Communication monitoring device, communication monitoring method, and recording medium

Abstract

The present invention improves a possibility of successful uplink communication of an aircraft. In the present invention, a reception unit receives a request for communication in an uplink direction from an air traffic control system, a specification unit specifies the position of an aircraft that is a communication partner of the air traffic control system, an acquisition unit acquires a communication history of an available communication medium, a selection unit selects, on the basis of the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication medium, the communication medium having the highest possibility of successful communication with the aircraft among the available communication media, and an instruction unit causes the selected communication medium to execute communication in the uplink direction.

Description

Communication monitoring device, communication monitoring method, and recording medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication monitoring device, a communication monitoring method, and a recording medium, and more particularly to a communication monitoring device, a communication monitoring method, and a recording medium for monitoring communications between an aircraft and a ground station.

[0002] With the recent globalization of society and the economy, the role played by airports and air traffic is becoming increasingly important. Related technologies are provided to support air traffic.

[0003] During flight, an aircraft transmits its own position information, acquired using a positioning system such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), to a ground station or another aircraft via an air-ground data link. On land, a communication medium using Very High Frequency (VHF) is mainly used. At sea, since aircraft are out of the coverage area of ​​VHF ground stations, a communication medium based on satellite communication is often used. When an aircraft moves from sea to land or vice versa, the communication medium is switched.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a communication terminal device that can switch between terrestrial communication via a VHF ground station on the ground and satellite communication via a communication satellite.

[0005] Patent No. 6276313

[0006] In a related technology, when uplink (communication from an air traffic control system to an aircraft) communication fails via a communication medium using a VHF ground station, the communication medium is switched to a communication medium using satellite communication. When the communication medium is switched, communication failures such as communication delays may occur in the air-ground data link.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to improve the likelihood of successful uplink communication.

[0008] A communication monitoring device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a receiving means for receiving a request for uplink communication from an air traffic control system, an identifying means for identifying the position of an aircraft that is a communication partner of the air traffic control system, an acquiring means for acquiring a communication history of available communication media, a selecting means for selecting, from the available communication media, a communication media that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft based on the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media, and an instruction means for causing the selected communication media to perform uplink communication.

[0009] A communication monitoring method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a computer receiving a request for uplink communication from an air traffic control system, identifying the location of an aircraft that is communicating with the air traffic control system, obtaining a communication history of available communication media, selecting from the available communication media a communication medium that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft based on the location of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media, and causing the selected communication media to perform uplink communication.

[0010] A recording medium according to one aspect of the present disclosure stores a program for causing a computer to execute the following processes: receiving a request for uplink communication from an air traffic control system; identifying the position of an aircraft that is a communication partner of the air traffic control system; acquiring a communication history of available communication media; selecting, from the available communication media, a communication media that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft based on the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media; and causing the selected communication media to execute uplink communication.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the likelihood of successful uplink communication in an air-ground data link can be improved.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication history of a communication medium, and a table illustrating communication delay times of a ground station managed by the communication medium. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another example of a communication history of a communication medium, and a diagram illustrating the communication state of the communication medium. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication monitoring device according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a communication monitoring device according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication monitoring device according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a communication monitoring device according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication monitoring device according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a communication monitoring device according to an embodiment.

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

[0015] (Communication System 1) Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a communication system 1 according to the present embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the communication system 1 includes a communication repeater 100, communication media 200A and 200B, ground stations 300a and 300b, and an air traffic control system 400.

[0016] The communication medium 200A is composed of a server and middleware that manages communications between the ground station 300a and the aircraft, and the communication medium 200B manages communications between the ground station 300b and the aircraft.

[0017] Communication media 200A, 200B transmit communication data such as messages and flight information received by ground stations 300a, 300b from aircraft to an airport's air traffic control system 400 via communication repeater 100. Communication media 200A, 200B also transmit communication data from air traffic control system 400 to aircraft in the air via ground stations 300a, 300b. Ground stations 300a, 300b include very high frequency (VHF) ground stations. Ground station 300a also includes a radio station for satellite communication.

[0018] In the following description, "communication medium 200" means "either communication medium 200A or communication medium 200B." Furthermore, "ground station 300" means "either ground station 300a or ground station 300b." However, communication system 1 may include three or more communication media 200 and / or three or more ground stations 300.

