JP2022181865A - Flying object control system and luggage management system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a flying object control system having high flight stability even in a warehouse.SOLUTION: A flying object control system 10 includes a carrier vehicle 50 moving on the ground and a flying object 40 levitating and flying from the ground in the air. The flying object 40 includes: a sensor 49 for detecting altitude of the flying object 40; a transmitter for transmitting altitude of the flying object 40 to the carrier vehicle 50; and a marker 48 directed toward a ground direction. The carrier vehicle 50 includes: a plurality of imaging units 57 that capture an image of the marker 48 and have a different imaging angle and focal length; and a control unit that selects the imaging unit 57 according to detection results of the sensor 49 to perform moving control of the flying object 40 based on the image of the marker 48 captured by the selected imaging unit 57.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an aircraft control system having an aircraft that flies in a warehouse, and a package management system that uses this aircraft control system to manage packages in the warehouse.

As a technique for managing packages in a warehouse, there has been proposed a method of managing the presence or absence of packages in a warehouse and the installation location thereof by reading an identification code assigned to the package. Recently, by using drones that fly inside the warehouse to obtain information on packages stored on high racks in the warehouse, it is possible to reduce the load of inspection and inventory work of packages in the warehouse. Techniques have also been proposed.

For example, Patent Literatures 1 and 2 propose a package management system that includes a drone equipped with a camera that captures images of packages in a warehouse, and a mobile device that is connected to the drone by a cable and moves within the warehouse. there is Since the cable to the mobile device is used to charge the power supply for driving the drone, it is possible to acquire images over a long period of time using the drone's camera.

JP 2017-218325 A JP 2019-167177 A

Here, when managing packages using images taken by drone cameras, it is necessary to accurately read identification codes such as barcodes attached to packages. requires stable hovering control. There are drones that perform hovering control using optical flow sensors in warehouses where GPS signals cannot be received, but when the altitude of the drone is high, it is difficult to acquire images of the ground, or when the mobile device on the ground moves significantly. In some cases, the hovering control of the drone using the optical flow sensor may become unstable, resulting in inaccurate reading of the identification code and the problem that it takes time to read the identification code. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems described above, and provides an aircraft control system having high flight stability even in a warehouse, and a cargo management system using the aircraft control system. intended to provide

In order to solve the above-described problems, an aircraft control system according to the present invention includes a carrier that moves on the ground and an aircraft that levitates and flies from the ground. a sensor for detecting the altitude of the flying object, a transmitter for transmitting the detected altitude of the flying object to the carrier, and a marker directed toward the ground, and the carrier captures an image of the marker and uses a different image a plurality of first imaging units each having an angle and a focal length, and the first imaging units are selected according to the detection result of the sensor, and an image of the marker captured by the selected first imaging unit is captured. a control unit for controlling the position of the flying object based on the

Further, a baggage management system of the present invention is a baggage management system equipped with the flying vehicle control system described above, and includes an identification code given to each of a plurality of baggage placed in a warehouse, and an identification code assigned to each of the plurality of baggages. and a baggage management device for managing the aircraft, wherein the flying object includes: a second imaging section for imaging the identification code; and image information captured by the second imaging section or an image captured by the second imaging section. and a transmission unit for transmitting information of the identification code read from the carrier to the carrier, and the carrier associates the information received from the aircraft with the reception time information of the received information, and transmits the information to the baggage management device. The parcel management device is configured to manage the position of the parcel within the warehouse based on the position of the transport vehicle within the warehouse and the reception time information.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an aircraft control system having high flight stability even in a warehouse, and to provide a baggage management system using the aircraft control system.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an aircraft control system and a baggage management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an example of functional blocks of an aircraft and a carrier that constitute an aircraft control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the altitude of the flying object and the selected camera unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining movement of the flying object in the embodiment of the present invention. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the movement of the carrier according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 is an example of an operation sequence of the package management system according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7 is an example of parcel management data according to the embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention can be implemented in various embodiments, and is not limited to the embodiments described below.

