JP7369735B2 - Monitoring system and monitoring method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a monitoring system and a monitoring method.

Patent Document 1 discloses a report creation device that can efficiently create an inspection report for wind power generation equipment. Further, paragraph 0027 of Patent Document 1 includes the following description.
"As mentioned above, the flight of the unmanned flying vehicle 2 is controlled by remote control, but its flight control system calculates the distance between the unmanned flying vehicle 2 and the structure detected by the collision avoidance sensor, and even in strong wind environments. It is preferable to have a function to control the aircraft so that it flies close enough to the object to be inspected so that it can take photographs that allow observation of damage, etc. to the object to be inspected, while maintaining a necessary distance to avoid colliding with the object to be inspected.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-181235

In the process of inspecting wind power generation facilities (sites), the wind turbine blades are photographed up close, and damaged areas are inspected from the photographed images. Since there are many windmills in operation at each site, it is desirable to reduce the time required for inspection by streamlining the photography of windmill blades.
The windmill blades are located high above the tower, so the drone flies close to the blades to photograph them. Here, collision between the drone and the blade becomes a problem.

First, when an operator visually and manually controls a drone while photographing the blade, it takes time to photograph because the operator must take the photograph while avoiding collisions with the blade.
On the other hand, when a drone is provided with a collision avoidance sensor as described in Patent Document 1, while collisions with blades are avoided, control of the drone becomes complicated.

Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system that can be inspected while avoiding collisions with blades of wind power generation equipment.

In order to solve the above problems, the monitoring system of the present invention has the following features.
The present invention is a monitoring system that inspects wind power generation equipment based on image information obtained by photographing the wind power generation equipment,
a photographing device for photographing the image information of the blades constituting the wind power generation equipment; controlling the photographing device to photograph the image information; and storing the photographed image information and the results of diagnostic processing for the image information; and a display unit that displays the results of the diagnostic processing,
The control device,
When photographing the image information of the blade, when a plane perpendicular to the R axis, which is the longitudinal direction of the blade, is the R cross section, it is the distance from the photographing device to the blade on the R cross section. By instructing the photographing device with photographing parameter information including a predetermined separation distance, and a photographing surface and angle of view when photographing from the photographing device toward the blade, the predetermined separation distance and the photographing surface can be set. autonomously moving the photographing device based on a photographing position that matches the angle of view, and causing the photographing device to photograph the image information of the blade;
The normal image information stored in the storage unit in advance indicating the normal state of the blade is compared with the image information taken during the current inspection, and if both differ, the image information taken during the current inspection is determined to be abnormal. As a result of the diagnostic processing, the image information is determined to be normal or abnormal, and if the image information is abnormal, the type of damage is determined based on the wear state of the blade or the peeling state of the blade. and displaying the classification results on the display unit as a first screen display;
The image information determined to be abnormal as a result of the diagnostic processing is stored in the storage unit in chronological order at the same imaging position, and the image information stored in the chronological order at the same imaging position is compared to determine whether the image information is in a damaged state. Calculating the degree of progress of the damage type and displaying the degree of progress on the display unit as a second screen display;
A blade number assigned to each of the plurality of blades of the wind power generation equipment and a photographing position of each blade are assigned to each of the image information and stored in the storage unit, and the same photographing is performed in the diagnostic process. Comparing the image information to which the blade numbers corresponding to the positions and different blade numbers are attached, and displaying the comparison result on the display unit as a third screen display;
The display unit is characterized in that it simultaneously displays the first screen display, the second screen display, and the third screen display on one screen.
Other means will be described later.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a monitoring system that can be inspected while avoiding collisions with blades of wind power generation equipment.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a monitoring system related to Example 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional diagram showing a wind turbine to be inspected in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional diagram showing a coordinate system defined around the blade in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an installation location of an unmanned flying vehicle according to Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional diagram showing movement of the flight route of the blade along the R axis in Example 1; 6 is a side view of FIG. 5 regarding Example 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line R in FIG. 3 regarding Example 1; 7 is a modification of the R cross-sectional view of FIG. 7 regarding Example 1. FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional diagram showing a spiral flight route F in Example 1. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a photographing method according to Example 1. FIG. FIG. 11 is a side view of the unmanned flying vehicle shown in FIG. 10 when it moves according to Example 1; 3 is a table showing an example of management information corresponding to identification information given to image information related to Example 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a monitoring system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram of a display screen when a first screen display rule related to Example 2 is specified; FIG. 7 is a diagram of a display screen when a second screen display rule related to Example 2 is specified. FIG. 7 is a display screen diagram when a third screen display rule related to Example 2 is specified. FIG. 7 is a display screen diagram when the inspection results related to Example 2 are distinguished as normal or abnormal.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a monitoring system 100 according to a first embodiment.
The monitoring system 100 includes an unmanned flying vehicle 10 (drone) that photographs blades 73 of a wind turbine (wind power generation facility) 70 shown in FIG. , and a display section 40 that displays output information from the control device 21.
The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 includes a photographing device 11 that photographs the blade 73, a motor drive unit 13 that controls the drive of a motor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 10, and image information 31 that is a photographed image output from the photographing device 11. and a transmission device 12 that transmits the information to the control device 21.
Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the photographing device 11 is housed in the unmanned flying vehicle 10, the photographing device 11 may be configured to have a movement function.

