JP7723938B2 - Unmanned aerial vehicle control method, unmanned aerial vehicle, and program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a program.

Inspections of equipment in a variety of environments, including steelmaking equipment such as blast furnaces, converters, annealing furnaces, and coke gas ovens, as well as boilers at various power plants and petrochemical refining facilities, require labor-saving and time-saving inspections to ensure safety and improve yield. For example, in the case of steelmaking equipment, immediately after operation has been shut down, the equipment may be very hot or filled with gases that are toxic to humans, so personnel must wait until the environment is suitable for work before they can begin. Therefore, by using drones, for example, inspections can be carried out more quickly than manual operations, and without the need for personnel to enter the equipment being inspected.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses technology that uses drones to inspect furnace walls inside boilers.

JP 2018-127049 A

However, in facilities such as those described above, there are environments where the prevailing atmosphere is different from atmospheric pressure, such as high-temperature atmospheres or environments filled with various gases. The thrust obtained during drone flight can vary greatly depending on the atmosphere of the various environments. There is a demand for drones to maintain a stable attitude in a variety of atmospheres for imaging and inspection.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle control method, an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a program that enable drones to fly more stably in a variety of environmental atmospheres.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a thrust generating unit and a control device for controlling the output of the thrust generating unit, the control device acquiring atmospheric information in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, using the acquired atmospheric information to determine flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment, and using the determined flight parameters to adjust the output of the thrust generating unit.

The present disclosure also provides an unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a thrust generating unit and a control device for controlling the output of the thrust generating unit, the control device comprising: an atmospheric information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies; a flight parameter determination unit that uses the acquired atmospheric information to determine flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies; and an output control unit that uses the determined flight parameters to control the output of the thrust generating unit.

The present disclosure also provides a program for causing a control device that controls the output of a thrust generating unit provided in an unmanned aerial vehicle to function, the program causing the control device to function as an atmospheric information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, a flight parameter determination unit that uses the acquired atmospheric information to determine flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, and an output control unit that uses the determined flight parameters to control the output of the thrust generating unit.

This disclosure enables drones to fly more stably in a variety of environmental conditions.

An overview diagram showing an example of a use case in which a control method for unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. A diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the flight controller 11 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an overview of flight parameters according to the embodiment. A flowchart showing an example of the flow of a control method for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the steelmaking facility S1 according to the embodiment.

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration will be assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

<Overview>
1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a use case in which a control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is a rotorcraft that obtains lift and thrust by a plurality of rotors 3.

As shown in Figure 1, unmanned aerial vehicle 1 flies within the interior space of steelmaking equipment S1, which is an example of target equipment, and performs tasks such as photographing the wall surface W1 of the steelmaking equipment S1 using a camera or the like. Such unmanned aerial vehicle 1 may fly autonomously, or its flight may be controlled by a user operating it from inside or outside the steelmaking equipment S1.

The target facility may be, for example, a steelworks, glass factory, oil refinery, or other facility used to manufacture various raw materials and materials. The target facility may also be a facility related to power plants, such as thermal power plants, hydroelectric power plants, and nuclear power plants, or a facility related to various infrastructures, such as water supply and sewerage, gas, railways, roads, and communications. The target facility is not particularly limited as long as it can be inspected by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. In this embodiment, an example of the target facility is described as steelmaking facility S1 installed in a steelworks. The steelmaking facility S1 may be various facilities installed in a steelworks. Specifically, the steelmaking facility S1 may include facilities installed in a steelworks that perform processes such as blast furnaces, converters, hot metal pretreatment facilities, degassing facilities, electric furnaces, casting, forging, rolling, annealing, plating, painting, skin pass, and heat treatment, as well as facilities associated with steelmaking in a steelworks, such as coke ovens, denitration facilities, desulfurization facilities, dust collectors, chimneys, heat recovery systems, and boilers. Furthermore, the internal space (i.e., the environment) of the steelmaking equipment S1 may be a completely enclosed space, or it may be a space that is not completely enclosed but is formed by a structure that separates it from the external environment. Such a space may include a spatial region outside an opening provided in the steelmaking equipment S1, where the internal atmosphere may pass through the opening due to convection and be affected by the atmosphere. Various sensors 20 may also be provided in the steelmaking equipment S1.

The control method for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment can be used, for example, when the steelmaking equipment S1 is operating or when it is cooling after operation has stopped. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 can inspect, for example, the wall surface W1 of the steelmaking equipment S1. At such times, the space within the steelmaking equipment S1 is hotter than the atmosphere due to the processing performed by the steelmaking equipment S1, and is at low or high pressure because a different gas than the atmosphere is used. Because it is difficult for workers to enter such spaces, manual inspection is difficult from the standpoint of safety and work efficiency.

