Information processing device, program, system, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide an information processing device capable of controlling a pairing relation between a proportional control system having a cellular communication function while a drone is flying and the drone.SOLUTION: An information processing device of a system 10: establishes a first pairing between a first control device and a drone by transmitting an IP address of the drone to the first control device and the IP address of the first control device to the drone; acquires a control authority switching instruction instructing the switching of the control device with a drone control authority from the first control device to a second control device; transmits the IP address of the drone to the second control device while the drone is flying according to the acquisition of the control authority switching instruction and establishes a second pairing between the second control device and the drone by transmitting the IP address of the second control device to the drone; and switches the control device with the drone control authority from the first control device to the second control device according to the establishment of the second pairing by a second pairing unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a program, a system, and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a controller terminal that, when photographing a wide area, determines the flight route and altitude at which a wireless aircraft should photograph by specifying the photographing range on a map. [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-046328 A Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an information processing device is provided. The information processing device may include a first pairing unit that establishes a first pairing between the first control device and the drone by transmitting an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the drone to a first control device and transmitting the IP address of the first control device to the drone. The information processing device may include an instruction acquisition unit that acquires a control authority switching instruction to switch a control device having control authority for the drone from the first control device to a second control device. The information processing device may include a second pairing unit that establishes a second pairing between the second control device and the drone by transmitting the IP address of the drone to the second control device and transmitting the IP address of the second control device to the drone in response to the instruction acquisition unit acquiring the control authority switching instruction while the drone is flying. The information processing device may be provided with a switching unit that switches the control device having the control authority of the drone from the first control device to the second control device by sending a control authority switching signal to the drone indicating that the flight will be switched from flight based on a control signal transmitted by the first control device to flight based on a control signal transmitted by the second control device in response to the second pairing unit establishing the second pairing.

[0004] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an information processing device is provided. The information processing device may include a pairing unit that transmits an IP address of a first drone and an IP address of a second drone to a control device and establishes a first pairing between the control device and the first drone and a second pairing between the control device and the second drone by transmitting the IP address of the control device to the first drone and the second drone. The information processing device may include an instruction acquisition unit that acquires a control target switching instruction that instructs the control device to switch a control target from the first drone to the second drone. The information processing device may include a switching unit that switches the control target of the control device from the first drone to the second drone by transmitting an end signal indicating an end of flight based on a control signal transmitted by the control device to the first drone while the second drone is flying, and transmitting a start signal indicating a start of flight based on a control signal transmitted by the control device to the second drone in response to the instruction acquisition unit acquiring the control target switching instruction.

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an information processing device is provided. The information processing device may include an information storage unit that stores pairing group information indicating a pairing group consisting of a plurality of drones and a plurality of control devices. The information processing device may include a pairing unit that transmits an IP address of each of the plurality of drones to each of the plurality of control devices based on the pairing group information, and transmits an IP address of each of the plurality of control devices to each of the plurality of drones, thereby establishing a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of control devices and each of the plurality of drones. The information processing device may include an instruction acquisition unit that acquires an instruction to switch a control device having control authority for a drone belonging to the pairing group from a first control device belonging to the pairing group to a second control device belonging to the pairing group. The information processing device may be provided with a switching unit that switches the control device having the control authority of the drone from the first control device to the second control device by sending a control authority switching signal to the drone indicating that the drone will switch from flight based on a control signal transmitted by the first control device to flight based on a control signal transmitted by the second control device while the drone is flying in response to the instruction acquisition unit acquiring the control authority switching instruction.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an information processing device is provided. The information processing device may include an information storage unit that stores pairing group information indicating a pairing group consisting of a plurality of drones and a plurality of control devices. The information processing device may include a pairing unit that transmits an IP address of each of the plurality of drones to each of the plurality of control devices based on the pairing group information, and transmits an IP address of each of the plurality of control devices to each of the plurality of drones, thereby establishing a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of control devices and each of the plurality of drones. The information processing device may include a first instruction unit that instructs the control device to start transmitting a control signal to a first drone belonging to the pairing group, which is a control target of the control device belonging to the pairing group. The information processing device may include an instruction acquisition unit that acquires a control target switching instruction that instructs the control device to switch the control target from the first drone to a second drone belonging to the pairing group. The information processing device may include a second instruction unit that instructs the control device to start transmitting a control signal to the second drone in response to the instruction acquisition unit acquiring the control target switching instruction. The information processing device may include a switching unit that switches the control target of the control device from the first drone to the second drone by transmitting an end signal indicating an end of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device to the first drone while the second drone is flying, and transmitting a start signal indicating a start of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device to the second drone, in response to the second instruction unit instructing the control device to start transmitting a control signal to the second drone. The first instruction unit may instruct the control device to end transmission of the control signal to the first drone in response to completion of switching of the control target of the control device by the switching unit.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to function as any one of the information processing devices described above.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a system. The system may include any one of the information processing devices. The system may include the drone. The system may include the first control device. The system may include the second control device.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a system. The system may include any one of the information processing devices. The system may include the first drone. The system may include the second drone. The system may include the control device.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a system. The system may include any one of the information processing devices. The system may include the plurality of drones. The system may include the plurality of control devices.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method executed by a computer. The information processing method may include a first pairing step of establishing a first pairing between the first control device and the drone by transmitting an IP address of the drone to a first control device and transmitting the IP address of the first control device to the drone. The information processing method may include an instruction acquisition step of acquiring a control authority switching instruction to switch a control device having control authority of the drone from the first control device to a second control device. The information processing method may include a second pairing step of establishing a second pairing between the second control device and the drone by transmitting the IP address of the drone to the second control device and transmitting the IP address of the second control device to the drone while the drone is flying in response to acquiring the control authority switching instruction in the instruction acquisition step. The information processing method may include a switching step of switching the control device having the control authority of the drone from the first control device to the second control device by sending a control authority switching signal to the drone indicating a switch from flight based on a control signal transmitted by the first control device to flight based on a control signal transmitted by the second control device in response to establishing the second pairing in the second pairing step.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method executed by a computer. The information processing method may include a pairing step of establishing a first pairing between the control device and the first drone and a second pairing between the control device and the second drone by transmitting an IP address of the first drone and an IP address of the control device to the first drone and the second drone, respectively. The information processing method may include an instruction acquisition step of acquiring a control target switching instruction instructing the control device to switch a control target from the first drone to the second drone. The information processing method may include a switching step of switching the control target of the control device from the first drone to the second drone by transmitting an end signal indicating an end of flight based on a control signal transmitted by the control device to the first drone and transmitting a start signal indicating a start of flight based on a control signal transmitted by the control device to the second drone while the second drone is flying, in response to acquiring the control target switching instruction in the instruction acquisition step.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method executed by a computer. The information processing method may include a pairing step of establishing a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of controllers and each of the plurality of drones by transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of drones to each of the plurality of controllers and transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of controllers to each of the plurality of drones based on pairing group information stored in the computer. The information processing method may include an instruction acquisition step of acquiring a control authority switching instruction to switch a control device having control authority of a drone belonging to the pairing group from a first control device belonging to the pairing group to a second control device belonging to the pairing group. The information processing method may include a switching step of switching the control device having the control authority of the drone from the first control device to the second control device by transmitting a control authority switching signal to the drone indicating that the flight based on the control signal transmitted by the first control device is switched to the flight based on the control signal transmitted by the second control device while the drone is flying, in response to acquiring the control authority switching instruction in the instruction acquisition step.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method executed by a computer. The information processing method may include a pairing step of establishing a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of controllers and each of the plurality of drones by transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of drones to each of the plurality of controllers and transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of controllers to each of the plurality of drones based on pairing group information stored in the computer and indicating a pairing group composed of a plurality of drones and a plurality of controllers. The information processing method may include a first instruction step of instructing the controller to start transmitting a control signal to a first drone belonging to the pairing group, which is a control target of the controller belonging to the pairing group. The information processing method may include an instruction acquisition step of acquiring a control target switching instruction instructing the controller to switch the control target from the first drone to a second drone belonging to the pairing group. The information processing method may include a second instruction step of instructing the controller to start transmitting a control signal to the second drone in response to acquiring the control target switching instruction in the instruction acquisition step. The information processing method may include a switching step of switching the controlled object of the controller from the first drone to the second drone by transmitting an end signal indicating an end of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the controller to the first drone and transmitting a start signal indicating a start of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the controller to the second drone while the second drone is flying in response to instructing the controller to start transmitting the control signal to the second drone in the second instruction step. The first instruction step may include a step of instructing the controller to end transmission of the control signal to the first drone in response to completion of switching of the controlled object of the controller in the switching step.

