JP7287690B2 - Unmanned aircraft, fault diagnosis device, fault diagnosis method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an unmanned aircraft, a fault diagnosis device, a fault diagnosis method, and a program.

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles that can be easily flown and can be remotely controlled are used in many places. Unmanned aerial vehicles are expected to be used more and more in the future. On the other hand, there is a problem that the unmanned aircraft has fallen. Causes of fall accidents include, for example, malfunctions, failures, or failures of the unmanned aircraft. Currently, maintenance of drones is left to the users of the drones and does not require regular inspections like automobiles. Therefore, it is necessary for the user of the unmanned aircraft to diagnose the failure, but since the unmanned aircraft is a small body with many built-in sensors and a complicated configuration, it is very difficult for an individual to diagnose the failure.

Cited Document 1 discloses the configuration of an unmanned aircraft control system in which wireless communication is performed between an unmanned aircraft and ground equipment. In the unmanned aircraft control system in Cited Document 1, when the difference between the reception level of radio waves received by each of the unmanned aircraft and ground equipment and the reception level of radio waves during normal operation is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the unmanned aircraft or ground equipment It is determined that an abnormality has occurred in

JP 2018-046426 A

When receiving radio waves emitted by an unmanned aircraft in flight and using the reception level of the received radio waves for failure diagnosis of the unmanned aircraft, it is necessary to measure the reception level of the radio waves in a stable radio environment. However, the wireless environment between the unmanned aircraft in flight and the ground equipment in Cited Document 1 is constantly changing, and it is difficult for the ground equipment and the unmanned aircraft to receive radio waves in a stable radio wave environment. There's a problem.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide an unmanned aircraft, a failure diagnosis device, a control device, a failure diagnosis method, and a program that can perform failure diagnosis of the unmanned aircraft using the reception level of radio waves received in a stable radio wave environment. That's what it is.

A drone according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a storage unit that stores position information of a fault diagnosis device, an altitude measurement unit that measures altitude of the drone, and a reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device. a control unit for controlling a flight mechanism to move to a position predetermined as a measurement position; a measurement unit for measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device at the reception level measurement position; and the reception level. and a failure determination unit that determines whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aerial vehicle using the measurement result.

A fault diagnosis device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is a position for determining whether or not an unmanned aircraft in flight has moved to a position predetermined as a reception level measurement position for radio waves emitted from the unmanned aircraft. A determination unit, a measurement unit that measures the reception level of the radio waves emitted from the unmanned vehicle existing at the reception level measurement position, and a measurement result of the reception level to determine whether a failure has occurred in the unmanned vehicle. and a failure determination unit that determines whether or not there is a failure.

A control device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure provides position determination for determining whether or not an unmanned aircraft in flight has moved to a position predetermined as a reception level measurement position of radio waves emitted from the unmanned aircraft. a measurement unit that measures the reception level of the radio waves emitted from the unmanned vehicle existing at the reception level measurement position; and a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle.

A fault diagnosis method according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure measures the altitude of the unmanned aircraft and controls the flight mechanism to move to a position predetermined as a position for measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device. and measuring the reception level of the radio wave emitted from the fault diagnosis device at the reception level measurement position, and using the measurement result of the reception level to determine whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aerial vehicle. Executed on a drone.

A program according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure measures the altitude of the unmanned aircraft, controls the flight mechanism to move to a position predetermined as a reception level measurement position of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device, measuring the reception level of the radio wave emitted from the fault diagnosis device at the reception level measurement position, and using the measurement result of the reception level to determine whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aerial vehicle; to execute.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an unmanned aircraft, a failure diagnosis device, a control device, a failure diagnosis method, and a program capable of performing failure diagnosis of the unmanned aircraft using the reception level of radio waves received in a stable radio wave environment. can.

1 is a configuration diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a communication system according to a second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to a second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a controller according to a second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a fault diagnosis device according to a second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the flow of fault diagnosis processing in the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the influence of reflected waves according to the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the flow of fault diagnosis processing in the fault diagnosis device according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a communication system according to a third embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an antenna mechanism of a fault diagnosis device according to a third embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a controller according to a third embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the flow of fault diagnosis processing in the fault diagnosis device according to the third embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the flow of fault diagnosis processing in the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the third embodiment; It is a block diagram of each apparatus concerning each embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. A configuration example of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 may be a computer device operated by a processor executing a program stored in memory. For example, unmanned aerial vehicle 10 may be a small flying device that is remotely operated by a control device or controller via a wireless communication link. Unmanned aerial vehicle 10 may also be referred to as an unmanned aerial vehicle.

