Control server and method for swarm drones

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control server and a method capable of controlling the takeoff and landing of a swarm of drones and managing and operating the swarm of drones by reconstructing captured data taken by each of the swarm drones. The control server comprises a memory for storing at least one instruction and at least one processor for executing said at least one instruction, wherein the processor can control said swarm of mobiles to land in any area within said storage.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control server and a method for a swarm of drones.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to a control server and a method capable of controlling the takeoff and landing of a swarm of drones and managing and operating the swarm of drones by reconstructing captured data taken by each of the swarm drones. Background Technology

[0004] The content described in this section merely provides background information regarding the present embodiment and does not constitute prior art.

[0005] Recently, drones are being developed for inspecting structures (e.g., wind turbines) or tracking and / or shooting down targets (e.g., illegal drones), and with recent technological advancements, drones have been commercialized across various industrial sectors. As this drone technology develops, there are attempts to incorporate automated methods into drone operations.

[0006] In conventional methods, when managing and operating a drone swarm, each drone is aligned and loaded at a station or storage facility, and takes off and lands at a designated location. In this process, the conventional method requires precise control of the takeoff and landing of each individual drone included in the swarm.

[0007] Meanwhile, when operating drone swarms, numerous drones must transmit their respective camera information to a ground control system (GCS), but there was also a problem with limited bandwidth.

[0008] In particular, if the swarm consists of thousands or tens of thousands of drones rather than just tens of thousands, operating the swarm drones in the conventional way will realistically cause a significant number of problems and inefficiencies. The problem to be solved

[0010] The object of the present invention is to a control server and a method capable of improving operational efficiency for a swarm of drones by efficiently controlling the takeoff and landing of the swarm of drones.

[0011] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a control server and a method that can solve the existing problem of limited bandwidth by receiving and restoring data captured by each individual drone included in a swarm of drones in a vector form, and thereby improve the operational efficiency of the swarm of drones.

[0012] The objects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned objects and advantages of the present invention may be understood from the following description and will be more clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof set forth in the claims. means of solving the problem

[0014] A control server managing a cluster of mobile bodies including a plurality of mobile bodies according to some embodiments of the present invention and a storage facility for storing said cluster of mobile bodies includes a memory for storing at least one instruction and at least one processor for executing said at least one instruction, wherein the processor can control said cluster of mobile bodies to land in any area within said storage facility.

[0015] In addition, the processor can control the takeoff of the swarm of mobiles by transmitting a takeoff control signal to the swarm of mobiles.

[0016] In addition, the processor may provide the takeoff control signal to a plurality of vehicles included in the swarm of vehicles simultaneously, or provide the takeoff control signal to each of the plurality of vehicles included in the swarm of vehicles at different times.

[0017] Additionally, when the processor simultaneously provides the takeoff control signal to a plurality of vehicles included in the swarm of vehicles, at a first time point, it provides a first takeoff control signal to the plurality of vehicles, and at a second time point which is later in time series than the first time point, it determines a takeoff parameter for each of the plurality of vehicles, determines a vehicle ready for takeoff based on the takeoff parameter, and provides a second takeoff control signal to the determined vehicle ready for takeoff.

[0018] In addition, the thrust provided to the moving body by the second takeoff control signal may have a larger value compared to the thrust provided to the moving body by the first takeoff control signal.

[0019] Additionally, the above-mentioned takeoff parameters include position information of the mobile body, and the processor can determine that the mobile body whose position information differs from the location of the storage facility by more than a predefined threshold is the ready mobile body.

[0020] In addition, the above-mentioned takeoff parameters include acceleration information of the moving body, and the processor can determine that the moving body whose acceleration information is greater than or equal to a predefined threshold is the ready moving body.

[0021] In addition, when the processor provides the takeoff control signal to each of the plurality of mobile bodies included in the swarm of mobile bodies at different times, it may prioritize providing the takeoff control signal to the mobile body among the swarm of mobile bodies that has a smaller distance from the door of the storage facility.

[0022] In addition, when the processor provides the takeoff control signal at different times for each of the plurality of vehicles included in the swarm of vehicles, it may prioritize providing the takeoff control signal to the vehicle among the swarm of vehicles that landed at the storage facility later in priority.

[0023] Additionally, the processor can control the swarm of mobiles to land in the storage without being pre-aligned to predefined coordinates within the storage.

[0024] In addition, the processor may close the door of the storage facility according to the recovery rate of the swarm of mobiles when controlling the landing of the swarm of mobiles.

[0025] In addition, the processor can determine the recovery rate of the swarm of mobile bodies based on at least one of the location information of each of the plurality of mobile bodies, communication information with the plurality of mobile bodies, and weight information of the storage facility.

[0026] In addition, the processor can generate reconstruction data for the captured data based on the captured data captured by the swarm of moving bodies through the camera.

[0027] Additionally, each of the plurality of moving bodies includes an encoder that encodes the captured data into a vector, and the processor includes a decoder that generates the reconstructed data by decoding a vector corresponding to each of the plurality of moving bodies and restoring the captured data, wherein the encoder and the decoder may be components included in a transformer network.

