JP7562222B2 - Method for controlling an aircraft - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for controlling an aircraft.

Traditionally, maintenance and inspection of railway tracks has been performed manually by workers walking along the tracks, which is time-consuming and hazardous due to the risk of trains operating through the maintenance section.

As a system to support such maintenance work, a system has been disclosed in which a server verifies the safety of the closed track section where maintenance work is to be performed, and approval for the work is sent to the mobile phone carried by the worker (Patent Document 1). In addition, a system has been disclosed that improves safety when route setting requests are made during maintenance work by displaying information about other switches that are switched in conjunction with route setting based on preset interlocking diagram information of a signaling system (Patent Document 2).

JP 2015-168316 A JP 2017-065329 A

One such maintenance task is, for example, judging whether standing trees around the tracks have rotted away, i.e., whether there is a possibility of trees falling down. This task requires a worker to visually check each step as he moves along the tracks, so the worker needs to move the same distance as the total length of the tracks.

In addition, there is a risk that manual maintenance work must be carried out within a limited time frame while the train is in operation.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a method for evaluating whether there are fallen trees around railway tracks that can solve this problem and ensure the safety of railway operations more efficiently.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an aircraft, comprising the steps of:
obtaining track information;
A step of controlling the movement of the aircraft in accordance with the line information;
taking an image of a predetermined area at a predetermined position around the track during the movement;
transmitting the captured image;
The present invention provides a method for controlling an aircraft, comprising:

The present invention provides a method for evaluating whether there are fallen trees around railway tracks that can more efficiently ensure the safety of railway operations.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an evaluation method using an aircraft 10 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is another overview of the evaluation method using the flying object 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the aircraft 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing control related to evaluation of an aircraft according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the control of the flying object and the management terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing control related to evaluation of a flying object according to the second embodiment.

The contents of the embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration.
[Item 1]
A method for controlling an aircraft, comprising:
acquiring predetermined location information;
A step of controlling the aircraft to move to the predetermined position;
capturing an image of a predetermined area at the predetermined position;
transmitting the captured image;
A method for controlling an aircraft, comprising:
[Item 2]
2. A method for controlling an aircraft according to claim 1, comprising:
The method for controlling an aircraft further includes a step of confirming whether an investigation has been performed at the specified location.
[Item 3]
2. A method for controlling an aircraft according to claim 1, comprising:
The method for controlling an aircraft further includes a step of checking for any abnormalities based on the captured image.
[Item 4]
4. A method for controlling an aircraft according to claim 3, comprising:
A method for controlling an aircraft, comprising: mapping the specified position onto map information when an abnormality is confirmed in the confirming step.
[Item 5]
2. A method for controlling an aircraft according to claim 1, comprising:
A method for controlling an aircraft, characterized in that the position information is obtained by referring to railway operation information.

First Embodiment
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a method for evaluating a line using an aircraft 10 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the flying object 10 can fly above the railway line 1 and capture images of the area around the railway line 1 using a camera. The captured images can be transmitted to an external device such as a management terminal via a network.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the aircraft 10 according to the first embodiment. First, the flight controller 21 can have one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)). The camera 5 is mounted on the aircraft via a gimbal, and can rotate, for example, vertically relative to the aircraft by the gimbal. Preferably, the camera can rotate in three axial directions (pitch angle, roll angle, yaw angle) relative to the aircraft.

Flight controller 21 also has and has access to memory 22. Memory 22 stores logic, code, and/or program instructions that the flight controller can execute to perform one or more steps.

The memory 22 may include, for example, a separable medium such as an SD card or random access memory (RAM) or an external storage device. Data acquired from the camera or sensors may be directly transmitted to and stored in the memory. For example, still image and video data captured by a camera or the like is recorded in an internal memory or an external memory. The camera is installed on the aircraft via a gimbal.

The flight controller 21 includes a control module configured to control the state of the air vehicle. For example, the control module controls the propulsion mechanism (motor, etc.) of the air vehicle via the ESC to adjust the spatial arrangement, speed, and/or acceleration of the air vehicle having six degrees of freedom (translational motion _x , y, and z, and rotational motion θ x _{, θ y} , and θ _z ). The motor rotates the propeller to generate lift for the air vehicle. The control module can control one or more of the states of the onboard parts and sensors.

