 3, 4, 6, 8 or the like depending on the flight performance or the like required for the reference mobile body 1.

The rotor 14 includes a motor 141 and a blade 142. The motor 141 is, for example, a DC brushless motor. A blade 142 is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 141. The motor 141 rotates the blade 142 according to the control of the control unit 11. The blade 142 rotates to generate lift in the reference moving body 1. That is, the blade 142 is a so-called propeller. Since the method of flying the reference mobile body 1 by driving the rotor 14 is known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The moving body 2 for shooting includes a control unit 21 including a processor 93 such as a CPU connected by a bus and a memory 94, and executes a moving body control program for shooting. The shooting mobile body 2 functions as a device including a control unit 21, an operation communication unit 22, a storage unit 23, a rotor 24, a shooting unit 25, and a driving unit 26 by executing a shooting mobile body control program.

More specifically, in the shooting moving body 2, the processor 93 reads out the shooting moving body control program stored in the storage unit 23, and stores the read shooting moving body control program in the memory 94. When the processor 93 executes the shooting mobile body control program stored in the memory 94, the shooting mobile body 2 is driven by the control unit 21, the operation communication unit 22, the storage unit 23, the rotor 24, the photographing unit 25, and the driving unit 2. It functions as a device including the unit 26.

The control unit 21 controls the moving body 2 for photographing. The control unit 21 controls, for example, the flight of the photographing moving body 2. Specifically, the flight control of the moving body 2 for photographing is performed by controlling the operation of the rotor 24. The control unit 21 controls, for example, the operation of the operation communication unit 22. The control unit 21 controls, for example, the operation of the photographing unit 25. The control unit 21 controls, for example, the operation of the drive unit 26.

The operation communication unit 22 includes a communication interface for connecting to the operator terminal 3. The operation communication unit 22 receives the operation signal transmitted by the operator terminal 3. The operation communication unit 22 outputs the received operation signal to the control unit 21. The operation communication unit 22 transmits, for example, the image data of the captured image to the operator terminal 3.

The storage unit 23 is configured by using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 23 stores various information about the moving body 2 for photographing. The storage unit 23 stores in advance, for example, a program for controlling the operation of each functional unit included in the moving body 2 for photographing. The storage unit 23 stores, for example, information related to the shooting result. The storage unit 23 stores, for example, information indicating a designated route in advance.

The rotor 24 is a power unit that generates lift for freely flying the moving body 2 for photographing in the air under the control of the control unit 21. In FIG. 2, the number of rotors 24 included in the photographing moving body 2 is one, but it is not necessarily limited to one. The number of rotors 24 included in the photographing moving body 2 may be a plurality of 3, 4, 6, 8 or the like depending on the flight performance or the like required for the photographing moving body 2.

The rotor 24 includes a motor 241 and a blade 242. The motor 241 is, for example, a DC brushless motor. A blade 242 is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 241. The motor 241 rotates the blade 242 according to the control of the control unit 21. The blade 242 rotates to generate lift in the photographing moving body 2. That is, the blade 242 is a so-called propeller. Since the method of flying the moving body 2 for photographing by driving the rotor 24 is known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the following description, when one direction corresponding to the advance in the horizontal plane penetrating the center of gravity of the main body (not shown) in the horizontal flight posture of the moving body 2 for photographing is defined as "forward direction", 180 with respect to the front direction in the horizontal plane. The direction of degree is "rear direction", the direction of 90 degrees to the left with respect to the front direction in the horizontal plane is "left direction", the direction of 90 degrees to the right with respect to the front direction in the horizontal plane is "right direction", and the horizontal plane is concerned. The sky side is defined as "upward", and the ground surface side is defined as "downward" with respect to the horizontal plane.

The photographing unit 25 is a camera that generates image data by photographing according to the control by the control unit 21. The image data generated by the photographing unit 25 is recorded in the storage unit 23 under the control of the control unit 21. The shooting unit 25 can shoot a video (moving image) or a still image according to the control by the control unit 21.

The photographing unit 25 is provided on the main body of the photographing moving body 2 so that a predetermined range including the downward direction from the photographing moving body 2 can be photographed. Specifically, it seems that the photographing unit 25 can be tilted by a predetermined angle (for example, a specific angle between 0 degree and 90 degrees) from the shooting vertical axis in a state of being mounted on the moving body 2 for photographing. It is configured in. The shooting vertical axis is a vertical axis in which the optical axis of a camera lens (not shown) penetrates the center of gravity of the shooting unit 25 in the horizontal flight posture of the moving body 2 for shooting. Further, the photographing unit 25 is configured to be rotatable (pan) about the vertical axis for photographing while being mounted on the moving body 2 for photographing.