[0015] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention. Also, subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] An example of a system 10 is shown diagrammatically. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of pairing. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a processing flow of the system 10. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a processing flow of the system 10. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a processing flow of the system 10. [Figure 6] 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of an information processing device 200. [Figure 7] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. FIG. [Figure 8] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. FIG. [Figure 9] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. FIG. [Figure 10] 2 shows another example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 200. [Figure 11] 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example pairing group. [Figure 12] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. FIG. [Figure 13] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. FIG. [Figure 14] 2 shows another example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 200. [Figure 15] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. FIG. [Figure 16] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. FIG. [Figure 17] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. FIG. [Figure 18] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. FIG. [Figure 19] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. FIG. [Figure 20] 2 shows another example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 200. [Figure 21] An example of a hardware configuration of a computer 1200 functioning as the information processing device 200 is shown in schematic form. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Conventionally, when remotely controlling a drone by transmitting a control signal generated based on a control operation input to a remote transmitter equipped with a cellular communication function to the drone via a mobile communication network, the pairing relationship between the transmitter equipped with a cellular communication function and the drone had to be set in advance. In other words, the pairing relationship between the transmitter equipped with a cellular communication function and the drone could not be changed while the drone was flying. Therefore, when controlling one drone by switching the control device having the control authority of the drone between a total of N transmitters including N-1 remote transmitters equipped with a cellular communication function and one local general transmitter equipped with a special wireless communication function such as a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) transmitter used by a local pilot to control the drone when the drone is located within the visual range of the local pilot, for example, N transmitters need to be assigned to the drone while the drone is flying, and when flying M drones simultaneously with a similar configuration, M × N transmitters need to be prepared. For example, a system according to an embodiment employs a mechanism in which a drone management server can control the pairing relationship between the transmitter equipped with a cellular communication function and the drone while the drone is flying.

[0018] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0019] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of a system 10. The system 10 may include, for example, a drone 100. The system 10 may include a flight control device 50. The system 10 may include a flight control device 60.

[0020] For example, the system 10 provides a drone wireless relay service for searching for a victim, in which the drone 100 wirelessly relays access to the network 20 while searching for a victim based on an image captured by a camera 120 mounted on the drone 100. For example, the system 10 provides an inspection service for inspecting inspection targets such as power lines, buildings, bridges, and roads based on an image captured by the camera 120. The system 10 may provide any other service.

[0021] The drone 100 may include a control device 150 and a battery (not shown). The drone 100 may fly using power stored in the battery.

[0022] The drone 100 may acquire location information of the drone 100 using, for example, a global positioning system (GPS) function or the like. The location information of the drone 100 includes, for example, latitude information indicating the latitude of the drone 100. The location information of the drone 100 includes, for example, longitude information indicating the longitude of the drone 100.

[0023] The position information of the drone 100 may include altitude information indicating the altitude of the drone 100. In this case, the position information of the drone 100 is three-dimensional position information indicating the three-dimensional position of the drone 100.

[0024] The control device 150 controls various operations of the drone 100. The control device 150 is composed of, for example, a flight controller (FC) that executes flight control processing of the drone 100, a microcontroller such as a Raspberry Pi that executes calculation processing and storage processing of the drone 100, and a communication module that executes communication processing of the drone 100.

[0025] The control device 150 controls the flight of the drone 100, for example, so that the drone 100 flies in a remotely piloted flight mode. The remotely piloted flight mode is a flight mode in which the drone 100 flies based on a control signal received from a control device 50 in a remote location (e.g., a remote control center) via the network 20. The remotely piloted flight mode may be an example of a manually piloted flight mode.

[0026] In the example shown in Fig. 1, when the flight mode of the drone 100 at the local A (e.g., Tokyo) is the remotely controlled flight mode, the drone 100 may fly based on a control signal received from the remote control device 50 of the remote user 55 or the remote control device 50 of the remote user 57 via the network 20 and the base station 42. Similarly, when the flight mode of the drone 100 at the local B (e.g., Hokkaido) different from the local A is the remotely controlled flight mode, the drone 100 may fly based on a control signal received from the remote control device 50 of the remote user 55 or the remote control device 50 of the remote user 57 via the network 20 and the base station 44.

[0027] The network 20 includes, for example, a core network provided by a telecommunications carrier. The core network is compliant with, for example, a 5G (5th Generation) communication system. The core network may be compliant with a 6G (6th Generation) communication system or a mobile communication system after the 6G (6th Generation) communication system. The core network may be compliant with a 3G (3rd Generation) communication system. The core network may be compliant with an LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication system. The network 20 may include the Internet.

[0028] The control device 50 may be any device that can transmit a control signal generated based on a control operation input by a user to the drone 100 via the network 20. The control device 50 is composed of, for example, a microcontroller such as a Raspberry Pi that executes the calculation processing and storage processing of the control device 50, and a communication module that executes the wireless communication processing of the control device 50. The control device 50 is, for example, a so-called radio control set of a digital proportional type (the radio control set may be abbreviated to radio control).

[0029] The control device 150 controls the flight of the drone 100 so that the drone 100 flies in a local piloted flight mode, for example. The local piloted flight mode is a flight mode in which the drone 100 flies based on a pilot signal received from a local pilot 60 via a direct wireless communication connection between the drone 100 and the pilot 60. The direct wireless communication between the drone 100 and the local pilot 60 may be based on a short-range wireless communication method such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and ZigBee (registered trademark). The local piloted flight mode may be an example of a manually piloted flight mode.

[0030] 1, when the flight mode of the drone 100 at the site A is the local piloted flight mode, the drone 100 may fly based on a control signal received from the pilot 60 of the user 65 at the site A via a direct wireless communication connection between the drone 100 and the pilot 60. Similarly, when the flight mode of the drone 100 at the site B is the local piloted flight mode, the drone 100 may fly based on a control signal received from the pilot 60 of the user 67 at the site B via a direct wireless communication connection between the drone 100 and the pilot 60.

[0031] The control device 60 may be any device that can transmit a control signal generated based on a control operation input by a user to the drone 100 via a direct wireless communication connection with the drone 100. The control device 60 is composed of, for example, a microcontroller such as a Raspberry Pi that executes the calculation processing and storage processing of the control device 60, and a communication module that executes the direct wireless communication processing of the control device 60. The control device 60 is, for example, a radio control device.