The drone 10 has a storage unit 11 , an altitude measurement unit 12 , a control unit 13 , a radio wave measurement unit 14 and a failure determination unit 15 . The components of the drone 10, such as the altitude measurement unit 12, the control unit 13, the radio wave measurement unit 14, and the failure determination unit 15, are software or modules whose processing is executed by the processor executing a program stored in the memory. may be Alternatively, the components of drone 10 may be hardware such as circuits or chips. Further, the storage unit 11 may be an internal memory built into the unmanned aircraft 10 or an external memory attached to the unmanned aircraft 10 .

The storage unit 11 stores position information of the fault diagnosis device. The fault diagnosis device is a device different from the unmanned aerial vehicle 10, and is a device for diagnosing whether or not the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 has a failure. The fault diagnosis device may, for example, be placed on the ground or carried by the user.

When the fault diagnosis device is fixed on the ground, the storage unit 11 may hold the position information of the fault diagnosis device in advance. For example, the storage unit 11 may store the location information of the fault diagnosis device input by the administrator of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 before the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 starts flying. The location information may be, for example, information indicating latitude and longitude, and the location information may also include altitude information. If the fault diagnosis device is fixed on the ground, the altitude information of the fault diagnosis device may be 0. Alternatively, when the fault diagnosis device is carried by the user, the storage unit 11 stores the position information of the fault diagnosis device received from the fault diagnosis device or the control device that manages the position information of the fault diagnosis device via the wireless communication line. Information may be stored.

The altitude measurement unit 12 measures the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 . The altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is, for example, information indicating the height from the ground or surface of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 . The altitude measurement unit 12 may be, for example, an altimeter that measures altitude using conversion of atmospheric pressure, or a GPS (Global Positioning System). Alternatively, the altitude measurement unit 12 may be combined with an altimeter or GPS. Alternatively, the altitude measurement unit 12 may be an altimeter or a sensor other than GPS.

The control unit 13 controls the flight mechanism so as to move to a predetermined position for measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the failure diagnosis device. The reception level measurement position is a predetermined position, and may be defined by latitude, longitude, and altitude, for example.

The flight mechanism is a mechanism for making the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 fly. The flight mechanism may include, for example, rotors to enable vertical take-off and landing. A rotating blade may also be referred to as a rotor, a propeller, or the like. Controlling the flight mechanism may mean, for example, changing the number of rotations of the rotor, which is the flight mechanism, and adjusting or changing the moving direction or moving speed. Further, the control unit 13 may stop at the reception level measurement position when the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 reaches the reception level measurement position. Stopping at the reception level measurement position means stopping while maintaining the altitude, and means hovering.

The predetermined reception level measurement position may be, for example, a position at a specific altitude on a line substantially perpendicular to the ground starting from the fault diagnosis device.

The radio wave measurement unit 14 measures the reception level of the radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device at a predetermined reception level measurement position.

The failure determination unit 15 determines whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 using the reception level measurement result. For example, if the reception level of the radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device is outside a predetermined range, the failure determination unit 15 determines that the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 has a failure or malfunction. For example, the failure determination unit 15 may determine that a wireless device or wireless circuit provided in the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 has failed.

As described above, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1 moves to a predetermined reception level measurement position, and measures the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device at the reception level measurement position. The failure determination unit 15 determines whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 using the reception level of radio waves measured at a predetermined reception level measurement position.

As a result, even when measuring the reception level of radio waves at different timings, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 can measure the reception level of radio waves in a stable radio environment by measuring the reception level of radio waves at a predetermined position. can be measured. By measuring the reception level of radio waves in a stable radio wave environment, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 can improve the accuracy of determining the presence or absence of obstacles using the reception level.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a schematic diagram of the communication system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows the unmanned aerial vehicle 101, the controller 111, and the fault diagnosis device 121. As shown in FIG. Controller 111 is used to control the operation of unmanned aerial vehicle 101 . In FIG. 2, a user holding controller 111 is shown remotely operating unmanned aerial vehicle 101 . The fault diagnosis device 121 is shown installed within the departure/arrival point 131 . The departure/arrival point 131 is the departure/arrival point on the ground of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 . Alternatively, the fault diagnosis device 121 may be installed outside the arrival/departure point 131 .

The unmanned aerial vehicle 101 wirelessly communicates with the controller 111 and the fault diagnostic device 121 , and the controller 111 wirelessly communicates with the fault diagnostic device 121 . Wireless communication between devices is performed using wireless equipment whose frequency band, transmission power, and the like are specified. For example, wireless communication may use a low-power data communication system such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or wireless LAN (Local Area Network) communication.

