JP2016199144A - Unmanned vehicle system, ground unmanned vehicle, and unmanned flight vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an unmanned vehicle system which enables an unmanned flight vehicle to be put down on and housed in a ground unmanned vehicle with simple means and significantly increases the operating time of the unmanned flight vehicle.SOLUTION: A ground unmanned vehicle 1 includes a battery 8 connected to a feeding cable 13. An unmanned flight vehicle 20 is connected to the battery 8 through the feeding cable 13 and receives electric power supply from the battery 8 through the feeding cable 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle system operated by remote control or autonomous control by an operator, and more particularly to an unmanned aerial vehicle moving on the ground and an unmanned air vehicle flying in the air.

A system that obtains images and information from a distance by installing image acquisition means such as cameras and various sensors on a drone on the ground is put into practical use.For example, for grasping the situation and collecting information in an environment where people are not accessible such as disaster sites It is utilized.
There are terrestrial drones that run on land and surface drones that travel on the water such as the ocean and rivers. The following is an explanation of land drones as examples of terrestrial drones.

Such a land drone has a number of advantages such as being easy to handle because it is configured to travel and move on land, and can be operated for a long time with a large-capacity battery when it is driven by an electromagnetic motor. .
On the other hand, land drones have the disadvantage that it is difficult to access high locations.
In contrast, unmanned aerial vehicles are equipped with video acquisition means such as cameras and various sensors, and a system for obtaining distant information has also been put into practical use, and is beginning to be used for grasping the situation of places including high places and collecting information. .
In particular, those that fly by rotating the rotor with an electromagnetic motor are easily used for ease of handling.
Such an unmanned air vehicle is easy to access to high places, but due to restrictions on the payload that can be mounted, there is a limit to the weight of the battery that supplies the power required for flight, so access to distant places that require flight time is possible. It was difficult.
For this reason, as a configuration for solving these problems, a configuration in which a land drone and an unmanned air vehicle are linked is proposed.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which an unmanned aerial vehicle is mounted on a land drone, traveled and moved by the land unmanned aircraft, and then the unmanned aerial vehicle is separated and levitated from the land unmanned aerial vehicle to access a high place. Has been.

JP 2006-51893 A

In the conventional land drone and unmanned aerial vehicle shown in Patent Document 1, a marker is added to the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the marker or the unmanned aerial vehicle itself is imaged by an imaging means mounted on the land unmanned aerial vehicle. A configuration is shown in which the position of the body is calculated, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled based on this to land and land on a land drone.
According to this configuration, it is not necessary to identify the position of an unmanned air vehicle, which has been conventionally performed by a satellite positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System), and the unmanned air vehicle can be detected even in a closed space such as a building or a tunnel. Landing and landing on land drone is possible.
However, in order to land and accommodate an unmanned air vehicle in a narrow space on a land drone, it is necessary to detect and control the unmanned air vehicle with high accuracy. There was a problem.

  In addition, since the battery that supplies the power required for the flight of the unmanned air vehicle is mounted on the unmanned air vehicle itself, the flight time of the unmanned air vehicle depends on the power capacity of the battery that can be mounted, and it is difficult to extend the operating time There was a problem of being.

  The main object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional unmanned aerial vehicle system, and when unmanned aerial vehicles are landed on the ground unmanned aircraft by simple means in the cooperative operation of the unmanned ground vehicles and the unmanned air vehicles. The main object of the present invention is to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle system that can be accommodated and that can significantly increase the operating time of an unmanned air vehicle.

The drone system according to the present invention is:
A grounded drone equipped with a battery to which a power supply cable is connected;
An unmanned air vehicle connected to the battery via the power supply cable and receiving power supplied from the battery via the power supply cable.

  According to the present invention, the battery for supplying power to the unmanned air vehicle is mounted on the ground unmanned aerial vehicle, and power is supplied to the unmanned air vehicle via the power supply cable. The operating time can be increased.

