KR20210122458A - Unmanned aerial vehicle and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle that performs robust flight both indoors and outdoors, and a method for controlling the same. According to the present invention, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises: a main body; a sensor provided in the main body; a plurality of motors for providing power to the main body to perform at least one of a horizontal movement and a vertical movement; and a processor for controlling at least one of the plurality of motors based on sensing information received from the sensor.

Description

UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

The present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle and its control method.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) refers to an object flying by itself and/or by induction of radio waves received from a remote controller without a pilot. Recently, in addition to military uses such as reconnaissance and attack, unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly used for commercial purposes such as observation/delivery and for civilian purposes such as video shooting.

An unmanned aerial vehicle will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . 1 is a perspective view showing one form of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention.

First, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 flies unmanned while being manually operated by a ground manager or automatically controlled by a set flight program. it will be done The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 includes at least one of a main body 20 , a power providing unit 10 , and a landing leg 130 as shown in FIG. 1 .

The body 20 is a body portion on which the work module 40 is mounted. The work module 40 is a hardware module detachable from the main body 20 according to a function required for the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 . For example, a Robot Arm, Gimbal,

The power supply unit 10 is composed of one or more propellers 11 installed vertically on the main body 20, and the power supply unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of propellers 11 spaced apart from each other. and a motor 12 . Here, the power supply unit 10 may have an air injection type thruster structure rather than the propeller 11 .

A plurality of propeller supports are formed radially from the body 20 . Each propeller support may be equipped with a motor 12 . Each motor 12 is equipped with a propeller 11 .

The plurality of propellers 11 may be symmetrically disposed with respect to the center of the body 20 . In addition, the rotation direction of the plurality of propellers 11 may be determined such that the rotation direction of the motor 12 is combined with a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction. The rotation direction of the pair of propellers 11 symmetrical with respect to the center of the main body 20 may be set to be the same (eg, clockwise). In addition, the other pair of propellers 11 may have opposite rotational directions (eg, counterclockwise).

The landing legs 30 are spaced apart from each other on the bottom surface of the main body 20 . In addition, a buffer support member (not shown) that minimizes the impact caused by a collision with the ground when the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 lands may be mounted on the lower portion of the landing leg 30 . Of course, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may be configured in various structures of different aircraft configurations than those described above.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 measures its own flight state using various sensors in order to fly stably. The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may include a sensing unit 130 including at least one sensor.

The flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is defined as a rotational state and a translational state.

The rotational state means ‘Yaw’, ‘Pitch’, and ‘Roll’, and the translational state means longitude, latitude, altitude, and speed.

Here, 'roll', 'pitch', and 'yaw' are called Euler angles, and the plane aircraft coordinates x, y, and z are some specific coordinates, for example, NED coordinates N, E, D. It represents the angle rotated about the axis. When the front of the airplane rotates left and right based on the z-axis of the aircraft coordinates, the x-axis of the aircraft coordinates is angularly different with respect to the N-axis of the NED coordinates, and this angle is called "yaw" (Ψ). When the front of the airplane rotates up and down based on the y-axis pointing to the right, an angle difference occurs between the z-axis of the aircraft coordinates and the D-axis of the NED coordinates, and this angle is called "pitch" (θ). When the fuselage of the airplane is tilted left and right based on the x-axis facing the front, the y-axis of the aircraft coordinates is angled with respect to the E-axis of the NED coordinates, and this angle is called "roll" (Φ).

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 uses 3-axis gyroscopes, 3-axis acceleration sensors, and 3-axis magnetometers to measure the rotational motion state, and a GPS sensor to measure the translational motion state. and a barometric pressure sensor.

The sensing unit 130 of the present invention includes at least one of a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a GPS sensor, an image sensor, and a barometric pressure sensor. Here, the gyro sensor and the acceleration sensor measure the rotation and acceleration of the body frame coordinate of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 with respect to the Earth Centered Inertial Coordinate, and MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems). ) can also be manufactured as a single chip called an inertial measurement unit (IMU) using semiconductor process technology.

In addition, inside the IMU chip, there is a microcontroller that converts the measurements based on the Earth's inertial coordinates measured by the gyro sensor and the acceleration sensor into local coordinates, for example, NED (North-East-Down) coordinates used by GPS. may be included.

