Object search system, object detection method and program

Abstract

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the performance of searching for an object in a search area. [Solution] The present invention is an object search system using multiple unmanned mobile bodies, including a first unmanned mobile body equipped with a first measurement sensor capable of detecting objects, and multiple second unmanned mobile bodies equipped with second measurement sensors capable of detecting objects within a narrower detectable range than the first measurement sensor, and the object search system is equipped with a search operation state determination unit that determines the search state including the measurement implementation area measured by the unmanned mobile bodies, and a search operation control unit that controls the movement state of the unmanned mobile bodies so that when searching for an object, the position of at least one second unmanned mobile body is within a movement history surrounding area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body, or within another predetermined range. is.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an object search system, an object detection method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Marine surveillance using manned patrol vessels and research vessels has traditionally been carried out for the purposes of preventing nuisance and illegal fishing by ships navigating the sea or divers and submarines navigating the ocean, searching for shipwrecks and drifters after maritime accidents, and conducting ecological surveys of marine life. However, because the oceanic areas subject to surveillance or survey are extremely vast, there are limits to the areas that can be monitored or surveyed by manned patrol vessels and research vessels, resulting in the problem of areas remaining uncovered. Furthermore, when multiple manned patrol vessels are coordinated for surveillance or survey, it is difficult to quickly control and manage them manually, making it difficult to properly perform operations such as tracking monitored objects. Furthermore, it is not easy to train personnel with the necessary skills. Against this background, the use of unmanned vessels capable of autonomous navigation on the ocean has been considered in recent years, and it is expected that they will be used for the aforementioned surveillance of suspicious vessels and ecological surveys.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses a method for controlling mobile bodies to monitor a monitored area using multiple mobile bodies equipped with cameras, etc., and in particular, discloses a technology for controlling the movement of mobile bodies so as to improve the coverage rate, which is the ratio of the monitored area that can be monitored by the mobile bodies to the monitored area.

[0004] Patent Document 2 also discloses a control device that includes an other-unit information acquisition means for acquiring information about the status of other units, in order to optimize the behavior of the entire unmanned aircraft group while each unit in the unmanned aircraft group autonomously selects its own behavior; an action comparison means for acquiring information about the status of other units from the other-unit information acquisition means and acquiring sensor signals including information about the status of the own unit, and calculating comparison values ​​for multiple types of actions that the own unit should take using the acquired information about the own unit and the other units; an action selection means for selecting an action that the own unit should take based on the comparison values ​​of the multiple types of actions calculated by the action comparison means; an operation amount calculation means for calculating the operation amount of the own unit using information about the action selected by the action selection means and information about the status of the other units obtained from the other-unit information acquisition means; and an operation setting means for setting operation setting values ​​of actuators that operate the own unit using the calculation results of the operation amount calculation means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-92256 [Patent Document 2] Re-tabled publication No. 2018-105599 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] For example, when searching for objects in an underwater area, measurement sensors such as passive sonars using hydrophones can detect objects present in a relatively wide underwater area. However, passive sonars cannot detect objects that are silent and do not emit sound. Furthermore, passive sonar measurements cannot grasp the shape of the object, which can lead to false detections and missed detections. On the other hand, measurement sensors such as active sonars, including side-scan sonars, can detect silent objects and accurately detect the shape of the object, but their detection range is narrower than that of passive sonars and they cannot detect objects moving at high speeds. Thus, searches using a single measurement sensor can miss detections of objects present in the target area. These issues are not limited to sonars used to measure underwater areas, but also apply to searches of surface and other areas using other measurement sensors.

[0007] Furthermore, for example, when searching for objects in a wide ocean area, it is necessary to measure a wider area using a measurement sensor with a wide detection range, but at the same time, once the object has been primarily detected, it is necessary to obtain detailed information about the object, such as its accurate position, shape, characteristics, etc. It is not easy to simultaneously search a wide area and obtain detailed information using a single measurement sensor.

[0008] To address the above-mentioned problems, it is conceivable to use different types of sensors that measure different information or measurement methods, etc. However, neither Cited Document 1 nor Cited Document 2 considers combining different types of sensors to efficiently achieve a purpose such as searching for an object.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of at least one of the above problems, and one object of the present invention is to provide a system or control method, etc., that can improve search performance for searching for targets underwater, on the sea, or other search areas by using different types of sensors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to the present invention, an object search system is provided that uses a plurality of unmanned mobile bodies, including a first unmanned mobile body equipped with a first measurement sensor capable of detecting an object, and a plurality of second unmanned mobile bodies equipped with a second measurement sensor capable of detecting the object within a narrower detectable range than the first measurement sensor, and that is equipped with a search operation state determination unit that determines the search state including the measurement implementation area measured by the unmanned mobile bodies, and a search operation control unit that controls the movement state of the unmanned mobile bodies so that, when searching for an object, the position of at least one second unmanned mobile body is within a movement history surrounding area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body, or within another predetermined range. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the performance of searching for an object in a search area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an object search system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an implementation image of an object search system 1 in real space. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a collaborative system 5000, an external system 6000, and an object 7000. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an unmanned boat system 1000 deployed on the sea searching for an object 7000. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an unmanned boat system 1000 made up of multiple unmanned boats. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a formation of a group made up of multiple unmanned boats 1010. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an unmanned watercraft 1010. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the detection of an underwater object 7200 using passive sonar. [Figure 9] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing how an underwater object 7200 is detected using a side scan sonar. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an integrated control system 2000. [Figure 11] 2 is a diagram showing an example of system configuration information acquired by a system information acquisition unit 2110. FIG. [Figure 12] 2 is a diagram showing an example of system state transition information acquired by a system information acquisition unit 2110. FIG. [Figure 13] 2 is a diagram showing an example of information indicating the performance of a measurement sensor acquired by a sensor performance information acquisition unit 2120. FIG. [Figure 14] 10 is a diagram showing an example of request information acquired by a request information acquisition unit 2130. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the search rate of the master unit determined by the search rate determination unit 2230. FIG. [Figure 16] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the search rate of a slave device determined by a search rate determination unit 2230. FIG. [Figure 17] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the integrated search rate of the parent device and the child device determined by the search rate determination unit 2230. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first state in which movement control of multiple groups is performed by a group movement control unit 2310. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second state in which group movement control section 2310 controls movement of multiple groups. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of controlling the movement state of an unmanned boat by an unmanned boat movement control unit 2320. [Figure 21] 10 is a diagram showing a first movement method of the slave unit determined by the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320. FIG. [Figure 22] 10 is a diagram showing a second movement method of the slave unit determined by the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320. FIG. [Figure 23]13 is a diagram showing a third movement method of the slave unit determined by the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320. FIG. [Figure 24] 10 is a diagram showing a fourth movement method of the slave unit determined by the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320. FIG. [Figure 25] 10 is a diagram showing an example of determination items of an object determined by a primary detection determination unit 2410. FIG. [Figure 26] 10 is a diagram showing patterns of the secondary measurement operation etc. determined by the secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510. FIG. [Figure 27] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between each parent unit and a child unit at time t1 when a primary detection determination of an object is performed. FIG. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between parent and child devices that perform a secondary measurement operation at time t2 after a predetermined time has elapsed since time t1. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the parent and child devices that perform a secondary measurement operation at time t3 after a predetermined time has elapsed since time t2. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a measurement sensor determination method for determining a measurement sensor to be used in a secondary measurement operation according to a primary detection determination result and a detailed measurement request. [Figure 31] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a measurement sensor determination method for determining a measurement sensor to be used in a secondary measurement operation according to a combination pattern of a primary detection determination result and a detailed measurement request. FIG. [Figure 32] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration diagram of an integrated control system 2000 and the like. [Figure 33] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a higher-level control flow of the object search system 1. [Figure 34] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a search state determination process performed by a search operation state determination unit 2200. FIG. [Figure 35] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of search operation control processing by the search operation control unit 2300. [Figure 36] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a primary detection determination process by a primary detection determination unit 2410. FIG. [Figure 37]FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow for determining a secondary measurement operation by a secondary measurement operation control unit 2500. [Figure 38] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the secondary detection determination process flow by a secondary detection determination unit 2420. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention will be described below with reference to the following embodiments. [Item 1] An object search system using a plurality of unmanned mobile bodies including a first unmanned mobile body equipped with a first measurement sensor capable of detecting an object, and a plurality of second unmanned mobile bodies equipped with second measurement sensors capable of detecting an object within a narrower detectable range than the first measurement sensor, a search operation state determination unit that determines a search state including a measurement implementation area measured by the unmanned moving body; When searching for the object, the position of at least one second unmanned vehicle is An object search system comprising: a search operation control unit that controls the movement state of at least one of the first unmanned mobile body and the second unmanned mobile body so that the first unmanned mobile body is within a peripheral area of ​​the movement history within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body, or within a first measurement area by the first measurement sensor mounted on the first unmanned mobile body, or a position where the first measurement area by the first measurement sensor and the measurable area of ​​the second measurement sensor overlap each other. [Item 2] In the object search system according to item 1, the first measurement sensor is a passive sonar capable of measuring underwater sound waves generated from the object, An object search system, wherein the second measurement sensor is an active sonar that can detect the object by measuring the reflected waves of emitted sound waves. [Item 3] In the object search system according to item 1 or 2, the first measurement sensor is a radar sensor; The second measurement sensor is a laser sensor that emits laser light and receives reflected laser light, an electro-optical sensor, an infrared camera, or another optical camera, in an object search system. [Item 4] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 3, the first measurement sensor is a laser that emits laser light and receives the reflected laser light, an electro-optical sensor, an infrared camera, or another optical camera, An object search system, wherein the second measurement sensor is a high-resolution camera that measures measurement data with a higher resolution than the laser, the optical camera, or the infrared camera. [Item 5] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 4, The search operation control unit controls at least one of the relative distance, position, and movement path of the plurality of unmanned mobile bodies when searching for the object. [Item 6] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 5, The search operation control unit, during a period from the start of searching for the object to the present, a ratio of a second measurement implementation area measured by the second unmanned mobile body to a peripheral area of ​​the movement history within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body; Or, a value relating to the size of an overlapping area between a movement history surrounding area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned moving body and the second measurement implementation area, Or, the ratio of the second measurement implementation area to the first measurement implementation area measured by the first unmanned moving body, Alternatively, an object search system that controls the movement state of the multiple unmanned mobile bodies so that a value related to the size of a heterogeneous overlapping search area where the first measurement implementation area and the second measurement implementation area overlap is greater than or equal to a target value. [Item 7] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 6, An object search system in which the proportion of the second measurement area measured by the second unmanned mobile body in an area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the first unmanned mobile body is calculated from the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body and the movement history and measurement execution history of the second unmanned mobile body during the period from the start of the search for the object to the present. [Item 8] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 7, The value relating to the size of the overlapping area between the movement history surrounding area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned moving body and the second measurement implementation area is a ratio of the overlap area to the total search area in which the object is searched; Or, the ratio of the overlapping area to a plurality of local search areas obtained by dividing the entire search area, or the ratio of the overlap area to the elapsed time of searching for the object; Or, the ratio of the overlap area to the travel distance of the first unmanned mobile body or the second unmanned mobile body. [Item 9] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 8, The ratio of the second measurement implementation area to the first measurement implementation area measured by the first unmanned moving body is: An object search system that calculates the movement history and measurement execution history of the first unmanned mobile body and the movement history and measurement execution history of the second unmanned mobile body from the start of the search for the object to the present. [Item 10] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 9, A value relating to the size of a heterogeneous overlapping search area in which the first measurement implementation area and the second measurement implementation area overlap is a ratio of the heterogeneous overlapping search areas to the total search area in which the object is searched; or a ratio of the heterogeneous overlapping search areas to a plurality of local search areas obtained by dividing the entire search area; or the ratio of the heterogeneous overlapping search areas to the elapsed search time of the object; Or, the ratio of the heterogeneous overlapping search areas to the travel distance of the first unmanned mobile body or the second unmanned mobile body. [Item 11] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 10, The search operation control unit controls at least one of the relative distance, positioning, and movement path of the multiple second unmanned mobile bodies so that a value indicating the size or size ratio of a similar overlapping search area where the second measurement areas measured by each of the multiple second unmanned mobile bodies overlap is less than a predetermined value. [Item 12] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 11, the first unmanned mobile body and the second unmanned mobile body each include a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the first unmanned mobile body and the second unmanned mobile body within a communication distance; The search operation control unit controls at least one of the relative distance, positioning, and movement path between the first unmanned mobile body and the second unmanned mobile body so that the second unmanned mobile bodies do not deviate from the communication distance range from the first unmanned mobile body. [Item 13] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 12, When there are a plurality of the first unmanned moving bodies, The search operation control unit controls at least one of the relative distance, positioning, and movement path of the multiple first unmanned mobile bodies so that a value indicating the size or size ratio of a similar overlapping search area where the first measurement areas measured by the multiple first unmanned mobile bodies overlap is less than a predetermined value. [Item 14] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 13, an object detection determination unit that determines whether the object has been detected based on measurement data measured by the measurement sensors of the plurality of unmanned moving bodies; An object search system comprising a secondary measurement operation control unit that controls a secondary measurement operation of the object using the plurality of unmanned moving bodies when the object is primarily detected by the object detection determination unit. [Item 15] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 14, a request information acquisition unit that acquires, as the request information for the secondary measurement operation, request information for detailed measurement of at least one of the shape, position, relative orientation, and relative distance of the object, which is set in advance or input by a user; When the request information acquisition unit acquires the request information, the secondary measurement operation control unit determines to perform the secondary measurement operation using the second measurement sensor. [Item 16] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 15, the first measurement sensor is a passive sonar capable of measuring underwater sound waves generated from the object, the second measurement sensor is an active sonar that can detect the target by measuring reflected waves of emitted sound waves, When it is determined by the primary detection of the object by the object detection determination unit that the object is in a high-speed moving state where the object is moving at a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined speed, The secondary measurement operation control unit determines to use the passive sonar for the secondary measurement operation. [Item 17] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 16, the first measurement sensor is a passive sonar capable of measuring underwater sound waves generated from the object, the second measurement sensor is an active sonar that can detect the target by measuring reflected waves of emitted sound waves, When the primary detection of the object by the object detection determination unit determines that the volume of the sound generated from the object is a quiet state of a predetermined value or less, The secondary measurement operation control unit determines to use the active sonar for the secondary measurement operation. [Item 18] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 17, the first measurement sensor is a passive sonar capable of measuring underwater sound waves generated from the object, the second measurement sensor is an active sonar that can detect the target by measuring reflected waves of emitted sound waves, When it is determined by the primary detection of the object by the object detection determination unit that the detected position of the object is within the measurable range of the second measurement sensors of the plurality of second unmanned moving bodies, The secondary measurement operation control unit determines to use the active sonar of the second unmanned mobile body in which the object is within the measurable range for the secondary measurement operation. [Item 19] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 18, the search operation control unit performs a search operation for the target object using some of the second unmanned moving bodies, An object search system in which, when the object detection determination unit performs the primary detection of the object, the secondary measurement operation control unit decides to perform the secondary measurement operation using a number of the second unmanned mobile bodies that is greater than the number of bodies used in the search operation. [Item 20] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 19, An object search system in which, when the object detection determination unit performs the primary detection of the object, the secondary measurement operation control unit moves the first unmanned mobile body so as to approach the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection, and causes the first unmanned mobile body to acquire measurement data of the object. [Item 21] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 20, An object search system in which, when the object detection determination unit performs the primary detection of the object, the secondary measurement operation control unit narrows the relative distance between the multiple first unmanned mobile bodies and moves the multiple first unmanned mobile bodies to the surrounding area of ​​the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection. [Item 22] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 21, An object search system in which, when the object detection determination unit performs the primary detection of the object, the secondary measurement operation control unit moves multiple second unmanned mobile bodies so as to approach the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection, and causes the multiple second unmanned mobile bodies to acquire measurement data of the object. [Item 23] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 22, An object search system in which, when the object detection determination unit performs the primary detection of the object, the secondary measurement operation control unit moves the multiple second unmanned mobile bodies to narrow the relative distance between the multiple second unmanned mobile bodies and approach the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection. [Item 24] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 23, the first measurement sensor is a passive sonar capable of measuring underwater sound waves generated from the object, the second measurement sensor is an active sonar that can detect the target by measuring reflected waves of emitted sound waves, a request information acquisition unit that acquires, as the request information for the secondary measurement operation, request information for measuring a marine area around the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection, which request information is set in advance or input by a user; An object search system in which, when the request information acquisition unit acquires the request information, the secondary measurement operation control unit decides to measure the offshore area using a measurement sensor capable of measuring the offshore area mounted on the first unmanned mobile body or the second unmanned mobile body. [Item 25] In the object search system according to any one of items 1 to 24, The object detection determination unit, when detecting a ship based on measurement data obtained by measuring the marine area, determines that the ship is a ship associated with the object detected by the primary detection, is an object search system. [Item 26] A method for searching for an object using a plurality of unmanned mobile bodies including a first unmanned mobile body equipped with a first measurement sensor capable of detecting an object, and a plurality of second unmanned mobile bodies equipped with second measurement sensors capable of detecting the object in a detection range narrower than that of the first measurement sensor, The computer a search operation state determination step for determining a search state including a measurement implementation area measured by the unmanned moving body; A method for searching for an object, which executes a search operation control step of controlling the movement state of at least one of the second unmanned mobile bodies so that, when searching for the object, the position of at least one of the second unmanned mobile bodies is within a movement history surrounding area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body, or within a first measurement implementation area by the first measurement sensor mounted on the first unmanned mobile body, or a position where the first measurement implementation area by the first measurement sensor and the measurable area of ​​the second measurement sensor overlap each other. [Item 27] A program usable for an object search system using a plurality of unmanned mobile bodies including a first unmanned mobile body equipped with a first measurement sensor capable of detecting an object, and a plurality of second unmanned mobile bodies equipped with second measurement sensors capable of detecting the object in a narrower detection range than the first measurement sensor, On the computer, a search operation state determination command for determining a search state including a measurement implementation area measured by the unmanned moving body; A program that executes a search operation control command that controls the movement state of the unmanned mobile body so that, when searching for the target object, the position of at least one of the second unmanned mobile bodies is within a movement history surrounding area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body, or within a first measurement implementation area by the first measurement sensor mounted on the first unmanned mobile body, or a position where the first measurement implementation area by the first measurement sensor and the measurable area of ​​the second measurement sensor overlap each other.