Moreover, when landing and accommodating the unmanned aerial vehicle that has surfaced on the ground drone, the unmanned aerial vehicle can be lowered and landed by winding the power supply cable.
For this reason, it is possible to reliably and easily accommodate the unmanned aerial vehicle in the ground drone without performing self-position identification and position control of the unmanned aerial vehicle, thereby realizing a low-cost system.

FIG. 3 is a main part side view showing a configuration example of the drone system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front view of a principal part showing a configuration example of the drone system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a main part plan view showing a configuration example of the drone system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a main part plan view illustrating a configuration example of the land drone according to the first embodiment. The block diagram which shows the relationship between the unmanned aircraft system which concerns on Embodiment 1, a controller, and an operator. FIG. 3 is a side view of the main part showing the flight operation of the unmanned air vehicle according to the first embodiment. The principal part side view which shows the operation | movement which the unmanned air vehicle which concerns on Embodiment 1 accretes and accommodates on the deck of a land drone. The model figure which shows the state which the unmanned air vehicle which concerns on Embodiment 1 has surfaced in the vicinity of the just above the land drone. The model figure which shows the state which the unmanned air vehicle which concerns on Embodiment 1 has floated in the diagonally upper surface of the land drone. The model figure which shows the operation | movement which pulls down an unmanned aerial vehicle with a power feeding cable in the state which the unmanned air vehicle which concerns on Embodiment 1 has floated in the diagonally sky of a land drone. The block diagram which shows the relationship between the drone system which concerns on Embodiment 2, a controller, and an operator.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
*** Explanation of configuration ***
Hereinafter, the configuration of the drone system according to the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 is a side view of an essential part of the drone system according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the main part of the drone system shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the main part of the drone system shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a main part of the land drone according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the relationship between the drone system, the controller, and the operator according to the first embodiment.

In the figure, a land drone 1 is an example of a ground drone and travels on land.
On the land drone 1, wheels 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, 2 d driven by a drive source (not shown) are rotatably arranged.
The land drone 1 includes an imaging unit 3.
The imaging unit 3 includes a camera 4 and an illumination unit 5 and has a configuration capable of imaging in an arbitrary direction by a mechanism (not shown).
The deck 6 is a loading platform for loading an unmanned air vehicle 20 described later.
The deck 6 is disposed on the upper surface of the land drone 1 by the support 7 so that the unmanned air vehicle 20 can be placed thereon.
The battery 8 is mounted inside the land drone 1 and supplies power to the land drone 1 and the unmanned air vehicle 20.

The unmanned air vehicle 20 flies in the air.
The unmanned air vehicle 20 includes rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d that are driven by electromagnetic motors 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d at four corners of a frame 21.
The control circuit unit 24 is disposed in the vicinity of the substantially central portion of the frame 21.
The pan / tilt camera 25 is disposed in the lower part of the frame 21 in the vicinity of the substantially central part, and enables imaging in an arbitrary direction.
The control circuit unit 24 controls the rotation speed of the electromagnetic motors 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d to control the attitude, position, altitude, and the like of the unmanned air vehicle 20, and also controls the pan / tilt camera 25 to display an image in an arbitrary direction. Take an image.
The leg portions 26 a, 26 b, 26 c and 26 d are disposed near the four corners of the frame 21.

The cable drum 10 is rotatably supported by a frame 11 disposed in the land drone 1.
The motor 12 is connected to the support shaft 10 b of the cable drum 10 and rotationally drives the cable drum 10.
The cable drum 10 and the motor 12 correspond to a winding device.