[0032] The control device 150 may control the flight of the drone 100 so that the drone 100 flies in an autonomous flight mode. The autonomous flight mode is a flight mode in which the drone 100 flies autonomously. When the flight mode of the drone 100 is the autonomous flight mode, the control device 150 may control the autonomous flight of the drone 100 based on at least one of the captured image captured by the camera 120 mounted on the drone 100, the position information of the drone 100, and the detection information detected by various sensors mounted on the drone 100, such as a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and an angle sensor.

[0033] The control device 150 may control the communication of the drone 100 so as to transmit telemetry information of the drone 100 to the information processing device 200 via the network 20. The telemetry information includes, for example, position information of the drone 100. The telemetry information includes, for example, detection information detected by various sensors mounted on the drone 100. The detection information includes, for example, flight speed information indicating the flight speed of the drone 100. The detection information includes, for example, acceleration information indicating the acceleration of the drone 100. The detection information includes, for example, flight direction information indicating the flight direction of the drone 100. The detection information may include failure information indicating that the drone 100 body is broken. The telemetry information may include battery remaining amount information indicating the remaining battery amount of the battery mounted on the drone 100. The control device 150 may control the communication of the drone 100 so as to transmit an image captured by the camera 120 mounted on the drone 100 to the information processing device 200 via the network 20.

[0034] The information processing device 200 executes various processes. For example, the information processing device 200 executes a pairing establishment process to establish pairing between the control device 50 and the drone 100. For example, the information processing device 200 executes the pairing establishment process before the drone 100 starts flying. For example, the information processing device 200 executes the pairing establishment process while the drone 100 is flying. For example, the information processing device 200 executes the pairing establishment process by writing the IP address of the drone 100 to the control device 50 and writing the IP address of the control device 50 to the drone 100. The pairing establishment process by the information processing device 200 enables the control device 50 to transmit a control signal to the drone 100.

[0035] The information processing device 200 executes, for example, a flight mode setting process for setting a flight mode of the drone 100. The information processing device 200 executes, for example, a flight mode switching process for switching the flight mode of the drone 100.

[0036] The information processing device 200 executes a control authority setting process for setting the control device 50 having control authority of the drone 100 flying in the remote control flight mode, for example. The information processing device 200 executes a control authority switching process for switching the control device 50 having control authority of the drone 100 flying in the remote control flight mode, for example. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 200 switches the control device 50 having control authority of the drone 100 at the local A from the control device 50 of the user 55 to the control device 50 of the user 57 by transmitting a control authority switching signal to the drone 100 indicating switching from flight based on a control signal transmitted by the control device 50 of the user 55 to flight based on a control signal transmitted by the control device 50 of the user 57 while the drone 100 at the local A is flying in the remote control flight mode at the local A.

[0037] The information processing device 200 executes, for example, a control target switching process for switching a control target of the control device 50. In the example shown in Fig. 1, for example, while the control device 50 of the user 55 remotely controls the drone 100 at the local A, the information processing device 200 transmits an end signal indicating an end of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device 50 of the user 55 to the drone 100 at the local A, and transmits a start signal indicating a start of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device 50 of the user 55 to the drone 100 at the local B, thereby switching the control target of the control device 50 of the user 55 from the drone 100 at the local A to the drone 100 at the local B. In an example shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 200 may switch the control target of the user 55's control device 50 from the drone 100 at local A to the drone 100 at local B by sending a control target switching instruction to the control device 50 of the user 55, instructing the control device 50 of the user 55 to switch the control target of the user 55's control device 50 from the drone 100 at local A to the drone 100 at local B, while the control device 50 of the user 55 is remotely controlling the drone 100 at local A.

[0038] The information processing device 200 executes, for example, a display control process for displaying various information related to the drone 100 on a display. The information processing device 200 executes the display control process by, for example, displaying various information related to the drone 100 on a display corresponding to the control device 50 that has established pairing with the drone 100. The information processing device 200 transmits various information to the drone 100 via the network 20, for example.

[0039] The information processing device 200, for example, displays on a display telemetry information of the drone 100. The information processing device 200 may display on a display an image captured by the camera 120 mounted on the drone 100.

[0040] In the example shown in Figure 1, for example, when pairing is established between the piloting device 50 of user 55 and the drone 100 at location A and pairing is established between the piloting device 50 of user 57 and the drone 100 at location B, the information processing device 200 displays various information regarding the drone 100 at location A on the display 85 corresponding to the piloting device 50 of user 55, and displays various information regarding the drone 100 at location B on the display 87 corresponding to the piloting device 50 of user 57.

[0041] In the example shown in FIG. 1, for example, when pairing between the piloting device 50 of the user 55 and the drone 100 at the local A and pairing between the piloting device 50 of the user 55 and the drone 100 at the local B are established, the information processing device 200 displays various information regarding the drone 100 at the local A and various information regarding the drone 100 at the local B on the display 85 corresponding to the piloting device 50 of the user 55. In this case, the information processing device 200 displays, for example, various information regarding the drone 100 at the local A and various information regarding the drone 100 at the local B on multiple displays 85 corresponding to the piloting device 50 of the user 55. The information processing device 200 may display various information regarding the drone 100 at the local A and various information regarding the drone 100 at the local B on one display 85 corresponding to the piloting device 50 of the user 55. When the drone 100 being controlled by the control device 50 of the user 55 is a drone 100 at location A, the information processing device 200 may display various information about the drone 100 at location A on the display 85 so that it is more prominent.

[0042] The information processing device 200, for example, displays information indicating that the drone 100 is the drone to be controlled by the control device 50 of the user 55 around the area in which the various information related to the drone 100 at the local A is displayed, thereby displaying the various information related to the drone 100 at the local A more prominently on the display 85. The information processing device 200, for example, displays the various information related to the drone 100 at the local A in a color different from that of the various information related to the drone 100 at the local B, thereby displaying the various information related to the drone 100 at the local A more prominently on the display 85. The information processing device 200 may display the various information related to the drone 100 at the local A larger than the various information related to the drone 100 at the local B, thereby displaying the various information related to the drone 100 at the local A more prominently on the display 85.

[0043] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the drone 100 flying in the manual flight mode may be controlled to fly more flexibly than the drone 100 flying in the autonomous flight mode. In addition, the piloting skill of the remote user for the drone 100 may be higher than the piloting skill of the local user for the drone 100. The remote user is, for example, a professional drone pilot. The local user is, for example, a worker. In addition, the piloting skill of the remote user 57 for the drone 100 may be higher than the piloting skill of the remote user 55 for the drone 100.

[0044] 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of pairing. Here, an example in which the information processing device 200 establishes pairing between a transmitter and a drone will be mainly explained.

[0045] For example, the information processing device 200 writes the IP address (YYYY) of the drone to the Raspberry Pi 52 mounted on the transmitter by transmitting the IP address (YYYY) of the communication module 154 mounted on the drone to the transmitter using the wireless communication module 250. Also, the information processing device 200 writes the IP address (XXXX) of the transmitter to the Raspberry Pi 152 mounted on the drone by transmitting the IP address (XXXX) of the communication module 54 mounted on the transmitter to the drone using the wireless communication module 250. In this way, the information processing device 200 establishes pairing between the transmitter and the drone.

