Method for managing a vehicle controlled remotely via a communication network, corresponding device, system and computer program

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing a position of a remotely-controlled vehicle (UAV, 10), referred to as a drone, relative to a control entity (UAVC, 11), said control entity being configured to control the drone via a stream of control data transmitted indirectly within a communication established between the control entity (11) and the drone (10) via a communication network (RC), said method comprising: - for at least one time instant of the communication, determining (E6) at least one parameter relating to a distance between the drone and the control entity; - when the distance-related parameter does not lie within an interval of authorised values for a given piloting mode, applying (E10) at least one given management rule for the drone.

Description

Method for managing a vehicle remotely controlled by a communication network, corresponding device, system and computer program. Field of invention

[0001] The field of the invention is that of remote-controlled vehicles or drones. More specifically, the invention relates to the monitoring, via a communication network, of the movement, for example the flight, of a drone relative to its pilot. Prior art and its drawbacks

[0002] Remotely controlled vehicles, more commonly known as drones, are vehicles piloted remotely. This type of vehicle is increasingly used for uses as diverse as analyzing transport infrastructure (railways, electricity networks, road infrastructure), producing maps, or delivering products to end consumers. These drones, most often aerial, can also be road vehicles or used at sea. They are characterized by the fact that their pilot is not on board but at a distance from the vehicle, which is controlled using a control device.The drone can in fact be controlled remotely by the pilot using the control device, or the drone can move autonomously, for example in accordance with the execution of a programmed movement plan, but always under the control of the pilot, who ensures the navigation of the drone in accordance with the programmed movement plan.

[0003] Faced with these new possibilities and the increased risks of misuse (intentional or not), the aviation authorities have designed an architecture, called UTM (from the English, "UAV ("Unmanned Aerial Vehicle") traffic management"), and a whole set of services intended to enable efficient and safe management of airspace. A key component of this architecture is the USS (from the English, "UTM Service Supplier") which acts as an interface between the drone operator, for example the UAVC pilot (from the English, "UAV Controller") or a company that manages a fleet of drones and offers associated services (from the English, "UAS Operator"), the pilot / drone couple (UAS for "Unmanned Aerial System") and the Aviation Authorities.

[0004] In simplified terms, a drone generates two separate streams, one for the transmission of data relating to the drone's mission (for example, photos), which is called the useful data or payload, the other for the transmission of data relating to the piloting of the drone, the control of its trajectory and the management of air traffic, which is called the control data or "Command & Control", or C2 link.

[0005] As the pilot is not on board, this C2 link is essential because it allows communication to be maintained between the UAV drone, in the air, and the UAVC pilot, on the ground. We can distinguish two types of drone flight: - flights in direct line of sight or VLoS (from the English, "Visual Line of Sight"): the pilot is close to his drone and direct communication is maintained between the two (point-to-point link); - flights beyond the direct line of sight or BVLoS (from the English, "Beyond Visual Line of Sight"): the pilot can be very far from his drone, the communication between the two is carried via a telecommunications network (for example, satellite or cellular).

[0006] There are multiple ways to establish this C2 link, between the UAV drone and the UAVC pilot.

[0007] First, the link can be direct, that is to say that the UAV and the UAVC communicate directly with each other, via a single ground-to-air radio link, without any intermediary and in particular no intermediate communication network. In this case, we speak of "Non-Networked UAV" and "Non-Networked UAVC". This type of link is intrinsically linked to the concept of direct line-of-sight (VLoS) flights, because the range of this single radio link is limited by the physical characteristics of the environment and radio propagation. However, the absence of a link other than that established between the drone and its pilot does not allow a control link to be established between the Aviation Authorities and the pilot, so that they are neither informed in real time when the pilot does not respect the declared flight plan, nor a fortiori able to take control of the drone to bring it back to an authorized zone.In addition to frequency bands dedicated to aviation (which do not necessarily allow very high throughput), the use of other radio technologies can be considered to establish such a direct link. Wi-Fi wireless technology is by far the most widespread technology. Its inexpensive, relatively short range (which does not exceed 1 or 2 km) forces the pilot and therefore the control device to remain close to their drone. It is considered reliable by Aviation Authorities. Recently, new cellular technologies, called "cellular V2X" (C-V2X), have been proposed to establish a direct link.

[0008] Second, the link can be indirect, that is, the UAV and the UAVC communicate with each other via a communications network, the UAV and the UAVC are each connected to the communications network via an access point to this network, and the network (or system of networks, for example cellular network + IP network) makes the connection between the two. The UAV connects to the network via an air-ground link based on radio technology, which can be Wi-Fi or:

[0009] - satellite technology, which has more of a military use but allows drones (usually completely autonomous) to fly beyond the direct line of sight (BVLoS mode), including very long elongation (for example, in the middle of the ocean). Since drones equipped with a satellite interface are relatively expensive, this technology currently represents a niche market and is useful in certain cases, particularly in the absence of a cellular network; - cellular technology, which has many advantages. On the one hand, it is more reliable and much more secure than Wi-Fi and on the other hand, cheaper and much more accessible than satellite.In addition, this technology benefits from the national coverage of telecom operators or MNOs (from the English, "Mobile Network Operators"), as well as intrinsic means to control the drone remotely while ensuring a high throughput for the transmission of payload data linked to the drone's mission.

[0010] In the case of a cellular connection between the drone and the network, we speak of a networked drone (from the English, “Networked UAV”).

[0011] As for the UAVC, it can connect to the network via wireless (WiFi, Cellular, Satellite, etc.) or wired (ADSL, fiber optic, etc.) technology. Two main cases can be distinguished: 1) the networked pilot or controller (from the English, "Networked UAVC"), for a pilot using 3GPP type terminal equipment such as a smartphone and connected to the communication network via a conventional cellular radio technology (not "C-V2X"); 2) the cloud pilot or controller (from the English, "Cloud UAVC"), for a pilot connected via another access technology (wired or wireless) than the conventional cellular radio technology and passing through an interconnection network, for example of the Internet type before joining the cellular network and reaching its drone, of the "Networked UAV" type.

[0012] The indirect link between the UAV and the UAVC offers many advantages because it allows the deployment (on the network or via external entities connected to this network, such as the USS) of a whole set of services allowing better control of drone operations, for example, verification of flight authorizations, monitoring compliance with declared flight zones, regaining control of the drone, etc. For a networked drone ("Networked UAV"), the 3GPP organization has proposed solutions to ensure a certain control of the area actually flown over by the drone using cellular technologies. They are for example described in the document TR 23.754 "Study on Supporting Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Connectivity, Identification and Tracking", version 17, published by the 3GPP in March 2021 (solutions 13, 14 and 15).

[0013] These solutions allow in particular:- the 3GPP system implemented in the cellular network to associate a UAV with a UAVC (registration, identification, authorization, etc.);- the UTM / USS to access the geolocation of the UAV and / or UAVC, by simple request or periodically, via the radio coverage of the cellular network;- the UTM / USS to verify these positions, and potentially to request the revocation of the authorization of a UAV if it deviates from its trajectory or its declared zone;- the 3GPP system to compare a position of the UAV with a trajectory provided by the UTM / USS, which can then request a change of trajectory or send an alert.

[0014] In particular, three tracking modes for the UAV are specified, based on a Network Exposure Function (NEF) and 5GC event exposure characteristics, which allow interaction between the mobile operator's network and a third party / customer, through the collection of a certain amount of data through APIs, the processing of this data and then their exposure to third parties. Entities involved in the movement of drones can therefore provide information to the cellular network, regarding:1) UAV Location Reporting (transmission of the position upon request or periodically);2) UAV Presence Monitoring Mode (alert when a targeted UAV moves outside a geographical area);

[0015] 3) List of aerial vehicles (UAVs) present in a given geographical area.

