JP7629198B2 - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Swarm and Aerial Image Display System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a group of unmanned aerial vehicles and an aerial image display system. In particular, the present invention relates to a technology for realizing a new form of utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly called drones) used for ground observation, cargo transport, etc. are known. Patent Document 1 discloses that an image of a survey target area on the ground is taken with a camera mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and topographical data of the survey target area is calculated based on the taken image. Patent Document 2 discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of aerial transport of lightweight objects.

Other known uses for unmanned aerial vehicles include using aerial cameras to take pictures of damage and victims in the event of a disaster, and carrying pesticide tanks to spray pesticides on farms.

JP 2021-117047 A JP 2021-151847 A

The inventor of the present invention has considered how to realize a new form of use for an unmanned aerial vehicle. The inventor then came up with the idea of using the unmanned aerial vehicle as a device for displaying images in the air by displaying images on the unmanned aerial vehicle itself. The inventor also noted that when using an unmanned aerial vehicle to display images in the air in this way, in order to increase the practicality of the use, it is necessary to ensure that the visibility of the images (for example, visibility from the ground) is good. In light of these points, the inventor of the present invention has made improvements to the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle, resulting in the present invention.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to realize a new form of use for unmanned aerial vehicles, such as displaying images in the air.

The solution of the present invention for achieving the above object is based on a group of unmanned aerial vehicles consisting of a collection of a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles that have an aerial vehicle body with a rotor and fly with the rotation of the rotor. The group of unmanned aerial vehicles is characterized in that it is equipped with an image display device that is rotatably attached to the aerial vehicle body and has a display surface for displaying an image, and a rotation position adjustment actuator that can change the orientation of the display surface by adjusting the rotation position of the image display device relative to the aerial vehicle body, the outer shape of the image display device is set to be larger than the outer shape of the aerial vehicle body, and each of the unmanned aerial vehicles flies under cooperative control so that the display surfaces of the image display devices of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles are adjacent to each other, and a series of images are displayed across the display surfaces of each of the image display devices of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles .

With this specification, an image can be displayed in the air by displaying an image on the display screen of the image display device of the unmanned aerial vehicle in flight. In addition, the image display device is rotatably attached to the aircraft body, and the orientation of the display screen can be changed by adjusting the rotation position of the image display device with a rotation position adjustment actuator, so that the rotation position of the image display device can be adjusted so that the display screen is in an orientation that is easy to view (for example, an orientation that is easy to view from the ground). This makes it possible to realize a utilization form of the unmanned aerial vehicle that has never been seen before, such as displaying an image in the air with high visibility.
In addition, by displaying images on the display surfaces of the image display devices of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles flying under coordinated control, with the display surfaces being adjacent to each other, a series of images can be displayed across these multiple display surfaces. This makes it possible to display large images in the air that would be difficult to display on a single unmanned aerial vehicle, and to display images with high visibility in the air.

In addition, the image display device in each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is equipped with a self-luminous display device, and is configured to display images on the display surface by the self-luminescence of the display device.

This allows the image display device itself to be equipped with an image display function, eliminating the need for a separate image projection device, etc., and simplifying the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In addition, multiple display devices are arranged in a matrix in each unmanned aerial vehicle .

This allows relatively small display devices to be used, reducing costs, and if one display device becomes damaged or malfunctions, only that display device needs to be replaced, simplifying maintenance work and reducing maintenance costs.

In addition, each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is equipped with an image projection device and is configured to display an image projected from the image projection device on the display surface.

This makes it possible to display a single image projected from an image projection device on the entire display surface of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Therefore, compared to dividing the display surface into multiple regions and synchronizing the images displayed individually in each region, the processing load for this image synchronization can be eliminated, the control for image display can be simplified, and the load on the control system can be reduced.

In addition, the image display device in each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is equipped with a transmissive screen, and the image projection device is positioned to project an image toward the transmissive screen from the rear side of the transmissive screen.

In addition, the translucent screen in each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is a mesh screen in which a plurality of wires are arranged in a lattice pattern.

Mesh screens (sometimes called amid screens) allow wind (air) to pass through, so the unmanned aerial vehicle is less affected by wind during flight, and as flight becomes more stable, the images displayed in the air can be stabilized (reducing image shaking in the air), allowing images to be displayed in the air with high visibility.

In addition, each unmanned aerial vehicle is equipped with a communication unit that receives image information from an image information source that transmits image information, and an image display control unit that controls the image display on the display surface of the image display device in accordance with the image information received by the communication unit.

This relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle that is applied to an aerial image display system in which an image information source (such as a management server) is installed separately from the unmanned aerial vehicle, and an image display control unit controls the image display on the display surface of the image display device according to the image information received from the image information source. In this case, the unmanned aerial vehicle does not need to store in advance information on all images to be displayed on the display surface, so there is no need to install an image storage device or the like, which simplifies the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In addition, each unmanned aerial vehicle is equipped with an image information storage unit in which image information is pre-stored, and an image display control unit that controls the image display on the display screen of the image display device in accordance with the image information stored in the image information storage unit.

This involves reading out image information stored in an image information storage unit mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and an image display control unit controlling the image display on the display screen of the image display device. This makes it possible to display images in the air by displaying images on the display screen of the image display device, without the need to install an image information source separate from the unmanned aerial vehicle. This makes it possible to simplify the overall system configuration for displaying images in the air.

In addition, each of the unmanned aerial vehicles has an image display device attached so that it can be rotated around a horizontal axis relative to the aircraft body when the unmanned aerial vehicle is in flight, and is equipped with a communication unit that receives rotational position information from a rotational position information source that transmits information on the rotational position of the image display device according to the flight position, and a rotational position control unit that operates the rotational position adjustment actuator in accordance with the rotational position information received by the communication unit to control the rotational position of the image display device.

This relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle that is applied to an aerial image display system in which a rotation position information source (such as a management server) is installed separately from the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the rotation position control unit operates a rotation position adjustment actuator according to the rotation position information received from the rotation position information source to control the rotation position of the image display device according to the flight position. For example, it is controlled to a rotation position that provides good visibility from the ground. In this case, since the unmanned aerial vehicle does not need to store information on the rotation position of the image display device according to the flight position in advance, there is no need to mount a rotation position information storage device or the like, which simplifies the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In addition, each of the unmanned aerial vehicles has the image display device attached so that it can be rotated around a horizontal axis relative to the aircraft body when the unmanned aerial vehicle is in flight, and is equipped with a rotational position information memory unit that pre-stores information on the rotational position of the image display device according to the flight position, and a rotational position control unit that operates the rotational position adjustment actuator in accordance with the rotational position information stored in the rotational position information memory unit to control the rotational position of the image display device.

This involves reading out rotational position information (information on the rotational position of the image display device according to the flight position) stored in a rotational position information storage unit mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and having the rotational position control unit operate a rotational position adjustment actuator to control the rotational position of the image display device according to the flight position. In this case too, the rotational position is controlled to one that provides good visibility from the ground, for example. This makes it possible to control the rotational position of the image display device according to the flight position without the need to install a rotational position information source separate from the unmanned aerial vehicle. This makes it possible to simplify the overall system configuration for displaying images in the air.

The technical idea of the present invention also includes an aerial image display system that includes a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles that make up the group of unmanned aerial vehicles and an image information source. That is, the aerial image display system includes a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles that make up the group of unmanned aerial vehicles and an image information source, the image information source is provided with a communication unit that transmits image information, and each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is provided with a communication unit that receives image information transmitted from the communication unit of the image information source and an image display control unit that controls image display on the display surface of the image display device in accordance with the image information received by the communication unit.

As a result, as mentioned above, the unmanned aerial vehicle does not need to store in advance information about all images to be displayed on the display screen, so there is no need to install an image storage device, etc., which simplifies the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

The technical idea of the present invention also includes an aerial image display system that includes a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles that constitute the unmanned aerial vehicle group and a rotation position information source. That is, the aerial image display system includes a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles that constitute the unmanned aerial vehicle group and a rotation position information source, the rotation position information source is provided with a communication unit that transmits information on the rotation position of the image display device according to the flight position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a communication unit that receives the rotation position information transmitted from the communication unit of the rotation position information source and a rotation position control unit that operates the rotation position adjustment actuator according to the rotation position information received by the communication unit to control the rotation position of the image display device.

As a result, as mentioned above, the unmanned aerial vehicle does not need to store in advance information on the rotational position of the image display device according to the flight position, so there is no need to install a rotational position information storage device, etc., which simplifies the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

The technical idea of the present invention also includes an aerial image display system that includes a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles that make up the group of unmanned aerial vehicles and an image illuminator capable of illuminating an image. In other words, the image display device of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles includes a screen, and the image is displayed on the display surface by illuminating an image from the image illuminator toward the screen of the unmanned aerial vehicle in flight.

This allows the unmanned aerial vehicle's image display device to be equipped with only a screen, simplifying the vehicle's configuration.

In the present invention, an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with an image display device that is rotatably attached to the main body of the vehicle and has a display surface that displays images, and a rotation position adjustment actuator that makes it possible to change the orientation of the display surface by adjusting the rotation position of the image display device relative to the main body of the vehicle. This makes it possible to realize a utilization form of an unmanned aerial vehicle that has never been seen before, such as displaying images in the air with high visibility.

A diagram showing the general configuration of an aerial image display system including multiple unmanned aerial vehicles and a management server according to an embodiment. An oblique view showing an example of a flying state of an unmanned aerial vehicle. 2 is an oblique view showing the image display device of the unmanned aerial vehicle in a horizontal position. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the image display device of the unmanned aerial vehicle in a vertical position. FIG. A side view showing a stacked state of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of an unmanned aerial vehicle. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the management server. This is an image diagram showing an example of an aerial image display state by a group of unmanned aerial vehicles. FIG. 3 is a view equivalent to FIG. 2 in modified example 1. FIG. 4 is a view equivalent to FIG. 3 in modified example 1. FIG. 5 is a view equivalent to FIG. 4 in modified example 1. FIG. 10 is a view equivalent to FIG. 8 in a second modified example. FIG. 10 is a view equivalent to FIG. 6 in a third modified example.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. This embodiment describes an example of an image display in the air using a group of unmanned aerial vehicles, each of which has a display surface made up of LEDs (light emitting diodes).

First, we will explain the configuration of an aerial image display system for displaying images in the air using a group of unmanned aerial vehicles.

<System Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an aerial image display system 10 according to this embodiment.

The aerial image display system 10 is configured as a system including a number of unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones or autonomous flying robots) 20, 20, ... and a management server 30 that manages these unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ....

Communication between each of these unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... and the management server 30 is possible by wireless communication via multi-carrier base stations such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (fourth generation), and 5G (fifth generation). This communication allows the transmission and reception of various information for controlling the flight state of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ..., controlling the image display in the air (controlling the image display on the display surface of the image display device 220 provided on each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ...) and controlling the rotational position of the image display device 220 provided on each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ..., etc. In this embodiment, each piece of information is transmitted from the management server 30 to each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ..., but the present invention is not limited to this, and the system may be configured so that each piece of information is stored in each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ..., or a system may be configured so that some of this information is transmitted from the management server 30 to each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ..., and other information is stored in each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ....

- Configuration of unmanned aerial vehicles -
The unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... each have the same configuration. Therefore, one unmanned aerial vehicle 20 will be described here as a representative.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is a multicopter with multiple rotors (rotating wings) 212, 212, ... evenly arranged around the main body 210 of the aerial vehicle. Specifically, it is configured as a quadcopter with four rotors 212, 212, .... The unmanned aerial vehicle may be a hexacopter with six rotors, an optocopter with eight rotors, or another unmanned aerial vehicle. It may also be a small unmanned helicopter with a single rotor. The configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 according to this embodiment is described below.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20. In the following explanation, the X direction in Figure 2 will be referred to as the left-right direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20, with the X1 direction side in the figure referred to as the left side and the X2 direction side in the figure referred to as the right side. The Y direction in Figure 2 will be referred to as the front-to-rear direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20, with the Y1 direction side in the figure referred to as the front side and the Y2 direction side in the figure referred to as the rear side. The Z direction in Figure 2 will be referred to as the up-down direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20, with the Z1 direction side in the figure referred to as the top side and the Z2 direction side in the figure referred to as the bottom side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 includes an aerial vehicle main body 210, an image display device 220, and a rotation mechanism 230.

