JP2018142246A - System, and control method and program thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mechanism for improving operability for operating a flight direction of an unmanned airplane, while making it possible to reduce a possibility that the unmanned airplane will fly in a direction not intended by a user.SOLUTION: A system for determining a flight direction of an unmanned airplane by a user operating an operation unit for operating a flight direction of the unmanned airplane, comprises: acceptance means for accepting a flight direction instructed to be operated by the operation unit; identification means for identifying an azimuth angle of the unmanned airplane with respect to the operation unit; and determination means for determining a flight direction of the unmanned airplane according to the flight direction received by the reception means and the azimuth angle identified by the identification means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a system, a control method therefor, and a program, and more particularly, to make it possible to reduce the unmanned airplane flying in a direction unintended by the user, and to improve the operability for operating the flying direction of the unmanned airplane. It is related to the mechanism that is possible.

  Conventionally, there is an unmanned aerial vehicle that is an aircraft on which a person is not on board. Unmanned aerial vehicles vary from large to small, but in recent years, small unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly called drones) that can be remotely controlled have attracted attention (hereinafter, small unmanned aerial vehicles are simply referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles). Called).

  An unmanned aerial vehicle is also called a quadcopter or a multicopter, and includes a plurality of rotor blades. By increasing or decreasing the number of rotations of the rotor blades, the unmanned aircraft advances, retreats, turns, and hovers.

  Such an unmanned aerial vehicle operates in response to an operation instruction from a remote operation terminal called a proportional system (abbreviation: propo), and can also be controlled from a console with an integrated monitor and input device.

  Patent Document 1 proposes an unmanned aerial vehicle that automatically flies over an object to be photographed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-113100

  However, conventionally, if the user can confirm the front direction of the drone (if the drone and the user are close to each other), the user can operate the proportional system while watching the drone in flight, If the user can easily fly the drone in the direction that the user wants, but the user cannot confirm the front direction of the drone (if the drone and the user are far away), the user can see the drone in flight. However, since the front direction of the drone cannot be confirmed, even if the proportional system is operated, it becomes difficult to fly the drone in the direction desired by the user, and the operability is deteriorated.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that can reduce the unmanned airplane flying in a direction not intended by the user and improve the operability for operating the flying direction of the unmanned airplane.

  The present invention is a system for determining a flight direction of an unmanned aerial vehicle by a user operating an operation unit that operates a flight direction of the unmanned aircraft, and a receiving unit that receives the flight direction instructed by the operation unit. The flight direction of the unmanned aircraft is determined according to the specifying means for specifying the azimuth angle from the operation unit to the unmanned airplane, the flight direction received by the receiving means, and the azimuth angle specified by the specifying means. And a determining means.

  The present invention is also a control method in a system for determining a flight direction of an unmanned aircraft by a user operating an operation unit that operates a flight direction of the unmanned aircraft, the flight direction instructed by the operation unit. The unmanned aircraft according to the receiving step, the specifying step of specifying the azimuth angle from the operation unit to the unmanned airplane, the flight direction received by the receiving step, and the azimuth angle specified by the specifying step. And a determining step for determining a flight direction.

  In addition, the present invention is a program that can be read and executed by a system that determines a flight direction of an unmanned aircraft by a user operating an operation unit that operates a flight direction of the unmanned aircraft. Receiving means for receiving the flight direction instructed by the operation unit, specifying means for specifying the azimuth angle from the operation unit to the unmanned airplane, flying direction received by the receiving means, and the azimuth angle specified by the specifying means And functioning as a determining means for determining the flight direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can reduce that an unmanned airplane flies in the direction which a user does not intend, and the operativity which operates the flight direction of an unmanned airplane can be improved.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the system in this embodiment. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an unmanned aerial vehicle 103. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration applicable to the transmitter 102 and the information processing apparatus 101 in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows an example of operation explanatory drawing (A) of the operation part of the transmitter 102, a side view (B) of a drone, and a top view (C) of a drone. It is an example of the top view in the state where the user operates the drone using the transmitter 102 to fly. It is a top view of a drone when the direction which looked at the drone from the user is not the front direction of the drone. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control processing of this system. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the control processing of this system.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below shows an example when the present invention is specifically implemented, and is one of the specific embodiments having the configurations described in the claims.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration according to the present embodiment.