[0019] The air traffic control system 400 includes a communication control device (not shown). The communication control device of the air traffic control system 400 communicates with aircraft and airport facilities.

[0020] The communication repeater 100 relays communication between the communication medium 200 and the air traffic control system 400. The communication repeater 100 includes any one of the communication monitoring devices 10, 20, and 30 (FIGS. 4, 6, and 8) according to the second to fourth embodiments described below.

[0021] The communication repeater 100 creates and manages a communication history (FIGS. 2 and 3) for each communication medium 200 based on a downlink message (FIG. 1) relayed from the aircraft (pilot) to the air traffic control system 400 (air traffic controller, etc.). The communication history indicates the exchange of communication data between the aircraft and the ground station 300.

[0022] When the communication repeater 100 receives a request for uplink communication from the air traffic control system 400, it identifies the location of the aircraft with which the air traffic control system 400 is communicating. For example, the communication repeater 100 acquires information indicating the location of the aircraft in downlink communication (communication from the aircraft to the air traffic control system 400). Then, based on the location of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media 200, the communication repeater 100 selects one of the available communication media 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft. Here, the fact that a certain communication medium 200 is available means that it is possible (or at least likely) to establish a communication connection between that communication medium 200 and the aircraft.

[0023] The communication repeater 100 instructs the selected communication medium 200 to establish an uplink. The selected communication medium 200 communicates with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400. The communication repeater 100 may also transmit data to be sent to the aircraft to the selected communication medium 200 (third embodiment).

[0024] (Example of a communication history; Part 1) Figure 2 shows an example of a communication history received by the communication repeater 100 from the communication medium 200. In the example shown in Figure 2, the communication history includes the average delay time per hour of communications between four ground stations 300 ("AAA", "BBB", "CCC", and "DDD") and other aircraft. For example, the average delay time of ground station "AAA" at time "1:00" is 20 seconds, and the average delay time of ground station "BBB" at the same time is 31 seconds.

[0025] The communication history of the communication medium 200 is not limited to the average delay time of communication per unit time, as long as it indicates the communication state of the communication medium 200. In another example, the communication history may include the amount of data communication per unit time or the number of packets.

[0026] In one example of a communication history of the communication medium 200, information indicating the communication delay time of the ground station 300 managed by the communication medium 200, as illustrated in Figure 2, is linked to information indicating the positions of other aircraft (not shown).

[0027] (Example of communication history; Part 2) Fig. 3 shows another example of a communication history that the communication relay device 100 receives from the communication medium 200. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the communication history includes information indicating the communication status of the communication medium 200. Specifically, the information indicating the communication status of the communication medium 200 is information indicating the success or failure of past communications between the communication medium 200 and another aircraft.

[0028] 3 shows that medium C has succeeded in communication in the downlink (DL) direction, medium C has failed in communication in the uplink (UL) direction, and medium B has succeeded in communication in the uplink direction. Note that medium A, medium B, and medium C are each an example of communication medium 200.

[0029] For example, in Figure 3A, downlink communication from another aircraft to ground station 300 via medium C using VHF is successful. In Figure 3B, uplink communication to another aircraft via medium C using VHF is unsuccessful. In Figure 3C, an uplink to another aircraft via medium B using a communications satellite (SAT) is successfully established.

[0030] In one example of the communication history of the communication medium 200, information indicating the communication status of the communication medium 200 is linked to information indicating the positions of other aircraft, as illustrated in FIG.

[0031] (Effects of the Present Embodiment) According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the communication repeater 100 receives a request for communication in the uplink direction from the air traffic control system 400, identifies the position of the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400, and acquires the communication history of the available communication media 200. Based on the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media 200, the communication repeater 100 selects, from the available communication media 200, the communication media 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft. The communication repeater 100 causes the selected communication media 200 to execute communication in the uplink direction.

[0032] In this way, the communication media 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft is selected from among the available communication media 200 for establishing an uplink communication connection, thereby improving the likelihood of successful communication in the uplink direction.

[0033] 4 and 5, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the second embodiment, an example of a communication monitoring device 10 that realizes the functions of the communication relay device 100 (FIG. 1) described in the first embodiment will be described.

[0034] (Configuration of communication monitoring device 10) Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication monitoring device 10 according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 4, the communication monitoring device 10 includes a receiving unit 11, an identifying unit 12, an acquiring unit 13, a selecting unit 14, and an instructing unit 15.