Next, a configuration example of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Unmanned aerial vehicle 101 has antenna 102 , wireless communication section 103 , control section 104 , camera 105 , sensor 106 , GPS section 107 , flight mechanism 108 , and storage section 109 . The wireless communication unit 103 and the control unit 104 may be software or modules whose processing is executed by a processor executing a program stored in memory. Alternatively, the wireless communication unit 103 and the control unit 104 may be hardware such as circuits or chips.

The control unit 104 corresponds to the altitude measurement unit 12, the control unit 13, the radio wave measurement unit 14, and the failure determination unit 15 in FIG. In other words, the control unit 104 corresponds to a processor, and the control unit 104 executes a program stored in the memory, thereby executing processing related to the altitude measurement unit 12, the control unit 13, the radio wave measurement unit 14, and the fault determination unit 15. may be Also, the storage unit 109 corresponds to the storage unit 11 in FIG.

Wireless communication unit 103 transmits or receives data via antenna 102 . Radio communication section 103 modulates data to be transmitted via antenna 102 or demodulates data to be received via antenna 102 . Further, the plurality of antennas 102 are divided into antennas for wireless communication with the controller 111 and antennas for wireless communication with the fault diagnosis device 121 .

Camera 105 photographs the ground while unmanned aerial vehicle 101 is in flight. The captured image is used to judge the material of the ground. Sensor 106 may include multiple sensors. For example, sensor 106 may include at least one of a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, an altitude sensor, a temperature sensor, and the like.

A GPS (Global Positioning System) unit 107 measures the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 by communicating with GPS satellites. The position of unmanned aerial vehicle 101 may be identified by using, for example, latitude, longitude, and altitude.

The flight mechanism 108 is a mechanism for flying the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 . The flight mechanism may include, for example, rotors to enable vertical take-off and landing. A rotating blade may also be referred to as a rotor, a propeller, or the like. Unmanned aerial vehicle 101 may include multiple propellers.

Next, a configuration example of the controller 111 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The controller 111 has an antenna 112 , a wireless communication section 113 , a control section 114 , a KEY section 115 , an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) section 116 , a GPS section 117 and a storage section 118 . The wireless communication unit 113 and the control unit 114 may be software or modules whose processing is executed by a processor executing a program stored in memory. Alternatively, the wireless communication unit 113 and the control unit 114 may be hardware such as circuits or chips.

Wireless communication unit 113 transmits or receives data via antenna 112 . Radio communication section 113 modulates data to be transmitted via antenna 112 or demodulates data to be received via antenna 112 . Further, the plurality of antennas 112 are divided into antennas that wirelessly communicate with the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and antennas that wirelessly communicate with the fault diagnosis device 121 .

The KEY section 115 is an information input section, and the user of the controller 111 inputs operation information via the KEY section 115 . The LCD section 116 displays various information. For example, the LCD unit 116 displays failure information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 .

A GPS (Global Positioning System) unit 117 measures the position of the controller 111 by communicating with GPS satellites. The location of the controller 111 may be identified using, for example, latitude, longitude, and altitude.

The control unit 114 transmits the operation information received via the KEY unit 115 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 via the wireless communication unit 113 and the antenna 112 to operate the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 . Further, the control unit 114 outputs the failure information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 received via the antenna 112 and the wireless communication unit 113 to the LCD unit 116 and causes the LCD unit 116 to display the failure information. The control unit 114 may receive failure information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 from at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnosis device 121 .

Next, a configuration example of the fault diagnosis device 121 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The fault diagnosis device 121 has an antenna 122 , a wireless communication section 123 , a control section 124 and a storage section 125 . The wireless communication unit 123 and the control unit 124 may be software or modules whose processing is executed by a processor executing a program stored in memory. Alternatively, the wireless communication unit 123 and the control unit 124 may be hardware such as circuits or chips.

Wireless communication unit 123 transmits or receives data via antenna 122 . Radio communication section 123 modulates data to be transmitted via antenna 122 or demodulates data to be received via antenna 122 . Also, the plurality of antennas 122 are divided into antennas that wirelessly communicate with the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and antennas that wirelessly communicate with the controller 111 .

Antenna 122 may be installed facing upward to face antenna 102 of unmanned aerial vehicle 101 . Specifically, the antenna 122 may be installed in the fault diagnosis device 121 so as to emit radio waves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the ground.

The control unit 124 performs fault diagnosis of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 using data received via the wireless communication unit 123 and the antenna 122 .