  The system according to the present embodiment receives an operation instruction from a user of an unmanned aircraft (also referred to as an unmanned aerial vehicle or an unmanned airplane) 103 such as a drone and a flight of the unmanned aircraft 103, and transmits the operation contents to the unmanned aircraft 103. A transmitter 102 is connected to the transmitter 102 via a network 104 so that they can communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly.

  The system shown in FIG. 1 is an application example of a system for determining the flight direction of an unmanned aerial vehicle by a user operating an operation unit (operation instruction unit 315) for operating the flight direction of the unmanned aircraft of the present invention.

  The unmanned aerial vehicle 103 is an unmanned aerial vehicle called a drone, an unmanned aerial vehicle, or a UAV, and is an unmanned aircraft that flies in accordance with instructions from the transmitter 102. In response to an instruction from the transmitter 102, the plurality of rotor blades are operated to fly. In this embodiment, a drone will be described as an application example of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

  By increasing or decreasing the rotational speed of the rotor blades, the unmanned aircraft moves forward, backward, turns, hovers, and the like. Although the unmanned aircraft 103 shown in FIG. 1 has four rotor blades, the present invention is not limited to this. There may be three, six, or eight.

  The unmanned aerial vehicle 103 has a camera. In order to change the shooting direction of the camera, the unmanned aircraft 103 has a pan function for moving the camera lens to the left and right, a tilt for moving the lens up and down, and a zoom function for making the telephoto and the wide angle. It can be operated from a remote location (PTZ control).

  The transmitter 102 is a proportional system for controlling the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 103.

  The transmitter 102 includes an operation instruction unit 315 (a) and an operation instruction unit 315 (b) that receive an instruction of the flight direction of the unmanned aircraft 103 by a user operation.

  Further, the transmitter 102 performs an operation correction mode in which the flight direction received through the operation instruction unit 315 (a) and the operation instruction unit 315 (b) is corrected, or corrects the flight direction received in the instruction. An operation mode switching button 105 is provided for switching between non-existing modes. The operation mode switching button 105 functions as switching means for switching the operation mode.

  The transmitter 102 is connected to an information processing apparatus 101 such as a smartphone or a tablet PC (tablet terminal) so as to be able to communicate with each other. The information processing apparatus 101 is provided with a display 310, and an image captured by the camera of the unmanned aircraft 103 can be displayed on the display 310.

  In addition, the information processing apparatus 101 includes a GPS receiver, and acquires information (latitude, longitude) of the current position of the information processing apparatus 101 by receiving a signal from a GPS satellite by the GPS receiver. Can do.

  In FIG. 1, the transmitter 102 and the information processing apparatus 101 are illustrated as separate cases. However, the functions of the information processing apparatus 101 are incorporated in the transmitter 102, and the transmitter 102 and the information processing apparatus 101 are combined. The transmitter 102 or the information processing apparatus 101 can be used.

  The unmanned aerial vehicle 103 also includes a GPS receiver, and information on the current position (latitude and longitude) of the unmanned aircraft 103 can be acquired by receiving a signal from a GPS satellite by the GPS receiver.

  The user operates the operation units such as the operation instruction unit 315 (a) and the operation instruction unit 315 (b) to operate the flight direction and the flight speed to the unmanned aircraft 103. Then, when the transmitter 102 receives the operation of the operation unit, the transmitter 102 transmits an instruction to the unmanned aircraft 103 so as to fly according to the received operation content, and when the unmanned aircraft 103 receives the instruction, The propeller 213 is controlled to fly as instructed. As described above, the transmitter 102 transmits the operation instruction content operated by the operation unit to the unmanned aircraft 103 and operates the flight of the unmanned aircraft 103.

  In addition, the user operates the operation unit to perform zoom-in operation, zoom-out operation, and pan operation of the camera mounted on the unmanned aircraft 103. When the transmitter 102 receives an operation on the operation unit, the transmitter 102 transmits an instruction to the camera to operate according to the received operation content. When the transmitter receives the instruction, the camera operates according to the instruction. The part which operates each member, such as a lens in a camera, is operated. As described above, the transmitter 102 transmits the operation instruction contents operated by the operation unit to the camera, and operates the zoom operation of the camera lens and the pan operation in the shooting direction.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 103 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 103.

  Note that the hardware configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 103 illustrated in FIG. 2 is merely an example, and there are various configuration examples depending on applications and purposes.