The power supply cable 13 is wound around the cable drum 10 and once connected to the battery 8 via a slip ring or the like (not shown).
The power supply cable 13 is connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 through the bush 6b provided in the approximate center of the deck 6, and the electric power of the battery 8 is controlled by the electromagnetic motors 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20. This is supplied to the circuit unit 24, the pan / tilt camera 25, and the like.
The power supply cable 13 branches off from the auxiliary cable 13b in the vicinity of the unmanned air vehicle 20, and the power supply cable 13 and the auxiliary cable 13b are held by brackets 14a and 14b disposed on the lower surface of the frame 21.
It is preferable that the power supply cable 13 from the branch point 13c where the auxiliary cable 13b branches from the power supply cable 13 to the bracket 14a and the auxiliary cable 13b from the branch point 13c to the bracket 14b have substantially the same length.

The controller 30 receives an operation input from the operator 40 and remotely operates the land drone 1 and the unmanned air vehicle 20.
The controller 30 and the land drone 1 are connected by radio or wire.
The controller 30 transmits the operation control command of the land drone 1 and / or the unmanned air vehicle 20 input by the operator 40 to the land drone 1.
The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 are connected wirelessly or by wire, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 transmits an operation control command for the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 received from the controller 30 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 20.

In addition, the land drone 1 transmits to the controller 30 video captured by the pan / tilt camera 25 mounted on the unmanned air vehicle 20 and data obtained from sensors (not shown) mounted on the unmanned air vehicle 20.
The controller 30 is obtained from an image taken by the camera 4 and the pan / tilt camera 25 mounted on the land drone 1 and / or the unmanned air vehicle 20 and sensors (not shown) mounted on the land drone 1 and / or the unmanned air vehicle 20. The received data is received from the land drone 1 and presented to the operator 40 who performs remote operation.

  In addition, when connecting the land drone 1 and the unmanned air vehicle 20 by wire, it is desirable to use a composite cable combined with the feeding cable 13.

*** Explanation of operation ***
Next, the operation of the drone system configured as described above according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the principal part showing the flight operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the unmanned aerial vehicle system according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a diagram of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the unmanned aerial vehicle system according to the first embodiment It is a principal part side view which shows the operation | movement which accompanies and accommodates.

First, the horizontal movement operation of the land unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 when obtaining information on a remote location by the unmanned aerial vehicle system will be described.
In this case, the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is placed on the deck 6 disposed on the upper surface of the land drone 1.
At this time, the cable drum 10 around which the power supply cable 13 is wound is rotated by the motor 12 in the direction indicated by the arrow A, which is the cable winding direction, and the power supply cable 13 is wound in the direction indicated by the arrow B. By making it the imparted state, the unmanned air vehicle 20 is prevented from dropping from the deck 6.
When a traveling instruction of the land drone 1 is input to the controller 30 by an operator 40 that remotely operates the drone system, the land drone 1 is controlled by a control command transmitted from the controller 30 and is driven by a drive source (not shown). The wheels 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are rotated to perform a traveling operation.
At this time, an image in the traveling direction is captured by the camera 4 of the imaging means 3 mounted on the land drone 1, and the captured image data is transmitted to the controller 30 for display. Therefore, the operator 40 displays the image displayed on the controller 30. Remote control can be performed while watching.
Similarly, since data obtained from sensors (not shown) mounted on the land drone 1 is also transmitted to the controller 30, the operator 40 can perform remote operation of the land drone 1 based on those data, and reliably It is possible to perform various operations.

Next, the access operation in the height direction will be described.
After the land unmanned aerial vehicle 1 equipped with the unmanned air vehicle 20 is transported to the vicinity of the destination by the above-described operation, the unmanned air vehicle 20 is separated from the land unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and floated to move to the flight operation. Access.
First, in order to release the tension applied to the power supply cable 13 for the purpose of preventing the unmanned air vehicle 20 from dropping from the deck 6 due to the traveling of the land drone 1, the direction of the cable drum 10 indicated by the arrow of the cable drum 10 by the motor 12 is shown. The rotation control to is finished.
As a result, the cable drum 10 can freely rotate in accordance with the drawing operation of the power supply cable 13, and the power supply cable 13 can be freely drawn out.
Next, when the flight instruction of the unmanned air vehicle 20 is input to the controller 30 by the operator 40, the control circuit unit 24 of the unmanned air vehicle 20 receives a control command transmitted from the controller 30 via the land drone 1. The electromagnetic motors 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d are driven to rotate the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d attached thereto.
At this time, by rotating the diagonal electromagnetic motors 22a and 22d in the direction indicated by the arrow C and the electromagnetic motors 22b and 22c in the direction indicated by the opposite arrow D, the torque reaction forces caused by the rotation of the respective rotors are eliminated. The unmanned aerial vehicle 20 can stably float and fly.