[0014] First Embodiment Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. Furthermore, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and other known elements or alternative means may be adopted depending on the application, purpose, scale, etc. In addition, in the first embodiment, an example will be described in which an unmanned boat 1010 is used as an example of an unmanned mobile object, but the unmanned mobile object is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to any other unmanned mobile object, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned vehicle, or an unmanned submersible.

[0015] [A.Configuration] (A-1. Overall system configuration) First, the system configuration of an object search system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0016] (A-1-1. System Configuration Overview) FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an object search system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "system 1") according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the control system 1 includes an unmanned boat system 1000 and a general control system 2000. The general control system 2000 is configured to be able to communicate with an external collaborative system 5000 and an external system 6000 via an internet line or the like, and is capable of inputting and outputting information. The general control system 2000 can send control commands to the unmanned boat system 1000 deployed on the sea via a terrestrial base station 4000 and a communication satellite 3000, and can also receive the operating status and measurement data of the unmanned boat system 1000. Therefore, the overall control system 2000 can remotely control the operation of the unmanned boat system 1000, which has multiple unmanned boats 1010 (also called "unmanned ships") that are equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting the target object 7000 and are capable of navigating and moving on the sea, or can autonomously navigate or automatically navigate the unmanned boat system 1000, and can use the measurement sensors to perform operations such as searching for the target object 7000, taking detailed measurements after discovery, tracking, and surrounding it in a predetermined area (first area) on the sea or underwater. Here, the predetermined area is any area that can be set by user input or can be set in the system in advance.

[0017] The unmanned boat system 1000 includes a single or multiple unmanned boats 1010. When the unmanned boat system 1000 is made up of multiple unmanned boats 1010, the multiple unmanned boats 1010 are connected to each other via wireless communication, allowing the formation of a communication network. The unmanned boat 1010 also has the function of measuring targets 7000, including submersible boats moving underwater, underwater drones, divers, marine life such as whales, ships on the sea, drifting objects, drifters, and aircraft in the sky, using measurement sensors mounted on the boat (such as sonar or other acoustic sensors, optical cameras, IR cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR, and radar sensors such as millimeter-wave sensors and microwave sensors).

[0018] The detection determination results and measurement data of the object 7000 detected by the unmanned watercraft system 1000, as well as various information on the operational status of each unmanned watercraft 1010 in the unmanned watercraft system 1000, are transmitted to the overall control system 2000 via the communications satellite 3000 and the terrestrial base station 4000. The overall control system 2000 determines operational commands for the unmanned watercraft system 1000 based on information acquired from the unmanned watercraft system 1000 and request information acquired in advance from users, etc. The generated information, such as the operational commands, is transmitted to a user terminal device 8000 and displayed and output to the user. In addition, intervention commands related to operational commands, etc., can be acquired from the user via the user terminal device 8000.

[0019] (A-1-2. Example of real-space implementation of object search system 1) Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an implementation image of the object search system 1 in real space. In the example shown in Fig. 2, a terrestrial base station 4000 and a central control system 2000 are provided on the ground side shown in the upper right of the drawing. Also provided on the ground side are a cooperative system 5000, an external system 6000, and a user terminal device 8000, all of which are connected to the central control system 2000 via a network.

[0020] On the other hand, on the ocean side shown on the left side of the drawing, unmanned boat system 1000 is deployed to search for target object 7000 in the ocean. Unmanned boat system 1000 also has multiple groups (1000a, 1000b, 1000c) consisting of a parent unit and multiple child units, and communication can be carried out between each group directly or via communication satellite 3000.

[0021] In the example shown in Figure 2, the overall control system 2000 is implemented in a facility on land, but this is not limited to this. All or some of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in this embodiment can also be installed on a coastal field base set up in a coastal area on land (not shown) or on a manned mother ship at sea, and the operation and management of the unmanned boat system 1000 can be performed at the coastal field base or manned mother ship.

[0022] In the configuration of the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a non-terrestrial network using a communication satellite 3000 in a geosynchronous orbit or a low Earth orbit has been used as a communication network for transmitting and receiving information between the overall control system 2000 and the unmanned watercraft system 1000. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A non-terrestrial network using an unmanned air vehicle known as a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) can also be used. In this case, for example, an unmanned air vehicle that circles at an altitude of approximately 8 to 50 km can be used. Furthermore, a communication network for transmitting and receiving information between the overall control system 2000 and the unmanned watercraft 1010 can also be used, in which a terrestrial base station 4000 is directly connected to the unmanned watercraft 1010 via wireless communication, without going through the communication satellite 3000 or the HAPS. The terrestrial base station 4000 is not limited to a fixed base station, and may be a mobile base station.

[0023] (A-1-3. Stakeholders regarding Object Search System 1) Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a cooperative system 5000, an external system 6000, and an object 7000. As shown in Fig. 3, the object search system 1 has an operator who operates the unmanned watercraft system 1000 by inputting and outputting information via a user interface unit 2600 of an overall control system 2000. If all or part of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in this embodiment are implemented in a coastal field base on land or a manned mother ship at sea (not shown), the operator can manage the operation of the unmanned watercraft 1010 at the coastal field base or the manned mother ship.

[0024] The cooperative system 5000 also includes facilities related to private law enforcement organizations and patrol boats. In this case, the cooperative system 5000 includes workers at the facilities related to private law enforcement organizations and crew members on the patrol boats, who work together to monitor nuisance activities and the like in the marine area. The cooperative system 5000 may also include other organizations such as marine research organizations, private security companies, and private rescue organizations.

[0025] The external system 6000 also includes an environmental information providing system that provides meteorological information (such as information on wind, rain, snow, cloudiness, fog, and wave height) for the area where the unmanned watercraft system 1000 is deployed and its surrounding areas. The external system 6000 may also be an MDA system that provides oceanographic information such as the speed, direction, and position of ocean currents and tides in addition to meteorological information. The external system 6000 may also include an information providing system that provides navigation route information (such as route positions, time-zone permit information, and traffic congestion forecast information) for areas including the search target area, and communication infrastructure information related to areas that can be connected to communication networks.

[0026] Furthermore, the object 7000 that is the target of search by the object search system 1 and the cooperative system 5000 includes submersibles moving underwater, underwater drones, divers, marine life such as whales, ships on the sea, flotsam, castaways, aircraft in the sky, etc. The object search system 1 can more efficiently search for the object 7000 by communicating and cooperating with the cooperative system 5000 and the external system 6000.

[0027] (A-1-4. Configuration of Unmanned Vessel 1010) Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram showing how an unmanned watercraft system 1000 deployed on the sea searches for an object 7000. As shown in Figure 4, a group of multiple unmanned watercraft 1010 are deployed on the sea, and measurement sensors 1110 mounted on each unmanned watercraft 1010 can detect underwater objects 7200 such as submersibles, divers, and marine life, as well as surface objects 7100 such as ships on the sea.

[0028] Measurement data and detection judgment results of detected objects 7000 (including marine objects 7100 and underwater objects 7200) are collected in the master unit 1001 via the marine communication network between the unmanned vessels 1010, and are then transmitted from the master unit 1001 to the overall control system 2000 via a communication satellite 3000, a terrestrial base station 4000, an internet line, etc. Each unmanned vessel 1010 is also provided with a navigation unit 1300 that can navigate the unmanned vessel 1010 in any direction, and is able to perform various search operations based on operational commands transmitted by the overall control system 2000.

[0029] (A-2. Unmanned Boat System 1000) Next, the system configuration of an unmanned boat system 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0030] (A-2-1. Overview of Unmanned Boat System 1000) Figure 5 is a configuration diagram showing an unmanned watercraft system 1000 composed of multiple unmanned watercraft. As shown in Figure 5, the unmanned watercraft system 1000 is composed of one or more groups (1000a, 1000b), and each group is composed of multiple unmanned watercrafts 1010 that can communicate with each other. The multiple unmanned watercrafts 1010 that make up each group are configured to serve as either a master unit 1001 that can communicate wirelessly with a communication satellite 3000, or a slave unit 1002 that can communicate directly or indirectly with the master unit 1001. The master unit 1001 is connected to the communication satellite 3000 for communication and aggregates information collected from the multiple slave units 1002 to transmit to the communication satellite 3000, as well as having the function of directly or indirectly transmitting information related to operational commands obtained from the communication satellite 3000 and information generated by the master unit 1001 to each slave unit 1002.

[0031] 5 includes a primary connected slave device 10021 that is communicatively connected to a master device 1001, a secondary connected slave device 10022 that is communicatively connected to the primary connected slave device 10021, and a tertiary connected slave device 10023 that is communicatively connected to the secondary connected slave device 10022. Each slave device (primary connected slave device 10021, secondary connected slave device 10022, tertiary connected slave device 10023) has a function of relaying information received from another master device 1001 or slave device 1002 to the other master device 1001 or slave device 1002, thereby forming a communication network between the master device 1001 and multiple slave devices 1002.

[0032] 5 shows a group configuration having one parent device 1001 and multiple child devices 1002, but the group configuration is not limited to this combination and may be a configuration having multiple parent devices. Also, a group may be configured with a parent device 1001 and multiple primary connected child devices 10021 without having secondary connected child devices 10022 or tertiary connected child devices 10023.

[0033] (A-2-2. Group composition) Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the formation of a group made up of multiple unmanned crafts 1010. The example shown in Fig. 6 shows the formation of group 1000a made up of multiple unmanned crafts 1010 and the communication connection relationships between each unmanned craft 1010 when the unmanned craft system 1000 is caused to perform a search.

[0034] The group 1000a shown in Fig. 6 includes one parent device 1001 and multiple child devices 1002. The parent device 1001 and the multiple child devices 1002 are connected via wireless communication as indicated by solid lines, thereby forming a wireless communication network among multiple unmanned boats 1010 at sea. The group 1000a shown in Fig. 6 shows an example in which the group 1000a includes a primary connected child device 10021 that is wirelessly connected to the parent device 1001, and a secondary connected child device 10022 that is wirelessly connected to the primary connected child device 10021.

[0035] In this embodiment, there are no limitations on whether or not a relay is performed by the slave device 1002 when forming a group, and the number of relays is not limited, and a configuration may be provided with only a primary-connected slave device 10021, or a tertiary-connected slave device, a quaternary-connected slave device, or more. The primary-connected slave device 10021 shown in Figure 6 has a function of relaying transmission and reception of information between the master device 1001 and the secondary-connected slave devices 10022, thereby enabling information to be exchanged between the master device 1001 and the multiple secondary-connected slave devices 10022.

[0036] Furthermore, the number of secondary connected slave devices 10022 wirelessly connected to the primary connected slave device 10021 is not limited to one, and by having multiple secondary connected slave devices 10022 wirelessly connected to the primary connected slave device 10021, it is possible to form a tree-structured communication network in which multiple unmanned watercraft 1010 branch out within the group 1000a. Furthermore, because there is an upper limit to the communication distance over which wireless communication is possible between each unmanned watercraft 1010, the position of at least one of the unmanned watercraft 1010 that communicates wirelessly with each other, for example, the parent device 1001 and the primary connected slave device 10021, and the primary connected slave device 10021 and the secondary connected slave device 10022, is controlled so that the relative distance between the unmanned watercraft 1010 is maintained within the upper limit of the relative distance over which wireless communication is possible.

[0037] Furthermore, if the relative distance between the unmanned craft 1010 becomes too great and the unmanned craft 1010 with which the communication partner is communicating moves outside the range of wireless communication distance, wireless communication between them will no longer be possible and control commands will no longer be able to be sent from the overall control system 2000. Therefore, it is desirable for two unmanned craft 1010 that are connected to each other for communication to perform self-position control with a higher priority than other controls in order to maintain the relative distance with the communication partner within the range of wireless communication distance.

[0038] On the other hand, there is no need to maintain the relative distance within a predetermined range between other unmanned watercraft 1010 that do not communicate with each other wirelessly in order to maintain the communication connection described above. To efficiently search for the target object 7000, which is the purpose of the unmanned watercraft system 1000, it is preferable for the unmanned watercraft 1010 to maintain an appropriate distance between them so that the measurement ranges of their measurement sensors do not overlap or only overlap moderately, rather than having the unmanned watercraft 1010 get too close and the measurement ranges of their measurement sensors overlap to a large extent. Therefore, with regard to the relative distance between the unmanned watercraft 1010 that do not communicate with each other, the position of at least one of the unmanned watercraft 1010 is controlled with a relatively low priority so as to maintain a preset search relative distance. This control to maintain the search relative distance can be based on, for example, the Boids algorithm.

[0039] Furthermore, if the relative distance between the unmanned craft 1010 becomes too close and there is a possibility of a collision, position control can be performed to increase the relative distance with a relatively high priority in order to avoid a collision and prevent damage to the unmanned craft 1010.

[0040] As described above, control to maintain the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that communicate with each other by wireless communication within the communication distance range, and avoidance control to avoid collision with other unmanned vessels that come within close range, are executed with a relatively high priority, while control to maintain the relative distance during search between unmanned vessels 1010 that do not communicate with each other by wireless communication can be executed with a relatively low priority.

[0041] (A-2-3. Configuration of Unmanned Vehicle 1010) Figure 7 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned watercraft 1010. Note that while Figure 7 illustrates the functional block diagram of the unmanned watercraft 1010, the master unit 1001 and slave unit 1002 of the unmanned watercraft 1010 can be implemented with common functional units, with the exception of the configuration of the measurement unit 1100 and communication unit 1400. The unmanned watercraft 1010 is equipped with a measurement unit 1100, a vessel status determination unit 1200, a navigation unit 1300, a communication unit 1400, a determination unit 1500, and a recording unit 1600.

[0042] The measurement unit 1100 is a functional unit that acquires measurement data of an object 7000 that exists in the sea, on the sea, or in the air using a measurement sensor 1110. The measurement unit 1100 includes the measurement sensor 1110 and a measurement control unit 1120.

[0043] When searching for an object in an underwater area as the search target area, the measurement sensor 1110 is configured, for example, with a sonic sensor such as a sonar that uses sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. In this case, for example, a passive sonar (such as a hydrophone) that measures underwater sound waves generated from the object can be applied to the measurement sensor 1110 of the parent device 1001, and an active sonar including a side scan sonar that detects the object 7000 by emitting sound waves and measuring the reflected waves can be applied to the measurement sensor 1110 of the child device 1002. In addition, the active sonar applied as the measurement sensor 1110 of the child device 1002 can be configured, for example, with a side scan sonar, a multi-beam sonar, or a single beam sonar.

[0044] Furthermore, when searching for an object in an offshore area or an aerial area as the search target area, the measurement sensor 1110 can be configured, for example, as a radar sensor that detects the object 7000 by emitting radio waves such as millimeter waves or microwaves and receiving reflected waves, or a laser sensor such as LiDAR that acquires point cloud data by emitting laser light and receiving the reflected laser light, or an electro-optical sensor that acquires optical image data, an infrared sensor (IR camera), or other optical camera.