The gyro sensor measures the angular velocity at which the three axes of the aircraft coordinates x, y, and z rotate with respect to the earth inertia coordinates of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, and then converts the values into fixed coordinates (Wx.gyro, Wy.gyro, Wz.gyro) is calculated, and this value is converted into Euler angles (Φgyro, θgyro, ψgyro) using a linear differential equation.

The acceleration sensor measures the acceleration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 with respect to the Earth's inertial coordinates on the three axes x, y, and z, and then calculates the values (fx,acc, fy,acc, fz,acc) converted into fixed coordinates, , converts these values into 'roll (Φacc)' and 'pitch (θacc)', and these values are bias errors included in 'roll (Φgyro)' and 'pitch (θgyro)' calculated using the measured values of the gyro sensor. is used to remove

The geomagnetic sensor measures the direction of the magnetic north point of the three axes of the aircraft coordinates x, y, and z of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, and uses this value to calculate the ‘yaw’ value for the NED coordinates of the aircraft coordinates.

The GPS sensor uses signals received from GPS satellites to determine the translational motion state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 on the NED coordinates, that is, latitude (Pn.GPS), longitude (Pe.GPS), altitude (hMSL.GPS), and latitude. Calculate the velocity (Vn.GPS), the velocity in the longitude phase (Ve.GPS), and the velocity in the altitude phase (Vd.GPS). Here, the subscript MSL stands for Mean Sea Level (MSL).

The barometric pressure sensor may measure the altitude (hALP.baro) of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 . Here, the subscript ALP means air pressure (Air-Level Pressor), and the air pressure sensor calculates the current altitude from the take-off point by comparing the air pressure at the time of take-off of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the air pressure at the current flight altitude.

The camera sensor includes at least one optical lens and an image sensor (eg, CMOS image sensor) including a plurality of photodiodes (eg, pixels) that are imaged by light passing through the optical lens; It may include a digital signal processor (DSP) that configures an image based on signals output from the photodiodes. The digital signal processor may generate a still image as well as a moving picture composed of frames composed of still images.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 includes a communication module 170 that receives or receives information and outputs or transmits information. The communication module 170 may include a wireless communication unit 175 that transmits and receives information with other external devices. The communication module 170 may include an input unit 171 for inputting information. The communication module 170 may include an output unit 173 for outputting information.

Of course, the output unit 173 may be omitted in the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and formed in the terminal 300 .

For example, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may receive information directly from the input unit 171 . As another example, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may receive information input to the separate terminal 300 or the server 200 through the wireless communication unit 175 .

For example, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may directly output information to the output unit 173 . As another example, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may transmit information to a separate terminal 300 through the wireless communication unit 175 and cause the terminal 300 to output information.

The wireless communication unit 175 may be provided to communicate with the external server 200 , the terminal 300 , and the like. The wireless communication unit 175 may receive information input from the terminal 300 such as a smartphone or a computer. The wireless communication unit 175 may transmit information to be output to the terminal 300 . The terminal 300 may output information received from the wireless communication unit 175 .

The wireless communication unit 175 may receive various command signals from the terminal 300 and/or the server 200 . The wireless communication unit 175 may receive zone information for driving, a driving route, and a driving command from the terminal 300 and/or the server 200 . Here, the zone information may include flight restriction zone (A) information and access restriction distance information.

The input unit 171 may receive On/Off or various commands. The input unit 171 may receive area information. The input unit 171 may receive object information. The input unit 171 may include various buttons, a touchpad, or a microphone.

The output unit 173 may notify the user of various types of information. The output unit 173 may include a speaker and/or a display. The output unit 173 may output information on a discovery detected while driving. The output unit 173 may output identification information of the discovery. The output unit 173 may output location information of the discovery.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 includes a processor 140 that processes and determines various information such as mapping and/or recognizing a current location. The processor 140 may control the overall operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 through control of various components constituting the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 .

The processor 140 may receive and process information from the communication module 170 . The processor 140 may receive information from the input unit 171 and process it. The processor 140 may receive and process information from the wireless communication unit 175 .

The processor 140 may receive sensing information from the sensing unit 130 and process it. The processor 140 may control driving of the motor 12 . The processor 140 may control the operation of the operation module 40 .

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 includes a memory 150 for storing various data. The memory 150 records various types of information necessary for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 , and may include a volatile or non-volatile recording medium.