The control device 21 performs flight control (motor drive control) and photographing control of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 by transmitting the following information to the unmanned aerial vehicle 10.
- Send flight route information from (step 1) to (step 4), which will be described later, to the motor drive unit 13. Thereby, a rough flight route from takeoff to landing for photographing the blade 73 can be instructed.
- The photographing position of the image information 31 along the flight route (the position at which the camera shutter is released) is transmitted to the photographing device 11.
- Sends the in-focus distance from the position of the photographing device 11 to the position of the blade 73 to the motor drive unit 13. The photographing device 11 controls the flight of the unmanned flying object 10 so as to satisfy this transmitted separation distance.
Thereby, when the current position of the photographing device 11 in flight matches a position (separated position) that satisfies the specified separation distance, the photographing device 11 can be caused to take a photograph as the acquisition position of the image information 31.

The unmanned flying object 10 supports the inspection work by photographing the blade 73 while flying in the following order (Step 1) to (Step 4).
(Step 1) The process of taking off and moving to the blade 73.
(Step 2) Step of moving to the shooting start point.
(Step 3) Step of photographing while approaching the blade 73 and following it.
(Step 4) The process of landing at the target position.

The control device 21 stores the following information in the storage unit 30.
- Image information 31 that is a photographed image output from the photographing device 11 and received via the transmission device 12 (see FIG. 14 for details)
- Unique identification information 32 given to the image information 31 by the control device 21 (see Figure 5 for details)
・Normal image information 33, which is image information 31 taken in advance of the normal state of the blade 73 (see FIG. 16 for details)
Next, details of a method for inspecting the blade 73 using the monitoring system 100 shown in FIG. 1 will be explained in order.

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional diagram showing the wind turbine 70 to be inspected. The wind turbine 70 includes a nacelle 72 provided on a tower 71 and blades 73 fixed to the nacelle 72. Each blade 73 rotates along the rotational direction θ in response to wind power, and power generation is performed using this rotational force.
Further, for the following explanation, an R axis along the longitudinal direction of the blade 73 from the root of the nacelle 72 to the tip of the blade 73 is defined.

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional diagram showing a coordinate system defined around the blade 73.
The "R axis" is an axis along the longitudinal direction of the blade 73, as explained in FIG. No matter which direction the rotational direction θ is facing (whether toward the sky, horizontally, or toward the ground), the R axis is defined to follow the rotational direction θ.
The "R cross section" is a plane perpendicular to the R axis, and for convenience, one axis is the X axis and the other axis is the Y axis.

The "photographing plane" defines from which direction of the R cross section the blade 73 is photographed.
For example, in FIG. 3, there is a photographing surface a for photographing the blade 73 with the angle of view in the positive direction of the Y-axis, a photographing surface b for photographing the blade 73 with the angle of view in the negative direction of the X-axis, and a photographing surface b in the positive direction of the X-axis. Photography plane c (not shown because it was hidden behind photography planes a and b), and photography plane d in the negative Y-axis direction (not shown because it was hidden behind photography planes a and b), a total of 4 planes. The following is an example of the photographic surface.
Note that the number of imaging surfaces around the blade may be four as shown in FIG. 3, or may be provided without being limited to four such as five. In any case, by photographing the blade 73 from multiple directions, it is possible to prevent unphotographed portions from occurring.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the installation location of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10.
Hereinafter, as (step 1), the process of taking off and moving to the blade 73 will be described.
The observer of the windmill 70 installs the unmanned flying object 10 at a location a certain distance W away from the front of the windmill 70. The height H from the ground surface to the nacelle 72 of the wind turbine 70 is constant depending on the model of the wind turbine 70. Therefore, by determining the distance W in advance, the unmanned flying object 10 automatically moves to the vicinity of the nacelle 72 of the windmill 70.

