WO2020116496A1

WO2020116496A1 - Drone system

Info

Publication number: WO2020116496A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/047372
Authority: WO
Inventors: 千大和氣; 洋柳下
Original assignee: 株式会社ナイルワークス
Priority date: 2018-12-05
Filing date: 2019-12-04
Publication date: 2020-06-11
Also published as: JPWO2020116496A1

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a system in which a drone and a moving body that can move with the drone loaded thereon and that enables the drone to take off therefrom and land thereon operate together, and a high degree of safety can be maintained even when the drone flies autonomously. [Solution] Provided is a drone system 500 in which a drone 100 and a moving body 406a that can move with the drone loaded thereon and that enables the drone to take off therefrom and land thereon operate together. The moving body includes a surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d that acquires information relating to a surrounding environment in which the drone, when attempting to land at a take-off and landing site 406, could be obstructed. The drone acquires the information from the surrounding environment acquisition unit and on the basis of the information, determines if landing is possible or not.

Description

Drone system

The present invention relates to a drone system.

　The application of small helicopters (multicopters) commonly called drones is progressing. One of the important fields of application thereof is spraying chemicals such as pesticides and liquid fertilizers on agricultural land (field) (for example, Patent Document 1). In relatively small farmlands, it is often the case that drones are more suitable than manned planes and helicopters.

Technologies such as the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System and RTK-GPS (Real Time Kinematic-Global Positioning System) have made it possible for the drone to accurately know its absolute position in centimeters during flight. Even in a farmland with a narrow and complicated terrain typical of the above, it is possible to autonomously fly with minimal manual operation, and to efficiently and accurately apply a drug.

On the other hand, there were cases where it was difficult to say that safety considerations were sufficient for autonomous flight drones for agricultural drug spraying. A drone loaded with medicines weighs several tens of kilograms, which could have serious consequences in the event of an accident such as falling onto a person. In addition, the drone operator is usually not an expert, so a fool-proof mechanism is necessary, but the consideration for this was insufficient. Until now, there have been drone safety technologies that are premised on human control (for example, Patent Document 2), but in particular, address the safety issues peculiar to autonomous flight drones for drug spraying for agriculture. There was no technology to do this.

When flying a drone in the field, a moving body is required to transport it to a predetermined position around the field. Further, there is a need for a drone system in which a drone and a mobile body transmit and receive information when the drone arrives and departs from a predetermined position, and operates in cooperation with each other.

Patent publication gazette JP 2001-120151 Patent publication gazette JP 2017-163265

We provide a drone system that can maintain a high level of safety even during autonomous flight, in which the drone and a moving body that can carry the drone and move and that can take off and land the drone operate in coordination.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a drone system according to one aspect of the present invention is a drone in which a drone and a movable body capable of carrying the drone and moving the drone can take off and land in cooperation with each other. In the system, the mobile body has a surrounding environment acquisition unit that acquires information about the surrounding environment, which can be an obstacle when the drone lands at a departure/arrival point, and the drone includes the surrounding environment acquisition unit. Information is acquired, and landing possibility is determined based on the information.

The surrounding environment acquisition unit may detect an obstacle existing around the moving body as the information about the surrounding environment.

The surrounding environment acquisition unit may detect an obstacle around the moving body with a visible light or infrared camera.

The surrounding environment acquisition unit may acquire at least one of wind strength, wind direction, and rainfall around the moving body as the information about the surrounding environment.

The drone and the moving body capable of loading and moving the drone and capable of taking off and landing the drone cooperate with each other to maintain high safety even during autonomous flight.

1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of a drone system according to the present invention. It is a front view of the drone which the drone system has. It is a right view of the said drone. It is a rear view of the drone. It is a perspective view of the drone. It is the whole conceptual diagram of the medicine spraying system which the drone has. It is a schematic diagram showing the control function of the said drone system. It is a schematic perspective view which shows a mode that the said drone is loaded in the mobile body concerning this invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where an upper surface plate on which the drone is mounted is slid backward in a state where the drone is loaded on the moving body. It is a functional block diagram regarding the operation|movement which the said drone receives the information of the said drone and the said mobile body, transmitting information from the said mobile body. It is a functional block diagram about the operation|movement of the said drone and the said mobile body which transmits the information from the said drone, and the said mobile body receives. It is a flowchart which shows the flow in which the said drone lands at the departure point on the said moving body. It is a flow chart which secures the quantity of the resource which the above-mentioned mobile possesses based on above from the drone. It is a flow chart when abnormality is detected in the drone. It is a flow chart when abnormality is detected in the above-mentioned mobile. FIG. 7 is an overall conceptual diagram showing a moving body according to a second embodiment of the present invention and a state of the drone. FIG. 7 is an overall conceptual diagram showing a state of a moving body and the drone according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an overall conceptual diagram showing a state of the moving body and the drone according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an overall conceptual diagram showing a moving body according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention and a state of the drone. It is a general|schematic conceptual diagram which shows the moving body concerning 6th Embodiment of this invention, and the mode of the said drone. FIG. 11 is an overall conceptual diagram showing a moving body according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention and a state of the drone. FIG. 10 is an overall conceptual diagram showing a moving body according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention and a state of the drone. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the moving body according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention when the state of FIG. 9 is viewed from another angle. Note that the configuration on the top plate of the moving body is omitted as appropriate.

Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The figures are all examples. In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, certain specific details are set forth in order to facilitate a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, embodiments are not limited to these particular details. Also, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

First, the configuration of the drone included in the drone system according to the present invention will be described. In the specification of the present application, the drone, regardless of power means (electric power, prime mover, etc.), control method (whether wireless or wired, and whether it is an autonomous flight type or a manual control type), It refers to all aircraft with multiple rotors.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the rotor blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b (also referred to as rotors) are It is a means for flying the drone 100, and in consideration of the stability of flight, the size of the aircraft, and the balance of power consumption, eight aircraft (four sets of two-stage rotary blades) are provided. Each rotor 101 is arranged on four sides of the main body 110 by arms extending from the main body 110 of the drone 100. That is, the rotating blades 101-1a, 101-1b to the left in the traveling direction, the rotating blades 101-2a and 101-2b to the left front, the rotating blades 101-3a and 101-3b to the right rear, and the rotating blades 101-to the front right. 4a and 101-4b are arranged respectively. Note that the drone 100 has the traveling direction downward in the plane of FIG. Rod-shaped legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 extend downward from the rotation axis of the rotor blade 101, respectively.

The motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b are rotor blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-. 2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b is a means for rotating (typically an electric motor, but may be an engine, etc.), one for each rotor Has been. The motor 102 is an example of a propulsion device. The upper and lower rotor blades (eg 101-1a and 101-1b) and their corresponding motors (eg 102-1a and 102-1b) in one set are for drone flight stability etc. The axes are collinear and rotate in opposite directions. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the radial member for supporting the propeller guard, which is provided so that the rotor does not interfere with foreign matter, is not horizontal but has a tower-like structure. This is to promote the buckling of the member to the outside of the rotor blade at the time of collision and prevent the member from interfering with the rotor.

The drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 are means for spraying the drug downward, and are equipped with four machines. In the specification of the present application, the term "chemicals" generally refers to pesticides, herbicides, liquid fertilizers, insecticides, seeds, and liquids or powders applied to fields such as water.

The drug tank 104 is a tank for storing the sprayed drug, and is provided at a position close to the center of gravity of the drone 100 and lower than the center of gravity from the viewpoint of weight balance. The drug hoses 105-1, 105-2, 105-3, 105-4 are means for connecting the drug tank 104 and the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and are rigid. And may also serve to support the chemical nozzle. The pump 106 is a means for discharging the medicine from the nozzle.

FIG. 6 shows an overall conceptual diagram of a system using an example of drug application of the drone 100 according to the present invention. This figure is a schematic diagram and the scale is not accurate. In the figure, the drone 100, the manipulator 401, and the base station 404 are connected to the farm cloud 405, respectively. In addition, the small portable terminal 401a is connected to the base station 404. For these connections, wireless communication may be performed by Wi-Fi, a mobile communication system, or the like, or part or all of them may be wired.

The operation unit 401 is a means for transmitting a command to the drone 100 by the operation of the user 402 and displaying information received from the drone 100 (for example, position, drug amount, battery level, camera image, etc.). Yes, and may be realized by a portable information device such as a general tablet terminal that runs a computer program. Although the drone 100 according to the present invention is controlled to perform autonomous flight, it may be configured so that it can be manually operated during basic operations such as takeoff and return, and during emergencies. In addition to the portable information device, you may use an emergency operating device (not shown) that has a function dedicated to emergency stop (a large emergency stop button, etc. is provided so that the emergency operating device can respond quickly in an emergency). It may be a dedicated device with). Further, in addition to the operation device 401, a small mobile terminal 401a capable of displaying a part or all of the information displayed on the operation device 401, for example, a smartphone may be included in the system. Further, the operation of the drone 100 may be changed based on the information input from the small portable terminal 401a. The small portable terminal 401a is connected to the base station 404, for example, and can receive information and the like from the farm cloud 405 via the base station 404.

The field 403 is a rice field, a field, etc. to which the drug is sprayed by the drone 100. Actually, the topography of the farm field 403 is complicated, and there are cases where the topographic map cannot be obtained in advance, or the topographic map and the situation at the site are inconsistent. Normally, the farm field 403 is adjacent to a house, a hospital, a school, another crop farm field, a road, a railroad, and the like. In addition, there may be obstacles such as buildings and electric wires in the field 403.

The base station 404 is a device that provides a master device function of Wi-Fi communication, etc., and may also function as an RTK-GPS base station to provide an accurate position of the drone 100 (Wi- The base unit function of Fi communication and RTK-GPS base station may be independent devices). Further, the base station 404 may be able to communicate with the farm cloud 405 using a mobile communication system such as 3G, 4G, or LTE. In this embodiment, the base station 404 is loaded on the moving body 406a together with the departure/arrival point 406.

The farm cloud 405 is a group of computers typically operated on a cloud service and related software, and may be wirelessly connected to the operation unit 401 via a mobile phone line or the like. The farm cloud 405 may analyze the image of the field 403 captured by the drone 100, grasp the growth status of the crop, and perform a process for determining a flight route. Further, the drone 100 may be provided with the stored topographical information of the field 403 and the like. In addition, the history of the flight of the drone 100 and captured images may be accumulated and various analysis processes may be performed.

Normally, the drone 100 will take off from the landing point 406 outside the field 403 and return to the landing point 406 after spraying the drug on the field 403 or when it becomes necessary to replenish or charge the drug. The flight route (intrusion route) from the landing point 406 to the target field 403 may be saved in advance in the farm cloud 405 or the like, or may be input by the user 402 before the start of takeoff.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram showing the control function of the embodiment of the drug spraying drone according to the present invention. The flight controller 501 is a component that controls the entire drone, and specifically may be an embedded computer including a CPU, a memory, related software, and the like. The flight controller 501, based on the input information received from the operation unit 401 and the input information obtained from various sensors described later, via the control means such as ESC (Electronic Speed Control), the motor 102-1a, 102-1b , 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, 104-b are controlled to control the flight of the drone 100. The actual rotation speed of the motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, 104-b is fed back to the flight controller 501 to perform normal rotation. It is configured so that it can be monitored. Alternatively, the rotary blade 101 may be provided with an optical sensor or the like so that the rotation of the rotary blade 101 is fed back to the flight controller 501.

The software used by the flight controller 501 can be rewritten through storage media or the like for function expansion/change, problem correction, etc., or through communication means such as Wi-Fi communication or USB. In this case, encryption, checksum, electronic signature, virus check software, etc. are used to protect the software from being rewritten by unauthorized software. Further, a part of the calculation process used by the flight controller 501 for control may be executed by another computer existing on the operation unit 401, the farm cloud 405, or another place. Since the flight controller 501 is highly important, some or all of its constituent elements may be duplicated.

The flight controller 501 exchanges with the operation unit 401 via the Wi-Fi slave unit function 503 and further via the base station 404, receives a necessary command from the operation unit 401, and outputs necessary information to the operation unit. Can be sent to 401. In this case, the communication may be encrypted so as to prevent illegal acts such as interception, spoofing, and hijacking of equipment. The base station 404 has a function of an RTK-GPS base station in addition to a communication function by Wi-Fi. By combining the signal from the RTK base station and the signal from the GPS positioning satellite, the flight controller 501 can measure the absolute position of the drone 100 with an accuracy of about several centimeters. Since the flight controller 501 is highly important, it may be duplicated/multiplexed, and in order to cope with the failure of a specific GPS satellite, each redundant flight controller 501 should use a different satellite. It may be controlled.

The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring accelerations of the drone aircraft in three directions orthogonal to each other (further, a means for calculating speed by integrating accelerations). The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring the change in the attitude angle of the drone body in the three directions described above, that is, the angular velocity. The geomagnetic sensor 506 is a means for measuring the direction of the drone body by measuring the geomagnetism. The atmospheric pressure sensor 507 is a means for measuring the atmospheric pressure, and can indirectly measure the altitude of the drone. The laser sensor 508 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface by utilizing the reflection of laser light, and may be an IR (infrared) laser. The sonar 509 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface by using the reflection of sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. These sensors may be selected depending on the drone's cost goals and performance requirements. Further, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor) for measuring the tilt of the machine body, a wind force sensor for measuring wind force, and the like may be added. Further, these sensors may be duplicated or multiplexed. If there are multiple sensors for the same purpose, the flight controller 501 may use only one of them, and if it fails, it may switch to another sensor for use. Alternatively, a plurality of sensors may be used at the same time, and if the measurement results do not match, it may be considered that a failure has occurred.