Next, the flow of fault diagnosis processing in the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Prior information is stored in the storage unit 109 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 in executing the failure diagnosis processing. The prior information includes the location of the fault diagnosis device 121, the reception level measurement position, the MAC (Media Access Control) address of the fault diagnosis device 121, the normal reception level range, and reflection information according to the ground material. be

The location of fault diagnosis device 121 may be indicated using latitude and longitude. A reception level measurement location may be indicated using latitude, longitude, and altitude. The latitude and longitude of the reception level measurement position may be the same as the position of the fault diagnosis device 121 . The normal reception level range is, for example, the range of the reception level when the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 receives radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device 121 when the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 is not malfunctioning. A radio wave may be actually emitted between the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the failure diagnosis device 121 in advance, and the normal reception level may be measured while the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 is not malfunctioning. As the normal reception level range, the result of the reception level measured in advance may be used.

The reflection information according to the material of the ground may be, for example, information indicating the relationship between distance and space loss in soil, asphalt, and concrete, as shown in FIG. The distance indicates the distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnostic device 121 .

Returning to FIG. 6, first, the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 moves to a predetermined reception level measurement position (S101). The reception level measurement position may be determined by, for example, the latitude and longitude of the installation location of the fault diagnosis device 121, that is, right above the fault diagnosis device 121, and a predetermined altitude. For example, the control unit 104 controls the flight mechanism 108 to move to the reception level measurement position stored in the storage unit 109 . For example, the control unit 104 may control the moving direction, moving speed, etc. to the reception level measurement position by adjusting the number of rotations of the propeller. When receiving information instructing to move to the reception level measurement position from the controller 111, the control section 104 may move to the reception level measurement position. Alternatively, control section 104 may autonomously move to the reception level measurement position at a predetermined timing.

Next, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 reaches the reception level measurement position, the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 establishes a wireless connection with the fault diagnosis device 121 (S102). Establishing a wireless connection may mean that the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 is ready to communicate with the fault diagnosis device 121 . For example, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 transmits a connection request signal to the fault diagnosis device 121 and receives a response signal to the connection request signal from the fault diagnosis device 121, wireless connection between the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnosis device 121 is completed. You may Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 may be in a communicable state by exchanging mutual identification information with the fault diagnosis device 121 . The identification information may be, for example, a MAC address.

Next, the control unit 104 receives radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device 121 and detects the reception level (S103).

Here, the control unit 104 may correct the detected reception level according to the material of the ground. For example, the control unit 104 uses the camera 105 to photograph the ground around the fault diagnosis device 121 when the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 moves to the reception level measurement position in step S102. Furthermore, the control unit 104 identifies the material of the ground around the failure diagnostic device 121 using the captured image. For example, the storage unit 109 stores in advance information about feature amounts relating to a plurality of types of ground materials, and the control unit 104 stores the feature amounts of the ground in the captured image and the feature amounts stored in the storage unit 109. The material of the ground may be identified by comparing . The control unit 104 estimates the influence of the reflected waves of the radio waves reflected on the ground using the distance from the fault diagnosis device 121 and the specified material of the ground, and excludes the influence of the reflected waves. , to correct the detected consultation level.

For example, the control unit 104 identifies the reception level of the reflected wave using the transmission power of the radio wave emitted by the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the spatial loss related to the identified material of the ground, and uses the reception level of the received radio wave to determine the reflected wave. Wave reception level may be excluded.

Next, the control unit 104 determines whether or not the detected reception level is within the normal reception level range (S104). The control unit 104 reads information about the normal reception level range from the storage unit 109 and compares the detected reception level with the normal reception level range.

If the detected reception level is within the normal reception level range, the control unit 104 determines that the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 has not failed, and performs normal operation (S105). A normal operation may be to operate according to an instruction from the controller 111 .

If the control unit 104 determines that the detected reception level is outside the normal reception level range, it determines that the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 has failed (S106). For example, the control unit 104 may determine that the antenna 102 or the wireless communication unit 103 is malfunctioning because the detected reception level of radio waves is outside the normal reception level range. Further, the control unit 104 may determine whether or not the reception level of each of the plurality of antennas 102 is outside the normal reception level range. In this case, the control unit 104 can determine whether or not a failure has occurred for each antenna.

If the control unit 104 determines that the detected reception level is outside the normal reception level range, the control unit 104 returns to step S103, receives the radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device 121 again, and detects the reception level. good too. The control unit 104 may determine that the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 is malfunctioning when determining that the reception level detected continuously for a predetermined number of times is outside the normal reception level range.