After installing the unmanned flying object 10 in front of the windmill 70, the supervisor of the windmill 70 instructs the control device 21 to inspect the blades 73. The control device 21 transmits flight route information to the motor drive unit 13 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10. The unmanned flying vehicle 10 that has received the flight route information moves to the vicinity of the nacelle 72 of the blade 73 .
The flight route information is information for causing the unmanned flying object 10 to take off and approach the photographing position of the object (blade 73) efficiently and at high speed. Existing technology may be used to create this flight route information.

Hereinafter, as (step 2), the process of moving to the shooting start point will be explained.
FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional diagram showing movement of the flight route (F1 during forward movement, F2 during backward movement) along the R axis of the blade 73. The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 that has moved close to the nacelle 72 moves to a reference position (r=1) near the nacelle 72, which is the first end of the blade 73. This reference position is the starting point of the flight route F1.
Note that two pieces of information (No. 1, r=1, etc.) are added to one piece of image information 31. First, the first additional information (No. 1, No. 2, . . . No. 100) is unique identification information 32 for each image photographed at the photographing position. In other words, the identification information 32 can be said to be information numbered according to the order in which the images were taken.

On the other hand, the second additional information (r=1,2,...50) is an image taken along the R axis from the first end (r=1) of the blade 73 to the opposing second end (r=50). This is location specific information. A smaller value of r indicates a position closer to the nacelle 72, and a larger value of r indicates a position closer to the tip of the blade 73.
In other words, even if the shooting position r=1 is the same, identification information 32 (No. 1) is attached when shooting plane a according to flight route F1, and identification information 32 (No. 1) is attached when shooting plane b according to flight route F2. (No.100) is attached.

Thereby, by adding photographing position information for each blade to the image information 31, the entire blade can be displayed correctly on the screen even when the drone moves back and forth. For example, by displaying two images (identification information 32 = No. 1 and No. 100) side by side with the same photographing position r=1, the image information 31 can be easily managed in a display suitable for inspection.

Hereinafter, as (step 3), a process of photographing while approaching and following the blade 73 will be explained.
FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5. The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 that has moved to the first end (r=1) follows the forward flight route F1, maintains a predetermined distance D from the blade 73 in the R cross section, and moves to the second end (r=1). 50). During this movement, the photographing device 11 photographs a predetermined portion of the blade 73 (photographing surface a) at predetermined equal intervals (intervals at which 50 images can be taken up to No. 1, 2, . . . , 50).
At this time, since the control device 21 specifies a predetermined separation distance D to the motor drive unit 13, the unmanned flying object 10 may come too close to the blade 73 and collide with it, or move too far away from the blade 73 and cause an accident. This can prevent the acquisition of clear photographed images.

Returning to FIG. 5, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 that has reached the tip of the blade 73 follows the same flight route F2 during the return flight to a photographing surface b that is different from the photographing surface a that has been photographed so far. Start shooting. That is, while maintaining a predetermined distance D from the blade 73, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 moves from the second end (No. 51 at the tip of the blade 73) far from the reference position to the first end (No. 51 at the base of the nacelle 72). .100) and take pictures at predetermined equal intervals.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view along the line R in FIG. 3.
In the explanation of FIG. 5, a flight route F1 was illustrated in which the same photographing surface a is continuously photographed while moving from the first end (r=1) to the second end (r=50). On the other hand, in FIG. 7, for the same R-axis imaging position (for example, r=3), by rotating around the blade 73 along the R cross-section, images of the imaging plane in four directions are acquired in four imaging operations. A spiral flight route F (a three-dimensional view will be described later in FIG. 9) is shown.
That is, photography is performed in the following order: position P1 for photographing the photographing plane a → position P2 for photographing the photographing plane b → position P3 for photographing the photographing plane c → position P4 for photographing the photographing plane d. Since the flight route F moves while maintaining a predetermined distance D from the blade 73, it is expressed as a circular motion in the R cross-sectional view.

In the R cross-sectional view, the blade 73 is approximated as a streamlined plate having a front surface and a back surface. Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 can photograph both surfaces by photographing the front surface of the blade 73 at positions P1 and P2 and photographing the back surface of the blade 73 at positions P3 and P4.
Note that instead of photographing the surface of the blade 73 at positions P1 and P2, it may be photographed at position Pu. Similarly, instead of photographing the back surface of the blade 73 at positions P3 and P4, it may be photographed at position Pd. This allows the number of times of photographing to be reduced from four to two.

