JP7096614B1 - Aircraft control system and luggage management system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an aircraft control system having high flight stability even in a warehouse. A flying object control system (10) of the present invention includes a carrier (50) that moves on the ground and an flying object (40) that floats in the air from the ground and flies, and the flying object (40) detects the altitude of the flying object (40). a transmitter for transmitting the altitude of the flying object 40 to the carrier 50; and a marker 48 directed toward the ground. and a control unit that selects the imaging unit 57 according to the detection result of the sensor 49 and controls the movement of the flying object 40 based on the image of the marker 48 captured by the selected imaging unit 57 Prepare. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to an air vehicle control system including an air vehicle flying in a warehouse and a luggage management system for managing luggage in the warehouse using the air vehicle control system.

As a technique for managing cargo in a warehouse, a method of managing the presence or absence of cargo in the warehouse and the installation location by reading the identification code given to the cargo has been proposed. Recently, by using a flying object (drone) flying in the warehouse to acquire information on the luggage stored on a high rack in the warehouse, the load of inspection and inventory work of the luggage in the warehouse is reduced. Technology has also been proposed.

For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose a luggage management system including a drone equipped with a camera that captures an image of luggage in a warehouse and a mobile device that is connected to the drone by a cable and moves in the warehouse. There is. Since the power supply for driving the drone is charged using the cable to and from the mobile device, it is possible to acquire images for a long time by the drone's camera.

JP-A-2017-218325 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-167177

Here, when managing luggage using images taken by the drone's camera, it is necessary to accurately read the identification code such as the barcode attached to the luggage, so for the drone that shoots the identification code. Is required to have stable hovering control. Some drones use optical flow sensors to control hovering in warehouses where GPS signals cannot be received, but when it is difficult to acquire images on the ground, such as when the altitude of the drone is high, or when the mobile device on the ground has moved significantly. In some cases, the hovering control of the drone using the optical flow sensor may become unstable, and as a result, the identification code may be read inaccurately, and it may take a long time to read the identification code. ..

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides an air vehicle control system having high flight stability even in a warehouse, and provides a luggage management system using the air vehicle control system. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the flight object control system of the present invention includes a transport vehicle that moves on the ground and an flight object that floats and flies from the ground to the air, and the flight object is the flight object. The carrier includes a sensor for detecting the altitude of the aircraft, a transmission unit 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 captures different images. A plurality of first image pickup units having an angle and a focal distance, and the first image pickup unit selected according to the detection result of the sensor, and the image of the marker captured by the selected first image pickup unit. A control unit for controlling the position of the flying object is provided based on the control unit.

Further, the luggage management system of the present invention is a luggage management system provided with the above-mentioned flying object control system, and has an identification code assigned to each of the plurality of luggage placed in the warehouse and the plurality of luggage. The flying object is provided with a luggage management device for management, and the flying object has a second image pickup unit that captures the identification code, image information captured by the second image pickup unit, or an image captured by the second image pickup unit. The transport vehicle includes a transmission unit that transmits the information of the identification code read from the above to the transport vehicle, and the transport vehicle associates the information received from the vehicle with the reception time information of the received information to the luggage management device. The baggage management device includes a transmission unit for transmitting, and is configured to manage the position of the baggage in the warehouse based on the position of the transport vehicle in the warehouse and the reception time information.

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

FIG. 1 is an example of the configuration of an air vehicle control system and a luggage management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an example of a functional block of an air vehicle and a transport vehicle constituting the air vehicle control system according to the 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 in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the flying object in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the transport vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an example of an operation sequence of the luggage management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an example of baggage management data according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention can be carried out in various embodiments, and is not limited to the embodiments of the invention described below.

<Structure of flight object control system and luggage management system>
FIG. 1 is an example of the configuration of an air vehicle control system and a luggage management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flying object control system 10 of FIG. 1 is composed of a transport vehicle 50 moving on the ground and an flying object 40 floating in the air from the ground. The cargo management system 20 is configured to manage the cargo 4 loaded in a plurality of stages in the multi-stage rack 3 in the warehouse 1 by using the information acquired by the flight object control system 10.