For this reason, one possible method would be to fly an unmanned aerial vehicle, such as a drone, into the environmental space of the steelmaking facility S1 and use the unmanned aerial vehicle to conduct inspections. However, the atmosphere in the above-mentioned environment can be hot and low/high pressure. When attempting to fly an unmanned aerial vehicle in such a space, the density of the atmosphere in the space fluctuates with fluctuations in temperature and pressure, making it difficult for the unmanned aerial vehicle to generate stable thrust. This makes it difficult to ensure sufficient accuracy in inspection work such as photography and sensing.

Therefore, the control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 for the steelmaking facility S1 according to this embodiment senses the atmosphere of the environment of the steelmaking facility S1 to acquire information about the atmosphere, and controls the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 based on the information about the atmosphere. More specifically, this control method determines flight parameters for controlling the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 based on the information about the atmosphere, and controls the output of the thrust generating units, such as the motor and rotor, of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 based on the determined flight parameters. This control method appropriately adjusts the output controlled by the flight controller of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to the atmosphere. This allows the output to be adjusted to an appropriate value according to the atmosphere, regardless of flight instructions to the flight controller, enabling more stable flight regardless of the atmosphere of the space within the steelmaking facility S1. Furthermore, this control method eliminates the need to customize the flight controller according to the atmosphere; it is only necessary to determine flight parameters corresponding to the flight control, making it possible to easily control the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 even in harsh atmospheres such as those described above. An example of this embodiment is described below.

First, the hardware configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment comprises a main body 2, rotors 3, a motor 4, and a camera/sensor 5. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 also comprises a flight controller 11, a battery 14, an ESC (Electric Speed Controller) 15, and a transceiver 16 in the main body 2. Note that the configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 shown in Figure 2 is just one example, and rotorcraft with a different configuration from the main body 2 shown in Figure 2 may also be included within the scope of the present invention.

The main body 2 is formed by the frame and other components of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. There are no particular limitations on the material that makes up the main body 2, and it can be, for example, carbon fiber resin, glass fiber resin, magnesium, magnesium alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, steel, titanium, or other materials. The rotors 3 are attached to the motor 4. The rotors 3 rotate due to the rotation of the motor 4, generating lift (thrust) for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The rotors 3 and motor 4 are an example of a thrust generating unit. In this embodiment, the rotors 3 are provided in four locations (front, back, left, and right), but the present invention is not limited to this example. The number of rotors 3 can be changed as appropriate depending on the structure, shape, equipment, size, etc. of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

The flight controller 11 may have one or more processors, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a programmable processor such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The flight controller 11 has and has access to memory 12. The memory 12 stores logic, code, and/or program instructions that the flight controller 11 can execute to perform one or more steps. The flight controller 11 is an example of a control device.

Memory 12 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 camera/sensor 5 may be transmitted directly to and stored in memory 12. For example, still image and video data captured by camera 5 may be recorded in internal or external memory.

The flight controller 11 includes a control module configured to control the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. For example, the control module controls the motor 4, which is the propulsion mechanism of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, via the ESC 15 to adjust the spatial position, speed, and/or acceleration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, which has six degrees of freedom (translational motion x, y, and z, and rotational motion θx, θy, and θz). The rotation of the rotor 3 by the motor 4 generates lift for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The flight controller 11 can adjust the thrust from the rotor 3 by controlling the rotation speed of the motor 4 (rotation speed also means the number of rotations per given time).

The flight controller 11 can communicate with a transceiver 16 configured to transmit and/or receive data from one or more external devices (e.g., a piloting terminal 17). The transceiver 16 can use any suitable communication means, such as wired or wireless communication. The transceiver 16 can utilize one or more of any communication method, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), infrared, wireless, Wi-Fi, a point-to-point (P2P) network, a telecommunications network, or cloud communication.

The transceiver 16 can transmit and/or receive one or more of the following: data acquired by the sensors 5, processing results generated by the flight controller 11, predetermined control data, user commands from a terminal or a remote controller, etc. Information acquired by the sensors 5 may be output to a control terminal 17 or the like via the transceiver 16.

The control terminal 17 is a device for controlling the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 may be controlled by an operator on the ground, or by automatic or manual control based on an autonomous flight program (e.g., a GCS (Ground Control Station)) using flight path information and sensing. The control terminal 17 may be, for example, a transceiver (radio transmitter), smartphone, tablet, or other terminal. The control terminal 17 can send flight control instruction information to the flight controller 11.