The photographing unit 25 has a predetermined angle (for example, 0 to 180 degrees) to the left with respect to the front direction about the vertical axis for photography, and a predetermined angle to the right with respect to the front direction about the vertical axis for photography. It is rotatable by an angle (eg, 0 to 180 degrees). The rotation angle when the photographing unit 25 is rotated by a predetermined angle to the left with respect to the front direction around the shooting vertical axis, and the photographing unit 25 is predetermined to the right side with respect to the front direction with respect to the photographing vertical axis. The angle of rotation when the angle is rotated is called the pan angle.

By rotating the photographing unit 25, an image is taken in all directions in the horizontal plane including the front direction, the left direction, the right direction, and the rear direction, and the downward side (for example, the ground or a structure on the ground, the sea, etc.). be able to. The photographing unit 25 may be provided so as to be rotatable 360 degrees around the photographing vertical axis.

A drive unit 26 is connected to the photographing unit 25. The drive unit 26 is, for example, a DC (direct current) brushless motor. The drive unit 26 changes the shooting direction of the shooting unit 25 according to the control of the shooting direction by the control unit 21.

The angle (tilt angle) at which the driving unit 26 is tilted from the vertical axis of the photographing unit 25 may be changed according to the control of the photographing direction by the control unit 21.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 11 in the embodiment. The control unit 11 includes a GPS communication control unit 110, an operation communication control unit 111, a flight control unit 112, and a recording unit 113.

The GPS communication control unit 110 controls the operation of the GPS communication unit 120. The GPS communication control unit 110 controls the operation of the GPS communication unit 120, and acquires the information indicated by the GPS signal via the GPS communication unit 120. The GPS communication control unit 110 outputs the information indicated by the acquired GPS signal to the flight control unit 112.

The operation communication control unit 111 controls the operation of the operation communication unit 121. The operation communication control unit 111 controls the operation of the operation communication unit 121, and acquires the information indicated by the operation signal via the operation communication unit 121.

The flight control unit 112 controls the rotor 14 based on the information indicated by the GPS signal according to the reference moving object control program, and controls the flight operation including the flight attitude and the flight speed of the reference moving object 1.

The flight control unit 112 acquires, for example, the difference between the position indicated by the reference moving object position information indicated by the GPS signal and the stop position indicated by the stop position information, and causes the reference moving object 1 to fly so as to reduce the acquired difference. The difference is specifically the distance between the position indicated by the reference moving body position information indicated by the GPS signal and the stop position indicated by the stop position information. To reduce the acquired difference means to move the reference moving body 1 to the position indicated by the stop position information.

The flight control unit 112 includes an ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) (not shown) for adjusting the rotation speed of the motor 141 of the rotor 14. Further, the flight control unit 112 is provided with, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) (not shown), and is not based on an operation signal, and is used for natural wind (strong wind, gust, etc.), rain and snow, etc. with respect to the reference moving body 1. Attitude control is performed autonomously in order to maintain the attitude against external factors.

The recording unit 113 records various information in the storage unit 13. Various types of information include, for example, information indicated by GPS signals (that is, reference moving body position information). The various information includes, for example, a history of control by the flight control unit 112.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 21 in the embodiment. The control unit 21 includes an operation communication control unit 211, a flight control unit 212, a recording unit 213, an imaging control unit 214, an actual position acquisition unit 215, and an expected position acquisition unit 216.

The operation communication control unit 211 controls the operation of the operation communication unit 22. The operation communication control unit 211 controls the operation of the operation communication unit 22 and communicates with the operator terminal 3 via the operation communication unit 22. The operation communication control unit 211 transmits, for example, the shooting result of the shooting unit 25 to the driver terminal 3 by communication with the driver terminal 3.

The flight control unit 212 controls the rotor 24 according to the moving body control program for photographing. The flight control unit 212 controls the flight operation including the flight attitude and the flight speed of the photographing moving body 2 by controlling the rotor 24. The flight control unit 212 controls the rotor 24 based on the actual position according to, for example, a moving object control program for photographing. By controlling the rotor 24 based on the actual position by the flight control unit 212, for example, a matching operation by the photographing moving body 2 is executed.

The flight control unit 212 includes an ESC (not shown) for adjusting the rotational speed of the motor 241 of the rotor 24. Further, the flight control unit 212 is provided with, for example, an inertial measurement unit (not shown) to counter external factors such as natural wind (strong wind, gust, etc.) and rain / snow on the moving body 2 for photographing without being based on an operation signal. In order to maintain the posture, the posture is controlled autonomously.

The recording unit 213 records various information in the storage unit 23. The recording unit 213 records, for example, the shooting result of the shooting unit 25 in the storage unit 23. More specifically, the recording unit 213 associates the image of the shooting result with the information indicating the orientation of the shooting unit 25 when the image of the shooting result is acquired and the shooting time as a set of shooting result-related information. Record in the storage unit 23. Various information includes, for example, a history of control by the flight control unit 212.