A unique identification code 5 for identifying the luggage is attached to each of the luggage 4, and the identification code 5 read from the image captured by the camera unit 41 (second imaging unit) mounted on the flying object 40 is used. Each baggage 4 is configured to be identifiable. The luggage management system 20 manages the presence / absence and installation position of the luggage 4 in the warehouse 1 by using the identification code 5 read from the image captured by the camera unit 41 mounted on the flying object 40 flying in the warehouse 1. 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. The flying object 40 performs autonomous control using an optical flow sensor, and also performs hovering control by a control signal from the carrier vehicle 50. The transport vehicle 50 acquires an image of the marker 48 of the flying object 40 by using the camera unit 57 selected from a plurality of camera units 57 (first imaging unit) according to the altitude of the flying object 40, and the acquired image. 40 is used to control the position and attitude of the flying object 40 so that the flying object 40 is hovering over the carrier 50.

In the present embodiment, the position and attitude of the flying object 40 are controlled by the control signal from the transport vehicle 50 by using the image of the marker 48 acquired by the camera unit 57 selected according to the altitude of the flying object 40. 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 surely acquired, and the acquired marker image is used to obtain the flying object. The 40 can be stably hovered over the transport vehicle 50.

The luggage management system 20 manages the presence / absence and installation position of the luggage 4 in the warehouse 1 based on the information of the identification code 5 read from the image captured by the camera unit 41 mounted on the flying object 40 flying in the warehouse 1. .. The presence or absence of the luggage 4 in the warehouse 1 can be managed by grasping the identification code 5, and the position of the luggage 4 can be managed by associating it with the position of the transport vehicle 50 in the warehouse 1.

The luggage management system of FIG. 1 targets a multi-stage rack warehouse in which the luggage 4 is housed in the multi-stage rack 3, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is a flat warehouse in which the luggage 4 is loaded in a plurality of stages. It can also be applied to other types of warehouses such as.

<Structure of flying object and carrier>
FIG. 2 is an example of a functional block of an air vehicle and a transport vehicle constituting the air vehicle control system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The transport vehicle 50 has a traveling function for self-propelling in the warehouse 1, controls a camera unit 51 (third imaging unit) for acquiring image information of the target 2, controls a drive unit 53, transmits / receives information, and the like. A central processing unit 52 for processing, a driving unit 53 for traveling in the warehouse 1, a radio unit 54 for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the flying object 40 and the luggage management device 60, various information, and the like. The position of the flying object 40 and the position of the flying object 40 based on the image acquired by the memory 55, the battery 56 for operating each unit, the plurality of camera units 57 for acquiring the image information of the marker 48 of the flying object 40, and the camera unit 57. A flight control unit 58 for controlling the posture is provided. The transport vehicle 50 can self-propell on a predetermined route in the warehouse 1 based on the image information of the target 2 acquired by the mounted camera unit 51.

In the present embodiment, it is necessary to raise / lower the flying object 40 in order to acquire the code information of the identification code 5 given to the luggage 4 loaded on the multi-stage rack 3, and the altitudes of the flying objects 40 are compared. In the case of a high target, if the resolution of the camera unit is low, the image of the marker 48 may not be acquired. Each of the plurality of camera units 57 of the present embodiment has different imaging angles and focal lengths, and by appropriately selecting the camera unit 57 according to the altitude of the flying object 40, the marker of the flying object 40 can be selected. Forty-eight 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 flight object 40, and controls the position and attitude of the flight object 40 based on the image of the marker 48 captured by the selected camera unit 57. do. In the present embodiment, according to the altitude of the flying object 40 detected by the sensor 49, the camera unit 57 having an imaging angle and a focal distance corresponding to the altitude is selected, and the image of the marker 48 is acquired, so that the flight Even when the autonomous control of hovering by the flying object 40 becomes unstable, such as when the altitude of the body 40 is high, the image information of the marker 48 of the flying object 40 is surely acquired, and the flying object is based on the acquired image information. 40 can be hovered stably.

The flying object 40 performs processing such as a camera unit 41 (second imaging unit) for acquiring image information of the identification code of the luggage 4, reading the identification code 5 from the image information, and transmitting the identification code 5. Central processing unit 42, drive unit 43 for driving the propeller 47, radio unit 44 functioning as a transmission unit for transmitting captured image information or information of the identification code 5 read from the captured image, various information and the like are stored. It is provided with a memory 45 for operating, a battery 46 for operating each part, a propeller 47 for flying the flying object 40, a marker 48 toward the ground, and a sensor 49 for detecting the altitude of the flying object 40.