The aircraft body 210 is configured in a frame shape in which four frame members 210a, 210b, 210c, and 210d are connected in a rectangular shape in a plan view. Of the four frame members 210a, 210b, 210c, and 210d, the one located on the front side (Y1 direction side) of the unmanned aircraft 20 and extending in the left-right direction (X direction) is the front frame member 210a, and the one located on the rear side (Y2 direction side) of the unmanned aircraft 20 and extending in the left-right direction (X direction) is the rear frame member 210b. In addition, the one located on the left side (X1 direction side) of the unmanned aircraft 20 and extending in the front-back direction (Y direction) is the left frame member 210c, and the one located on the right side (X2 direction side) of the unmanned aircraft 20 and extending in the front-back direction (Y direction) is the right frame member 210d.

At the connection parts (at each corner of the aircraft body 210) between each of the frame members 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d, motors 211, 211, ... having a rotating shaft that can rotate around a vertical axis are provided, and rotors 212, 212, ... are attached to the rotating shafts of these motors 211, 211, .... The rotors 212, 212 adjacent to each other via the frame members 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d can rotate in opposite directions. As a result, lift is generated by the rotors 212, 212, ... rotating in response to the operation of the motors 211, 211, ..., enabling the unmanned aircraft 20 to fly. In addition, the rotation speed of each motor 211, 211, ... can be individually controlled to move the unmanned aircraft 20 horizontally and change its attitude.

The image display device 220 is rotatably attached to the aircraft body 210 via a rotation mechanism 230. In the following description, the H direction in FIG. 2 is referred to as the first direction of the image display device 220, the H1 direction side in the figure is referred to as the left side, and the H2 direction side in the figure is referred to as the right side. The L direction in FIG. 2 is referred to as the second direction of the image display device 220, the L1 direction side in the figure is referred to as the base end side, and the L2 direction side in the figure is referred to as the tip end side.

The image display device 220 includes a device frame 221 and a plurality of display devices (self-luminous display devices) 222, 222, ... (only some of the display devices 222, 222, ... are shown in FIG. 2).

The device frame 221 includes an outer frame 223, a plurality of vertical frames 224, 224, ..., and link frames 225L, 225R. The outer frame 223 is configured in a frame shape in which four frame members 223a, 223b, 223c, 223d are connected in a rectangular shape. Of the four frame members 223a, 223b, 223c, 223d, the one located on the base end side (L1 direction side) of the image display device 220 and extending in the first direction (H direction) is the first frame member 223a, and the one located on the tip end side (L2 direction side) of the image display device 220 and extending in the first direction (H direction) is the second frame member 223b. Moreover, the third frame member 223c is located on the left side (H1 direction side) of the image display device 220 and extends in the second direction (L direction), and the fourth frame member 223d is located on the right side (H2 direction side) of the image display device 220 and extends in the second direction (L direction). The dimensions of the first direction (H direction) and the second direction (L direction) of this outer frame 223 are set to be approximately the same. For example, they are set to 3000 mm. This value is not limited to this. The dimension of the image display device 220 in the first direction (H direction) is set to be longer than the dimension of the aircraft body 210 in the left-right direction (X direction) by a predetermined dimension, and the dimension of the image display device 220 in the second direction (L direction) is set to be longer than the dimension of the aircraft body 210 in the front-rear direction (Y direction) by a predetermined dimension. In other words, the outer shape of the image display device 220 is set to be larger than the outer shape of the aircraft body 210. This configuration allows even an unmanned aerial vehicle 20 having a small aerial vehicle body 210 to be equipped with a large image display device 220, and when multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... are used to display images in the air, it is possible to reduce the gaps between the image display devices 220, 220, ... while avoiding interference (contact) between the aerial vehicle bodies 210, 210, ... of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, .... The outer frame 223 may have dimensions in the first direction (H direction) and the second direction (L direction) that are different from each other.

Seven of the vertical frames 224, 224, ... are installed at a predetermined interval in the first direction (H direction) between the first frame member 223a and the second frame member 223b. These vertical frames 224, 224, ... function as fixing parts for the display devices 222, 222, ... described below. The number of vertical frames 224 is not limited to this, and is set appropriately depending on the strength required for the image display device 220 and the number of display devices 222, 222, ... to be attached.

The link frames 225L, 225R are the connecting parts of the link mechanisms 232L, 232R described later, and include a left link frame 225L located on the left side (H1 direction side) and a right link frame 225R located on the right side (H2 direction side). The left link frame 225L has a first part 225La extending along the second direction (L direction), and second parts 225Lb, 225Lb extending from both ends (both ends in the L direction) of the first part 225La to the left side (H1 direction side) and connected to the third frame member 223c. Similarly, the right link frame 225R has a first part 225Ra extending along the second direction (L direction), and second parts 225Rb, 225Rb extending from both ends (both ends in the L direction) of the first part 225Ra to the right side (H2 direction side) and connected to the fourth frame member 223d.

Each display device 222, 222, ... is attached to each vertical frame 224, 224, ... and is arranged in a matrix with seven display devices arranged in each of the first direction (H direction) and the second direction (L direction). In other words, the image display device 220 is provided with a total of 49 display devices 222, 222, .... The number of display devices 222 is not limited to this and can be set arbitrarily. In addition, the number of display devices arranged in the first direction (H direction) and the number of display devices arranged in the second direction (L direction) may be different from each other.

The display devices 222, 222, ... are also positioned so that there is a predetermined gap between adjacent display devices 222, 222. This is to allow wind (air) to pass between the display devices 222, 222 while the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is flying, and to allow wind (wind for generating lift) from the rotors 212, 212, ... to pass when the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is ascending (ascending in the state shown in FIG. 3).

Each display device 222 includes a display panel equipped with multiple LED elements (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as LEDs) not shown, a circuit board that controls the light emission of each LED element, and the like. In other words, each display device 222, 222, ... is configured to display an image according to image information (image information to be displayed on the display panel) transmitted from the management server 30 and received by the unmanned aerial vehicle 20. In this embodiment, high-brightness LEDs are used as the LEDs, and the displayed image can be viewed (e.g., from the ground) not only at night but also during the day. In addition, the brightness may be changed according to the surrounding brightness. It is also possible to use organic EL (organic electro-luminescence) instead of LEDs.

The pivot mechanism 230 pivotally attaches the image display device 220 to the aircraft body 210, and includes two pivot arms 231L, 231R and a pair of link mechanisms 232L, 232R that connect the image display device 220 to the aircraft body 210.

Each of the pivot arms 231L, 231R connects the first frame member 223a of the image display device 220 to the front frame member 210a of the aircraft body 210. Servo motors (rotation position adjustment actuators in this invention) 233L, 233R are built into the connection parts of the pivot arms 231L, 231R with the front frame member 210a, and the image display device 220 can be rotated with respect to the aircraft body 210 by operating the servo motors 233L, 233R to rotate the pivot arms 231L, 231R relative to the front frame member 210a. For example, the stators of the servo motors 233L, 233R are connected to the front frame member 210a, and the rotors are connected to the pivot arms 231L, 231R, respectively. In addition, by adjusting the rotational positions of the servo motors 233L and 233R, it is possible to set the rotational position of the image display device 220 relative to the aircraft body 210 (the rotational attitude of the image display device 220 relative to the aircraft body 210) to any position.

Each link mechanism 232L, 232R is composed of a left link mechanism 232L and a right link mechanism 232R. The left link mechanism 232L is composed of a first link 232La, one end of which is rotatably connected to the left frame material 210c of the aircraft body 210, and a second link 232Lb, one end of which is rotatably connected to the first part 225La of the frame 225L for the left link of the image display device 220, and the other ends of these links are connected to each other so as to be rotatable relative to each other. Similarly, the right link mechanism 232R is composed of a first link 232Ra, one end of which is rotatably connected to the right frame material 210d of the aircraft body 210, and a second link 232Rb, one end of which is rotatably connected to the first part 225Ra of the frame 225R for the right link of the image display device 220, and the other ends of these links are connected to each other so as to be rotatable relative to each other. When the image display device 220 rotates relative to the aircraft body 210 by the operation of the servo motors 233L and 233R, the first link 232La (232Ra) and the second link 232Lb (232Rb) of each link mechanism 232L and 232R rotate relatively to stabilize the rotational movement of the image display device 220. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the image display device 220 rotates relative to the aircraft body 210 and assumes a horizontal position. In this case, the image display device 220 is located below the aircraft body 210, and the extension direction of the image display device 220 and the extension direction of the aircraft body 210 are parallel to each other, and the angle formed by the extension direction of the first link 232La (232Ra) and the extension direction of the second link 232Lb (232Rb) of each link mechanism 232L and 232R is the smallest. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the image display device 220 has rotated relative to the aircraft body 210 and is in a vertical position. In this case, the extension direction of the image display device 220 and the extension direction of the aircraft body 210 are perpendicular to each other, and the extension direction of the first link 232La (232Ra) and the extension direction of the second link 232Lb (232Rb) of each link mechanism 232L, 232R are on the same straight line.

As described above, the aerial image display system 10 according to this embodiment displays images in the air using a group of unmanned aerial vehicles consisting of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, .... For this reason, when these unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... are not flying and are waiting (parked) at a parking area, a stack structure is provided for waiting the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... by stacking them vertically so as to reduce the area (site area) required for the parking area. Figure 5 is a side view showing the stacked state of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, .... As shown in this Figure 5, in the stacked state, the image display device 220 rotates relative to the aircraft body 210 to assume a horizontal position (the position shown in Figure 3), and in this state the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... are stacked vertically. This stack structure will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 3, the stack structure includes multiple receiving tables 226, 226, ... and near-infrared cameras 227, 227, ... provided on the outer frame 223 of the image display device 220.

The receiving bases 226, 226, ... are arranged in the middle of the longitudinal direction of each of the frame members 223a to 223d of the outer frame 223 so as to protrude in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (upward when the image display device 220 is in a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 3: upward perpendicular to each of the first direction H and the second direction L). Each receiving base 226, 226, ... has a pillar portion 226a extending vertically in the state shown in FIG. 3, and a receiving portion 226b provided on the upper part of the pillar portion 226a. This receiving portion 226b is configured in a V-shape by a pair of wire members 226c, 226c that incline upward in opposite directions in the state shown in FIG. 3.

Also, an LED 226d that emits near-infrared rays upward is provided at the connection between the column portion 226a and the receiving portion 226b (the bottom of the receiving portion 226b). Specifically, the LED 226d is housed in a recess provided in the center of the receiving portion 226b. The arrangement of the LED 226d is not limited to this, and it may be arranged so as to protrude from the center of the receiving portion 226b.

On the other hand, the near-infrared cameras 227, 227, ... are disposed in the middle of the longitudinal direction of each of the frame members 223a to 223d of the outer frame 223, facing in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (facing downward when the image display device 220 is in a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 3). In other words, they are disposed so as to detect near-infrared rays from below. Specifically, the near-infrared camera 227 is housed in a recess provided on the underside of each of the frame members 223a to 223d. The arrangement of the near-infrared camera 227 is not limited to this, and it may be disposed so as to protrude from the underside of each of the frame members 223a to 223d. In this way, the position of the receiving platform 226 and the position of the near-infrared camera 227 are the same in each frame member 223a to 223d, and the receiving platform 226 has the function of receiving the outer frame 223 of another unmanned aerial vehicle 20 descending from above and the function of emitting near-infrared rays upward, and the near-infrared camera 227 has the function of detecting near-infrared rays below.

Therefore, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 in flight lands above the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 already parked at the parking area and the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20 are superimposed on each other, the near-infrared cameras 227, 227, ... mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 in flight detect the near-infrared rays emitted from the LEDs 226d, 226d, ... of the parked unmanned aerial vehicle 20, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is descended while maintaining the state in which all the near-infrared cameras 227, 227, ... detect the near-infrared rays, thereby making it possible to superimpose the descending unmanned aerial vehicle 20 on the parked unmanned aerial vehicle 20 (superimposing without positional misalignment in a plan view). In other words, the outer frame 223 of the image display device 220 of the descending unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is received by the receiving portion 226b of the receiving stand 226 of the parked unmanned aerial vehicle 20, making it possible to superimpose them. In this way, by descending the unmanned aerial vehicles 20 one after the other so that they overlap, it is possible to stack multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... one on top of the other, as shown in Figure 5, making it possible to reduce the area required for a parking area.

- Unmanned aerial vehicle control system -
Next, a control system of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 will be described. The control system of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 described below is one example, and the control system of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 according to the present invention is not limited to the following. The unmanned aerial vehicle 20 receives information related to the flight path, information for image display, and information for controlling the rotational attitude of the image display device 220 from the management server 30, and is controlled to fly along a predetermined flight path, and the image display on the image display device 220 and the rotational attitude of the image display device 220 are controlled.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the control system of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the control system of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 includes a position and attitude sensor 21, a communication unit 22, a memory unit 23, and a control unit 24.