[0045] In this way, when the search target area is an offshore area or an aerial area, for example, a radar sensor can be applied to the measurement sensor 1110 of the parent device 1001, and a laser sensor, an electro-optical sensor, an infrared camera, or other optical camera can be applied to the measurement sensor 1110 of the child device 1002. As another example, a laser sensor, an electro-optical sensor, an infrared camera, or other optical camera can be applied to the measurement sensor 1110 of the parent device 1001, and a laser sensor, an electro-optical sensor, an infrared camera, or other optical camera that can acquire measurement data with higher resolution than the measurement sensor 1110 of the parent device 1001 can be applied to the measurement sensor 1110 of the child device 1002.

[0046] In other words, whether the area to be searched is an underwater area, an above-sea area, or an above-sea area, a sensor with a wider measurable range (detection range) can be applied to the measurement sensor 1110 of the parent unit 1001, and a sensor with a narrower measurable range (detection range) than the measurement sensor 1110 of the parent unit 1001 and capable of acquiring different measurement data can be applied to the measurement sensor 1110 of the child unit 1002.

[0047] The measurement control unit 1120 operates a sensor attitude changing device that can change the attitude of the measurement sensor 1110 to control at least one of the attitude angles of the measurement sensor 1110 around three axes relative to the unmanned watercraft 1010. Furthermore, for example, if the measurement sensor is an electro-optical sensor, an infrared camera, or other optical camera, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the frame rate, shutter speed, etc. If the measurement sensor is a laser sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of the irradiated laser. If the measurement sensor is a sonar or radar sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of the emitted sound waves, millimeter waves, microwaves, etc. Furthermore, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the measurement sensitivity of the measurement sensor to a desired control amount. If the measurement sensor is an optoelectronic optical sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can change the zoom amount or resolution of the optical sensor to a desired control amount.

[0048] Next, the unmanned watercraft state determination unit 1200 includes a navigation state determination unit 1210, an internal state determination unit 1220, and an external state determination unit 1230, and is a functional unit that determines the navigation state, internal state, and external state of the unmanned watercraft 1010. The navigation state determination unit 1210 determines the position (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), movement speed, heading, movement direction, movement acceleration / deceleration, turning speed, and other state quantities related to the navigation state of the unmanned watercraft. The internal state determination unit 1220 determines the remaining energy and fuel levels of the battery installed in the unmanned watercraft, the possible travel distance that can be calculated from the remaining energy and fuel levels, temporary abnormal states of equipment installed in the unmanned watercraft (temperature abnormality, communication abnormality, etc.), and equipment failure states.

[0049] In addition, the external condition determination unit 1230 can determine communication quality conditions such as communication strength (dB value, etc.), communication speed, and communication delay of wireless communications with other unmanned boats 1010 within the unmanned boat system 1000, or wireless communications with the overall control system 2000 via a communication satellite 3000 or a terrestrial base station 4000, or the oceanographic conditions around the unmanned boat (wave height, wave speed, ocean current speed, ocean current direction, tidal current speed, tidal current direction), meteorological conditions (wind speed, wind direction, air pressure, temperature, humidity), weather conditions (fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, graupel, cloudiness, etc.), seawater conditions (seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity, pH value, presence or absence of seaweed beds, etc.), sun-related information (sun position (altitude, direction, trajectory), backlight, frontlight, amount of solar radiation), and other conditions (lunar position (altitude, direction, trajectory, lunar age), ionospheric disturbances (solar flares, etc.)).

[0050] The method by which the navigation state determination unit 1210 determines the position, moving speed, moving direction, and acceleration / deceleration of the aircraft is not particularly limited, but for example, the position, moving speed, and moving direction of the aircraft at the current time can be determined using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GPS (Global Positioning System), RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System), etc.

[0051] As another example of a method for determining the position, speed, direction, and acceleration / deceleration of the aircraft by the navigation state determination unit 1210, for example, when the seabed shape can be detected by the measurement sensor 1110, the position, speed, and direction of movement of the aircraft at the current time can be determined using SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) technology based on the pre-recorded seabed shape and the seabed shape detected by the measurement sensor 1110.

[0052] Here, the self-position information includes at least two-dimensional coordinate information (e.g., latitude and longitude) in a planar view, and preferably includes three-dimensional coordinate information including altitude information. Also, the acceleration / deceleration can be calculated based on the amount of change over time in the determined moving speed.

[0053] The method for measuring the aircraft's heading is to determine the aircraft's heading at the current time using, for example, a geomagnetic sensor, a GNSS compass, or SLAM technology using the seabed shape. The heading includes an attitude angle (orientation) in a planar view around at least the Z axis, and preferably may be attitude information around three axes: the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. The turning speed can be calculated based on the amount of change over time in the determined heading information.

[0054] Next, the navigation unit 1300 includes a thrust generating unit 1310, an attitude control mechanism 1320, and a navigation control unit 1330, and is a functional unit that navigates the aircraft in any direction in accordance with operational commands received via the communication unit 1400. The thrust generating unit 1310 can be any means capable of generating thrust, and as an example, can be configured with a propeller driven by the power of an engine or an electric motor. The thrust generating unit 1310 can also be configured with a sail that receives wind to generate thrust, or with a wave glider that receives wave power to generate thrust.

[0055] The attitude control mechanism 1320 is composed of a rudder mounted on the airframe, a propeller attitude change mechanism that can change the attitude angle of the propeller (mainly the yaw angle around the Z axis), etc., and can control the nose direction (yaw angle) of the aircraft by changing these angles. In addition, a center of gravity position change mechanism that changes the position of a heavy object inside the aircraft using an actuator can also control the attitude angles of the aircraft, such as the roll angle around the X axis and the pitch angle around the Y axis.

[0056] The navigation control unit 1330 is a functional unit that controls the thrust generation unit 1310 and the attitude control mechanism 1320 to control the navigation operation of the aircraft. The navigation control unit 1330 has one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), an MPU, or a DSP), and is equipped with a processing unit that can access a memory (storage unit). The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that the processing unit can execute to perform one or more processing steps.

[0057] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the navigation status of the aircraft. For example, the control module adjusts the aircraft's position on the sea surface, movement speed, movement acceleration / deceleration, heading, turning speed, and attitude angle around three axes. That is, the navigation control unit 1330 controls the navigation operation of the aircraft by causing the aircraft to perform various operations such as forward movement, reverse movement, acceleration, deceleration, and turning.

[0058] Next, the communication unit 1400 is a functional unit that communicates with other unmanned watercraft 1010 in the group and with the overall control system 2000. Here, the communication unit 1400 of the parent unit 1001 is equipped with both an inter-unmanned watercraft communication unit 1410 that can communicate wirelessly with other unmanned watercraft 1010 in the group, and an overall control communication unit 1420 that can communicate with the overall control system 2000. On the other hand, the communication unit 1400 of the child unit 1002 is equipped with the inter-unmanned watercraft communication unit 1410 that can communicate wirelessly with other unmanned watercraft 1010 in the group, and does not need to be equipped with the overall control communication unit 1420.

[0059] The unmanned craft-to-unmanned craft communication unit 1410 is a functional unit that has a communication antenna used for a wireless communication network on the sea, and communicates with other unmanned crafts 1010 in the same group that are within the communication distance. The overall control communication unit 1420 has a satellite communication antenna that can communicate with the communication satellite 3000, or a communication antenna that can communicate directly with the terrestrial base station 4000, and communicates with the overall control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or the terrestrial base station 4000. In addition to the communication units described above, the communication unit 1400 may also have a communication unit that has an AIS antenna or a VHF antenna and that communicates with external surveillance vessels and AIS base stations.

[0060] Next, the determination unit 1500 is a functional unit that performs data processing such as primary processing and data compression of the measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor 1110. For example, the determination unit 1500 can perform data processing of raw data (measurement data) after measurement acquired by the measurement sensor 1110, and perform primary processing to generate transmission data to be wirelessly transmitted from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the overall control system 2000. Furthermore, in order to reduce the transmission load when wirelessly transmitting transmission data from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the overall control system 2000, the determination unit 1500 can perform data compression processing to compress the raw data (measurement data) after measurement to generate transmission data.

[0061] Furthermore, by performing primary processing of the measurement data, the determination unit 1500 can interpret the state of the target object 7000, determining the presence or absence of a detected object, the size of the detected object, etc. The determination unit 1500 may also have a function to determine whether or not measurement data or transmission data needs to be sent from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the overall control system 2000, or to select the data to be sent, depending on the interpretation results.

[0062] Next, the recording unit 1600 includes a measurement data recording unit 1610, an aircraft state recording unit 1620, a determination information recording unit 1630, and a navigation command information recording unit 1640. The measurement data recording unit 1610 records measurement data measured by the measurement unit 1100. The aircraft state recording unit 1620 records various status information related to the aircraft determined by the aircraft state determination unit 1200. Furthermore, the determination information recording unit 1630 records various determination information determined by the determination unit 1500. Furthermore, the navigation command information recording unit 1640 records navigation commands (movement target position, movement target route, movement method, etc.) received from the overall control system 2000 via the communication unit 1400.

[0063] Here, the external environment on the sea can change significantly, and there is a possibility that wireless communication between the unmanned watercraft 1010 (parent unit) and the overall control system 2000 via the overall control communication unit 1420 will be temporarily interrupted. Even in such a case, the unmanned watercraft 1010 is equipped with a navigation command information recording unit 1640, which allows it to record navigation commands (movement target position, movement target route, movement method, etc.) received from the overall control system 2000. Therefore, even if wireless communication with the overall control system 2000 is temporarily interrupted and the latest navigation commands cannot be received, it is possible to continue search operations, etc. based on the navigation commands recorded in the navigation command information recording unit 1640.

[0064] (A-2-4. Method of detecting objects using sonar) Next, a method for detecting an underwater object 7200 using a passive sonar and a side scan sonar (active sonar) as the measurement sensor 1110 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0065] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing how passive sonar is used to detect an underwater object 7200. In the example shown in Fig. 8, passive sonar using a hydrophone mounted on the parent unit 1001 measures underwater sound waves, thereby detecting sound waves emitted from an underwater object 7200 present within the detection range of the passive sonar, and making it possible to determine the presence and approximate location of the underwater object 7200.

[0066] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing how a side scan sonar is used to detect an underwater object 7200. In the example shown in Fig. 9, the side scan sonar mounted on the slave unit 1002 emits ultrasonic waves in a fan shape perpendicular to the direction of travel of the slave unit 1002, and receives the ultrasonic waves reflected off the seabed, thereby making it possible to detect the seabed topography and the exact position of the underwater object 7200. In addition, by performing measurements while moving the slave unit 1002 forward, it is possible to measure the seabed topography and the shape of the underwater object 7200 as images.

[0067] Generally, the detection range of passive sonar is wider than that of active sonar, but it cannot detect the underwater object 7200 if it is quiet, and it cannot determine the exact position or shape of the underwater object 7200. On the other hand, active sonar can detect the underwater object 7200 in a quiet state and determine the exact position and shape of the underwater object 7200, but its detection range is narrower than that of passive sonar, and it is difficult to detect the underwater object 7200 if it is moving at high speed.

[0068] (A-3. Integrated Control System 2000) Next, the functions and contents of the overall control system 2000 will be described with reference to Fig. 10 to Fig. 24. Fig. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the overall control system 2000. As shown in Fig. 10, the overall control system 2000 includes an information import unit 2100, a search operation status determination unit 2200, a search operation control unit 2300, an object detection determination unit 2400, a secondary measurement operation control unit 2500, a user interface unit 2600, a recording unit 2700, and an information communication unit 2800.

[0069] (A-3-1. Information import unit 2100) The information import unit 2100 is a functional unit that imports information to be processed or used in each functional unit within the overall control system 2000 from the unmanned watercraft 1010, the cooperative system 5000, or the external system 6000. The information import unit 2100 includes a system information acquisition unit 2110, a sensor performance information acquisition unit 2120, a request information acquisition unit 2130, and an unmanned watercraft data acquisition unit 2140.

[0070] The system information acquisition unit 2110 is a functional unit that acquires information about the system configuration of the unmanned boat system 1000, information about the state transition of the object search system 1, and the like in advance before executing a search operation.

[0071] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of system configuration information acquired by the system information acquisition unit 2110. As shown in Fig. 11, the system information acquisition unit 2110 can acquire information such as the total number of groups when the unmanned boat system 1000 is made up of multiple groups, the total number of unmanned boats 1010 that make up the unmanned boat system 1000, the number of unmanned boats 1010 that make up each group, and the number of parent devices 1001 and child devices 1002.

[0072] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, the system information acquisition unit 2110 can further acquire information such as the communication type (WiFi, etc.) for wireless communication between unmanned crafts 1010, the communication distance, and communication performance (communication speed, communication delay time), and the communication type (satellite communication, terrestrial base station) and communication performance (communication speed, communication delay time) for wireless communication between the unmanned crafts 1010 and the overall control system 2000.

[0073] 11, the system information acquisition unit 2110 can further acquire information regarding the measurement sensors mounted on the unmanned watercraft 1010. For example, this information can include information regarding the type of underwater sensor (e.g., passive sonar (hydrophone)) and surface sensor (S / X band radar) mounted on the parent unit, and information regarding the type of underwater sensor (e.g., active sonar (side scan sonar)) and surface sensor (e.g., high-resolution EO camera) mounted on the child unit.

[0074] 12 is a diagram showing an example of system state transition information acquired by the system information acquisition unit 2110. The system information acquisition unit 2110 sets in advance in the system 1 the state transition rules of the object search system 1 shown in FIG.

[0075] In the example shown in FIG. 12, the operation status of the object search system 1 includes a monitoring navigation state (ST01) in which a search operation is performed in accordance with a search operation command generated by the search operation control unit 2300, a state in which an object candidate is detected by the primary detection determination unit 2410 (ST02), a state in which an object is primarily detected (initial detection) by the primary detection determination unit 2410 (ST03), a secondary measurement state (ST04) in which a secondary measurement operation is performed in accordance with a secondary measurement operation command generated by the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500, and a secondary measurement state (ST05) in which a secondary measurement operation is performed based on measurement data acquired by the secondary measurement operation. Based on this, there is a secondary detection judgment state (ST05) in which the secondary detection judgment unit 2420 performs a secondary detection judgment of the object, a re-measurement state (ST06) in which a secondary measurement is performed again after the secondary detection judgment, a position capture lost state (ST07) in which the position capture of the primarily detected object is lost, a re-capture search state (ST08) for re-capturing the position of the object, a continued capture navigation state (ST09) in which the object is continuously captured after the secondary detection judgment, an execution state (ST10) of another operation different from each of the above operations, and an end state of the search operation (ST10).

[0076] Next, the sensor performance information acquisition unit 2120 is a functional unit that acquires information regarding the performance and characteristics of the measurement sensors 1110 mounted on the parent and child devices before performing a search operation. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of information indicating the performance of the measurement sensors acquired by the sensor performance information acquisition unit 2120. The example shown in FIG. 13 includes information indicating the detection performance of various measurement sensors, such as passive sonar (hydrophone), active sonar (side-scan sonar), passive sensors (magnetic sensors), and active sensors (underwater LiDAR), which are classified as underwater sensors, and radar (millimeter-wave radar, S / X-band radar), laser (LiDAR), and optical cameras (IR cameras, EO cameras, and high-resolution EO cameras), which are classified as marine sensors. The detection performance includes the width of the detection range, whether or not a fast-moving object can be detected, whether or not a silent object can be detected, whether or not the shape of the object can be recognized, the detection accuracy of the relative orientation of the object from the measurement position, and the detection accuracy of the relative distance from the measurement position to the object.

[0077] In a comparison of the detection performance of underwater sensors, passive sonar (hydrophone) and active sonar (side scan sonar), shown in Figure 13, passive sonar (hydrophone) has a wide detection range and can detect fast-moving objects, but cannot detect quiet objects or recognize their shapes. It also has relatively low detection accuracy for the relative direction and relative distance of objects. On the other hand, active sonar (side scan sonar) has a relatively narrow detection range and is difficult to detect fast-moving objects. On the other hand, it can detect quiet objects and recognize their shapes, and has relatively high detection accuracy for the relative direction and relative distance of objects. Furthermore, in a comparison of the detection performance of other underwater sensors, passive sensors (magnetic sensors) and active sensors (underwater LiDAR), shown in Figure 13, passive sensors (magnetic sensors) have a relatively wide detection range and are excellent at detecting fast-moving objects, but cannot recognize the shape of objects or measure the relative direction of objects, and their relative distance measurement accuracy is poor. On the other hand, active sensors (underwater LiDAR) have a narrower detection range than magnetic sensors and are difficult to detect fast-moving objects, but they are capable of recognizing the shape of objects and have high accuracy in detecting the relative direction and distance of objects.