The flow rate sensor 510 is a means for measuring the flow rate of the medicine, and is provided at a plurality of places on the path from the medicine tank 104 to the medicine nozzle 103. The liquid shortage sensor 511 is a sensor that detects that the amount of the medicine has become equal to or less than a predetermined amount. The multi-spectral camera 512 is a means for photographing the field 403 and acquiring data for image analysis. The obstacle detection camera 513 is a camera for detecting a drone obstacle and is a device different from the multispectral camera 512 because the image characteristics and the lens orientation are different from those of the multispectral camera 512. The switch 514 is a means for the user 402 of the drone 100 to make various settings. The obstacle contact sensor 515 is a sensor for detecting that the drone 100, in particular, its rotor or propeller guard portion has come into contact with an obstacle such as an electric wire, a building, a human body, a tree, a bird, or another drone. .. The cover sensor 516 is a sensor that detects that the operation panel of the drone 100 and the cover for internal maintenance are open. The drug injection port sensor 517 is a sensor that detects that the injection port of the drug tank 104 is open. These sensors may be selected according to the drone's cost targets and performance requirements, and may be duplicated or multiplexed. Further, a sensor may be provided at the base station 404 outside the drone 100, the operation device 401, or at another place, and the read information may be transmitted to the drone. For example, a wind sensor may be provided in the base station 404, and information regarding wind force/wind direction may be transmitted to the drone 100 via Wi-Fi communication.

The flight controller 501 sends a control signal to the pump 106 to adjust the drug discharge amount and stop the drug discharge. The current status of the pump 106 (for example, the number of rotations) is fed back to the flight controller 501.

LED107 is a display means for notifying the drone operator of the status of the drone. Instead of or in addition to the LED, a display means such as a liquid crystal display may be used. The buzzer 518 is an output means for notifying a drone state (especially an error state) by a voice signal. The Wi-Fi slave device function 519 is an optional component for communicating with an external computer or the like for the transfer of software, for example, apart from the operation unit 401. In addition to or in addition to the Wi-Fi cordless handset function, other wireless communication means such as infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), NFC, or wired communication means such as USB connection May be used. Further, instead of the Wi-Fi slave device function, the mobile communication systems such as 3G, 4G, and LTE may be able to communicate with each other. The speaker 520 is an output means for notifying the drone state (particularly an error state) by the recorded human voice, synthesized voice or the like. Depending on the weather conditions, it may be difficult to see the visual display of the drone 100 in flight, and in such a case, it is effective to communicate the situation by voice. The warning light 521 is a display means such as a strobe light for notifying the state of the drone (in particular, an error state). These input/output means may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the drone, or may be duplicated/multiplexed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the drone system 500 is roughly composed of a drone 100 and a mobile unit 406a connected via a network NW. The drone 100 and the mobile body 406a transmit and receive information to and from each other, and operate in cooperation with each other. A departure/arrival point 406 in FIG. 6 is formed on the moving body 406a. The drone 100 has a flight control unit 21 that controls the flight of the drone 100, and a functional unit that transmits and receives information to and from the moving body 406a. Each functional unit of the drone 100 is provided in the flight controller 501 shown in FIG. 7, for example. Note that the drone 100 and the mobile body 406a may be connected by wire instead of being connected via the network NW.

The drone system 500 may include a mobile terminal such as a smartphone in addition to the drone 100 and the moving body 406a. On the display unit of the mobile terminal, information about expected motions related to driving the drone 100, more specifically, the scheduled time when the drone 100 will return to the departure point 406, the content of the work that the user 402 should perform when returning, etc. Information is displayed as appropriate. Further, the operations of the drone 100 and the moving body 406a may be changed based on the input from the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal can receive information from either the drone 100 or the moving body 406a. Further, the information from the drone 100 may be transmitted to the mobile terminal via the mobile body 406a.

●Structure of Mobile Object The mobile object 406a shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 receives information that the drone 100 has and notifies the user 402 as appropriate, or receives an input from the user 402 and transmits it to the drone 100. It is a device. Further, the moving body 406a can move by carrying the drone 100. The moving body 406a may be driven by the user 402 or may be autonomously movable. Although the moving body 406a in the present embodiment is assumed to be a vehicle such as an automobile, more specifically, a light truck, it may be an appropriate moving body capable of running on land such as a train, a ship or a flight. It may be the body. The drive source of the moving body 406a may be an appropriate source such as gasoline, electricity, a fuel cell, or the like.

The moving body 406a is a vehicle in which a passenger seat 81 is arranged at the front in the traveling direction and a luggage platform 82 is arranged at the rear. On the bottom surface side of the moving body 406a, four wheels 83, which are an example of moving means, are arranged so as to be drivable. A user 402 can get into the passenger seat 81. The upper surface of the loading platform 82 serves as a landing area for the drone 100.

The passenger seat 81 is provided with a display unit 65 that displays the state of the moving body 406a and the drone 100. The display unit 65 may be a device having a screen, or may be realized by a mechanism that projects information on the windshield. In addition to the display unit 65, a rear display unit 65a may be installed on the rear side of the vehicle body 810 that covers the passenger seat 81. The rear display unit 65a can change the angle with respect to the vehicle body 810 to the left and right, so that the user 402 working behind and on the left and right sides of the cargo bed 82 can obtain information by looking at the screen.

At the left end of the front of the loading platform 82 of the mobile unit 406a, a base station 404 having a shape in which a disc-shaped member is connected above a round bar extends above the passenger seat 81. The shape and position of the base station 404 are arbitrary. According to the configuration in which the base station 404 is on the passenger seat 81 side of the luggage platform 82, the base station 404 is less likely to interfere with the takeoff and landing of the drone 100, as compared with the configuration behind the luggage platform 82.

The cargo bed 82 has a battery 502 of the drone 100 and a cargo room 821 for storing medicines to be replenished in the medicine tank 104 of the drone 100. The luggage compartment 821 is a region surrounded by a vehicle body 810 that covers the passenger seat 81, a rear plate 822, a pair of

side plates

823 and 823, and a top plate 824. The rear plate 822 and the side plate 823 are also referred to as “flaws”. Rails 825 are provided at both upper ends of the rear plate 822 along the upper ends of the side plates 823 to the vehicle body 810 on the rear side of the passenger seat 81. The upper surface plate 824 is a departure and arrival point 406 where the drone 100 is placed and can be taken off and landed, and can be slid back and forth along the rail 825 in the traveling direction. The rail 825 is a rib that protrudes above the plane of the upper plate 824, and prevents the drone 100 on the upper plate 824 from slipping out from the left and right ends of the moving body 406a. Further, a rib 8241 is formed behind the upper surface plate 824 so as to project to the upper surface side to the same extent as the rail 825.

A warning light 830 that indicates that the drone system 500 is working may be arranged on the upper side of the vehicle body 810 and on the rear side of the rear plate 822 in the traveling direction. The warning light 830 may be a display device that distinguishes between working and non-working by coloration or blinking, and may be capable of displaying characters or patterns. Further, the warning light 830 on the upper portion of the vehicle body 810 may extend to above the vehicle body 810 and can be displayed on both sides. According to this configuration, the warning can be visually recognized from the rear even when the drone 100 is arranged on the loading platform 82. In addition, the warning can be visually recognized from the front of the moving body 406a in the traveling direction.

The top plate 824 may be manually slidable, or may be slid automatically by using a rack and pinion mechanism or the like. When the top plate 824 is slid backward, articles can be stored in or taken out of the luggage compartment 821 from above the cargo bed 82. Further, in the form in which the upper surface plate 824 slides backward, the upper surface plate 824 and the vehicle body 810 are sufficiently separated from each other, so that the drone 100 can take off and land at the landing point 406.

④ On the top plate 824, four foot receiving parts 826 to which the feet of the drone 100 can be fixed are arranged. The foot receiving portion 826 is, for example, a disk-shaped member whose upper surface is recessed in a truncated cone shape, which are installed one by one at positions corresponding to the four feet 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 of the drone 100. is there. When landing on the foot rest 826, the feet 107-1,107-2,107-3,107-4 of the drone 100 slide along the conical surface of the foot rest 826, and the feet 107-1,107-2,107 on the bottom of the truncated cone. -3,107-4 tip is guided. The drone 100 can be automatically or manually fixed to the foot receiving portion 826 by an appropriate mechanism, and even when the moving body 406a moves with the drone 100 mounted thereon, the drone 100 does not vibrate excessively or fall down. Can be safely transported. In addition, the moving body 406a can detect whether or not the drone 100 is fixed to the foot receiving portion 826 by the mounting state acquisition unit 322 described later. The bottom of the foot receiving portion 826 and the feet 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 of the drone 100 may be shaped so as to fit with each other.

Around the center of the top plate 824, there is a circumferential light 850 that displays the approximate takeoff/landing position of the drone 100. The circumferential lamp 850 is formed of a luminous body group arranged in a substantially circular shape, and the luminous body group can be individually blinked. In the present embodiment, four large light-emitting bodies 850a are arranged at intervals of about 90 degrees on the circumference, and two small light-emitting bodies 850b are arranged at equal intervals between the large light-emitting bodies 850a. It constitutes a circular lamp 850. The circumferential light 850 displays the flight direction of the drone 100 after takeoff, or the direction of flight when landing, by lighting one or more of the

light emitter groups

850a and 850b. The circumferential lamp 850 may be composed of a single ring-shaped light-emitting body that can be partially flickered.

The pair of side plates 823 are hinged at the bottom sides to the loading platform 82, and the side plates 823 can be tilted outward. FIG. 9 shows that the side plate 823 on the left side in the traveling direction is tilted outward. When the side plate 823 falls outward, it is possible to store and take out stored items from the side of the moving body 406a. The side plate 823 is fixed substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the luggage compartment 821, and the side plate 823 can also be used as a workbench.

-A pair of rails 825 form a form switching mechanism. Further, a hinge that connects the side plate 823 and the loading platform 82 may be included in the form switching mechanism. The movable body 406a moves in a form in which the upper surface plate 824 is arranged so as to cover the upper side of the luggage compartment 821 and the side plate 823 stands up and covers the side surface of the luggage compartment 821. When the moving body 406a is stationary, the upper plate 824 is switched to the rearward sliding form or the side plate 823 is tilted so that the user 402 can approach the inside of the luggage compartment 821.

The drone 100 can replenish the battery 502 while landing at the departure point 406. Replenishment of the battery 502 includes charging of the built-in battery 502 and replacement of the battery 502. A battery 502 charging device is stored in the luggage compartment 821, and the battery 502 stored in the luggage compartment 821 can be charged. Further, the drone 100 may include an ultracapacitor mechanism instead of the battery 502, and a charger for the ultracapacitor may be stored in the luggage compartment 821. In this configuration, when the drone 100 is fixed to the foot receiving portion 826, the battery 502 mounted on the drone 100 can be rapidly charged via the feet of the drone 100.

The drone 100 can replenish the medicine stored in the medicine tank 104 while landing at the departure point 406. The luggage compartment 821 stores a dilute mixing tank for diluting and mixing the drug, a stirring mechanism, and appropriate components for diluting and mixing such as a pump and a hose that suck up the drug from the diluting and mixing tank and inject it into the drug tank 104. It may have been done. Further, a refilling hose that extends from the luggage compartment 821 above the upper surface plate 824 and can be connected to the inlet of the medicine tank 104 may be provided.

A waste liquid groove 840 and a waste liquid hole 841 for guiding the medicine discharged from the medicine tank 104 are formed on the upper surface side of the upper surface plate 824. Two waste liquid grooves 840 and two waste liquid holes 841 are arranged, so that the waste liquid groove 840 is located below the medicine nozzle 103 regardless of whether the drone 100 is landing facing the left or right of the moving body 406a. ing. The waste liquid groove 840 is a groove having a predetermined width, which is formed substantially straight along the position of the medicine nozzle 103 along the lengthwise direction of the moving body 406a, and slightly toward the passenger seat 81 side. It is inclined. A waste liquid hole 841 is formed at an end of the waste liquid groove 840 on the passenger seat 81 side to penetrate the upper surface plate 824 and guide the chemical liquid into the inside of the luggage compartment 821. The waste liquid hole 841 communicates with a waste liquid tank 842 installed in the luggage compartment 821 and directly below the waste liquid hole 841.

When the medicine is injected into the medicine tank 104, an air venting operation is performed to discharge the gas filling the medicine tank 104, mainly air, to the outside. At this time, an operation of discharging the medicine from the discharge port of the medicine tank 104 is required. Further, it is necessary for the drone 100 to perform an operation of discharging the medicine from the medicine tank 104 after the work is completed. According to the configuration in which the waste liquid groove 840 and the waste liquid hole 841 are formed in the upper surface plate 824, when the drug is injected into and discharged from the drug tank 104 with the drone 100 placed on the upper surface plate 824, the waste liquid is stored in the waste liquid tank. It can be guided to 842, and drug infusion and excretion can be performed safely.

Outline of Functional Blocks of Mobile Body and Drone As shown in FIG. 10, the mobile body 406a includes a movement control unit 30 as a configuration for moving the mobile body 406a itself. The moving body 406a includes a moving body transmitting unit 31, an intervention operating unit 35, and an input unit 36 as a configuration for acquiring information about the moving body 406a and transmitting the information to the drone 100. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the mobile unit 406a receives information regarding the drone 100 from the drone 100, appropriately determines based on the information, and notifies the user 402 of necessary information. A body receiving unit 60, a display unit 65, and a moving body control unit 66 are provided.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the drone 100 includes a flight control unit 21 capable of autonomously controlling the flight of the drone 100. The drone 100 also includes a drone receiving unit 20 as a configuration for receiving information from the mobile body 406a. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the drone 100 includes a drone transmission unit 40 as a configuration for acquiring information regarding the drone 100 and transmitting the information to the moving body 406a.

● Functional Block of Mobile Object As shown in FIG. 10, the mobile object transmitter 31 includes a landing information transmitter 311, a mobile object status transmitter 32, and a resource information transmitter 33.

The landing information transmission unit 311 is a functional unit that transmits the information necessary for the drone 100 to land at the departure point 406 on the moving body 406a to the drone reception unit 20 of the drone 100. The landing information transmission unit 311 includes a position acquisition unit 311a, an orientation acquisition unit 311b, an angle acquisition unit 311c, and a surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d. The landing information transmission unit 311 transmits the following pieces of information acquired by the position acquisition unit 311a, the orientation acquisition unit 311b, the angle acquisition unit 311c, and the surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d to the drone reception unit 20.

The position acquisition unit 311a is a functional unit that acquires the position coordinates of the departure point 406. The position coordinates are three-dimensional coordinates. The departure/arrival point 406 is the current position coordinate of the moving body 406a when the moving body 406a is stationary. When the moving body 406a is moving, the coordinates may indicate the expected arrival position of the landing point 406 when the drone 100 reaches a predetermined range near the landing point 406.

The orientation acquisition unit 311b is a functional unit that acquires the orientation of the moving body 406a. In detecting the direction of the moving body 406a, the value of the geomagnetic sensor of the moving body 406a may be referred to.

The angle acquisition unit 311c is a functional unit that acquires the roll angle and the pitch angle of the moving body 406a.

The surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d is a functional unit that acquires information about the surrounding environment, which can be a hindrance when the drone 100 lands at the landing point 406. For example, wind strength and direction, presence of precipitation such as rain or snow. To get. Further, when the departure/arrival point 406 is vibrating, the surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d acquires the information. The vibration at the departure/arrival point 406 may be an earthquake or may be a vibration generated near a road having a large traffic volume. The vibration at the departure/arrival point 406 can be measured by a 6-axis gyro sensor included in the moving body 406a. Furthermore, the surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d may acquire information on satellites that the RTK-GPS communicates with, communication status, and geomagnetic information. The drone 100 that has received the information from the surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d determines whether or not to land based on the information about the surrounding environment.

Further, the surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d detects an obstacle existing around the moving body 406a as one of the information on the surrounding environment. The obstacles are, for example, structures such as houses, guardrails, electric wires, creatures such as people and animals, and moving bodies such as cars, and the like, which pose a risk of collision when the drone 100 lands. The surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d includes, for example, a camera using visible light or infrared light, and detects an obstacle around the moving body 406a. Further, the detection of an obstacle can be performed by using a Rader/Lider in place of or in addition to the camera, and for example, an obstacle detection system generally provided in an automobile, which is an example of the moving body 406a. Can be used. According to this configuration, information on an obstacle that the drone 100 cannot detect can be transmitted to the drone 100. Therefore, the risk of the drone 100 colliding with an obstacle can be further reduced.

The landing information transmission unit 311 determines whether the drone 100 can land safely based on at least one of the information acquired by the position acquisition unit 311a, the orientation acquisition unit 311b, the angle acquisition unit 311c, and the surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d. May be determined and the determination result may be transmitted to the drone receiving unit 20. The flight control unit 21 of the drone 100 may make the determination.

The mobile unit state transmission unit 32 is a functional unit that transmits the state of the mobile unit 406a to the drone receiving unit 20. The moving body state transmission unit 32 particularly acquires information on whether or not the moving body 406a is in a state in which it can perform the function as the departure/arrival point 406, and transmits it to the drone receiving unit 20. The function as the landing point 406 includes that the drone 100 can take off and land on the upper plate 824, that the battery 502 of the drone 100 and the chemical solution can be replenished, and the like.

The mobile body status transmission unit 32 includes a form acquisition unit 321, a mounting status acquisition unit 322, an operation status acquisition unit 323, a work status acquisition unit 324, and a system status acquisition unit 325. The mobile body state transmission unit 32 uses the drone reception unit to obtain the following pieces of information obtained by the form acquisition unit 321, the mounting state acquisition unit 322, the driving state acquisition unit 323, the work state acquisition unit 324, and the system state acquisition unit 325. Communicate to 20.

The form acquisition unit 321 is a functional unit that acquires the form of the moving body 406a. The moving body 406a can switch at least a traveling mode when the moving body 406a moves and a take-off/landing base shape when the drone 100 takes off and land from the moving body 406a by the above-described form switching mechanism. Further, in the present embodiment, it is also possible to switch to a workbench configuration in which the side plate 823 is tilted. The form acquisition unit 321 acquires information on which of the running form, the takeoff/arrival base form, and the workbench form of the moving body 406a. The form acquisition unit 321 may acquire the form of the moving body 406a based on the drive state of an appropriate configuration that drives the form switching mechanism, such as a motor that drives the rack and pinion mechanism of the rail 825. The form acquisition unit 321 may have a configuration such as a touch switch that mechanically detects the form of the moving body 406a.

In the workbench state, it is highly likely that the user 402 is present near the moving body 406a, so the drone 100 cannot be taken off and landed. Therefore, by transmitting the signal for prohibiting the takeoff/landing of the drone 100 or the signal for permitting the takeoff/landing of the drone 100 to the drone receiving unit 20, the safety to the user 402 is secured.

The loading state acquisition unit 322 is a functional unit that acquires information on whether the drone 100 is loaded at the departure point 406. Further, the mounting state acquisition unit 322 can acquire information on whether or not the drone 100 is fixed to the departure/arrival point 406 and the moving body 406a is in a safely movable state. The mounting state acquisition unit 322 determines whether the moving body 406a is allowed to move or not based on whether or not the moving body 406a is in a safe movable state, and the result of the determination is displayed on the display unit 65 by the user. It may be transmitted to 402.

The driving state acquisition unit 323 acquires driving information indicating whether or not the moving body 406a is moving or in a movable state. In addition, the driving state acquisition unit 323 can acquire a more detailed driving state of the moving body 406a, and can separately acquire whether the moving body 406a is moving or is in a stopped but movable idle state. .. Further, the driving state acquisition unit 323, it is possible to acquire a more detailed driving state in a state in which the moving body 406a is immovable, other than the information that is stopped, with reference to the information from the form acquisition unit 321, Information indicating that work is being performed on the workbench or that the work is being deformed may be acquired.

The work status acquisition unit 324 is a functional unit that acquires the status of the battery 502 and the chemical liquid to be replenished in the drone 100. The work status acquisition unit 324 transmits the battery replenishment information indicating the status of replenishment work for the battery 502 to the drone receiving unit 20. The battery replenishment information is information on whether or not the moving body 406a is currently charging the battery 502 in the luggage compartment 821, a state in which the battery 502 is being prepared in the luggage compartment 821 of the moving body 406a, and on the moving body 406a. The information includes whether the battery 502 is being replaced or the replacement is completed. Further, the work status acquisition unit 324 transmits the drug replenishment information indicating the status of the drug refill work to the drone receiving unit 20. The medicine replenishment information includes information indicating whether the medicine is being prepared in the luggage compartment 821, the medicine is being replenished on the moving body 406a, or the replenishment is completed. In addition, the medicine replenishment information includes information indicating the progress status of dilution and mixing of medicines performed in or near the luggage compartment 821.

The system status acquisition unit 325 is a functional unit that acquires information on the status of the system of the mobile unit 406a (hereinafter, also referred to as “system status”). The information on the system state includes information on the presence/absence of abnormality of the mobile unit 406a and the presence/absence of abnormality of the base station 404. In this description, “abnormality” of the drone 100, the base station 404, and the moving body 406a includes not only a state in which the external environment is abnormal but also an internal failure.

Regarding the abnormality of the mobile unit 406a, it also includes information on whether or not the drone 100 should return immediately based on the content of the abnormality that has occurred. This is because there is a case where it is not necessary to return the drone 100 when the degree of abnormality of the moving body 406a is slight or the type of abnormality does not greatly affect the work of the drone 100. The abnormality in which the drone 100 needs to be returned may be, for example, a case where the fuel of the moving body 406a has dropped below a predetermined level. The system state information includes the remaining amount of drive energy capacity of the drive source that drives the moving body 406a. When the remaining amount of fuel that drives the moving body 406a is less than or equal to a predetermined amount, the system state acquisition unit 325 can notify that effect. The drive source of the moving body 406a may be an appropriate source such as gasoline, electricity, a fuel cell, or the like.

The information indicating that the abnormality has occurred in the base station 404 may be transmitted from the mobile transmission unit 31 to the drone reception unit 20, or may be transmitted from the base station 404 to the drone reception unit without passing through the mobile transmission unit 31. May be transmitted to 20.

The resource information transmission unit 33 is a functional unit that transmits resource information indicating the amount of resources prepared in the mobile body 406a that can be replenished to the drone 100 to the drone reception unit 20. The resource information includes the number of charged batteries 502 and the amount of medicine. Further, the resource information may be the remaining charging capacity of the facility that charges the battery 502. In the case where the drone 100 is driven by a fuel cell, the amount of fuel gas that can be stored in the drone 100, such as hydrogen gas, may be used. The amount of resources prepared in the moving body 406a may be manually input by the user 402 or may be automatically acquired. As an example of the configuration that is automatically acquired, a configuration may be adopted in which the weight of a predetermined range of the luggage compartment 821 is measured in order to acquire the drug amount. In addition, in order to obtain the number of charged batteries 502, the capacity of the batteries 502 may be measured in addition to the weight of a predetermined range of the luggage compartment 821.

The intervention operation unit 35 is a functional unit that transmits a flight control command of the drone 100 to the drone receiving unit 20. The drone 100 normally operates autonomously by the flight control unit 21 included in the drone 100 itself, but when an abnormality occurs in the drone 100, a command from the mobile unit 406a intervenes to operate the drone 100. can do. A command from the user 402 may be transmitted to the drone 100 through the input unit 36 of the mobile unit 406a. In particular, when the user 402 wants to stop the work of the drone 100 and return to the departure point 406, the intervention operation unit 35 can send a command to the drone 100 to return. Further, the intervention operation unit 35 may be capable of transmitting to the drone 100 a signal for individually operating the three-dimensional position coordinates, speed, acceleration, and nose direction of the drone 100. When the intervention operation unit 35 receives the abnormality information from the drone 100, the intervention operation unit 35 may start controlling the flight of the drone 100.

The input unit 36 is a functional unit that receives an input from the user 402. The input unit 36 can input, for example, a command to start the flight of the drone 100 or a command to return the drone 100 to the departure point 406. The input unit 36 may be a tablet having the same mechanism as the display unit 65.

As shown in FIG. 11, the mobile unit 406a further includes a mobile unit reception unit 60, a display unit 65, and a mobile unit control unit 66.

The mobile reception unit 60 is a functional unit that receives information from the drone transmission unit 40. Information received by the mobile body receiver 60 will be described later together with a description of functional blocks of the drone 100.

The display unit 65 is a functional unit for appropriately displaying information to be transmitted to the user 402.

The mobile unit control unit 66 is a functional unit that determines the operation of the mobile unit 406a based on the information received by the mobile unit reception unit 60. The operation of the moving body 406a includes an operation of determining whether or not to notify the user 402 and an operation of changing the form of the moving body 406a. The details of the operation of the mobile body control unit 66 will be described later together with the information received by the mobile body receiving unit 60 and the functional block of the drone 100.

● Functional Block of Drone As shown in FIG. 11, the drone transmission unit 40 includes a machine body information transmission unit 41, a prediction information transmission unit 42, an abnormality detection unit 43, and a request command transmission unit 44.

The machine body information transmission unit 41 is a functional unit that transmits information regarding the current status of the drone 100 to the mobile body reception unit 60. The machine body information transmission unit 41 includes a position acquisition unit 411, an orientation acquisition unit 412, a work information acquisition unit 413, a communication environment acquisition unit 414, a resource information acquisition unit 415, a driving route acquisition unit 416, and a mounting state acquisition. And a unit 417.

The position acquisition unit 411 is a functional unit that acquires the three-dimensional position coordinates of the drone 100. The three-dimensional position coordinates are acquired based on the RTK-GPS information. According to this configuration, the current position of the drone 100 can be displayed on the display unit 65. It is also possible to acquire the three-dimensional coordinates of the drone 100 while the drone 100 is landing at the departure/arrival point 406 and store it in the drone 100 itself and the moving body 406a as the landable coordinates. The drone 100 may be configured to determine the landing position based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the drone 100 when landing. According to this configuration, since the position coordinates of the landing point 406 to be acquired for landing can be acquired by the configuration of the drone 100, it is not necessary to mount the RTK-GPS configuration on the moving body 406a, and the configuration is simple. You can In addition, the moving body control unit 66 can also guide the moving body 406a so that the drone 100 can return, based on the coordinates when the drone 100 is landing.

Orientation acquisition unit 412 is a functional unit that acquires the orientation of the drone 100 nose. The heading direction is acquired by referring to the value of the geomagnetic sensor mounted on the drone 100 or the value of the GPS compass.