If the control unit 104 determines that the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 has a failure, it notifies the controller 111 of the failure to the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 via the wireless communication unit 103 and the antenna 102 (S107). The control unit 104 may notify the controller 111 of the failure using the antenna 102 in which no failure has occurred. However, if a failure occurs in either the wireless communication unit 103 or the antenna 102 and wireless communication with the controller 111 cannot be performed, step S106 may not be executed. Next, when the controller 104 determines that the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 has failed, it controls the flight mechanism 108 to land the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 on the ground (S108).

Next, the flow of fault diagnosis processing in the fault diagnosis device 121 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the processing flow of FIG. 8, although the entity that executes the processing is different from that of FIG. 6, the detailed description of the steps that are the same as those of FIG. 6 will be omitted. Also, the same information as the prior information stored in the storage unit 109 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 may be stored in the storage unit 125 .

First, the fault diagnosis device 121 detects that the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 has moved to the reception level measurement position (S201). For example, the wireless communication unit 123 may detect that the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 has arrived at the reception level measurement position when receiving a signal regarding a wireless communication connection request from the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 via the antenna 122 .

Steps S202 to S204 and steps S206 to S207 are the same as steps S101 to S104 and steps S106 to S107 in FIG. 6, so detailed description thereof will be omitted. If the radio communication unit 123 determines in step S204 that the reception level of the radio waves emitted from the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 is within the reception level range, the process ends (S205).

In step S207, the wireless communication unit 123 notifies the controller 111 of the failure, and then transmits an instruction signal to inform the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 to land (S208).

As described above, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 reaches a predetermined reception level measurement position, the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnosis device 121 receive radio waves emitted from each other and measure the reception level. do. If the frequency used for wireless communication between the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnosis device 121 is constant, the main factor that causes the reception level to fluctuate is distance fluctuation. Here, the distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 that has reached the predetermined reception level measurement position and the fault diagnosis device 121 installed on the ground is constant. In other words, the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnosis device 121 can receive radio waves in an environment similar to the environment in which the normal reception level range was measured. As a result, the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnosis device 121 can exclude fluctuations in the reception level caused by fluctuations in distance, so that fault diagnosis can be performed accurately. That is, the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnosis device 121 can diagnose the fault of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 in a wireless communication environment in which the reception level is less fluctuating than in the environment in which the normal reception level range was measured.

Furthermore, another factor that causes the reception level of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 to fluctuate is the influence of reflected waves caused by the radio waves emitted by the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 being reflected on the ground. Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 manages the reflection information according to the material of the ground, and by removing the influence of the reflected waves from the reception level of the received radio waves, it is possible to further suppress fluctuations in the reception level.

Furthermore, the influence of radio waves emitted from other devices can be cited as a factor for fluctuations in the reception levels of the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnosis device 121 . Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnosis device 121 may demodulate the received radio wave and identify the MAC address of the radio wave transmission source. The unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnosis device 121 may store MAC addresses of each other, and exclude the reception level of radio waves received from devices with MAC addresses different from the MAC addresses held. As a result, the unmanned aerial vehicle 101 and the fault diagnosis device 121 can further suppress fluctuations in the reception level.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system according to a third embodiment. FIG. 9 shows an unmanned aerial vehicle 201, a controller 211, and a fault diagnosis device 221. FIG. FIG. 9 shows that the controller 211 and the fault diagnosis device 221 are used as an integrated unit. In other words, the user carries the fault diagnosis device 221 together with the controller 211 . The fault diagnosis device 221 may be provided inside the controller 211 or may be attached outside the controller 211 .

Next, the antenna mechanism in the fault diagnosis device 221 will be described with reference to FIG. An antenna mechanism in the fault diagnosis device 221 has an antenna 301 , a plate member 302 , a support member 303 and a housing 304 . The plate member 302 may be rectangular in shape, for example. The support member 303 may have, for example, a rod shape and a circular cross section. Antenna 301 is attached to the surface of plate member 302 . The plate member 302 is attached to the housing 304 via the support member 303 . Support member 303 is rotatably attached to housing 304 . The housing 304 may tilt when the user carries the fault diagnosis device 221 . In such a case, by rotating the support member 303, the plate-like member 302 is maintained in a posture such that the surface of the plate-like member 302 is positioned substantially perpendicular to the ground.