The propeller 47 mounted on the flight body 40 is driven based on the control signal from the flight control unit 58 using the image of the marker 48 of the flight body 40 in addition to the autonomous control using the optical flow sensor. Control is done. 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 surely acquired, and based on the acquired image information, the image information is obtained. The flying object 40 can be hovered stably.

<Camera selection according to the altitude of the flying object>
When managing the luggage using the image taken by the camera of the flying object 40, it is necessary to accurately read the identification code such as the barcode attached to the luggage. If the altitude of the multi-stage rack 3 loaded with the luggage 4 is high, the flying object 40 may be raised to a considerable height, and if the flying object 40 moves significantly with one camera, it is transported. It may be difficult for the camera of the car 50 to acquire the image of the marker 48 of the flying object 40.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the altitude of the flying object and the selected camera unit in 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. 3, and can be appropriately set according to the assumed altitude of the flying object 40. Here, a zoom lens that changes the focal length may be adopted in each camera unit 57.

The plurality of camera units 57 of the present embodiment each have a different image pickup angle and focal length, and the camera unit has an appropriate image pickup angle and focal length corresponding to the distance between the flying object 40 and the transport vehicle 50. By taking a picture with 57, the image of the marker 48 of the flying object 40 can be accurately acquired. By adopting a zoom lens in which the focal length is variable in each camera unit 57, it becomes possible to correspond to a wider altitude range of the flying object 40.

<Hovering control of the flying object>
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the 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 transport vehicle 50 based on a control signal from the transport vehicle 50 based on the image information of the marker 48 of the flight body 40. The camera unit 57 for acquiring the image of the marker 48 is selected according to the altitude of the flying object 40.

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

The relative position of the flying object 40 with respect 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 as seen from the center of the image are obtained, and the relative two-dimensional coordinates are used as the basis. Then, by sliding the position of the image of the marker 48 and controlling the flying object 40 so that the marker 48 is located near the center of the image, the flying object 40 can be moved to the sky above the carrier 50. can.

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

At the stage (3) of FIG. 4, the flying object 40 hovering over the carrier vehicle 50 at a higher altitude as compared with (2), so that the size of the image of the marker 48 that can be acquired by the camera unit 57 is large. Is 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 an image of the marker 48 is acquired 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 reference camera unit 57 is illustrated in the case of the center of the image, but the reference position is not limited to the center of the image and is arbitrary in the image. A predetermined position can be appropriately set as a reference position. Further, the number of camera units 57 in the transport vehicle 50 is not limited to the example, 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 40 is moved along a predetermined movement path in the warehouse 1 and the flying object 40 is controlled to hover over the carrier 50, whereby the flying object 40 is conveyed. The image of the identification code 5 of the luggage 4 can be acquired by ascending or descending the flying object 40 while following the 50 and moving it. In the present embodiment, the position and attitude of the flying object 40 are controlled by the control signal from the transport vehicle 50 by using the image of the marker 48 acquired by the camera unit 57 selected according to the altitude of the flying object 40. 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 surely acquired, and the flight is performed based on the acquired image information. The body 40 can be hovered stably.

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

<Movement of transport vehicle in the warehouse>
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the transport vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 describes the moving operation of the transport vehicle 50 from the stationary state at the starting point toward the target 2 and reaching the target 2. In FIG. 4, the description of the control of the flying object 40 that follows the transport vehicle 50 and flies will be omitted.

In the stage (1) of FIG. 5, the surrounding image is acquired by the camera unit 51, and the target 2 is searched using the acquired image. As a result of the search, the carrier 50 starts moving toward the captured image of the target 2.

At the stage (2) of FIG. 5, since the image of the target 2 could be captured, 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 that it can be confirmed that the transport vehicle 50 is moving toward the target 2.

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

In FIG. 4, the case where the circular target 2 is used has been described, but as the target 2, a target having another shape may be used, or a target having another form such as a barcode or lighting may be used. Further, another method can be used as a method for moving the transport vehicle 50. For example, an image of a line arranged on the floor of the warehouse 1 may be acquired, and the transport vehicle 50 may be moved along the image.