[0078] Next, we compare the detection performance of marine sensors shown in Figure 13. Regarding detection range, S / X-band radar has a wide detection range, followed by laser sensors such as LiDAR, IR cameras, and EO cameras, which have medium-wide detection ranges, and then high-resolution EO cameras and millimeter-wave radar, which have narrower detection ranges. In particular, the detection range of S / X-band radar is extremely wide compared to other sensors. Furthermore, there is no significant difference between the sensors in terms of the detection accuracy of objects moving at high speeds or in quiet conditions. Regarding the accuracy of object shape recognition, laser sensors such as LiDAR have the highest shape recognition accuracy, followed by optical cameras. On the other hand, radar sensors (S / X-band radar and millimeter-wave radar) have difficulty recognizing shapes. Furthermore, regarding the accuracy of measuring relative distances, LiDAR and millimeter-wave radar are relatively superior to other sensors. Although not shown in Figure 13, the resolution of measurement data generally decreases in the following order: laser sensors such as LiDAR, high-resolution EO cameras, EO cameras, IR cameras, and radar sensors.

[0079] Here, the measurement sensors mounted on the parent and child units are not limited to the sensors shown in Fig. 11, and other combinations of measurement sensors may be used. Here, it is desirable that the measurement sensor mounted on the parent unit has a wider detection range than the measurement sensor mounted on the child unit, and that the measurement sensor mounted on the parent unit is a different type of sensor that can acquire measurement data different from that of the measurement sensor mounted on the child unit. Therefore, a desirable combination of underwater sensors mounted on the parent and child units is one in which the parent unit is equipped with at least one of a passive sonar (hydrophone) and a passive sensor (magnetic sensor or other underwater passive sensor), and the child unit is equipped with at least one of an active sonar (side scan sonar) and an active sensor (underwater LiDAR or other underwater active sensor).

[0080] Therefore, considering the characteristics of each sensor described above, it is desirable to use, as the measurement sensors for measuring the marine area, an S-band or X-hand radar sensor for the measurement sensor 1110 of the parent device 1001, and a laser sensor, electro-optical sensor, infrared camera, other optical camera, or millimeter-wave radar for the measurement sensor 1110 of the child device 1002. As another example, it is desirable to use an S-band or X-hand radar sensor, electro-optical sensor, infrared camera, or other optical camera for the measurement sensor 1110 of the parent device 1001, and a laser sensor, electro-optical sensor, infrared camera, or other optical camera that can acquire measurement data with higher resolution than the measurement sensor 1110 of the parent device 1001 for the measurement sensor 1110 of the child device 1002.

[0081] Next, the request information acquisition unit 2130 is a functional unit that acquires request information regarding a search operation, secondary measurement, or other operation, either input from a user via the user interface unit 2600, the user terminal device 8000, or the cooperative system 5000 (described later), or set in advance, before the search operation is performed. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of request information acquired by the request information acquisition unit 2130. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the user request information includes a search operation request, a secondary measurement request, and a request for another operation. The search operation request includes underwater search conditions, target object determination conditions, and underwater target search performance.

[0082] The underwater search conditions include information specifying the type, location, and range of the search area (including areas on the sea, underwater, and in the air) to be searched, and information specifying the search period, including the start date and time and end date and time for the period during which the search will be carried out. The object determination conditions include information regarding shape, size, type, material, etc., which indicate the conditions under which the object detection and determination unit 2400 will determine that an object is an object based on the measurement data measured by the unmanned boat 1010.

[0083] The underwater target search performance includes target values ​​for the parent unit's target search rate, the child unit's target search rate, and the parent unit and child unit's combined search rate. Here, the parent unit's target search rate (also called target coverage) can be defined as the proportion of the parent unit's measurement area measured by the parent unit's measurement sensor 1110 to the total area of ​​the search target area described above, or the proportion of the parent unit's measurement area measured by the parent unit's measurement sensor 1110 to the local search areas obtained by dividing the search target area described above. Furthermore, the underwater target search performance is not limited to the parent unit's target search rate described above, but can also be defined by the detection probability (also called the target discovery probability, detection rate, or encounter rate) which indicates the probability of the parent unit detecting an object.

[0084] Furthermore, the target search rate (also called target coverage rate) of the slave unit can be defined as the proportion of the slave unit measurement area measured by the slave unit's measurement sensor 1110 to the total area of ​​the above-mentioned search target area, or the proportion of the slave unit measurement area measured by the slave unit's measurement sensor 1110 to local search areas obtained by dividing the above-mentioned search target area. Furthermore, the underwater target search performance is not limited to the above-mentioned target search rate of the slave unit, but can also be defined by the detection probability (also called target discovery probability, detection rate, or encounter rate) which indicates the probability of detecting an object by the slave unit.

[0085] The target value of the integrated search rate of the parent device and the child device can be defined by one of the following patterns. The proportion of the area measured by the measurement sensor 1110 of the slave device to the area around the movement history within a predetermined distance range from the position in the movement history of the master device (Pattern 1). A value relating to the size of the overlapping area between the area surrounding the parent device's movement history within a predetermined distance range from the parent device's movement history location and the child device's measurement area measured by the child device's measurement sensor 1110 (pattern 2). The ratio of the area measured by the measurement sensor 1110 of the child device to the area measured by the measurement sensor 1110 of the parent device (pattern 3). - Value related to the size of the heterogeneous overlapping search area where the parent unit measurement area and the child unit measurement area overlap (Pattern 4).

[0086] Pattern 1 of the target value of the integrated search rate of the parent unit and the child unit described above can be calculated based on the movement history of the parent unit and the movement history and measurement execution history of the child unit during the period from the start of the search for the target object to the present (i.e., the search period).

[0087] Pattern 2 of the target value of the integrated search rate of the parent unit and the child unit can be set, for example, by the ratio of the overlapping area to the overall search area (i.e., the search target area) in which the target object is searched, or the ratio of the overlapping area to local search areas obtained by dividing the overall search area into multiple areas, or the ratio of the overlapping area to the elapsed time of searching the target object, or the ratio of the overlapping area to the distance traveled by the parent unit or the child unit.

[0088] Pattern 3 of the target value of the integrated search rate of the parent unit and the child unit described above can be calculated based on the parent unit's movement history and measurement execution history and the child unit's movement history and measurement execution history from the start of the search for the target object to the present (i.e., the search period).

[0089] Pattern 4 of the target value of the integrated search rate of the parent unit and the child unit described above can be set, for example, by the ratio of heterogeneous overlapping search areas to the overall search area in which the target object is searched (i.e., the search target area), or the ratio of heterogeneous overlapping search areas to local search areas obtained by dividing the overall search area into multiple areas, or the ratio of heterogeneous overlapping search areas to the elapsed time of searching the target object, or the ratio of heterogeneous overlapping search areas to the distance traveled by the parent unit or the child unit during the search period.

[0090] Next, the secondary measurement request includes a detailed underwater measurement request and a measurement request on the sea surface. The detailed underwater measurement request is a request for detailed measurement of an object detected by primary detection, and includes, for example, each request information of detailed shape measurement to measure a detailed shape, detailed orientation measurement to measure a relative orientation from a measurement sensor in detail, detailed distance measurement to measure a relative distance from a measurement sensor in detail, or detailed position measurement to measure the position of an object in detail.

[0091] A marine measurement request is, for example, a marine measurement request to measure the marine area surrounding the position of an object detected by primary detection, and includes various request information such as information specifying the measurement target area for marine measurement (for example, the circumference of an underwater object in meters), detection judgment conditions for detected objects at sea, and specification of recording information when a detected object at sea is detected.

[0092] Next, other operation requests include an operation request for notification and an operation request for tracking, etc. The operation request for notification includes a request for notification to the user, that is, a request to notify the user of the primary detection results, secondary detection results, etc. via the user interface unit 2600, the user terminal device 8000, the cooperative system 5000, etc., which will be described later. Furthermore, the operation request for tracking, etc. includes an operation request for tracking or surrounding an underwater object detected by primary detection using the unmanned vessel 1010, an operation request for tracking or surrounding an object on the sea surface detected in accordance with the marine measurement request using the unmanned vessel 1010, etc.

[0093] Next, the unmanned boat data acquisition unit 2140 is a functional unit that acquires various information such as measurement data and vessel status information from the unmanned boat 1010 while a search operation or a secondary measurement operation is being performed. The unmanned boat data acquisition unit 2140 can acquire, for example, measurement data measured by the measurement unit 1100 of the unmanned boat 1010, various information related to the vessel's status determined by the vessel status determination unit 1200, and various information determined or generated by the determination unit 1500 in real time while the unmanned boat system 1000 is in operation.

[0094] (A-3-2. Search operation status determination unit 2200) The search operation status determination unit 2200 is a functional unit that determines in real time the search status, including the measurement implementation area where measurements have been performed by multiple unmanned watercrafts 1010, based on various information acquired by the unmanned watercraft data acquisition unit 2140 described above. The search operation status determination unit 2200 includes a placement status determination unit 2210, a communication status determination unit 2220, and a search rate determination unit 2230.

[0095] The location status determination unit 2210 is a functional unit that determines the location status of each of the multiple unmanned watercraft 1010 that make up the unmanned watercraft system 1000, based on the unmanned watercraft 1010's own status information, particularly information related to its location, acquired by the unmanned watercraft data acquisition unit 2140. The location status determination unit 2210 can determine, for example, the relative distance between a parent watercraft and a child watercraft that communicate with each other within a group, the relative distance between multiple child watercraft that belong to the same group, the relative distance between parent watercraft that belong to each of multiple groups, the location relationship between multiple groups, and the location relationship between parent watercraft and child watercraft within a group. The location status determination unit 2210 can also determine the movement history and measurement execution history of the parent watercraft and child watercraft from the start of the search to the present.

[0096] The communication status determination unit 2220 can determine the communication quality status, such as the communication strength (dB value, etc.), communication speed, and communication delay, of wireless communications between the master and slave units within the unmanned boat system 1000, wireless communications between slave units and other slave units, and wireless communications between the master and overall control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or terrestrial base station 4000, based on the unmanned boat 1010's own status information, particularly information related to the communication quality status, acquired by the unmanned boat data acquisition unit 2140. The communication status determination unit 2220 can calculate the communication range of the master unit based on the communication strength between the master and slave units and the master unit's location information.

[0097] The search rate determination unit 2230 is a functional unit that determines in real time the search rate of the unmanned watercraft system 1000, that is, the status of the search rate of the parent unit, the search rate of the child unit, and the combined search rate of the parent unit and the child units, or the detection probability, which indicates the probability of detecting an object by the unmanned watercraft. The search rate of the parent unit, the search rate of the child unit, and the combined search rate of the parent unit and the child units, which are determined by the search rate determination unit 2230, will be described below with reference to Figures 15 to 17.

[0098] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the search rate of the parent unit determined by the search rate determination unit 2230. There are multiple ways to define the search rate of the parent unit, but the example shown in Fig. 15 particularly shows the search rate when the search rate of the parent unit is defined as the proportion of the parent unit measurement implementation area measured by the parent unit's measurement sensor 1110 (passive sonar) to the entire area of ​​the search target area (specified sea area) included in the request information.

[0099] As shown in Figure 15, the predetermined range around the base unit of one vessel in each group (the range inside the dotted circle) is the detection range of the passive sonar mounted on the base unit. Therefore, the predetermined range around the base unit's movement path (solid arrow) from the start of the search to the present is the measurement area by the passive sonar. In this way, the ratio of the area where the measurement is performed by the base unit's passive sonar to the total area of ​​the search target area can be calculated using the information on the base unit's movement history and measurement history from the start of the search to the present.

[0100] In addition, the method for defining the search rate of the parent unit can also be defined as the proportion of the parent unit measurement area to the local search area obtained by dividing the search area into multiple areas, rather than as the proportion of the search target area to the total area as described above.

[0101] Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the search rate of a slave unit determined by the search rate determination unit 2230. There are multiple ways to define the search rate of a slave unit, but the example shown in Fig. 16 particularly shows the search rate when the search rate of the slave unit is defined as the proportion of the slave unit measurement implementation area measured by the slave unit's measurement sensor 1110 (side scan sonar) to the entire area of ​​the search target area (specified sea area) included in the request information.

[0102] As shown in Figure 16, the predetermined range around the three sub-ships of each group (the range inside the dotted circle) is the detection range of the side scan sonar installed on the sub-ship. Therefore, the predetermined range around the movement path of the sub-ship (solid arrow) from the start of the search to the present is the measurement area by the side scan sonar. In this way, based on the information on the movement history and measurement history of the sub-ship from the start of the search to the present, it is possible to calculate the ratio of the area measured by the side scan sonar of the sub-ship to the total area of ​​the area to be searched.

[0103] The method for defining the search rate of a child device can also be defined as the proportion of the child device measurement area in a local search area obtained by dividing the search area into multiple areas, rather than as the proportion of the search target area to the entire area as described above.

[0104] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the integrated search rate of the parent unit and the child units determined by the search rate determination unit 2230. The integrated search rate of the parent unit and the child units can be defined by any of the following patterns, but the example shown in Fig. 17 particularly shows an example of the search rate when the integrated search rate of the parent unit and the child units is defined as the ratio (Pattern 3) of the child unit measurement area measured by the side scan sonar of the multiple child units to the parent unit measurement area measured by the passive sonar of the parent unit. The proportion of the area measured by the measurement sensor 1110 of the slave device to the area around the movement history within a predetermined distance range from the position in the movement history of the master device (Pattern 1). A value relating to the size of the overlapping area between the area surrounding the parent device's movement history within a predetermined distance range from the parent device's movement history location and the child device's measurement area measured by the child device's measurement sensor 1110 (pattern 2). The ratio of the area measured by the measurement sensor 1110 of the child device to the area measured by the measurement sensor 1110 of the parent device (pattern 3). - Value related to the size of the heterogeneous overlapping search area where the parent unit measurement area and the child unit measurement area overlap (Pattern 4).

[0105] As shown in Figure 17, the predetermined range around the master unit (the range inside the dotted circle) is the detection range of the passive sonar mounted on the master unit, and the predetermined range around the master unit's movement path (solid arrow) from the start of the search to the present is the measurement area by the passive sonar. Similarly, the predetermined ranges around the three slave units (the range inside the dotted circle) are the detection ranges of the side scan sonar mounted on the slave units, and the predetermined ranges around the slave unit's movement path (solid arrow) from the start of the search to the present are the measurement area by the side scan sonar. Therefore, based on information on the movement history and measurement history of the master unit and slave units from the start of the search to the present, the ratio of the area measured by the side scan sonar of the slave units to the area measured by the passive sonar can be calculated.

[0106] (A-3-3. Search operation control unit 2300) Next, the search operation control unit 2300 is a functional unit that controls the movement state of the multiple unmanned watercraft 1010 (including the parent and child watercraft) when the unmanned watercraft system 1000 searches for an object. The search operation control unit 2300 can control, for example, at least one of the relative distance, position, and movement path of the multiple unmanned watercraft 1010. The search operation control unit 2300 includes a group movement control unit 2310, an unmanned watercraft movement control unit 2320, and a measurement operation control unit 2330.

[0107] The group movement control unit 2310 is a functional unit that controls the movement of multiple groups. The group movement control unit 2310 can control, for example, at least one of the relative distance, position, movement route, and movement speed of the parent device of each group. Here, the movement control of multiple groups by the group movement control unit 2310 will be described with reference to Figs. 18 and 19.

[0108] Fig. 18 is a diagram showing a first state in which movement control of multiple groups is performed by the group movement control unit 2310. Fig. 19 is a diagram showing a second state in which movement control of multiple groups is performed by the group movement control unit 2310. Figs. 18 and 19 show the future movement routes (dotted arrows) of the parent unit of each group determined by the group movement control unit 2310. The areas shown in light gray in Figs. 18 and 19 indicate parent unit measurement implementation areas measured by the parent unit measurement sensor 1110 (passive sonar). The areas shown in dark gray in Fig. 18 indicate homogeneous overlapping search areas in which parent unit measurement implementation areas of different groups overlap.