  The flight controller 200 is a microcontroller for performing flight control of the unmanned aircraft 103, and includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, and a peripheral bus interface 204 (hereinafter referred to as a peripheral bus I / F 204).

  The CPU 201 comprehensively controls each device connected to the system bus. The external memory 280 connected to the ROM 202 or the peripheral bus I / F 304 stores a basic input / output system (BIOS) that is a control program of the CPU 201 and an operating system program.

  The external memory 280 (storage means) stores various programs necessary for realizing the functions executed by the unmanned aircraft 103. A RAM 203 (storage means) functions as a main memory, work area, and the like for the CPU 201.

  The CPU 201 implements various operations by loading a program necessary for execution of processing into the RAM 203 and executing the program.

  The peripheral bus I / F 204 is an interface for connecting to various peripheral devices. Connected to the peripheral bus I / F 204 are a PMU 210, a SIM adapter 220, a wireless LAN BB unit 230, a mobile communication BB unit 240, a GPS unit 250, a sensor 260, a GCU 270, and an external memory 280.

  The PMU 210 is a power management unit and can control power supply from the battery included in the unmanned aerial vehicle 103 to the ESC 211. The ESC 211 is an electronic speed controller and can control the rotation speed of the motor 212 connected to the ESC 211. By rotating the motor 212 using the ESC 211, the propeller 213 (rotary blade) connected to the motor 212 is rotated. Note that a plurality of sets of ESCs 211, motors 212, and propellers 213 are provided according to the number of propellers 213. For example, in the case of a quadcopter, the number of propellers 213 is four, so four sets are required.

  The wireless LAN BB unit 230 is a baseband unit for performing communication via a wireless LAN. The wireless LAN BB unit 230 can generate a baseband signal from data or signals to be transmitted and send it to the modem circuit. Furthermore, original data and signals can be obtained from the received baseband signal.

  The wireless LAN RF unit 231 is an RF (Radio Frequency) unit for performing communication via a wireless LAN. The wireless LAN RF unit 231 can modulate the baseband signal transmitted from the wireless LAN BB unit 230 into the frequency band of the wireless LAN and transmit it from the antenna. Furthermore, when a signal in the wireless LAN frequency band is received, it can be demodulated into a baseband signal.

  The mobile communication BB unit 240 is a baseband unit for performing communication via a mobile communication network. The mobile communication BB unit 240 can generate a baseband signal from data or signals to be transmitted and send it to the modem circuit. Furthermore, original data and signals can be obtained from the received baseband signal.

  The mobile communication RF unit 241 is an RF (Radio Frequency) unit for performing communication via a mobile communication network. The mobile communication RF unit 241 can modulate the baseband signal transmitted from the mobile communication BB unit 240 into the frequency band of the mobile communication network and transmit it from the antenna. Further, when a signal in the frequency band of the mobile communication network is received, it can be demodulated into a baseband signal.

  The GPS unit 250 is a receiver that can acquire the current position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 103 by a global positioning system. The GPS unit 250 can receive a signal from a GPS satellite and estimate the current position.

  The sensor 260 is a sensor for measuring the tilt, orientation, speed, and surrounding environment of the unmanned aircraft 103. The unmanned aircraft 103 includes a gyro sensor, a compass, an IMU (a sensor including a compass and a gyro), an acceleration sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and the like as the sensor 260. Based on the data acquired from these sensors, the CPU 201 controls the attitude and movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle 103.

  The GCU 270 is a gimbal control unit and is a unit for controlling the operations of the camera 271 and the gimbal 272. The unmanned aerial vehicle 103 will vibrate or become unstable due to the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 103. Therefore, the gimbal 272 absorbs the vibration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 103 so that no blurring occurs when the camera 271 takes a picture. Maintain level. Further, the camera 271 can be remotely operated by the gimbal 272.

  Various programs used by the unmanned aerial vehicle 103 of the present invention to execute various processes described later are recorded in the external memory 280 and are executed by the CPU 201 by being loaded into the RAM 203 as necessary. . Furthermore, definition files and various information tables used by the program according to the present invention are stored in the external memory 280.

  Next, an example of a hardware configuration applicable to the transmitter 102 and the information processing apparatus 101 in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration applicable to the transmitter 102 and the information processing apparatus 101 in FIG.