The sensor 5 in this embodiment may include, for example, an inertial sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a GPS sensor, a wind sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an air pressure sensor, an altitude sensor, a proximity sensor such as LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), or a vision/image sensor other than a camera. The sensor 5 may be mounted on the flight controller 11 or may be provided externally to the flight controller 11. If a camera 5 is provided, the camera may be any camera. For example, the camera 5 may be a general camera, an infrared camera, a stereo camera, or the like.

<Flight control method>
Next, an example of a method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle in a steelmaking facility according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the flight controller 11 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the flight controller 11 includes an atmosphere information acquisition unit 101, a flight parameter determination unit 102, and an output control unit 103.

The atmospheric information acquisition unit 101 has the function of acquiring atmospheric information in the environment of the steelmaking facility S1 in which the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 flies. The atmospheric information here may include, for example, at least one of the atmospheric temperature, atmospheric air pressure, and atmospheric gas type. Other atmospheric information may also include atmospheric humidity, etc.

Such atmospheric information may be information acquired by a sensor 5 provided on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, for example. Specifically, information relating to the atmospheric temperature may be temperature information acquired by a temperature sensor, which is an example of a sensor 5. Furthermore, information relating to the atmospheric pressure may be pressure information acquired by a pressure sensor, which is an example of a sensor 5. Furthermore, such atmospheric information may be information acquired by a sensor 20 provided on the steelmaking facility S1, for example. In this case, for example, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is configured to be able to communicate with the sensor 20 via the transceiver 16 or the like, and may acquire atmospheric information from the sensor 20 (for example, a measurement value obtained by the sensor). Note that the atmospheric information may be a measurement value obtained by the sensor, or may be information obtained by processing the measurement value.

The flight parameter determination unit 102 has the function of using the acquired atmospheric information to determine flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the environment of the steelmaking facility S1. The flight parameters here may be, for example, parameters that indicate the relationship between the rotation speed (i.e., output) of the motor 4 and the thrust generated by the rotor 3 on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. Using such flight parameters, the rotation speed of the motor 4 can be adjusted to correspond to the thrust required to perform the desired flight control on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The flight parameters may be stored, for example, in the memory 12 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. Furthermore, the flight parameters may be obtained, for example, by measuring the rotation speed (i.e., output) of the motor 4 and the thrust generated by the rotor 3 on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 multiple times under atmospheric conditions such as a predetermined temperature (e.g., atmospheric temperature or room temperature) and air pressure (e.g., atmospheric pressure), and analyzing the measurement data while changing the conditions.

However, as mentioned above, fluctuations in temperature and air pressure change the density of the molecules that make up the air in the atmosphere, and so the thrust obtained at the same motor 4 rotation speed also fluctuates. Therefore, in environments where the temperature and atmospheric pressure are significantly different from normal atmospheric temperatures and pressures, it becomes difficult to adjust thrust using only the specified flight parameters mentioned above, and it is therefore desirable to adjust thrust in accordance with changes in temperature and air pressure.

The flight parameter determination unit 102 therefore determines flight parameters based on atmospheric information. Specifically, multiple flight parameters related to atmospheric information such as temperature and/or air pressure may be provided in advance, or flight parameters determined by functions that use the atmospheric information as a parameter may be provided. The flight parameter determination unit 102 then determines the flight parameters using an evaluation value calculated based on the atmospheric information. Such an evaluation value may be, for example, a coefficient for correcting a reference flight parameter in accordance with the atmospheric information. Alternatively, multiple flight parameters may be provided in advance, either continuously or in stages, and the flight parameter determination unit 102 may change from the multiple flight parameters to a single flight parameter based on the atmospheric information.

The output control unit 103 has the function of adjusting the output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters. For example, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 receives flight control instruction information from a terminal (control terminal 17) for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, the output control unit 103 controls the output of the thrust generating unit based on the flight control instruction information and the determined flight parameters. The flight control instruction information may include, for example, information for moving the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 to a predetermined position or information for moving the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed. The flight controller 11 calculates the thrust for flying the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the predetermined direction from the flight control instruction information, and calculates the rotation speed of the motor 4 using the thrust and the flight parameters. At this time, the output control unit 103 can calculate the rotation speed of the motor 4 according to the environmental atmosphere of the steelmaking facility S1 by using the determined flight parameters. The output control unit 103 outputs a signal related to the rotation speed of the motor 4 to the ESC 15, and the ESC 15 can control the output of the motor 4 so that the rotation speed is achieved.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of an overview of flight parameters according to this embodiment. The graph shown in Figure 4 shows the relationship between the rotation speed of the motor 4 and the thrust output value of the thrust generating unit (rotor 3). The parameters that determine this relationship are the flight parameters. Here, _T1 , _T2 , and _T3 shown in each graph indicate the ambient temperature of the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 flies, and have the relationship _T1 < _T2 < _T3 .