[0046] In response to the establishment of pairing between the transmitter and the drone, the transmitter may start transmitting control signals to the drone's Raspberry Pi 152 using the communication module 54. The drone may receive the transmitter's control signals via a cellular communication network, which is an example of network 20, using the communication module 154, and transfer the received transmitter's control signals to the Raspberry Pi 152. The Raspberry Pi 152 may transfer the transmitter's control signals to the FC mounted on the drone. The FC may control the flight of the drone 100 based on the control signals transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0047] 3 to 5 are explanatory diagrams for explaining an example of the processing flow of the system 10. Here, a state in which pairing between the transmitter and the drone has not been established and the drones D1 and D2 are waiting on the ground in remote control flight mode will be described as a starting state. Note that in Figs. 3 to 5, 7 to 9, 11 to 12, and 15 to 19, the dotted lines connecting the transmitter and the drone in the information processing device 200 represent a state in which pairing between the transmitter and the drone has been established, and the solid lines connecting the transmitter and the drone in the information processing device 200 represent a state in which the transmitter is transmitting a control signal to the drone.

[0048] 3 (step may be abbreviated as S) 102, the information processing device 200 writes the IP address (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) of the drone D1 side to the Raspberry Pi 52 mounted on the transmitter P1, and writes the IP address (X1.X1.X1.X1) of the transmitter P1 side to the Raspberry Pi 152 mounted on the drone D1, thereby establishing pairing between the transmitter P1 and the drone D1. In response to the IP address (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) of the drone D1 side being written by the information processing device 200, the transmitter P1 may use the communication module 54 to transmit an IP address reception response indicating that the IP address of the drone D1 side has been received to the information processing device 200. In response to the IP address (X1.X1.X1.X1) of the transmitter P1 being written by the information processing device 200, the drone D1 may use the communication module 154 to send an IP address reception response to the information processing device 200 indicating that the IP address of the transmitter P1 has been received.

[0049] Also, in S102, the information processing device 200 writes the IP address (Y2.Y2.Y2.Y2) of the drone D2 side to the Raspberry Pi 52 mounted on the transmitter P2, and writes the IP address (X2.X2.X2.X2) of the transmitter P2 side to the Raspberry Pi 152 mounted on the drone D2, thereby establishing pairing between the transmitter P2 and the drone D2. The transmitter P2 may transmit an IP address reception response indicating that the IP address of the drone D2 side has been received to the information processing device 200 in the same manner as the transmitter P1. The drone D2 may transmit an IP address reception response indicating that the IP address of the transmitter P2 side has been received to the information processing device 200 in the same manner as the drone D1.

[0050] In S104, the transmitter P1 starts transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 using the communication module 54. For example, the transmitter P1 starts transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 in response to the IP address (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) of the drone D1 being written by the information processing device 200 in S102. The transmitter P1 may start transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 in response to an instruction from the information processing device 200 to start transmitting a control signal to the drone D1. The drone D1 receives the control signal of the transmitter P1 via the cellular communication network using the communication module 154, and transfers the received control signal of the transmitter P1 to the Raspberry Pi 152. Here, the explanation will be continued assuming that the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 in the remote control flight mode is set to the transmitter P1.

[0051] Also, in S104, transmitter P2, like transmitter P1, begins transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of drone D2 using the communication module 54. Drone D2 receives the control signal from transmitter P2 via the cellular communication network using the communication module 154, and transfers the received control signal from transmitter P2 to the Raspberry Pi 152. Here, the explanation will continue assuming that the control device 50 having the authority to control drone D2 in remote control flight mode is set to transmitter P2.

[0052] In S106, the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 transfers the control signal of the transmitter P1 to the FC of the drone D1 because the flight mode of the drone D1 is set to the remote control flight mode and the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 is set to the transmitter P1. The FC of the drone D1 starts flying the drone D1 based on the control signal of the transmitter P1 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0053] Also, in S106, the Raspberry Pi 152 of drone D2 transfers the control signal of transmitter P2 to the FC of drone D2 because the flight mode of drone D2 is set to remote control flight mode and the control device 50 with the authority to control drone D2 is set to transmitter P2. The FC of drone D2 starts flying drone D2 based on the control signal of transmitter P2 transferred by Raspberry Pi 152.

[0054] 4, the information processing device 200 acquires a control authority switching instruction that instructs switching the control device 50 having control authority of the drone D1 from the transmitter P1 to the transmitter P2. In S110, in response to acquiring the control authority switching instruction in S108, the information processing device 200 changes the flight mode of the drone D2 stored in the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 from the remotely controlled flight mode to the autonomous flight mode by transmitting a flight mode switching signal to the drone D2 indicating that the flight mode of the drone D2 is to be switched from the remotely controlled flight mode to the autonomous flight mode.

[0055] In S112, the FC of the drone D2 causes the drone D2 to start autonomous flight in response to the flight mode of the drone D2 stored in the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 being changed from the remotely controlled flight mode to the autonomous flight mode by the information processing device 200 in S110. In response to starting the autonomous flight, the drone D2 may use the communication module 154 to transmit a flight mode switching response indicating that the flight mode of the drone D2 has been switched from the remotely controlled flight mode to the autonomous flight mode to the information processing device 200. In response to receiving the flight mode switching response from the drone D2, the information processing device 200 may instruct the transmitter P2 to end the transmission of the control signal to the drone D2. The transmitter P2 may end the transmission of the control signal to the drone D2 according to the instruction from the information processing device 200.

[0056] In S114, the information processing device 200, in response to the end of the transmission of the control signal from the transmitter P2 to the drone D2, writes the IP address of the drone D1 side (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) to the Raspberry Pi 52 mounted on the transmitter P2, and writes the IP address of the transmitter P2 side (X2.X2.X2.X2) to the Raspberry Pi 152 mounted on the drone D1, thereby establishing pairing between the transmitter P2 and the drone D1. In response to the IP address of the drone D1 side (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) being written by the information processing device 200, the transmitter P2 may use the communication module 54 to transmit an IP address reception response indicating that the IP address of the drone D1 side has been received to the information processing device 200. In response to the IP address (X2.X2.X2.X2) of the transmitter P2 side being written by the information processing device 200, the drone D1 may use the communication module 154 to send an IP address reception response to the information processing device 200 indicating that the IP address of the transmitter P2 side has been received.

[0057] In S116, the transmitter P2 starts transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 using the communication module 54. For example, the transmitter P2 starts transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 in response to the IP address (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) of the drone D1 being written by the information processing device 200 in S114. The transmitter P2 may start transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 in response to an instruction from the information processing device 200 to start transmitting a control signal to the drone D1. The drone D1 receives the control signal of the transmitter P2 via the cellular communication network using the communication module 154, and transfers the received control signal of the transmitter P2 to the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0058] In S118, the flight mode of drone D1 is set to remote control flight mode, and the control device 50 with control authority for drone D1 is set to transmitter P1, so the Raspberry Pi 152 of drone D1 transfers the control signal of transmitter P1 to the FC of drone D1, but does not transfer the control signal of transmitter P2 to the FC of drone D1. The FC of drone D1 controls the flight of drone D1 based on the control signal of transmitter P1 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0059] In S120 of FIG. 5, the information processing device 200 changes the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 stored in the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 from the transmitter P1 to the transmitter P2 by transmitting a control authority switching signal indicating switching from flight based on the control signal transmitted by the transmitter P1 to flight based on the control signal transmitted by the transmitter P2 to the drone D1. In S122, in response to the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 being changed from the transmitter P1 to the transmitter P2 by the information processing device 200 in S120, the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 ends the transfer of the control signal of the transmitter P1 to the FC of the drone D1 and starts the transfer of the control signal of the transmitter P2 to the FC of the drone D1. The FC of the drone D1 controls the flight of the drone D1 based on the control signal of the transmitter P2 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152. This completes the control authority switching process by the information processing device 200, which switches the control device 50 with control authority for drone D1 from transmitter P1 to transmitter P2.