[0028] In addition, the decoder can restore the captured data to its original form or restore it to a post-processed form. Effects of the invention

[0030] A control server and method according to some embodiments of the present invention can improve operational efficiency for a swarm of drones by controlling the takeoff of the swarm of drones. More specifically, a control server and method according to some embodiments of the present invention can increase the takeoff speed of the swarm of drones and reduce the resource consumption required for takeoff by setting a sequence to take off all swarm of drones densely packed in a storage area.

[0031] In addition, the control server and method according to some embodiments of the present invention can improve operational efficiency for swarm drones by controlling the landing of swarm drones. More specifically, the control server and method according to some embodiments of the present invention can achieve automation of swarm drone management by setting a predetermined condition for closing the door of a storage facility, and thereby improve the efficiency of drone management.

[0032] In addition, the control server and method according to some embodiments of the present invention can solve the existing problem of limited bandwidth by receiving data captured by each individual drone included in a swarm of drones as compressed data in a vector form and then restoring it using high-performance resources in the control server.

[0033] In addition to the above, specific effects according to some embodiments of the present invention are described together with the following explanation of specific details for implementing the invention. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0035] FIG. 1 is a drawing for illustrating a control system according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a mobile body, a controller, a server, and a station according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a moving body according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining a guard formed on the outside of a moving body according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a drawing for illustrating a storage facility according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a storage unit with a movable body embedded therein according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a control server according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the process of a control server controlling the takeoff of a mobile body according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the process of a control server controlling the landing of a mobile body according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the process of a control server according to some embodiment of the present invention reconstructing shooting data generated by each of a plurality of moving bodies. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0036] Terms and words used in this specification and claims shall not be interpreted as being limited to their general or dictionary meanings. In accordance with the principle that an inventor may define the concept of a term or word to best describe their invention, they shall be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the invention. Furthermore, since the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely one embodiment of the invention and do not represent the entire technical spirit of the invention, it should be understood that various equivalents, modifications, and applicable examples capable of replacing them may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0037] The terms first, second, A, B, etc., as used in this specification and claims may be used to describe various components, but said components should not be limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component.

[0038] The terms used in this specification and claims are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprising" or "having" should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification.

[0039] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0040] Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0041] In addition, each component, process, procedure, or method included in each embodiment of the present invention may be shared within a scope that is not technically contradictory to one another.

[0042] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to FIGS. 10, we will examine a control server and a method according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0044] FIG. 1 is a drawing for illustrating a control system according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 1, a control system (1) according to some embodiments of the present invention may include a mobile body (10), a storage facility (20), and a control server (hereinafter referred to as “CS”). However, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and it is obvious that other configurations not shown in FIG. 1 may be included in the control system (1), that any one of the mobile body (10), the storage facility (20), and the control server (CS) may be omitted, or that some configurations among the mobile body (10), the storage facility (20), and the control server (CS) may be integrated.

[0046] The moving body (10) may include an object capable of moving along the ground, sea, air, etc.

[0047] For example, the mobile body (10) may include an aircraft. In this case, the aircraft may include any flying vehicle, such as a drone, UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), UAM (Unmanned Aerial Mobility), airplane, or helicopter. For convenience of explanation, the following description will assume that the mobile body (10) is an aircraft.

[0048] The mobile body (10) may fly alone or together with multiple mobile bodies capable of collaboration. In other words, the mobile body (10) may include multiple mobile bodies, and these multiple mobile bodies may form a swarm of mobile bodies. Additionally, the mobile body (10) may also collaborate with other types of devices, such as vehicles and robots.

[0049] Hereinafter, a moving body (10) according to some embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

[0051] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a mobile body, a controller, a server, and a station according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0052] Referring to FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 2, the mobile body (10) can be connected to a server (30), a controller (40), and a station (50).

[0053] The server (30), controller (40), and station (50) can control the mobile body (10) independently or in combination. For example, the server (30), controller (40), and station (50) can control the operation (e.g., movement, rotation, etc.) of the mobile body (10) or control the filming of the mobile body (10).

[0054] The moving body (10) includes at least one camera and can photograph a target (TG) using the camera. For example, the camera may be installed in a position advantageous for photography during the flight of the moving body (10) (e.g., an area at the front or lower front of the moving body (10) that is not obscured by a propeller, etc.). Meanwhile, the moving body (10) may fly using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and / or an Inertial Navigation System (INS).

[0055] The mobile body (10) can transmit and receive data with the server (30), the controller (40), and / or the station (50). Additionally, the controller (40) and the server (30), the server (30) and the station (50), and the station (50) and the controller (40) can transmit and receive data to and from each other.

[0056] Here, the data may include data necessary for controlling the flight of the moving body (10), data regarding the flight video of the moving body (10), and data regarding the video of the moving body (10) capturing an object, target, etc. The flight video represents the field of view of the moving body (10) when the moving body (10) is flying. For example, the flight video may be a dynamic image acquired in real time, but is not limited thereto. The video of the moving body (10) capturing an object, target, etc. may include an image captured while the moving body (10) is flying around an object, target, etc.