<Configuration of aircraft control system and baggage management system>
FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an aircraft control system and a baggage management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The aircraft control system 10 of FIG. 1 comprises a carrier 50 that moves on the ground and an aircraft 40 that levitates and flies from the ground. The cargo management system 20 is configured to use the information acquired by the aircraft control system 10 to manage the cargo 4 stacked in multiple stages on the multi-level racks 3 in the warehouse 1 .

Each package 4 is given a unique identification code 5 for identifying each package, and the identification code 5 read from the image captured by the camera unit 41 (second imaging unit) mounted on the aircraft 40 Each package 4 is configured to be identifiable. The cargo management system 20 uses the identification code 5 read from the image captured by the camera unit 41 mounted on the aircraft 40 flying in the warehouse 1 to manage the presence or absence of the cargo 4 in the warehouse 1 and the installation position. conduct.

The transport vehicle 50 moves in the warehouse 1 toward the target 2, and the flying object 40 flies in the warehouse 1 while hovering over the transport vehicle 50. - 特許庁The flying object 40 performs autonomous control using an optical flow sensor and also performs hovering control based on a control signal from the carrier 50 . The guided vehicle 50 acquires an image of the marker 48 of the flying object 40 using a camera unit 57 selected according to the altitude of the flying object 40 from a plurality of camera units 57 (first imaging unit), and the acquired image is used to control the position and attitude of the flying object 40 so that the flying object 40 hovers above the carrier 50 .

In this embodiment, the image of the marker 48 acquired by the camera unit 57 selected according to the altitude of the flying object 40 is used to control the position and attitude of the flying object 40 by the control signal from the carrier 50. Even when the autonomous control of hovering by the flying object 40 becomes unstable, such as when the altitude of the drone is high, the image information of the marker 48 of the flying object 40 is reliably acquired, and the obtained image of the marker is used to control the flying object. 40 can stably hover over the transport vehicle 50. - 特許庁

The baggage management system 20 manages the presence or absence of the baggage 4 in the warehouse 1 and the location of the baggage 4 based on the information of the identification code 5 read from the image captured by the camera unit 41 mounted on the aircraft 40 flying in the warehouse 1. . The presence or absence of the package 4 in the warehouse 1 can be managed by grasping the identification code 5 , and the position of the package 4 can be managed by associating it with the position of the carrier 50 in the warehouse 1 .

Although the package management system of FIG. 1 is intended for a multi-tiered rack warehouse in which packages 4 are stored in multi-tiered racks 3, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is a flat warehouse in which packages 4 are stacked in multiple levels. It can also be applied to other forms of warehouse such as.

<Structure of flying object and transport vehicle>
FIG. 2 is an example of functional blocks of an aircraft and a carrier that constitute an aircraft control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The guided vehicle 50 has a traveling function for self-propelled within the warehouse 1, and controls a camera section 51 (third imaging section) for acquiring image information of the target 2, a drive section 53, and transmits/receives information. , a driving unit 53 for traveling within the warehouse 1, a wireless unit 54 for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the aircraft 40 and the baggage management device 60, and a storage unit for storing various information. A memory 55, a battery 56 for operating each unit, a plurality of camera units 57 for acquiring image information of the markers 48 of the flying object 40, and based on the images acquired by the camera units 57, the position and A flight control unit 58 is provided to control the attitude. The transport vehicle 50 can self-travel along a predetermined route in the warehouse 1 based on the image information of the target 2 acquired by the mounted camera unit 51 .

In this embodiment, it is necessary to ascend/descend the aircraft 40 in order to obtain the code information of the identification code 5 assigned to the cargo 4 loaded on the multi-tier rack 3, and the altitude of the aircraft 40 is compared. When the target is high, if the resolution of the camera section is low, it may not be possible to acquire the image of the marker 48 . Each of the plurality of camera units 57 of the present embodiment has a different imaging angle and a different focal length. 48 images can be reliably acquired.