[0060] In response to starting flight based on the control signal transmitted by the transmitter P2, the drone D1 may use the communication module 154 to transmit to the information processing device 200 a control authority switching response indicating that the control device 50 having control authority of the drone D1 has been switched from the transmitter P1 to the transmitter P2. In response to receiving the control authority switching response from the drone D1, the information processing device 200 may instruct the transmitter P1 to end transmission of the control signal to the drone D1. The transmitter P1 may end transmission of the control signal to the drone D1 in accordance with the instruction from the information processing device 200.

[0061] The processes of S108 and S110 in Fig. 4 may be changed to a process in which the transmitter P2 having the control authority of the drone D2 in the remote control flight mode directly transmits a flight mode switching signal indicating that the flight mode of the drone D2 is to be switched from the remote control flight mode to the autonomous flight mode to the drone D2. This allows the flight mode of the drone to be switched without going through the information processing device 200. In this case, the information processing device 200 may switch the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 from the transmitter P1 to the transmitter P2 as necessary.

[0062] A conventional system for remotely controlling a drone via a mobile communication network using a control device has been adapted from the configuration of a system for controlling a drone via direct wireless communication between the control device and the drone. Therefore, when remotely controlling a drone using a conventional system, pairing between the control device and the drone must be set up in advance, and it is not possible to switch the drone's operator while the drone is flying.

[0063] On the other hand, when a drone is operated using a control device, the drone pilot may be required to have advanced piloting skills. In particular, when a drone is used for a drone radio relay service for searching for missing persons or an inspection service, the drone is a relatively large drone, so that the drone pilot is required to have more advanced piloting skills. In addition, the difficulty of piloting a drone varies depending on the flight situation in which the drone flies. Since the piloting skills of a drone vary depending on the drone pilot, it is desirable to have a drone pilot with more advanced piloting skills take charge of piloting a drone in a flight situation with higher piloting skills by flexibly and efficiently switching drone pilots while the drone is flying.

[0064] According to the system 10 shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, while the drone 100 is flying in the remote control flight mode, the information processing device 200 transmits the IP address of the drone 100 to the control device 50 of the switching destination while the drone 100 is flying, and transmits the IP address of the control device 50 of the switching destination to the drone 100, thereby establishing pairing between the control device 50 of the switching destination and the drone 100, thereby switching the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone 100. As a result, it is possible to remotely control one drone 100 by switching the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone 100 between the multiple control devices 50 without constantly assigning the multiple control devices 50 to the drone 100 while the drone 100 is flying. Therefore, in the system 10 shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the information processing device 200 can flexibly and efficiently switch the operator of the drone 100 while the drone 100 is flying, so that it is possible to have a drone operator with more advanced control skills take charge of the operation of the drone in a flight situation with a higher level of control difficulty.

[0065] 6 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of the information processing device 200. The information processing device 200 includes an information storage unit 202, an information receiving unit 204, an instruction acquisition unit 206, a first pairing unit 208, a response receiving unit 210, an instruction unit 212, a second pairing unit 214, a switching unit 216, a notification unit 217, and an information transmitting unit 218. Note that it is not essential that the information processing device 200 includes all of these components.

[0066] The information storage unit 202 stores various types of information. For example, the information storage unit 202 stores the IP address of the drone 100. For example, the information storage unit 202 stores the IP address of the control device 50.

[0067] The information storage unit 202 may store pairing relationship information indicating a pairing relationship between the pilot control device 50 and the drone 100. The pairing relationship between the pilot control device 50 and the drone 100 indicates, for example, that pairing between the pilot control device 50 and the drone 100 has been established. The pairing relationship between the pilot control device 50 and the drone 100 indicates, for example, that pairing between the pilot control device 50 and the drone 100 has not been established.

[0068] The information receiving unit 204 receives various pieces of information related to the drone 100 from the drone 100. For example, the information receiving unit 204 periodically receives the various pieces of information related to the drone 100. The information receiving unit 204 may store the received various pieces of information related to the drone 100 in the information storage unit 202.

[0069] The information receiving unit 204 receives, for example, telemetry information of the drone 100. The information receiving unit 204 may receive an image captured by the camera 120 mounted on the drone 100.

[0070] The instruction acquisition unit 206 acquires various instructions. The instruction acquisition unit 206 acquires various instructions by, for example, receiving various instructions from a communication terminal. The communication terminal is, for example, a communication terminal of a user who is locally operating the drone 100. The communication terminal is, for example, a communication terminal of a user who is remotely operating the drone 100. The communication terminal may be a communication terminal of a user of the information processing device 200. The instruction acquisition unit 206 may acquire various instructions by an input unit included in the information processing device 200 accepting input of various instructions. The instruction acquisition unit 206 may store the acquired various instructions in the information storage unit 202.

[0071] The instruction acquisition unit 206 acquires, for example, a pairing establishment instruction that instructs to establish pairing between the control device 50 and the drone 100. The instruction acquisition unit 206 acquires, for example, a flight mode setting instruction that instructs to set the flight mode of the drone 100. The instruction acquisition unit 206 acquires, for example, a flight mode switching instruction that instructs to switch the flight mode of the drone 100. The instruction acquisition unit 206 acquires, for example, a control authority setting instruction that instructs to set the control device 50 that has control authority for the drone 100 that flies in the remote control flight mode. The instruction acquisition unit 206 acquires, for example, a control authority switching instruction that instructs to switch the control device 50 that has control authority for the drone 100 that flies in the remote control flight mode.

[0072] The first pairing unit 208 establishes the first pairing between the first control device and the drone 100. The control device 50 may be an example of the first control device.

[0073] The first pairing unit 208 establishes the first pairing between the first control device and the drone 100 in response to, for example, the instruction acquisition unit 206 acquiring a pairing establishment instruction. The first pairing unit 208 establishes the first pairing between the first control device and the drone 100 by, for example, transmitting the IP address of the drone 100 stored in the information storage unit 202 to the first control device, and transmitting the IP address of the first control device stored in the information storage unit 202 to the drone 100.

[0074] The response receiving unit 210 receives various responses. For example, the response receiving unit 210 receives an IP address reception response indicating that the IP address of the drone 100 has been received from the pilot device 50. For example, the response receiving unit 210 receives an IP address reception response indicating that the IP address of the pilot device 50 has been received from the drone 100.

[0075] The first pairing unit 208 determines that the first pairing between the first control device and the drone 100 has been established, for example, when the response receiving unit 210 receives IP address reception responses from both the first control device and the drone 100. The first pairing unit 208 may also determine that the first pairing between the first control device and the drone 100 has been established when a predetermined period has elapsed since the first control device and the drone 100 were each transmitted an IP address.

[0076] The instruction unit 212 instructs various operations. For example, the instruction unit 212 instructs various operations to the control device 50. For example, the instruction unit 212 instructs the first control device to start transmitting a control signal to the drone 100 in response to the first pairing unit 208 establishing the first pairing between the first control device and the drone 100.

[0077] The instruction unit 212 instructs the drone 100 to perform various operations, for example. The instruction unit 212 instructs the drone 100 to set the flight mode of the drone 100 to the flight mode of the drone 100 indicated by the flight mode setting instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 206. The instruction unit 212 instructs the drone 100 to set the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone 100 flying in the remote control flight mode to the control device 50 indicated by the control authority setting instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 206.