[0057] The user can control the mobile body (10) using the interface of the controller (40). For example, the controller (40) can generate a control signal based on user input received through the interface and transmit the control signal to the mobile body (10). The controller (40) can transmit the control signal to the mobile body (10) using a wireless communication method. The control signal may be a signal that controls the flight, attitude, navigation, etc., of the mobile body (10).

[0058] The moving body (10) can rotate the propeller by controlling the motor according to a control signal received from the controller (40). The moving body (10) can perform movement, rotation, etc. by changing the speed and / or attitude, etc. by the rotation of the propeller. Here, the attitude of the moving body (10) can be represented as pitch (Y), roll (X), yaw (Z), etc. Additionally, the moving body (10) can perform the shooting of a target (TG), etc. according to a control signal received from the controller (40).

[0059] The controller (40) may further include a display device, and the user can view flight footage of the moving body (10) and / or captured images of the target (TG) through the display device.

[0060] The controller (40) may be a device with an application installed to control the mobile body (10). For example, the device with the application installed may be a various portable device such as a smartphone, tablet, smart pad, laptop, or wearable device.

[0061] The server (30) or station (50) can control the mobile body (10) by directly transmitting a control signal to the mobile body (10). Additionally, the mobile body (10) can transmit flight footage and / or captured images of the target (TG), etc., to the server (30), controller (40), and station (50).

[0062] Meanwhile, the storage facility (20) in FIG. 1 may be a configuration corresponding to the station (50) in FIG. 2. In other words, the storage facility (20) may be a configuration included in the station (50), or the station (50) may be a configuration included in the storage facility (20).

[0063] Additionally, the control server (CS) in FIG. 1 may be a configuration corresponding to the server (30) in FIG. 2. In other words, the control server (CS) may be a configuration included in the server (30), or the server (30) may be a configuration included in the control server (CS).

[0065] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a moving body according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0066] Referring to FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 3, the moving body (10) may include a sensor (110), a camera (120), a memory (130), a driving device (140), a communication device (150), and a processor (160). However, the components of the moving body (10) are not limited to those shown in FIGS. 3. In other words, the moving body (10) may include at least one additional component in addition to the components shown in FIGS. 3, or at least one of the components shown in FIGS. 3 may be excluded.

[0067] The sensor (110) detects various information necessary for the operation of the moving body (10), such as the moving body (10) itself, the surrounding environment of the moving body (10), identification of the target (TG), and verification of the distance between the moving body (10) and the target (TG), etc. The sensor (110) may include, but is not limited to, a gyro sensor, a barometer, an ultrasonic sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a proximity sensor, a lidar, a radar and / or a position sensor (e.g., a GPS sensor, etc.).

[0068] For example, a gyroscope sensor and / or an accelerometer sensor can measure the three-axis angular velocity of the moving body (10). A barometer sensor can measure changes in atmospheric pressure and / or atmospheric pressure around the moving body (10). An ultrasonic sensor can measure the distance between the moving body (10) and the ground or the target (TG). A magnetic sensor is a type of terrestrial magnetism sensor (compass sensor) and can detect geomagnetic information. A proximity sensor can measure the proximity of the target (TG) to the moving body (10) and the distance between the moving body (10) and the target (TG), and may include an ultrasonic sensor capable of measuring the distance to the target (TG) from a signal reflected from the target (TG) by outputting ultrasonic waves. A GPS sensor can calculate the current coordinates (x, y, z) of the moving body (10) using GPS signals.

[0069] The sensor (110) may include an attitude and heading reference system (AHSR). For example, the attitude and heading reference system may include an inertial sensor or an inertial measurement unit (IMU). For example, the attitude and heading reference system may include a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and a magnetic sensor, and fuse the sensor values ​​to obtain the attitude value ( It can output , θ, ψ). Here, the attitude value( , θ, ψ) can be an angle based on 3D coordinates (x-axis coordinate, y-axis coordinate, z-axis coordinate) according to GPS coordinates.

[0070] The camera (120) can generate shooting data by shooting an object, target, etc., according to the instructions of the processor (160). For example, the moving body (10) may include at least one camera, and may include a low-resolution camera and / or a high-resolution camera. The camera (120) may be combined with a gimbal capable of adjusting the angle. Accordingly, the shooting angle of the camera (120) can be adjusted by the gimbal.

[0071] The memory (130) may include any non-transient computer-readable recording medium. As an example, the memory (130) may include a permanent mass storage device such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a disk drive, a solid state drive (SSD), or flash memory. As another example, a permanent mass storage device such as ROM, an SSD, flash memory, or a disk drive may be a separate permanent storage device distinct from the memory. Additionally, the memory (130) may store an operating system (OS) and at least one program code.

[0072] These software components may be loaded from a computer-readable recording medium separate from the memory (130). This separate computer-readable recording medium may be a recording medium that can be directly connected to a computer and may include, for example, computer-readable recording media such as a floppy drive, disk, tape, DVD / CD-ROM drive, or memory card. Alternatively, the software components may be loaded into the memory (130) via a communication device (150) that is not a computer-readable recording medium. For example, at least one program may be loaded into the memory (130) based on a computer program installed by files provided through the communication device (150) by developers or a file distribution system that distributes installation files for applications.

[0073] The memory (130) can store commands, information, and / or data related to the operation of each component included in the mobile body (10). For example, the memory (130) may store various algorithms or models that can be used when the mobile body (10) performs flight, inspection, etc.

[0074] The driving device (140) controls the driving of the motor at a speed and direction according to the instructions of the processor (160), and accordingly, the rotational speed and direction of a propeller, etc. connected to the motor can be controlled. For example, the driving device (140) may include a motor and a propeller.

[0075] The communication device (150) performs data communication between the mobile body (10) and an external device. For example, the communication device (150) can communicate with the controller (40), server (30) and / or station (50) using various communication methods such as infrared communication, RF (Radio Frequency) communication, Wi-Fi communication, ZigBee communication, Bluetooth communication, laser communication, UWB (Ultra-Wideband) communication, LTE, 5G, 6G, and Wireless LAN. However, the communication methods employed by the communication device (150) are not limited to those described above.

[0076] For example, the communication device (150) can communicate with at least one of the storage facility (20) and the control server (CS) in FIG. 1.

[0077] The processor (160) can process instructions of a computer program by performing basic arithmetic, logic, and input / output operations. Here, instructions may be provided from memory (130) or external devices (e.g., storage (20), control server (CS), server (30), controller (40), station (50), etc.). Additionally, the processor (160) can control the overall operation of other components included in the mobile body (10).

[0078] At this time, the functions performed by each module included in the processor (160) may be performed by a single processor or by each separate processor. The processor (160) may perform operations or data processing regarding the control and / or communication of at least one other component of the mobile body (10). Additionally, the processor (160) may be implemented as an array of multiple logic gates, or as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory storing a program that can be executed on the microprocessor. For example, the processor (160) may include a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. In some environments, the processor (160) may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. For example, the processor (160) may refer to a combination of processing devices such as a combination of a digital signal processor (DSP) and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor (DSP) core, or any other combination of such configurations.

[0080] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining a guard formed on the outside of a moving body according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0081] Referring to FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 4, a guard (hereinafter referred to as “G”) may be formed on the outside of a moving body (10) according to some embodiments of the present invention. In other words, the guard (G) may be placed on the outside of the moving body (10).

[0082] The guard (G) can perform the role of protecting the moving body (10). In other words, the guard (G) is positioned outside the moving body (10) to protect the moving body (10) from external physical impacts, etc.

[0083] At this time, the guard (G) may have a predefined shape. For example, the guard (G) may include a polygonal shape having a predefined number of nodes and edges as shown in FIG. 4, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and the guard (G) may be formed in other shapes (e.g., circular, spherical).

[0084] Meanwhile, the mobile body (10) can be stored, take off, fly, perform missions, and land with the guard (G) deployed.

[0086] Referring again to FIG. 1, the storage facility (20) can store and manage the mobile body (10). At this time, as described above, the mobile body (10) may be a cluster of mobile bodies including a plurality of mobile bodies, and the storage facility (20) can store, store, and manage the cluster of mobile bodies.

[0087] In some examples, the storage facility (20) may have a shape capable of containing the mobile body (10). For example, the storage facility (20) may have a shape in which the mobile body (10) can be stored, but embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0088] Hereinafter, a storage facility (20) according to some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and FIGS. 6.

[0090] FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining a storage facility according to some embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a storage facility according to some embodiment of the present invention with a movable body embedded therein. More specifically, FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which the door (Door, hereinafter referred to as “D”) of the storage facility (20) is closed, and FIG. 6 illustrates a state in which the door (D) of the storage facility (20) is open.

[0091] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 5 and FIGS. 6, a storage facility (20) according to some embodiments of the present invention is a device for storing, storing, and managing a mobile body (10).

[0092] In some examples, the storage unit (20) may have a shape capable of containing the mobile body (10).

[0093] For example, the storage facility (20) may have the form of a container in which a cluster of mobile bodies (10) including a plurality of mobile bodies (10) can be stored, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. In this case, the storage facility (20) in the form of a container may include a door (D) capable of opening and closing.

[0094] In FIGS. 5 and 6, for convenience of explanation, a container, which is an example of a storage container (20), is shown to have the shape of a rectangular prism, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and it is obvious that the container may have other shapes (e.g., cube, sphere, frustum, etc.).

[0095] Meanwhile, such a storage facility (20) may include other configurations for the management and control of a mobile body (10). For example, the storage facility (20) may include a sensor, a communication unit, etc. The sensor may sense location information regarding the location of the storage facility (20) (e.g., GPS information), weight information regarding the weight of a mobile body (10) stored in the storage facility (20), etc. The communication unit may transmit the location information, weight information, and / or door opening / closing information regarding whether the door (D) is open or closed, etc., sensed by the sensor, to a control server (CS).

[0097] Referring again to FIG. 1, the control server (CS) can manage the mobile body (10) and the storage (20). At this time, as described above, the mobile body (10) may include a group of mobile bodies, and in this case, the control server (CS) can manage and control the group of mobile bodies and the storage (20).