The work information acquisition unit 413 is a functional unit that acquires information regarding the work status of the drone 100. The working state of the drone 100 includes a state of taking off, landing, and waiting for hovering. It also includes a state in which the drone 100 is entering the field and a state in which it is flying outside the field. Furthermore, it includes a state in which the drone 100 is performing a work such as spraying or monitoring a drug, and a state in which the work is not performed. The information regarding the work state may be displayed appropriately through the display unit 65. According to this configuration, the user 402 can know the state of the drone 100 in automatic driving in substantially real time, and gives the user 402 a sense of security.

The communication environment acquisition unit 414 is a functional unit that acquires the status of communication with the satellite and communication with the mobile unit 406a and other components of the drone system 500.

The resource information acquisition unit 415 is a functional unit that acquires the amount of resources loaded on the drone 100, that is, the remaining amount of the battery 502 and the remaining amount of the drug tank 104.

The driving route acquisition unit 416 is a functional unit that acquires information on a driving route in the field of the drone 100 that is predetermined. The drone 100 flies in the field based on the information on the driving route, and performs predetermined work such as monitoring and spraying chemicals. Further, the driving route acquisition unit 416 acquires the entry/exit point at which the drone 100 enters or leaves the field and the information about the departure/arrival route connecting the departure/arrival point 406, and the moving body via the drone transmission unit 40. It may be transmitted to 406a.

The loading state acquisition unit 417 is a functional unit that acquires information on whether or not the drone 100 is loaded on the moving body 406a. Further, the mounting state acquisition unit 417 may be able to acquire mounting information indicating whether the drone 100 is fixed to the departure point 406 of the moving body 406a and the moving body 406a is in a safe movable state. When the drone 100 is safely fixed, the mounting state acquisition unit 417 may transmit a signal to the effect that movement of the moving body 406a is permitted to the moving body 406a via the drone transmitting unit 40. Further, when the drone 100 is not fixed, the mounting state acquisition unit 417 may transmit a signal indicating that the movement of the moving body 406a is not permitted to the moving body 406a via the drone transmitting unit 40.

Prediction information transmitting unit 42 is a functional unit that predicts information regarding resource replenishment performed by drone 100 returning to departure point 406 and transmits it to mobile unit receiving unit 60. The prediction information transmission unit 42 includes a return time acquisition unit 421, a return frequency acquisition unit 422, and a necessary supplement amount acquisition unit 423.

The return time acquisition unit 421, when the drone 100 completes the work on the predetermined operation route in the target area such as a field, the drone 100 returns from the start of the work to the departure/arrival point 406 to replenish resources. It is a functional unit that calculates the time required to reach the interruption point. The return time acquisition unit 421 may be able to acquire the scheduled time at which work is to be interrupted and the scheduled time at which the drone 100 will return to the departure point 406 by referring to the required time and the current time.

The return frequency acquisition unit 422 is a functional unit that acquires the scheduled frequency at which the drone 100 will return to the departure point 406 to supplement resources.

Requirement replenishment amount acquisition unit 423 is a functional unit that acquires the amount of resources that drone 100 needs to be replenished. The necessary amount of resources is, for example, the number of charged batteries or the amount of medicine. The number of charged batteries can be calculated in consideration of the length of the planned driving route, the past actual value of power consumption, and the like. The drug amount can be calculated based on the total area of the field and the spray concentration determined according to the type of drug.

The abnormality detection unit 43 is a functional unit that detects an abnormality that has occurred in the drone 100 and transmits it to the mobile reception unit 60 via the drone transmission unit 40. If the drone 100 is abnormal, the drone 100 returns to the departure point 406. When the moving body control unit 66 receives the abnormality of the drone 100, it determines whether or not the drone 100 is in a returnable position based on the information from the abnormality detection unit 43, and if necessary. Change the position or form. In addition, the mobile body control unit 66 notifies the user 402 through the display unit 65 to change the position or form. Further, the moving body control unit 66 notifies the user 402 through the display unit 65 to move away from the moving body 406a by a predetermined amount or more.

The request command transmitting unit 44 is a functional unit that transmits a request command regarding the state of the mobile unit 406a to the mobile unit receiving unit 60. In particular, the request command transmission unit 44 transmits a request to the mobile unit reception unit 60 to make the position, orientation, and form of the mobile unit 406a ready for landing when the drone 100 is scheduled to return. You may. The mobile unit control unit 66 may automatically change to the landable state based on the request, or guide the user 402 to the landable state by giving an appropriate notification to the user 402. May be. Further, the request command transmitting unit 44, even when the mobile body 406a is in a landable state, transmits a command to prohibit the movement of the mobile body 406a and a command to prohibit the change of the form of the mobile body 406a. Good.

●Flow chart of a drone landing at a departure/arrival point on a moving body As shown in FIG. 12, first, the moving body receiving unit 60 transmits the drone 100's planned landing coordinates, nose direction, and scheduled landing time to the aircraft information. It is received from the unit 41 and the prediction information transmission unit 42 (S11).

The mobile body control unit 66 determines whether or not the position, orientation, and angle of the mobile body 406a are within a range in which the drone 100 can return (S12). If it is not possible to return, the moving body control unit 66 drives the movement control unit 30 to move the moving body 406a so that the drone 100 can return to the position, direction, and angle (S13). Alternatively, the moving body control unit 66 notifies the user 402 of the movement request of the moving body 406a through the display unit 65, and returns to step S12.

If the position, orientation, and angle of the moving body 406a are within the returnable range, the user 402 is notified through the display unit 65 not to move the moving body 406a (S14). In addition, the position, orientation, and angle of the moving body 406a are transmitted to the drone 100.

Next, the mobile control unit 66 determines whether or not the communication state with the satellite or another configuration on the drone system 500 acquired by the surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d is appropriate (S15). If the communication state is not appropriate, the system waits for a predetermined time (S16). In addition, the user 402 is notified that he is waiting due to the communication state. Further, it may be configured to notify the time when the waiting is scheduled. Further, instead of waiting, the user 402 may be notified of a request to move the position of the moving body 406a. When the moving body 406a is placed near a structure causing radio interference, or when the position of the satellite seen from the moving body 406a is erroneously recognized when communicating with the satellite, the moving body 406a Is useful to move.

Next, the moving body control unit 66 determines whether or not the moving body 406a acquired by the form acquiring unit 321 is in a form in which the drone 100 can return (S17). If the drone 100 is not in a returnable form, the moving body control unit 66 changes the form of the drone 100 (S18). Further, the moving body control unit 66 may notify the user 402 through the display unit 65 to change the form of the moving body 406a.

Next, the moving body control unit 66 determines whether or not the operating state of the moving body 406a is in a state where the drone 100 can return to the vehicle (S19). When the drone 100 is not in the returnable driving state, the moving body control unit 66 changes the driving state (S20). Further, the moving body control unit 66 may notify the user 402 via the display unit 65 to change the operating state of the moving body 406a.