However, if the unmanned flying object 10 is moved to the position Pu, since the position Pu is on the orbit of the blade 73 (on the circumferential direction θ), the position of the blade 73 will rotate from the current P0 to the position Pu. There is a concern that there will be a collision with the unmanned aerial vehicle 10.
Normally, during inspection work, the blade 73 can be prevented from rotating by fixing the rotation direction θ of the blade 73 with a hydraulic brake. However, if the power supply to the hydraulic brake is cut off when the power is lost, it may not be possible to prevent the blade 73 from rotating unintentionally.

Therefore, in FIG. 7, the circumferential direction θ of the blade 73 (the line passing through the points Pu, P0, Pd) and the longitudinal direction of the blade 73 surface in the R cross-sectional view (the line passing through the points Px, P0, Py) are orthogonal at 90°, the photographing positions P1, P2, P3, and P4 were set at approximately 45° to the orthogonal angle. In other words, the control device 21 sets the movement range (photographing position) of the unmanned flying object 10 outside the range of the rotation direction θ of the blade 73.
Thereby, even if the current position of the blade 73 moves from P0 to Pu or Pd, a collision at the photographing position of the blade 73 can be avoided.

FIG. 8 is a modification of the R cross-sectional view of FIG. 7.
In FIG. 8, the observer of the wind turbine 70 has set the fixed angle of the blade 73 relative to the nacelle 72 (a line passing through points Px, P0, Py) slightly to the right of the normal operating state in FIG. 7 (perpendicular to the circumferential direction θ). Before inspection, shift it so that it hangs downward. Then, the unmanned flying object 10 photographs the front surface of the blade 73 at position P5, and photographs the back surface of the blade 73 at position P6.
Although this requires time and effort to adjust the angle of the blade 73 before and after inspection, collision between the unmanned flying object 10 and the blade 73 at the photographing position can be avoided, and the number of photographic images can be appropriately reduced.

FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional diagram showing a spiral flight route F.
The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 may move along a flight route F that gradually advances along the R axis from the base of the nacelle 72 to the tip of the blade 73 while spirally turning around the blade 73 . As explained with reference to FIG. 7, at the same imaging position (r=3, etc.), images of the imaging surface in four directions are acquired by a total of four imaging times at positions P1, P2, P3, and P4.

The flight route that travels back and forth along the R-axis and the flight route that travels spirally around the R-axis have been described above with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. What both flight routes have in common is that every position on the flight route maintains a predetermined distance D from the blade 73. Therefore, the control device 21 instructs the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to take photographing parameter information such as a predetermined separation distance D and a photographing surface. The predetermined separation distance D is a distance at which the imaging device 11 on the R cross section, which is a plane perpendicular to the R axis, which is the longitudinal direction of the blade 73, is focused toward the blade 73 on the same R cross section.

Note that the possible range of the separation distance D is a range in which focus adjustment is possible, and therefore depends on the f value (aperture value) of the photographing parameter information. If you want to widen the focus range (deepen the depth of field), you can increase the f-number. If you want to narrow the focus range (shallow the depth of field), you can reduce the f-number.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing the imaging method at the R-axis imaging position r=1. In this side view, the horizontal axis is the R cross section (X axis and Y axis), and the vertical axis is the R axis.
The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 maintains a separation distance D from the blade 73 at the reference position. Therefore, the unmanned flying object 10 (photographing device 11) at the photographing position 101Q determines the current separation distance 111 to the blade 73 by adjusting the focus using the autofocus function using the blade 73 as a subject.

If the current separation distance 111 is closer than the separation distance D, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is moved in a direction that increases the current separation distance 111 (to the right in FIG. 10).
If the current separation distance 111 is greater than the separation distance D, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is moved in a direction that narrows the current separation distance 111 (to the left in FIG. 10).
If the current separation distance 111 substantially matches the separation distance D, the position adjustment of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 in the horizontal axis direction of FIG. 10 is completed. This allows the camera to focus on the blade 73 that is separated by the distance D, making it possible to avoid collision between the two and to obtain a clear image of the surface of the blade 73.

Note that the photographing device 11 is equipped with a lens capable of photographing a desired angle of view 101K from a plurality of lenses having different focal lengths, such as a 24 mm wide-angle lens, a 50 mm standard lens, and a 200 mm telephoto lens. The angle of view 101K is also specified by the control device 21 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 as one of the photographing parameter information.
Based on each angle of view 101K, a photographing range 101D in the R-axis direction including the photographing center 101P is determined. Note that there are two types of lenses: a zoom lens whose focal length can be changed within a predetermined range, and a single focal length lens whose focal length is fixed.