[0109] For example, the group movement control unit 2310 can control at least one of the relative distances, placements, and movement routes of the parent units of multiple groups so that the area (or volume) of a similar overlapping search area, where the passive sonar measurement areas (gray areas) measured by the passive sonars of the parent units of multiple groups overlap, or the proportion of that area (or volume) to the entire search target area, is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Therefore, the example shown in FIG. 18 illustrates an example in which a future movement route is determined to avoid the passive sonar measurement areas of each other so that the area (or volume) or proportion of the area of ​​the similar overlapping search area does not increase. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 19, although there are no similar overlapping search areas at present, a future movement route is determined to avoid the passive sonar measurement areas of each other so that the area (or volume) or proportion of the area of ​​the similar overlapping search area does not increase. Here, as an example of a control method for avoiding each other's passive sonar measurement areas, the future movement route of each parent unit can be determined by increasing the repulsion parameter, which is a control parameter for extending the relative distance.

[0110] As described above, when the group movement control unit 2310 controls the movement of multiple groups, by increasing the value of repulsion, which is a control parameter that determines the relative positions between multiple parent units, it is also possible to control the movement of the parent units so that the area (or volume) of the same type of overlapping search area, or the proportion of that area (or volume) to the entire search target area, is below a predetermined value.

[0111] The unmanned craft movement control unit 2320 is a functional unit that controls the movement status of the multiple unmanned crafts 1010 (including parent and child crafts) that make up each group. The unmanned craft movement control unit 2320 controls, for example, at least one of the relative distance, position, and movement route of the multiple unmanned crafts 1010 within a group.

[0112] As an example, the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 has the function of controlling the movement state of at least one of the parent unit and the child unit, based on the movement history (and measurement execution history) of the parent unit and the child unit from the start of the search to the present determined by the placement state determination unit 2210, so that the position of at least one child unit in the group is within a movement history surrounding area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the parent unit's movement history from the start of the search to the present, or within the parent unit measurement area performed by the passive sonar installed in the parent unit, or at a position where the parent unit measurement area performed by the parent unit's passive sonar and the detectable area of ​​the child unit's side scan sonar overlap each other.

[0113] An example of movement control of the parent unit and the child unit by the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 will now be described using Figure 20. Figure 20 is a diagram showing an example of control of the movement state of the unmanned boat by the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320. Figure 20 shows the parent unit's movement history and the history of the measurement area using passive sonar, as well as the child unit's movement history and the history of the measurement area using side scan sonar, and the range within which communication with the parent unit is possible.

[0114] The unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 has a function to control the relative distance between multiple unmanned boats 1010 so that multiple unmanned boats 1010 traveling simultaneously do not get too close to each other and collide. For example, the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 has a function to determine that unmanned boats whose relative distance is shorter than a predetermined distance, or unmanned boats whose relative speed between approaching unmanned boats is faster than a predetermined value, are unmanned boats that require collision prevention operation, and to increase a repulsion parameter, which is a control parameter for increasing the relative distance between unmanned boats that require collision prevention, and control the movement state of the unmanned boats to increase the relative distance.

[0115] In the unmanned watercraft system 1000, the parent unit and the child units must be connected by wireless communication to exchange control information and the like, and it is desirable for communication to be constant whenever possible. Therefore, the unmanned watercraft movement control unit 2320 may have a function to control the placement, movement path, or relative distance between the parent unit and the child units of the group so that the child units in the group do not go outside the range of communication distance with the parent unit, based on the current placement state of the parent unit and the child units determined by the placement state determination unit 2210, as shown in Fig. 20 .

[0116] Here, as an example of a control method for controlling the relative distance between the parent unit and the child unit, the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 can increase the gravitational parameter, which is a control parameter for shortening the relative distance, and control the movement state of the unmanned boat so that the relative distance between the parent unit and the child unit remains within the communication distance range from the parent unit.

[0117] Furthermore, even when the relative distance between the parent unit and the child units in the group is controlled so that the child units do not go outside the range of communication with the parent unit as described above, there may be large environmental disturbances at sea, such as ocean currents and wind, which may cause some child units to move outside the range of communication and prevent communication from the parent unit. In such cases, the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 can maintain communication between the stray child units and the parent unit by having some child units in the group relay communication between the child units that have gone outside the range of communication and the parent unit.

[0118] Furthermore, as the number of overlapping areas where a measurement area performed by a side scan sonar in a slave unit overlaps with a measurement area performed by another slave unit increases, the search rate of the side scan sonar in the slave unit determined by the search rate determination unit 2230 decreases. Therefore, the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 may have a function to control at least one of the relative distance, position, and movement route of the slave units so that the area (or volume) of the same type of overlapping search area, where measurement areas performed by multiple slave units from the start of search to the present overlap, or the proportion of that area (or volume) to the entire search target area, etc., is a predetermined value or less, based on the movement history and measurement history of the slave units from the start of search to the present determined by the deployment state determination unit 2210.

[0119] 13, the passive sonar mounted on the parent unit and the side scan sonar mounted on the child unit have different detection characteristics, including the detectable distance range, the conditions under which a detectable object can be detected (whether the object is moving at high speed, whether the object is quiet, etc.), the ability to recognize shape, and the accuracy of direction and distance measurement. Therefore, in order to reduce missed detections of objects and ensure more reliable detection, it is desirable to expand the overlapping measurement area using the passive sonar and the side scan sonar. Therefore, in the example shown in Fig. 20, the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 controls the movement state (at least one of the relative distance, position, and movement route) of at least one of the parent unit and the child unit, based on the movement history (and measurement execution history) of the parent unit and the child unit from the start of the search to the present determined by the placement state determination unit 2210, so that the position of the child unit in the group is within the parent unit measurement implementation area measured by the passive sonar mounted on the parent unit from the start of the search to the present.

[0120] In Figure 20, an example was described in which the position of the sub-units in the group is controlled so that it is within the range of the parent unit's measurement area using passive sonar. However, instead of this control method, the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 can also control the movement state of at least one of the parent unit and sub-units so that the position of at least one sub-unit in the group is within the range of an area surrounding the parent unit's movement history, which is a predetermined distance range from the position of the parent unit's movement history from the start of the search to the present, or at a position where the parent unit's measurement area using the parent unit's passive sonar and the detectable area of ​​the sub-unit's side scan sonar overlap each other, as described above.

[0121] In addition to or instead of the control method described above, the positional relationship between the parent unit and the child unit can be controlled based on the integrated search rate of the parent unit and the child unit determined by the search rate determination unit 2230 (multiple patterns can be defined as described above) or the state of the detection probability of detecting an object by either the parent unit or the child unit, so that the integrated search rate is equal to or greater than the target value of the integrated search rate or detection probability included in the user request information; specifically, the movement state of at least one of the parent unit and the child unit (at least one of the relative distance, position, movement route, movement / anchoring switching, etc.) can be controlled.

[0122] When the movement state (relative distance, position, movement route, etc.) of the slave unit relative to the position of the master unit is controlled by the above-described control method, multiple patterns of movement methods for the slave unit are possible, and therefore the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 may have a function to determine the movement method for the slave unit. Therefore, multiple patterns of movement methods for the slave unit determined by the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 will be described using Figures 21 to 24. The movement method for the slave unit may be preset in the system, or may be input by the user via the request information acquisition unit 2130, or may be automatically determined by the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 depending on the current search rate and other conditions determined by the search operation status determination unit 2200.

[0123] First, FIG. 21 illustrates a first movement method for a slave unit determined by the unmanned craft movement control unit 2320. FIG. 21 particularly illustrates an example of generating a movement path for multiple slave units in a group to move in a circular motion within a predetermined distance range from the master unit (e.g., within the measurement area of ​​the master unit's passive sonar). In this movement method, it is desirable to assign a circular area with a different radial distance from the master unit as the search area for each slave unit to prevent contact between the slave units or an increase in overlapping measurement areas for the slave units' side scan sonar. As shown in FIG. 21, by regularly allocating the search areas to each slave unit (defined by the radial distance from the master unit) and by regularly allocating the movement path of the slave units within the search area (circular movement), it is relatively easy to control the movement to prevent contact between the slave units or an increase in overlapping measurement areas for the slave units' side scan sonar. In another embodiment in which the search areas assigned to each sub-unit are regular and the movement paths of the sub-units within the search areas are also regular (circular movement), it is possible to divide the measurement area of ​​the parent unit's passive sonar into a grid, assign a search area to each sub-unit for each grid, and generate a regular movement path for the sub-unit to move back and forth within the search area.

[0124] Next, FIG. 22 illustrates a second movement method for a slave unit determined by the unmanned craft movement control unit 2320. FIG. 22 particularly illustrates an example in which a predetermined distance range from the master unit (e.g., within the measurement area of ​​the master unit's passive sonar) is divided into multiple divided areas by lines extending in multiple directions from the master unit, and each divided area is assigned as a search area for multiple slave units in the group. Multiple slave units can generate random movement paths within their assigned search areas and perform searches within their search areas. As shown in FIG. 22, by assigning regular search areas to each slave unit (divided by multiple lines drawn from the master unit) and randomly generating the movement paths of the slave units within the search areas (randomly generated movement paths), it is possible to control the slave units so as not to come into contact with each other or to prevent overlapping of the measurement areas of the slave units' side scan sonars. Furthermore, the irregular movement paths of the slave units can prevent targets from predicting the movement paths of the slave units and fleeing to avoid the slave units.

[0125] Next, FIG. 23 illustrates a third movement method for a slave unit determined by the unmanned craft movement control unit 2320. FIG. 23 particularly illustrates an example in which multiple overlapping search areas are established within a predetermined distance range from the master unit (e.g., within the measurement area of ​​the master unit's passive sonar), and the search areas are assigned to multiple slave units in a group. The multiple slave units can generate random movement paths within their assigned search areas to search within their assigned search areas. As shown in FIG. 23, the search areas assigned to each slave unit are evenly arranged (regularly) so as to cover most of the measurement area of ​​the master unit's passive sonar, and the movement paths of the slave units within the search areas are irregular (the movement paths are randomly generated). The method illustrated in FIG. 23 is inferior to the movement methods illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22 due to the presence of overlapping search areas. However, it is possible to control the slave units so as not to come into contact with each other or to prevent an increase in the overlap of the measurement areas of the slave units' side scan sonars. Furthermore, since the movement path of the slave unit is irregular, it is possible to prevent the target from predicting the movement path of the slave unit and running away to avoid the slave unit.

[0126] Next, FIG. 24 illustrates a fourth movement method for a slave unit determined by the unmanned craft movement control unit 2320. FIG. 24 particularly illustrates an example in which multiple search areas that move randomly over time are established within a predetermined distance range from the master unit (e.g., within the measurement area of ​​the master unit's passive sonar), and the search areas are assigned to multiple slave units in a group. Multiple slave units can generate random movement paths within their assigned search areas to search within their assigned search areas. As shown in FIG. 24, each slave unit moves randomly (irregularly) so that the search area assigned to it does not overlap with other search areas, and the slave unit's movement paths within the search areas are also generated randomly (irregularly). The method shown in FIG. 24 enables control to prevent slave units from coming into contact with each other or increasing the overlap of the measurement areas of the slave units' side scan sonars. Furthermore, because the movement paths of the search areas and the slave units are generated randomly, it is possible to prevent targets from predicting the movement paths of the slave units and fleeing by avoiding the slave units.

[0127] As another variation of the child unit movement method, as shown in Figure 24, multiple search areas that move randomly over time can be set up within a predetermined distance range from the parent unit (for example, within the measurement area of ​​the parent unit's passive sonar), and the multiple child units can generate regular movement paths, such as circular movements, within the search areas assigned to them.

[0128] 21 to 24 have been described above as functions for determining the movement method of the slave unit, but the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 may also have a function for determining the movement method of the master unit according to various search rates. In this case, the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 can determine the movement method of the master unit from multiple patterns such as those listed below. Pattern 1: The parent unit is temporarily anchored, and when the ratio of the cumulative area of ​​the area measured by the parent unit's passive sonar to the cumulative area of ​​the area measured by the child unit's active sonar (the integrated search rate of the parent unit and child unit) reaches a predetermined value or higher, the parent unit is permitted to move, and the parent unit's movement route, etc. is determined. In this case, the parent unit is permitted to move within a range that does not deviate from the communication range of each child unit in the group. Pattern 2: Both the parent and child units are constantly moving, and the parent unit's movement speed, route, etc. are adjusted according to the ratio of the cumulative area of ​​the child unit's active sonar measurement area to the cumulative area of ​​the parent unit's passive sonar measurement area (the parent and child unit integrated search rate). For example, if the integrated search rate is low, the parent unit's movement speed can be reduced (there is no need to anchor it), thereby maintaining the integrated search rate at a predetermined value or above. In this case, the parent unit is allowed to move within the range within which each child unit in the group can communicate. Pattern 3: Both the parent and child units are constantly moving, and the parent unit's movement speed, movement route, etc. are adjusted with priority given to maintaining the parent unit's passive sonar search rate above a predetermined value. For example, if the parent unit's search rate drops, priority is given to increasing the parent unit's movement speed to maintain the parent unit's search rate above a predetermined value. In this case, the parent unit is allowed to move within a range that does not deviate from the communication range of each child unit in the group.

[0129] Furthermore, when a search is performed by one group, the unmanned watercraft movement control unit 2320 can generate a movement route for the parent unit (single unit) of that group, which moves regularly or irregularly within the search area. Furthermore, when a search is performed by multiple groups, the unmanned watercraft movement control unit 2320 can generate movement routes for multiple parent units belonging to multiple groups, which move regularly or irregularly within the search area.

[0130] Next, the measurement operation control unit 2330 is a functional unit that controls the execution / stop of measurement operations of the parent unit's passive sonar and the child unit's side scan sonar. Generally, the unmanned watercraft 1010 operates for long periods of time in an activity area, such as a search target area, and therefore must continue to operate using limited power sources (such as batteries) and fuel within the vessel, requiring advanced energy management. Therefore, in situations where there is little need, it is necessary to stop measurement operations using the measurement sensors in order to conserve energy.

[0131] Therefore, if the placement status determination unit 2210 determines that parent units are approaching each other and the overlap rate of the passive sonar detection ranges is higher than a predetermined value, the measurement operation control unit 2330 can temporarily suspend the operation of the passive sonar of one of the approaching parent units.

[0132] Similarly, for child units, if the placement status determination unit 2210 determines that child units are approaching each other and the overlap rate of the side scan sonar detection ranges is higher than a predetermined value, the measurement operation control unit 2330 can temporarily suspend the operation of the side scan sonar of one of the approaching child units.

[0133] Furthermore, in the relationship between the parent unit and the child unit, if the measurement operation control unit 2330 determines that the integrated search rate of the parent unit and the child unit determined by the search rate determination unit 2230 sufficiently exceeds the target value of the integrated search rate included in the user request information and that energy-saving operation of the child unit has a higher priority than improving the integrated search rate, it can temporarily suspend the operation of one of the side scan sonars in the child unit.

[0134] (A-3-4. Object detection determination unit 2400) Next, the object detection determination unit 2400 is a functional unit that determines whether an object has been detected based on measurement data measured by the measurement sensors 1110 of the multiple unmanned watercraft 1010. The object detection determination unit 2400 includes a primary detection determination unit 2410 and a secondary detection determination unit 2420.

[0135] The primary detection determination unit 2410 is a functional unit that performs a primary detection determination (initial detection determination) of an object based on measurement data measured by the measurement sensors 1110 of the multiple unmanned crafts 1010. Fig. 25 is a diagram showing an example of determination items of an object determined by the primary detection determination unit 2410.

[0136] 25, the determination items of the object determined by the primary detection determination unit 2410 include determination item types of static state, position and attitude state, and dynamic state. The static state includes determination items related to the static state of the object, such as the type, shape, size, and material of the object. The position and attitude state includes determination items related to the state of the object's position and attitude, such as the relative distance and relative direction of the object with respect to the unmanned watercraft 1010 performing the measurement, the position coordinates of the object (relative position coordinates or absolute position coordinates), and the direction of the object's nose. The primary detection determination unit 2410 may also determine, as a determination item of the position and attitude state, whether the detected position of the object is within the measurable range of the side scan sonar of multiple slave units.

[0137] The dynamic state also includes determination items related to the dynamic state of the object, such as whether the object is moving or stationary, the direction of movement, the speed of movement, whether the volume of the sound generated by the object is a silent state below a predetermined value, the history of past movement routes, the predicted future route, etc. Furthermore, the primary detection determination unit 2410 can include, as a determination item of the dynamic state, a determination of whether the movement speed of the object is a high-speed movement state above a predetermined value.

[0138] The secondary detection determination unit 2420 is a functional unit that performs a secondary detection determination (redetection determination) of an object based on measurement data acquired by the unmanned watercraft 1010 (parent or child) based on a secondary measurement operation determined by a secondary measurement operation control unit 2500 (described later). The secondary detection determination unit 2420 can have a function to determine each determination item of the static state, position and attitude state, and dynamic state, as shown in FIG.