(position and orientation sensor)
The position/attitude sensor 21 is a sensor for acquiring the current position and attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20. The position/attitude sensor 21 includes, for example, a receiver for receiving radio waves (navigation signals) transmitted from navigation satellites (artificial satellites) such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), an acceleration sensor for measuring acceleration, an electronic compass for measuring orientation, and a gyro sensor for measuring angular velocity. Specifically, in the position/attitude sensor 21, the receiver receives navigation signals transmitted from a plurality of navigation satellites and outputs them to the control unit 24, and also outputs measurement signals by the electronic compass and the gyro sensor to the control unit 24. Based on these signals, the control unit 24 calculates the current position and attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20. In particular, in this embodiment, positioning is performed by RTK (Real Time Kinematic) to improve the detection accuracy of the current position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20. Note that, as a means for acquiring information for obtaining the current position and attitude, a laser scanner and an air pressure sensor may be used instead of the receiver.

(Communications Department)
The communication unit 22 is a communication module for communicating with the management server 30. As described above, information related to the flight path, information for image display, and information for controlling the rotational attitude of the image display device 220 are transmitted from the management server 30, and the communication unit 22 receives this information and outputs it to the control unit 24. In addition, the communication unit 22 outputs each piece of information on the current position and attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 calculated as described above to the management server 30.

(Memory unit)
The storage unit 23 is an information storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD). The storage unit 23 stores various programs and various data, and inputs and outputs the information between the storage unit 23 and the control unit 24. The various data includes information used in each process of the control unit 24, such as position and attitude information, route information, etc.

The position and attitude information is a history of the current position and attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 acquired by the position and attitude sensor 21, which is cyclically stored at predetermined time intervals. The route information is information received from the management server 30 and stored in the memory unit 23, and is information regarding the flight route along which the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is planned to move. Specifically, it is information that associates a coordinate sequence (x, y, z) on the flight route with the time, speed, and acceleration at each position (coordinate).

(Control Unit)
The control unit 24 is a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and reads out programs and data from the storage unit 23. The control unit 24 is equipped with a position and attitude calculation unit 241, a flight control unit 242, an image display control unit 243, and a rotation position control unit 244 as functional units in accordance with the programs.

The position/attitude calculation unit 241 calculates the current position and attitude of the unmanned flying object 20 in the flight space from the output of the position/attitude sensor 21, and stores it as position/attitude information. In addition, the position/attitude calculation unit 241, for example, calculates the latitude, longitude, and altitude from the navigation signal output from the position/attitude sensor 21, and converts it to a position in the coordinate system of the flight space using a conversion rule stored in advance. Furthermore, the position/attitude calculation unit 241 calculates the current attitude in the coordinate system of the flight space from the measurement signals of the acceleration sensor and gyro sensor output from the position/attitude sensor 21. Note that the position/attitude calculation unit 241 may calculate the direction in the coordinate system of the flight space from the measurement signal of the electronic compass output from the position/attitude sensor 21, and calculate the current attitude using further measurement signals from other sensors. Note that the position/attitude calculation unit 241 transmits the current position to the management server 30 via the communication unit 22 each time it calculates the current position.

The flight control unit 242 refers to the route information (information related to the flight path received from the management server 30) and the position and attitude information, and controls the rotation speed of each motor 211, 211, ... so that the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 moves following the flight path described in the route information. Specifically, the flight control unit 242 controls the rotation speed of each motor 211, 211, ... so that the error between the position (coordinates) at the current time described in the route information and the current position described in the position and attitude information is reduced. In addition, the flight control unit 242 calculates the current speed and acceleration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 based on the position and attitude information, and controls the rotation speed of each motor 211, 211, ... so that the error between these values and the speed and acceleration at the current time described in the route information is reduced.

The image display control unit 243 controls the image display on the display surface of the image display device 220 according to the image information received by the communication unit 22 from the management server 30. In other words, the management server 30 manages images corresponding to the position and time of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 for each of the display devices 222, 222, ... of the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ..., and transmits information relating the position and time to each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, .... The image display control unit 243 then controls the image display so that images synchronized based on the accurate PPS (Pulse Per Second) signal of the GNSS are displayed on each of the display devices 222, 222, ... of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ....

The rotation position control unit 244 operates the servo motors 233L, 233R to control the rotation position of the image display device 220 according to information on the rotation position of the image display device 220 corresponding to the flight position received by the communication unit 22 from the management server 30. In other words, the management server 30 is aware of the flight position of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... during flight, calculates the rotation position of the image display device 220 that provides the highest visibility from the ground at this flight position, and transmits this rotation position information from the communication unit 31 to each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... For example, when each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... is flying at a position where the elevation angle is 45° as seen by people (spectators) on the ground at an event, information (rotation position information) for controlling the rotational position of the image display device 220 so that the display surface of the image display device 220 is facing 45° downward from the horizontal as shown in Figure 2 is transmitted to each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ..., and the rotational position control unit 244 in each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... operates the servo motors 233L, 233R in accordance with the received rotational position information to control the rotational position of the image display device 220. In addition, when each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... is flying at a relatively low position relatively far from people on the ground, information for controlling the rotational position of the image display device 220 so that the display surface of the image display device 220 is vertical as shown in Figure 4 is transmitted to each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ..., and the rotational position control unit 244 in each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... operates the servo motors 233L, 233R in accordance with the received rotational position information to control the rotational position of the image display device 220.

- Management server control system -
Next, the control system of the management server 30 will be described. The control system of the management server 30 described below is an example, and the control system of the management server 30 according to the present invention is not limited to the following. The management server 30 determines the target position to which each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... flies, and obtains a flight path from the current position to the target position based on the information of the current position received from each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ..., and transmits the information of the flight path to each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, .... In addition, as described above, the management server 30 also transmits information for image display and information for controlling the rotational attitude of the image display device 220 to each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, .... FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the control system of the management server 30. As shown in FIG. 7, the control system of the management server 30 includes a communication unit 31, a memory unit 32, and a control unit 33.

(Communications Department)
The communication unit 31 is a communication module for communicating with the unmanned aerial vehicle 20. This communication unit 31 transmits information related to the flight path, information for image display, and information for controlling the rotational attitude of the image display device 220 to each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ...