The memory 150 may store a map for the driving area. The map may be input by the external terminal 300 capable of exchanging information through the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and the wireless communication unit 175, or may be generated by the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 learning itself. In the former case, examples of the external terminal 300 include a remote controller, a PDA, a laptop, a smart phone, and a tablet equipped with an application for setting a map.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a control relationship between main components of an aviation control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the flight control system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and a server 200 , or include an unmanned aerial vehicle 100 , a terminal 300 and a server 200 . can The unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the terminal 300, and the server 200 are connected to each other by a wireless communication method.

The wireless communication method is GSM (Global System for Mobile communication), CDMA (Code Division Multi Access), CDMA2000 (Code Division Multi Access 2000), EV-DO (Enhanced Voice-Data Optimized or Enhanced Voice-Data Only), WCDMA (Wideband) CDMA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), etc. may be used.

As the wireless communication method, wireless Internet technology may be used. As wireless Internet technologies, for example, WLAN (Wireless LAN), Wi-Fi (Wireless-Fidelity), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) Direct, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), WiBro (Wireless Broadband), WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G, and the like. In particular, faster response is possible by transmitting and receiving data using the 5G communication network.

In this specification, the base station has a meaning as a terminal node of a network that directly communicates with the terminal. A specific operation described as being performed by the base station in this specification may be performed by an upper node of the base station in some cases. That is, it is obvious that various operations performed for communication with the terminal in a network including a plurality of network nodes including the base station may be performed by the base station or other network nodes other than the base station. 'Base station (BS: Base Station)' is a fixed station (fixed station), Node B, eNB (evolved-NodeB), BTS (base transceiver system), access point (AP: Access Point), gNB (Next generation NodeB), such as may be replaced by terms. In addition, 'terminal' may be fixed or have mobility, UE (User Equipment), MS (Mobile Station), UT (user terminal), MSS (Mobile Subscriber Station), SS (Subscriber Station), AMS ( Advanced Mobile Station), a wireless terminal (WT), a machine-type communication (MTC) device, a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, a device-to-device (D2D) device, and the like.

Hereinafter, downlink (DL: downlink) means communication from a base station to a terminal, and uplink (UL: uplink) means communication from a terminal to a base station. In the downlink, the transmitter may be a part of the base station, and the receiver may be a part of the terminal. In the uplink, the transmitter may be a part of the terminal, and the receiver may be a part of the base station.

As a technology related to the above unmanned aerial vehicle, there is Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0110499.

One object of the present invention is to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle that performs robust flight indoors and outdoors, and a control method thereof.

The present invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of classifying indoors and outdoors by using sensing information, and efficiently managing a battery according to the location of a main body, and a control method thereof.

Furthermore, an unmanned aerial vehicle using a guard to perform different functions in consideration of the spatial specificity of indoors and outdoors, and a control method thereof are provided.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle and a control method thereof.

The unmanned aerial vehicle may include: a main body; a sensor provided in the body; a plurality of motors for providing power to the main body to perform at least one of a horizontal movement and a vertical movement; and a processor for controlling at least one of the plurality of motors based on the sensing information received from the sensor. Further comprising a wireless communication unit for receiving the corresponding target information, the processor, based on the target information to set at least one of a destination and a movement path, and to move at least one of the motors so that the main body moves to the destination and the destination is also varied as the camera for which the target is searched from among the plurality of cameras runs.

According to an embodiment, a target image obtained by photographing the target is received through the wireless communication unit, the sensor includes an image sensor generating an image, and the processor, when arriving at the destination, the image sensor and The target may be searched for by using the target image.

According to an embodiment, when the target is searched for through the image sensor, the processor may control at least one of the motors to make a follow-up flight following the target.

According to an embodiment, the position of the main body is determined by the sensing information, and the processor controls at least one of the motors to make a first following flight when the position of the main body is indoors, and the main body When the position of is outdoors, at least one of the motors may be controlled so that a second following flight different from the first following flight is performed.

In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, the main body; a plurality of motors for providing power to the main body to perform at least one of a horizontal movement and a vertical movement; an image sensor for generating an image photographed in at least one direction with respect to the body; a gesture detection unit that searches for a user's gesture using the image; and a processor for controlling at least one of the propellers so that, when the gesture detector detects a preset gesture, the main body performs a movement corresponding to the preset gesture.

According to an embodiment, the movement direction of the movement corresponding to the preset gesture may vary according to the relative positions of the main body and the user.

In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, the main body; a location information module for generating location information of the main body using a signal received from a satellite; a sensor provided in the body; and a processor in which the location of the main body is determined to be either indoors or outdoors by the sensing information generated by the sensor, and selectively uses the location information based on the location of the main body.