[0016] On the other hand, existing solutions based on an indirect link for C2 communications (including the solutions proposed to 3GPP) are essentially suitable for use in BVLoS mode, because they erase any notion of distance between the UAV and the UAVC and do not guarantee that the drone remains close to its UAVC, regardless of the flight zone declared to the aviation authorities. In addition, the control of a UAV or UAVC position cannot be carried out other than on the basis of a predefined trajectory or overflight zone provided by the UTM / USS. As a result, despite the many advantages of cellular technology and the strong demand from drone operators for this technology, this technology is still not authorized by the aviation authorities for the transmission of control data using the C2 link.Indeed, since the link between UAV and UAVC is not direct, cellular technology is naturally associated with BVLoS flight and we can assume that air authorities fear a widespread spread of such flights. However, the deployment of drones moving without a pilot in close proximity could become complicated to manage both in the event of incidents (e.g. how to remotely manage a crash?) and for authorizations and controls exercised by law enforcement (e.g. how to control flight authorizations?).

[0017] There is therefore a need for a technique to monitor the flight of a drone using an indirect link with its pilot, and in particular to ensure that it remains in direct line of sight for its pilot.

[0018] The invention improves the situation.

[0019] The invention meets this need by proposing a method for managing a position of a remote-controlled vehicle, called a drone, relative to a control entity, said control entity being configured to control the drone via a control data stream transmitted indirectly within a communication established between the control entity and the drone via a communication network, said method comprising: - for at least one time instant of the communication, the determination of at least one parameter relating to a distance between the drone and the control entity; - when the parameter relating to a distance does not belong to an interval of values ​​authorized for a given piloting mode, the application of at least one drone management rule.

[0020] In this document, the term "control entity" of a drone is understood to mean a device for controlling a drone, a drone pilot, whether a human being or an automatic pilot, or a pair consisting of a pilot and a device for controlling a drone, the control entity and its drone being connected to each other by an indirect link, i.e. via a communication network, for example a mobile network or a satellite network or a network of networks, such as for example a mobile network interconnected with a data network, such as the Internet, the drone being connected to the mobile network for example by cellular radio and the control entity to the data network by Wi-Fi radio, or by any wired link.

[0021] In this context, since the drone and its control entity are not connected by a point-to-point link, the movement of the drone is not limited by any radio range beyond which it would lose connection with its pilot.

[0022] Even if in the following we focus more specifically on describing the case of a drone, the invention of course applies to all types of remote-controlled devices, whether flying, rolling or floating.

[0023] The invention proposes a completely new and inventive approach to managing the position of a drone relative to its pilot which is based on determining a parameter relating to a distance between the drone and its pilot and on verifying that the value of this parameter remains within a range of values ​​authorized for a given piloting mode. When this is not the case, one or more drone management rules are implemented with a view to bringing the drone into sufficient proximity to its pilot or modifying the mode of use of the drone.

[0024] Advantageously, this determination of a distance parameter is repeated several times during the movement, which makes it possible to monitor the movement of the drone in relation to its pilot and to correct the situation when the drone does not respect the reciprocal distance constraints set beforehand.

[0025] Here, the term “parameter relating to a distance” refers to both a physical measurement between the geographical positions of the drone and its control entity at a given time, and a measurement of the latency of a data signal transmitted between one and the other, such as the control data flow for example, or any other measurement of the quality of the communication established between the two and which deteriorates when the physical distance between the drone and its pilot increases, such as, for example, a measurement of the signal-to-interference and noise ratio between the drone and the access station to which the drone is connected and which can contribute to evaluating the distance between the drone and the control entity.

[0026] In this way, the invention makes it possible to guarantee both a manual piloting mode according to a direct line of sight, when the distance parameter is a physical distance measurement and the associated distance interval is limited by the direct line of sight distance commonly accepted by the Aviation Authorities (of the order of 200 to 300 m), and an automatic piloting mode, when the distance parameter considered provides information on a quality of service of the connection between the drone and the control entity or is calculated from a latency measurement of the control data flow exchanged between the drone and its pilot.

[0027] The invention can be implemented in one or more entities or functions of the communication network, for example an entity of a drone connectivity management system integrated into this network, in the case where it is a cellular network and as described by the 3GPP, as well as in a system connected to said network, such as for example a UTM / USS drone traffic management system managed for example by the Aviation Authorities and configured to interact with the previous system.

[0028] Thus, the invention relies on the infrastructure of a communication network through which a pilot is connected to his pilot to monitor in real time that the movement of the drone satisfies the conditions laid down by the Aviation Authorities and to intervene if this is not the case.

[0029] According to one aspect of the invention, the method further comprises obtaining a geographical position of the drone and a geographical position of the control entity, said parameter comprises at least one measurement of physical distance between the drone and the control entity determined from said geographical positions and said at least one management rule is implemented when said distance measurement exceeds a maximum authorized distance).

[0030] Advantageously, the restrictive measures are applied as soon as the drone leaves an authorized geographical zone centered on the geographical position of the control entity and included within a radius equal, for example, to the direct line of sight distance commonly accepted by the air authorities.

[0031] The invention proposes to analyze the successive geographical positions of a drone in relation to those of its pilot, which allows it to perform dynamic geofencing of the drone and to trigger alerts or restrictive actions as soon as the virtual border of a movement zone authorized by the piloting mode is crossed.

[0032] Thus, according to this embodiment of the invention, the control entity becomes an anchor point for detecting a deviation in movement of the drone from given rules set for the piloting mode which marks the drone – control entity association.

[0033] When it is determined that the drone has exceeded the authorized distance limit, one or more management rule measures, corresponding for example to restrictive movement rules, are implemented with the aim, for example, of bringing the drone back into a more immediate vicinity of its controlling entity.

[0034] For example, for a so-called VLOS piloting mode, in direct line of sight, the invention makes it possible in particular to guarantee the principle of flight in "direct line of sight" and thus to reproduce, in the case of an indirect link between the drone and its pilot, this characteristic of a drone flight in VLOS mode based on point-to-point radio technology, for example Wi-Fi.

[0035] According to another aspect of the invention, said parameter relating to a distance comprises at least one measurement of latency of the communication established between the drone and the control entity and said at least one drone management rule is implemented when said measurement of latency is greater than a maximum latency value.

[0036] Advantageously, this is an end-to-end latency measurement. It makes it possible to detect when the quality of communication deteriorates between the drone and the control entity. For example, when the control entity is an autopilot integrated into a remote computer system near a first base station, such as an MEC, a latency measurement that is too high may mean that the drone has moved too far from the first base station and that it is time to transfer control of the drone to another autopilot closer to the second base station.

[0037] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the method comprises the prior obtaining of a classification model of a neighborhood of the control entity associated with the given piloting mode, said model comprising at least a first zone, called authorized movement zone, defined by said interval of values ​​of the parameter and a second unauthorized movement zone, complementary to the first, and said at least one drone management rule is implemented when the drone leaves the authorized movement zone.

[0038] This neighborhood classification model can be associated by default with a given piloting mode. For example, for a direct line of sight (VLOS) piloting mode, the authorized area is defined by the direct line of sight distance commonly accepted by the Aviation Authorities.

[0039] According to another aspect of the invention, the method comprises obtaining information relating to a movement zone declared for the drone 10, said authorized movement zone is adapted according to the declared movement zone and said at least one drone management rule is implemented when the drone leaves the authorized movement zone or the declared zone.

[0040] Advantageously, when the pilot has declared a movement zone or overflight or flight plan, this information is obtained by the network and used to more precisely define the authorized geographical area. In other words, the drone must be both within the declared zone and within the range of values ​​of the distance parameter.

[0041] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the method comprises first obtaining the given piloting mode, said piloting mode being stored in memory for an association between the drone and the control entity in said network.

[0042] According to the invention, the association between the drone and the control entity, which must be authorized by the Aviation Authorities before the flight, is marked by a given piloting mode. This marking then conditions the monitoring of the drone-control entity system during the flight. For example, the piloting mode is stored in connection with a drone identifier and a control entity identifier or in connection with an identifier of the association between the drone and the control entity.

[0043] One advantage is that the piloting mode is recorded during the association procedure between the drone and its pilot. One advantage is that it can be added to the association procedure already specified by 3GPP and reuse existing message exchanges.

[0044] The piloting mode can be direct line of sight or VLOS, suitable for a manual pilot. For an autopilot, a "LAT" piloting mode linked to latency constraints is more suitable.