When the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d rotate, the unmanned air vehicle 20 generates buoyancy in the direction of the arrow E shown in the figure, and when the buoyancy exceeding the mass of the unmanned air vehicle 20 occurs, the frame 21 of the unmanned air vehicle 20 The leg portions 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d disposed on the left side are separated from the deck 6 of the land drone 1 and float in the direction of arrow E in the drawing.
During the flight operation of the unmanned air vehicle 20, by appropriately controlling the rotational speed of the electromagnetic motors 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d that drive the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d, the ascending / descending speed, the flight direction, the turning amount, Etc. are controlled.
At this time, the pan / tilt camera 25 mounted on the unmanned air vehicle 20 captures an image of the flight direction or surroundings, and the captured image data is transmitted to the controller 30 via the land drone 1 and displayed. Remote operation can be performed while viewing the video displayed on the controller 30.
Further, when an image of the unmanned air vehicle 20 is captured by the camera 4 of the imaging means 3 mounted on the land drone 1 and the captured image data is transmitted to the controller 30 and displayed, the operator 40 can perform remote control more easily. The operation can be performed.
Similarly, data obtained from sensors (not shown) mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is also transmitted to the controller 30 via the land drone 1, so that the operator 40 can remotely operate the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 based on those data. It is possible to perform a reliable operation.

With the above-described operation, the unmanned aerial vehicle system including the unmanned land vehicle 1 and the unmanned air vehicle 20 can collect information on positions including the height direction of a distant place.
That is, even in a closed space such as in a building or tunnel where a satellite positioning system such as GPS cannot be applied, the land drone 1 can be transported far away by remote operation, and further in the height direction near the destination. Can be accessed by the unmanned air vehicle 20 mounted on the land drone 1.
Information such as video and data can be obtained by using the camera 4 and the illumination means 5 of the image pickup means 3 mounted on the land drone 1 and / or the pan / tilt camera 25 mounted on the unmanned air vehicle 20, the land drone 1 and / or It can be performed by sensors (not shown) mounted on the unmanned air vehicle 20 and transmitted to the controller 30 operated by the operator 40.

In the description of the above-described operation, when the unmanned air vehicle 20 floats and flies, the motor 12 first releases the rotation control of the cable drum 10 in the direction of the arrow A shown in the figure, so that the feeding cable 13 can be freely fed. After that, an example is shown in which the unmanned air vehicle 20 is caused to float and fly by generating buoyancy by the rotation of the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d.
Instead, buoyancy is generated by the rotation of the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d while continuing to control the rotation of the cable drum 10 in the direction indicated by the arrow A by the motor 12 and restricting the feeding of the power supply cable 13. It is also possible to control the flying height of the unmanned air vehicle 20 by the feeding amount of the power supply cable 13.
In this case, it is possible to easily prevent the unmanned air vehicle 20 from colliding with the ceiling by measuring the feeding amount of the power feeding cable 13 and limiting the feeding amount to, for example, the ceiling height of the closed space or less. The unmanned air vehicle 20 can be controlled more easily.