According to an embodiment, the processor may turn off the location information module when the location of the main body is indoors, and turn on the location information module when the location of the main body is outdoors.

In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, the main body; a plurality of motors for providing power to the main body to perform at least one of a horizontal movement and a vertical movement; and a processor for controlling at least one of the motors so that the main body flies, a first guard connected to one surface of the main body; a second guard connected to the other surface of the body; a first actuator for providing an external force to rotate the first guard clockwise about a reference axis; and a second actuator providing an external force so that the second guard rotates counterclockwise about the reference axis.

According to an embodiment, in a first state, the first guard and the second guard are positioned above the plurality of motors, and in a second state, the first guard and the second guard are located below the plurality of motors. can be located

According to an embodiment, the first guard and the second guard are configured to prevent the propellers from being exposed to the outside in the first state, and an object to be loaded under the main body in the second state can be done

According to an embodiment, further comprising a sensor provided in the main body, the processor determines the position of the main body based on sensing information received from the sensor, and the first state or The first actuator and the second actuator may be controlled to be in any one of the second states.

According to an embodiment, the processor is configured such that an object is fixed between the first guard and the second guard by a force applied by at least one of the first guard and the second guard. 2 actuators may be controlled, and at least one of the motors may be controlled so that the body flies while the object is fixed between the first guard and the second guard.

According to an embodiment, the sensor includes an image sensor for photographing the object, and the processor generates object information including at least one of a shape and a size of the object using the image sensor, and the object The first and second actuators may be controlled based on the information.

According to an embodiment, the processor determines a reference distance between the main body and the object based on the object information, and at least one of the motors so that the main body hovers at a position away from the object by the reference distance. and control the first actuator and the second actuator so that the first state becomes the second state while the main body hovers at a position separated by the reference distance from the object.

According to one embodiment, further comprising a wireless communication unit provided in the main body, the processor, based on the object information to determine whether the object can be fixed between the first guard and the second guard, fixed If this is not possible, the wireless communication unit may be controlled to transmit a load impossible message to an external device.

According to an embodiment, the first guard is configured to protect propellers of a motor included in a first group among the motors, and the second guard protects propellers of a motor included in a second group of the motors. can be done to do so.

According to an embodiment, the first guard and the second guard may have a shape of mutual mirror symmetry.

More active crime prevention can be achieved by introducing an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of flying in the old method using a fixed camera such as CCTV. In particular, since various notifications can be directly provided to the target through the unmanned aerial vehicle, the crime prevention effect can be maximized.

1 is a perspective view showing one form of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention;
2 is a block diagram illustrating an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention;
3 is a block diagram illustrating a control relationship between main components of an aviation control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing a crime prevention function by an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an unmanned aerial vehicle to perform a butler function according to an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an unmanned aerial vehicle to perform an emergency function according to an embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a flowchart for explaining a method for efficiently managing a battery according to a location of a body of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;
8A to 8F are exemplary views for explaining a guard of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;
9A to 9F are exemplary views for explaining a guard of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are assigned the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of only the ease of writing the specification, and do not have a meaning or role distinct from each other by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, and the technical spirit disclosed herein is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention , should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms including an ordinal number, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

When a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it is understood that the other component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is said that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that no other element is present in the middle.

The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present application, terms such as "comprises" or "have" are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

The unmanned aerial vehicle described herein may be a drone, a remote piloted vehicle (RPV), an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), or a piloted air/aerial vehicle (PAV).

Furthermore, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be remotely controlled or automatically/semi-automatically fly according to a preset route on the ground without the pilot boarding the unmanned aerial vehicle, or are equipped with artificial intelligence to perform missions according to their own judgment, ground control equipment and communication equipment; It may consist of an entire system (Unmanned Aerial System, UAS) such as support equipment.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 includes a main body 20, a sensor 130 provided in the main body 20, and a plurality of motors 12 that provide power so that the main body 20 performs at least one of a horizontal movement and a vertical movement. and a processor 140 controlling at least one of the plurality of motors 12 based on the sensing information received from the sensor 130 . Furthermore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 includes a wireless communication unit 175 that wirelessly communicates with at least one of the server 200 and the mobile terminal 300 .

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are assigned the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing a crime prevention function by an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The unmanned aerial vehicle system according to the present invention includes the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 , and may additionally include at least one of the server 200 and the mobile terminal 300 .

The server 200 may receive images from a plurality of cameras installed at different points, and sense a target that satisfies a preset condition (S410).

For example, in a predetermined area such as a house or an office, cameras such as CCTV may be installed at different points. In addition, the server 200 may sense a target that satisfies a preset condition in a predetermined area using images received from a plurality of cameras.

Here, the target satisfying the preset condition may be a person or robot without access right. For example, a family member or company employee may be a person with access rights.

The preset condition may vary according to the predetermined region. The predetermined area is further divided into a plurality of areas, and different conditions may be set in each area. For example, when a house with a yard is set as a predetermined area, the inside of the house may be divided into a first zone, and the yard outside the house may be partitioned into a second zone. A family may enter both the first zone and the second zone, but a courier delivering a parcel may be able to enter only the second zone.

The server 200 may determine whether the moving object is a target that satisfies the preset condition by using a plurality of images received from the camera.

The server 200 may be extended to all devices capable of wirelessly communicating with the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 . For example, a refrigerator may serve as the server 200 at home, and a crime prevention device may serve as the server 200 at a company.

When a target satisfying a preset condition is sensed, the server 200 transmits target information to the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 . The target information may include at least one of an image of the target and the shape, size, type, and location of the target.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 flies to a destination corresponding to the target when the target information is received from the server 200 while waiting while performing wireless charging at a wireless charging station (not shown) (S430).

More specifically, when a target is detected through at least one of a plurality of cameras installed at different points, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 receives target information corresponding to the target.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 sets at least one of a destination and a flight path based on target information, and controls at least one of the motors so that the main body moves to the destination.

The destination of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 also varies according to a camera for which a target is searched among a plurality of cameras installed at different points. For example, when a target is found by a first camera installed at a first point, a first destination corresponding to the first point is set, but when a target is found by a second camera installed at a second point, a second point A second destination corresponding to may be set.

Depending on the location of the target, the flight path may be set in different ways. For example, if the location of the target is indoors, the shortest flight path from the wireless charging station to the target location is set, but if the target location is outdoors, the shortest distance from the wireless charging station to the outdoors is set. After the flight path is set, it moves vertically above a certain altitude. Thereafter, the shortest distance to the target location at a certain altitude may be set as the flight path.

Since the target is a moving object, the target may be sensed by different cameras. For example, a target may be searched for by the second camera after a predetermined time has elapsed after the target is searched for by the first camera at time t. In this case, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 sets the first point corresponding to the first camera as the destination at time t and flies, and after a certain time elapses, the second point corresponding to the second camera instead of the first point as the destination You can set it to fly. As such, the destination of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may be changed in real time according to the camera in which the target is searched.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 determines whether to arrive at a destination based on the sensing information received from the sensor 130 , and starts searching for a target when the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 arrives at the destination.

A target image obtained by photographing the target is received through the wireless communication unit 175 , and the sensor 130 may include an image sensor for generating an image. In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may search for the target using the image sensor and the target image.

When the target is found, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may generate a target image using an image sensor and transmit the target image to at least one of the server 200 and the mobile terminal 300 through the wireless communication unit 175 (S450). . The server 200 may further include a control center such as a police station or a fire station.

When the target is searched for through the image sensor, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 controls at least one of the motors 12 so that the following flight follows the target ( S470 ).

The location of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may be determined by sensing information generated by the sensor 130 . More specifically, at least one of coordinate information and image information indicating the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is generated, and it may be determined whether the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is located indoors with a ceiling or outdoors without a ceiling. .

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 controls at least one of the motors 130 so that the first following flight is made when the position of the main body 20 is indoors, and when the position of the main body is outdoors, the first following flight and At least one of the motors 13 may be controlled so that another second following flight is made.

For example, the first following flight is a flight method that follows the target while maintaining a constant distance between the target and the main body, and the second following flight is a flight method that rotates and moves around the target in a radius of a predetermined distance. (Orbit).

Furthermore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may include an output unit 173 for outputting voice information such as a speaker. When the target is found, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may output preset voice information through the output unit 173 . For example, voice information such as "Access to a predetermined area is prohibited. Please leave the predetermined area" may be output. The text received from the mobile terminal 300 may be converted into voice and output through the output unit 173 . For example, the text “Who are you” may be generated through a microphone of the mobile terminal 300 and transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 . Voice information “Who are you?” may be transmitted to the target through the output unit 173 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 .