The flight controller 21 can communicate with a transceiver 24 configured to transmit and/or receive data from one or more external devices (e.g., a transceiver 23, a terminal, a display device, or other remote control). The transceiver 23 can use any suitable communication means, such as wired or wireless communication.

For example, the transceiver unit 24 may utilize one or more of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), infrared, radio, WiFi, a point-to-point (P2P) network, a telecommunications network, cloud communications, and the like.

The transceiver unit 24 can transmit and/or receive one or more of the following: data acquired by sensors, processing results generated by the flight controller, specific control data, user commands from a terminal or a remote controller, etc.

The sensors 25 in this embodiment may include an inertial sensor (acceleration sensor, gyro sensor), a GPS sensor, a proximity sensor (e.g., LIDAR), or a vision/image sensor (e.g., camera).

The evaluation unit 31 also stores information necessary for evaluation, such as image data captured by the camera 5, in the memory 32 and performs track evaluation. As another example, all or part of the functions of the evaluation unit 31 may be provided in a management terminal or the like outside the aircraft (not shown).

Next, a method for controlling an aircraft in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the aircraft control related to the evaluation of the aircraft's track in this embodiment. Also, Figure 4 is a flow chart diagram of the same control of the aircraft and the management terminal in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the control method for the flying object to evaluate the track can be realized by executing a control program in the CPU in the flight controller 21 and/or the CPU in the evaluation unit 31. As another example, all or part of the functions of the flight controller 10 and/or the evaluation unit 31 can be provided in an external device 28 (e.g., a server or management terminal), and the flying object 10 and the external device 28 can cooperate to execute the necessary processing.

First, in FIG. 3, the line information acquisition unit 51 refers to line information related to the line position and/or operation time of the railway stored in the line information storage unit 61 of the memory 22, for example, to confirm the location to be surveyed. With respect to the location information confirmed by referring to the line information, the current location information acquisition unit 52 acquires current location information from the GPS sensor 54, the acceleration sensor 55, etc., and the flight control unit 53 can control the motor 26 to move the flying object 10 to the evaluation location that is the destination (S401). The acquired current location information is stored in the current location information storage unit 62 in the memory 22. Note that this step can also be replaced by manually operating the flying object, or by controlling the flying object to fly on the track by recognizing the track using image recognition technology without relying on the location information.

Next, when the flying object 10 is positioned on the track to be surveyed, the track evaluation unit 71 of the evaluation unit 31, for example, refers to the map information 83 to check whether the target track has already been surveyed (S403). The survey target in this embodiment can be, for example, standing trees, but ivy, creepers, and other plants that can enter the track can also be the target. In this example, an example is assumed in which the surveyed positions are mapped on a map, but other formats are acceptable as long as they can be understood as location information. In addition, the flying object 10 can also inquire about this information from an external device 28 such as a management terminal via the transmission/reception unit 24 and the network. In this step, if it is confirmed that the target track has not been surveyed, the process proceeds to the next step, and if it is confirmed that the target track has been surveyed, the process returns to the original process. In another example, the flying object 10 can understand the surveyed and unsurveyed positions in advance, set the routing for the unsurveyed positions in advance, and fly. In yet another example, the aircraft 10 can turn off the camera at surveyed locations. This can save battery resources.

Next, the imaging control unit 74 of the evaluation unit 31 controls the camera 5 to capture an image of the area around the target track (S403). When capturing an image, an area camera such as a digital camera can be used to capture an image instead of visual inspection. When capturing an image at night, an infrared camera can be used or LED lighting can be used. The captured image can be stored in the memory 32.

Then, the notification generating unit 72 of the evaluation unit 31 transmits a notification to an external device 28 such as a management terminal via the transmission/reception unit 24 (S404). The notification contents may include location information, images, etc. The notification process may be performed periodically by accumulating images, but is preferably performed simultaneously with the image capture.

The external device 28, such as a management terminal, receives the image transmitted from the flying object 10 (S405). Next, the external device 28, such as a management terminal, performs an evaluation of the track based on the received image (S406). For the evaluation, for example, an image that has been processed using a known method such as binarization of the image and detection of edges and features in an image processing unit (not shown) of the management terminal can be used. Alternatively, the presence or absence of an abnormality can be confirmed by comparing the image-processed evaluation image of the area around the track with a normal image that is captured under normal circumstances and has been image-processed. Here, evaluation items such as deformation, misalignment, etc. are expected.