(Memory unit)
The storage unit 32 is an information storage device such as a HDD. The storage unit 32 stores various programs and various data, and inputs and outputs the information between the storage unit 32 and the control unit 33. The various data include information used for each process of the control unit 33, such as position information, spatial information, aircraft information, route information, image information, and rotation position information.

The location information is information that indicates the current location and target location of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20. When information on the current location is received from the unmanned aerial vehicle 20, it is stored in association with the identifier (aircraft ID) of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20. In addition, when a target location for a certain unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is set, the target location is stored in association with the aircraft ID of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20.

The spatial information is information that represents the three-dimensional structure of the flight space. In this embodiment, the spatial information is information that represents the structure of obstacles in the flight space by dividing the flight space into multiple voxels (unit spaces) as a voxel space. The spatial information is set and stored in advance by the system administrator.

The aircraft information is information indicating the characteristics (performance) of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, .... The aircraft information is set and stored in advance by the system administrator. Specifically, the aircraft information is information that associates the aircraft ID of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... with characteristic values (aircraft weight, size, maximum speed, maximum acceleration, and maximum jerk).

The route information is information about the flight path of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, .... Specifically, the route information is stored in association with the aircraft ID of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20, coordinate values (x, y, z) on the route, and values of the passing time, speed, acceleration, jerk, and amount of change in jerk at those coordinate values.

The image information is information about the image to be displayed on each display device 222, 222, ... mounted on each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ..., and is information associated with the position and time of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ....

The rotational position information is information for controlling the rotational position of the image display device 220 in each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ..., and is information that associates the position and attitude of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... with the rotational angle position of the servo motors 233L, 233R.

(Control Unit)
The control unit 33 is a computer equipped with a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and reads out programs and data from the storage unit 32. The control unit 33 is equipped with a target position setting unit 331, a path calculation unit 332, an image information extraction unit 333, and a rotation position calculation unit 334 as functional units in accordance with the programs.

The target position setting unit 331 sets the target position of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... and stores it in the memory unit 32 as position information in association with the vehicle ID. For example, when an image is displayed while moving through the air, the target position is set so that the flight position becomes a specified target position at a predetermined time.

The route calculation unit 332 performs an individual route calculation process that calculates a flight route from the current position of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... to the target position, and stores the calculated route as route information in the memory unit 32. This stored route information is transmitted from the communication unit 31 to each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ..., and the flight of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... is controlled (controlled by the flight control unit 242) in accordance with this information.

The image information extraction unit 333 extracts from the memory unit 32 image information to be displayed on the image display device 220 of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... from the multiple image information stored in the memory unit 32, and transmits the image information to the communication unit 31. The communication unit 31 transmits this image information to each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ....

The rotational position calculation unit 334 extracts from the memory unit 32 rotational position information corresponding to the position and attitude of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... from the multiple rotational position information (information on the rotational position of the image display device 220) stored in the memory unit 32, and transmits it to the communication unit 31. The communication unit 31 transmits this rotational position information to each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ....

<Aerial image display operation>
Next, the aerial image display operation by the aerial image display system 10 composed of a group of unmanned aerial vehicles, which is a collection of unmanned aerial vehicles 20 configured as described above, and a management server 30 will be described.

First, when multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... are waiting (parked) at an aircraft apron, the stack structure described above is used to stack the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... vertically. For example, when 60 unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... are waiting, if six are stacked in a group, there will be 10 groups of stacked unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... at the aircraft apron.

When a flight instruction signal is transmitted from the management server 30, this signal is received by the communication unit 22 of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, .... When each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... receives this flight instruction signal, lift is generated as the rotor 212 rotates with the operation of the motor 211, and the stacked unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... begin flying (ascending) in order from the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 located at the top.

Each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... in flight receives information on the flight path transmitted from the management server 30. Then, according to the information on the flight path, the flight control unit 242 controls the rotation speed of each motor 211, and each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... stops (hover) at a predetermined flight position. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, when each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... flies with the image display devices 220, 220, ... adjacent to each other (each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... is lined up horizontally and vertically), information for image display and information for controlling the rotational attitude of the image display device 220 are transmitted from the management server 30 to each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, .... Each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... performs image display control to display images on each display device 222, 222, ... according to this information, and operates servo motors 233L, 233R to control the rotational position of the image display device 220. As a result, images are displayed on each display surface with the display surfaces of the image display devices 220, 220, ... of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... flying in coordinated control next to each other, resulting in a series of images being displayed across these multiple display surfaces (see Figure 8). This makes it possible to display large images in the air, and highly visible images are displayed in the air.

In the above description, information for image display is received from the management server 30, and the image is displayed on the image display device 220. However, it is also possible to transmit an image (such as a photograph or a hand-drawn picture) on the screen of a smartphone, tablet terminal, or the like on the ground to the unmanned aerial vehicle 20, and display the image on the image display device 220.

Effects of the embodiment
As described above, in this embodiment, images can be displayed in the air by displaying images on the display surfaces of the image display devices 220, 220, ... of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... in a flying state. In addition, the image display device 220 is rotatably attached to the aircraft body 210, and the orientation of the display surface can be changed by adjusting the rotation position of the image display device 220 by operating the servo motors 233L, 233R, so that the rotation position of the image display device 220 can be adjusted so that the display surface is in an orientation that is easy to view (for example, an orientation that is easy to view from the ground). Therefore, a new form of use of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 can be realized, such as displaying images in the air with high visibility.

In addition, in this embodiment, images are displayed on the display surface by the self-luminescence of the display devices 222, 222, .... In other words, the image display device 220 itself can be equipped with an image display function, so there is no need for a separate image projection device, etc., and the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 can be simplified.

In addition, in this embodiment, multiple display devices 222, 222, ... are arranged in a matrix. This allows relatively small display devices 222 to be used, reducing costs, and if one of the display devices 222 is damaged or malfunctions, only that display device 222 needs to be replaced, simplifying maintenance work and reducing maintenance costs.

In addition, in this embodiment, image information is received from the management server 30, and the image display on the display surface of the image display device 220 is controlled in accordance with the image information. Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 does not need to store in advance information on all images to be displayed on the display surface, and therefore does not need to be equipped with an image storage device or the like, which simplifies the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20.

In addition, in this embodiment, rotational position information is received from the management server 30, and the servo motors 233L, 233R are operated in accordance with the rotational position information to control the rotational position of the image display device 220. Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 does not need to store in advance information on the rotational position of the image display device 220 according to the flight position, and therefore does not need to be equipped with a rotational position information storage device, etc., which also simplifies the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20.