The antenna 301 is plate-shaped so that when the surface of the plate-shaped member 302 is positioned substantially perpendicular to the ground, radio waves are emitted upward from the controller 211 in a direction perpendicular to the ground. It is attached to the surface of member 302 . As a result, even if the failure diagnosis device 221 is tilted when the user carries the controller 211, the radio waves emitted from the antenna of the failure diagnosis device 221 are emitted substantially perpendicular to the ground.

Next, a configuration example of the controller 211 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 11 . A controller 211 in FIG. 11 has a configuration in which a fault diagnosis device 221 is incorporated. A controller 211 in FIG. 11 has a configuration in which an antenna 212 and a wireless communication unit 213 are added to the controller 111 in FIG. Also, the controller 211 is such that the controller 114 of the controller 111 in FIG. 4 is replaced with a controller 214 . The antenna 212 and the wireless communication section 213 correspond to the antenna 122 and the wireless communication section 123 of the fault diagnosis device 121 in FIG. The control unit 214 performs the operations and functions of both the control unit 114 of the controller 111 in FIG. 4 and the control unit 124 of the fault diagnosis device 121 in FIG.

Next, the flow of fault diagnosis processing in the controller 211 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 12, step S301 is added before step S201 in FIG. Steps other than step S301 are the same as those in FIG. 8, so detailed description thereof is omitted.

In Embodiment 3, fault diagnosis device 221 moves with the user. Therefore, in step S<b>301 , the controller 211 transmits the position information of the fault diagnosis device 221 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 201 . The location information of the fault diagnosis device 221 is the same as the location information of the controller 211 . The location information of controller 211 may be indicated using latitude and longitude.

The controller 211 performs wireless communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle 201 via the wireless communication unit 113 and the antenna 112 in order to operate the unmanned aerial vehicle 201 . Therefore, the control unit 214 acquires the current position of the controller 211 from the GPS unit 117 and transmits the position information of the controller 211 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 201 via the wireless communication unit 113 and the antenna 112 .

Since the processing after step S301 is the same as in FIG. 8, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the flow of fault diagnosis processing in the unmanned aerial vehicle 201 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13, step S401 is added before step 101 in FIG. Steps other than step S401 are the same as those in FIG. 6, so detailed description thereof is omitted.

First, the unmanned aerial vehicle 201 receives the position information of the fault diagnosis device 221 from the controller 211 (S401). Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle 201 moves to the reception level measurement position (S101). The reception level measurement position is above the fault diagnosis device 221 . Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 201 moves in the direction indicated by the position information received from the controller 211, and further moves to a position at a predetermined altitude as a reception level measurement position.

Since the flow of processing after step S101 is the same as in FIG. 6, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Here, since the antenna 212 and the wireless communication unit 213 corresponding to the fault diagnosis device 221 are separated from the ground, they can directly receive the radio waves emitted from the unmanned aerial vehicle 201 and also receive them as reflected waves from the ground. be. In such a case, the controller 211 may capture an image of the ground using a camera in the same manner as the unmanned aerial vehicle 201, and identify the material of the ground from the captured image of the ground. Furthermore, like the unmanned aerial vehicle 201, the controller 211 may consider the spatial loss determined according to the material of the ground and exclude the influence of the reflected waves.

As described above, in the communication system according to the third embodiment, the failure diagnosis device 221 is not installed on the ground. Furthermore, even when fault diagnosis device 221 moves together with controller 211, unmanned aerial vehicle 201 and fault diagnosis device 221 can communicate wirelessly in a stable wireless environment.

Further, in the third embodiment, failure diagnosis device 221 has an antenna mechanism that emits radio waves substantially perpendicular to the ground even when controller 211 or failure diagnosis device 221 is tilted. ing. Here, if the failure diagnosis device 221 does not have such an antenna mechanism, the controller 211 detects the inclination of the controller 211 using a gyro sensor and outputs the detection result to the LCD unit 116. good too. Based on the tilt information output to the LCD unit 116, the user adjusts the tilt of the controller so as to keep the controller horizontal with respect to the ground. Here, it is assumed that the antenna 212 of the fault diagnosis device 221 is installed at a position that emits radio waves in the vertical direction with respect to the ground when the controller 211 is horizontal with respect to the ground.