In this way, by using an aircraft to evaluate rail tracks, not only can the conventional visual inspection work be automated, but the time required to ensure safety can be reduced, providing a method of evaluating rail tracks that can more efficiently ensure the safety of railway operations.

Second Embodiment
5 shows a flowchart of the control of the aircraft in relation to the evaluation of the track of the aircraft according to the second embodiment. The feature of the aircraft 20 in this embodiment is that the evaluation performed by the management terminal in the first embodiment is performed by the aircraft 20 itself.

The structure and functional blocks of the aircraft 20 of this embodiment can be the same as those of the aircraft 10 disclosed in the first embodiment shown in Figure 2, except where specifically mentioned.

The step of flying over the tracks in FIG. 5 (S501), the step of checking whether the location of the survey target has been surveyed (S502), and the step of capturing an image of the area around the location of the survey target (S503) are the same as the method in the first embodiment described in FIG. 4, and therefore will not be described here.

In FIG. 5, the evaluation unit 71 of the evaluation unit 31 of the flying object 20 performs an evaluation of the track based on the captured image (S454). For the evaluation, for example, an image that has been processed by the image processing unit 73 using known methods such as image binarization, edge and feature detection, etc. may be used. Alternatively, the presence or absence of an abnormality may be confirmed by comparing the image-processed evaluation image 81 of the area around the track with a normal image 82 that is captured under normal circumstances and then image-processed. Possible evaluation items here include the growth state of the trees, the extent to which they protrude into the track, the growth state of the branches, etc.

The road evaluation unit 71 then checks whether or not the standing tree being investigated is likely to have fallen based on the evaluation results (S505).

If no abnormality is found, the process returns to the original process. However, if an abnormality is found, the evaluation unit 71 inputs the fact that an abnormality has been found, the details of the abnormality, an image, etc., into the map included in the map information 83 (S506). In addition, information about whether an investigation has been carried out or not can also be input into the map. The updated map information is sent as a notification by the notification generation unit 72 to an external device 28 such as a management terminal, so that the operator of the management terminal can check the investigated positions and evaluation results on the map at a glance.

In this way, in this embodiment, the aircraft 20 can handle all of the investigation, making it possible to further improve work efficiency.

The aircraft of the present invention is expected to be used as an industrial aircraft for investigations, surveying, observations, etc., mainly in the railway business. The aircraft of the present invention can also be used in the aircraft-related industry, such as multicopters and drones, and furthermore, through the present invention, it can contribute to improving the safety of these aircraft and the flight of aircraft.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents.

1 Track 5 Camera 10 Aircraft 21 Flight controller
22 Memory 23 Sensors 24 Transmitter/receiver 25 Transmitter/receiver 26 Motor 28 External device 31 Evaluation unit 32 Memory 51 Route information acquisition unit 52 Current position information acquisition unit 53 Flight control unit 54 GPS sensor 55 Acceleration sensor 61 Route information storage unit 62 Current position information storage unit 71 Evaluation unit 72 Notification generation unit 73 Image processing unit 74 Imaging control unit 81 Evaluation image 82 Normal image 83 Map information

Claims (5)

A method for controlling an aircraft, comprising:
obtaining track information relating to at least one of a railway line position and an operating time of a railway ;
A step of controlling the aircraft to move to a location to be surveyed according to the line information;
taking an image of a predetermined area around the track at the position of the survey target ;
A step of evaluating at least one of a growth condition of a tree and a growth condition of a branch of the tree based on the captured image;
A method for controlling an aircraft, comprising: 2. A method for controlling an aircraft according to claim 1, comprising:
The method for controlling an aircraft further includes a step of confirming whether a survey has been conducted at the location of the survey target . 2. A method for controlling an aircraft according to claim 1, comprising:
The method for controlling an aircraft further includes a step of evaluating whether or not there is a possibility of a tree falling based on the captured image. 4. A method for controlling an aircraft according to claim 3, comprising:
A method for controlling an aircraft, comprising: mapping the position of the standing tree onto map information when, in the evaluating step, the possibility of the tree falling is evaluated to meet a predetermined standard. 2. A method for controlling an aircraft according to claim 1, comprising:
A method for controlling an aircraft, characterized in that the track information is obtained by referring to railway operation information.