<Operation sequence of luggage management system>
The operation sequence in the luggage management system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an example of an operation sequence of the luggage management system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

When the luggage 4 to which the identification code 5 is attached is carried into the warehouse 1 and placed in a predetermined position, the flying object 40 detects and detects the altitude of the flying object 40 by the mounted sensor 49. 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 a camera unit 57 having a sensor size and a focal length according 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 loaded luggage 4.

The flying object 40 acquires an image of the luggage 4 including the identification code 5 by 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 path.

When the transport vehicle 50 receives the information of the identification code 5, it stores the reception time information of the code information together with the code information of the identification code 5. 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.

The carrier 50 collects reception time information such as code information while receiving code signals and image information from the flying object 40, and at the end of movement, associates the code information, image information and their reception time information with the luggage. It is transmitted to the management device 60.

The code information of the identification code 5 corresponding to the luggage 4 is registered in advance in the luggage management device 60, and the code information and the reception time of the code information are used for each luggage 4 by using the information received from the transport vehicle 50. Luggage management data that manages information is configured.

Here, the transport vehicle 50 is moved along a predetermined movement 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 in the warehouse 1 at the reception time can be specified, and the position of the luggage 4 in the warehouse 1 can be specified based on the position of the specified transport vehicle 50.

If the image information of the identification code 5 is acquired while the flying object 40 is hovering stably over the transport vehicle 50, it is possible to specify the more accurate position of the luggage 4 in the warehouse 1. It will be possible.

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

The luggage management device 60 manages the presence / absence of the luggage 4 to which the identification code 5 is attached and the position in the warehouse 1 based on the code information received from the transport vehicle 50. In this baggage management data, baggage information, code information, and reception time information of code information are managed for each baggage. In addition to these information, information indicating the position of the luggage 4 in the warehouse 1 may be registered.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an air vehicle system having high flight stability even in a situation where the optical flow control of the air vehicle becomes unstable in the warehouse, and this high flight stability. By managing the state of the luggage using the flying object control system having the property, it becomes possible to provide a luggage management system that safely and surely manages the presence / absence and the position of the luggage in the warehouse.

1 ... Warehouse, 2 ... Target, 3 ... Multi-stage rack, 4 ... Luggage, 5 ... Identification code, 10 ... Flying object control system, 20 ... Luggage management system, 40 ... Aircraft, 41 ... Camera unit (second imaging unit) ), 42 ... Central processing unit, 43 ... Drive unit, 44 ... Radio unit, 45 ... Memory, 46 ... Battery, 47 ... Propeller, 48 ... Marker, 49 ... Sensor, 50 ... Transport vehicle, 51 ... Camera unit (3rd) Image pickup unit), 52 ... Central processing unit, 53 ... Drive section, 54 ... Radio section, 55 ... Memory, 56 ... Battery, 57 ... Camera section (first image pickup section), 58 ... Flight control section, 60 ... Luggage Management device.

Claims (4)

Equipped with a carrier that moves on the ground and an air vehicle that floats from the ground into the air and flies.
The flying object includes a sensor for detecting the altitude of the flying object, a transmission unit for transmitting the detected altitude of the flying object to the transport vehicle, and a marker directed toward the ground.
The carrier vehicle captures an image of the marker and selects and selects a plurality of first imaging units having different imaging angles and focal lengths and the first imaging unit according to the detection result of the sensor. A flying object control system including 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 transport vehicle. The control unit uses the image of the marker captured by the selected first imaging unit, and the relative two-dimensional coordinates of the marker as viewed from a predetermined position of the image captured by the first imaging unit. Is obtained, and the flying object is controlled so that the position of the image of the marker is located in the vicinity of the predetermined position of the image captured by the first imaging unit based on the relative two-dimensional coordinates. The aircraft control system according to claim 1 or 2. A luggage management system including the flight object control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
It is equipped with an identification code assigned to each of the plurality of packages placed in the warehouse and a luggage management device for managing the plurality of packages.
The flying object is
The second image pickup unit that captures the identification code, the image information captured by the second image pickup unit, or the information of the identification code read from the image captured by the second image pickup unit is transmitted to the transport vehicle. Equipped with a transmitter to
The carrier is
It is provided with a transmission unit that associates the information received from the flight object with the reception time information of the received information and transmits the information to the baggage management device.
The luggage management device is
A package management system configured to manage the position of the package in the warehouse based on the position of the carrier in the warehouse and the reception time information.

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