The shooting control unit 214 controls the shooting operation of the shooting unit 25. The shooting operation includes shooting standby, shooting, and shooting stop modes of the shooting unit 25. Further, the shooting control unit 214 controls the shooting direction of the shooting unit 25. That is, the photographing control unit 214 controls the operation of the drive unit 26. The shooting operation and the shooting direction may be the movement and the direction instructed by the operation signal, or may be a predetermined movement and the direction programmed in the moving body control program for shooting in advance.

The shooting control unit 214 acquires information indicating the direction of the shooting unit 25 at the time of shooting, based on the information indicating the control method when controlling the operation of the drive unit 26. The shooting control unit 214 outputs the acquired information indicating the direction of the shooting unit 25 at the time of shooting to the recording unit 213.

The actual position acquisition unit 215 acquires the actual position based on the information related to the shooting result. The actual position acquisition unit 215 acquires the actual position by executing the stereo position acquisition process, for example, when the photographing unit 25 is a stereo camera. In the stereo position acquisition process, the actual position acquisition unit 215 selects a shooting result in which the mark 10 is captured based on the shooting result of the stereo camera and the image of the mark 10 stored in the storage unit 23 in advance. In the stereo position acquisition process, the actual position acquisition unit 215 then calculates the distance and direction of the mark 10 as seen from the photographing moving body 2 based on the selected photographing result. In the stereo position acquisition process, the actual position acquisition unit 215 then acquires the actual position based on the calculation result. In such a case, the shooting result by the stereo camera is the shooting result-related information.

The expected position acquisition unit 216 acquires the expected position. The expected position acquisition unit 216 acquires the expected position by reading the expected position from the storage unit 23, for example, when the expected position is stored in the storage unit 23 in advance. The expected position acquisition unit 216 may estimate the position of the photographing moving body 2 based on the history of control by the flight control unit 212. In such a case, the estimation result is the expected position.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the position information acquisition system 100 of the embodiment.
The photographing moving body 2 reaches the matching operation start point (step S101). The matching operation start point is the point where the matching operation is started. The matching operation start point is also the point where the shooting of the shooting target is started. The situation where the moving body 2 for photographing is located at the matching start point is an example of the reference situation. That is, the matching operation start point is a position that satisfies the condition that the status of the position information acquisition system 100 is the reference status when the moving body 2 for photographing is positioned.

Next, the reference moving body 1 reaches the reference operation start point (step S102). The reference operation start point is the point where the reference operation is started. The reference operation start point is also the stop position. Next, the photographing moving body 2 starts moving on the designated route (step S103). Next, the moving body 2 for shooting executes a moving shooting operation (step S104). The moving shooting operation is a process of repeating the unit moving shooting operation shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the unit moving shooting operation in the embodiment. In the moving shooting operation, the unit moving shooting operation is repeatedly executed until the moving body 2 for shooting reaches the reference situation appearance position. This is the position of the moving body 2 for photographing in the reference situation. Therefore, when the moving body 2 for photographing reaches the reference situation appearance position, it means that the reference situation appears.

The expected position acquisition unit 216 estimates the expected estimation based on the history of control by the flight control unit 212 (step S201). Next, under the control of the photographing control unit 214, the photographing unit 25 photographs the surroundings of the photographing moving body 2 (step S202). In step S202, the object to be photographed is also photographed. Next to step S202, the actual position acquisition unit 215 acquires the actual position based on the image of the shooting result, the information indicating the orientation of the shooting unit 25 when the image of the shooting result is acquired, and the shooting time (step S203). ). Next, the moving body 2 for photographing moves to the expected position by the control by the flight control unit 212 based on the actual position (step S204).

Returning to the description of FIG. The photographing moving body 2 stops at the reference situation appearance position (step S105). Since the reference situation appearance position is the position of the photographing moving body 2 in the reference situation, step S105 is a process in which the photographing moving body 2 is stopped at the timing when the reference situation appears. The reference operation start point in step S102 is an example of the reference situation appearance position.

Next, the flight control unit 212 determines whether or not the end condition is satisfied (step S106). The end condition may be any condition as long as it is a condition related to the end of the matching operation. The end condition is, for example, the condition that the photographing moving body 2 has reached a predetermined arrival point.

When the end condition is not satisfied (step S106: NO), the reference moving body 1 moves to the next stop position indicated by the stop position information (step S107). The operation of the reference moving body 1 in the processes from step S103 to step S107 is the unit reference operation. Further, the timing at which the reference moving body 1 starts moving in the process of step S107 is the reference moving start timing. The process of step S103 is executed after step S107.