Next, a method for landing and accommodating the unmanned air vehicle 20 in flight on the deck of the land drone 1 will be described.
During the flight operation of the unmanned air vehicle 20, buoyancy in the direction of the arrow E shown in the figure is generated in the unmanned air vehicle 20 due to the rotation of the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d.
In a state where buoyancy exceeding the mass of the unmanned air vehicle 20 is generated, the motor 12 rotates the cable drum 10 in the direction indicated by the arrow A, winds the power supply cable 13 in the direction indicated by the arrow B, and the unmanned air vehicle 20 is illustrated. Pull down in the direction of arrow B.
Since the power supply cable 13 wound around the cable drum 10 is connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 through the bush 6b provided at the substantially central portion of the deck 6 disposed in the land drone 1, The unmanned air vehicle 20 is pulled down in the direction of the land drone 1 without performing special control.
After the legs 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d of the unmanned air vehicle 20 land on the deck 6, the rotational drive of the electromagnetic motors 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d is terminated, and the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d are stopped. The containment operation is completed.
Thereafter, the cable drum 10 around which the power supply cable 13 is wound is controlled to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow A by the motor 12, and the power supply cable 13 is wound in the direction indicated by the arrow B so that tension is applied to the power supply cable 13. By doing so, the unmanned air vehicle 20 can be prevented from dropping from the deck 6.

After the unmanned air vehicle 20 is housed on the deck 6 of the land drone 1, when an operator 40 inputs a travel instruction for the land drone 1 to the controller 30, the land drone 1 is transmitted from the controller 30. The wheels 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d, which are controlled by the control command and are driven by a driving source (not shown), rotate to perform a traveling operation and perform a recovery operation from a remote location.
At this time, the operator 40 can easily operate by viewing the image displayed on the controller 30 and sent from the image pickup means 3 mounted on the land drone 1.

Next, the relationship between the position of the unmanned air vehicle 20 relative to the land drone 1 and the buoyancy generated in the unmanned air vehicle 20 by the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d when the unmanned air vehicle 20 is flying is illustrated in FIG. This will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 8 is a model diagram showing a state in which the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is levitated almost directly above the land drone 1, and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 levitating above the land drone 1. FIG. 10 is a model diagram showing an operation of pulling down the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 by the power feeding cable 13 in a state where the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is flying above the land drone 1.

As shown in FIG. 8, the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is positioned almost directly above the land drone 1, and the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d are not biased in rotation, and have a buoyancy in the direction of the arrow E that is substantially directly above. The buoyancy is set to be equal to or greater than the mass W of the unmanned air vehicle 20, and the feeding cable 13 is wound up in a state of rising and flying, and the winding of the feeding cable 13 is stopped in a state where tension is generated. In some cases, the unmanned air vehicle 20 will hover at a specific location without any special control.
If the power feeding cable 13 is further wound in the direction of the arrow B in this state, the unmanned air vehicle 20 can land on the deck 6 of the land drone 1 without any trouble and be accommodated.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is positioned obliquely above the land drone 1, and the rotation of the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d is not biased, and the direction of the arrow E shown in FIG. The buoyancy is generated in the unmanned air vehicle 20 so that the buoyancy is generated above the mass W of the unmanned air vehicle 20, and the power supply cable 13 is wound up in a state of rising and flying, and the power supply cable 13 is wound up in a state where tension is generated. When the vehicle stops, the unmanned air vehicle 20 tends to float in the direction of the arrow E shown in the drawing, which is substantially upward.
However, since feeding of the power supply cable 13 is restricted, the unmanned air vehicle 20 gradually moves directly above the land drone 1 and the connection point P1 between the power supply cable 13 and the bracket 14a moves to the position P2 shown in the figure. To do.
In this case, the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is not affected by the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 without any trouble by the winding control of the power feeding cable 13 without specially controlling the electromagnetic motors 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d that drive the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d. It is possible to land on the deck 6 of the machine 1 and accommodate it.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 is located obliquely above the land drone 1, and the rotation of the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d is not biased, and is substantially in the direction indicated by the arrow E, which is substantially upward. In the state where the buoyancy is generated and the buoyancy is set to the mass W or more of the unmanned air vehicle 20 so that the buoyancy is rising and flying, and the continuous winding operation of the power supply cable 13 is performed, the unmanned air vehicle 20 Is pulled down in the direction of the arrow F in the figure.
As a result, the unmanned air vehicle 20 is inclined at an angle θ with respect to the vertical direction, and the force generated by the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d changes in the direction of the arrow E ′ shown in the figure.
At this time, the component force Ey in the vertical direction related to the rising of the unmanned air vehicle 20 is
E'cosθ
As a result, the angle decreases compared to the inclination angle θ.
Accordingly, in this case, it is necessary to control the force E ′ generated by the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d so that the component force Ey in the vertical direction exceeds the mass W of the unmanned air vehicle 20.