The flight control unit 58 selects the camera unit 57 according to the detection result of the sensor 49 of the flying object 40, and controls the position and attitude of the flying object 40 based on the image of the marker 48 captured by the selected camera unit 57. do. In this embodiment, according to the altitude of the flying object 40 detected by the sensor 49, the camera unit 57 having the imaging angle and focal length corresponding to the altitude is selected to acquire the image of the marker 48. Even when the autonomous control of hovering by the flying object 40 becomes unstable, such as when the altitude of the flying object 40 is high, the image information of the marker 48 of the flying object 40 is reliably acquired, and based on the acquired image information, the flying object 40 can be stably hovered.

The flying object 40 includes a camera unit 41 (second imaging unit) for acquiring image information of the identification code of the baggage 4, and for performing processing such as reading the identification code 5 from the image information and transmitting the identification code 5. A central processing unit 42, a driving unit 43 for driving the propeller 47, a wireless unit 44 functioning as a transmitting unit for transmitting captured image information or information of the identification code 5 read from the captured image, various information, etc. are stored. a battery 46 for operating each part; a propeller 47 for making the aircraft 40 fly; a marker 48 directed toward the ground;

The propeller 47 mounted on the flying object 40 is driven based on the control signal from the flight control unit 58 using the image of the marker 48 of the flying object 40 in addition to the autonomous control using the optical flow sensor. control is performed. By using the control of the carrier 50 together, even if the autonomous control of hovering by the flying object 40 becomes unstable, the image information of the marker 48 of the flying object 40 is reliably acquired, and based on the acquired image information, The flying object 40 can be stably hovered.

<Camera selection according to the altitude of the flying object>
When managing packages using images captured by the camera of the aircraft 40, it is necessary to accurately read an identification code such as a bar code attached to the packages. When the altitude of the multistage rack 3 loaded with the cargo 4 is high, the flying object 40 may be raised to a considerable height. It may be difficult for the vehicle 50 camera to acquire an image of the aircraft 40 marker 48 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the altitude of the flying object and the selected camera unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the configuration example of FIG. 3, the transport vehicle 50 is equipped with four camera units 57 having different imaging angles and focal lengths. The number of camera units 57 mounted on the transport vehicle 50 is not limited to that shown in FIG. Here, a zoom lens with a variable focal length may be employed in each camera unit 57 .

The plurality of camera units 57 of the present embodiment have different imaging angles and focal lengths, and camera units having appropriate imaging angles and focal lengths corresponding to the distance between the aircraft 40 and the carrier 50. By photographing with 57, the image of the marker 48 of the flying object 40 can be acquired accurately. By adopting a zoom lens whose focal length is variable in each camera unit 57, it becomes possible to cope with a wider altitude range of the flying object 40.

<Hovering control of flying object>
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining movement of the flying object in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4 , the flying object 40 can hover over the carrier 50 based on control signals from the carrier 50 based on image information of the markers 48 of the flying object 40 . A camera unit 57 for acquiring an image of the marker 48 is selected according to the altitude of the flying object 40 .

In the stage (1) of FIG. 4, the flying object 40 hovers over the carrier 50 at a relatively low altitude, so the camera unit 57 having an imaging angle and focal length corresponding to a relatively low altitude is selected. , to acquire an image of the marker 48 .

The position of the flying object 40 relative to the carrier 50 can be controlled by the position of the image of the marker 48 in the image acquired by the camera unit 57, and the height of the flying object 40 is determined by the size of the image of the marker 48. can be controlled.

Specifically, when the position of the image of the marker 48 slides from the center of the image, the relative two-dimensional coordinates of the marker 48 viewed from the center of the image are obtained, and based on these relative two-dimensional coordinates, Then, by sliding the position of the image of the marker 48 and controlling the flying object 40 so that the marker 48 is positioned near the center of the image, the flying object 40 can be moved above the carrier 50 . can.

At the stage (2) in FIG. 4, the flying object 40 hovers over the carrier 50 at a relatively high altitude compared to stage (1), so the size of the image of the marker 48 that can be acquired by the camera is Since it is smaller than (1), the image of the marker 48 is acquired by selecting the camera unit 57 having an imaging angle and focal length corresponding to a relatively high altitude. By selecting an appropriate camera unit 57 according to the height of the flying object 40 , the height of the flying object 40 can be controlled based on the size of the image of the marker 48 acquired by the selected camera unit 57 .