By adjusting the tilt of the controller so that the user keeps the controller horizontal to the ground, the radio waves emitted from the antenna 212 are emitted substantially perpendicular to the ground of the controller 211 . Further, the controller 211 may emit radio waves from the antenna 212 when detecting that the controller is kept horizontal with respect to the ground. The fact that the controller is kept horizontal with respect to the ground includes the case where the inclination of the controller with respect to the ground is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

As described above, even if the controller 211 does not have an antenna mechanism that emits radio waves substantially perpendicular to the ground, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the third embodiment by using the gyro sensor. can.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10, the unmanned aerial vehicle 101, the controller 111, the fault diagnosis device 121, the unmanned aerial vehicle 201, the controller 211, etc. (hereinafter referred to as the unmanned aerial vehicle 10, etc.). Referring to FIG. 14 , the drone 10 or the like includes a network interface 1201 , a processor 1202 and a memory 1203 . Network interface 1201 may be used to communicate with other devices. Network interface 1201 may include, for example, a network interface card (NIC) conforming to the IEEE 802.3 series. IEEE stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

The processor 1202 reads software (computer program) from the memory 1203 and executes it to perform the processing of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 and the like described using the flowcharts in the above embodiments. Processor 1202 may be, for example, a microprocessor, MPU, or CPU. Processor 1202 may include multiple processors.

The memory 1203 is composed of a combination of volatile memory and non-volatile memory. Memory 1203 may include storage remotely located from processor 1202 . In this case, the processor 1202 may access the memory 1203 via an I/O (Input/Output) interface (not shown).

In the example of FIG. 14, memory 1203 is used to store software modules. The processor 1202 reads and executes these software modules from the memory 1203, thereby performing the processing of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 and the like described in the above embodiments.

As described with reference to FIG. 14, each of the processors included in the drone 10 or the like in the above-described embodiments includes one or more programs containing instruction groups for causing a computer to execute the algorithm described with reference to the drawings. to run.

In the above examples, the programs can be stored and delivered to computers using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (eg, flexible discs, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (eg, magneto-optical discs), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R/W, semiconductor memory (eg, mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be delivered to the computer on various types of transitory computer readable medium. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Transitory computer-readable media can deliver the program to the computer via wired channels, such as wires and optical fibers, or wireless channels.

It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Some or all of the above-described embodiments can also be described in the following supplementary remarks, but are not limited to the following.
(Appendix 1)
a storage unit that stores position information of the fault diagnosis device;
an altitude measurement unit that measures the altitude of the drone;
a control unit for controlling a flight mechanism to move to a position predetermined as a reception level measurement position of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device;
a measurement unit that measures the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device at the reception level measurement position;
and a fault determination unit that determines whether or not a fault has occurred in the drone, using the measurement result of the reception level.
(Appendix 2)
The control unit
2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the flight mechanism is controlled to perform a landing operation when it is determined that the unmanned aerial vehicle is faulty.
(Appendix 3)
The measurement unit
3. The unmanned aircraft according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein, among a plurality of radio waves, a reception level of radio waves containing identification information of the fault diagnosis device is measured.
(Appendix 4)
further comprising a communication unit that wirelessly communicates with a control device that operates the drone;
The storage unit
4. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein position information of the fault diagnosis device received from the control device via the communication unit is stored.
(Appendix 5)
further comprising a photographing unit that photographs the surroundings of the drone during flight and generates a photographed image;
The measurement unit
5. The method according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, wherein the material of the ground included in the photographed image is specified, and the reflection information of the specified material is used to correct the reception level of the radio wave emitted from the fault diagnosis device. drone.
(Appendix 6)
a position determination unit that determines whether or not an unmanned aircraft in flight has moved to a position predetermined as a reception level measurement position of radio waves emitted from the unmanned aircraft;
a measurement unit that measures the reception level of the radio wave emitted from the unmanned vehicle existing at the reception level measurement position;
and a failure determination unit that determines whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aircraft using the measurement result of the reception level.
(Appendix 7)
The failure determination unit
7. The fault diagnosis device according to appendix 6, which transmits a message instructing the unmanned aircraft to perform a landing operation when it is determined that the unmanned aircraft has a failure.
(Appendix 8)
The measurement unit
8. The fault diagnosis device according to appendix 6 or 7, which measures a reception level of a radio wave including identification information of the unmanned aircraft among a plurality of radio waves.
(Appendix 9)
a position determination unit that determines whether or not an unmanned aircraft in flight has moved to a position predetermined as a reception level measurement position of radio waves emitted from the unmanned aircraft;
a measurement unit that measures the reception level of the radio wave emitted from the unmanned vehicle existing at the reception level measurement position;
a failure determination unit that determines whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aircraft using the reception level measurement result;
and a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the unmanned aircraft.
(Appendix 10)
further comprising a photographing unit that photographs the surroundings of the control device and generates a photographed image;
The measurement unit
The control device according to appendix 9, wherein the material of the ground included in the captured image is specified, and the reflection information of the specified material is used to correct the reception level of the radio waves emitted from the unmanned aircraft.
(Appendix 11)
an antenna for receiving or emitting radio waves;
11. The control device according to appendix 9 or 10, further comprising: an antenna mechanism that controls the direction of the antenna so as to maintain the directivity of the antenna substantially perpendicular to the ground when the control device is tilted. .
(Appendix 12)
Measure the altitude of the drone,
controlling the flight mechanism to move to a predetermined position for measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device;
measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device at the reception level measurement position;
A failure diagnosis method executed in an unmanned aircraft, wherein the measurement result of the reception level is used to determine whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aircraft.
(Appendix 13)
Determining whether or not the unmanned aircraft in flight has moved to a position predetermined as a position for measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the unmanned aircraft;
measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the unmanned vehicle existing at the reception level measurement position;
A fault diagnosis method executed by a fault diagnosis device, wherein the measurement result of the reception level is used to determine whether or not a fault has occurred in the unmanned aircraft.
(Appendix 14)
Measure the altitude of the drone,
controlling the flight mechanism to move to a predetermined position for measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device;
measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device at the reception level measurement position;
A program that causes a computer to determine whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aircraft using the measurement result of the reception level.
(Appendix 15)
Determining whether or not the unmanned aircraft in flight has moved to a position predetermined as a position for measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the unmanned aircraft;
measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the unmanned vehicle existing at the reception level measurement position;
A program that causes a computer to determine whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aircraft using the measurement result of the reception level.