[0139] If the secondary measurement data acquired based on the secondary measurement operation is acquired by a different type of measurement sensor than the primary measurement data used for the primary detection judgment, or if the measurement data is more detailed or has higher resolution than the primary measurement data, the secondary detection judgment unit 2420 can perform more detailed or more accurate judgment processing for the judgment items of static state, position and posture state, and dynamic state, as shown in Figure 25.

[0140] Furthermore, the secondary detection operation is not limited to measuring underwater objects using sonar or the like, and may also involve measuring the marine area using marine sensors (radar, laser, optical camera, etc. as shown in FIG. 13). In such cases, when the secondary detection determination unit 2420 detects a ship in the marine area surrounding the underwater object based on the measurement data obtained by measuring the marine area, it can determine that the ship is a marine object related to the object detected in the primary detection.

[0141] (A-3-5. Secondary measurement operation control unit 2500) Next, the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500 is a functional unit that determines the secondary measurement operation of the target object using the multiple unmanned watercraft 1010 or other operations when the target object is primarily detected by the primary detection determination unit 2410. The secondary measurement operation control unit 2500 includes a secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510 and an other operation determination unit 2520.

[0142] The secondary measurement operation decision unit 2510 is a functional unit that controls the secondary measurement operation by the multiple unmanned watercrafts 1010 by deciding the secondary measurement operation of the target object using the multiple unmanned watercrafts 1010 when the target object is primarily detected by the primary detection determination unit 2410. The method for deciding the secondary measurement operation by the secondary measurement operation decision unit 2510 will be described below with reference to Figures 26 to 31.

[0143] Fig. 26 is a diagram showing patterns of secondary measurement operations etc. determined by the secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510. Fig. 26 particularly shows the measurement subject (parent device or child device) of the measurement data used in the primary detection judgment, and combination patterns of measurement subjects, action contents, and roles in the secondary measurement operation and other operations after the primary detection judgment.

[0144] First, the upper part of the table in Figure 26 shows an operation scenario in which the measurement data used in the primary detection determination is measured by a passive sonar (long-distance detection sensor) installed in the parent device. In such a case, the secondary measurement operation decision unit 2510 issues alert information, moves the parent device so that it approaches the position where the object was detected in the primary detection determination, and continues to measure the object using the parent device's passive sonar. This operation allows the object to be moved relatively to within the measurement range of the parent device's passive sonar that discovered the object in the primary detection, allowing the parent device to continue measuring the object more reliably and preventing the object from being lost.

[0145] Furthermore, when the primary detection determination unit 2410 makes a primary detection determination of the target, the secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510 moves the parent unit so as to approach the detected position of the target and remeasures the measurement data of the target using the active sonar of the child unit. Furthermore, if the search operation control unit 2300 (measurement operation control unit 2330) described above has performed a search operation using some of the child units in the group (measurement by the side scan sonar of some of the other child units has been stopped), when the primary detection determination unit 2410 makes a primary detection determination of the target, the secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510 may decide to perform a secondary measurement operation using more child units than the number used in the search operation (preferably using all of the child units in the group). This operation allows the target to be measured using more child units in the group, thereby more reliably performing detailed measurement of the target.

[0146] When the primary detection determination unit 2410 performs primary detection determination of an object, the secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510 can narrow the relative distance between multiple parent units belonging to different groups and move the multiple parent units to an area surrounding the detection position of the object detected by the primary detection determination. At this time, the relative distance between multiple parent units belonging to different groups can be narrowed by changing the value of repulsion, which is a control parameter for adjusting the relative distance between multiple parent units, to a smaller value. This operation allows multiple parent units, including parent units belonging to different groups, to measure a wide area around the object, thereby preventing the object from being detected and lost.

[0147] When the primary detection determination unit 2410 performs a primary detection determination of an object, the secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510 can move the multiple slave units belonging to different groups to reduce the relative distance between them and move them closer to the detection position of the object detected by the primary detection determination. At this time, the relative distance between the multiple slave units belonging to different groups can be reduced by changing the value of the repulsive force, which is a control parameter for adjusting the relative distance between the multiple slave units, to a smaller value. This operation allows a large number of slave units, including those belonging to different groups, to measure the periphery of the object, thereby preventing the detection of the object from being lost.

[0148] Next, the lower part of the table in Figure 26 shows a scenario in which the measurement data used for the primary detection judgment is measured by an active sonar (short-distance detection sensor) installed in the slave unit. Even in this case, there are similar patterns to those described above for the combination of measurement subject, action content, and role in the secondary measurement operation and other operations after the primary detection judgment.

[0149] Next, Figures 27 to 29 show an example of the movement positions of multiple parent units and child units belonging to multiple groups in a time series at times t1 to t3 in the operation scenario of the secondary measurement operation shown in the upper part of the table in Figure 26. First, Figure 27 shows an example of the positional relationship between each parent unit and child unit at time t1, when the primary detection determination of the object is performed. In the example shown in Figure 27, when the object 7000 is primarily detected based on measurement data measured by the passive sonar of parent unit 1001a, other groups 1000b and 1000c are present in the surrounding area.

[0150] 28 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between each parent unit and child units performing a secondary measurement operation at time t2, a predetermined time after time t1. At time t2, the parent units and child units belonging to group 1000a are moving closer to the detection position of the object. Similarly, the parent units and child units of groups 1000b and 1000c are also moving closer to the detection position of the object.

[0151] Next, Figure 29 shows an example of the positional relationship between each master unit and slave unit performing a secondary measurement operation at time t3, a predetermined time after time t2. At time t3, the master units and slave units belonging to group 1000a have each moved close to the target. Furthermore, master units in groups 1000b and 1000c have also moved close to the target, and the area around the target is covered by the passive sonar detection ranges of multiple master units, preventing the target from being lost. Furthermore, multiple slave units in groups 1000b and 1000c have also moved close to the target, and even if the target's condition changes to a quiet state that makes it difficult to capture it with passive sonar, the active sonar of multiple slave units can reliably recapture the target.

[0152] Furthermore, the secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510 can not only move the parent unit and the child unit so that they approach the target object as described above, but also determine, depending on the situation, whether the secondary measurement operation will be primarily based on the parent unit's passive sonar, primarily based on the child unit's active sonar, or whether the secondary measurement operation will use both passive and active sonar. In other words, it can have the function of determining the measurement sensor to be used in the secondary measurement operation.

[0153] 30 is a diagram showing an example of a measurement sensor determination method for determining a measurement sensor to be used for a secondary measurement operation in accordance with the primary detection determination result and a detailed measurement request. In the example shown in Fig. 30, if the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection determination is outside the detection range of the active sensor of the slave device, the secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510 determines that the measurement sensor to be preferentially used for the secondary measurement operation is a passive sonar. On the other hand, if the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection determination is within the detection range of the active sensor of the slave device, the secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510 determines that the active sonar of the slave device whose detection position of the object is within its detection range will be used for the secondary measurement operation.

[0154] Furthermore, if the primary detection judgment determines that the moving speed of the target is a high-speed moving state equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the secondary measurement operation decision unit 2510 decides to use passive sonar for the secondary measurement operation. Furthermore, if the primary detection judgment determines that the target is in a quiet state where the volume of the sound generated by the target is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the secondary measurement operation decision unit 2510 decides to use active sonar for the secondary measurement operation.

[0155] In addition, when the user request information acquisition unit 2130 acquires user request information that has been set in advance or input by the user, and the user request information includes detailed measurement requests such as shape recognition, high-precision requirements for azimuth measurement, high-precision requirements for distance measurement, or high-precision requirements for measuring the position of an object, the secondary measurement operation decision unit 2510 decides to use active sonar for the secondary measurement operation.

[0156] Although Fig. 30 shows an example of a method for determining the measurement sensor to be used for the secondary measurement operation in accordance with the primary detection judgment result and the detailed measurement request, it is also possible to determine the measurement sensor to be used for the secondary measurement operation in consideration of the combination pattern of the primary detection judgment result and the detailed measurement request. Therefore, Fig. 31 shows an example of a measurement sensor determination method for determining the measurement sensor to be used for the secondary measurement operation in accordance with the combination pattern of the primary detection judgment result and the detailed measurement request.

[0157] In the table shown in Figure 31, the vertical axis shows the combinations of the results of the primary detection judgment, and the horizontal axis shows the combinations of whether or not there is a detailed measurement request in the desired information. First, if the target position detected by primary detection is outside the detection range of the slave unit, the target's moving speed is within the normal speed range, and there is no detailed measurement request, it is decided that both passive and active sonar will be used for the secondary measurement operation. Also, if the target position detected by primary detection is outside the detection range of the slave unit, the target's moving speed is within the normal speed range, and there is a detailed measurement request (shape recognition, direction measurement, distance measurement, or position measurement), it is decided that the slave unit will be dispatched to the target detection position, and while the slave unit is dispatched, the parent unit's passive sonar will be used preferentially for the secondary measurement operation. After the slave unit arrives near the target, it is decided that active sonar will be used preferentially, with passive sonar used secondary.

[0158] Next, if the target location detected by primary detection is outside the detection range of the slave unit, the target is moving at high speed, and there is no detailed measurement request, it is determined that passive sonar will be used first, with active sonar used secondarily. Also, if the target location detected by primary detection is outside the detection range of the slave unit, the target is moving at high speed, and there is a detailed measurement request (shape recognition, direction measurement, distance measurement, or position measurement), the slave unit is dispatched to the target location, and while the slave unit is dispatched, the parent unit's passive sonar is used first for secondary measurement operations. After the slave unit arrives near the target, it is determined that passive sonar will be used first, with active sonar used secondarily. Note that if the target is moving at high speed, it is difficult for active sonar such as side scan sonar to capture the target, but active sonar is used as a secondarily measurement in case the target's speed slows down and capture by active sonar becomes possible.

[0159] Next, if the target position detected by primary detection is outside the detection range of the slave unit and the target is quiet (for example, if sound waves suddenly stop within the detection range of the passive sonar), and if there is no detailed measurement request, the slave unit is dispatched to the target detection position, and while the slave unit is dispatched, the passive sonar of the master unit is used preferentially for secondary measurement operations, and after the slave unit arrives near the target, it is determined that active sonar is used preferentially, with passive sonar used secondary.Also, if the target position detected by primary detection is outside the detection range of the slave unit and the target is quiet, and there is a detailed measurement request (shape recognition, direction measurement, distance measurement, or position measurement), the slave unit is dispatched to the target detection position, and while the slave unit is dispatched, the passive sonar of the master unit is used preferentially for secondary measurement operations, and after the slave unit arrives near the target, it is determined that active sonar is used preferentially, with passive sonar used secondary.

[0160] Next, if the target position detected by primary detection is within the detection range of the slave unit, the target's movement speed is within the normal speed range, and there is no detailed measurement request, it is determined that active sonar will be used preferentially and passive sonar will be used secondary.Furthermore, if the target position detected by primary detection is within the detection range of the slave unit, the target's movement speed is within the normal speed range, and there is a detailed measurement request (shape recognition, direction measurement, distance measurement, or position measurement), it is similarly determined that active sonar will be used preferentially and passive sonar will be used secondary.

[0161] Next, if the target position detected by primary detection is within the detection range of the slave unit, the target is moving at high speed, and there is no detailed measurement request, it is determined that passive sonar will be used first, with active sonar used secondarily. Similarly, if the target position detected by primary detection is within the detection range of the slave unit, the target is moving at high speed, and there is a detailed measurement request (shape recognition, direction measurement, distance measurement, or position measurement), it is determined that passive sonar will be used first, with active sonar used secondarily. Note that if the target is moving at high speed, it is difficult for active sonar such as side scan sonar to capture the target, but active sonar is used as a secondarily measurement method in preparation for a situation where the target's speed slows down and capture by active sonar becomes possible.

[0162] Next, if the target position detected by primary detection is within the detection range of the slave unit, the target is quiet, and there is no detailed measurement request, it is determined that active sonar will be used first, with passive sonar used secondarily.Also, if the target position detected by primary detection is within the detection range of the slave unit, the target is quiet, and there is a detailed measurement request (shape recognition, direction measurement, distance measurement, or position measurement), it is determined that active sonar will be used first, with passive sonar used secondarily.

[0163] In addition to determining the measurement sensor to be used for controlling the movement of the parent unit and the child unit and for the secondary underwater measurement operation as described above, the secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510 may have a function to calculate the sea area surrounding the detection position of the object and determine whether to perform sea measurement to measure the sea area when an underwater object is first detected. That is, when the request information acquisition unit 2130 acquires user request information that is set in advance or input by the user, and the user request information acquires a detailed measurement request for measuring the sea area surrounding the detection position of the underwater object determined by the primary detection, the secondary measurement operation determination unit 2510 determines to measure the sea area using a sea sensor (such as a radar, laser, or optical camera as shown in FIG. 13) mounted on the parent unit or the child unit that can measure the sea area.

[0164] When measuring an offshore area using an offshore sensor as the secondary measurement operation, the secondary detection determination unit 2420 performs detection determination of an offshore object (e.g., a ship) based on the measurement data obtained by measuring the offshore area. If an offshore object is detected, it can be determined that this offshore object is an offshore object related to the underwater object detected in the primary detection. If a submersible or other underwater object is detected in the primary detection, it is possible that a mother ship, which relays communications, lifts, recovers, moves, and deploys the underwater object, is waiting in the surrounding offshore area. Therefore, when a measurement of the offshore area is performed as described above and a mother ship or other offshore object is detected, it is highly likely that it is the mother ship of the underwater object, and it is therefore desirable to determine that it is an offshore object (e.g., a mother ship) related to the underwater object (e.g., a submersible).

[0165] The other operation determination unit 2520 is a functional unit that determines an operation other than the secondary measurement operation when the primary detection determination unit 2410 primarily detects an object. The other operation determination unit 2520 can have a function of transmitting alert information indicating the primary detection of an object to the display unit 2610 of the user interface unit 2600, the user terminal device 8000, or the cooperative system 5000. The alert information can include not only the primary detection of the object but also the primary detection determination result including the static state, position / posture state, and dynamic state of the object determined in the primary detection determination, as shown in FIG. 25. Furthermore, the other operation determination unit 2520 can also request the cooperative system 5000 to dispatch a surveillance vessel or the like to the location where the object was detected.

[0166] Furthermore, when an underwater object (such as a mother ship) is detected based on the above-described underwater measurement request, the other operation determination unit 2520 preferably records the determination information regarding the secondarily detected underwater object (such as a mother ship) and the measurement data acquired by the measurement operation in the underwater area in association with the underwater object (such as a submarine) detected in the primary detection. As described above, it is conceivable that a mother ship is waiting in the underwater area surrounding an underwater object such as a submarine to relay communications, lift off, recover, and deploy the submarine. Therefore, not only when a detection determination of a underwater object (such as a mother ship) is made based on measurement data in the underwater area, but also when a detection determination of an underwater object (such as a submarine) is made based on the measurement data in the underwater area, but also when a detection determination of an underwater object (such as a mother ship) is made based on the ... In addition to the above, the other operation decision unit 2520 may have the function of deciding to have the unmanned vessel 1010 perform operations such as tracking, surrounding, getting ahead of, and obtaining approach images and multiple angle images of a secondarily detected marine object.

[0167] (A-3-6. User interface unit 2600) Next, the user interface unit 2600 is a functional unit that notifies or displays to the user information acquired by the information import unit 2100, the determination results by the search operation status determination unit 2200 and the object detection determination unit 2400, and operation commands to the unmanned watercraft 1010 determined by the search operation control unit 2300 and the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500, and receives user input information related to operation commands from the user. The user interface unit 2600 includes a display unit 2610 and a user input receiving unit 2620. Note that the user interface unit 2600 may be configured as a portable mobile terminal such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or laptop PC, as a functional unit that constitutes part of the overall control system 2000.

[0168] The display unit 2610 is a functional unit that notifies or displays to the user information acquired by the information import unit 2100, the determination results by the search operation status determination unit 2200 and the object detection determination unit 2400, and operation commands to the unmanned watercraft 1010 determined by the search operation control unit 2300 and the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500. When notifying the user, the display unit 2610 can notify the user not only by display output but also by sound, light emission, or vibration. For example, the display unit 2610 may display and output alert information indicating that an object has been primarily detected, in addition to the various types of information described above. In this case, the display unit 2610 can output information including not only the fact that an object has been primarily detected but also the primary detection determination result, which includes the static state, position and attitude state, and dynamic state of the object as shown in FIG. 25 determined in the primary detection determination.

[0169] Next, user input receiving unit 2620 is a functional unit that receives user input for each piece of information displayed by display unit 2610. User input information can also be received via operation buttons provided on the display screen of display unit 2610.