[0098] Hereinafter, a control server (CS) according to some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0100] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a control server according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0101] Referring to FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 7, the control server (CS) may include a memory (hereinafter referred to as “M”) and a processor (hereinafter referred to as “P”). However, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and the control server (CS) may additionally include a communication unit capable of communicating with a mobile body (10), a storage facility (20), etc. For convenience of explanation, the following description will assume a case where the processor (P) performs wired or wireless communication with a mobile body (10), a storage facility (20), etc.

[0102] Memory (M) may include any non-transient computer-readable recording medium. As an example, memory (M) may include a permanent mass storage device such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a disk drive, a solid state drive (SSD), or flash memory. As another example, a permanent mass storage device such as ROM, an SSD, flash memory, or a disk drive may be a separate permanent storage device distinct from memory. Additionally, an operating system (OS) and at least one program code may be stored in memory (M).

[0103] These software components may be loaded from a computer-readable recording medium separate from memory (M). This separate computer-readable recording medium may be a recording medium that can be directly connected to a computer and may include, for example, computer-readable recording media such as a floppy drive, disk, tape, DVD / CD-ROM drive, or memory card. Alternatively, the software components may be loaded into memory (M) via a communication device (150) that is not a computer-readable recording medium. For example, at least one program may be loaded into memory (M) based on a computer program installed by files provided through the communication device (150) by developers or a file distribution system that distributes installation files for applications.

[0104] Memory (M) can store commands, information, and / or data related to the operation of each component within the control system (1), such as the mobile body (10) and the storage (20). For example, memory (M) can store instructions that enable the processor (P) to perform various operations described in this document during execution. For another example, memory (M) can store various algorithms or models that can be used when the processor (P) performs control, management, etc., regarding the swarm of mobile bodies.

[0105] The processor (P) can process instructions of a computer program by performing basic arithmetic, logic, and input / output operations. Here, instructions may be provided from memory (M) or external devices (e.g., server (30), controller (40), station (50), etc.). Instructions may also be referred to by the aforementioned name 'Instruction'. At this time, the processor (P) may be operatively connected to memory (M) to perform overall functions regarding the management and control of the swarm of moving bodies. Additionally, the processor (P) can generally control the operation of other components included in the control server (CS) not shown in FIG. 7.

[0106] At this time, the functions performed by each module included in the processor (P) may be performed by a single processor or by separate processors. The processor (P) may execute operations or data processing regarding the control and / or communication of at least one other component of the control server (CS). Additionally, the processor (P) may be implemented as an array of multiple logic gates, or as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and memory storing a program that can be executed on the microprocessor. For example, the processor (P) may include a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. In some environments, the processor (P) may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. For example, the processor (P) may refer to a combination of processing devices such as a combination of a digital signal processor (DSP) and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor (DSP) core, or any other combination of such configurations.

[0107] The processor (P) can manage and control the mobiles (10) and the storage (20) for smooth management and operation of the group of mobiles of the control system (1).

[0108] In some examples, the processor (P) can control the takeoff, landing, etc. of the storage (20) of the mobile body (10). In this process, the processor (P) can additionally control the opening and closing of the door (D in FIG. 5 and 6) of the storage (20). At this time, the processor (P) can receive information from the storage (20) regarding whether the door (D in FIG. 5 and 6) is open or closed.

[0109] For example, the processor (P) may not determine the alignment position of each vehicle (10) included in the swarm of vehicles within the storage (20). In other words, the processor (P) may not determine the alignment position of each vehicle (10) included in the swarm of vehicles within the internal space of the storage (20). That is, when controlling the takeoff and landing of the vehicles (10), the processor (P) may control the vehicles to take off from the storage (20) or land in the storage (20) without being pre-aligned to predefined coordinates within the storage (20). For example, the processor (P) may only instruct each vehicle (10) to land within the storage (20) (i.e., any area within the storage (20)), and may not instruct it to land at a specific location within the storage (20). Accordingly, the mobile body (10) can take off from the storage (20) or land at the storage (20) at a random location inside the storage (20), that is, at any location.

[0110] That is, in the case of the conventional method, the mobile body (10) adopts a method of being aligned to predefined coordinates (set coordinates) in a storage facility (20), launcher, station, etc. However, when the number of mobile bodies (10) is expanded to thousands or tens of thousands to form a swarm of mobile bodies, the method of individually aligning the mobile bodies (10) included in such a swarm of mobile bodies to the set coordinates causes significant inefficiency and practical impossibility. Accordingly, the processor (P) of the present invention can ensure efficiency in the take-off and landing control process for the swarm of mobile bodies by controlling the mobile body (10) to take off without being aligned to the set coordinates or by controlling the mobile body (10) to land without being aligned to the set coordinates.

[0111] As another example, the processor (P) can generate reconstruction data based on the captured data that the mobile body (10) captures through the camera. For example, the processor (P) can generate reconstruction data by receiving the captured data from each mobile body (10) included in the group of mobile bodies in a compressed form, i.e., in the form of compressed data, and by restoring the received compressed data.

[0112] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, the process of the processor (P) managing and controlling the mobile body (10) and the storage facility (20) will be explained in more detail.

[0114] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the process of a control server controlling the takeoff of a mobile body according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0115] Referring to FIGS. 1, 7 and 8, a processor (P) according to some embodiments of the present invention can control a mobile body (10) to take off from a storage facility (20).