On the other hand, when the end condition is satisfied (step S106: YES), the process of shooting the shooting target is finished. That is, the photographing moving body 2 ends the matching operation, and the reference moving body 1 ends the reference operation.

The position information acquisition system 100 configured in this way includes a reference moving body 1 that acquires position information using a satellite positioning system and a photographing moving body 2 that moves based on the position of the reference moving body 1. Therefore, in the position information acquisition system 100, the photographing mobile body 2 can acquire the position of its own device even when moving in a non-GPS environment.

(Modification example)
The actual position acquisition unit 215 does not necessarily have to acquire the actual position based on the information related to the shooting result.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the photographing moving body 2 (hereinafter referred to as “shooting moving body 2a”) in the modified example. The photographing moving body 2a is different from the photographing moving body 2 in that it includes a surveying device 27. The surveying device 27 may be any device as long as it can measure the positional relationship between the photographing moving body 2a and the reference moving body 1, and may be, for example, a total station. The operation of the surveying device 27 is controlled by the control unit 21. The survey result of the surveying device 27 is output to the control unit 21. In such a case, the actual position acquisition unit 215 may acquire the actual position based on the survey result of the surveying device instead of the information related to the shooting result.

All or part of each function of the reference moving object 1 and the photographing moving object 2 uses hardware such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). May be realized. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM or a CD-ROM, or a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. The program may be transmitted over a telecommunication line.

The reference mobile body 1 is an example of the first mobile body. The moving body 2 for photographing is an example of the second moving body.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs and the like within a range that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

100 ... location information acquisition system, 1 ... reference moving body, 2 ... shooting moving body, 3 ... operator terminal, 10 ... mark, 11 ... control unit, 12 ... input / output unit, 120 ... GPS communication unit, 121 ... operation Communication unit, 13 ... Storage unit, 14 ... Rotor, 141 ... Motor, 142 ... Blade, 21 ... Control unit, 22 ... Operation communication unit, 23 ... Storage unit, 24 ... Rotor, 241 ... Motor, 242 ... Blade, 25 ... Imaging unit, 26 ... Drive unit, 27 ... Survey device, 110 ... GPS communication control unit, 111 ... Operation communication control unit, 112 ... Flight control unit, 113 ... Recording unit, 211 ... Operation communication control unit, 212 ... Flight control unit , 213 ... Recording unit, 214 ... Shooting control unit, 215 ... Actual position acquisition unit, 216 ... Expected position acquisition unit, 9 ... Bridge, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905 ... Bridge pier, 91 ... Processor, 92 ... Memory, 93 ... Processor, 94 ... Memory

Claims (5)

The first mobile body that acquires position information using a satellite positioning system and moves autonomously based on the acquired position information,
A second moving body that acquires the position of its own device based on the position of the first moving body, and
Equipped with
The second mobile body autonomously moves on a route that satisfies a predetermined movement condition based on the position of the first mobile body.
The movement condition is a standard situation in which a condition of moving in a predetermined building in which a predetermined structure repeatedly appears and a predetermined predetermined positional relationship between the structure and the second moving body are satisfied. It is a condition that includes a condition that it moves so that it appears repeatedly.
The first moving body moves while repeating a unit reference operation including a stopping operation.
The position where the first moving body stops is set as the stop position, and the direction in which the structure closest to the stop position is located satisfies a predetermined condition.
Location information acquisition system. The predetermined condition is that the direction in which the structure closest to the stop position is located is the same or continuous for each constant stop position.
The location information acquisition system according to claim 1. Position of the first moving body viewed from the second moving body in the standards situation is different from the position of the saw from the second moving body in the previous reference situation the first moving body,
The location information acquisition system according to claim 2. A first moving body that acquires position information using a satellite positioning system and autonomously moves based on the acquired position information, and a second moving body that acquires the position of its own device based on the position of the first moving body. The second moving body autonomously moves on a path satisfying a predetermined movement condition based on the position of the first moving body, and the movement condition has a predetermined structure. The condition of moving in a predetermined structure that appears repeatedly, and the condition of moving so that a reference situation, which is a situation in which a predetermined predetermined positional relationship between the structure and the second moving body is satisfied, appears repeatedly. The first moving body moves while repeating a unit reference operation including a stopping operation, and the position where the first moving body stops is set as a stop position, and the structure closest to the stop position. The direction in which is located is a position information acquisition method performed by a position information acquisition system that satisfies a predetermined condition.
A movement step in which the first mobile body acquires position information using a satellite positioning system and autonomously moves based on the acquired position information.
An acquisition step in which the second moving body acquires the position of its own device based on the position of the first moving body, and
Location information acquisition method. A program for operating a computer as the location information acquisition system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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