Therefore, by employing a 24 mm wide-angle lens or the like in the photographing device 11 to widen the photographing range 101D for one image, the number of photographed images can be reduced and the data amount of the image information 31 can be reduced. On the other hand, by employing a 200 mm telephoto lens or the like in the photographing device 11 and narrowing the photographing range 101D for one image, although the number of photographs increases, clear images can be photographed as the image information 31 and the accuracy of inspection can be improved.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 in FIG. 10 when it moves from the imaging position r=1 to r=2.
When the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 moves from the photographing position r=1 to r=2, the distance between the photographing range 101D at the photographing position r=1 and the photographing range 102D including the photographing center 102P at the photographing position r=2 is Consider positional relationships.
The control device 21 specifies shooting parameter information as shown in (Photography Policy 1) or (Photography Policy 2) below to the unmanned aerial vehicle 10, thereby transmitting appropriate image information 31 (a plurality of captured images) to the unmanned aircraft. The flying object 10 is caused to take a photograph.

(Photographing policy 1) Overlapping parts are allowed between the first photographing range 101D and the second photographing range 102D, but instructions are given not to create unphotographed parts. As a result, the photographing range of the blade 73 is covered, so that omissions in inspection can be prevented.
(Photographing policy 2) Instructions are given not to allow overlap between the first photographing range 101D and the second photographing range 102D, and to prevent unphotographed portions from occurring. That is, the photograph is taken so that the end of the photographing range 101D (the upper end in FIG. 11) and the end of the photographing range 102D (the lower end in FIG. 11) are in contact with each other. This makes it possible to reduce the number of images to be taken while preventing inspection omissions.

Therefore, the photographing parameter information includes information indicating (photographing policy 1) or (photographing policy 2) and information indicating photographing ranges 101D and 102D (angles of view 101K and 102K). Although the angle of view 101K is generally 102K, the angle of view 101K may be 102K using a zoom lens.
In this manner, the control device 21 autonomously moves the unmanned flying object 10 so as to match the photographing parameter information (such as the relationship between the focal length and the photographing angle of view) of the photographing device 11 specified in advance. Thereby, the position of the unmanned flying object 10 with respect to the blade 73 can be easily determined without using a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal or a collision avoidance sensor.
Here, "autonomous" movement means that the unmanned flying object 10 that receives an instruction (imaging parameter information) from the control device 21 moves in accordance with the instruction. It can also be said that the unmanned flying object 10 moves autonomously because it is not controlled by a human using a remote control or the like.

Hereinafter, as (step 4), the process of landing at the target position will be explained.
The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is returned when the photographing process is completed, when there is little flight time remaining, when strong winds make it difficult for the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to fly autonomously for photographing, or when the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is returned by an observer through a communication section (not shown). If a command is received, the aircraft will land at any location.
In addition to the point where the unmanned flying object 10 takes off, a plurality of candidate landing points different from the takeoff point may be set in advance as the landing point. This allows the landing site to be changed as appropriate by determining a point that is more suitable for the remaining flight time and poor environmental conditions depending on the battery status, and also for improving safety.

The image information 31 photographed in this manner is transmitted from the photographing device 11 to the control device 21 via the transmission device 12. The control device 21 assigns unique identification information 32 to the image information 31 in order from the position closest to the reference position (No. 1, 2, . . . 50 in FIG. 5, etc.) and transmits it to the storage unit 30. Further, when the photographing device 11 moves back, identification information 32 is assigned to the reference position in order from the farthest position (No. 51, . . . 99, 100 in FIG. 5, etc.) and transmitted to the storage unit 30.

FIG. 12 is a table showing an example of management information corresponding to the identification information 32 given to the image information 31.
This table is stored in the storage unit 30, and the following information is associated with each identification information 32 (No.) in the first column.
・Date and time of shooting (4th row of table)
- Shooting target (site name in the second column, machine number in the third column, blade number in the fifth column).
- Shooting range of the shooting target (R-axis r=1,2,... which is the blade shooting position of the 6th row, and shooting planes a, b, c, d of the 7th row)
・Damage status as the inspection result of photographed images (damage type in the 8th column, damage level in the 9th column)

For example, the management information in the first row of the table is an image taken on June 10, 2017, taken at shooting plane a at shooting position r=1 (reference position) with Blade No. 1 of Unit 1 at site A as the subject. This indicates that identification information 32=No.1 has been assigned to the image. A level 2 wear state is added as a damage state obtained from the inspection results of this photographed image.