[0116] At this time, as described above, the mobile body (10) stored in the storage (20) may not be aligned to the set coordinates. That is, a processor (P) according to some embodiments of the present invention can control the takeoff of a cluster of mobile bodies that are not pre-aligned to the pre-defined set coordinates within the storage (20).

[0117] To this end, the processor (P) may transmit a control signal to the storage (20) to open the door (D) of the storage (20), but embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0118] Next, the processor (P) may transmit a takeoff control signal to the mobile body (10) to take off from the storage (20). At this time, the takeoff control signal may include a signal that provides thrust to the mobile body (10) or allows the mobile body (10) to generate thrust. At this time, the processor (P) may transmit a takeoff control signal to each of the multiple mobile bodies (10) included in the swarm of mobile bodies.

[0119] In some examples, the processor (P) can control the swarm of mobiles to take off simultaneously. In other words, the processor (P) can simultaneously transmit a take-off control signal to each of the multiple mobiles (10) included in the swarm of mobiles.

[0120] For example, the processor (P) can transmit a first takeoff control signal to all of the plurality of mobile bodies (10) included in the swarm of mobile bodies at a first time point, and then at a second time point which is later in time series than the first time point, determine the takeoff parameters for each of the plurality of mobile bodies (10), determine the ready mobile bodies that are ready for takeoff based on the determined takeoff parameters, and transmit a second takeoff control signal to the determined ready mobile bodies.

[0121] At this time, the thrust provided by the second takeoff control signal to the moving body (10) may have a larger value than the thrust provided by the first takeoff control signal to the moving body (10). In other words, the second takeoff control signal may be a takeoff control signal that generates a stronger thrust than the first takeoff control signal.

[0122] The takeoff parameters may include sensing data for the mobile body (10) sensed during the takeoff process of the mobile body (10).

[0123] For example, the takeoff parameters may include location information (e.g., GPS information) of the moving body (10) sensed by the sensor (110 in FIG. 3) of the moving body (10). At this time, the processor (P) may compare the location information of the moving body (10) received from each moving body (10) with the location information of the storage facility (20) received from the storage facility (20), and determine a ready moving body based on the comparison result. For example, the processor (P) may determine a moving body (10) that has location information that differs from the location information of the storage facility (20) by more than a predefined threshold as a ready moving body.

[0124] That is, if the mobile bodies (10) are crowded and entangled inside the storage facility (20), if all the mobile bodies (10) attempt to take off with strong thrust, the interference between the mobile bodies (10) becomes severe. Therefore, the processor (P) first determines the minute movement status of each of the multiple mobile bodies (10) by applying weak thrust (transmitting the first takeoff control signal), and then determines the mobile body (10) that has exited the storage facility (20) and has a large difference in location information from the storage facility (20) as the mobile body ready for takeoff, and controls the takeoff of the entire group of mobile bodies by applying strong thrust (transmitting the second takeoff control signal). At this time, the closer the adjacent mobile body (10_N) is to the door (D) of the storage facility (20), the more likely it is to take off preferentially compared to the separated mobile body (10_F) that is farther away from the door (D).

[0125] As another example, the takeoff parameters may include acceleration information of the moving body (10) sensed by the sensor (110 in FIG. 3) of the moving body (10). In this case, the processor (P) can determine a ready moving body based on the acceleration information for each of the multiple moving bodies (10) included in the swarm of moving bodies. As an example, the processor (P) can determine a moving body (10) whose acceleration information is greater than or equal to a predefined threshold as a ready moving body.

[0126] That is, when the mobile bodies (10) are crowded and entangled inside the storage facility (20), with the door (D) open, the adjacent mobile body (10_N) has a relatively larger physical space around it compared to the separated mobile body (10_F). Accordingly, the adjacent mobile body (10_N) can have a greater acceleration due to this physical space when receiving the first takeoff control signal and generating thrust compared to the separated mobile body (10_F). Therefore, the processor (P) first determines the minute acceleration change of each of the multiple mobile bodies (10) by applying a weak thrust (transmitting the first takeoff control signal), and then controls the takeoff of the entire group of mobile bodies by determining the mobile body (10) with a large acceleration that has exited the storage facility (20) as a ready mobile body that is ready for takeoff and applying a strong thrust (transmitting the second takeoff control signal). At this time, the closer the adjacent moving body (10_N) is to the door (D) of the storage facility (20), the more it can be taken off preferentially compared to the separated moving body (10_F) that is farther away from the door (D).

[0127] In some other examples, the processor (P) can control the swarm of mobiles to take off sequentially. In other words, the processor (P) can transmit a take-off control signal to each of the multiple mobiles (10) included in the swarm of mobiles at different times.

[0128] For example, the processor (P) can prioritize the delivery of a takeoff control signal to a mobile body (10) adjacent to the door (D) of the storage facility (20) among a plurality of mobile bodies (10) included in a cluster of mobile bodies. In other words, the processor (P) can prioritize the delivery of a takeoff control signal to a mobile body (10) that is located at a smaller distance from the door (D) of the storage facility (20) among the plurality of mobile bodies (10). For instance, the processor (P) can prioritize the delivery of a takeoff control signal to an adjacent mobile body (10_N) over a separated mobile body (10_F). That is, if an adjacent mobile body (10_N), which is a mobile body (10) placed adjacent to the door (D), is delivered first, interference between the plurality of mobile bodies (10) can be reduced and the takeoff efficiency improved. Thus, the processor (P) can efficiently control the takeoff of the entire cluster of mobile bodies by prioritizing the delivery of such an adjacent mobile body (10_N).