  First, the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 101 will be described.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 301 denotes a CPU that comprehensively controls each device and controller connected to the system bus 304. Further, the ROM 302 or the external memory 311 has a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), an operating system program (hereinafter referred to as OS), which is a control program of the CPU 301, and various types of functions described later that are necessary for realizing functions executed by the PC. Programs and so on are stored.

  A RAM 303 functions as a main memory, work area, and the like for the CPU 301. The CPU 301 implements various operations by loading a program or the like necessary for execution of processing from the ROM 302 or the external memory 311 to the RAM 303 and executing the loaded program.

  An input controller 305 controls input from the input unit 309. The input unit 309 functions as a unit that inputs data transmitted from the drone, a signal from a GPS receiver included in the information processing apparatus 101, and the like. The input unit 309 also functions as a unit that receives an input from the display 310 of the touch panel.

  A video controller 306 controls display on a display device such as the display 310.

  A memory controller 307 is provided in an external storage device (hard disk (HD)), a flexible disk (FD), or a PCMCIA card slot for storing a boot program, various applications, font data, user files, editing files, various data, and the like. Controls access to an external memory 311 such as a CompactFlash (registered trademark) memory (such as an SD card) connected via an adapter.

  A communication I / F controller 308 is connected to and communicates with an external device via a network, and executes communication control processing on the network. For example, communication using TCP / IP is possible.

  The CPU 301 enables display on the display 310 by, for example, executing outline font rasterization processing on a display information area in the RAM 303. In addition, the CPU 301 enables a user instruction with a mouse cursor (not shown) on the display 310.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the transmitter 102 will be described.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 312 denotes a CPU that comprehensively controls each device and controller connected to the system bus of the transmitter 102. Further, the transmitter 102 includes a memory such as a RAM 313, and stores a control program for the CPU 312 and various programs (to be described later) necessary for realizing various functions.

  A communication I / F controller 314 is connected to an external device such as the information processing apparatus 101 or the unmanned aircraft 103 via a network so as to be able to communicate with each other. For example, communication using TCP / IP is possible.

  3 are the operation instruction unit 315 (a) and the operation instruction unit 315 (b) shown in FIG. Further, the operation mode switching button 105 in FIG. 3 is the operation mode switching button 105 shown in FIG.

  The transmitter 102 and the information processing apparatus 101 can be combined into the transmitter 102 or the information processing apparatus 101.

  Various programs to be described later for realizing the present invention are stored in a memory such as a RAM and executed by the CPU 301. Further, a setting file used when executing the program is also stored in the memory.

  Next, how the drone flies by operation of the operation instruction unit 315 (a) and the operation instruction unit 315 (b) of the transmitter 102 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation explanatory diagram (A) of the operation unit of the transmitter 102, a side view (B) of the drone, and a top view (C) of the drone.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, when the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (a) is tilted upward, as shown in FIG. 4C, the drone flies in front of the drone (front direction). Further, when the operation instruction unit 315 (a) is tilted downward with a stick, the drone flies backward (backward direction) as shown in FIG. 4C. Further, when the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (a) is tilted to the right, the drone flies so that the drone turns right as shown in FIG. Further, when the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (a) is tilted to the left, as shown in FIG. 4C, the drone flies so that the drone turns counterclockwise.

  Also, when the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (b) is tilted upward, as shown in FIG. 4B, the drone flies so that the drone rises upward in the gravitational direction. Further, when the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (b) is tilted downward, as shown in FIG. 4B, the drone flies so that the drone descends downward in the gravity direction. When the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (b) is tilted to the right, the drone flies in the right direction of the drone as shown in FIG. 4 (C). When the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (b) is tilted to the left, as shown in FIG. 4C, the drone flies in the left direction of the drone.

  Next, the manner in which the user operates the drone to fly will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is an example of a top view of a state in which the user operates the drone using the transmitter 102 to fly.

  FIG. 5A is a top view of the drone when the direction in which the user views the drone is the front direction of the drone.

  That is, the user and the front of the drone are also directed in the same direction (north direction), and when the user tilts the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (b) to the right, the right direction (east direction) with respect to the front of the drone. ) To fly. When the user tilts the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (b) to the left, the user flies left (west) with respect to the front of the drone.

  FIG. 5B is a top view of the drone when the direction in which the user views the drone is not the front direction of the drone.