The display unit 65 notifies the user 402 so as not to approach the loading platform 82 because the drone 100 is scheduled to return (S21). At this time, based on the information acquired by the surrounding environment acquisition unit 311d, after confirming that there is no person or obstacle around the moving body 406a, it is configured to issue a landing permission to the drone 100. Good. When the landing permission is received, the drone 100 lands at the departure point 406 (S22).

●Flowchart for managing resources to be replenished to the drone held by the mobile unit As shown in FIG. 13, the mobile unit reception unit 60 includes a required number of batteries 502 of the drone 100, a required amount of medicine, a scheduled return time, and Information such as the number of times of return is received from the prediction information transmitting unit 42 of the drone 100 (S31). The mobile unit control unit 66 refers to the resource amount acquired by the resource information transmission unit 33, and determines whether or not the number of batteries 502 and the drug amount held by the mobile unit 406a are sufficient ( S32). When the number of batteries 502 or the amount of medicines held by the moving body 406a is not sufficient, the moving body control unit 66 notifies the user 402 that replenishment is necessary and the required replenishment amount (S33). In addition, the moving body control unit 66 may notify the user 402 by distinguishing the amount required until the next return from the total amount required until the end of the field work.

● Flowchart when an abnormality occurs in the drone As shown in FIG. 14, first, the abnormality detection unit 43 of the drone 100 detects the abnormality (S41). Next, the drone transmitting unit 40 transmits information indicating that the drone 100 will return to the moving body 406a to the moving body receiving unit 60 (S42).

The flight control unit 21 of the drone 100 determines whether or not the flight control unit 21 can return under the control of the flight control unit 21 itself (S43), and if the return is possible, the flight control unit 21 returns to the flight control unit 21 as shown in FIG. Go to step S11.

When it is determined that the flight control unit 21 itself cannot return, the mobile unit control unit 66 determines whether the drone 100 can return by the intervention operation performed by the intervention operation unit 35 of the mobile unit 406a. Determine (S45). If it is possible to return, the operation is switched to the intervention operation from the moving body 406a (S46), and the process proceeds to step 11 of FIG. In step S45, when it is determined that the return is impossible even by the intervention operation, the drone 100 performs an emergency stop such as landing on the spot or stopping the operation of the rotor blades to drop it on the spot ( S47).

●Flowchart when an abnormality occurs in the moving body As shown in FIG. 15, first, the system state acquisition unit 325 of the moving body 406a confirms that an abnormality that requires the return of the drone 100 has occurred in the moving body 406a. Detect (S51). Next, the mobile body transmission unit 31 transmits a command to return the drone 100 to the drone reception unit 20 (S52).

● Moving body (2)
With reference to FIG. 16, the second embodiment of the moving body according to the present invention will be described focusing on the part different from the form described above. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the other embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals. The moving body 406b of the second embodiment is different from the moving body of the first embodiment in that the second upper surface plate 824b is arranged below the upper surface plate 824. According to this configuration, even if the upper surface plate 824 slides, the upper part inside the luggage compartment 821 is not opened, and the loaded object can be protected. In addition, in the moving body 406b, the lower end of the lateral tilt 823b is connected to the end of the cargo room 821 by a hinge, and the tilt 823b can be tilted and fixed substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the cargo room 821. With this configuration, it is possible to approach the load in the luggage compartment 821 and also use the tilt 823b as a workbench.

● Moving body (3)
With reference to FIG. 17, a third embodiment of the moving body according to the present invention will be described focusing on a part different from the form described above. In the moving body 406c of the third embodiment, the upper end of the side tilt 823c is connected to the rail 825c by a hinge, and the tilt 823c can be rotated and fixed substantially parallel to the upper surface plate 824. , Which is different from the moving body of the first embodiment. With this configuration, the landing surface can be expanded by the tilt 823c. Further, in the present embodiment, the second upper surface plate 824a is arranged.

● Moving object (4)
With reference to FIG. 18, a fourth embodiment of the moving body according to the present invention will be described focusing on a part different from the form described above. The moving body 406d of the fourth embodiment has a nesting structure in which the sliding load chamber 821d is housed in the load chamber 821, the lower end of the tilt 823d is connected to the sliding load chamber 821d by a hinge, and the tilt 823d. The sliding luggage compartment 821d can be pulled out from the lower side of the top plate 824 to the side. According to this configuration, since the loaded object can be pulled out together with the sliding load chamber 821d, workability is improved. Further, in the present embodiment, the second upper surface plate 824a is arranged.

● Moving body (5)
With reference to FIG. 19, a fifth embodiment of a moving body according to the present invention will be described focusing on a part different from the above-described form. In the moving body 406e of the fifth embodiment, the lateral flank 823e is connected to the end of the cargo bed 82 by a hinge, and the sliding cargo compartment 821e is pulled out from the cargo compartment 821. With this configuration, when the sliding load chamber 821e is pulled out, the sliding load chamber 821e is supported by the tilt 823e, so that the sliding load chamber 821e can be pulled out more stably. Further, in the present embodiment, the second upper surface plate 824a is arranged.

● Moving body (6)
The moving body 406f of the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 20 has a shape obtained by removing the second upper surface plate 824a of the moving body 406d of the fourth embodiment.

● Moving object (7)
The moving body 406g of the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 21 has a shape obtained by removing the second upper surface plate 824a of the moving body 406e of the fifth embodiment.

● Moving object (8)
A moving body 406h of the eighth embodiment shown in FIG. 22 has a shape in which the tilt 823c of the third embodiment is arranged and the sliding load chamber 821e is pulled out from below the tilt 823c. Further, in the present embodiment, the second upper surface plate 824a is arranged.

In the present description, the agricultural chemical spray drone has been described as an example, but the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to this, and is applicable to drones for other purposes such as shooting and monitoring. .. In particular, it is applicable to a machine that operates autonomously. Further, the moving body is not limited to the vehicle and may have an appropriate configuration.

(Technically remarkable effect of the present invention)
In the drone system according to the present invention, the drone and the moving body capable of loading and moving the drone and capable of taking off and landing the drone operate in cooperation with each other, and are highly safe even when the drone autonomously flies. You can maintain sex.

Claims

A drone system in which a drone and a movable body capable of loading and moving the drone and capable of taking off and landing the drone operate in cooperation with each other,
The mobile unit has a surrounding environment acquisition unit that acquires information about the surrounding environment, which can be an obstacle when the drone lands at a departure point.
The drone acquires the information from the surrounding environment acquisition unit and determines whether or not to land based on the information.
Drone system.
The surrounding environment acquisition unit detects an obstacle existing around the moving body as the information about the surrounding environment,
The drone system according to claim 1.
The surrounding environment acquisition unit detects an obstacle around the moving body with a visible light or infrared camera.
The drone system according to claim 2.
The surrounding environment acquisition unit acquires, as the information about the surrounding environment, at least one of wind strength, wind direction, and rainfall around the moving body,
The drone system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.