[0078] The second pairing unit 214 establishes a second pairing between a second control device different from the first control device and the drone 100. The control device 50 may be an example of the second control device.

[0079] The second pairing unit 214 establishes a second pairing between the second control device and the drone 100 in response to, for example, the instruction acquisition unit 206 acquiring a control authority switching instruction instructing to switch the control device 50 having control authority of the drone 100 from the first control device to the second control device. The second pairing unit 214 establishes a second pairing between the second control device and the drone 100 by, for example, transmitting the IP address of the drone 100 stored in the information storage unit 202 to the second control device while the drone 100 is flying, and transmitting the IP address of the second control device stored in the information storage unit 202 to the drone 100.

[0080] For example, when the response receiving unit 210 receives an IP address reception response from both the second control device and the drone 100, the second pairing unit 214 determines that the second pairing between the second control device and the drone 100 has been established. The second pairing unit 214 may determine that the second pairing between the second control device and the drone 100 has been established when a predetermined period has elapsed since the second pairing unit 214 transmitted the IP address to each of the second control device and the drone 100. The instruction unit 212 instructs the second control device to start transmitting a control signal to the drone 100 in response to the second pairing unit 214 establishing the second pairing between the second control device and the drone 100, for example.

[0081] The switching unit 216 executes various switching processes. For example, the switching unit 216 executes a flight mode switching process of the drone 100. For example, the switching unit 216 executes a flight mode switching process of the drone 100 by transmitting a flight mode switching signal to the drone 100 in response to the instruction acquisition unit 206 acquiring a flight mode switching instruction. For example, the switching unit 216 transmits the flight mode switching signal to the drone 100 while the drone 100 is flying.

[0082] The response receiving unit 210 receives, for example, a flight mode switching response from the drone 100. The instruction unit 212 may instruct the control device 50 to end the transmission of the control signal to the drone 100 when, for example, a flight mode switching response indicating switching from the remotely controlled flight mode to another flight mode is received.

[0083] The switching unit 216 executes, for example, a control authority switching process for the drone 100. For example, in response to the second pairing unit 214 establishing the second pairing between the second control device and the drone 100, the switching unit 216 switches the control device 50 having the control authority for the drone 100 from the first control device to the second control device by transmitting to the drone 100 a control authority switching signal indicating a switch from flight based on a control signal transmitted by the first control device to flight based on a control signal transmitted by the second control device.

[0084] The response receiving unit 210 may receive a control authority switching response from the drone 100. In response to receiving the control authority switching response from the drone 100, the instruction unit 212 may instruct the drone 100 before switching to end transmission of the control signal to the drone 100.

[0085] The notification unit 217 issues various notifications. For example, the notification unit 217 issues various notifications to the control device. The notification unit 217 may also issue various notifications to a communication terminal of a user of the control device.

[0086] The notification unit 217 notifies various notifications by, for example, image data. The notification unit 217 notifies various notifications by, for example, character data. The notification unit 217 may notify various notifications by, for example, audio data.

[0087] The notification unit 217 issues, for example, a control authority switching notification indicating that the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone 100 will be switched from the first control device to the second control device. The notification unit 217 issues, for example, a control authority switching notification before the switching unit 216 switches the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone 100 from the first control device to the second control device.

[0088] The notification unit 217 notifies, for example, the user of the first control device of the control authority switching notification. The notification unit 217 notifies, for example, the user of the second control device of the control authority switching notification.

[0089] The switching unit 216 may switch the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone 100 from the first control device to the second control device when the response receiving unit 210 receives a notification confirmation response indicating that the control authority switching notification has been confirmed from the second control device or the communication terminal of the user of the second control device. The switching unit 216 may switch the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone 100 from the first control device to the second control device when the response receiving unit 210 receives a notification confirmation response from the first control device or the communication terminal of the user of the first control device and the second control device or the communication terminal of the user of the second control device.

[0090] The information transmitting unit 218 transmits various pieces of information stored in the information storage unit 202. The information transmitting unit 218 transmits various pieces of information periodically, for example.

[0091] The information transmission unit 218 transmits various information to, for example, a display. The information transmission unit 218 may transmit various information to any other peripheral device of the display.

[0092] The information transmission unit 218 transmits the pairing relationship information, for example, to display the pairing relationship information on a display corresponding to the pilot device 50. The information transmission unit 218 transmits the pairing relationship information, for example, when the pairing relationship between the pilot device 50 and the drone 100 is updated.

[0093] The information transmission unit 218 transmits telemetry information of the drone 100, for example, to display the telemetry information on a display corresponding to a control device 50 that has established pairing with the drone 100. The information transmission unit 218 transmits telemetry information, for example, to display the telemetry information on a display corresponding to a control device 50 that is transmitting a control signal to the drone 100, among the control devices 50 that have established pairing with the drone 100.

[0094] The information transmission unit 218 may transmit a captured image captured by the camera 120 mounted on the drone 100 to a display corresponding to a control device 50 that has established pairing with the drone 100, so that the captured image is displayed on the display corresponding to the control device 50 that is transmitting a control signal to the drone 100, among the control devices 50 that have established pairing with the drone 100. The information transmission unit 218 may transmit a captured image captured by the camera 120 mounted on the drone 100 to a display corresponding to the control device 50 that has established pairing with the drone 100, so that the captured image is displayed on the display corresponding to the control device 50.

[0095] 7 to 9 are explanatory diagrams for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. Here, the description will be given assuming that the start state is one in which pairing between the transmitter and the drone has not been established, drone D1 is waiting on the ground in remote control flight mode, and drone D2 is flying in local control flight mode.

[0096] In S202 of Figure 7, the information processing device 200 writes the IP address (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) of drone D1 and the IP address (Y2.Y2.Y2.Y2) of drone D2 to the Raspberry Pi 52 mounted on the transmitter P1, and writes the IP address (X1.X1.X1.X1) of transmitter P1 to the Raspberry Pi 152 mounted on drone D1 and the Raspberry Pi 152 mounted on drone D2, thereby establishing pairing between transmitter P1 and drone D1 and pairing between transmitter P1 and drone D2, respectively.

[0097] In response to the IP address (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) of the drone D1 side and the IP address (Y2.Y2.Y2.Y2) of the drone D2 side being written by the information processing device 200, the transmitter P1 may use the communication module 54 to transmit an IP address reception response indicating that the IP address of the drone D1 side and the IP address of the drone D2 side have been received to the information processing device 200. In response to the IP address (X1.X1.X1.X1) of the transmitter P1 side being written by the information processing device 200, each of the drones D1 and D2 may use the communication module 154 to transmit an IP address reception response indicating that the IP address of the transmitter P1 side has been received to the information processing device 200.

[0098] In S204, the transmitter P1 starts transmitting control signals to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 and to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 using the communication module 54. For example, the transmitter P1 starts transmitting control signals to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 and to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 in response to the IP address (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) of the drone D1 side and the IP address (Y2.Y2.Y2.Y2) of the drone D2 side being written by the information processing device 200 in S202. The transmitter P1 may start transmitting control signals to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 and to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 in response to being instructed by the information processing device 200 to start transmitting control signals to the drones D1 and D2.