  That is, the front direction of the drone shown in FIG. 5B is directed to the northeast direction. That is, the user and the drone are not facing the same direction. Therefore, in this state, when the user tilts the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (b) to the right, the user flies in the right direction (southeast direction) with respect to the front of the drone. When the user tilts the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (b) to the left, the user flies left (northwest) with respect to the front of the drone. Therefore, if the user is in a position where the front direction of the drone can be confirmed (if the drone and the user are at a short distance), the user operates the operation instruction unit 315 while watching the drone in flight, If the user can easily fly the drone in the direction that the user wants, but the user cannot confirm the front direction of the drone (if the drone and the user are far away), the user can see the drone in flight. However, since the front direction of the drone cannot be confirmed, even if the operation instruction unit 315 is operated, it becomes difficult to fly the drone in the direction desired by the user. Here, the front face of the drone is oriented to be a reference (0 °) for operating the operation instruction unit 315.

  Therefore, in the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG. 5B, even when the user and the drone are not facing the same direction, as shown in FIG. When the stick of b) is tilted to the right, the drone is caused to fly in the right direction (east direction) as viewed from the user. When the user tilts the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (b) to the left, the drone is caused to fly leftward (westward) when viewed from the user. Further, when the user tilts the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (a) upward, the drone is caused to fly in the direction seen from the user (north direction).

  FIG. 6 is a top view of the drone when the direction in which the user views the drone is not the front direction of the drone.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, the position information of the user, the transmitter 102, or the information processing apparatus 101 is longitude: X1 and latitude: Y1, and this information is specified using the GPS receiver of the information processing apparatus 101. To be acquired. The position information of the drone in flight is longitude: X2 and latitude: Y2, and this information is specified and acquired using the GPS unit 250 of the drone.

  Then, from the position information of the user, the transmitter 102 or the information processing apparatus 101 and the position information of the drone in flight, the direction of viewing the drone in flight from the user, the transmitter 102 or the information processing apparatus 101 (user From the position of the transmitter 102 or the information processing apparatus 101, it is possible to calculate and specify the direction (azimuth angle) in the direction of the straight line from the position of the drone in flight. In the example of FIG. 6, the direction in which the user, transmitter 102, or information processing apparatus 101 sees the drone in flight (from the position of the user, transmitter 102, or information processing apparatus 101 to the position of the drone in flight). The direction of (straight direction) is north and the azimuth is 0 °.

  In addition, a compass and an IMU are mounted on the drone as sensors for measuring the direction (azimuth angle) in the front (front direction) of the drone. Therefore, the direction (azimuth angle) of the front (front direction) of the drone can be acquired from the sensor. In the example of FIG. 6, the direction of the front (front direction) of the drone is northeast, and the azimuth is 45 °.

  Therefore, in the direction of viewing the drone in flight from the user, transmitter 102, or information processing apparatus 101 (straight direction from the position of the user, transmitter 102, or information processing apparatus 101 to the position of the drone in flight) The flight instruction in the left / right / front / rear direction of the drone by the operation of the operation instruction unit 315 is corrected by 45 ° which is the difference between the azimuth angle (0 °) and the azimuth angle (45 °) in front of the drone (front direction). Then, let the drone fly in the corrected direction. For example, if the user tilts the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (b) to the left, the flight direction is set to 45 ° from the northwest direction to the left rotation side instead of flying in the left direction (northwest direction) of the drone. It correct | amends and it makes a drone fly leftward (westward direction) seeing from a user.

  Next, an example of the control process of this system will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the control process of the present system.

  The processing of each step shown in S701 to S706 shown in FIG. 7 is executed by the CPU of the transmitter 102 (or information processing apparatus 101) according to control by a program recorded in the memory.

  Further, the processing of each step shown in S707 to S716 shown in FIG. 7 is executed by the CPU of the drone (unmanned aerial vehicle 103) according to the control by the program recorded in the memory.

  The transmitter 102 operates as an operation correction mode when the operation mode switching button 105 is pressed by the user. Further, when the operation mode switching button 105 is pressed again by the user, the transmitter 102 operates as a mode in which the operation correction mode is canceled and the operation is not corrected.

  The transmitter 102 receives the operation of the stick of the operation instruction unit 315 (a) (b) by the user, and receives an operation instruction as to which direction the drone is to fly (S701).

  S701 and S707 are application examples of accepting means for accepting the flight direction instructed by the operation unit according to the present invention.

  Then, the transmitter 102 determines whether the current operation mode is an operation correction mode or a mode in which operation correction is not performed (S702).