[0170] The user input receiving unit 2620 can receive, as user input information, for example, commands to correct an operation command to the unmanned watercraft 1010 determined by the search operation control unit 2300 or the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500, or an intervention operation command. The user input receiving unit 2620 can also receive input of user request information to the request information acquisition unit 2130.

[0171] (A-3-7. Recording unit 2700) The recording unit 2700 is a functional unit that records various information including information acquired by the information import unit 2100, judgment results by the search operation status judgment unit 2200 and the object detection judgment unit 2400, operation commands to the unmanned watercraft 1010 determined by the search operation control unit 2300 and the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500, and user input information received by the user input receiving unit 2620.

[0172] In addition to the above-mentioned information, the recording unit 2700 may also store history information of the data transmitted and received between the unmanned watercraft 1010 and the overall control system 2000.

[0173] (A-3-8. Department of Information and Communications 2800) The information communication unit 2800 is a functional unit that exchanges various types of information with the unmanned watercraft system 1000, the user terminal device 8000, the external system 6000, the cooperative system 5000, etc. For example, the information communication unit 2800 can acquire various types of information acquired by the information import unit 2100 from the unmanned watercraft system 1000, the user terminal device 8000, the external system 6000, the cooperative system 5000, etc. The information communication unit 2800 can also transmit operation commands to the unmanned watercraft 1010 determined by the search operation control unit 2300 or the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500 to the unmanned watercraft system 1000. The information communication unit 2800 can also output the various types of information described above to the cooperative system 5000, the external system 6000, or other external systems.

[0174] The functions implemented in the unmanned watercraft 1010 and the overall control system 2000 described so far are merely one embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this implementation example. In other words, some of the functions implemented in the unmanned watercraft 1010 shown in Fig. 7 (mainly the functions of the determination unit 1500) can be implemented in the overall control system 2000. On the other hand, some of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in Fig. 10 can also be implemented in the unmanned watercraft 1010.

[0175] (A-4. Hardware Configuration) 32 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration diagram of an overall control system 2000, etc. Here, the overall control system 2000 in the present invention is an information processing device such as a server device or a PC. As shown in the figure, the overall control system 2000 has an input device 100, an output device 200, a processing device 300, a main memory device 400, an auxiliary memory device 500, a communication device 600, and a bus 700 that electrically connects these devices.

[0176] The input device 100 can constitute the user input receiving unit 2620 of the user interface unit 2600, and is a device that allows a user to input information and instructions to the integrated control system 2000. Specifically, the input device 100 is, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, or an audio input device such as a microphone.

[0177] The output device 200 is a device that outputs various types of information generated by the integrated control system 2000, and can constitute the display unit 2610 of the user interface unit 2600. Specifically, the output device 200 can constitute the display unit 2610 using a display device for eyewear, AR, or VR, or can also be a printer or a speaker.

[0178] The processing device 300 is, for example, a device that performs arithmetic processing. Specifically, the processing device 300 is, for example, a CPU, a microprocessor, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other semiconductor devices capable of performing arithmetic processing.

[0179] The main storage device 400 is a memory device such as a RAM that temporarily stores various types of read information and a ROM that stores programs, application programs, and other various information executed by the processing device 300. The auxiliary storage device 500 is a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory that can store digital information.

[0180] The communication device 600 is a device that performs wireless or wired information communication with the outside, and can constitute the information communication unit 2800 described above.

[0181] (A-5. Control flow of object search system 1) The control flow of the object search system 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0182] (A-5-1. Upper control flow of object search system 1) FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing the upper control flow of the object search system 1.

[0183] First, the system information acquisition unit 2110 and the sensor performance information acquisition unit 2120 of the information import unit 2100 acquire advance information (step 101). In this step, for example, the system information acquisition unit 2110 acquires information about the system configuration of the unmanned boat system 1000 and information about the state transition of the object search system 1, and the sensor performance information acquisition unit 2120 acquires information about the performance and characteristics of the measurement sensors 1110 mounted on the parent and child units before the search operation is performed.

[0184] Next, the request information acquisition unit 2130 of the information import unit 2100 acquires request information (step 102). In this step, for example, the request information acquisition unit 2130 acquires request information of a user or the like regarding a search operation, secondary measurement, or other operation before the search operation is performed.

[0185] Next, the search operation status is determined by the search operation status determination unit 2200 (step 103). In this step, for example, based on various information acquired by the unmanned watercraft data acquisition unit 2140 described above, the search operation status determination unit 2200 determines in real time the search status including the measurement implementation area where measurements were performed by the multiple unmanned watercrafts 1010.

[0186] Next, the search operation control unit 2300 controls the movement of the multiple unmanned watercraft 1010 (including the parent and child watercraft) during the search operation (step 104). In this step, for example, when searching for an object, the movement of at least one unmanned watercraft 1010 is controlled so that the position of the unmanned watercraft 1010 is within a peripheral area of ​​the movement history that is a predetermined distance from the position of the parent watercraft's movement history, or within a first measurement area by a measurement sensor such as passive sonar mounted on the parent watercraft, or at a position where the first measurement area by a measurement sensor such as passive sonar of the parent watercraft overlaps with the measurable area of ​​a measurement sensor such as active sonar mounted on the child watercraft.

[0187] Next, based on the measurement data obtained by executing the search operation, the primary detection determination unit 2410 of the object detection determination unit 2400 performs a primary detection determination process for the object (step 105).

[0188] Next, the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500 determines the secondary measurement operation of the target object using the multiple unmanned watercraft 1010 (step 106).

[0189] Next, based on the measurement data obtained by executing the secondary measurement operation, the secondary detection determination unit 2420 of the object detection determination unit 2400 performs a secondary detection determination process for the object (step 107).

[0190] (A-5-2. Search state determination process flow of the search operation state determination unit 2200) 34 is a flowchart showing the search state determination process flow by the search operation state determination unit 2200. In particular, FIG. 34 shows the detailed process flow of step 103 in the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0191] First, the arrangement state determination unit 2210 calculates the relative distances and relative speeds between the multiple unmanned watercraft 1010 (step 201). In this step, the arrangement state determination unit 2210 calculates the relative distances between parent and child devices that communicate with each other within a group, the relative distances between multiple child devices that belong to the same group, and the relative distances between parent devices that belong to each of the multiple groups.

[0192] Next, the communication status determination unit 2220 calculates the range within which communication with the parent device is possible (step 202). In this step, the communication status determination unit 2220 can calculate the communication range of the parent device based on the communication strength between the parent device and the child device and the current location information of the parent device.

[0193] Next, the arrangement state determination unit 2210 calculates the area measured by the passive sonar of each master unit based on information on the movement history and measurement execution history of each master unit from the start of the search to the present (step 203).

[0194] Next, the arrangement state determination unit 2210 calculates a value indicating the size (area or volume) of the overlapping area where the measured areas of the multiple parent aircraft belonging to each group overlap, or the proportion of the size (step 204). The value indicating the size or proportion of the size of the overlapping area calculated in this step can be, for example, the ratio of the area (or volume) of the overlapping area to the measured area of ​​the parent aircraft, the ratio of the area (or volume) of the overlapping area to the elapsed time from the start of the search to the present, the ratio of the area (or volume) of the overlapping area to the distance traveled by the parent aircraft from the start of the search to the present, or the total value of the area (or volume) of the overlapping area.

[0195] Next, the arrangement state determination unit 2210 calculates the area measured by the active sonar of each slave unit based on information on the movement history and measurement execution history of each slave unit from the start of the search to the present (step 205).

[0196] Next, the arrangement state determination unit 2210 calculates a value indicating the size (area or volume) of an overlapping area where the areas measured by multiple slave units belonging to the same group overlap, or a value indicating the proportion of the size (step 206). The value indicating the size or proportion of the size of the overlapping area calculated in this step may be, for example, the ratio of the area (or volume) of the overlapping area to the areas measured by the slave units, the ratio of the area (or volume) of the overlapping area to the elapsed time from the start of the search to the present, the ratio of the area (or volume) of the overlapping area to the distance traveled by the slave units from the start of the search to the present, or the total value of the area (or volume) of the overlapping area.

[0197] Next, the search rate determination unit 2230 calculates at least one of the search rate of the parent device, the search rate of the child device, and the combined search rate of the parent device and the child device (step 207).

[0198] (A-5-3. Search Operation Control Flow of Search Operation Control Unit 2300) Figure 35 is a flowchart showing the search operation control processing flow by the search operation control unit 2300. Figure 35 particularly shows the detailed processing flow of step 104 in the flowchart shown in Figure 33. Steps 301 to 303 are steps for adjusting and controlling the unmanned vessel movement state due to collision prevention, steps 304 to 306 are steps for adjusting and controlling the unmanned vessel movement state due to communication maintenance, steps 307 to 309 are steps for adjusting and controlling the unmanned vessel movement state due to measurement overlap, and steps 310 to 312 are steps for adjusting and controlling the unmanned vessel movement state due to the search rate.

[0199] First, the unmanned boat movement control unit 2320 determines which unmanned boats require collision prevention operation based on the relative distance and relative speed calculated in step 201 of Figure 34 (step 301). In this step, unmanned boats whose relative distance is shorter than a predetermined distance, or whose approaching unmanned boats have a relative speed greater than a predetermined value, can be determined to require collision prevention operation.

[0200] Next, the next processing step to transition to is determined (step 302) depending on whether or not there is an unmanned vessel that requires collision prevention operation, as determined in step 301. If it is determined in this step that there is an unmanned vessel that requires collision prevention operation, the processing transitions to step 303. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no unmanned vessel that requires collision prevention operation, the processing transitions to step 304.

[0201] Next, if it is determined in step 302 that there is an unmanned watercraft that requires collision prevention operation, the repulsion parameter, which is a control parameter for increasing the relative distance when controlling the relative distance between the unmanned watercrafts, is increased, and the movement state of the unmanned watercraft is controlled to increase the relative distance (step 303). After this step, the processing of the flowchart shown in Figure 35 ends.

[0202] Next, if it is determined in step 302 that there are no unmanned vessels that require collision prevention operation, the relative distance between the parent unit and the child unit that are communicating wirelessly with each other is compared with the distance range in which communication is possible from the parent unit (step 304).

[0203] Next, the next processing step to transition to is determined depending on whether the relative distance between the parent device and the child device is outside the communicable distance range and whether relative distance adjustment is necessary to maintain communication (step 305). If it is determined in this step that relative distance adjustment is necessary to maintain communication, the processing transitions to step 306. On the other hand, if it is determined that relative distance adjustment is not necessary to maintain communication, the processing transitions to step 307.

[0204] Next, if it is determined in step 305 that a relative distance adjustment is necessary to maintain communication, the gravitational force parameter, which is a control parameter for shortening the relative distance when controlling the relative distance between the parent unit and the child unit, is increased, and the movement state of the unmanned watercraft is controlled so that the relative distance between the parent unit and the child unit remains within the communication range from the parent unit (step 306). After this step, the processing of the flowchart shown in Figure 35 ends.

[0205] Next, if it is determined in step 305 that relative distance adjustment to maintain communication is not necessary, if the amount of overlap of the measurement implementation areas between multiple parent units in different groups or the amount of overlap of the measurement implementation areas between multiple child units in the same group is greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that adjustment to reduce the amount of overlap is necessary (step 307).

[0206] Next, the next processing step to transition to is determined based on the determination result of whether or not a reduction adjustment of the overlap amount is necessary in step 307 (step 308). If it is determined in this step that a reduction adjustment of the overlap amount is necessary, the processing transitions to step 309. On the other hand, if it is determined that a reduction adjustment of the overlap amount is not necessary, the processing transitions to step 310.

[0207] Next, if it is determined in step 308 that the overlap amount needs to be reduced, the repulsion parameter, which is a control parameter for increasing the relative distance between the parent units or child units for which it has been determined that the overlap amount needs to be reduced, is increased, and the movement state of the unmanned watercraft is controlled to increase the relative distance between the parent units or child units (step 309). After this step, the processing of the flowchart shown in Figure 35 ends.

[0208] Next, if it is determined in step 308 that the overlap amount reduction adjustment is not required, the search rate determination unit 2230 determines whether the search rate determined needs to be improved (step 310). In this step, for example, if at least one of the search rate of the parent device, the search rate of the child device, and the combined search rate of the parent device and the child device is equal to or less than a predetermined value, it can be determined that the search rate needs to be improved.

[0209] Next, the next processing step to transition to is determined depending on whether or not it is determined in step 308 that the search rate needs to be improved (step 311). If it is determined in this step that the search rate needs to be improved, the processing transitions to step 312. On the other hand, if it is determined that the search rate does not need to be improved, the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 35 is terminated.

[0210] Next, if it is determined in step 311 that the search rate needs to be improved, the unmanned watercraft's operation processing for improving the search rate is executed (step 312). For example, if the search rate using the parent unit's passive sonar needs to be improved, the parent unit's movement speed is increased in this step. If the search rate using the child unit's active sonar needs to be improved, the child unit's movement speed is increased in this step. If the combined search rate of the parent unit and child unit needs to be improved, the child unit's movement speed is increased, and a target position and target movement path for the child unit are generated within the parent unit's measurement area. After this step, the processing of the flowchart shown in Figure 35 ends.

[0211] (A-5-4. Primary detection and determination process flow by the primary detection and determination unit 2410) Fig. 36 is a flowchart showing an example of the primary detection and determination processing flow by primary detection and determination unit 2410. Fig. 36 particularly shows a detailed processing flow of step 105 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 33. Steps 401 and 402 are steps for performing measurement by search operation, and steps 403 to 405 are primary detection and determination processing steps.

[0212] First, the unmanned watercraft 1010 performs a search operation to collect measurement data in the measurement area (step 401).

[0213] Next, the determination unit 1500 of the unmanned watercraft 1010 determines the next processing step to transition to depending on whether or not a candidate object has been detected based on the measurement data (step 402). If a candidate object has not been detected in this step, the processing transitions to step 401. On the other hand, if a candidate object has been detected, the processing transitions to step 403.

[0214] Next, when a candidate object is detected in step 402, the primary detection determination unit 2410 determines the static state of the object based on the measurement data, and determines whether the primary detection of the object is confirmed depending on the degree of agreement between the static state and the object determination conditions included in the request information acquired in advance (step 403). Here, the static state determined in this step includes, for example, the type, shape, size, material, etc. of the object shown in FIG.

[0215] Next, the primary detection determination unit 2410 determines the position and attitude of the object (step 404). In this step, for example, based on the measurement data, the relative distance and relative direction between the unmanned watercraft 1010 and the object, the position coordinates of the object, the heading direction, etc., as shown in Fig. 25 are determined.

[0216] Next, the primary detection determination unit 2410 determines the dynamic state of the object (step 405). In this step, for example, based on the measurement data, it is determined whether the unmanned watercraft 1010 and the object shown in FIG. 25 are moving or stationary, their direction of movement, their speed of movement, whether they are moving at high speed, whether they are moving quietly, their past movement path history, and their predicted future path. Here, as an example of a method for determining whether or not an object is moving quietly, if the passive sonar of the parent unit can detect the object, it can be determined that the object is not moving quietly. Also, as an example of a method for determining whether or not an object is moving at high speed, if the side scan sonar of the child unit can detect the object, it can be determined that the object is not moving at high speed.

[0217] (A-5-5. Secondary Measurement Operation Decision Processing Flow by Secondary Measurement Operation Control Unit 2500) Fig. 37 is a flowchart showing an example of the process flow for determining the secondary measurement operation by the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500. Fig. 37 particularly shows the detailed process flow of step 106 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 33. Steps 501 to 502 are decision steps based on whether or not there is a request for detailed measurement, steps 503 to 507 are decision steps based on the results of the primary detection judgment, and steps 508 to 510 are decision steps based on whether or not there is a request for marine measurement.

[0218] First, the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500 determines whether the user request information acquired by the request information acquisition unit 2130 includes a request for detailed measurement of the shape, direction, or distance of the target object (step 501).

[0219] Next, the next processing step to transition to is determined depending on whether or not the user request information includes a detailed measurement request for any of the object's shape, orientation, or distance (step 502). In this step, if the user request information does not include a detailed measurement request for any of the object's shape, orientation, or distance, the processing step transitions to step 508. On the other hand, if the user request information includes a detailed measurement request for any of the object's shape, orientation, or distance, the processing step transitions to step 503.

[0220] Next, the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500 determines the secondary measurement method according to the result of the primary detection judgment (step 503). In this step, for example, as shown in Fig. 30 or 31, the measurement sensor to be preferentially used in the secondary measurement operation can be determined as the secondary measurement method according to the result of the primary detection judgment.