[0129] As another example, the processor (P) can prioritize the delivery of a takeoff control signal to a vehicle that lands in the storage facility (20) later among the vehicles in the cluster. In other words, the processor (P) can prioritize the delivery of a takeoff control signal to a vehicle (10) that lands in the storage facility (20) later. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, which will be described later, when a plurality of vehicles (10) land in the storage facility (20), a vehicle (10) that lands in the storage facility (20) earlier becomes a separated vehicle (10_F), and a vehicle (10) that lands in the storage facility (20) later becomes an adjacent vehicle (10_N). By prioritizing the takeoff of this adjacent vehicle (10_N), the processor (P) can efficiently control the takeoff of the entire cluster of vehicles.

[0131] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the process of a control server controlling the landing of a mobile body according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0132] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 7 and FIGS. 9, a processor (P) according to some embodiments of the present invention can control a mobile body (10) landing in a storage facility (20).

[0133] At this time, as described above, the mobile body (10) may not land so as to be aligned with a predefined set coordinate in the storage (20). That is, the processor (P) according to some embodiments of the present invention may not control the mobile body to land at a predefined set coordinate within the storage (20). Accordingly, the mobile body (10) may land randomly at any location within the storage (20).

[0134] In some examples, the processor (P) can transmit a control signal to the storage facility (20) to close the door (D) of the storage facility (20) under predetermined conditions during the landing process of the mobile body (10).

[0135] For example, the processor (P) can close the door (D) of the storage facility (20) according to the recovery rate of the swarm of mobiles. In other words, the processor (P) can transmit a control signal to the storage facility (20) to close the door (D) of the storage facility (20) based on the ratio of multiple mobiles (10) landing in the storage facility (20), i.e., the recovery rate. As an example, the processor (P) can provide a control signal to the storage facility (20) to close the door (D) when the recovery rate reaches 100% or reaches a predefined value.

[0136] To this end, the processor (P) can determine the recovery rate of the swarm of moving bodies through various methods.

[0137] For example, the processor (P) can determine the recovery rate based on the location information of each of the plurality of mobile bodies (10). At this time, the location information may include GPS information of each of the plurality of mobile bodies (10), but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. For example, the processor (P) can determine the recovery rate as the ratio of mobile bodies (10) having location information that differs from the location information of the storage facility (20) by less than or equal to a predefined threshold, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0138] As another example, the processor (P) may determine the recovery rate based on the communication information of each of the plurality of mobile bodies (10). In this case, the communication information may include information related to notifying the processor (P) that each of the plurality of mobile bodies (10) has landed at the storage facility (20), but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. For example, the processor (P) may determine the recovery rate based on the ratio of mobile bodies (10) that have transmitted communication information, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0139] As another example, the processor (P) can determine the recovery rate based on weight information of the storage facility (20). In this case, the weight information may include information regarding the total weight of the storage facility (20), including the weight of the embedded mobile body (10), but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. For example, the processor (P) may calculate the recovery rate by inputting weight information regarding the storage facility (20) transmitted from the storage facility (20) into a predefined relationship, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0141] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the process of a control server according to some embodiment of the present invention reconstructing shooting data generated by each of a plurality of moving bodies.

[0142] Referring to FIGS. 1, FIGS. 7 and FIGS. 10, a processor (P) according to some embodiments of the present invention can generate reconstructed data for the captured data by receiving captured data taken by a plurality of mobile bodies (10) in a compressed form, i.e., in the form of compressed data, and then restoring the compressed data. In other words, the processor (P) can generate reconstructed data by restoring the captured data taken by the first mobile body (11), the second mobile body (12), etc., through a camera (120 in FIG. 3) in the form of compressed data.

[0143] At this time, each of the plurality of moving bodies (10) may include an encoder (hereinafter referred to as “EN”) that encodes the captured data into a vector (hereinafter referred to as “V”), and the processor (P) of the control server (CS) may include a decoder (hereinafter referred to as “DE”) that decodes the vector (V) corresponding to each of the plurality of moving bodies (10) to generate reconstructed data.

[0144] At this time, the vector (V) is data in the form of a vector in which the captured data is compressed by the encoder (EN), and may be referred to by terms such as latent representation or latent vector. Accordingly, the encoder (EN), which is part of a transformer structure that is an example of a neural network, is processed by the on-boarding computer of the moving body (10), and the decoder (DE), which is the remaining part, is processed through the high-spec GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) of the processor (P) of the control server (CS). In other words, in the case of a transformer network, which is an example of Generative Artificial Intelligence, it includes an encoder structure and a decoder structure. In the case of the present invention, the encoder structure of such a transformer network, i.e., the encoder (EN), can be placed in a mobile body (10), and the decoder structure of the transformer network, i.e., the decoder (DE), can be placed in a processor (P) of a control server (CS).