As described above, the drone system according to the first embodiment can be transferred to a remote place by remote operation of the land drone 1 even in a closed space such as a building or a tunnel where a satellite positioning system such as GPS cannot be applied. It is possible to access the height direction near the destination by the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 mounted on the land drone 1, so that it is possible to easily collect information on the position including the height direction of the distant place. It becomes.
In addition, since the power supply to the unmanned air vehicle 20 is performed from the battery 8 mounted on the land drone 1 via the power supply cable 13, it is not necessary to mount the battery on the unmanned air vehicle 20, and the payload can be increased. Become.
That is, there is an advantage that the degree of freedom in selecting various sensors and cameras that can be mounted on the unmanned air vehicle 20 is increased.
Furthermore, since the land drone 1 normally has a larger payload than the unmanned air vehicle 20, the battery 8 mounted on the land drone 1 can be increased in size.
For this reason, in comparison with the configuration in which the battery is mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle found in the prior art, in the present configuration in which power is supplied to the unmanned air vehicle 20 from the battery 8 mounted on the land drone 1, the operating time of the unmanned air vehicle 20 is reduced. Enlargement is possible.

  Further, in the unmanned aerial vehicle system according to the first embodiment, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 that has surfaced and flew is landed and accommodated on the deck 6 of the land drone 1, the buoyancy caused by the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d of the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 Since the feeding cable 13 is wound up and landed on the deck 6 in a state where the unmanned aerial vehicle is generated, the land drone 1 can be narrowed easily and reliably without performing self-position identification and position control of the unmanned air vehicle 20. Therefore, it is possible to realize a low-cost system.

  In addition, although the land drone 1 of the drone system shown in the said Embodiment 1 showed what was drive | worked by the wheel driven rotationally, it may be another running means, such as a crawler, for example. The means is not limited.

  The unmanned aerial vehicle 20 of the unmanned aerial vehicle system shown in the first embodiment is a multi-rotor helicopter having a plurality of rotors. A flying object having a reversing rotor may be used, and the flying means is not limited.

Moreover, although the unmanned air vehicle 20 of the unmanned aerial vehicle system shown in the above-described first embodiment has the pan / tilt camera 25 disposed in the lower part of the vicinity of the substantially central portion of the frame 21, it is not limited to this. When arranged on the upper surface of the frame 21, it is easy to obtain an image above the ceiling or the like in the closed space.
In this case, it is desirable to ensure flight stability by considering that the center of gravity of the unmanned air vehicle is below the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d.

  In the unmanned aerial vehicle system shown in the first embodiment, the land unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the unmanned air vehicle 20 are supplied with the same battery 8 for supplying power to the unmanned air vehicle 20. 1 and a battery for supplying power to the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 may be separately mounted on land unmanned aerial vehicles. The same effect is achieved, and an optimum battery corresponding to each load characteristic is provided. Can be selected and installed.

In addition, although the land drone 1 and / or the unmanned aerial vehicle 20 of the unmanned aerial vehicle system shown in the first embodiment have been shown to be operated by the remote operation of the operator 40, the land drone 1 and / or the unmanned flight are shown. It may be a system in which the body 20 operates autonomously and has the same effect.
In this case, the controller 30 operated by the operator is used for displaying and storing various data including images acquired by the land drone 1 and / or the unmanned air vehicle 20, but the function is not limited. Absent.