[0045] According to another aspect of the invention, said at least one drone management rule belongs to a group comprising at least the sending to the control entity of a notification relating to:- an alert for leaving the authorized movement zone at least;- an order to return to the authorized movement zone;- a movement plan to the authorized movement zone;- a notification of transfer of control of the drone to a second control entity.

[0046] Such measures are injunctions. They are intended to inform the pilot of the situation and the risks he faces.

[0047] According to yet another aspect of the invention, said at least one drone management rule comprises triggering a transfer of control of the drone to a second authorized control entity.

[0048] The second controlling entity must have a drone control authorization issued by a UTM drone traffic management system and must have previously connected to the mobile telecommunications network.

[0049] One advantage of such a measure is that it is coercive. It could be considered for implementation, for example, but not necessarily when incentive warning measures have failed.

[0050] Advantageously, said transfer of control of the drone to the second control entity triggers an update of the piloting mode, the authorized value interval and at least one drone management rule.

[0051] In fact, the second control entity can be, like the first control entity, marked by a “VLOS” piloting mode, but it can also be mandated by the air authorities or be an automatic pilot of the mobile telecommunications network and be marked by a “LAT” piloting mode, linked to latency constraints of the communication between the drone and its automatic pilot.

[0052] Advantageously, the change of control entity can also trigger the obtaining of a new classification model associated with the second control entity for the second control mode.

[0053] According to yet another aspect of the invention, said at least one management rule comprises the transmission of an order prohibiting attachment of the drone to at least one access device located within radio range of the unauthorized zone.

[0054] One advantage is that it is possible to limit the unauthorized area by making it technically impossible for the drone to cross a certain limit.

[0055] According to another aspect of the invention, said at least one drone management rule comprises the transmission to at least one access device located within radio range of said unauthorized geographic zone, of an order to degrade a signal quality between the drone and said at least one access device of said network.

[0056] One advantage is to simulate the drop in radio signal quality in the case of a point-to-point radio link that the pilot is used to considering as an alert and to associating with the drone moving too far away from its pilot (exiting the radio range zone).

[0057] Advantageously, this degradation order can be limited to the useful data flow and not affect the control data flow.

[0058] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the method comprises obtaining an event report and transmitting said report to an accredited entity and / or to the control entity.

[0059] This is for example the UTM / USS drone traffic management system or the Air Authorities. An advantage is that the invention allows them to access information relating to the movement of the drone automatically and shortly after the flight, which is not currently the case when the control entity is connected to the drone via a point-to-point radio link.

[0060] The invention also relates to a device for managing a position of a remote-controlled vehicle, called a drone, relative to a control entity, said control entity being configured to control the drone via a control data stream transmitted indirectly within a communication established between the control entity and the drone via a communication network.

[0061] Said device is configured to implement: - for at least one time instant of the communication, the determination of at least one parameter relating to a distance between the drone and the control entity; - when the parameter relating to a distance does not belong to an interval of values ​​authorized for a given piloting mode, the application of at least one given management rule of the drone.

[0062] Advantageously, said management device is implemented by one or more entities or functions of a drone connectivity management system integrated into the communication network. Advantageously, said management device and said drone connectivity management system are included in a system for managing a position of a remote-controlled vehicle, called a drone, relative to a control entity configured to control it via a communication session established in a telecommunications network. Said management system further comprises a drone traffic management system which is connected to said network.

[0063] The management system and the management device have at least the same advantages as those conferred by the aforementioned management method.

[0064] The invention also relates to a computer program product comprising program code instructions for the respective implementation of the aforementioned management method, when executed by a processor.

[0065] A program may use any programming language, and may be in the form of source code, object code, or code intermediate between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.

[0066] The invention also relates to at least one computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a computer program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of the method according to the invention as described above.

[0067] Such a recording medium may be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, the medium may comprise a storage medium, such as a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a microelectronic circuit ROM, or a magnetic recording medium, for example a mobile medium (memory card) or a hard disk or an SSD.

[0068] On the other hand, such a recording medium may be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which may be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by radio or by other means, so that the computer program contained therein is remotely executable. The programs according to the invention may in particular be downloaded over a network, for example the Internet.

[0069] Alternatively, the recording medium(s) may be one or more integrated circuits in which each program is incorporated, the circuit(s) being adapted to perform or to be used in performing the above method(s).

[0070] According to an exemplary embodiment, the present technique is implemented by means of software and / or hardware components. In this regard, the term "module" may correspond in this document to a software component, a hardware component or a set of hardware and software components.

[0071] A software component corresponds to one or more computer programs, one or more sub-programs of a program, or more generally to any element of a program or software capable of implementing a function or a set of functions, as described below for the module concerned. Such a software component is executed by a data processor of a physical entity (terminal, server, gateway, set-top-box, router, etc.) and is likely to access the hardware resources of this physical entity (memories, recording media, communication buses, electronic input / output cards, user interfaces, etc.). Subsequently, resources are understood to mean all sets of hardware and / or software elements supporting a function or a service, whether individual or combined.

[0072] Similarly, a hardware component is any element of a hardware assembly capable of implementing a function or set of functions, as described below for the module concerned. It may be a programmable hardware component or one with an integrated processor for running software, for example an integrated circuit, a smart card, a memory card, an electronic card for running firmware, etc.

[0073] Each component of the system described above of course implements its own software modules.

[0074] The different embodiments mentioned above can be combined with each other for the implementation of the present technique. List of figures

[0075] Other aims, characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description, given as a simple illustrative, and non-limiting, example, in relation to the figures, among which:

[0076] : this figure represents the different elements involved in the implementation of this solution, for a drone and a control entity connected to each other via a communication network;

[0077] : this figure details the different elements involved in the implementation of this solution, when the drone control entity is connected to the communications network via a data network;

[0078] : this figure represents an illustrative example of architecture of a remote-controlled device management system in a mobile telecommunications network according to a first embodiment of the invention,

[0079] : this figure represents, in the form of a flow diagram, the different stages of a process for managing the position of a drone by a mobile telecommunications network, during the preparation phase for the movement of the drone,

[0080] : this figure represents an example of a model for classifying a neighborhood of a control entity into geographic zones according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0081] : this figure represents, in the form of a flow diagram, the different stages of such a process for managing the position of a drone by a mobile telecommunications network, during the movement or flight phase,

[0082] : this figure represents, in the form of a flow diagram, the different stages of such a method of managing the position of a drone by a mobile telecommunications network, following a transfer of control of the drone to a second control entity,

[0083] : this figure represents an illustrative example of architecture of a system for managing remote-controlled devices in a mobile telecommunications network according to a second embodiment of the invention; and

[0084] : this figure schematically represents an example of hardware structure of a device for managing the position of a remote-controlled device according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0085] Detailed description of embodiments of the invention

[0086] The general principle of the invention is based on the determination, in particular during the movement of a drone, of a parameter relating to a distance between this drone and its control entity, connected to each other by an indirect link, and on the implementation of drone management rules, comprising for example measures restricting the movement of the drone, when this parameter takes a value which does not belong to an interval of values ​​authorized for a given piloting mode.

[0087] The drone and its control entity, and possibly their association, are subject to prior authorization for movement by the Aviation Authorities. Advantageously, the drone and / or its control entity and / or their association is marked, before movement, by the given piloting mode and this marking conditions the monitoring of the movement of the drone in relation to its control entity according to the invention.

[0088] In a particular embodiment, the determined parameter is a physical distance measurement obtained from measurements of the geographic positions of the drone and the control entity and the implementation of movement restriction measures is triggered when this distance measurement exceeds a given threshold.

[0089] For example, the piloting mode is the direct line of sight VLOS piloting mode and the given threshold is set at the maximum direct line of sight distance commonly accepted by the Aviation Authorities.

[0090] The invention thus makes it possible to monitor that a drone and its pilot comply with the conditions for a flight in VLOS mode and to act when this is not the case to bring the drone back close to its pilot.