In addition, in this embodiment, the display surfaces of the image display devices 220, 220, ... of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ... flying in a coordinated manner are adjacent to each other, and images are displayed on each display surface, making it possible to display a series of images across these multiple display surfaces. This makes it possible to display large images in the air that would be difficult to display on a single unmanned aerial vehicle, and to display highly visible images in the air.

<Modification 1>
Next, a first modified example will be described. In this modified example, the configuration of the image display device 220 is different from that of the above-described embodiment. Therefore, the differences from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described here.

Figure 9 is a view equivalent to Figure 2 for this modified example. Figure 10 is a view equivalent to Figure 3 for this modified example. Figure 11 is a view equivalent to Figure 4 for this modified example. As shown in these figures, the image display device 220 in the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 of this modified example is equipped with a transmissive screen 228 and an image projection device (projector) 229.

The translucent screen 228 is made of a mesh material (mesh screen; so-called amid screen) in which multiple wires (resin or metal wires) are arranged in a lattice pattern, and is attached to the frame-shaped device frame 221 of the image display device 220. The device frame 221 in this example does not include the vertical frame 224. A transparent screen made of transparent resin may be used as the translucent screen 228. The image display device 220 equipped with this translucent screen 228 is rotatably attached to the aircraft body 210 via a rotation mechanism 230, similar to the embodiment described above.

The image projection device 229 is for projecting an image from the rear side of the translucent screen 228, and is supported by the device frame 221 of the image display device 220 to project an image toward the rear of the translucent screen 228. Therefore, even if the image projection device 229 rotates due to the operation of the rotation mechanism 230 (operation of the servo motors 233L and 233R) and the translucent screen 228 also rotates relative to the flying object main body 210, the positional relationship between the translucent screen 228 and the image projection device 229 remains unchanged, and the image projection device 229 can project an image toward the rear of the translucent screen 228. In this embodiment, the image projection device 229 is supported by the receiving base 226, but the support structure of the image projection device 229 is not limited to this, and the image projection device 229 may be supported by the device frame 221 of the image display device 220 by multiple arms (not shown). In addition, instead of the image projection device 229, the device that projects an image onto the transmissive screen 228 may be one that displays a color image on the transmissive screen 228 by scanning an RGB laser beam (scanning laser illuminator).

The rest of the configuration is similar to that of the previously described embodiment.

The control operation of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... during the aerial image display operation in the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 according to this embodiment is the same as in the previously described embodiment. That is, information related to the flight path, information for image display, and information for controlling the rotational attitude of the image display device 220 are received from the management server 30, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to fly along a predetermined flight path, while the image display on the image display device 220 and the rotational attitude of the image display device 220 are controlled. Then, when displaying an image, an image projected from the image projection device 229 toward the back surface of the translucent screen 228 is displayed on the display surface of the translucent screen 228, and an image is displayed in the air.

In addition, because the transparent screen 228 is a mesh screen, wind (air) can pass through, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is less affected by wind during flight. As flight becomes more stable, the image displayed in the air can be stabilized (reducing shaking of the image in the air), and the image can be displayed in the air with high visibility.

In addition, in this example, it is possible to display a single image projected from the image projection device 229 on the entire display surface of the image display device 220. Therefore, compared to a case in which the display surface is divided into multiple regions and images displayed individually in each region are synchronized, the processing load for this image synchronization can be eliminated, the control for image display can be simplified, and the load on the control system can be reduced.

<Modification 2>
Next, a description will be given of Modification 2. In the above-described embodiment and Modification 1, the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 itself is provided with a light source for emitting images. In this modification, the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is provided with a light source externally instead.

Figure 12 is a diagram equivalent to Figure 8 for this modified example. The unmanned aerial vehicle 20 in this modified example does not have the display device 222 in the previously described embodiment or the image projection device 229 in the previously described modified example as the image display device 220, but is configured to only have a screen (e.g., a reflective screen) 228'.

Meanwhile, a scanning laser illuminator (image illuminator) 40 is installed on the ground, and an image is displayed in the air by projecting an image from this scanning laser illuminator 40 onto the screen 228' of each image display device 220, 220, ... of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ....

One example of a usage form of the aerial image display system 10 according to this modification is to project an image (such as a photograph or a hand-drawn picture) on the screen of a smartphone or tablet device on the ground from the scanning laser illuminator 40 onto a group of unmanned aerial vehicles, thereby displaying an enlarged image in the air.

According to this modified example, the image display device 220 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 only needs to be equipped with a screen 228', and there is no need to equip it with the display device 222 or image projection device 229 described above, thereby simplifying the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20.

<Modification 3>
Next, a description will be given of Modification 3. In this modification, the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is different from that of the embodiment described above. Therefore, the differences from the embodiment described above will be mainly described here.

Figure 13 is a diagram equivalent to Figure 6 in this modified example (a block diagram showing the control system of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20). The unmanned aerial vehicle 20 according to this embodiment is provided with an image information storage unit 23a and a rotational position information storage unit 23b in the storage unit 23. The image information storage unit 23a stores information on the image to be displayed on the image display device 220 in advance. The rotational position information storage unit 23b stores information on the rotational position of the image display device 220 according to the flight position and flight attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 in advance.

In the aerial image display operation, the image display control unit 243 reads image information from the image information storage unit 23a and controls the image display on the display surface of the image display device 220. The configuration for performing this image display may be that of the above embodiment or that of the above modification example 1. In addition, the rotation position control unit 244 reads information on the rotation position of the image display device 220 corresponding to the current flight position and flight attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 from the rotation position information storage unit 23b, and operates the servo motors 233L and 233R to control the rotation position of the image display device 220.

In this manner, when each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... stores image information and controls the image display on the display surface of each image display device 220, 220, ..., the image display control unit 243 performs image display control so that images synchronized based on the accurate PPS signal of the GNSS are displayed on each display device 222, 222, ... of each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ....

For this reason, in this modified example, no transmission or reception of image information or rotational position information is performed between the management server 30 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 20. This makes it possible to simplify the overall system configuration for displaying images in the air. In addition, the amount of information communicated between the management server 30 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 can be reduced, making it possible to stabilize communication. In other words, when only information related to the flight path is communicated between the management server 30 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 20, for example, it is possible to stabilize the communication of information.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and each of the modifications, and all modifications and applications encompassed within the scope of the claims and equivalents thereto are possible.