[0099] Drone D1 receives control signals from transmitter P1 via the cellular communication network using communication module 154, and transfers the received control signals from transmitter P1 to Raspberry Pi 152. Here, the explanation will be continued assuming that the control device 50 with the authority to control drone D1 in remote control flight mode is set to transmitter P1. Drone D2 also receives control signals from transmitter P1 via the cellular communication network using communication module 154, and transfers the received control signals from transmitter P2 to Raspberry Pi 152.

[0100] In S206, the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 transfers the control signal of the transmitter P1 to the FC of the drone D1 because the flight mode of the drone D1 is set to the remote control flight mode and the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 is set to the transmitter P1. The FC of the drone D1 starts flying the drone D1 based on the control signal of the transmitter P1 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0101] Also, in S206, the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 does not transfer the control signal of the transmitter P1 to the FC of the drone D2 because the flight mode of the drone D2 is set to the local control flight mode. The FC of the drone D2 controls the flight of the drone D2 based on the control signal received directly from the local transmitter via wireless communication.

[0102] 8, the information processing device 200 acquires a control target switching instruction to switch the control target of the transmitter P1 from the drone D1 to the drone D2. In S210, in response to acquiring the control target switching instruction in S208, the information processing device 200 writes the IP address (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) of the drone D1 side to the Raspberry Pi 52 mounted on the transmitter P3, and writes the IP address (X3.X3.X3.X3) of the transmitter P3 side to the Raspberry Pi 152 mounted on the drone D1, thereby establishing pairing between the transmitter P3 and the drone D1.

[0103] In S212, the transmitter P3 begins transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 using the communication module 54. The drone D1 receives the control signal from the transmitter P3 via the cellular communication network using the communication module 154, and transfers the received control signal from the transmitter P3 to the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0104] In S214, the flight mode of drone D1 is set to remote control flight mode, and the control device 50 with control authority for drone D1 is set to transmitter P1, so the Raspberry Pi 152 of drone D1 transfers the control signal of transmitter P1 to the FC of drone D1, but does not transfer the control signal of transmitter P3 to the FC of drone D1. The FC of drone D1 controls the flight of drone D1 based on the control signal of transmitter P1 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0105] In S216 of FIG. 9, the information processing device 200 changes the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 stored in the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 from the transmitter P1 to the transmitter P3 by transmitting a control authority switching signal including an end signal indicating that the flight based on the control signal transmitted by the transmitter P1 is to be ended and a start signal indicating that the flight based on the control signal transmitted by the transmitter P3 is to be started to the drone D1. In S218, in response to the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 being changed from the transmitter P1 to the transmitter P3 by the information processing device 200 in S216, the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 ends the transfer of the control signal of the transmitter P1 to the FC of the drone D1 and starts the transfer of the control signal of the transmitter P3 to the FC of the drone D1. The FC of the drone D1 controls the flight of the drone D1 based on the control signal of the transmitter P3 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152. This completes the control target switching process by the information processing device 200, which switches the control target of the transmitter P1 from drone D1 to drone D2.

[0106] In S220, the information processing device 200 changes the flight mode of the drone D2 stored in the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 from the local control flight mode to the remote control flight mode by transmitting a flight mode switching signal to the drone D2 indicating that the flight mode of the drone D2 is switched from the local control flight mode to the remote control flight mode. The flight mode switching signal includes, for example, a start signal indicating that a flight based on a control signal transmitted by the transmitter P1 is to start. In this case, the information processing device 200 writes to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 that the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D2 is the transmitter P1.

[0107] In S222, the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 transfers the control signal of the transmitter P1 to the FC of the drone D2 because the flight mode of the drone D2 is set to the remotely controlled flight mode and the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D2 is set to the transmitter P1. The FC of the drone D2 controls the flight of the drone D2 based on the control signal of the transmitter P1 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152. This completes the flight mode switching process by the information processing device 200 to switch the flight mode of the drone D2 from the locally controlled flight mode to the remotely controlled flight mode.

[0108] In response to starting flight based on the control signal transmitted by the transmitter P3, the drone D1 may use the communication module 154 to transmit to the information processing device 200 a control authority switching response indicating that the control device 50 having control authority for the drone D1 has been switched from the transmitter P1 to the transmitter P3. In response to starting flight based on the control signal transmitted by the transmitter P1, the drone D2 may use the communication module 154 to transmit to the information processing device 200 a flight mode switching response indicating that the flight mode of the drone D2 has been switched from the local control flight mode to the remote control flight mode.

[0109] The information processing device 200 may instruct the transmitter P1 to end the transmission of the control signal to the drone D1 in response to receiving the control authority switching response from the drone D1 and receiving the flight mode switching response from the drone D2. The transmitter P1 may end the transmission of the control signal to the drone D1 in accordance with the instruction from the information processing device 200.

[0110] According to the system 10 shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, while the target drone 100 is flying, the information processing device 200 transmits an end signal to the drone 100 currently controlled by the control device 50, indicating that the flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device 50 is to be terminated, and transmits a start signal to the target drone 100, indicating that the flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device 50 is to be started, to switch the target drone 100 controlled by the control device 50 from the drone 100 currently controlled by the control device 50 to the target drone 100. In response to the switching of the target drone 100 controlled by the control device 50 to the target drone 100, the drone 100 that is no longer the target drone of the control device 50 may fly in any one of the flight modes of the autonomous flight mode, the local control flight mode, and the remote control flight mode. As a result, the target drone 100 controlled by the control device 50 can be switched between the multiple drones 100 without constantly allocating the multiple control devices 50 to the drones 100 while the drones 100 are flying, thereby remotely controlling the multiple drones 100 using one control device 50. Therefore, the system 10 shown in Figures 7 to 9 enables the information processing device 200 to flexibly and efficiently switch the operator of the drone 100 while the drone 100 is flying, making it possible for a drone operator with more advanced piloting skills to be responsible for piloting the drone in flight situations that are more difficult to control.

[0111] Fig. 10 shows an outline of another example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 200. The information processing device 200 includes an information storage unit 202, an information receiving unit 204, an instruction acquisition unit 206, a pairing unit 209, a response receiving unit 210, an instruction unit 212, a switching unit 216, a notification unit 217, and an information transmitting unit 218. Note that it is not essential that the information processing device 200 includes all of these components. Here, the differences between the example of the information processing device 200 shown in Fig. 10 and the example of the information processing device 200 shown in Fig. 6 will be mainly described.

[0112] The pairing unit 209 establishes a first pairing between the control device 50 and the first drone, and a second pairing between the control device 50 and the second drone. The drone 100 may be an example of the first drone. The drone 100 may be an example of the second drone.

[0113] The pairing unit 209, for example, transmits the IP address of the first drone and the IP address of the second drone stored in the information storage unit 202 to the control device, and transmits the IP address of the control device 50 stored in the information storage unit 202 to the first drone and the second drone, thereby respectively establishing a first pairing between the control device 50 and the first drone and a second pairing between the control device 50 and the second drone. The instruction unit 212, for example, instructs the control device 50 to start transmitting control signals to the first drone and the second drone in response to the pairing unit 209 establishing the first pairing between the control device 50 and the first drone and the second pairing between the control device 50 and the second drone, respectively.

[0114] The instruction acquisition unit 206 acquires, for example, a control target switching instruction that instructs the control device 50 to switch the control target from the first drone to the second drone. The switching unit 216 switches the control target of the control device 50 from the first drone to the second drone in response to the instruction acquisition unit 206 acquiring the control target switching instruction. The switching unit 216 switches the control target of the control device 50 from the first drone to the second drone, for example, by transmitting an end signal indicating the end of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device 50 to the first drone while the second drone is flying, and transmitting a start signal indicating the start of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device 50 to the second drone. The switching unit 216 may switch the control target of the control device 50 from the first drone to the second drone by transmitting the control target switching instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 206 to the control device 50.