[0221] Next, depending on the result of the determination in step 503, the next processing step to transition to is determined (step 504), and the secondary measurement method is determined to be one of measurement using side scan sonar (step 505), measurement using passive sonar and side scan sonar (step 506), or measurement using passive sonar (step 507).

[0222] Next, the secondary measurement operation control unit 2500 determines whether or not the user request information acquired by the request information acquisition unit 2130 includes a request for measurement at sea (step 508).

[0223] Next, the next processing step to transition to is determined depending on whether or not the user request information includes a request for offshore measurement (step 509). If the user request information includes a request for offshore measurement in this step, the processing transitions to step 510. On the other hand, if the user request information does not include a request for offshore measurement, the processing of this flowchart is terminated.

[0224] Next, in step 509, if the user request information includes a request for offshore measurement, it is decided to use an offshore sensor (such as a radar sensor, laser sensor, or optical sensor shown in Figure 13) mounted on the unmanned boat 1010 to measure the offshore area surrounding the detection position of the underwater object determined by the primary detection (step 510).

[0225] (A-5-6. Secondary detection determination process flow by secondary detection determination unit 2420) Fig. 38 is a flowchart showing an example of the secondary detection determination processing flow by the secondary detection determination unit 2420. Fig. 38 particularly shows a detailed processing flow of step 107 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 33. Steps 601 and 602 are steps for performing measurement in the secondary measurement operation, and steps 603 to 605 are secondary detection determination processing steps.

[0226] First, the unmanned watercraft 1010 executes a secondary measurement operation to collect measurement data in the measurement implementation area (step 601).

[0227] Next, the determination unit 1500 of the unmanned watercraft 1010 determines the next processing step to transition to depending on whether or not a candidate object has been detected based on the measurement data (step 602). If a candidate object has not been detected in this step, the processing transitions to step 601. On the other hand, if a candidate object has been detected, the processing transitions to step 603.

[0228] Next, if a candidate object is detected in step 602, the secondary detection determination unit 2420 determines the static state of the object based on the measurement data, and determines whether the secondary detection of the object is confirmed depending on the degree to which the static state matches the object determination conditions included in the request information previously acquired (step 603). Here, the static state determined in this step includes, for example, the type, shape, size, material, etc. of the object shown in Fig. 25. Here, if the secondary measurement operation is a detailed measurement operation, the static state determined in this step can be determined with higher accuracy than the primary detection determination.

[0229] Next, the secondary detection determination unit 2420 determines the position and attitude of the object (step 604). In this step, for example, based on the measurement data, the relative distance and relative orientation between the unmanned watercraft 1010 and the object, the position coordinates of the object, and the heading direction of the object are determined, as shown in Fig. 25. Here, if the secondary measurement operation is a detailed measurement operation, the position and attitude state determined in this step can be determined with higher accuracy than the primary detection determination.

[0230] Next, the secondary detection determination unit 2420 determines the dynamic state of the object (step 604). In this step, for example, based on the measurement data, it is determined whether the unmanned watercraft 1010 and the object shown in Fig. 25 are moving or stationary, their direction of movement, their speed of movement, whether they are moving at high speed or not, whether they are quiet or not, their past movement path history, and their predicted future path. Here, if the secondary measurement operation is a detailed measurement operation, the dynamic state determined in this step can be determined with higher accuracy than the primary detection determination.

[0231] The above-described embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

[0232] [B. Effects of this embodiment] According to the above-described embodiment, by using different types of sensors, it is possible to improve the search performance for searching for objects underwater, on the sea, or in other search areas. As an example, by mounting different types of measurement sensors on the parent unit and the child unit, and controlling the movements of the parent unit and the child unit so that at least a portion of the measurement areas of the parent unit and the child unit overlap, it is possible to improve the search performance for searching for objects in the search area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0233] 1...Object search system (system) 100...input device 200...output device 300...Processing device 400...Main storage device 500...Auxiliary storage device 600...Communication device 700...bus 1000...Unmanned boat system 1001...Base unit 1002...Sub unit 1010...Unmanned boat 10021... Primary connection slave unit 10022... Secondary connection slave unit 10023...Tertiary connection slave unit 1100...Measuring unit 1110...Measuring sensor 1120...Measurement control unit 1200...Own aircraft state determination unit 1210...Navigation state determination unit 1220: Internal state determination unit 1230: External state determination unit 1300...Navigation section 1310...Thrust generation section 1320: Attitude control mechanism 1330: Navigation control unit 1400...Communication unit 1410...Unmanned vehicle communication unit 1420…General Control and Communications Department 1500…Judgment section 1600...Recording section 1610...Measurement data recording section 1620...Own aircraft status recording section 1630...Determination information recording section 1640...Navigation Command Information Recording Section 2000...Comprehensive control system 2100: Information import unit 2110: System information acquisition unit 2120: Sensor performance information acquisition unit 2130: Request information acquisition unit 2140…Unmanned Vehicle Data Acquisition Department 2200...Search operation state determination unit 2210...Arrangement state determination unit 2220...Communication status determination unit 2230...Search rate determination unit 2300: Search operation control unit 2310: Group movement control unit 2320...Unmanned boat movement control unit 2330...Measurement operation control unit 2400...Object detection determination unit 2410...Primary detection determination unit 2420...Secondary detection and determination unit 2500... Secondary measurement operation control unit 2510... Secondary measurement operation determination unit 2520...Other operation determination unit 2600...User interface section 2610: Display unit 2620: User input reception unit 2700...Recording section 2800…Ministry of Information and Communications 3000...Communication satellite 4000...Ground base station 5000... Collaborative system 6000... External system 7000...Object 7100...Marine Object 7200...Underwater objects 8000...User terminal device

Claims

1. An object search system using a plurality of unmanned mobile bodies, including a first unmanned mobile body equipped with a first measurement sensor capable of detecting an object, and a plurality of second unmanned mobile bodies equipped with second measurement sensors capable of detecting the object within a narrower detectable range than the first measurement sensor, a search operation state determination unit that determines a search state including a measurement implementation area measured by the unmanned moving body; When searching for the object, the position of at least one second unmanned vehicle is An object search system comprising: a search operation control unit that controls the movement state of at least one of the first unmanned mobile body and the second unmanned mobile body so that the first unmanned mobile body is within a peripheral area of ​​the movement history within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body, or within a first measurement area by the first measurement sensor mounted on the first unmanned mobile body, or a position where the first measurement area by the first measurement sensor and the measurable area of ​​the second measurement sensor overlap each other.

2. The object search system according to claim 1, the first measurement sensor is any one of a passive sonar, a magnetic sensor, and other passive sensors capable of measuring underwater acoustic waves generated from the object; An object search system, wherein the second measurement sensor is one of an active sonar, an underwater LiDAR, and other underwater active sensors that can detect the object by measuring the reflected waves of emitted sound waves.

3. The object search system according to claim 1, the first measurement sensor is an S-band or X-band radar sensor; An object search system, wherein the second measurement sensor is one of a laser sensor that emits laser light and receives reflected laser light, an electro-optical sensor, an infrared camera, other optical camera, and a millimeter-wave radar sensor.

4. The object search system according to claim 1, the first measurement sensor is a laser that emits laser light and receives the reflected laser light, an electro-optical sensor, an infrared camera, or another optical camera, An object search system, wherein the second measurement sensor is a high-resolution camera that measures measurement data with a higher resolution than the laser, the optical camera, or the infrared camera.

5. The object search system according to claim 1, The search operation control unit controls at least one of the relative distance, position, and movement path of the plurality of unmanned mobile bodies when searching for the object.

6. The object search system according to claim 1, The search operation control unit, during a period from the start of searching for the object to the present, a ratio of a second measurement implementation area measured by the second unmanned mobile body to a peripheral area of ​​the movement history within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body; Alternatively, a value relating to the size of an overlapping area between a movement history surrounding area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned moving body and the second measurement implementation area, Or, the ratio of the second measurement implementation area to the first measurement implementation area measured by the first unmanned moving body, Alternatively, an object search system that controls the movement state of the multiple unmanned mobile bodies so that a value related to the size of a heterogeneous overlapping search area where the first measurement implementation area and the second measurement implementation area overlap is greater than or equal to a target value.

7. 7. The object search system according to claim 6, An object search system in which the proportion of the second measurement area measured by the second unmanned mobile body in an area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the first unmanned mobile body is calculated from the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body and the movement history and measurement execution history of the second unmanned mobile body during the period from the start of the search for the object to the present.

8. 7. The object search system according to claim 6, A value relating to the size of an overlapping area between a movement history surrounding area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned moving body and the second measurement implementation area is a ratio of the overlap area to the total search area in which the object is searched; Or, the ratio of the overlapping area to a plurality of local search areas obtained by dividing the entire search area, or the ratio of the overlap area to the elapsed time of searching for the object; Or, the ratio of the overlap area to the travel distance of the first unmanned mobile body or the second unmanned mobile body.

9. 7. The object search system according to claim 6, The ratio of the second measurement implementation area to the first measurement implementation area measured by the first unmanned moving body is: An object search system that calculates the movement history and measurement execution history of the first unmanned mobile body and the movement history and measurement execution history of the second unmanned mobile body from the start of the search for the object to the present.

10. 7. The object search system according to claim 6, A value relating to the size of a heterogeneous overlapping search area in which the first measurement implementation area and the second measurement implementation area overlap is a ratio of the heterogeneous overlapping search areas to the total search area in which the object is searched; or a ratio of the heterogeneous overlapping search areas to a plurality of local search areas obtained by dividing the entire search area; or the ratio of the heterogeneous overlapping search areas to the elapsed search time of the object; Or, the ratio of the heterogeneous overlapping search areas to the travel distance of the first unmanned mobile body or the second unmanned mobile body.

11. 2. The object search system according to claim 1, The search operation control unit controls at least one of the relative distance, positioning, and movement path of the multiple second unmanned mobile bodies so that a value indicating the size or size ratio of a similar overlapping search area where second measurement areas measured by each of the multiple second unmanned mobile bodies overlap is less than a predetermined value.

12. 2. The object search system according to claim 1, the first unmanned mobile body and the second unmanned mobile body each include a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the first unmanned mobile body and the second unmanned mobile body within a communication distance; The search operation control unit controls at least one of the relative distance, positioning, and movement path between the first unmanned mobile body and the second unmanned mobile body so that the second unmanned mobile bodies do not deviate from the communication distance range from the first unmanned mobile body.

13. 2. The object search system according to claim 1, When there are a plurality of the first unmanned moving bodies, The search operation control unit controls at least one of the relative distance, positioning, and movement path of the multiple first unmanned mobile bodies so that a value indicating the size or size ratio of a similar overlapping search area where the first measurement areas measured by the multiple first unmanned mobile bodies overlap is less than a predetermined value.

14. 2. The object search system according to claim 1, an object detection / determination unit that determines whether the object has been detected based on measurement data measured by the first measurement sensors of the plurality of first unmanned moving bodies or the second measurement sensors of the plurality of second unmanned moving bodies; An object search system comprising a secondary measurement operation control unit that controls a secondary measurement operation of the object using the plurality of unmanned moving bodies when the object is primarily detected by the object detection determination unit.

15. 15. The object search system according to claim 14, a request information acquisition unit that acquires, as the request information for the secondary measurement operation, request information for detailed measurement of at least one of the shape, position, relative orientation, and relative distance of the object, which is set in advance or input by a user; When the request information acquisition unit acquires the request information, the secondary measurement operation control unit determines to perform the secondary measurement operation using the second measurement sensor.

16. 15. The object search system according to claim 14, the first measurement sensor is a passive sonar capable of measuring underwater sound waves generated from the object, the second measurement sensor is an active sonar that can detect the target by measuring reflected waves of emitted sound waves, When it is determined by the primary detection of the object by the object detection determination unit that the object is in a high-speed moving state where the object is moving at a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined speed, The secondary measurement operation control unit determines to use the passive sonar for the secondary measurement operation.

17. 15. The object search system according to claim 14, the first measurement sensor is a passive sonar capable of measuring underwater sound waves generated from the object, the second measurement sensor is an active sonar that can detect the target by measuring reflected waves of emitted sound waves, When the primary detection of the object by the object detection determination unit determines that the volume of the sound generated from the object is a quiet state of a predetermined value or less, The secondary measurement operation control unit determines to use the active sonar for the secondary measurement operation.

18. 15. The object search system according to claim 14, the first measurement sensor is a passive sonar capable of measuring underwater sound waves generated from the object, the second measurement sensor is an active sonar that can detect the target by measuring reflected waves of emitted sound waves, When it is determined by the primary detection of the object by the object detection determination unit that the detected position of the object is within the measurable range of the second measurement sensors of the plurality of second unmanned moving bodies, The secondary measurement operation control unit determines to use the active sonar of the second unmanned mobile body in which the object is within the measurable range for the secondary measurement operation.

19. 15. The object search system according to claim 14, the search operation control unit performs a search operation for the target object using some of the second unmanned moving bodies, An object search system in which, when the object detection determination unit performs the primary detection of the object, the secondary measurement operation control unit decides to perform the secondary measurement operation using a number of the second unmanned mobile bodies that is greater than the number of bodies used in the search operation.

20. 15. The object search system according to claim 14, An object search system in which, when the object detection determination unit performs the primary detection of the object, the secondary measurement operation control unit moves the first unmanned mobile body so as to approach the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection, and causes the first unmanned mobile body to acquire measurement data of the object.

21. 21. The object search system according to claim 20, An object search system in which, when the object detection determination unit performs the primary detection of the object, the secondary measurement operation control unit narrows the relative distance between the multiple first unmanned mobile bodies and moves the multiple first unmanned mobile bodies to the surrounding area of ​​the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection.

22. 15. The object search system according to claim 14, An object search system in which, when the object detection determination unit performs the primary detection of the object, the secondary measurement operation control unit moves multiple second unmanned mobile bodies so as to approach the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection, and causes the multiple second unmanned mobile bodies to acquire measurement data of the object.

23. 23. The object search system of claim 22, An object search system in which, when the object detection determination unit performs the primary detection of the object, the secondary measurement operation control unit moves the multiple second unmanned mobile bodies to narrow the relative distance between the multiple second unmanned mobile bodies and approach the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection.

24. 15. The object search system according to claim 14, the first measurement sensor is a passive sonar capable of measuring underwater sound waves generated from the object, the second measurement sensor is an active sonar that can detect the target by measuring reflected waves of emitted sound waves, a request information acquisition unit that acquires, as the request information for the secondary measurement operation, request information for measuring a marine area around the detection position of the object determined by the primary detection, which request information is set in advance or input by a user; An object search system in which, when the request information acquisition unit acquires the request information, the secondary measurement operation control unit decides to measure the offshore area using an offshore measurement sensor capable of measuring the offshore area mounted on the first unmanned mobile body or the second unmanned mobile body.

25. 25. The object search system of claim 24, The object detection determination unit, when detecting a ship based on measurement data obtained by measuring the marine area, determines the ship as an offshore object associated with the object detected by the primary detection, in an object search system.

26. A method for searching for an object using a plurality of unmanned mobile bodies including a first unmanned mobile body equipped with a first measurement sensor capable of detecting an object, and a plurality of second unmanned mobile bodies equipped with second measurement sensors capable of detecting the object in a detection range narrower than that of the first measurement sensor, The computer a search operation state determination step for determining a search state including a measurement implementation area measured by the unmanned moving body; An object search method that executes a search operation control step that controls the movement state of at least one of the second unmanned mobile bodies so that, when searching for the object, the position of at least one of the second unmanned mobile bodies is within a movement history surrounding area within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body, or within a first measurement implementation area by the first measurement sensor mounted on the first unmanned mobile body, or a position where the first measurement implementation area by the first measurement sensor and the measurable area of ​​the second measurement sensor overlap each other.

27. A program usable for an object search system using a plurality of unmanned mobile bodies including a first unmanned mobile body equipped with a first measurement sensor capable of detecting an object, and a plurality of second unmanned mobile bodies equipped with second measurement sensors capable of detecting the object in a narrower detection range than the first measurement sensor, On the computer, a search operation state determination command for determining a search state including a measurement implementation area measured by the unmanned moving body; A program that executes a search operation control command that controls the movement state of the unmanned mobile body so that, when searching for the target object, the position of at least one of the second unmanned mobile bodies is within a peripheral area of ​​the movement history within a predetermined distance range from the position of the movement history of the first unmanned mobile body, or within a first measurement area by the first measurement sensor mounted on the first unmanned mobile body, or a position where the first measurement area by the first measurement sensor and the measurable area of ​​the second measurement sensor overlap each other.

Images