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may be provided with a noise measuring sensor for measuring noise. The intensity of outputting voice information of the output unit 173 may vary according to the noise level sensed by the noise measuring sensor. Furthermore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 flies so that the target and the main body are at a predetermined distance, and the predetermined distance may be changed according to the noise level. For example, when it is necessary to output voice information while flying from a position separated by a first distance from the target, the voice information may be output after moving to a position separated by a second distance closer than the first distance. When the output of the voice information is completed, it may move to a position separated by the first distance again.

When the target deviates from the predetermined area, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may perform a return flight returning to the wireless charging station (S490).

For example, the user may hear a suspicious sound from outside and may be curious about the situation outside. The user may send the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 to his/her mobile terminal 300 to understand the situation. The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may inspect the surroundings of the house by autonomous flight, automatically catch a suspicious intruder, follow the intruder, capture an image in real time, and transmit it to the user's mobile terminal 300 .

As another example, the user may be going out. When it is detected that there is an intruder in the drone being monitored by the camera, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 flies by itself to photograph the surroundings of the intruder, and transmits the current situation to the user's mobile terminal 100 as an alarm message and an image. The intruder tries to crash the drone by throwing stones, but the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can avoid the flying stones by itself based on sensing information. The user may report the current situation to the police together with the video, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may report the video to the police according to its own standards. The user may deliver a warning message to the intruder through a speaker mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 as an additional module. Through this, the intruder recognizes that he has been caught and runs away.

More active crime prevention can be achieved by introducing an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of flying in the old method using a fixed camera such as CCTV. In particular, since various notifications can be directly provided to the target through the unmanned aerial vehicle, the crime prevention effect can be maximized.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an unmanned aerial vehicle to perform a butler function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 300 may call the unmanned aerial vehicle (S510). In this case, the location information of the mobile terminal 300 is transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 .

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may search for a user of the mobile terminal 300 by autonomous flight in response to the call (S530). The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may autonomously fly to the user's location using the location information and sensing information received from the sensor.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may search for a user's gesture searched for by using an image sensor (S550) and execute a function corresponding to the gesture (S570).

More specifically, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may be provided with an image sensor that generates an image taken in at least one direction with respect to the main body 20 and a gesture detector that searches for a user's gesture using the image. The gesture detector may determine a function corresponding to the gesture.

When the gesture detector detects a preset gesture, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may control at least one of the motors 13 so that the main body 20 performs a movement corresponding to the preset gesture.

As an example, it is assumed that a user wants to record a picture of a user having fun with children while having fun playing with them in the front yard to leave as a memory. The user may input a voice recognition command to the mobile terminal 100 to bring the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 to the front yard. When the user rotates the arm toward the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 in a large circle, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 displays the word ORBIT on the front LED and takes a picture of playing with the child while turning around the user. When the user displays a heart using both arms above his head, the heart appears on the front LED of the drone and follows the user to take a picture. When the user inputs 'return' as a voice recognition command to the mobile terminal 100, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 returns to the charging station.

As an example, it is assumed that the child is playing with the ball and the ball goes up on the roof. Climbing on the roof risks collapsing or falling. The user may call the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 through the mobile terminal 300 and input a gesture pointing to the roof into the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 . The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can move to the roof, identify where the ball is, and safely collect the ball and transport it to the user using a robot arm equipped with an additional module.

The function execution result may be transmitted to at least one of the server 200 and the mobile terminal 300 through the wireless communication unit 175 .

Meanwhile, the movement direction of the movement corresponding to the preset gesture may be changed according to the relative position of the main body 20 and the user.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may move in all directions based on the direction of gravity. The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 flies so that the front, called a face, faces the user.

When there are a plurality of users, the face of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may face the first user, but the side or rear side may face the second user. When the first user or the second user inputs the same gesture, the same function is executed, but the movement direction of the main body 20 may be different.

For example, when the first user inputs a gesture to move to the right, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 moves in a direction in which the right side of the main body 20 faces. Contrary to this, when the second user inputs a gesture to move to the right, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 moves in a direction in which the front of the main body 20 faces.

When there are a large number of users, a user-friendly interface is implemented because the flight is centered on the user who input the gesture rather than flying with the drone center.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of performing an emergency function by an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The server 200 and/or the mobile terminal 300 may detect the user's bio-signal and transmit it to the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 (S610),

If there is an abnormality in the biosignal or no biosignal is detected, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may start a user search through autonomous flight ( S630 ). The user is searched for based on at least one of the indoor map stored in the memory and the sensing information received from the sensor.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may determine whether to start searching for the user based on its own algorithm. For example, an autonomous flight to search for a user may be initiated in situations such as when a sound is detected when a person falls and falls to the floor, or when there is no movement of the user for a certain period of time.

