JP7083099B2 - Drone landing gear - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic landing gear for a small unmanned aerial vehicle.

As an example of a conventional automatic landing gear, there is a method provided by Patent Publication 2012-71645. The method is to fly near the landing point by GPS mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle, then capture the target mark placed at the landing point with an image pickup device and land toward it.
If the target is a moving object such as a car, attach GPS to the moving object, process the information of the two GPSs, fly the unmanned aerial vehicle close to the moving object, and then capture the target mark with an image pickup device. Land for that.
FIG. 5 shows a design described in the same document as an example of a target mark.

The above-mentioned automatic landing gear shown as an example of the conventional case accurately captures the position by processing the information of the visual sensor after flying to the vicinity of the landing point by the position information of GPS. However, if the target mark is partially hidden by dead leaves or a piece of paper, unrecognizable trouble may occur.
Therefore, the present invention provides a system that uses GPS position information not only for flying an unmanned aerial vehicle close to the landing point but also as a means for accurately determining the landing point.

In the invention according to claim 1, in the automatic takeoff and landing system including the first GPS receiver, the drone equipped with the first GPS receiver, and the takeoff and landing platform used for the takeoff and landing of the drone, the takeoff and landing platform is the second. GPS receiver and a transmitter that sends the position information obtained by this second GPS receiver to the drone, and the receiver that receives the position information sent by the transmitter to the drone, and the position obtained by this receiver. It was equipped with a processing device for comparing the information with the position information obtained by the first GPS receiver and landing at a matching point.

The GPS receiver processes the difference in arrival time of radio waves transmitted from a plurality of artificial satellites to determine the position. When radio waves pass through the ionosphere, they are slower than the speed of light, but the depth and density of the ionosphere change from moment to moment, so the arrival time also changes. This is the biggest cause of the decrease in GPS accuracy.

If two GPS receivers with the same specifications are in the same position, the difference between the two will be small even if the respective values of the two change. Focusing on this point, place a GPS receiver at the landing point, send the position information to the drone, compare it with the position information obtained by the GPS receiver of the drone, and land so that the difference is zero, so that the landing accuracy I devised to raise.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, 1 is a GPS receiver, 2 is a drone, 3 is a takeoff and landing platform, 4 is a GPS receiver, 5 is a transmitter, 6 is a receiver, and 11 to 14 are propellers.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of each of the drone 2 and the takeoff and landing platform 3 of FIG.
In FIG. 2, the processing device 7 calculates the difference between the position information input from the GPS receiver 1 and the position information of the GPS receiver 4 input via the transmitter 5 and the receiver 6, and the flight controller is set to zero. Send a signal to 8. The flight controller 8 controls the position and the speed of movement by changing the rotation speed of each of the propellers 11 to 14 based on the signal sent from the processing device 7.

The drone can change its direction and move in the front-back, left-right, up-down directions by changing the rotation speed of the propeller. For example, in FIG. 1, if the rotation speeds of the propellers 11 and 12 are lowered, the propellers are tilted to a certain side. Therefore, if the tilt is maintained at a predetermined value and the rotation speed is increased, the propellers are tilted in the tilted direction.

The control to make the difference between the position information of the takeoff and landing platform 3 and the position information of the drone 2 to zero moves the drone so as to reduce the plus if the difference is positive, but since the response speed is involved in this control, the position It is necessary to convey the difference between the numerical values of the information to the flight controller 8 via the digital filter.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a float chart relating to the digital filter of the processing device 7.
The float chart in the figure is processed to make the difference between the left and right positions zero. In the figure, X represents the difference in position, and R represents the value to be sent to the flight controller. However, X is calculated by periodically inputting the left and right position information, and Xz obtained in the previous cycle is used. Substitute it in the calculation formula together with Rz to obtain a new R, and send it to the flight controller. A PWM signal is generally used as the signal sent to the flight controller, but in that case, R becomes a duty value.

In addition, signals for controlling the Y direction (front and back), Z direction (up and down), and direction (yaw) are also sent to the flight controller.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating one of the factors that change the position information of the GPS receiver.
In the figure, 15 to 18 are artificial satellites that send radio waves to the ground. The GPS receiver on the ground receives radio waves from four satellites and calculates the position information. Since the elevation angle of each artificial satellite changes with time, the ionospheric passage distance also changes. As a result, the calculation result of the position information also changes, but if the two GPS receivers overlap at the landing point, the difference in the position information becomes sufficiently small, and it can be used for the purpose of landing automatically.

Accurate landing is possible by slowly descending while controlling the drone's flight controller so that the difference in position information is zero.

Possibility of industrial use

Since GPS receivers are mass-produced and available at low cost, they are more economical than conventional visual alignment and are likely to be applied in the market.

It is explanatory drawing of the Example of this invention. FIG. 1 is rewritten into a configuration diagram. It is a figure which shows an example of the float chart of the processing apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of GPS. This is the mark of the object that the conventional image pickup device can capture.

A brief description of the sign

1, 4 GPS receiver 2 Drone 3 Takeoff and landing platform 5 Transmitter 6 Receiver 7 Processing device 8 Flight controller 9, 10 Antenna 11-14 Propeller 15-18 Artificial satellite

Claims (1)

In an automatic takeoff and landing system including a drone equipped with a first GPS receiver and the first GPS receiver and a takeoff and landing platform used for takeoff and landing of the drone, the takeoff and landing platform has a second GPS receiver and the second GPS receiver. A transmitter that sends the position information obtained by the GPS receiver to the drone is attached, and the receiver that receives the position information sent from the transmitter to the drone, the position information obtained by the receiver, and the first GPS reception. An automatic takeoff and landing system characterized by being equipped with a processing device for comparing the position information obtained by the aircraft and landing at the same point.

Images