Note that the control device 21 assigns specific information (blade number) for each blade among the plurality of blades included in the windmill 70 to each piece of image information 31, and stores the information in the storage unit 30. The stored blade number is referred to when comparing the image information 31 to which the same blade specific information is attached in the diagnostic processing of the control device 21.
In this way, by acquiring the image information 31 for each blade, it is possible to easily identify the blade of a certain machine (for example, blade No. 1 of machine No. 1) and the blade of another machine (blade No. 1 of machine No. 2). It can be used for diagnostic processing compared to .

Further, in order to obtain inspection results, normal image information 33 indicating the normal state of the blade 73 is stored in advance in the storage unit 30. Then, the control device 21 compares the image information 31 photographed in the current inspection acquired from the photographing device 11 with the normal image information 33 prepared in advance for each of the same identification information 32. If the comparison results show that the two are different, the control device 21 performs a diagnostic process to diagnose the image information 31 taken during the current inspection as abnormal. Then, the control device 21 adds the damage state to the table of FIG. 12 as a diagnosis result.

The first embodiment described above may be modified as follows.
(Modification 1) Although the reference position r=1 is set near the nacelle 72 (FIG. 10), it may also be set at the tip of the blade 73. When the reference position r=1 is the tip of the blade 73, the arrow directions indicating the flight route F1 and the arrow indicating the flight route F2 in FIG. 5 are opposite to each other. That is, the flight route F1 during the forward movement moves from the tip of the blade 73 to the vicinity of the nacelle 72, and during the return movement it moves from the vicinity of the nacelle 72 to the tip of the blade 73.

(Modification 2) The control device 21 acquires image information 31 with normal inspection results in a predetermined period in the past and learns based on a statistical method to obtain normal images for evaluating the health of the wind turbine 70. Information 33 may also be generated.
Learning based on a statistical method is a process in which, for example, the average image of a set of images taken of the same subject and the same shooting range at different shooting dates and times is obtained as a learning result. Thereby, the normal image information 33 can be generated from the image information 31 acquired in the past period even if the user does not provide the normal image information 33 to the control device 21.

The second embodiment is a configuration for displaying image information 31 photographed by the unmanned flying vehicle 10 on the display unit 40.
FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a monitoring system 100 according to the second embodiment. Descriptions of configurations similar to those of the monitoring system 100 in FIG. 1 will be omitted. The monitoring system 100 of FIG. 13 has an input section 22, a rule setting section 23, and a display control section 24 added to the configuration of FIG.

The input unit 22 is an input unit that allows the inspector to input various information such as screen display rules for displaying the image information 31 of the blade 73 on the display unit 40. Input means include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel.
The rule setting unit 23 sets the screen display rules received from the input unit 22 in the display control unit 24. The display control unit 24 displays the image information 31 of the blade 73 on the display unit 40 based on the set screen display rules (see FIGS. 14 to 16 for details).

FIG. 14 is a display screen diagram when the first screen display rule is specified.
In the first screen display rule 201, a set of images taken of blade No. 1 of machine No. 1 at site A at shooting plane a is specified as the display target, and a comparison display with normal image information 33 is also specified. ing.
The display control unit 24 displays the image information 31 that matches the first screen display rule 201 as an image set 202, and displays the normal image information 33 that matches the first screen display rule 201 as the image set 203 on one screen. 200 is divided into left and right parts and displayed.

Note that the vertical direction in the screen 200 indicates the shooting position (r=1, 2, . . . ), and the horizontal direction indicates the shooting date and time of the image set 202. That is, the image information 31 and the normal image information 33 from the same photographing position are displayed side by side at corresponding positions on the left and right.
In this way, by comparing and displaying the image information 31 and the normal image information 33 of the same photographic plane a, the inspector viewing the display can easily check the damage state of the blade 73. Further, the control device 21 may distinguish whether each piece of image information 31 is normal or abnormal as a result of the diagnostic processing, and display the result on the display unit 40 (a normal result is shown in FIG. 14). Thereby, the inspector can easily understand the diagnosis results on the screen 200.