  If it is determined that the current operation mode is the operation correction mode (S702: YES), the process proceeds to S703, and it is determined that the current operation mode is a mode in which operation correction is not performed. In (S702: NO), the process proceeds to S705.

  When it is determined that the current operation mode is the operation correction mode (S702: YES), the transmitter 102 is based on a signal from the GPS receiver of the transmitter 102 (GPS receiver of the information processing apparatus 101). Next, the position information (latitude, longitude) of the current position of the transmitter 102 is acquired (S703). S703 is an application example of an operation position acquisition unit that acquires position information of an operation unit operated by a user.

  Then, the transmitter 102 transmits the operation instruction content received in S702 and the position information acquired in S703 to the drone (S704). Here, the operation instruction content is, for example, information indicating any one of the front direction, right direction, rear direction, and left direction of the drone that is instructed by the user.

  In addition, when it is determined that the current operation mode is a mode in which operation correction is not performed (S702: NO), the transmitter 102 transmits the operation instruction content received in S702 to the drone (step S702). S705). Here, the location information of the transmitter 102 is not transmitted to the drone.

  Then, the transmitter 102 determines whether or not an end instruction has been received by the user. When the end instruction is received (YS), the process ends, and when it is determined that the end instruction has not been received (NO) ), The process is returned to S701.

  The drone (unmanned aerial vehicle 103) receives the operation instruction content and position information transmitted in S704 or the operation instruction content transmitted in S705 from the transmitter 102 (S707).

  Then, the drone determines whether the current operation mode is the operation correction mode or the mode in which the operation is not corrected by determining whether or not the position information has been acquired in S707 (S708).

  If it is determined that the current operation mode is the operation correction mode (YS), the drone moves the process to S709, while determining that the current operation mode is a mode in which operation correction is not performed. If (NO), the process proceeds to S715.

  In S709, the drone acquires the position information (latitude and longitude) of the drone from the GPS unit 250 mounted on the drone (S709). S709 is an application example of flight position acquisition means for acquiring position information of an unmanned airplane in flight.

  Then, from the position information of the transmitter 102 received in S707 and the position information of the drone received in S709, the direction (azimuth) of viewing the drone from the user or the transmitter 102 is calculated and specified (S710). S710 and S804 are application examples of specifying means for specifying the azimuth angle from the operation unit to the unmanned airplane. The specifying unit of S710 specifies an azimuth angle from the operation unit to the unmanned airplane according to the position information acquired by the operation position acquisition unit and the position information acquired by the flight position acquisition unit.

  The calculation method here may be any calculation method.

For example, the longitude and latitude of the transmitter 102 (point A) received in S707 are x1 and y1, respectively, and the longitude and latitude of the drone (point B) received in S709 are x2 and y2, respectively. The azimuth angle can be calculated by performing the following calculation. Substituting the values of x1, y1, x2, and y2 into the following expressions, respectively, θ [radian] is calculated.
θ [radian] = arctan2 (cos (y2) × sin (x2−x1), cos (y1) × sin (x2) −sin (y1) × cos (y2) × cos (x2−x1))
Here, when θ [radian] is smaller than 0, the value of θ + 2π is set to θ [radian]. Then, by substituting θ [radian] obtained here into an equation of θ [radian] × 180 / π, the azimuth θ of point B viewed from point A (0 ° for north, 90 ° for east, south for south) 180 degrees and west is 270 degrees).

  Next, in S711, the drone acquires an azimuth angle in front of the drone from a compass or IMU included in the drone sensor 260 (S711). S711 is an application example of the flight azimuth angle obtaining means for obtaining the azimuth angle of the unmanned airplane in flight. The azimuth angle in front of the drone is an orientation that serves as a reference (0 °) for operating the operation instruction unit 315.

  Then, the drone calculates a difference value (angle) between the azimuth angle specified in S710 and the azimuth angle acquired in S711 (S712).