When the user is searched, the user hovers around the user and checks the user's status (S650). The user state may be checked through an image sensor provided in the main body 20 . For example, when the user does not move for a certain period of time, when the user falls on a place other than a bed or a sofa, etc. may be checked as having a problem through artificial intelligence. Voice information for checking the user's status may be output through the output unit.

When a problem is found, a user image may be created and the newly created user image may be transmitted to the server 200 and/or the mobile terminal 300 . Alternatively, if no problem is found, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may return to the wireless charging station (S690).

Since the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 performs the role of a caregiver, it is possible to perform an emergency function more quickly and accurately.

7 is a flowchart for explaining a method of efficiently managing a battery according to a location of a main body of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may be provided with a location information module for generating location information of the main body using a signal received from a satellite. For example, GPS may be included in the location information module.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may determine the location of the main body to be either indoors or outdoors based on sensing information (S710).

For example, at least one of the image generated by the image sensor, the distance generated by the distance measuring sensor that measures the distance between the main body 100 and the object, and the GPS signal strength is learned using artificial intelligence, and according to the learning result It is possible to determine whether the location of the body is indoors or outdoors.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may selectively use the location information generated by the location information module based on the location of the main body (S730). For example, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may turn off the location information module when the location of the main body is indoors, and turn on the location information module when the location of the main body is outdoors. Through this, unnecessary power is prevented from being used by the location information module, and the battery can be efficiently managed.

8 and 9 show two types of embodiments for explaining the guard provided in the unmanned aerial vehicle. 8A and 9A are perspective views for explaining a first state, and FIGS. 8D and 9D are perspective views for explaining a second state. 8A to 8C show a first state of the first embodiment, and FIGS. 8D to 8F show a second state of the first embodiment. 9A to 9C show a first state of the second embodiment, and FIGS. 9D to 9F show a second state of the second embodiment.

The unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention may be provided with a guard for protecting the propeller. More specifically, a first guard connected to one surface of the body 20; a second guard connected to the other surface of the body 20; a first actuator for providing an external force to rotate the first guard clockwise about a reference axis; and a second actuator that provides an external force so that the second guard rotates counterclockwise about the reference axis may be provided in the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 .

Here, the reference axis may be a virtual axis connecting the front and rear surfaces of the body.

In the first state, the first guard and the second guard are located above the plurality of motors, and in the second state, the first guard and the second guard are located below the plurality of motors.

The first guard is configured to protect the propellers of the motor included in the first group of the motors, the second guard is configured to protect the propellers of the motor included in the second group of the motors. For example, two motors located on the right side with respect to the front of the body may be protected by the first guard, and the two motors located on the left side may be protected by the second guard.

The first guard and the second guard may have a form of mutual mirror symmetry.

The first guard and the second guard are configured to prevent the propellers from being exposed to the outside in the first state, and an object to be loaded under the main body in the second state.

On the other hand, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 determines the position of the main body based on the sensing information received from the sensor, and the first actuator and The second actuator may be controlled. For example, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may make a first state indoors and may make a second state outdoors.

Since the GPS cannot be used indoors, flight accuracy is somewhat lowered, and there is a risk that the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may collide with an object constituting the room, such as a ceiling. Furthermore, a collision between the user and the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may also occur in a narrow space. In order to protect the propeller and the user, the actuators are controlled to be in the first state in the room.

In contrast, the use of GPS outdoors improves flight accuracy compared to indoors. Guards that may be unnecessary are converted to a second state and used as a basket to transport items. The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may transport items such as eggs in a basket.

Meanwhile, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may use the first guard and the second guard as tongs (or hands) to pick up objects, such as a robot arm.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 controls the first and second actuators so that an object is fixed between the first guard and the second guard by a force applied by at least one of the first and second guards. and control at least one of the motors so that the body flies while the object is fixed between the first guard and the second guard.

The sensor includes an image sensor for photographing the object, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 uses the image sensor to generate object information including at least one of a shape and size of the object, and based on the object information, The first and second actuators may be controlled. That is, the magnitude and direction of the force generated by the actuator can be adjusted in consideration of the characteristics of the object to be transported.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may perform safe flight by adjusting the distance from the object to be picked up by the first and second guards.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may determine a reference distance between the main body and the object based on object information obtained from the image sensor. Furthermore, at least one of the motors is controlled so that the main body hovers at a position separated by the reference distance from the object, and the first state is maintained while the main body hovers at a position spaced by the reference distance from the object. The first actuator and the second actuator are controlled to be in the second state.