At stage (3) in FIG. 4, the flying object 40 hovers above the transport vehicle 50 at a higher altitude than at stage (2). becomes even smaller than (2). Therefore, a camera unit 57 having an imaging angle and a focal length corresponding to a higher altitude than the camera unit 57 selected in (2) is selected, an image of the marker 48 is acquired, and based on the size of the image, The height of the flying object 40 can be controlled.

In the present embodiment, the position of the marker 48 in the image of the camera unit 57 serving as the reference was exemplified in the case of the center of the image, but the reference position is not limited to the center of the image. can be appropriately set as a reference position. Also, the number of camera units 57 in the transport vehicle 50 is not limited to the illustrated one, and the required number of camera units 57 can be appropriately set according to the assumed height of the flying object 40 .

In the present embodiment, the carrier 50 is moved along a predetermined movement route in the warehouse 1, and the flying object 40 is controlled to hover above the carrier 50. An image of the identification code 5 of the baggage 4 can be acquired by raising or lowering the flying object 40 while moving following the baggage 50 . In this embodiment, the image of the marker 48 acquired by the camera unit 57 selected according to the altitude of the flying object 40 is used to control the position and attitude of the flying object 40 by the control signal from the carrier 50. Even when the autonomous control of hovering by the flying object 40 becomes unstable, such as when the flying object 40 is at a high altitude, the image information of the marker 48 of the flying object 40 is reliably acquired, and the flight is performed based on the acquired image information. The body 40 can be stably hovered.

By stabilizing the hovering control of the flying object 40 that reads the identification code 5, the identification code 5 can be safely and reliably read using the image captured by the camera unit 41 of the flying object 40. By reading the identification code 5 with the body 40, it is possible to provide a cargo management system that can manage the cargo in the warehouse 1 safely and reliably.

<Movement of transport vehicles in the warehouse>
5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the movement of the carrier according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. In FIG. 4, the moving operation of the transport vehicle 50 from a stationary state at the starting point to moving toward the target 2 until reaching the target 2 will be described. Note that in FIG. 4, the description of the control of the flying object 40 that flies following the carrier 50 is omitted.

At the stage of (1) in FIG. 5, the surrounding image is acquired by the camera unit 51, and the target 2 is searched using the acquired image. The transport vehicle 50 starts moving toward the captured image of the target 2 as a result of the search.

At the stage of (2) in FIG. 5, the image of the target 2 has been captured, so the transport vehicle 50 moves in the direction in which the size of the image of the target 2 becomes larger. As the transport vehicle 50 approaches the target 2 , the image of the target 2 becomes larger, so it can be confirmed that the transport vehicle 50 is moving toward the target 2 .

At the stage of (3) in FIG. 5, the size of the target 2 exceeds the predetermined size, so the transport vehicle 50 determines that it has reached the vicinity of the target 2 and stops moving.

In FIG. 4, a case where a circular target 2 is used has been described, but the target 2 may be of other shapes, such as a bar code or illumination. Other methods can also be used as a method of moving the carrier 50 . For example, an image of lines arranged on the floor of the warehouse 1 may be acquired and the carrier 50 may be moved along the image.

<Operating Sequence of Package Management System>
The operation sequence in the parcel management system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an example of an operation sequence of the package management system according to the embodiment of the invention.

When the cargo 4 to which the identification code 5 is assigned is carried into the warehouse 1 and placed at a predetermined position, the flying object 40 detects the altitude of the flying object 40 by the mounted sensor 49 and detects it. The altitude information is transmitted to the transport vehicle 50 . Based on the altitude information received from the flying object 40, the carrier 50 selects the camera unit 57 having a sensor size and focal length corresponding to the altitude, and controls the altitude of the flying object 40 as necessary. The altitude of the flying object 40 is appropriately adjusted according to the height of the load 4 loaded.

The flying object 40 acquires an image of the package 4 including the identification code 5 with the mounted camera unit 41 , reads the identification code 5 from the acquired image information, and transmits the read code information to the transport vehicle 50 . The flying object 40 transmits code information while flying in the warehouse 1 along a predetermined movement route.