[0091] The restrictive measures can be both incentive-based, and for example take the form of alerts sent to the control entity, or coercive, and for example result in a modification of the connection of the drone and the control entity to the telecommunications network or a change in the flight plan or even a transfer of control of the drone. Advantageously, they can be taken in a staggered manner during the flight depending on the pilot's reactions to measures taken previously.

[0092] In the following, embodiments of the invention are described in more detail in a mobile telecommunications network, the architecture of which complies with the 3GPP standard (in one of its current or future versions) and implements radio access functions, for example of the base station type, and core network functions, for example NEF or UPF (from the English, "User Plane Function"). It is noted that according to the 3GPP 5G standard, a mobile network consists of physical and / or virtual network functions PNF / VNF (for "Physical Network Functions / Virtual Network Functions", in English) which are interconnected and can belong to the access part and / or to the core part of the communications network.

[0093] We now present, in relation to the different elements involved in the implementation of this solution.

[0094] Thus, a remote-controlled vehicle 10, such as a drone for example, is about to leave on a mission, during which it will be controlled by a first control entity 11. Such a drone 10 belongs to a fleet of drones managed by a drone operator, or management entity 15 of a fleet of drones. Such a management entity 15 of a fleet of drones is for example a home delivery company or an industrial site surveillance company.

[0095] In the exemplary embodiment of the, such a control entity 11 is configured to exercise control of the drone 10, by exchanging a control data flow through a communication 13 established between the drone 10 and the control entity 11 via the RC communication network. The data flow is bidirectional: The pilot sends orders, for example of direction, and the drone transmits to him its flight parameters, its GPS position etc. This communication is for example supported by one or more transmission channels established between the control entity 11 and the drone 10. The establishment and maintenance of this communication are carried out by entities of the RC network, which implement a certain number of additional functionalities specific to the management of the connectivity of remotely controlled systems in an SGC system 14. For example, the drone 10 and the control entity 11 are identified to the SGC system 14.

[0096] It is assumed here that the drone 10 is connected to the RC network by cellular radio access. The UAVC control entity 11 can also be connected via cellular radio access, as in the example of la and in this case the RC network can be a mobile network, or it is connected to the RC network by another access network, for example a DN data network (or "Data Network" in English) as illustrated by la. In this second case, the RC network is a network of networks comprising the RM mobile network and the DN data network which can be a wired (Fiber, xDSL) or wireless network.

[0097] Such an SGC 14 system for managing the connectivity of telecontrolled systems is, for example, a system such as that described in the 3GPP publication TR 23.754 V2.0.0: Study on supporting Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) connectivity, Identification and tracking (Release 17) - November 2020, already cited. This document describes several solutions for the control of a drone by a control entity via communication established in a communications network, which involve different equipment, entities or functions of the communications network, which will not be systematically detailed in what follows.

[0098] The SGC system 14 communicates with a UTM / USS system 16 for managing drone traffic, itself connected to the RC communication network. Such a UTM / USS system 16 manages drone traffic in order to limit and even avoid accidents between drones or with other remotely controlled or non-remotely controlled vehicles. To this end, the UTM / USS system 16 for managing drone traffic is authorized to issue movement authorizations to the drone 10 as well as control authorizations to the control entities 11, 12. Thus, only an authorized drone 10 can carry out a mission. Similarly, only an authorized control entity 11, 12 can exercise control of a drone. This system 16 is connected to the RC communication network.

[0099] Schematically illustrates an example of architecture of a system S for the management of remote-controlled vehicles in an RC communication network, according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0100] According to this embodiment of the invention, the system S comprises at least functions of the SGC system 14, which are configured to manage the connectivity between a drone 10 and its control entity 11. For a 5G network, the functions or entities of the SGC system 14 can be:

[0101] - solely dedicated to the management of drones and their control entities, such as, for example, a UFES entity (or “UAV Flight Enablement Subsystem” in English);

[0102] - common to the management of any type of user, whether drones, control entities or “classic” terrestrial user terminals or UE (from the English, “User Equipment”) of the mobile network, such as for example session management equipment of the SMF type (from the English, “Session Management Function”), access and mobility management of the AMF type (from the English, “Access and Mobility Management Function”), user data management of the UPF type (from the English, “User Plane Function”) or user profile management (subscription, rights, etc.), of the UDM type (from the English, “Unified Data Management”), which saves these profiles in a UDR database ((from the English, “Unified Data Repository”)

[0103] According to the invention, the system S comprises a device 100 for managing a position of a remote-controlled vehicle relative to a control entity in a communication network, said entity being capable of monitoring the movement of a remote-controlled vehicle (UAV 10), called a drone, said drone being controlled by a UAVC control entity 11 via a control data stream transmitted within a communication established between the UAVC control entity 11 and the drone 10 in the communication network RC. Such a management device 100 is configured to determine, at at least one given time instant, in particular during the movement of the drone, at least one parameter relating to a distance between the drone and the control entity and, when the parameter relating to a distance does not belong to an interval of values ​​authorized for a given piloting mode, apply at least one rule for restricting movement of the drone.

[0104] The device 100 thus implements the method for managing a position of a drone according to the invention which will be detailed below in relation to the.

[0105] In the exemplary embodiment of the, the device 100 is integrated into the SGC system 14.

[0106] Alternatively, the device 100 may be independent of the system 14, but connected to it by any connection, wired or not. The device 100 also comprises a memory M1, in which it stores for example the range of authorized values, a classification model of the neighborhood of the control entity to be used for the drone - control entity pair considered, as well as the restrictive measures or rules associated with the different geographical zones defined by this model. Advantageously, it comprises at least one E / R interface for communication with the RC network.

[0107] The drone management system S according to the invention also comprises the UTM / USS 16 drone traffic management system, connected to the RC telecommunications network.

[0108] According to an alternative implementation of the invention, the device 100 for managing a position of a drone relative to its control entity is integrated into the UTM / USS system 16.

[0109] The system S also includes the remote-controlled vehicle or drone 10 and the control entity 11, which are for example each connected to the RC network

[0110] Thus, in a first implementation, it is assumed that the drone 10, of the “Networked UAV” type, has attached itself to a cellular access equipment, such as the base station BS1, to the mobile telecommunications network RC. It is assumed that the control entity 11, of the “Networked UAVC” type, has also attached itself to a cellular access equipment, such as the base station BS2, to the mobile telecommunications network RC. Without loss of generality, the base station BS2 may be the same as the base station BS1. In a second implementation, the control entity 11, of the “Cloud UAVC” type, is connected to the interconnection network DN by a WiFi or x-DSL access equipment, and accesses the telecommunications network RC via a UPF entity.

[0111] Whatever the implementation chosen, a first connectivity service is established between the drone 10 and the control entity 11, via the entities of the telecommunications network RC, and possibly via the entities of the network DN, and under the control of the system 14 for managing the connectivity of remote-controlled systems SGC, for example for verifying authorizations.

[0112] In some cases, the transmission channel(s) established from the drone 10 may support additional communication sessions, called data sessions, through which the drone further exchanges data with the control entity 11 or any other equipment with which the drone 10 needs to exchange data to fulfill its mission, for example photos, videos or data collected by sensors on board the drone 10.

[0113] With reference to the, we now present the different stages of a method for managing the position of a drone relative to its control entity according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0114] In the following, we describe a preparatory phase for the movement or flight of the drone, a flight phase itself and a phase after landing (or at the end of the movement).

[0115] According to this first embodiment of the invention, the management method is implemented by the device 100 integrated into the SGC 14 system for managing the connectivity of drones in the RC mobile network. Before the flight

[0116] Thus, in a preliminary step E0, before the flight, the drone 10 and, according to this first embodiment, the control entity 11, are authenticated and registered (request RQ_REG) with the telecommunications network RC according to the procedures common to terrestrial users, which involve the various equipment of the access and core network (base station, AMF, UDM, etc.). Then, the drone 10 and the control entity 11 are registered with the SGC 14 system for managing the connectivity of remotely controlled systems. The procedures relating to these specific registrations are described in particular in the document 3GPP TR 23.754.

[0117] In this implementation example, in E1, the drone 10 and the control entity are each identified and authenticated (RQ_ID request), then the two are paired in E2 (in English, “paired”), (RQ_ASS request).

[0118] The control entity 11 has a control authorization AC11 of the drone 10 issued by the UTM / USS 16 drone traffic management system. This control authorization AC11 has for example been previously received by the SGC system and it is stored in the equipment 14 in association with an identifier of the control entity 11. It can also be contained in one of the association requests received from the UAV drone 10 and the UAVC control entity 11. It is verified during step E2.

[0119] According to the invention, the device 100 obtains in E3 an IM marking information of the association between the drone 10 and the control entity 11, comprising a given piloting mode, for example “VLOS”. Advantageously, the marking comprises the recording of the marking information in an entry of a data table, in connection with the identifier of the drone 10 and the identifier of the control entity 11, and / or the identifier of their association. It is noted that the IM marking of the UAV drone 10 – UAVC control entity 11 association can be “stored” in different entities: in the RC communication network, for example in the UDM or the AMF and / or in the SGC system 14, for example in the UFES or an AF, and / or in the UTM / USS system 16, outside the RC mobile network.This marking information may also be part of the various information blocks used to configure the communications channels, for example PDU sessions, the information block relating to the UE context (or "UE context" in English) or that relating to the UE subscription (or "UE subscription" in English), etc.

[0120] It is noted that the marking makes it possible to identify the following situations: - The drone manufacturer indicates that the drone 10 must be flown absolutely in VLoS (for example due to its weight, size, manufacture, battery characteristics, etc.); The control entity 11 is not accredited to fly in BVLoS mode. It must therefore be marked in VLoS; the Aviation Authorities have issued a flight ban in BVLoS mode, for example for environmental reasons (populated area, prohibited overflight zone), time slot (flight during peak hour), etc.

[0121] As illustrated by the, according to a first option, this IM marking information is obtained in an RQM “VLOS” marking request from the drone 10. For example, the drone 10 in question was not designed for BVLoS type missions and it must only operate in VLoS mode, even if its pilot is accredited for BVLoS flights. Conversely, and according to a second option, this IM marking information is obtained in an RQM “VLOS” marking request (represented by dotted lines) from the control entity 11, for example, because the pilot does not have the necessary accreditations for a BVLoS mission. According to a third option, the IM marking information is obtained in an RQM request from the UTM / USS 16 (shown in dotted lines) during the association between the drone 10 and the control entity 11, for example because the mission has been declared as being of the VLOS type.According to a fourth option (not shown), the IM marking information is obtained in an RQM request from the SGC system 14 because BVLOS type missions are not authorized in the geographical area where the drone 10 is attached. According to a fifth option, this request comes more generally from any accredited entity, for example the Law Enforcement, which could have to take control of the drone 10 via their own drone management system, without having to go through the UTM / USS 16 used by the management entity 15.

[0122] This RQM request declares the association between the drone 10 and the control entity 11 as subject to the piloting mode specified by the IM marking information. For example, the marking information takes a “VLOS” value, indicating that any flight of this drone 10 controlled by this control entity 11 is subject to the obligation to be operated according to the “VLOS” direct line of sight piloting mode.

[0123] According to a particular implementation of the invention, this RQM marking request is included in the RQ_ASS association request issued by the control entity 11 for example. It is therefore integrated into the association procedure. An advantage of grafting this marking to the association procedure is to reuse the message exchanges already provided between the equipment / entities involved in that of the association. In this case, the marking is triggered by an element / function of the SGC 14 system for managing the connectivity of the remote-controlled systems itself, during the association between the UAV drone 10 and the UAVC control entity 11 in E2, for example during the notification by the UTM drone traffic management system of the association authorization.

[0124] In the case where nothing would make it possible to determine which of the identifier of the drone 10 and that of the control entity 11 corresponds to the control entity, the reception of this RQM request would trigger at E31 the transmission of an identification request RQ_I of the control entity to the UTM / USS system 16 for managing drone traffic. This is the case for example when the SIM card inserted in the UAV drone 10 does not a priori allow it to be differentiated from that of a conventional UE (non-drone). A response RP_I comprising an identifier of the control entity would then be received at E32 and the identifier obtained for the control entity 11 is stored in memory. In another embodiment, the request RQ_I is sent both to the drone 10 and to the control entity 11, and the latter sends the response RP_I.

[0125] In a step E33, the device 100 notifies the control entity 11, the drone 10 and the UTM drone traffic management system of the effective marking of their association in “VLOS” piloting mode.

[0126] In an optional step E4, information relating to a movement or overflight zone ZD declared by the UAVC control entity 11 or the management entity 15 of a fleet of drones to the UTM / USS 16 drone management system is received from the UTM / USS 16 by the SGC 14 system for managing the connectivity of remotely controlled systems. This information includes, for example, a set of GPS coordinates delimiting the movement zone declared ZD. It should be noted that this zone ZD has previously been verified and authorized by the UTM / USS 16 system, which has in particular excluded the no-fly zones. The procedures relating to this step E4 are described, for example, in points 11 and 12 of the 3GPP TR 23.754 document.

[0127] During a step E5, a model MC1 for classifying a geographical neighborhood of the UAVC control entity 11 is obtained, for example from a memory where it is stored in association with an identifier of the control entity 11.

[0128] According to the invention, this model divides the vicinity of the control entity into several distinct zones and associates with each of these distinct zones a set of movement restriction measures / rules to be applied to the UAVS system (UAV drone 10 – UAVC control entity 11) during the flight, depending on the position of the UAV drone 10 relative to its UAVC control entity 11.

[0129] In relation to this, we have shown an example of an MC1 classification model with N levels, with N equal to 3, which includes the following classes:

[0130] - a first zone Z VLOS is defined by the position of the UAVC and a maximum distance D visu . This distance D visucorresponds to a given distance, for example set by the UTM drone traffic management system, which corresponds to the maximum distance up to which a drone is in direct line of sight with its pilot. This distance is typically set at 300 m. In the absence of a declaration of an overflight zone ZD for the drone 10, this first ZVLOS zone constitutes an authorized zone which is not a priori subject to any flight restriction measures; - a second zone, called the ZT tolerance zone (hatched with a wave pattern on the), located around the first zone Z VLOSand for example defined by a set of GPS coordinates. These coordinates may, for example, correspond to a disk of radius DT, to which a more or less large margin of error is applied to take into account inaccuracies in the location or positioning of the base stations to which the drone 10 attaches. The tolerance radius DT may be defined by default, for example equal to the radio range of a Wi-Fi signal, typically, approximately 1 to 2 km in open space. Within such an area, the drone 10 is necessarily at a distance from its UAVC control entity 11 which is greater than the distance D visu. Since the principle of direct line-of-sight piloting is no longer respected, restriction measures apply. For example, a notification of an alert for leaving the authorized zone or a new flight plan are transmitted to the control entity 11. The restrictions may also concern the other communication channels relating to the drone 10, and result, for example, in the maintenance of the control data flow without restriction, but the cutting off of the Payload type useful data flow; - finally, a third zone Z RT which includes the rest of the territory. This zone is prohibited from being flown over. Advantageously, a management rule is to make any attachment of the drone 10 with the base stations located in this zone impossible. An associated management rule is the triggering of an emergency landing or return home procedure for a drone that has ventured into this zone Z T .

[0131] In the case where a movement zone ZD has been declared in E4, it is also taken into account to define an additional zone, called authorized zone ZA, such as the intersection of the first ZVLOS zone and the declared overflight zone ZD. The authorized zone ZA becomes the only zone within which the drone 10 is not subject to any movement restrictions. Similarly, in an example implementation of the MC1 classification model, one or more zones ZI1 to ZI7 can each be defined by the coverage area of ​​a base station. For example, in these zones, the National Frequency Agency ANFR has issued a ban on the use of a given frequency band and the management rule associated with these zones includes this ban. It is understood that the restrictive measures can be incremental or additive.For example, the authorized unrestricted zone ZA is therefore defined as the intersection of the first ZVLOS zone and the declared overflight zone ZD, but excluding zones ZI1 to ZI7. Within a zone ZIi included in the zone ZA, the restrictive measures linked, for example, to the prohibition of using a given frequency band apply. The restrictive measures to be applied in the tolerance zone ZT then depend on whether the drone 10 belongs to one of the zones ZI1 to ZI7, the restrictive measures of the two zones ZT and Zij (j between 1 and 7) being able to apply simultaneously. Finally, the restrictive measures can, for example, remain identical for the zone ZRT.

[0132] In an exemplary implementation of the invention, the classification model implemented may be a default model stored in the system 14 for managing the connectivity of the remote-controlled devices or in the device 100, AND for example limited to the 3 zones, including zone Z VLOS , the ZT zone and the ZRT zone.

[0133] In yet another exemplary implementation of the invention, the classification model and associated rules / restrictions are declared by the pilot 11 and / or the UTM / USS 16 drone traffic management system and / or any other accredited entity. For example, this declaration is implemented via an API (Application Programming Interface). If multiple UAVC control entities are declared (e.g., a human pilot, an autopilot, an air authority pilot, a BVLoS pilot, etc.), a specific classification can be defined for each pilot.In this case, the management method implements in a phase prior to the steps described above, typically when processing a flight authorization request received by the UTM system a few days before the actual date of the flight, the following steps: - the device 100 proposes a default configuration to the UTM / USS 16 drone traffic management system. This is, for example, a simple configuration for the VLoS zone (D. visu = 300m). Here, the UTM / USS 16 system responds with a request to modify this proposal to add / delete levels or to add / delete / modify the restrictions of these levels or modify the drone management rules associated with these levels; - the system checks the authorizations for modifications / additions / deletions. Indeed, the requester may not be authorized to modify certain settings (e.g.: request D visu= 3km). The possible configurations for the rules and restrictions can be proposed from a predefined list and validated by the device 100. This prior validation makes it possible to prevent the UTM / USS system 16 from obtaining the establishment of restrictive measures which would be difficult to implement technically for the SGC system 14 and the RC communication network; This can be both a technical validation (certain configurations may only be available under certain conditions) and a legal one (compliance with air regulations), possibly financial (additional cost in the case of special services, for example, a request for additional resources inside the VLoS zone). The different levels (and associated rules / restrictions) can also be prioritized relative to each other.For example, compliance with aviation regulations takes precedence over additional services, for example linked to a request for resources specific to the drone's mission. Once validated, this classification can be defined and stored in a memory of the SGC system 14, for example of the device 100. In E54 the validated classification model MC1 is confirmed to the UTM / USS 16 and to the UAVC control entity 11.

[0134] Once the MC1 classification model of the movement zone has been configured, with its associated restriction measures, the preparation phase ends and the drone mission, in other words its movement or flight, can begin. During travel or flight

[0135] According to the invention, the management method determines at different time instants during the flight a parameter relating to a distance between the drone 10 and its control entity 11 and it verifies that the value of this parameter belongs to an interval of values ​​authorized for the piloting mode which marks the association drone 10 control entity 11. This may be a single time instant if the drone is in a stationary position for example.

[0136] In the example of the·, this parameter relating to a distance comprises a physical distance measurement calculated from the geographical positions of the drone 10 and its control entity 11 at a given time instant. More precisely, the device 100 performs double tracking (in real time, periodically or on request) of the geographical positions of the UAVC control entity 11 and the UAV drone 10. From the geographical position of the UAVC control entity 11, it recalculates the zones defined by the neighborhood classification model determined during the preparation of the flight, then it determines in which zone the UAV drone 10 is located, as detailed below, in relation to the.

[0137] During a step E6, the geographical position POS_10 of the UAV drone 10 and that POS_11 of the UAVC control entity 11 are recovered at a given time instant. This may involve a request / response exchange between the device 100 and the UAV 10 / UAVC 11, a periodic sending by the drone 10 and its control entity 11 of their positions and / or a calculation based on other geolocation solutions.

[0138] For example, obtaining the geographical positions of the drone 10, but also of its control entity 11 in the case of a networked pilot (“Networked UAVC”), can be carried out via solutions 14 or 15 of the 3GPP TR 23.754 document already cited.

[0139] According to another example, the geographical positions of the drone 10 and of the control entity 11, in particular for a “Cloud UAVC” type pilot, are obtained, upon request to the UTM / USS system 16.

[0140] In E7, the device 100 applies the classification determined in E5 by centering it on the geographical position of the UAVC control entity 11 which has just been obtained for the given time instant and deduces therefrom a delimitation of the different zones defined by this classification. In particular, it determines a delimitation of the ZVLOS zone and if an overflight zone ZD has been declared, that of the authorized ZA zone, which is the intersection of the ZVLOS zone and the declared overflight zone ZD. It is noted that generally the UAVC control entity 11 does not move or moves little. It will therefore not be necessary to update the classification of the neighborhood of the control entity 11 with each new survey of geographical positions.

[0141] During a step E8, the management device 100 then uses the geographical position of the drone 10 to assign it to one of the zones of the classification. In the absence of a declared overflight zone ZD, it simply needs to calculate a distance between the UAVC control entity 11 and the UAV drone 10 to determine whether the drone is indeed located inside the authorized ZVLOS zone.

[0142] It is noted that in this exemplary embodiment of the invention, the management method can be advantageously implemented by one or more functions of the SGC system 14 configured to obtain the geographical positions of the drone 10 and its control entity 11. This is for example the UAVF function described by solution #4 of the document 3GPP TR 23.754, of the UFES equipment or entity (from the English, “UAV Flight Enablement Subsystem”).

[0143] When the device 100 establishes that the drone 10 is located in the VLOS zone or the authorized zone ZA, it waits for a new event triggering tracking of the drone 10 – control entity 11 pair, for example the occurrence of a new tracking instant at the end of a given time period or the reception of a tracking request from the UTM / USS 16 or the RC network, for example when attaching the drone 10 to a new base station, or even obtaining new geographical positions.

[0144] On the contrary, when it establishes that the drone 10 is not in the authorized zone ZA, the device 100 retrieves in E9 the drone management rule(s) associated by the classification model with the unauthorized zone, for example ZT or ZIj to which the drone 10 has been assigned, then it triggers in E10 the application of the retrieved management rule.

[0145] The management rules in question may include, for example:- sending a notification or alert to the UAVC 11 control entity and / or the UTM drone traffic management system or any other accredited entity. Such sending may be repeated periodically as long as the UAV 10 drone is in the relevant geographical area;- sending a new destination GPS position (or “waypoint”, in English),of a new trajectory (i.e. a set of GPS positions or several "waypoints") or a return-to-home message including at least the GPS position of the home or the take-off point of the drone 10 or the position of the pilot 11;- the implementation of a ban on attachment of the UAV drone 10 to a given set of base stations located in the geographical area concerned;- the sending of a command to regain control of the UAV drone 10 by the Aviation Authorities or any other accredited entity, for example the Law Enforcement (change of pilot by implementing a control transfer procedure);- the triggering of a procedure for controlled and progressive degradation of the quality of service or QoS (from the English,"Quality of Service") of the communication established between the control entity 11 and the drone 10. Here, quality of service refers to any measurement of network performance or measurement of the capacity to convey a flow in good conditions, generally defined in advance. This may be, for example, a minimum throughput, a latency range, a level of network availability. Compliance with a certain level of QoS is implemented by a set of technologies dedicated to controlling the allocation of network resources between the different users. Quality of service management is based on quantitative measurements of performance parameters. This involves, for example, degrading the quality of the signal on the radio transmission channel established between the drone 10 and the base station to which it is attached, to mimic the characteristics of a point-to-point link (of the Wi-Fi type). Indeed,a pilot is accustomed to associating a degradation of the signal quality, for example of video control, with the approach of the limits of the radio range zone. Advantageously, this degradation implemented by the invention is a function of the distance calculated between the drone 10 and the control entity 11. For example, the more this distance increases, the more the signal quality perceived at the level of the UAVC control entity 11 or the drone 10 is degraded by the device 100 (e.g.: degraded video control). This degradation can be obtained by various means, for example, by adding latency at the level of the base station serving the UAV drone 10 and / or the UAVC control entity 11, or at the level of other equipment of the RC network; or by reducing the quantity of radio resources allocated to the UAV drone 10 and / or to the UAVC control entity 11. In this regard,it is noted that this voluntary degradation may be constrained by legal obligations imposed by the Aviation Authorities in terms of air safety. In other words, according to this example, it is not authorized to degrade the quality of service on the transmission channel beyond a certain threshold. In addition, the degradation may apply to all the flows coming from the drone, data flows as well as control flows, or to only part of these flows (for example only the data flows or payload), - sending to the drone 10 a command to switch to energy saving mode (e.g.: reduction of the quality of the video streaming) to sanction the fact of flying in an unauthorized zone.,

[0146] It is understood that the implementation of these restrictive measures may require the contribution of several entities or functions of the SCG system 14 and more generally of the RC network. Some in particular may involve a modification of network parameters of the communication session established between the drone 10 and the control entity 11 in the RC network. This is the case in particular for the measurement of QoS degradation, which impacts not only the base station(s) to which the drone 10 and its control entity 11 are attached but also possibly equipment of the RC network responsible for managing the QoS.

[0147] In relation to the, we now detail where it is decided to transfer control of the drone 10 to a control entity other than the UAV control entity 11. For example, we are in a situation where several successive position readings have led to the determination that the drone 10 was in an unauthorized zone and the less restrictive management rules implemented until then, such as alert notification, have not had the expected effect of making the drone 10 return to the authorized zone. Of course, the transfer of control can also be decided directly, without notification or other prior management rule. The result is that the drone 10 moves further and further away from the authorized zone ZA and has just crossed a boundary of the zone ZT. This crossing constitutes an example of an event triggering a decision by the management device 100 according to the invention to take control of the drone 10.It is assumed that this control entity 12 has established a PDU communication session with the SGC connectivity system 14.

[0148] Assuming that the authorizations for controlling a drone are issued by the UTM / USS 16 drone traffic management system, it is necessary for the control entity 12 to be previously authorized by the UTM / USS 16 drone traffic management system to control the drone 10. If necessary, a verification is implemented by sending a request to the UTM system. In an implementation variant, the other control entity 12 has already been declared, for example, by the UTM via the API previously described.

[0149] According to the invention, it is also necessary for the control entity to declare a classification model in advance and for it to be validated by the Aviation Authorities.

[0150] Once the authorization verification has been carried out with the UTM, the transfer of control is carried out by the SGC system. In particular, the association currently stored in the SGC system 14 is updated by recording a new association between the drone 12 and the other control entity 12.

[0151] Advantageously, the management method according to the invention which has just been described applies to this new UAVS system formed of the drone 10 and the control entity 12. According to the invention, the new association is marked by an IM piloting mode which may be for example the “VLOS” mode or another piloting mode. In particular, when the second control entity is an automatic pilot, for example integrated in the UTM / USS system 16 or hosted in the RC mobile network, as in an MEC (in English, “Multi-access Edge Computing”) type architecture where a computing service environment and computing resources are relocated to the edge of the network, for example near a base station.By nature, such an autopilot is not subject to direct line-of-sight piloting constraints, which are meaningless in this case, but rather to maximum latency constraints, which define a "LAT" piloting mode and a corresponding classification model. This maximum latency, for example equal to 3 ms, is taken into consideration, instead of the distance D. visu , to define a first authorized ZLAT zone.

[0152] According to an implementation of the invention, the transfer of control therefore triggers in E5 the modification of the classification model to be used.

[0153] According to a first example, a second classification model has been previously declared by the UTM / USS 16 or by any other entity accredited for the control entity 12 to the device 100 and this second model is directly taken into account instead of the first to implement the assignment of a zone to the drone 10 according to the invention. As a result, the different zones are recalculated.

[0154] In the case just presented, the modification of the classification model is triggered by the transfer of control. More generally, it is noted that according to the invention, the UAV 10, the UAVC 12, the SCG system 14, the UTM / USS 16 or any other accredited entity can at any time issue a request for changing the classification configuration or modifying the rules / restrictions applied.

[0155] As previously described, once all the preliminary checks have been successfully carried out, the SGC system connects the third communication channel of the control entity 12 to that of the drone 10 and the control entity 12 can effectively control the movement of the drone 10.

[0156] In other words, steps E6-E10 of tracking their positions are implemented as well as the allocation of a zone to the drone 10 according to its position in a neighborhood of the control entity 12 divided into zones defined by a predetermined classification model.

[0157] Steps E6 to E10 are repeated periodically, over a period which may vary from a few milliseconds to a few seconds depending on the type of movement of the drone and the type of service supported by the drone, for example every 20 seconds for a drone at moderate movement speed or every second for a drone moving quickly, or on request until landing or until the drone is positioned, for example in the immediate vicinity of the control entity 12. After the flight

[0158] As illustrated by Figures 5 and 6, during a step E11, an event report LOG (from the English, “log”) is created by the device 100 and sent to the interested entities, such as for example the pilot, or the drone operator, the UTM / USS, the air authorities, etc. It includes for example the geographical positions successively recorded during the flight and the geographical zones of the classification model assigned to the drone 10 at each time instant and, where appropriate, the restrictive measures decided. In this way, the different parties can become aware of the events, or even incidents, which occurred during the flight.

[0159] The embodiment which has just been detailed in relation to figures 3, 5 and 6 describes a management device 100 integrated into the SGC system 14 or into the RC network. The invention is however not limited to this example. Indeed, the device 100 can alternatively be integrated into the UTM / USS system 16 for managing drone traffic, which is connected to the RC mobile network and interacts with the SGC system 14. In this case, the geographical positions of the drone 10 and of the control entity 11 can be obtained from the SGC system 14, from the RC network, but the determination of the distance measurement, the verification based on this distance that the drone is moving in an authorized zone and if this is not the case the sending to the RC network of requests requesting the implementation of drone management rules, are implemented in the UTM / USS system 16.

[0160] We now present, in relation to the, another embodiment of the invention, according to which the control entity 11 is an automatic pilot 11 integrated into the RC network, for example thanks to an architecture of the MEC type (in English, "Multi-access Edge Computing"). For example, we consider a service for the delivery by drones of products to end consumers. The control entity / the automatic pilot 11 is hosted in an entity MEC1 located near the base station BS1, for example on the same physical site. Such an entity MEC1 is configured to make available to the clients of the network, here a delivery company, a cloud-type environment, as well as significant computing and analysis resources allowing the execution of various services, here the automatic piloting of the drone 10 according to the management rules of the fleet of drones of the delivery company.The fact that the autopilot is integrated into the MEC1 entity allows it to benefit from much lower latency than if the computing environment and computing resources were located in a centralized cloud, for example physically hosted at the delivery company's head office.

[0161] According to this exemplary embodiment, the device 100 for managing the UAVS drone 10 – automatic pilot 11 system is for example integrated into the RC network, within the SGC system 14. The steps E0-E11 previously described apply.

[0162] It is assumed that an overflight zone ZD has previously been declared to the UTM / USS 16 based on the delivery address(es) of the product(s) transported by the drone 10. It is also assumed that the association between the drone 10 and the automatic pilot 11 is marked using the “LAT” piloting mode previously described.

[0163] Advantageously, according to this second embodiment, two distinct distance parameters can be taken into consideration and determined in E6. The first corresponds to the physical distance measurement previously described, based on double tracking of the geographical positions of the UAVS system during the flight and calculated at each new position reading, to verify that the drone 10 does not leave the declared overflight zone ZD. The second is a latency measurement of the control data flow in the communication between the drone 10 and the autopilot 11 or between the drone 10 and a piece of equipment in the RC network. This latency measurement is used to verify that the drone 10 does not leave the first ZLAT zone for which the latency is less than a threshold ThLat, for example equal to 3 ms. It can be measured for example by the autopilot directly, or at the level of a piece of equipment in the RC network.It is advantageously obtained several times during the flight, regularly or not, at the request of the device 100 or the SGC system 14, or not. Indeed, the latency is likely to increase with the distance of the drone 10 from the base station BS1 or when the drone 10 detaches from the base station BS1 to attach to the base station BS2 (due in particular to the topology of the network, the control flow can pass through more network equipment, which can increase the latency).

[0164] It is understood that in this case, the positioning of the autopilot 11 in the entity MEC1 becomes less relevant, in particular compared to the interest of deploying an autopilot as close as possible to the access station to which the drone 10 connects to reduce the latency in particular, and the control that it operates on the drone 10 is therefore less efficient. When the latency measured at a given time exceeds the given threshold value ThLat, then it is decided to operate a transfer of control of the drone 10 to a second autopilot 12 located in an entity MEC2 in the immediate vicinity of the base station BS2, closer to the drone 10. This action will have the effect of significantly reducing the latency and therefore improving the quality of the communication between the drone and the autopilot 12 and thus ensuring that the mission of the drone 10 is carried out under optimal safety and control conditions.This transfer of control of the drone 10 to a second autopilot 12 can also be triggered by the change of base station association (in English, “handover”) of the drone 10.

[0165] We now present, in relation to the, an example of hardware structure of a device 100 for managing a position of a remote-controlled vehicle called a drone, relative to a control entity, said control entity being configured to control the drone by means of a control data flow transmitted indirectly within a communication established between the control entity and the drone by means of a communication network, said device comprising a module for determining at least one parameter relating to a distance between the drone and the control entity and a module for applying at least one drone management rule.Advantageously, the device 100 further comprises a module for obtaining a geographical position of the drone and a geographical position of the control entity, a module for obtaining a classification model of a neighborhood of the control entity associated with the given piloting mode, said model comprising at least a first zone, called authorized movement zone, defined by said interval of values ​​of the parameter and a second unauthorized movement zone, complementary to the first. It may further comprise a module for obtaining the given piloting mode and for storing in memory said piloting mode for an association between an identifier of the drone and an identifier of the control entity in said network. It may also comprise a module for obtaining an event report and a module for transmitting said report to an accredited entity and / or to the control entity.

[0166] The term "module" can correspond to a software component as well as to a hardware component or a set of hardware and software components, a software component itself corresponding to one or more computer programs or sub-programs or more generally to any element of a program capable of implementing a function or a set of functions.

[0167] More generally, such a device 100 comprises a random access memory 103 (for example a RAM memory), a processing unit 102 equipped for example with a processor, and controlled by a computer program Pg1, representative of the aforementioned modules, stored in a read-only memory 101 (for example a ROM memory or a hard disk). At initialization, the code instructions of the computer program are for example loaded into the random access memory 103 before being executed by the processor of the processing unit 102. The random access memory 103 can also contain, for example, the validation information of the second level of quality of service, the identification information of the server equipment, etc.

[0168] This illustrates only one particular way, among several possible ways, of producing the device 100 so that it performs the steps of the method for managing a position of a drone as detailed above, in relation to figures 3, 5, 6 and 7, in its different embodiments. Indeed, these steps can be performed indifferently on a reprogrammable computing machine (a PC computer, a DSP processor or a microcontroller) executing a program comprising a sequence of instructions, or on a dedicated computing machine (for example a set of logic gates such as an FPGA or an ASIC, or any other hardware module).

[0169] In the case where the device 100 is produced with a reprogrammable computing machine, the corresponding program (i.e. the sequence of instructions) may be stored in a removable storage medium (such as for example an SD card, a USB key, a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM) or not, this storage medium being partially or totally readable by a computer or a processor.

[0170] The various embodiments have been described above in relation to a device 100 implemented in one or more network functions of the telecommunications network RC, such as for example a UFES entity or a dedicated application function AF of an SGC system 14 for managing the connectivity of the remotely controlled devices implemented in a mobile network. Of course, the invention is not limited to these examples.

[0171] The invention that has just been presented has many advantages. It proposes to implement, in a mobile telecommunications network, a solution for managing the relative position of a drone with respect to its control entity, which is secure and efficient. In particular, it relies on dual tracking of the geographic positions of the drone and its control entity to regularly check that the drone does not stray too far from its pilot with respect to previously established rules, react in the event of crossing an unauthorized limit and inform the aviation authorities in real time. It can also take into consideration other measures than a physical distance between the drone and its pilot, such as for example a latency measurement of the control data flow exchanged between them via the communication network and trigger the application of appropriate management rules when this latency measurement exceeds a given threshold.

Claims

Method of managing the position of a remotely controlled vehicle (UAV, 10), referred to as a drone, relative to a control entity (UAVC, 11), said control entity being configured to control the drone via a control data stream transmitted indirectly within a communication established between the control entity (11) and the drone (10) via a communication network (RC), characterized in that said method is intended to be implemented in at least one entity of the communication network or at least one entity of a drone connectivity management system of the communication network and in that it comprises: -for at least one time instant of the communication, the determination (E6) of at least one parameter relating to a distance between the drone and the control entity;- when the parameter relating to a distance does not belong to a range of values ​​allowed for a given piloting mode, the application (E10) of at least one drone management rule.; Management method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises obtaining (E6) a geographical position of the drone and a geographical position of the control entity, in that said parameter comprises at least one physical distance measurement between the drone and the control entity determined from said geographical positions and in that said at least one management rule is implemented when said distance measurement exceeds a maximum authorized distance (Dvisu). Management method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said parameter relating to a distance includes at least one measure of the latency of the communication established between the drone and the control entity and in that said at least one drone management rule is implemented when said latency measure is greater than a maximum latency value. Management method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes the prior obtaining (E5) of a classification model of a neighborhood of the control entity associated with the given piloting mode, said model comprising at least a first zone, called the authorized movement zone, defined by said range of parameter values ​​and a second unauthorized movement zone, complementary to the first, and in that said at least one drone management rule is applied when the drone leaves the authorized movement zone. Management method according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises obtaining (E4) information relating to a declared movement zone (DZ) for the drone 10 and in that said authorized movement zone is adapted according to the declared movement zone, said at least one drone management rule being implemented when the drone leaves the authorized movement zone or the declared zone. Management method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes prior obtaining of the given piloting mode, said piloting mode being stored in memory for association between the drone and the control entity in said network. A management method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one drone management rule belongs to a group comprising at least sending to the control entity a notification relating to: - an alert of leaving the authorized movement area at least; - an order to return to the authorized movement area; - a movement plan to the authorized movement area; - a notification of transfer of control of the drone to a second control entity. A management method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one drone management rule includes triggering a transfer of control of the drone to a second authorized control entity. Management method according to claim 8, characterized in that said transfer of control of the drone to the second control entity triggers an update of the piloting mode, the range of allowed values ​​and at least one drone management rule. Management method according to claim 4, characterized in that said at least one management rule includes the transmission of a command prohibiting the attachment of the drone to at least one access equipment located within radio range of the unauthorized area. Management method according to claim 4, characterized in that said at least one drone management rule includes the transmission to at least one access equipment located within radio range of said unauthorized geographical area, of an order to degrade the quality of the signal between the drone and said at least one access equipment of said network. Management method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes obtaining (E11) an event report and transmitting said report to an accredited entity and / or the controlling entity. Device (100) for managing the position of a remotely controlled vehicle (UAV, 10), referred to as a drone, relative to a control entity (UAVC, 11), said control entity being configured to control the drone via a control data stream transmitted indirectly within a communication established between the control entity (11) and the drone (10) via a communication network (RC), characterized in that said device is configured to implement in at least one entity of the communication network or at least one entity of a drone connectivity management system of the communication network: - for at least one time instant of the communication, the determination of at least one parameter relating to a distance between the drone and the control entity;- when the parameter relating to a distance does not belong to a range of values ​​allowed for a given piloting mode, the application of at least one given management rule of the drone.; System (S) for managing the position of a remotely controlled vehicle, said drone, relative to a control entity (UAVC, 11) configured to control it via communication established in a telecommunications network (RC), characterized in that it comprises a drone connectivity management system (SGC, 14)) integrated into said network, a drone traffic management system (UTM / USS, 16)) connected to said network and a management device (100) according to claim 13. Product computer program comprising program code instructions for implementing a management method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, when executed by a processor.

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