In the first embodiment, a land drone has been described as an example of a ground unmanned aerial vehicle. However, instead of a land unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle is placed on a water unmanned aerial vehicle that sails on the water such as the ocean or a river. May be.
Even in this case, the battery of the drone and the unmanned air vehicle are connected by the power feeding cable.
In addition, the operation of the water drone when the unmanned air vehicle is separated / levitated and the unmanned air vehicle is landing / accommodating is the same as the operation of the land drone described above.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the ground unmanned aircraft including the battery to which the power supply cable is connected, and the unmanned air vehicle that is connected to the battery through the power supply cable and receives power supply from the battery through the power supply cable. Described the drone system with.

  In addition, the unmanned air vehicle explained that it flies with the power supply cable connected.

  In addition, it has been described that the ground drone further includes a winding device that feeds a power supply cable when the unmanned air vehicle floats.

  Further, it has been described that the winding device controls the flying height of the unmanned air vehicle by restricting the feeding of the power feeding cable.

  The ground drone further includes a loading platform for loading the unmanned air vehicle, and the winding device has described that the unmanned flying vehicle in the air is pulled down to the loading platform by winding the power supply cable.

  In addition, the winding device adjusts the winding amount of the power supply cable to generate tension on the power supply cable when the unmanned air vehicle is loaded on the loading table, and while the unmanned flying object is loaded on the loading table. Explained that the power supply cable is kept in tension.

  Further, it has been explained that the ground drone communicates with the controller that controls the ground unmanned aircraft and communicates with the unmanned air vehicle, and the unmanned air vehicle communicates with the ground unmanned aircraft.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
*** Explanation of configuration ***
Next, the configuration of the drone system according to the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the drone system according to the second embodiment.
In the figure, the controller 30 receives an operation input from the operator 40 and remotely operates the land drone 1 and the unmanned air vehicle 20.
The controller 30 and the land drone 1 are connected by radio or wire, and the controller 30 transmits an operation control command for the land drone 1 to the land drone 1.
Further, the controller 30 receives the image taken by the camera 4 mounted on the land drone 1 and data obtained from sensors (not shown) mounted on the land drone 1 from the land drone 1 and performs remote operation. Present it to the operator 40.

The controller 30 and the unmanned air vehicle 20 are connected by radio, and the controller 30 transmits an operation control command for the unmanned air vehicle 20 to the unmanned air vehicle 20.
In addition, the controller 30 receives images taken by the pan / tilt camera 25 mounted on the unmanned air vehicle 20 and data obtained from sensors (not shown) mounted on the unmanned air vehicle 20 from the unmanned air vehicle 20 and performs remote operation. Present it to the operator 40.
Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and are omitted.

*** Explanation of operation ***
Next, an operation of the drone system configured as described above according to the second embodiment will be described.
When operating the land drone 1, when an operator 40 inputs a travel instruction of the land drone 1 to the controller 30, the land drone 1 is controlled by a control command transmitted from the controller 30, not shown. The wheels 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d driven by the drive source are rotated to perform a traveling operation.
At this time, an image in the traveling direction is captured by the camera 4 of the imaging means 3 mounted on the land drone 1, and the captured image data is transmitted to the controller 30 for display. Therefore, the operator 40 displays the image displayed on the controller 30. Remote control can be performed while watching.
Similarly, since data obtained from sensors (not shown) mounted on the land drone 1 is also transmitted to the controller 30, the operator 40 can perform remote operation of the land drone 1 based on those data, and reliably It is possible to perform various operations.