[0035] The receiver 11 receives a request for an uplink communication connection from the aircraft ( FIG. 1 ). The receiver 11 is an example of a receiving means. Here, the uplink refers to an upward communication path from the ground station 300 to the aircraft. The receiver 11 notifies the identifying unit 12 and the acquiring unit 13 that it has received a request for uplink communication from the air traffic control system 400.

[0036] The identifying unit 12 identifies the position of the aircraft that has requested the uplink and is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400. The identifying unit 12 is an example of an identifying means.

[0037] The identifying unit 12 is notified by the receiving unit 11 that a request for communication in the uplink direction has been received from the air traffic control system 400 .

[0038] For example, the identification unit 12 acquires information indicating the position of the aircraft in downlink communication. In one example, the information indicating the position of the aircraft is measured by a GNSS receiver mounted on the aircraft.

[0039] The identification unit 12 outputs information indicating the identified position of the aircraft to the selection unit 14 .

[0040] The acquisition unit 13 acquires a communication history of the available communication media 200. The acquisition unit 13 is an example of an acquisition means. Here, the available communication media 200 means that communication is possible with an aircraft that is a communication partner of the air traffic control system 400.

[0041] The acquisition unit 13 is notified by the reception unit 11 that a request for communication in the uplink direction has been received from the air traffic control system 400 .

[0042] For example, the acquisition unit 13 acquires a communication history including information indicating past communication states of the available communication media 200. The communication history of the available communication media 200 is created in advance based on downlink messages relayed by the communication relay device 100 ( FIG. 1 ) from other aircraft to the air traffic control system 400. Here, "other aircraft" refers to an aircraft other than the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400. However, if the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 has previously communicated with the available communication media, the communication history also includes information indicating the success or failure of past communications between the available communication media 200 and the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400.

[0043] In another example, the acquisition unit 13 acquires a communication history including information indicating the communication delay time ( FIG. 2 ) of the ground station 300 managed by the available communication media 200 .

[0044] The acquisition unit 13 outputs a communication history including information indicating the past communication state of the available communication media 200 to the selection unit 14 .

[0045] The selection unit 14 selects, from the available communication media 200, the communication media 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft, based on the position of the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 and the communication history of the available communication media 200. The selection unit 14 is an example of a selection means.

[0046] For example, the selection unit 14 receives, from the identification unit 12, information indicating the position of an aircraft that is a communication partner of the air traffic control system 400. The selection unit 14 also receives, from the acquisition unit 13, a communication history of the available communication media 200.

[0047] Then, the selection unit 14 selects the communication media 200 that is most likely to enable successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400, based on the information indicating the aircraft's position received from the identification unit 12 and the communication history of the available communication media 200 received from the acquisition unit 13.

[0048] In another example, the selection unit 14 receives information indicating the altitude, heading, and speed of the aircraft in addition to information indicating the position of the aircraft from the acquisition unit 13. Then, the selection unit 14 selects the communication medium 200 that is most likely to enable successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400, based on at least one of the altitude, heading, and speed of the aircraft in addition to the position of the aircraft.

[0049] The selection unit 14 outputs to the instruction unit 15 information indicating the communication medium 200 (for example, one of "media A," "media B," or "media C" in Figure 3) that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400.

[0050] The instruction unit 15 causes the selected communication medium 200 to perform communication in the uplink direction. The instruction unit 15 is an example of instruction means.

[0051] The instruction unit 15 receives from the selection unit 14 information indicating the communication medium 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 .

[0052] For example, the instruction unit 15 instructs the communication medium 200 selected by the selection unit 14 to perform communication in the uplink direction. The communication medium 200 that has received the instruction communicates with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 via the ground station 300.

[0053] When the communication medium 200 that received the instruction manages an artificial satellite, the communication medium 200 uses satellite communication to communicate with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 .

[0054] (Operation of the communication monitoring device 10) The operation of the communication monitoring device 10 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication monitoring device 10.

[0055] 5 , the receiving unit 11 receives a request for communication in the uplink direction from the air traffic control system 400 (S101). The receiving unit 11 notifies the identifying unit 12 and the acquiring unit 13 that the request for communication in the uplink direction has been received from the air traffic control system 400.

[0056] Next, the identifying unit 12 identifies the position of the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 that has requested the uplink (S102). The identifying unit 12 outputs information indicating the identified position of the aircraft to the selecting unit 14.

[0057] The acquisition unit 13 also acquires the communication history of the available communication media 200 (S103). The acquisition unit 13 outputs the communication history of the available communication media 200 to the selection unit .

[0058] The selection unit 14 selects, from among the available communication media 200, the communication media 200 that is most likely to enable successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400, based on the position of the aircraft identified by the identification unit 12 and the communication history of the available communication media 200 (S104).

[0059] The selection unit 14 outputs to the instruction unit 15 information indicating the communication medium 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 .

[0060] The instruction unit 15 causes the selected communication medium 200 to perform communication in the uplink direction (S105). As a result, the aircraft, which is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400, becomes able to communicate with the air traffic control system 400 ( FIG. 1 ) through the selected communication medium 200.

[0061] Note that steps S102 and S103 may be executed in the reverse order.

[0062] This completes the operation of the communication monitoring device 10 according to the second embodiment.

[0063] (Effects of this embodiment) According to the configuration of this embodiment, the receiving unit 11 receives a request for communication in the uplink direction from the air traffic control system 400. The identifying unit 12 identifies the position of the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400. The acquiring unit 13 acquires the communication history of the available communication media 200. The selecting unit 14 selects, from the available communication media 200, the communication media 200 that is most likely to enable successful communication with the aircraft, based on the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media 200. The instructing unit 15 causes the selected communication media 200 to execute communication in the uplink direction.

[0064] In this way, the communication media 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft is selected from among the available communication media 200 for establishing an uplink communication connection, thereby improving the likelihood of successful communication in the uplink direction.

[0065] 6 and 7, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the third embodiment, a configuration will be described in which, when the communication relay device 100 (FIG. 1) receives data to be transmitted to an aircraft (a communication partner of the air traffic control system 400) from the air traffic control system 400 (FIG. 1), the communication relay device 100 transmits the received data to the communication medium 200 (FIG. 1) selected by the selection unit 14.

[0066] In the third embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in the second embodiment are used for the components described in the second embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0067] (Configuration of communication monitoring device 20) Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication monitoring device 20 according to embodiment 3. As shown in Fig. 6, the communication monitoring device 20 includes a receiving unit 11, an identifying unit 12, an acquiring unit 13, a selecting unit 14, and an instructing unit 15. The communication monitoring device 20 further includes a transmitting unit 26.

[0068] The transmitting unit 26 transmits the data to be sent to the aircraft to the communication medium 200 selected by the selecting unit 14. The transmitting unit 26 is an example of a transmitting means.

[0069] For example, the transmitting unit 26 receives from the selecting unit 14 information indicating the communication medium 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400. Then, when the transmitting unit 26 receives data to be transmitted to the aircraft from the air traffic control system 400, it transmits the received data to the communication medium 200 selected by the selecting unit 14.

[0070] The communication medium 200 transmits the data received from the air traffic control system 400 to the aircraft that is the destination of the data and the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 .

[0071] (Operation of the communication monitoring device 20) The operation of the communication monitoring device 20 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication monitoring device 20.

[0072] 7 , the receiving unit 11 receives a request for communication in the uplink direction from the air traffic control system 400 (S201). The receiving unit 11 notifies the identifying unit 12 and the acquiring unit 13 that the request for communication in the uplink direction has been received from the air traffic control system 400.

[0073] Next, the identifying unit 12 identifies the position of the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 that has requested the uplink (S202). The identifying unit 12 outputs information indicating the identified position of the aircraft to the selecting unit 14.

[0074] The acquisition unit 13 also acquires the communication history of the available communication media 200 (S203). The acquisition unit 13 outputs the communication history of the available communication media 200 to the selection unit .

[0075] The selection unit 14 selects, from among the available communication media 200, the communication media 200 that is most likely to enable successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400, based on the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media 200 (S204).

[0076] The selection unit 14 outputs information indicating the communication medium 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 to the instruction unit 15 and the transmission unit 26 .

[0077] The instruction unit 15 causes the communication medium 200 selected by the selection unit 14 to execute communication in the uplink direction (S205). As a result, the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 becomes able to communicate with the air traffic control system 400 ( FIG. 1 ) through the communication medium 200 selected by the selection unit 14.

[0078] Furthermore, the transmission unit 26 transmits data to be sent to the aircraft, which is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400, to the communication medium 200 selected by the selection unit 14 (S206).

[0079] Communications medium 200 then transmits data received from air traffic control system 400 (FIG. 1) or from other aircraft to the aircraft with which air traffic control system 400 is in communication.

[0080] Note that steps S202 and S203, and steps S205 and S206 may be executed in the reverse order.

[0081] This completes the operation of the communication monitoring device 20 according to the third embodiment.

[0082] (Effects of this embodiment) According to the configuration of this embodiment, the receiving unit 11 receives a request for communication in the uplink direction from the air traffic control system 400. The identifying unit 12 identifies the position of the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400. The acquiring unit 13 acquires the communication history of the available communication media 200. The selecting unit 14 selects, from the available communication media 200, the communication media 200 that is most likely to enable successful communication with the aircraft, based on the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media 200. The instructing unit 15 causes the selected communication media 200 to execute communication in the uplink direction.

[0083] In this way, the communication media 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft is selected from among the available communication media 200 for establishing an uplink communication connection, thereby improving the likelihood of successful communication in the uplink direction.

[0084] Furthermore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the transmission unit 26 transmits the data to be sent to the aircraft to the communication medium 200 selected by the selection unit 14 .

[0085] This eliminates the need for the air traffic control system 400 (FIG. 1) or other aircraft to specify in advance the communication medium 200 to be used for communication. The transmitter 26 automatically transmits data received from the air traffic control system 400 (FIG. 1) to the communication medium 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft (the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400). This reduces the possibility of failure in transmitting data in the uplink direction.

[0086] Fourth Embodiment A fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In the fourth embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the communication performance of the available communication media 200 is learned based on the communication history (Figs. 2 and 3) of the available communication media 200. Here, the communication performance means the processing capability of the communication media 200.

[0087] In the fourth embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in the second or third embodiment are used for the components described in the second or third embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0088] (Configuration of communication monitoring device 30) Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication monitoring device 30 according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, the communication monitoring device 30 includes a receiving unit 11, an identifying unit 12, an acquiring unit 13, a selecting unit 14, and an instructing unit 15. The communication monitoring device 30 further includes a learning unit 36.

[0089] The learning unit 36 ​​learns the communication performance of the available communication media 200 based on the communication history (FIGS. 2 and 3) of the available communication media 200. The learning unit 36 ​​is an example of a learning means.

[0090] For example, the learning unit 36 ​​receives the communication history (FIGS. 2 and 3) of the communication media 200 from each communication medium 200. The communication history indicates the exchange of communication data between other aircraft and the ground station 300. Specifically, the communication history of the communication medium 200 indicates the delay time of past communication of the ground station 300 (FIG. 1) managed by the communication medium 200.

[0091] The learning unit 36 ​​uses the communication history of each communication medium 200 and information indicating the time and location at which the communication history was recorded to learn the communication performance of the communication media 200. Specifically, the learning unit 36 ​​learns, as the communication performance of the communication media 200, an index indicating the speed of communication (or the shortness of delay time) between the communication media 200 and the aircraft, which is predicted when the time and the location of the aircraft are specified.

[0092] The learning unit 36 ​​outputs information indicating the learned communication performance for each of the available communication media 200 to the selection unit 14 .

[0093] The selection unit 14 selects the communication media 200 that is most likely to enable successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400, based on the communication history of the available communication media 200 and the communication performance learned for each communication media 200.

[0094] For example, the selection unit 14 selects a communication medium 200 whose communication performance is higher than a threshold from among the available communication media 200. Furthermore, the selection unit 14 selects a communication medium 200 that is most likely to enable successful communication with an aircraft that is a communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 from among the communication media 200 whose communication performance is higher than a threshold.

[0095] The selection unit 14 outputs information indicating the selected communication medium 200 to the instruction unit 15 .

[0096] The operation of the communication monitoring device 30 according to the fourth embodiment is common to the operation of the communication monitoring device 10 according to the second embodiment, and therefore, in the fourth embodiment, a description of the operation of the communication monitoring device 30 will be omitted.

[0097] (Effects of this embodiment) According to the configuration of this embodiment, the receiving unit 11 receives a request for communication in the uplink direction from the air traffic control system 400. The identifying unit 12 identifies the position of the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400. The acquiring unit 13 acquires the communication history of the available communication media 200. The selecting unit 14 selects, from the available communication media 200, the communication media 200 that is most likely to enable successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400, based on the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media 200. The instructing unit 15 causes the selected communication media 200 to execute communication in the uplink direction.

[0098] In this way, the communication media 200 that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft is selected from among the available communication media 200 for establishing an uplink communication connection, thereby improving the likelihood of successful communication in the uplink direction.

[0099] Furthermore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the learning unit 36 ​​learns the communication performance of the available communication media 200 based on the communication history (FIGS. 2 and 3) of the available communication media 200. The selection unit 14 selects the communication media 200 that is most likely to enable successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 from among the available communication media 200 whose communication performance is higher than a threshold.

[0100] In this way, a communication medium 200 with communication performance higher than a threshold is selected from among the available communication media 200. Furthermore, a communication medium 200 with the highest probability of successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 is selected from among the communication media 200 with communication performance higher than a threshold. In this way, one communication medium 200 with the highest probability of successful communication with the aircraft that is the communication partner of the air traffic control system 400 can be selected for establishing a communication connection in the uplink direction, excluding communication media 200 with poor communication performance.

[0101] (Hardware Configuration) Each of the components of the communication monitoring devices 10, 20, and 30 described in the second to fourth embodiments represents a functional block. Some or all of these components are realized by an information processing device such as that shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device.

[0102] 9, the computer 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a main memory 112, a storage device 113, an input interface 114, a display controller 115, a data reader / writer 116, and a communication interface 117. These components are connected to each other via a bus 121 so as to be able to communicate data with each other. Note that the computer 110 may include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) in addition to or instead of the CPU 111.

[0103] The CPU 111 loads the program (code) of this embodiment stored in the storage device 113 into the main memory 112 and executes it in a predetermined order to perform various calculations. The main memory 112 is typically a volatile storage device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The program of this embodiment is provided in a state stored in a computer-readable recording medium 120. The program of this embodiment may be distributed over the Internet connected via the communication interface 117.

[0104] Specific examples of the storage device 113 include a hard disk drive and a semiconductor storage device such as a flash memory. The input interface 114 mediates data transmission between the CPU 111 and input devices 118 such as a keyboard and a mouse. The display controller 115 is connected to a display device 119 and controls the display on the display device 119.

[0105] The data reader / writer 116 mediates data transmission between the CPU 111 and the recording medium 120, reads programs from the recording medium 120, and writes processing results from the computer 110 to the recording medium 120. The communication interface 117 mediates data transmission between the CPU 111 and other computers.

[0106] Specific examples of the recording medium 120 include general-purpose semiconductor storage devices such as CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) and SD (Secure Digital), magnetic recording media such as flexible disks, or optical recording media such as CD-ROMs (Compact Disk Read Only Memory).

[0107] (Supplementary Notes) A ​​part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0108] (Supplementary Note 1) A communication monitoring device comprising: a receiving means for receiving a request for communication in the uplink direction from an air traffic control system; an identifying means for identifying the position of an aircraft that is a communication partner of the air traffic control system; an acquiring means for acquiring a communication history of available communication media; a selecting means for selecting, from the available communication media, a communication media that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft based on the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media; and an instruction means for causing the selected communication media to execute communication in the uplink direction.

[0109] (Supplementary Note 2) The communication monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the identifying means acquires information indicating the position of the aircraft in downlink communication.

[0110] (Supplementary Note 3) The communication monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires the communication history including information indicating success or failure of past communications between the available communication media and other aircraft.

[0111] (Supplementary Note 4) The communication monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires the communication history including information indicating a delay time of communication of a ground station managed by the available communication media.

[0112] (Supplementary Note 5) The communication monitoring device described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4 is characterized in that the selection means selects the communication medium that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft based on at least one of the aircraft's altitude, heading, and speed in addition to the aircraft's position.

[0113] (Supplementary Note 6) The communication monitoring device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, further comprising a transmission means for transmitting data to be transmitted to the aircraft to the selected communication medium.

[0114] (Supplementary Note 7) The communication monitoring device according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein the transmission means changes a format of the data to be transmitted to the aircraft in accordance with the selected communication medium.

[0115] (Supplementary Note 8) A communication monitoring device as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 7, further comprising a learning means for learning the communication performance of the available communication media based on the communication history of the available communication media, wherein the selection means selects, from among the available communication media, a communication media having a communication performance higher than a threshold value, a communication media that is most likely to enable successful communication with the aircraft.

[0116] (Supplementary Note 9) A communications monitoring method in which a computer receives a request for uplink communications from an air traffic control system, identifies the position of an aircraft that is a communicating party of the air traffic control system, acquires a communication history of available communications media, selects, from the available communications media, a communications media that is most likely to result in successful communications with the aircraft based on the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communications media, and causes the selected communications media to execute uplink communications.

[0117] (Supplementary Note 10) A non-transitory recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the following processes: a process for receiving a request for uplink communication from an air traffic control system; a process for identifying the position of an aircraft that is a communication partner of the air traffic control system; a process for acquiring a communication history of available communication media; a process for selecting, from the available communication media, a communication media that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft based on the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media; and a process for causing the selected communication media to execute communication in the uplink direction.

[0118] Furthermore, some or all of the configurations described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 8 that are subordinate to Supplementary Note 1 (communication monitoring device) may also be subordinate to Supplementary Note 9 (communication monitoring method) and Supplementary Note 10 (recording medium) in the same subordinate relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 8. Furthermore, within the scope of each of the above-described embodiments, some or all of the configurations described as Supplements may be subordinate to various hardware, software, various recording means for recording software, or systems.

[0119] The present disclosure has been described above with reference to several embodiments. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. Each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate. Furthermore, various modifications that would be understood by a person skilled in the art can be made to the configurations and details of the above embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-082131, filed May 20, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0120] The present disclosure can be used in air traffic control communication systems.

[0121] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 communication system 10 communication monitoring device 11 receiving unit 12 identifying unit 13 acquiring unit 14 selecting unit 15 instruction unit 20 communication monitoring device 26 transmitting unit 30 communication monitoring device 36 learning unit 100 communication repeater 200 communication media 300 ground station 400 air traffic control system

Claims

1. A communications monitoring device comprising: a receiving means for receiving a request for uplink communications from an air traffic control system; an identifying means for identifying the position of an aircraft that is a communications partner of the air traffic control system; an acquiring means for acquiring a communications history of available communications media; a selecting means for selecting, from the available communications media, a communications media that is most likely to result in successful communications with the aircraft based on the position of the aircraft and the communications history of the available communications media; and an instructing means for causing the selected communications media to execute communications in the uplink direction.

2. The communications monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the identifying means acquires information indicating the position of the aircraft in downlink communications.

3. A communication monitoring device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires the communication history including information indicating the success or failure of past communications between the available communication media and other aircraft.

4. A communication monitoring device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires the communication history including information indicating the delay time of communication of the ground station managed by the available communication media.

5. A communications monitoring device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the selection means selects the communications medium that is most likely to result in successful communications with the aircraft based on at least one of the aircraft's altitude, heading and speed in addition to the aircraft's position.

6. A communications monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a transmission means for transmitting data to be transmitted to the aircraft over the selected communications medium.

7. A communications monitoring device according to claim 6, wherein said transmission means changes the format of said data transmitted to said aircraft in accordance with said selected communications medium.

8. A communications monitoring device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a learning means for learning the communications performance of the available communications media based on the communications history of the available communications media, wherein the selection means selects, from among the available communications media, those communications media whose communications performance is higher than a threshold value, the communications media that are most likely to result in successful communications with the aircraft.

9. A communications monitoring method in which a computer receives a request for uplink communications from an air traffic control system, identifies the location of an aircraft that is communicating with the air traffic control system, acquires a communication history of available communications media, selects from the available communications media a communications media that is most likely to result in successful communications with the aircraft based on the location of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communications media, and causes the selected communications media to execute uplink communications.

10. A non-transitory recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the following processes: a process for receiving a request for uplink communication from an air traffic control system; a process for identifying the position of an aircraft that is a communication partner of the air traffic control system; a process for acquiring a communication history of available communication media; a process for selecting, from the available communication media, a communication media that is most likely to result in successful communication with the aircraft based on the position of the aircraft and the communication history of the available communication media; and a process for causing the selected communication media to execute uplink communication.

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