At this time, the higher the ambient temperature, the higher the motor 4 rotation speed required to obtain the same thrust. Here, the flight parameter determination unit 102 can determine flight parameters for determining the motor 4 rotation speed required to obtain the desired thrust, depending on the ambient temperature. For example, if the ambient temperature is higher than the temperature in the air, flight parameters that increase the motor 4 rotation speed are selected. This allows the output control unit 103 to control the motor 4 rotation speed required to obtain the required thrust so that it is higher than usual.

Note that the higher the atmospheric pressure, the lower the motor 4 rotation speed required to obtain the same thrust. This is because the higher the atmospheric pressure, the greater the density of the gas in the atmosphere, and the greater the thrust obtained from a motor at the same rotation speed. The flight parameter determination unit 102 can determine flight parameters for determining the motor 4 rotation speed required to obtain the desired thrust, depending on the atmospheric pressure. For example, if the atmospheric pressure is higher than the atmospheric pressure, flight parameters that reduce the motor 4 rotation speed are selected. This allows the output control unit 103 to control the motor 4 rotation speed required to obtain the required thrust to be lower than usual.

Furthermore, the flight parameter determination unit 102 can determine flight parameters for determining the motor 4 rotation speed required to obtain the desired thrust based on the type (gas species) of gas contained in the atmosphere and its proportion. For example, if the proportion of coke gas (coke oven gas) in the atmosphere is higher than that in the atmosphere, flight parameters that increase the motor 4 rotation speed are selected. This is because the specific gravity of coke gas is 0.47, which is a value smaller than 1. As a result, the output control unit 103 can control the motor 4 rotation speed to be higher than usual to obtain the required thrust. Furthermore, for example, if the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than that in the atmosphere, flight parameters that decrease the motor 4 rotation speed are selected. This is because the specific gravity of carbon dioxide is 1.529, which is a value larger than 1. As a result, the output control unit 103 can control the motor 4 rotation speed to be lower than usual to obtain the required thrust.

Furthermore, the flight parameter determination unit 102 can determine flight parameters for determining the number of rotations of the motor 4 required to obtain the desired thrust, depending on the humidity of the atmosphere. For example, if the humidity of the atmosphere is higher than the humidity in the air, flight parameters that increase the number of rotations of the motor 4 are selected. This is because the higher the humidity of the atmosphere, the lighter the air becomes. As a result, the output control unit 103 can control the number of rotations of the motor 4 required to obtain the required thrust so that it is higher than usual.

Next, we will explain the flow of the method for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the steelmaking facility S1 according to this embodiment. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the method for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the steelmaking facility S1 according to this embodiment.

First, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is present in an environment such as the interior of the steelmaking facility S1 through flight or other means, the atmosphere information acquisition unit 101 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 acquires atmospheric information (step S101). Such atmospheric information may be obtained from a sensor 5 mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, or from a sensor 20 installed in the steelmaking facility S1.

Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 determines flight parameters based on the acquired atmospheric information (step S103). At this time, for example, the flight parameter determination unit 102 may determine new flight parameters based on the atmospheric information, or may determine new flight parameters by correcting previously determined flight parameters.

Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 acquires flight control instruction information from the control terminal 17 (step S105). Then, the output control unit 103 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 controls the output of the target thrust of the thrust generating unit based on the determined flight parameters (step S107). The detailed processing content of each functional unit is as described above.

In this control method for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, the processes described in steps S101 to S107 are performed continuously or intermittently. For example, the above processes may be repeated at intervals of several milliseconds to several seconds, or may be performed intermittently at intervals of several tens of seconds to several minutes. The repetition period for such processes can be determined appropriately depending on the type and size of the steelmaking equipment S1 and the degree of fluctuation in the environmental atmosphere.

In this way, the control method for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment uses information about the atmosphere of the steelmaking facility S1's environment to appropriately determine the flight parameters used to control the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. This enables more stable control of the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, regardless of the magnitude or change in temperature or air pressure. Furthermore, by using information about the atmosphere obtained from the sensor 5 mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, flight control can be performed taking into account the atmosphere in the vicinity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, further improving the accuracy of flight control.

The unmanned aerial vehicle control method according to this embodiment is particularly effective in special ambient environments (special ambient environments) where it is difficult to generate stable thrust in an unmanned aerial vehicle. A special ambient environment can be, for example, one where the temperature is 50°C or higher or where the proportion of gases other than air is 30% or higher. The unmanned aerial vehicle control method according to this embodiment can generate stable thrust in an unmanned aerial vehicle even in such special ambient environments, thereby ensuring sufficient accuracy in inspection work such as photography and sensing.