10 unmanned aerial vehicle 11 storage unit 12 altitude measurement unit 13 control unit 14 radio wave measurement unit 15 failure determination unit 101 unmanned aerial vehicle 102 antenna 103 wireless communication unit 104 control unit 105 camera 106 sensor 107 GPS unit 108 flight mechanism 109 storage unit 111 controller 112 antenna 113 wireless communication unit 114 control unit 115 KEY unit 116 LCD unit 117 GPS unit 118 storage unit 121 failure diagnosis device 122 antenna 123 wireless communication unit 124 control unit 125 storage unit 131 departure and arrival point 201 unmanned aerial vehicle 211 controller 212 antenna 213 wireless communication unit 214 Control unit 221 Fault diagnosis device 301 Antenna 302 Plate member 303 Support member 304 Housing

Claims (10)

a storage unit that stores position information of the fault diagnosis device;
an altitude measurement unit that measures the altitude of the drone;
a control unit for controlling a flight mechanism to move to a position predetermined as a reception level measurement position of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device;
a measurement unit that measures the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device at the reception level measurement position;
and a fault determination unit that determines whether or not a fault has occurred in the drone, using the measurement result of the reception level. The control unit
2. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the flight mechanism is controlled to perform a landing operation when it is determined that the unmanned aerial vehicle has an obstacle. The measurement unit
3. The unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, among a plurality of radio waves, the reception level of radio waves containing identification information of said fault diagnosis device is measured. further comprising a communication unit that wirelessly communicates with a control device that operates the drone;
The storage unit
4. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein position information of said fault diagnosis device received from said control device via said communication unit is stored. further comprising a photographing unit that photographs the surroundings of the drone during flight and generates a photographed image;
The measurement unit
5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ground material included in the photographed image is specified, and the reflection information of the specified material is used to correct the reception level of the radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device. Drone as described. a position determination unit that determines whether or not an unmanned aircraft in flight has moved to a position predetermined as a reception level measurement position of radio waves emitted from the unmanned aircraft;
a measurement unit that measures the reception level of the radio wave emitted from the unmanned vehicle existing at the reception level measurement position;
and a failure determination unit that determines whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aircraft using the measurement result of the reception level. The failure determination unit
7. The fault diagnosis device according to claim 6, which transmits a message instructing the unmanned aircraft to perform a landing operation when it is determined that the unmanned aircraft has a failure. The measurement unit
8. The fault diagnosis device according to claim 6, which measures a reception level of a radio wave containing identification information of said unmanned aircraft among a plurality of radio waves. Measure the altitude of the drone,
controlling the flight mechanism to move to a predetermined position for measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device;
measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device at the reception level measurement position;
A failure diagnosis method executed in an unmanned aircraft, wherein the measurement result of the reception level is used to determine whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aircraft. Measure the altitude of the drone,
controlling the flight mechanism to move to a predetermined position for measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device;
measuring the reception level of radio waves emitted from the fault diagnosis device at the reception level measurement position;
A program that causes a computer to determine whether or not a failure has occurred in the unmanned aircraft using the measurement result of the reception level.

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