  Then, the drone checks whether the operation instruction content acquired in S707 is any one of the front direction, right direction, rear direction, and left direction of the drone. In the drone, the front direction of the drone is set to 0 °, the right direction is set to 90 °, the rear is set to 180 °, and the left direction is set to 270 °. Therefore, the drone corresponds to the operation instruction content (front direction, right direction, rearward, left direction) and the angle in the flight direction (front direction 0 °, right direction 90) with the front direction of the drone being 0 °. °, 180 ° backward, 270 ° leftward). Then, from the direction of the angle of the drone specified here, an angle corrected to the left rotation side by the angle calculated in S712 is determined as the flight direction (S713). S714 is an application example of the determining means for determining the flight direction of the unmanned aircraft according to the flight direction received by the receiving means of S707 and the azimuth angle specified by the specifying means of S710 of the present invention. The determination means in S714 determines the flight direction of the unmanned aircraft according to the flight direction received by the reception means, the azimuth angle specified by the specification means, and the azimuth angle acquired by the flight azimuth angle acquisition means.

  Then, the drone controls the propeller 213 to fly in the flight direction determined in S713 and causes the drone to fly (S714).

  Therefore, for example, as shown in the example of FIG. 6, when the direction of the front (front direction) of the drone in flight is northeast and the azimuth is 45 °, the user instructs the operation instruction unit 315. If the stick in (b) is tilted to the left, instead of flying in the left direction (northwest direction) of the drone, the flight direction is corrected to the left rotation side by 45 ° from the northwest direction, and the drone is viewed from the user. Thus, the user can fly leftward (westward), and the user can easily operate the drone with an intuitive operation (operability can be improved).

  In S715, the drone confirms whether the operation instruction content acquired in S707 is in the front direction, right direction, rear direction, or left direction of the drone. In the drone, the front direction of the drone is set to 0 °, the right direction is set to 90 °, the rear is set to 180 °, and the left direction is set to 270 °. Therefore, the drone corresponds to the operation instruction content (front direction, right direction, rearward, left direction) and the angle in the flight direction (front direction 0 °, right direction 90) with the front direction of the drone being 0 °. °, 180 ° backward, 270 ° leftward). Then, the direction of the angle of the drone specified here is determined as the flight direction, and the propeller 213 is controlled to fly in the determined flight direction (S715).

  When the drone executes the process of S714 or S715, the process proceeds to S716.

  If the drone receives an end instruction from the user (YS) in S716, the drone ends the process. If it is determined that the end instruction is not accepted (NO), the drone returns the process to S707.

  Next, a modification of FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 7, the direction (azimuth angle) at which the drone is viewed from the user or the transmitter 102 is calculated according to the position information of the transmitter 102 and the position information of the drone. In FIG. The information is acquired when the drone takes off, and the position information is determined as the position information of the user or the transmitter 102.

  Therefore, in FIG. 8, the description of the same steps as in FIG. 7 is omitted, and only the steps different from those in FIG. Of the steps in FIG. 8, the same steps as those in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In S801, the transmitter 102 transmits the operation instruction content received in S702 and information indicating the operation correction mode to the drone (S801). Then, the drone acquires position information when the unmanned airplane takes off (takeoff position acquisition means).

  In S802, the drone (unmanned aircraft 103) receives from the transmitter 102 the operation instruction content transmitted in S801 and the information indicating the operation correction mode, or the operation instruction content transmitted in S705 (S802). ).

  Then, the drone determines whether or not the current operation mode is the operation correction mode or the mode in which the operation correction is not performed by determining whether or not the information indicating the operation correction mode has been acquired in S802 (S803). ).

  The drone is obtained from the position information of the drone taking off in S804, the position information of the position information of the drone taken off in S804, and the position information of the drone received in S709 from the position of the drone taking off, the position of the user or the transmitter 102. The direction (azimuth) from which the drone was viewed is calculated and specified (S804). S804 is an application example of the specifying means of the present invention, and specifies the azimuth angle from the operation unit to the unmanned airplane according to the position information acquired by the take-off position acquiring means and the position information acquired by the flight position acquiring means. To do.

  In S805, the drone calculates a difference value (angle) between the azimuth angle specified in S804 and the azimuth angle acquired in S711 (S805).

  In this way, since the drone acquires position information at the time of take-off where the drone flies and the drone acquires at the time of take-off, and uses the position information as the position information of the user or the transmitter 102 for determination, the drone take-off position, user or transmission The direction (azimuth) of the drone in flight can be calculated from the position of the aircraft 102, and the transmitter 102 or the information processing apparatus 101 does not have to have a GPS receiver.