[0145] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the first moving body (11) and the second moving body (12) may each include a first encoder (EN1) and a second encoder (EN2) that encode captured data, and the processor (P) may include a decoder (DE) that decodes each of the first vector (V1) and the second vector (V2) received from each of the first encoder (EN1) and the second encoder (EN2) to generate reconstructed data.

[0146] The decoder (DE) can generate reconstructed data by decoding the vector (V) received from each moving body (10).

[0147] For example, the decoder (DE) can restore the original image data itself. In other words, the decoder (DE) can decode the vector (V) to restore the image data, which is the input data of the encoder (EN), to its original form. That is, the decoder (DE) can restore the image data captured by each moving body (10) exactly as it is through the decoding of the vector (V).

[0148] As another example, the decoder (DE) can restore the captured data in the form of a post-processed version. In other words, the decoder (DE) can restore the vector (V) not in its original form, but in the form of a post-processed version of the original. In this case, the post-processed version may be an image in which the drawing style is simplified compared to the original, or only the outline of the original, or a color image of the original is post-processed into a black-and-white image, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0149] The processor (P) of the control server (CS) can reconstruct the scene captured in 3D (3-Dimension) based on the reconstruction data.

[0150] The above description is merely an illustrative explanation of the technical concept of the present embodiment, and a person skilled in the art to which the present embodiment belongs would be able to make various modifications and variations within the scope of the essential characteristics of the present embodiment. Accordingly, the present embodiments are intended to explain, not limit, the technical concept of the present embodiment, and the scope of the technical concept of the present embodiment is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present embodiment shall be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical concepts within an equivalent scope shall be interpreted as being included within the scope of rights of the present embodiment.

Claims

Claim 1 A control server for managing a cluster of mobile bodies including a plurality of mobile bodies and a storage facility for storing said cluster of mobile bodies, comprising: a memory for storing at least one instruction; and at least one processor for executing said at least one instruction, wherein the processor controls said cluster of mobile bodies to land in any area within said storage facility. Claim 2 In claim 1, the processor is a control server that controls the takeoff of the swarm of mobile bodies by transmitting a takeoff control signal to the swarm of mobile bodies. Claim 3 In claim 2, the processor is a control server that provides the takeoff control signal to a plurality of mobile bodies included in the swarm of mobile bodies simultaneously, or provides the takeoff control signal to each of the plurality of mobile bodies included in the swarm of mobile bodies at different times. Claim 4 In claim 3, the processor provides the takeoff control signal to a plurality of mobile bodies included in the swarm of mobile bodies simultaneously, and at a first time point, provides the first takeoff control signal to the plurality of mobile bodies, and at a second time point which is later in time series than the first time point, determines the takeoff parameters for each of the plurality of mobile bodies, determines the ready mobile bodies that are ready for takeoff based on the takeoff parameters, and provides the second takeoff control signal to the determined ready mobile bodies. Claim 5 In claim 4, the thrust provided to the moving body by the second takeoff control signal has a larger value than the thrust provided to the moving body by the first takeoff control signal. Claim 6 In claim 4, the takeoff parameter includes position information of the moving body, and the processor is a control server that determines the moving body as the ready moving body if the position information differs from the location of the storage facility by more than a predefined threshold. Claim 7 In claim 4, the takeoff parameter includes acceleration information of the moving body, and the processor is a control server that determines the moving body whose acceleration information is greater than or equal to a predefined threshold as the ready moving body. Claim 8 In claim 3, the processor is a control server that, when providing the takeoff control signal to each of the plurality of mobile bodies included in the swarm of mobile bodies at different times, prioritizes providing the takeoff control signal to the mobile body among the swarm of mobile bodies that has a smaller distance from the door of the storage facility. Claim 9 In claim 3, the processor is a control server that, when providing the takeoff control signal to each of the plurality of mobile bodies included in the swarm of mobile bodies at different times, provides the takeoff control signal preferentially to the mobile body among the swarm of mobile bodies that has a later time of landing at the storage facility. Claim 10 In claim 1, the processor is a control server that controls the swarm of mobiles to land in the storage without being pre-aligned to predefined coordinates within the storage. Claim 11 In claim 1, the processor is a control server that closes the door of the storage facility according to the recovery rate of the swarm of mobiles when controlling the landing of the swarm of mobiles. Claim 12 In claim 11, the processor is a control server that determines the recovery rate of the cluster of mobile bodies based on at least one of the location information of each of the plurality of mobile bodies, communication information with the plurality of mobile bodies, and weight information of the storage facility. Claim 13 In claim 1, the processor is a control server that generates reconstruction data for the captured data based on the captured data captured by the swarm of mobile bodies through a camera. Claim 14 In claim 13, each of the plurality of moving bodies includes an encoder that encodes the captured data into a vector, and the processor includes a decoder that generates the reconstructed data by decoding a vector corresponding to each of the plurality of moving bodies and restoring the captured data, wherein the encoder and the decoder are control servers configured in a Transformer network. Claim 15 In claim 14, the decoder is a control server that restores the shooting data to its original form or restores the shooting data to its post-processed form.

Images