When operating the unmanned air vehicle 20, when a flight instruction for the unmanned air vehicle 20 is input to the controller 30 by the operator 40, the control circuit unit 24 of the unmanned air vehicle 20 sends a control command transmitted from the controller 30. Receiving, driving the electromagnetic motors 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, rotating the rotors 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d attached to the motors, and appropriately controlling the number of rotations thereof, the ascending / descending speed, the flight direction , Turn amount, etc.
At this time, the pan / tilt camera 25 mounted on the unmanned air vehicle 20 captures the image of the flight direction or surroundings, and the captured image data is transmitted to the controller 30 for display. Therefore, the operator 40 displays the image displayed on the controller 30. Remote operation can be performed while watching.
Further, when an image of the unmanned air vehicle 20 is captured by the camera 4 of the imaging means 3 mounted on the land drone 1 and the captured image data is transmitted to the controller 30 and displayed, the operator 40 can perform remote control more easily. The operation can be performed.
Similarly, since data obtained from sensors (not shown) mounted on the unmanned air vehicle 20 is also transmitted to the controller 30, the operator 40 can perform remote operation of the unmanned air vehicle 20 based on those data, and reliably It is possible to perform various operations.

Since operations other than those described above are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.
The unmanned aerial vehicle system according to the second embodiment has the same effects as the effects shown in the first embodiment, as well as the communication between the controller 30 and the land drone 1, and the communication between the controller 30 and the unmanned air vehicle 20. Since each of the routes is configured separately, it is possible to prevent a transmission delay due to excessive communication amount of a communication route for transmitting and receiving control commands and data when simultaneously operating the unmanned land vehicle 1 and the unmanned air vehicle 20. Become.

  1 land drone, 2a wheel, 2b wheel, 2c wheel, 2d wheel, 3 imaging means, 4 camera, 5 illumination means, 6 deck, 6b bushing, 7 strut, 8 battery, 10 cable drum, 10b spindle, 11 frame , 12 Motor, 13 Power supply cable, 13b Auxiliary cable, 13c Branch point, 14a Bracket, 14b Bracket, 20 Unmanned air vehicle, 21 frame, 22a Electromagnetic motor, 22b Electromagnetic motor, 22c Electromagnetic motor, 22d Electromagnetic motor, 23a Rotor, 23b Rotor, 23c Rotor, 23d Rotor, 24 Control circuit section, 25 Pan tilt camera, 26a Leg section, 26b Leg section, 26c Leg section, 26d Leg section, 30 Controller, 40 Operator.

Claims (10)

A grounded drone equipped with a battery to which a power supply cable is connected;
An unmanned aerial vehicle system comprising: an unmanned aerial vehicle that is connected to the battery via the power feeding cable and receives power supply from the battery via the power feeding cable. The unmanned air vehicle is
The unmanned aerial vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the unmanned aircraft system flies while the power supply cable is connected. The ground drone further includes:
The drone system of Claim 1 provided with the winding apparatus which sends out the said electric power feeding cable when the said unmanned air vehicle floats. The winding device is
4. The drone system according to claim 3, wherein the flying height of the unmanned air vehicle is controlled by restricting the feeding of the power feeding cable. The ground drone further includes:
A loading platform for loading the unmanned air vehicle,
The winding device is
The unmanned aerial vehicle system according to claim 3, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle in the air is wound on the loading platform by winding the power feeding cable. The winding device is
While the unmanned air vehicle is loaded on the loading table, the winding amount of the power feeding cable is adjusted to generate tension on the power feeding cable, and while the unmanned flying vehicle is loaded on the loading table. The drone system according to claim 5, wherein a state where tension is generated in the power feeding cable is maintained. The ground drone
While communicating with the controller that controls the ground drone, and communicating with the unmanned air vehicle,
The unmanned air vehicle is
The drone system of Claim 1 which communicates with the said ground drone. The unmanned aerial vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the ground drone and the unmanned air vehicle communicate with a controller that controls the ground unmanned air vehicle and the unmanned air vehicle, respectively.   A ground unmanned aerial vehicle including a battery, wherein the battery is connected to an unmanned air vehicle via a power supply cable.   An unmanned aerial vehicle connected to a battery of a ground unmanned aerial vehicle via a power supply cable and receiving power supply from the battery via the power supply cable.

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