When the information of the identification code 5 is received, the transport vehicle 50 saves the code information of the identification code 5 and the reception time information of the code information. Here, the flying object 40 may transmit the acquired image information to the transport vehicle 50, and the transport vehicle 50 may read the information of the identification code 5 from the acquired image information.

While receiving code signals and image information from the aircraft 40, the carrier 50 collects reception time information such as code information. Send to the management device 60 .

The code information of the identification code 5 corresponding to the package 4 is registered in advance in the package management device 60, and the code information and the reception time of the code information are obtained for each package 4 using the information received from the transport vehicle 50. Package management data for managing information is configured.

Here, the transport vehicle 50 is moved along a predetermined moving route in the warehouse 1 so that the position in the warehouse 1 at a predetermined time can be specified, and based on the reception time information of the code signal in the transport vehicle 50 , the position of the transport vehicle 50 within the warehouse 1 at the reception time can be specified, and the position of the package 4 within the warehouse 1 can be specified based on the specified position of the transport vehicle 50 .

If the image information of the identification code 5 is acquired while the flying object 40 is stably hovering above the carrier 50, the position of the package 4 in the warehouse 1 can be specified more accurately. It becomes possible.

<Baggage management data>
FIG. 7 is an example of parcel management data according to the embodiment of the present invention. This package management data is stored in the package management device 60 .

The parcel management device 60 manages the presence or absence of the parcel 4 assigned the identification code 5 and the position in the warehouse 1 based on the code information received from the transport vehicle 50 . This parcel management data manages parcel information, code information, and reception time information of the code information for each parcel. In addition to these pieces of information, information indicating the position of the package 4 within the warehouse 1 may be registered.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an aircraft system having high flight stability even in a situation where the optical flow control of the aircraft is unstable in the warehouse. It is possible to provide a cargo management system that manages the presence or absence and position of cargo in a warehouse safely and reliably by managing the status of cargo using an aircraft control system that has the ability to control cargo.

1... warehouse, 2... target, 3... multi-level rack, 4... package, 5... identification code, 10... aircraft control system, 20... package management system, 40... aircraft, 41... camera unit (second imaging unit ), 42... Central processing unit, 43... Drive unit, 44... Wireless unit, 45... Memory, 46... Battery, 47... Propeller, 48... Marker, 49... Sensor, 50... Transport vehicle, 51... Camera unit (third 52...Central processing unit 53...Drive unit 54...Radio unit 55...Memory 56...Battery 57...Camera unit (first imaging unit) 58...Flight control unit 60...Baggage management device.

Claims (4)

Equipped with a carrier that moves on the ground and a flying object that floats in the air from the ground,
The flying object includes a sensor that detects the altitude of the flying object, a transmitter that transmits the detected altitude of the flying object to the transport vehicle, and a marker directed toward the ground,
The transport vehicle picks up images of the markers, selects a plurality of first imaging units having different imaging angles and focal lengths, and selects the first imaging units according to detection results of the sensors. a control unit that controls the position of the flying object based on the image of the marker captured by the first imaging unit. The flying object control system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects the first imaging unit corresponding to the distance between the flying object and the carrier. The control unit uses the image of the marker captured by the selected first imaging unit to determine relative two-dimensional coordinates of the marker viewed from a predetermined position of the image captured by the first imaging unit. is obtained, and based on the relative two-dimensional coordinates, the flying object is controlled so that the position of the image of the marker is located near the predetermined position of the image captured by the first imaging unit. The aircraft control system according to claim 1 or 2. A baggage management system comprising the aircraft control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An identification code assigned to each of a plurality of packages placed in a warehouse, and a package management device for managing the plurality of packages,
The aircraft is
a second imaging unit that captures the identification code; and image information captured by the second imaging unit or information of the identification code read from the image captured by the second imaging unit is transmitted to the transport vehicle. a transmitter for
The transport vehicle is
a transmission unit that associates information received from the flying object with reception time information of the received information and transmits the information to the baggage management device;
The baggage management device is
A package management system configured to manage the location of the package within the warehouse based on the location of the transport vehicle within the warehouse and the reception time information.

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