In addition, in the first modified example, the image projection device 229 projects an image from the rear side of the transmissive screen 228. The present invention is not limited to this, and the image projection device 229 may project an image from the front side of a screen (e.g., a reflective screen, etc.).

In addition, in the above embodiment and each of the above modified examples, the rotation mechanism 230 is configured to rotate the image display device 220 using a pair of servo motors 233L, 233R. The present invention is not limited to this, and various actuators for rotating the image display device 220 can be applied.

In addition, in the above embodiment and variant example 1, the information related to the flight path, the information for image display, and the information for controlling the rotational attitude of the image display device 220 are each transmitted from the management server 30 to each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ... to control each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, .... Without being limited to this, a system may be configured in which some of the information related to the flight path, the information for image display, and the information for controlling the rotational attitude of the image display device 220 are transmitted from the management server 30 to each unmanned aerial vehicle 20, 20, ..., and other information is stored in each of the unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, ....

In addition, in the above embodiment and each of the above modified examples, the air vehicle body 210 and the image display device 220 of the unmanned air vehicle 20 are both rectangular in shape. The present invention is not limited to this, and the shapes may be circular, elliptical, or polygonal other than rectangular.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the multiple display devices 222, 222, ... are arranged inside the outer frame 223, but the display devices 222, 222, ... may also be arranged outside the outer frame 223. This makes it possible to reduce the gap between the display devices 222, 222 of adjacent unmanned aerial vehicles 20, 20, and display clearer images in the air.

The present invention is applicable to unmanned aerial vehicles capable of displaying images in the air.

10 Aerial image display system 20 Unmanned flying object 22 Communication unit 23a Image information storage unit 23b Rotation position information storage unit 210 Flying object main body 212 Rotor (rotor wing)
220 Image display device 222 Display device 228 Transmissive screen 229 Image projection device 233L, 233R Servo motors (rotation position adjustment actuators)
243 Image display control unit 244 Rotation position control unit 30 Management server (image information source, rotation position information source)
31 Communication unit 40 Scanning laser irradiator (image irradiator)

Claims (13)

A group of unmanned aerial vehicles comprising a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles each having an aerial vehicle body with a rotor and flying with the rotation of the rotor,
Each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is
an image display device that is rotatably attached to the aircraft body and has a display surface that displays an image;
a rotation position adjustment actuator that adjusts a rotation position of the image display device relative to the aircraft body to change an orientation of the display screen ;
The outer shape of the image display device is set to be larger than the outer shape of the aircraft body,
A group of unmanned aerial vehicles, characterized in that each of the unmanned aerial vehicles flies under coordinated control so that the display surfaces of the image display devices of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles are adjacent to each other, and a series of images are displayed across the display surfaces of each of the image display devices of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles . 2. The unmanned aerial vehicle fleet of claim 1,
A group of unmanned aerial vehicles, characterized in that the image display device in each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is equipped with a self-luminous display device, and images are displayed on the display surface by the self-luminescence of the display device. 3. The unmanned aerial vehicle group according to claim 2,
A group of unmanned aerial vehicles , characterized in that each of the unmanned aerial vehicles has multiple display devices arranged in a matrix. 2. The unmanned aerial vehicle fleet of claim 1,
A group of unmanned aerial vehicles , each of which is equipped with an image projection device and is configured to display an image projected from the image projection device on the display surface. 5. The unmanned aerial vehicle group according to claim 4,
The image display device in each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is equipped with a transmissive screen,
A group of unmanned aerial vehicles , characterized in that the image projection device is arranged to project an image from the rear side of the transmissive screen toward the transmissive screen. 6. The unmanned aerial vehicle group according to claim 5,
A group of unmanned aerial vehicles, wherein the transmissive screen in each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is a mesh screen in which a plurality of wires are arranged in a lattice pattern. In the group of unmanned aerial vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is
a communication unit that receives image information from an image information source that transmits image information;
A group of unmanned aerial vehicles characterized by comprising an image display control unit that controls image display on the display surface of the image display device in accordance with image information received by the communication unit. In the group of unmanned aerial vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is
an image information storage unit that stores image information in advance;
A group of unmanned aerial vehicles, characterized in that it is equipped with an image display control unit that controls image display on the display screen of the image display device in accordance with image information stored in the image information storage unit. In the group of unmanned aerial vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is
The image display device is attached to the unmanned aerial vehicle body so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis when the unmanned aerial vehicle is in flight,
A communication unit that receives rotation position information from a rotation position information source that transmits information on the rotation position of the image display device according to the flight position;
A group of unmanned aerial vehicles characterized by comprising a rotation position control unit that operates the rotation position adjustment actuator in accordance with the rotation position information received by the communication unit to control the rotation position of the image display device. In the group of unmanned aerial vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is
The image display device is attached to the unmanned aerial vehicle body so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis when the unmanned aerial vehicle is in flight,
A rotation position information storage unit that stores information on the rotation position of the image display device according to the flight position in advance;
A group of unmanned aerial vehicles characterized by being equipped with a rotational position control unit that operates the rotational position adjustment actuator in accordance with the rotational position information stored in the rotational position information memory unit to control the rotational position of the image display device. A system comprising a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles constituting a group of unmanned aerial vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and an image information transmission source,
the image information source is provided with a communication unit that transmits image information;
An aerial image display system characterized in that each unmanned aerial vehicle is equipped with a communication unit that receives image information transmitted from the communication unit of the image information source, and an image display control unit that controls the image display on the display surface of the image display device in accordance with the image information received by the communication unit. A system comprising a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles constituting a group of unmanned aerial vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and a rotation position information transmission source,
The rotation position information source is provided with a communication unit that transmits information on the rotation position of the image display device according to the flight position of the unmanned aerial vehicle,
An aerial image display system characterized in that each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is equipped with a communication unit that receives rotational position information transmitted from the communication unit of the rotational position information source, and a rotational position control unit that operates the rotational position adjustment actuator in accordance with the rotational position information received by the communication unit to control the rotational position of the image display device. An aerial image display system comprising a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles constituting the group of unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1 and an image illuminator capable of illuminating an image,
An aerial image display system characterized in that the image display device of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles is equipped with a screen, and an image is displayed on the display surface by projecting an image from the image illuminator toward the screen of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles in a flying state.

Images