Wide area sensing system, in-flight detection method, and non-transitory computer readable medium storing program of wide area sensing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9709993-B2
Application number	US-201514859974-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2015
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A wide area sensor system includes an unmanned airplane being switchable between an airplane mode for high speed flight and a VTOL mode for low speed flight, a state detection sensor provided in the unmanned airplane, the state detection sensor being driven to detect a state of a detection target, and an external control apparatus that controls flight of the unmanned airplane and driving of the state detection sensor. The external control apparatus performs high speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the high speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the airplane mode. The control apparatus performs low speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the low speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the VTOL mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wide area sensor system comprising:
an unmanned airplane being switchable between an airplane mode for high speed flight and a VTOL mode for low speed flight;
a state detection sensor provided in the unmanned airplane, the state detection sensor being driven to detect a state of a detection target; and
an external control apparatus that controls flight of the unmanned airplane and driving of the state detection sensor,
wherein the external control apparatus performs high speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the high speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the airplane mode and performs low speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the low speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the VTOL mode.

2. The wide area sensor system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the unmanned airplane has a main body and a propulsive unit provided in the main body to change an attitude of the unmanned airplane, and
the external control apparatus switches between the airplane mode and the VTOL mode by changing the attitude of the propulsive unit relative to the main body.

3. The wide area sensor system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the unmanned airplane has a movable wing provided on the main body to change an attitude of the unmanned airplane, and
the propulsive unit is a propeller provided in the movable wing.

4. The wide area sensor system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the unmanned airplane has a main wing provided on the main body, and
the movable wing is provided in front of the main wing in the main body and is rotatable about a rotary shaft extending horizontally from the main body.

5. The wide area sensor system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the external control apparatus extracts a necessary inspection point in the detection target based on a detection result of the high speed sensing and performs the low speed sensing on the extracted necessary inspection point.

6. The wide area sensor system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the external control apparatus moves the unmanned airplane to a predetermined necessary reconnaissance point in the detection target while performing the high speed sensing on the detection target, and performs the low speed sensing on the necessary reconnaissance point.

7. An in-flight detection method using an unmanned airplane being switchable between an airplane mode for high speed flight and a VTOL mode for low speed flight and a state detection sensor provided in the unmanned airplane, the state detection sensor being driven to detect a state of a detection target, the method comprising the steps of:
performing high speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the high speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the airplane mode; and
performing low speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the low speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the VTOL mode.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program for executing control process with an external control apparatus, the control process comprising:
performing high speed sensing by driving a state detection sensor provided in an unmanned airplane to detect a state of a detection target while performing high speed flight of the unmanned airplane in an airplane mode, and
performing low speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor to detect the state of the detection target while performing low speed flight of the unmanned airplane in a VTOL mode.

Assignees

• Kk Topcon

Inventors

• Tanahashi Atsushi

Classifications

• B64U2101/30

  for imaging, photography or videography · CPC title

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64C27/00

  Rotorcraft; Rotors peculiar thereto · CPC title

• B64C39/024

  of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV · CPC title

• B64C2201/126

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic