Flight management device and flight management method

Abstract

Within a flight route or flight range specified by a user, the flight device can stably communicate using a communication service provided by a communication operator. The flight management device (1) includes: a receiving unit that receives flight reservation information including user identification information for identifying the user, a scheduled flight route or flight range for the flight device to fly, and a scheduled flight reservation period for the flight device to fly along the flight route or flight range from a user terminal used by a user; an aircraft body determination unit that determines aircraft body information related to the flight device and associated with the user identification information; an operator determination unit that determines a communication operator that provides a communication service that can be used by the flight device based on the aircraft body information; a determination unit that determines whether the flight device can use the communication service to communicate while flying along the flight route or flight range based on the communication operator and the flight route or flight range; and a sending unit that sends the determination result of the determination unit to the user terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flight management device and a flight management method for managing information related to flight of a flying device. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system that accepts input of an area and a flight purpose for flying an aerial device such as a drone, creates a flight route based on the accepted area and purpose, and controls the flight of the aerial device based on the created flight route.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2018 / 198313

[0006] In order to control the flight of drones in a wide area, the use of drones that communicate using specified radio waves of mobile communication networks, etc. is being studied. On the other hand, since each communication operator (telecommunications operator) that provides communication services has different areas in which they can communicate using radio waves, there is a possibility that communication may be cut off or become unstable during flight depending on where the drone is flying. Summary of the invention

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of these points, and its object is to enable a flying device to stably communicate within a flight route or flight range specified by a user using a communication service provided by a communication operator.

[0008] A flight management device according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes: a receiving unit, which receives flight reservation information including user identification information for identifying the user, a scheduled flight route or flight range for the flight device, and a scheduled flight period for the flight device to fly along the flight route or the flight range from a user terminal used by a user; an aircraft identification unit, which determines aircraft information related to the flight device and associated with the user identification information; an operator identification unit, which determines a communication operator that provides a communication service that can be used by the flight device based on the aircraft information; a determination unit, which determines whether the flight device can use the communication service for communication while flying along the flight route or the flight range based on the communication operator and the flight route or the flight range; and a sending unit, which sends the determination result of the determination unit to the user terminal.

[0009] The receiving unit receives a reservation request from the user terminal for flying the flight device based on the flight reservation information. The flight management device also includes a reservation management unit. When the receiving unit receives the reservation request, the reservation management unit stores the flight reservation information, the aircraft information, and the communication operator information representing the communication operator in a storage unit in an associated manner.

[0010] The determination unit may also determine that the flying device is capable of flying along the flight route or the flight range when the flight route or the flight range is included in the communication area of ​​the communication service, and determine that the flying device is unable to fly along the flight route or the flight range when the flight route or the flight range is not included in the communication area.

[0011] When the operator determination unit determines a plurality of the communication operators, the determination unit may determine, for each of the plurality of communication operators, whether the flying device can communicate while flying along the flight route or the flight range based on the communication operators and the flight route or the flight range.

[0012] In the case where the operator determination unit determines multiple communication operators, the determination unit may also determine whether the flying device can communicate while flying along the flight route or the flight range based on a combination of two or more of the multiple communication operators and the flight route or the flight range.

[0013] The receiving unit receives the flight reservation information including the number of aircraft bodies of the plurality of flying devices scheduled to fly along the flight route or the flight range from the user terminal, and the sending unit sends the aircraft body information of the plurality of flying devices corresponding to the number of aircraft bodies, which are determined by the determination unit as being capable of flying along the flight route or the flight range, to the user terminal.

[0014] The receiving unit may also receive the flight reservation information including a plurality of the flight routes or the flight ranges from the user terminal, and the sending unit may send the body information of the flying device determined by the determination unit as being capable of flying along the flight routes or the flight ranges to the user terminal respectively.

[0015] The receiving unit may also receive the flight reservation information including the operation content of the flying device within the flight route or the flight range from the user terminal, and the determining unit determines whether the flying device can communicate while flying along the flight route or the flight range based on the operation content in addition to the communication operator and the flight route or the flight range.

[0016] The flight management method of the second embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps executed by a processor: receiving flight reservation information including user identification information for identifying the user, a scheduled flight route or flight range for the flight device, and a scheduled flight period for the flight device to fly along the flight route or the flight range from a user terminal used by a user; determining aircraft body information related to the flight device and associated with the user identification information; based on the aircraft body information, determining a communication operator that provides a communication service that the flight device can use in communication; based on the communication operator and the flight route or the flight range, determining whether the flight device can use the communication service for communication while flying along the flight route or the flight range; and sending the determination result in the determination step to the user terminal.

[0017] According to the present invention, an effect is achieved in which a flying device can stably communicate using a communication service provided by a communication operator within a flight route or a flight range specified by a user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a flight management system of an embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a block diagram of a flight management device of an implementation mode.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a flight reservation screen for accepting input of flight reservation information on a user terminal.

[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of exemplary machine information and communication carrier information.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram for explaining a method in which a determination unit determines whether or not the flying device can communicate based on a communication carrier.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram for explaining a method in which a determination unit determines whether or not the flying device can communicate based on a combination of a plurality of communication carriers.

[0024] Figure 7 It is a timing diagram showing the flight management method executed by the flight management system.

[0025] Description of Reference Numerals

[0026] 1 Flight management device

[0027] 11 Storage

[0028] 12 Control Unit

[0029] 121 Receiving Department

[0030] 122 Body Identification Department

[0031] 123 Operator Determination Department

[0032] 124 Judgment Department

[0033] 125 Sending Department

[0034] 126 Reservation Management Department

[0035] 2 User Terminal

[0036] 3 Flying Devices DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] (Overview of flight management system)

[0038] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the flight management system of this embodiment. The flight management system includes a flight management device 1, a user terminal 2 and a flight device 3. The flight management system may also include other terminals, devices and the like.

[0039] The flight management device 1 is a computer that receives flight reservation information related to the flight of the flight device 3 from the user terminal 2 and determines whether the communication service provided by the communication operator can be used for communication during the flight of the flight device. The flight management device 1 is a single device or multiple devices. In addition, the flight management device 1 can also be one or more virtual servers running on a collection of computer resources, that is, a cloud.

[0040] The user terminal 2 is a computer used by the user. The user terminal 2 is, for example, an information terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. The user is, for example, a person who operates, manages, or owns the flight device 3. The user terminal 2 has a display unit such as a liquid crystal display for displaying information and an operation unit such as a touch panel for accepting user operations. The user terminal 2 sends / receives information with the flight management device 1 through communication.

[0041] The flying device 3 is an unmanned flying device such as a drone that flies along a flight route or a flight range specified by a user and performs a specified operation. The operations performed by the flying device 3 include, for example, transporting objects within the flight route or the flight range, photographing the area around the flight route or the flight range, releasing objects (pesticides, etc.) within the flight route or the flight range, and outputting information (sound, light, etc.) within the flight route or the flight range. The flying device 3 communicates during flight using the communication service provided by a communication operator (also called a "telecom operator").

[0042] The following is an overview of the processing performed by the flight management device 1 of the present embodiment. The flight management device 1 receives flight schedule information (including user identification information for identifying a user, a scheduled flight route or flight range for the flight device 3 to fly, and a scheduled flight schedule period for the flight device 3 to fly along the flight route or flight range) from the user terminal 2. Figure 1 (1)).

[0043] The flight management device 1 determines the aircraft information ( Figure 1 (2)). The aircraft information includes, for example, user identification information, aircraft identification information for identifying the aircraft of the aircraft 3, and SIM information indicating a communication device provided by the aircraft 3, namely, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM).

[0044] The flight management device 1 determines a communication carrier that provides a communication service that the flight device 3 can use based on the determined aircraft information. Figure 1 (3)). The flight management device 1 determines whether the flight device 3 can use the communication service of the communication operator to communicate while flying along the flight route or flight range based on the determined communication operator and the received flight route or flight range ( Figure 1 (4)). The flight management device 1 may determine that communication is not possible, for example, when at least a portion of the flight route or flight range is not included in the communication area of ​​the communication service of the communication operator. In addition, the flight management device 1 may determine that communication is not possible, for example, when the value of the communication quality of the communication using the communication service of the communication operator in at least a portion of the flight route or flight range is below a predetermined reference value (when the radio waves are weak, when there is interference with the radio waves, etc.).

[0045] The flight management device 1 sends the determination result of whether the flight device 3 can communicate while flying along the flight route or flight range to the user terminal 2 ( Figure 1(5)). In addition, the flight management device 1 determines that the flight device 3 can fly along the flight route or flight range using the communication service of the communication operator as a condition, and sends flight information for enabling the flight device 3 to fly within the flight route or flight range to the flight device 3 corresponding to the determined body information ( Figure 1 (6)). The flight device 3 communicates using the communication service of the communication operator determined by the flight management device 1 while flying along the flight route or within the flight range.

[0046] In this way, the flight management device 1 of the present embodiment determines a communication carrier that provides a communication service that can be used by the flight device 3, determines whether the flight device 3 can communicate using the communication service of the communication carrier while flying along the flight route or flight range, and sends the determination result to the user terminal 2. The user can decide whether to actually fly the flight device 3 based on the determination result in the user terminal 2. Therefore, the flight management device 1 can make the flight device 3 communicate stably using the communication service provided by the communication carrier within the flight route or flight range specified by the user.

[0047] (Structure of the flight management device 1)

[0048] Figure 2 : is a block diagram of the flight management device 1 of this embodiment. Figure 2 In the figure, arrows indicate the main data flow, which can also be Figure 2 Data flows other than those shown. Figure 2 In the , each module is not a hardware (device) unit structure, but a functional unit structure. Figure 2 The modules shown may be installed in a single device, or may be installed in multiple devices separately. Data transmission and reception between modules may be performed via any means such as a data bus, a network, a portable storage medium, etc.

[0049] The flight management device 1 has a storage unit 11 and a control unit 12. The storage unit 11 is a storage medium including a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, etc. The storage unit 11 stores in advance the program executed by the control unit 12. In addition, the storage unit 11 stores body information related to the flying device 3 flown by the user, communication operator information related to the communication operator that provides the communication service that can be used by the flying device 3, communication area information indicating the communication area where communication can be carried out using the communication service provided by the communication operator, and reservation information related to the reservation status of the flying device 3.

[0050] The communication area information may include a communication area estimated by simulation, a communication area determined based on communication quality information measured by actual flight of the flying device, or a communication area combining these areas. In addition, the communication area information may also include the value of the communication quality at each location of one or more communication operators (for example, SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) or radio wave strength).

[0051] The control unit 12 includes a receiving unit 121, an aircraft identification unit 122, an operator identification unit 123, a determination unit 124, a transmission unit 125, and a reservation management unit 126. The control unit 12 is a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), and functions as the receiving unit 121, the aircraft identification unit 122, the operator identification unit 123, the determination unit 124, the transmission unit 125, and the reservation management unit 126 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 11. The respective units of the control unit 12 may be separately installed in a plurality of devices constituting the flight management device 1.

[0052] The following describes the structure of the flight management device 1 for executing the processing of the present embodiment. The receiving unit 121 receives flight schedule information including user identification information for identifying a user (hereinafter referred to as "user ID"), a scheduled flight route or flight range for the flight device 3 to fly, and a scheduled flight schedule period for the flight device 3 to fly along the flight route or flight range from the user terminal 2.

[0053] Figure 3 1 is a schematic diagram of a flight schedule screen for accepting input of flight schedule information in the user terminal 2. The user terminal 2 displays the flight schedule screen on the display unit when the user logs in to the flight management device 1 using the user ID.

[0054] For example, the user terminal 2 accepts a planar range specified on a map displayed on the flight schedule screen as the flight range R. In addition, the user terminal 2 accepts a linear route specified in the flight range R displayed on the map on the flight schedule screen as the flight route F. In addition, the user terminal 2 may accept only the designation of one of the flight route F and the flight range R. In addition, the user terminal 2 may accept the designation of a three-dimensional flight route F or flight range R including a position and an altitude.

[0055] Specifically, the user terminal 2 first accepts the establishment of a flight area, which is an area where flying is possible, on a map. The flight management device 1 stores the established flight area as a flight range R in the storage unit 11 in association with user identification information for identifying the user of the user terminal 2. Furthermore, the user terminal 2 accepts the designation of a flight route F within the flight range R.

[0056] In addition, the user terminal 2 accepts the designation of the number of one or more aircraft devices 3 to be flown along the flight route F or the flight range R, the content of the operation to be performed by the aircraft device 3 within the flight route F or the flight range R, and the flight scheduled period for flying the aircraft device 3 in the flight route F or the flight range R. The flight scheduled period is, for example, a period specified by a start date and an end date. The user terminal 2 may also accept input of other information.

[0057] In the flight management device 1, the receiving unit 121 receives flight schedule information including the user ID of the user using the user terminal 2 and the information inputted in the user terminal 2 from the user terminal 2. The receiving unit 121 stores the flight schedule information received from the user terminal 2 in the storage unit 11.

[0058] The aircraft identification unit 122 identifies the aircraft information associated with the user ID included in the flight schedule information received by the reception unit 121 . Figure 4 (a) is a schematic diagram of exemplary aircraft information. Based on the user's input, the flight management device 1 stores in advance in the storage unit 11 aircraft information related to one or more flight devices 3 that the user has the right to fly because the user owns or lends them.

[0059] The body information is, for example, information associated with the user ID of the user, flight device identification information for identifying the body of the flight device 3 that the user can fly (hereinafter referred to as "body ID"), and SIM information representing the communication device possessed by the flight device 3, namely, the SIM.

[0060] The SIM information is information for identifying a communication device provided by the flying device 3. The communication device provided by the flying device 3 is, for example, a SIM card that can use a communication service of a communication operator. Figure 4 (a) Company A SIM, Company B SIM) or a SIM that can use communication services of multiple communication carriers ( Figure 4 (a) eSIM (embedded-SIM)) The eSIM sets predetermined information through a known setting process, thereby changing the communication services of the communication carrier that can be used.

[0061] One user ID can be associated with multiple aircraft IDs. In addition, one aircraft ID can be associated with multiple SIM information. That is, the aircraft information shows one or more flying devices 3 that the user can fly and one or more communication devices carried by the flying device 3 to enable communication. The aircraft information can also include other information related to the flying device 3, such as the flying speed, standby position, size, weight, charging method, and function of the flying device 3.

[0062] The aircraft identification unit 122 identifies one or more pieces of aircraft information associated with the user ID included in the flight schedule information received by the receiving unit 121 from the aircraft information stored in the storage unit 11. Thus, one or more flying devices 3 that the user can fly are extracted.

[0063] In addition, the aircraft identification unit 122 may select, from the aircraft information associated with the user ID included in the flight reservation information received by the receiving unit 121, the aircraft information of the aircraft 3 that can return to the standby position after moving from the standby position to the flight route or flight range within the scheduled flight period and flying based on the standby position and flight speed of the aircraft 3. The standby position is, for example, the nearest take-off and landing place of the aircraft 3 or the current position of the aircraft 3 obtained by the flight management device 1 through a remote request to the aircraft 3. In addition, the aircraft identification unit 122 may obtain the reservation status of the aircraft 3 from the storage unit 11 and select the aircraft information of the aircraft 3 that has not been reserved within the scheduled flight period.

[0064] The operator identification unit 123 identifies a communication operator that provides a communication service that can be used by the flying device 3 based on the aircraft information identified by the aircraft identification unit 122 . Figure 4 (b) is a diagram showing exemplary communication carrier information. The flight management device 1 pre-stores communication carrier information related to one or more communication carriers corresponding to the SIM cards that may be mounted on the flight device 3 in the storage unit 11 based on input from the manager of the flight management device 1 .

[0065] The communication operator information is, for example, information that associates SIM information with a communication operator that provides a communication service that can be used by using a communication device indicated by the SIM information. In the case where the SIM corresponding to the SIM information can use the communication services of multiple communication operators, multiple communication operators are associated with the SIM information. The communication operator information may also include other information related to the SIM and the communication operator, such as the usage fee of each communication operator.

[0066] The operator determination unit 123 acquires the communication operator information associated with the SIM information included in each of the one or more aircraft information determined by the aircraft determination unit 122 from the communication operator information stored in the storage unit 11, and determines the communication operator corresponding to the acquired communication operator information. In this way, the communication operator that provides the communication service that can be used by each of the one or more aircraft devices 3 that the user can fly is determined. In addition, when the aircraft determination unit 122 determines a plurality of aircraft devices 3, the operator determination unit 123 determines the communication operator for each of the plurality of aircraft devices 3.

[0067] The determination unit 124 determines whether the flying device 3 can communicate using the communication service provided by the communication operator while flying along the flight route or flight range based on the communication operator determined by the operator determination unit 123 and the flight route or flight range included in the flight schedule information.

[0068] The determination unit 124 acquires, for example, communication area information indicating the communication area of ​​the communication operator determined by the operator determination unit 123 and stored in advance in the storage unit 11. Based on the acquired communication area information, the determination unit 124 determines that the flying device 3 can fly along the flight route or the flight range when the flight route or the flight range is included in the communication area, and determines that the flying device 3 cannot fly along the flight route or the flight range when the flight route or the flight range is not included in the communication area.

[0069] In addition, when the aircraft identification unit 122 identifies a plurality of flying devices, the determination unit 124 determines, for each of the plurality of flying devices 3, whether the flying device 3 can communicate while flying along the flight route or the flight range, based on the communication carriers and the flight routes or the flight ranges determined by the carrier identification unit 123. In addition, when the carrier identification unit 123 identifies a plurality of communication carriers, the determination unit 124 determines, for each of the plurality of communication carriers, whether the flying device 3 can communicate while flying along the flight route or the flight range, based on the communication carriers and the flight routes or the flight ranges.

[0070] Figure 5 (a) Figure 5 (b) is a schematic diagram for explaining a method in which the determination unit 124 determines whether the flying device 3 can communicate based on the communication carrier. Figure 5 (a) Figure 5 (b) shows a base station B for providing a communication service of the communication carrier determined by the carrier determination unit 123 and a communication area A in which communication with the base station B is possible.

[0071] exist Figure 5 In the example of (a), since the entire area of ​​the flight route F is included in the communication area A, the determination unit 124 determines that the flying device 3 can fly along the flight route F. Figure 5 In the example of (b), since at least a portion of the flight route F is included in the communication area A, the determination unit 124 determines that the flying device 3 cannot fly along the flight route F. Figure 5 (a) Figure 5 The example of (b) shows the determination of the flight route F, but the determination unit 124 also performs the same determination on the flight range R. Thus, the flight management device 1 can determine whether the flight device 3 can communicate using the communication service of the communication carrier during flight.

[0072] In addition, the determination unit 124 may also determine whether the flying device 3 can communicate based on a value indicating the communication quality (e.g., SNR or radio wave strength). In this case, the determination unit 124 estimates the value indicating the communication quality at each location based on the relationship between the location of each location in the flight route or flight range and the location of the base station. Furthermore, the determination unit 124 determines that communication cannot be performed when the communication quality estimated in at least a portion of the flight route or flight range is below a predetermined reference value (when the radio wave is weak, when there is interference with the radio wave, etc.), otherwise, it determines that communication can be performed.

[0073] When the determination unit 124 determines that the flying device 3 cannot fly along the flight route or flight range using the communication service provided by a communication operator, it may also determine whether the flying device 3 can communicate while flying along the flight route or flight range based on a combination of two or more communication operators among the multiple communication operators determined by the operator determination unit 123 and the flight route or flight range.

[0074] In this case, the determination unit 124 determines that the flying device 3 is able to fly along the flight route or the flight range when the flight route or the flight range is included in a combination of communication areas of multiple communication operators, and determines that the flying device 3 is unable to fly along the flight route or the flight range when the flight route or the flight range is not included in the combination.

[0075] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram for explaining a method in which the determination unit 124 determines whether the flying device 3 can communicate based on a combination of a plurality of communication carriers. Figure 6 Indicates a base station Ba for providing a communication service of a first communication carrier and a communication area Aa capable of communicating with the base station Ba. Figure 6 The base station Bb for providing the communication service of the second communication carrier and the communication area Ab capable of communicating with the base station Bb are shown.

[0076] exist Figure 6 In the example of , since the entire area of ​​the flight route F is included in the combination of the communication areas Aa and Ab of the plurality of communication carriers, the determination unit 124 determines that the flying device 3 can fly along the flight route F. Figure 6 In the example of , the determination of the flight route F is shown, but the determination unit 124 also makes the same determination for the flight range R. Thus, the flight management device 1 can determine whether the flight device 3 can communicate using a combination of communication services of a plurality of communication carriers during flight.

[0077] In addition, the determination unit 124 may determine whether the flight device 3 can communicate while flying along the flight route or flight range based on the content of the operation performed by the flight device 3, in addition to the communication operator determined by the operator determination unit 123 and the flight route or flight range included in the flight schedule information. In this case, the determination unit 124 obtains the determination condition corresponding to the content of the operation contained in the flight schedule information. The determination condition is, for example, a range of values ​​of the communication quality (radio wave strength) required for the operation. In addition, the determination condition may also show a range of values ​​of different communication qualities for each location within the flight route or flight range. The determination condition is, for example, a range of communication quality that is higher than that of other locations at a location where a specified operation is performed. As a result, the flight device 3 can communicate uninterruptedly and send data such as captured images during operations such as inspections at specified locations, thereby being able to perform operations more reliably.

[0078] The determination unit 124 estimates the communication quality within the flight route or flight range based on the distance from the base station, and determines that the flight device 3 can fly along the flight route or flight range, taking the estimated communication quality satisfying the determination condition as a condition. Thus, the flight management device 1 can determine whether the flight device 3 can fly in consideration of the operation content of the flight device 3.

[0079] In addition, the determination unit 124 may select any one of the communication operators from a plurality of communication operators based on the communication quality required for the operation, and select the body of the flying device 3 corresponding to the communication operator. In this case, the determination unit 124 obtains the range of communication quality values ​​corresponding to one or more operation contents respectively included in the flight schedule information. The determination unit 124 compares the range of communication quality values ​​corresponding to one or more operation contents respectively with the communication quality value of each communication operator included in the communication area information, and selects any one of the communication operators that satisfies the communication quality required for the operation within the flight route or flight range. In the case where there is no communication operator that satisfies the communication quality required for the operation, the determination unit 124 may also determine that the operation content included in the flight schedule information cannot be performed within the flight route or flight range included in the flight schedule information.

[0080] Furthermore, the determination unit 124 selects an aircraft body of the aircraft 3 that can communicate using the communication service provided by the selected communication carrier from among the plurality of aircraft 3 identified by the aircraft identification unit 122. Thus, the flight management device 1 can select a communication carrier and an aircraft body that are suitable for the operation content and present them to the user terminal 2.

[0081] In addition, the determination unit 124 may determine whether the flight device 3 can communicate while flying along the flight route or flight range based on the number of flight devices 3 flying within the same flight scheduled period, in addition to the communication carrier determined by the carrier determination unit 123 and the flight route or flight range included in the flight scheduled information. In this case, the determination unit 124 obtains the reservation status of the plurality of flight devices 3 from the storage unit 11. The determination unit 124 extracts one or more base stations covering each flight position based on the flight position information corresponding to the flight route or flight range (i.e., positions extracted at predetermined intervals on the flight route or flight range).

[0082] The determination unit 124 calculates the number of flying devices 3 that communicate with the extracted one or more base stations and fly in the same time period as the scheduled flight period based on the reservation status of the plurality of flying devices 3. Furthermore, the determination unit 124 determines that the flying device 3 can fly along the flight route or the flight range, using the calculated number as a condition that is less than a predetermined value. Thus, the flight management device 1 can limit the number of flying devices 3 that communicate with the base station in the same period.

[0083] The transmission unit 125 transmits the determination result of the flight schedule information by the determination unit 124 to the user terminal 2. The determination result includes, for example, the body information of the flying device 3, the communication carrier used by the flying device 3, and information indicating whether the flying device 3 can communicate during flight. In addition, when the user specifies the number of two or more aircraft, the transmission unit 125 transmits the determination result including the body information of the plurality of flying devices 3 that the determination unit 124 determines as being able to fly along the flight route or the flight range, among the plurality of flying devices 3 corresponding to the number of aircraft included in the flight schedule information, to the user terminal 2.

[0084] In addition, when the determination unit 124 determines that the flight device 3 can fly along the flight route or flight range using a combination of multiple communication carriers, the transmission unit 125 transmits the determination result including the combination of multiple communication carriers to the user terminal 2. The user terminal 2 displays the determination result received from the flight management device 1 on the display unit.

[0085] Thus, the user can decide whether to actually fly the flying device 3 based on the determination result of whether the flying device 3 can communicate using the communication service of the communication operator while flying along the flight route or flight range. Therefore, the flight management device 1 can make the flying device 3 communicate stably using the communication service provided by the communication operator within the flight route or flight range specified by the user.

[0086] When the user terminal 2 determines that the flight device 3 can fly along the flight route or flight range, it will send a reservation request for flying the flight device 3 according to the flight reservation information to the flight management device 1, taking the acceptance of the prescribed reservation operation from the user as a condition. In the case where the flight management device 1 determines multiple flight devices 3 or multiple communication operators, the user terminal 2 can accept the selection of any flight device 3 or any communication operator and send a reservation request indicating the selected flight device 3 or communication operator.

[0087] In the flight management device 1, the receiving unit 121 receives a reservation request for flying the flight device 3 according to the flight reservation information from the user terminal 2. When the receiving unit 121 receives the reservation request, the reservation management unit 126 stores the reservation information associated with the flight reservation information specified by the user, the body information of the flight device 3, and the communication operator information indicating the communication operator providing the communication service used by the flight device 3 in the storage unit 11. In addition, the reservation management unit 126 may also register the flight reservation information and the body information corresponding to the reservation information in the database of the communication operator. Thus, the flight management device 1 can accept the reservation for flying the flight device 3 after confirming that the flight device 3 can communicate using the communication operator.

[0088] The transmitting unit 125 transmits flight information corresponding to the aircraft information included in the reservation information for causing the flight device 3 to fly within the flight route or flight range before a predetermined time of the scheduled flight period included in the reservation information based on the reservation information stored in the storage unit 11. The flight device 3 flies within the flight route or flight range according to the received flight information, and communicates using the communication service of the communication operator determined by the flight management device 1.

[0089] When the aircraft device 3 has an eSIM, the transmission unit 125 may also transmit flight information for setting the eSIM to the aircraft device 3 so as to use the communication service of the communication operator determined by the flight management device 1. The aircraft device 3 sets the eSIM according to the received flight information, and can communicate using the communication service of the communication operator.

[0090] In addition, the sending unit 125 may send the communication area information around the flight route or flight range of the flight device 3 during flight or in a planned flight to the flight device 3 on the condition that the request for area information of a communication operator that can be used is received from the flight device 3 .

[0091] (Time sequence of flight management method)

[0092] Figure 7This is a diagram showing the sequence of the flight management method executed by the flight management system. The user terminal 2 accepts the input of flight reservation information in the flight reservation screen (S11). Specifically, the user terminal 2 first accepts the establishment of a flight area, i.e., an area where the flight can be flown, on a map. The flight management device 1 stores the established flight area as a flight range in the storage unit 11 in association with the user identification information for identifying the user of the user terminal 2. Furthermore, the user terminal 2 accepts the designation of a flight route within the flight range.

[0093] In the flight management device 1, the receiving unit 121 receives flight reservation information including user identification information for identifying the user, a scheduled flight route or flight range for the flight device 3, and a scheduled flight period for the flight device 3 to fly along the flight route or flight range from the user terminal 2.

[0094] The aircraft identification unit 122 identifies one or more pieces of aircraft information associated with the user ID included in the flight reservation information received by the receiving unit 121 from the aircraft information stored in the storage unit 11 (S12). The carrier identification unit 123 acquires the communication carrier information associated with the SIM information included in each of the one or more pieces of aircraft information identified by the aircraft identification unit 122 from the communication carrier information stored in the storage unit 11, and identifies the communication carrier corresponding to the acquired communication carrier information (S13).

[0095] The determination unit 124 determines whether the flying device 3 can communicate using the communication service provided by the communication operator while flying along the flight route or flight range based on the communication operator determined by the operator determination unit 123 and the flight route or flight range included in the flight schedule information (S14). For example, based on the communication area information pre-stored in the storage unit 11, the determination unit 124 determines that the flying device 3 can fly along the flight route or flight range if the flight route or flight range is included in the communication area, and determines that the flying device 3 cannot fly along the flight route or flight range if the flight route or flight range is not included in the communication area.

[0096] The sending unit 125 sends the determination result of the determination unit 124 on the flight schedule information to the user terminal 2. The user terminal 2 displays the determination result received from the flight management device 1 on the display unit. When the user terminal 2 determines that the flight device 3 can fly along the flight route or the flight range, the user terminal 2 accepts a predetermined reservation operation from the user (S15). The user terminal 2 sends a reservation request for flying the flight device 3 according to the flight schedule information to the flight management device 1 under the condition of accepting the reservation operation.

[0097] In the flight management device 1, the receiving unit 121 receives a reservation request for flying the flight device 3 according to the flight reservation information from the user terminal 2. When the receiving unit 121 receives the reservation request, the reservation management unit 126 stores the reservation information associated with the flight reservation information specified by the user, the body information of the flight device 3, and the communication carrier information indicating the communication carrier providing the communication service used by the flight device 3 in the storage unit 11 (S16). In addition, the reservation management unit 126 may also register the flight reservation information and the body information corresponding to the reservation information in the database of the communication carrier.

[0098] The sending unit 125 sends the flight information of the flying device 3 corresponding to the aircraft information included in the reservation information in the flight route or flight range before the specified time of the scheduled flight period included in the reservation information based on the reservation information stored in the storage unit 11 (S17). The flying device 3 flies in the flight route or flight range according to the received flight information, and communicates using the communication service of the communication operator determined by the flight management device 1.

[0099] (Effects of Embodiments)

[0100] The flight management device 1 of this embodiment determines a communication carrier that provides a communication service that can be used by the flight device 3, determines whether the flight device 3 can fly along the flight route or flight range using the communication service of the communication carrier, and sends the determination result to the user terminal 2. The user can decide whether to actually fly the flight device 3 based on the determination result in the user terminal 2. Therefore, the flight management device 1 can make the flight device 3 communicate stably using the communication service provided by the communication carrier within the flight route or flight range specified by the user.

[0101] It should be noted that, as a result, for example, even in urban areas and mountainous areas with wireless network coverage, it is possible to create an environment in which drones can fly, thereby contributing to Goal 9 of the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "establish a foundation for industrial and technological innovation," and Goal 10, which is to "eliminate inequality between people and countries."

[0102] (First Modification)

[0103] In the above embodiment, the flight management device 1 determines one flight route or flight range received from the user terminal 2, whereas in this variation, it determines a plurality of flight routes or flight ranges received from the user terminal 2. The following mainly describes the differences from the above embodiment.

[0104] In this variant, the user terminal 2 Figure 3The flight schedule screen shown accepts input of multiple flight routes or flight ranges. In addition, the user terminal 2 accepts input of the number of aircraft, operation content, and flight schedule period for each of the multiple flight routes or flight ranges. The user terminal may also accept input of the number of aircraft, operation content, and flight schedule period for a common number of aircraft, operation content, and flight schedule period for multiple flight routes or flight ranges.

[0105] In the flight management device 1, the receiving unit 121 receives flight schedule information including a plurality of flight routes or flight ranges from the user terminal 2. The determining unit 124 determines, for each of the plurality of flight routes or flight ranges included in the flight schedule information, whether the flight device 3 can communicate using the communication service provided by the communication operator while flying along the flight route or the flight range, based on the communication operator determined by the operator determining unit 123. Thus, for each of the plurality of flight routes or flight ranges, the flight devices 3 that can communicate using the communication service provided by the communication operator while flying along the flight route or the flight range are extracted.

[0106] The sending unit 125 sends the body information of the flying device 3 determined by the determination unit 124 as being able to fly along the flight route or the flight range to the user terminal 2 for each of the plurality of flight routes or flight ranges. The user terminal 2 displays the body information of the flying device 3 determined by the determination unit 124 as being able to fly along the flight route or the flight range on the display unit in association with the plurality of flight routes or flight ranges.

[0107] Thus, the flight management device 1 can extract the flight devices 3 that can communicate separately while flying along multiple flight routes or flight ranges and prompt them to the user, thereby reducing the process for the user to make multiple flight devices 3 fly in multiple flight routes or flight ranges.

[0108] The present invention has been described above using the embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various deformations and changes can be made within the scope of its main purpose. For example, all or part of the device can be functionally or physically disassembled and integrated in any unit. In addition, new embodiments generated by any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments generated by the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments.

[0109] The processors of the flight management device 1, the user terminal 2 and the flight device 3 may be included in Figure 7 The flight management method shown in FIG. 1 is a main body of each step (process) of the flight management method. That is, the processors of the flight management device 1, the user terminal 2, and the flight device 3 read the instructions for execution from the storage unit. Figure 7 The flight management method procedure shown in the figure, and by executing the procedure, execute Figure 7 The flight management method shown. Included in Figure 7 The steps of the flight management method shown may be partially omitted, the order of the steps may be changed, or a plurality of steps may be performed in parallel.

Claims

1. A flight management device, in, include: A storage unit pre-stores communication area information including values ​​of communication quality at respective locations of one or more communication carriers that provide communication services that can be used by the flying device; a receiving unit that receives, from a user terminal used by a user, flight schedule information including user identification information for identifying the user, a scheduled flight route or flight range for the flight of the flying device, and a scheduled flight schedule period for the flying device to fly along the flight route or the flight range, an aircraft identification unit that identifies aircraft information associated with the user identification information and related to each of the plurality of flying devices; a carrier determination unit that determines, based on the aircraft information, the one or more communication carriers that provide the communication service that can be used by each of the plurality of flying devices; a determination unit that determines, based on the one or more communication carriers and the flight route or the flight range, whether the flying device can use the communication service for communication while flying along the flight route or the flight range, and a sending unit, which sends the determination result of the determination unit to the user terminal, The determination unit compares the range of communication quality values ​​corresponding to one or more operation contents performed by the flying device on the flight route or the flight range contained in the flight reservation information with the communication quality value of each communication operator contained in the communication area information, thereby selecting the communication operator that satisfies the communication quality required for the operation contents on the flight route or the flight range, and selects the body of the flying device that can communicate using the communication service provided by the selected communication operator from among the multiple flying devices determined.

2. The flight management device according to claim 1, wherein: the receiving unit receives, from the user terminal, a reservation request for flying the flying device according to the flight reservation information, The flight management device further includes a reservation management unit, and when the reception unit receives the reservation request, the reservation management unit stores the flight schedule information, the aircraft information, and communication carrier information indicating the communication carrier in a storage unit in association with each other.

3. The flight management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The determination unit determines that the flying device is able to fly along the flight route or the flight range when the flight route or the flight range is included in the communication area of ​​the communication service, and determines that the flying device is unable to fly along the flight route or the flight range when the flight route or the flight range is not included in the communication area.

4. The flight management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When the operator determination unit determines a plurality of the communication operators, the determination unit determines whether the flying device can communicate while flying along the flight route or the flight range based on the communication operators and the flight route or the flight range for each of the plurality of communication operators.

5. The flight management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The receiving unit receives the flight schedule information including the number of aircraft bodies of the plurality of flying devices scheduled to fly along the flight route or the flight range from the user terminal, The transmitting unit transmits the aircraft information of the plurality of flying devices determined by the determining unit to be able to fly along the flight route or the flight range, among the plurality of flying devices corresponding to the number of aircraft, to the user terminal.

6. The flight management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The receiving unit receives the flight schedule information including a plurality of the flight routes or the flight ranges from the user terminal, The transmitting unit transmits, for each of the plurality of flight routes or the flight ranges, the body information of the flying device determined by the determining unit as being able to fly along the flight route or the flight range to the user terminal.

7. The flight management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The receiving unit receives the flight schedule information including the operation content from the user terminal, The determination unit determines whether the flying device can communicate while flying along the flight route or the flight range based on the operation content in addition to the communication carrier and the flight route or the flight range.

8. A flight management method, wherein: The processor performs the following steps: storing in advance communication area information having values ​​of communication quality at respective locations of one or more communication carriers that provide communication services that can be used by the flying device; receiving, from a user terminal used by a user, flight reservation information including user identification information for identifying the user, a scheduled flight route or flight range for the flying device to fly, and a scheduled flight reservation period for the flying device to fly along the flight route or the flight range; determining aircraft information associated with the user identification information and respectively related to the plurality of flying devices; determining, based on the aircraft information, one or more communication operators that provide the communication services that can be used by the plurality of flying devices respectively; determining, based on the one or more communication carriers and the flight route or the flight range, whether the flying device can use the communication service for communication while flying along the flight route or the flight range; and sending the determination result in the determination step to the user terminal, In the determination step, the ranges of communication quality values ​​corresponding to one or more operation contents performed by the flight device on the flight route or the flight range contained in the flight reservation information are compared with the communication quality values ​​of each communication operator contained in the communication area information, so as to select the communication operator that satisfies the communication quality required for the operation contents on the flight route or the flight range, and select the body of the flight device that can communicate using the communication service provided by the selected communication operator from among the multiple flight devices determined.

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