FIG. 15 is a display screen diagram when the second screen display rule is specified.
In the second screen display rule 211, as part of the management information in FIG. Image set No. 1 is specified as the display target. Furthermore, a comparative display for each of the photographing planes a to d is specified.
The display control unit 24 divides the image information 31 that matches the second screen display rule 211 into photographic planes a to d and displays them on one screen 210. Specifically, the display control unit 24 arranges the photographing planes a to d in the horizontal direction on the screen 210, and sequentially arranges the photographing positions of the blade 73 in the vertical direction on the screen 210 starting from r=1 (reference position). Divide and display.

FIG. 16 is a display screen diagram when the third screen display rule is specified.
In the third screen display rule 221, as part of the management information (site name, machine number, blade number) in FIG. ing. Furthermore, comparison display by shooting date and time is also specified.

The display control unit 24 divides the image information 31 that matches the third screen display rule 221 by shooting date and time, and displays the image information 31 on one screen 220. Specifically, the display control unit 24 arranges the respective shooting dates and times in the horizontal direction on the screen 220, and divides the shooting positions of the blade 73 in the vertical direction on the screen 220 in order from r=1 (reference position). Display.
In this way, by dividing and displaying the image information 31 of the same blade 73 in chronological order, the inspector can easily check the process of damage to the blade 73.

FIG. 17 is a display screen diagram when the inspection results are classified as normal or abnormal.
Although FIG. 15 illustrates a case in which all displayed images are normal, damage may be shown only in some displayed images. In that case, the display control unit 24 may display damage explanation information together with the image information 31 for each identification information 32.

The display control unit 24 displays, as a first display 231 on the screen 230, image information 31 obtained by photographing the same blade 73 at the same photographing position at different times, side by side. Below each displayed image, the date of shooting such as April 1, 2018, the diagnosis result (normal or abnormal), and the degree of damage in the case of abnormality (1% to 100%, the higher the value, the more serious the damage) are. Is displayed. Here, blade 73 was normal on April 1, 2018, mild damage 231a occurred on October 1, 2018, and the degree of damage progressed to severe damage 231b on April 1, 2019. are doing.
Therefore, the control device 21 stores the image information 31 determined to be abnormal as a result of the diagnostic processing at the same imaging position in the storage unit 30 in chronological order, and compares the image information 31 stored in the chronological order at the same imaging position. This calculates the degree of progress of the damage state.

The display control unit 24 displays, as a second display 232 on the screen 230, image information 31 taken at the same time at corresponding photographing positions (for example, r=5) of different blades 73, side by side.
Here, similar damage is found in damage 232a to the A-site No. 1 machine and damage 232b to the X-site No. 1 machine. In this way, by the first display 231 or the second display 232, it is possible to easily understand the damaged location of the entire blade.

In the second embodiment described above, even on a screen that displays the image information 31 of the same blade 73 vertically along the photographing position (r=1, 2,...), useful comparison targets are displayed horizontally so that the inspector can Let them compare. This makes it possible to efficiently perform inspections such as discovering damage within one screen.

10 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle 11 Photographing Device 12 Transmission Device 13 Motor Drive Unit 21 Control Device 22 Input Unit 23 Rule Setting Unit 24 Display Control Unit 30 Storage Unit 31 Image Information 32 Identification Information 33 Normal Image Information 40 Display Unit 70 Wind Turbine (Wind Power Generation Facility) )
71 Tower 72 Nacelle 73 Blade 100 Surveillance System

Claims (9)