The above describes in detail preferred embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person with ordinary skill in the technical field of the present disclosure could conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, the effects described in this specification are merely descriptive or exemplary and are not limiting. In other words, the technology disclosed herein may achieve other effects in addition to or in place of the above-mentioned effects that would be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description herein.

The following configurations also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.
(Item 1)
A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:
the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a thrust generating unit and a control device for controlling the output of the thrust generating unit;
The control device
Acquiring atmospheric information in an environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies;
Using the acquired atmospheric information, determine flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment;
adjusting the output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters;
A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, including:
(Item 2)
Item 2. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle as described in item 1, wherein the atmospheric information is acquired by a sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle.
(Item 3)
3. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information about the atmosphere includes information about at least one of the temperature of the atmosphere, the atmospheric pressure of the atmosphere, and the gas species of the atmosphere.
(Item 4)
the thrust generating unit includes a rotor and a motor that rotates the rotor;
the flight parameters are parameters determined based on a relationship between an output of the motor and a thrust obtained by the rotor blades,
A control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle described in any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the flight parameters are determined using evaluation values obtained based on the atmospheric information.
(Item 5)
A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle described in any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the control device adjusts the output of the thrust generating unit based on flight control instruction information obtained from a terminal for operating the unmanned aerial vehicle and the determined flight parameters.
(Item 6)
An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a thrust generating unit and a control device for controlling the output of the thrust generating unit,
The control device
an atmosphere information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies;
a flight parameter determination unit that determines flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, using the acquired atmospheric information;
an output control unit that controls an output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters;
An unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with
(Item 7)
A program for causing a control device to function that controls the output of a thrust generating unit provided in an unmanned aerial vehicle,
The control device
an atmosphere information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies;
a flight parameter determination unit that determines flight parameters to be used for flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the environment in which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, using the acquired atmospheric information;
an output control unit that controls an output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters;
A program that functions as a

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Unmanned aerial vehicle 2 Main body 3 Rotor 4 Motor 5 Sensor 11 Flight controller 101 Atmospheric information acquisition unit 102 Flight parameter determination unit 103 Output control unit

Claims (8)

A method for controlling a drone flying in an internal space of a steelmaking facility, comprising:
The drone includes a thrust generating unit including a rotor and a motor that rotates the rotor, and a control device that controls the output of the thrust generating unit;
The control device
Acquiring atmospheric information in an environment in which the drone flies;
Using the acquired atmospheric information, determining flight parameters to be used for flight control of the drone in the environment;
adjusting the output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters;
Including,
A method for controlling a drone , wherein the information about the atmosphere includes information about gas species in the atmosphere . The drone control method described in claim 1, wherein the internal space of the steelmaking facility is a special atmospheric environment in which the temperature is 50°C or higher or the proportion of gases other than air is 30% or higher. The drone control method described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the atmospheric information is acquired by a sensor mounted on the drone. A drone control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the atmospheric information includes information relating to at least one of the temperature of the atmosphere, the atmospheric pressure, and the gas species in the atmosphere. the flight parameters are parameters determined based on a relationship between an output of the motor and a thrust obtained by the rotor blades,
A drone control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flight parameters are determined using evaluation values obtained based on the atmospheric information. A drone control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control device adjusts the output of the thrust generating unit based on flight control instruction information obtained from a terminal for operating the drone and the determined flight parameters. A drone for flying in the interior space of a steelmaking facility, comprising: a thrust generating unit having a rotor and a motor that rotates the rotor; and a control device for controlling the output of the thrust generating unit,
The control device
An atmosphere information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the drone flies;
a flight parameter determination unit that determines flight parameters to be used for flight control of the drone in the environment in which the drone flies, using the acquired atmospheric information;
an output control unit that controls an output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters;
Equipped with
The information about the atmosphere includes information about gas species in the atmosphere . A program for causing a control device to function that controls the output of a thrust generating unit provided in a drone for flying in the internal space of a steelmaking facility and that includes a rotor and a motor for rotating the rotor,
The control device
An atmosphere information acquisition unit that acquires information about the atmosphere in the environment in which the drone flies;
a flight parameter determination unit that determines flight parameters to be used for flight control of the drone in the environment in which the drone flies, using the acquired atmospheric information;
an output control unit that controls an output of the thrust generating unit using the determined flight parameters;
It functions as
The information about the atmosphere includes information about gas species in the atmosphere .