The main body is provided with a wireless communication unit, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 determines whether the object can be fixed between the first guard and the second guard based on the object information, and if it is impossible to fix, load The wireless communication unit may be controlled to transmit the impossible message to an external device.

The unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention can promote safety through the first state indoors, and transport goods through the second state outdoors. When the user command is received through the mobile terminal 300 , the first state may be switched to the second state even indoors, and a specific object may be transported from the first location to the second location.

The embodiments described above are those in which elements and features of the present invention are combined in a predetermined form. Each component or feature should be considered optional unless explicitly stated otherwise. Each component or feature may be implemented in a form that is not combined with other components or features. In addition, it is also possible to configure an embodiment of the present invention by combining some elements and/or features. The order of operations described in embodiments of the present invention may be changed. Some features or features of one embodiment may be included in another embodiment, or may be replaced with corresponding features or features of another embodiment. It is obvious that claims that are not explicitly cited in the claims can be combined to form an embodiment or included as a new claim by amendment after filing.

Embodiments according to the present invention may be implemented by various means, for example, hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. In the case of implementation by hardware, an embodiment of the present invention provides one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), FPGAs ( field programmable gate arrays), a processor, a controller, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, and the like.

In the case of implementation by firmware or software, an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of modules, procedures, functions, etc. that perform the functions or operations described above. The software code may be stored in the memory and driven by the processor. The memory may be located inside or outside the processor, and may transmit/receive data to and from the processor by various known means.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Accordingly, the above detailed description should not be construed as restrictive in all respects but as exemplary. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

main body;
a sensor provided in the body;
a plurality of motors for providing power to the main body to perform at least one of a horizontal movement and a vertical movement; and
A processor for controlling at least one of the plurality of motors based on the sensing information received from the sensor,
When a target is searched for through at least one of a plurality of cameras installed at different points, further comprising a wireless communication unit for receiving target information corresponding to the target,
The processor is
setting at least one of a destination and a movement path based on the target information, and controlling at least one of the motors so that the main body moves to the destination,
The unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that the destination also varies as the camera for which the target is searched among the plurality of cameras is running. According to claim 1,
A target image obtained by photographing the target is received through the wireless communication unit,
The sensor includes an image sensor that generates an image,
The processor is
When arriving at the destination, the unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that the search for the target using the image sensor and the target image. 3. The method of claim 2,
The processor is
When the target is detected through the image sensor, the unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that for controlling at least one of the motors so as to make a flight following the target. 4. The method of claim 3,
The position of the main body is determined by the sensing information,
The processor is
When the location of the main body is indoors, controlling at least one of the motors so that the first following flight is made,
When the position of the main body is outdoors, the unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the motors is controlled so that a second following flight different from the first following flight is performed. main body;
a plurality of motors for providing power to the main body to perform at least one of a horizontal movement and a vertical movement;
an image sensor for generating an image photographed in at least one direction with respect to the body;
a gesture detection unit that searches for a user's gesture using the image; and
and a processor for controlling at least one of the motors so that the main body performs a movement corresponding to the preset gesture when the gesture detector detects a preset gesture. 6. The method of claim 5,
The direction of movement of the movement corresponding to the preset gesture is variable according to the relative position of the main body and the user. main body;
a location information module for generating location information of the main body using a signal received from a satellite;
a sensor provided in the body; and
and a processor in which the location of the main body is determined either indoors or outdoors by the sensing information generated by the sensor, and selectively uses the location information based on the location of the main body. 8. The method of claim 7,
The processor is
When the location of the main body is indoors, the location information module is turned off, and when the location of the main body is outdoors, the location information module is turned on. main body;
a plurality of motors for providing power to the main body to perform at least one of a horizontal movement and a vertical movement; and
A processor for controlling at least one of the motors so that the main body flies,
a first guard connected to one surface of the body;
a second guard connected to the other surface of the body;
a first actuator for providing an external force to rotate the first guard clockwise about a reference axis; and
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a second actuator providing an external force to rotate the second guard in a counterclockwise direction about the reference axis. 10. The method of claim 9,
In a first state, the first guard and the second guard are positioned above the plurality of motors,
In a second state, the first guard and the second guard are located under the plurality of motors.

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