A monitoring system that inspects wind power generation equipment based on image information taken of the wind power generation equipment,
a photographing device for photographing the image information of the blades constituting the wind power generation equipment; controlling the photographing device to photograph the image information; and storing the photographed image information and the results of diagnostic processing for the image information; and a display unit that displays the results of the diagnostic processing,
The control device includes:
When photographing the image information of the blade, when a plane perpendicular to the R axis, which is the longitudinal direction of the blade, is the R cross section, it is the distance from the photographing device to the blade on the R cross section. By instructing the photographing device with photographing parameter information including a predetermined separation distance, and a photographing surface and angle of view when photographing from the photographing device toward the blade, the predetermined separation distance and the photographing surface can be set. autonomously moving the photographing device based on a photographing position that matches the angle of view, and causing the photographing device to photograph the image information of the blade;
The normal image information stored in the storage unit in advance indicating the normal state of the blade is compared with the image information taken during the current inspection, and if both differ, the image information taken during the current inspection is determined to be abnormal. As a result of the diagnostic processing, the image information is determined to be normal or abnormal, and if the image information is abnormal, the type of damage is determined based on the wear state of the blade or the peeling state of the blade. and displaying the classification results on the display unit as a first screen display;
The image information determined to be abnormal as a result of the diagnostic processing is stored in the storage unit in chronological order at the same imaging position, and the image information stored in the chronological order at the same imaging position is compared to determine whether the image information is in a damaged state. Calculating the degree of progress of the damage type and displaying the degree of progress on the display unit as a second screen display;
A blade number assigned to each of the plurality of blades of the wind power generation equipment and a photographing position of each blade are assigned to each of the image information and stored in the storage unit, and the same photographing is performed in the diagnostic process. Comparing the image information to which the blade numbers corresponding to the positions and different blade numbers are attached, and displaying the comparison result on the display unit as a third screen display;
A monitoring system, wherein the display unit displays the first screen display, the second screen display, and the third screen display simultaneously on one screen. In the step of moving to a photographing position and photographing the blade at a designated angle of view, the photographing device is configured to capture a first photographing range when sequentially photographing first image information and second image information. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring system moves to a photographing position that does not create an unphotographed portion of the blade between the first photographing range and the second photographing range. The control device instructs the imaging device to include the plurality of imaging planes in the imaging parameter information,
The photographing device continuously photographs the first photographing surface while moving from the first end of the blade to the opposing second end along the R-axis direction, and then continuously photographs the first photographing surface. The monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that the second imaging plane is continuously photographed while moving along the R-axis direction from the end to the first end. The control device specifies, for each piece of image information, a photographing position indicating positional information in the R-axis direction from a first end to a second end of the blade, and identification information numbered for each photographing order. The monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein the monitoring system is assigned and stored in the storage unit. The control device instructs the imaging device to include the plurality of imaging planes in the imaging parameter information,
The photographing device sequentially photographs a plurality of photographing planes while rotating around the blade on the R cross-section, and travels along a spiral flight route moving toward the R axis direction of the blade. The surveillance system according to claim 1, wherein the surveillance system takes pictures while moving. The control device instructs the imaging device to include the plurality of imaging planes in the imaging parameter information,
The control device is characterized in that the control device sets each photographing position for photographing the plurality of photographing surfaces outside the range of the rotational direction of the blade on the R cross section.
The monitoring system according to claim 1 . The control device acquires the image information with normal inspection results during a predetermined period in the past and learns based on a statistical method to obtain the normal image information for evaluating the health of the wind power generation equipment. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring system generates the following information. The photographing device and the transmission device are mounted on an unmanned flying vehicle,
The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the image information obtained by photographing the blade by the photographing device while the unmanned flying vehicle is in flight is transmitted from the transmission device to the control device. A monitoring method for inspecting wind power generation equipment based on image information taken of the wind power generation equipment, the method comprising:
The monitoring system includes an imaging device, a control device, and a display section,
The photographing device photographs the image information of the blades constituting the wind power generation equipment,
The control device includes:
controlling the photographing device to photograph the image information, and storing the photographed image information and the results of diagnostic processing on the image information in a storage unit;
When photographing the image information of the blade, when a plane perpendicular to the R axis, which is the longitudinal direction of the blade, is the R cross section, it is the distance from the photographing device to the blade on the R cross section. By instructing the photographing device with photographing parameter information including a predetermined separation distance, and a photographing surface and angle of view when photographing from the photographing device toward the blade, the predetermined separation distance and the photographing surface can be set. autonomously moving the photographing device based on a photographing position that matches the angle of view, and causing the photographing device to photograph the image information of the blade;
The normal image information stored in the storage unit in advance indicating the normal state of the blade is compared with the image information taken during the current inspection, and if both differ, the image information taken during the current inspection is determined to be abnormal. As a result of the diagnostic processing, the image information is determined to be normal or abnormal, and if the image information is abnormal, the type of damage is determined based on the wear state of the blade or the peeling state of the blade. and displaying the classification results on the display unit as a first screen display;
The image information determined to be abnormal as a result of the diagnostic processing is stored in the storage unit in chronological order at the same imaging position, and the image information stored in the chronological order at the same imaging position is compared to determine whether the image information is in a damaged state. Calculating the degree of progress of the damage type and displaying the degree of progress on the display unit as a second screen display;
A blade number assigned to each of the plurality of blades of the wind power generation equipment and a photographing position of each blade are assigned to each of the image information and stored in the storage unit, and the same photographing is performed in the diagnostic process. Comparing the image information to which the blade numbers corresponding to the positions and different blade numbers are attached, and displaying the comparison result on the display unit as a third screen display;
The monitoring method, wherein the display unit simultaneously displays the first screen display, the second screen display, and the third screen display on one screen.

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