  The processing of S710 to S713 illustrated in FIG. 7 has been described as being executed by the drone. However, the transmitter 102 acquires the drone position information from the drone, and performs step S710 according to the position information and the position information of the transmitter 102. It is also possible to execute the process. Further, the transmitter 102 acquires information on the azimuth angle ahead of the drone from the drone, executes the processing of S712 and the processing of S713, and instructs the drone to fly in the determined flight direction. It can also be.

  Similarly, in FIG. 8, the transmitter 102 can also acquire the drone position information at takeoff and the current drone position information from the drone, and execute the process of S804. Further, the transmitter 102 acquires information on the azimuth angle ahead of the drone from the drone, executes the processing of S805 and the processing of S713, and instructs the drone to fly in the determined flight direction. It can also be.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the unmanned airplane from flying in a direction not intended by the user, and to provide a mechanism for improving the operability for operating the flying direction of the unmanned airplane.

  The present invention can be implemented as a system, apparatus, method, program, storage medium, or the like, and can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices. You may apply to the apparatus which consists of one apparatus.

  Note that the present invention includes a software program that implements the functions of the above-described embodiments directly or remotely from a system or apparatus. The present invention also includes a case where the system or the computer of the apparatus is achieved by reading and executing the supplied program code.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, and the like.

  Examples of the recording medium for supplying the program include a flexible disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW. In addition, there are magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD-R), and the like.

  As another program supply method, a browser on a client computer is used to connect to an Internet home page. The computer program itself of the present invention or a compressed file including an automatic installation function can be downloaded from the homepage by downloading it to a recording medium such as a hard disk.

  It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  In addition, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, distributed to users, and key information for decryption is downloaded from a homepage via the Internet to users who have cleared predetermined conditions. Let It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the downloaded key information and install the program on a computer.

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the computer executing the read program. In addition, based on the instructions of the program, an OS or the like running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments can also be realized by the processing.

  Further, the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Thereafter, the CPU of the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  The above-described embodiments are merely examples of implementation in carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereto. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the technical idea or the main features thereof.

101 information processing apparatus 102 transmitter 103 drone (unmanned airplane, unmanned aerial vehicle)
104 network

Claims (6)

A system for determining a flight direction of an unmanned aerial vehicle by a user operating an operation unit that operates a flight direction of the unmanned aircraft,
Receiving means for receiving the flight direction instructed by the operation unit;
A specifying means for specifying an azimuth angle from the operation unit to the unmanned airplane;
Determining means for determining the flight direction of the unmanned aircraft according to the flight direction received by the receiving means and the azimuth angle specified by the specifying means;
A system comprising: Operation position acquisition means for acquiring position information of the operation unit operated by the user;
Flight position acquisition means for acquiring position information of the unmanned airplane in flight;
With
The specifying unit specifies an azimuth angle from the operation unit to the unmanned airplane according to the position information acquired by the operation position acquisition unit and the position information acquired by the flight position acquisition unit. The system according to claim 1. A flight azimuth angle obtaining means for obtaining an azimuth angle of the unmanned airplane in flight;
The determining means determines the flight direction of the unmanned aircraft according to the flight direction received by the receiving means, the azimuth angle specified by the specifying means, and the azimuth angle acquired by the flight azimuth angle acquiring means. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above. Take-off position acquisition means for acquiring position information at the time of take-off of the unmanned airplane;
Flight position acquisition means for acquiring position information of the unmanned airplane in flight;
With
The specifying unit specifies an azimuth angle from the operation unit to the unmanned airplane according to the position information acquired by the take-off position acquiring unit and the position information acquired by the flight position acquiring unit. The system according to claim 1 or 3. A control method in a system for determining a flight direction of an unmanned aerial vehicle by a user operating an operation unit that operates a flight direction of the unmanned aircraft,
A reception step of receiving a flight direction instructed by the operation unit;
A specifying step of specifying an azimuth angle from the operation unit to the unmanned airplane;
A determination step of determining a flight direction of the unmanned aircraft according to the flight direction received by the reception step and the azimuth angle specified by the specification step;
A control method comprising: A program that can be read and executed by a system that determines a flight direction of an unmanned aircraft by a user operating an operation unit that operates a flight direction of the unmanned aircraft,
The system
Receiving means for receiving the flight direction instructed by the operation unit;
A specifying means for specifying an azimuth angle from the operation unit to the unmanned airplane;
A program that functions as a determination unit that determines a flight direction of the unmanned aircraft according to a flight direction received by the reception unit and an azimuth angle specified by the specification unit.

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