Flight plan preparing method and flying vehicle guiding system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10088332-B2
Application number	US-201715421834-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2017
Priority date	Feb 15, 2016
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A flying vehicle has a retro-reflector, a position measuring instrument has a non-prism measurement function for performing a distance measurement and an angle measurement in non-prism and a prism measurement function for performing the distance measurement and the angle measurement with respect to the retro-reflector, a control device is adapted to have a flight range as set within a flat plane, to prepare an approximate flight plan having a two-dimensional approximate flying route as set within the flight range, to measure the approximate flying route by the non-prism measurement, to calculate a three-dimensional detailed flying route based on the measurement results and the approximate flying route, to prepare a detailed flight plan including the detailed flying route and to control the flying vehicle so as to fly in maintaining a distance between the flying vehicle system and a surface of the object to be measured at a constant value based on the detailed flight plan and a result of the prism measurement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flying vehicle guiding system comprising: a flying vehicle system having a measuring device installed and capable of remotely controlling, a position measuring instrument capable of measuring distance, angle and of tracking, a ground base station for controlling a flight of a flying vehicle based on measurement result of said position measuring instrument and a control device installed on said flying vehicle or on said ground base station,
wherein said flying vehicle has a retro-reflector,
said position measuring instrument has a non-prism measurement function for performing a distance measurement and an angle measurement in non-prism and a prism measurement function for performing the distance measurement and the angle measurement with respect to said retro-reflector,
said control device is adapted to have a flight range as set within a flat plane according to map information, drawing or image including an object to be measured, to prepare an approximate flight plan having a two-dimensional approximate flying route as set within said flight range, to measure said approximate flying route by the non-prism measurement, to calculate a three-dimensional detailed flying route based on the measurement results and said approximate flying route, to prepare a detailed flight plan including said detailed flying route and to control said flying vehicle so as to fly in maintaining a distance between said flying vehicle system and a surface of said object to be measured at a constant value based on said detailed flight plan and a result of the prism measurement.

2. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 1 , wherein said measuring device is a camera unit and said approximate flight plan includes photographing points and overlapping ratios as set on said approximate flying route.

3. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 1 , wherein said measuring device is a laser scanner and point cloud data are acquired by said laser scanner while said flying vehicle is flying along said detailed flying route.

4. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 2 , wherein in said detailed flying route, a portion not capable of being measured by the non-prism measurement of said position measuring instrument is deleted.

5. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 1 , wherein said position measuring instrument is configured to issue an alarm sound based on a detection of a separation of said flying vehicle system from said detailed flight route toward a side of said object to be measured.

6. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 1 , wherein said flying vehicle system has a GPS device and said control device is adapted to control a flight of said flying vehicle system either according to positional information of said flying vehicle system acquired by said position measuring instrument or according to positional information of said flying vehicle system acquired by said GPS device.

7. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 5 , wherein said flying vehicle system has a GPS device and said control device is adapted to control a flight of said flying vehicle system either according to positional information of said flying vehicle system acquired by said position measuring instrument or according to positional information of said flying vehicle system acquired by said GPS device.

8. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 1 , wherein said flying vehicle system comprises said measuring device tiltably supported in an arbitrary direction via a gimbal mechanism and said retro-reflector integrally tilted with said measuring device in a known relation with said measuring device.

9. A flight plan preparing method using a flying vehicle system designed as remotely controllable, a control device for remotely controlling said flying vehicle system and a position measuring instrument capable of performing a non-prism measurement and a prism measurement, comprising: a step of setting a flight range within a flat plane based on a map information, a drawing, or an image including an object to be measured, a step of setting a two-dimensional approximate flying route within said flight range, a step of preparing an approximate flight plan including said approximate flying route, a step of measuring said approximate flying route by the non-prism measurement and a step of preparing a detailed flight plan including a three-dimensional detailed flying route as set based on a result of the non-prism measurement and on a setting of a distance between said object to be measured and said flying vehicle system.

10. The flight plan preparing method according to claim 9 , wherein said flying vehicle system has a camera unit as a measuring device, said approximate flight plan or said approximate flying route includes a photographing point as set on said approximate flying route and overlapping ratio between images adjacent to each other in images as acquired by said camera unit.

11. The flight plan preparing method according to claim 9 , wherein in said detailed flying route, a portion where distance measurement data is not acquired in the result of the non-prism measurement, is deleted.

12. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 2 , wherein said position measuring instrument is configured to issue an alarm sound based on a detection of a separation of said flying vehicle system from said detailed flight route toward a side of said object to be measured.

13. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 3 , wherein said position measuring instrument is configured to issue an alarm sound based on a detection of a separation of said flying vehicle system from said detailed flight route toward a side of said object to be measured.

14. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 4 , wherein said position measuring instrument is configured to issue an alarm sound based on a detection of a separation of said flying vehicle system from said detailed flight route toward a side of said object to be measured.

15. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 2 , wherein said flying vehicle system has a GPS device and said control device is adapted to control a flight of said flying vehicle system either according to positional information of said flying vehicle system acquired by said position measuring instrument or according to positional information of said flying vehicle system acquired by said GPS device.

16. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 3 , wherein said flying vehicle system has a GPS device and said control device is adapted to control a flight of said flying vehicle system either according to positional information of said flying vehicle system acquired by said position measuring instrument or according to positional information of said flying vehicle system acquired by said GPS device.

17. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 4 , wherein said flying vehicle system has a GPS device and said control device is adapted to control a flight of said flying vehicle system either according to positional information of said flying vehicle system acquired by said position measuring instrument or according to positional information of said flying vehicle system acquired by said GPS device.

18. The flying vehicle guiding system according to claim 12 , wherein said flying vehicle system has a GPS device and said control device is adapted to control a flight of said flying vehicle system either according to positional information of said flying vehicle system acqui

Assignees

• Topcon Corp

Inventors

• Otani Hitoshi
• Sasaki Daisuke
• Fukaya Nobuyuki
• Sasaki Takeshi

Classifications

• G01C21/005

  with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching (G01C21/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01C15/02 Primary

  Means for marking measuring points · CPC title

• B64D45/00

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G01C23/00 Primary

  Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration · CPC title

• G01S19/42

  Determining position · CPC title