[0115] The notification unit 217 issues, for example, a control target switching notification indicating that the control target of the control device 50 will be switched from the first drone to the second drone. The notification unit 217 issues, for example, a control target switching notification before the switching unit 216 switches the control target of the control device 50 from the first drone to the second drone. The notification unit 217 issues, for example, a control target switching notification to the user of the control device 50. The switching unit 216 may switch the control target of the control device 50 from the first drone to the second drone when the response receiving unit 210 receives, from the control device 50 or the communication terminal of the user of the control device 50, a notification confirmation response indicating that the control target switching notification has been confirmed.

[0116] Fig. 11 shows an example of a pairing group. The pairing group shown in Fig. 11 is composed of M drones (M≧2) and N control devices (N≧2). Note that M may be a number larger than N, M may be the same number as N, or M may be a number smaller than N.

[0117] 12 and 13 are explanatory diagrams for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. Here, the description assumes that the pairing between the transmitter and the drone has not been established and the drones D1 and D2 are waiting on the ground in remote control flight mode as a starting state. Note that the information processing device 200 stores pairing group information indicating a pairing group consisting of the drones D1 and D2, and the transmitters P1 and P2.

[0118] In S302 of FIG. 12, the information processing device 200 writes the IP address (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) of drone D1 and the IP address (Y2.Y2.Y2.Y2) of drone D2 to the Raspberry Pi 52 mounted on transmitter P1 and the Raspberry Pi 52 mounted on transmitter P2 based on the pairing group information, and writes the IP address (X1.X1.X1.X1) of transmitter P1 and the IP address (X2.X2.X2.X2) of transmitter P2 to the Raspberry Pi 152 mounted on drone D1 and the Raspberry Pi 152 mounted on drone D2, thereby establishing pairing between transmitter P1 and drone D1, pairing between transmitter P1 and drone D2, pairing between transmitter P2 and drone D1, and pairing between transmitter P2 and drone D2, respectively.

[0119] In S304, the transmitter P1 begins transmitting control signals to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 and to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2, using the communication module 54. Also, in S304, the transmitter P2 begins transmitting control signals to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 and to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2, using the communication module 54.

[0120] Drone D1 receives control signals from transmitter P1 and transmitter P2 via the cellular communication network using communication module 154, and transfers the received control signals from transmitter P1 and transmitter P2 to Raspberry Pi 152. Here, the explanation will continue assuming that the control device 50 having the authority to control drone D1 in remote control flight mode is set to transmitter P1.

[0121] Drone D2 receives control signals from transmitter P1 and transmitter P2 via the cellular communication network using communication module 154, and transfers the received control signals from transmitter P1 and transmitter P2 to Raspberry Pi 152. Here, the explanation will continue assuming that the control device 50 with the authority to control drone D2 in remote control flight mode is set to transmitter P2.

[0122] In S306, the flight mode of drone D1 is set to remote control flight mode, and the control device 50 with control authority for drone D1 is set to transmitter P1, so the Raspberry Pi 152 of drone D1 transfers the control signal of transmitter P1 to the FC of drone D1, but does not transfer the control signal of transmitter P2 to the FC of drone D1. The FC of drone D1 starts flying drone D1 based on the control signal of transmitter P1 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0123] Also, in S306, the flight mode of drone D2 is set to remote control flight mode, and the control device 50 with control authority for drone D2 is set to transmitter P2, so the Raspberry Pi 152 of drone D2 transfers the control signal of transmitter P2 to the FC of drone D2, but does not transfer the control signal of transmitter P1 to the FC of drone D2. The FC of drone D2 starts flying drone D2 based on the control signal of transmitter P2 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0124] In S308 of FIG. 13, the information processing device 200 acquires a control authority switching instruction to switch the control device 50 having control authority of the drone D1 from the transmitter P1 to the transmitter P2, and to switch the control device 50 having control authority of the drone D2 from the transmitter P2 to the transmitter P1. In S310, the information processing device 200 changes the control device 50 having control authority of the drone D1 stored in the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 from the transmitter P1 to the transmitter P2 by transmitting a control authority switching signal indicating a switch from a flight based on a control signal transmitted by the transmitter P1 to a flight based on a control signal transmitted by the transmitter P2 to the drone D1. Also, in S310, the information processing device 200 changes the control device 50 having control authority of the drone D2 stored in the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 from the transmitter P2 to the transmitter P1 by transmitting a control authority switching signal indicating a switch from a flight based on a control signal transmitted by the transmitter P2 to a flight based on a control signal transmitted by the transmitter P1 to the drone D2.

[0125] In S312, in response to the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 being changed from transmitter P1 to transmitter P2 by the information processing device 200 in S310, the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 stops transferring the control signal of the transmitter P1 to the FC of the drone D1 and starts transferring the control signal of the transmitter P2 to the FC of the drone D1. The FC of the drone D1 controls the flight of the drone D1 based on the control signal of the transmitter P2 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152. This completes the control authority switching process by the information processing device 200, which switches the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 from transmitter P1 to transmitter P2.

[0126] Also, in S312, in response to the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D2 being changed from the transmitter P2 to the transmitter P1 by the information processing device 200 in S310, the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 stops transferring the control signal of the transmitter P2 to the FC of the drone D2 and starts transferring the control signal of the transmitter P1 to the FC of the drone D2. The FC of the drone D2 controls the flight of the drone D2 based on the control signal of the transmitter P1 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152. This completes the control authority switching process by the information processing device 200, which switches the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D2 from the transmitter P2 to the transmitter P1.

[0127] According to the system 10 shown in FIG. 12-FIG. 13, the information processing device 200 establishes a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of control devices 50 and each of the plurality of drones 100 based on the pairing group information. The control device 50 transmits a control signal to each of the plurality of drones 100 with which pairing has been established. After that, in response to acquiring a control authority switching instruction instructing to switch the control device 50 having control authority of the drone 100 belonging to the pairing group indicated by the pairing group information from a first control device belonging to the pairing group to a second control device belonging to the pairing group, the information processing device 200 switches the control device 50 having control authority of the drone 100 from the first control device to the second control device while the drone 100 is flying. 12-13, the information processing device 200 establishes a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of control devices 50 and each of the plurality of drones 100 based on the pairing group information, and the control device 50 transmits a control signal to each of the plurality of drones 100 with which the pairing has been established, so that the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone 100 can be safely switched from the first control device to the second control device. Furthermore, the system 10 shown in FIG. 12-13 can switch the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone 100 simply by transmitting a control authority switching signal to the drone 100, so that the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone 100 can be switched with a smaller processing load on the information processing device 200.

[0128] Fig. 14 shows an outline of another example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 200. The information processing device 200 includes an information storage unit 202, an information receiving unit 204, an instruction acquisition unit 206, a pairing unit 209, a response receiving unit 210, an instruction unit 212, a switching unit 216, a notification unit 217, and an information transmitting unit 218. Note that it is not essential that the information processing device 200 includes all of these components. Here, the differences between the example of the information processing device 200 shown in Fig. 14 and the example of the information processing device 200 shown in Fig. 6 and the example of the information processing device 200 shown in Fig. 10 will be mainly described.

[0129] The information storage unit 202 stores, for example, pairing group information indicating a pairing group consisting of a plurality of drones 100 and a plurality of control devices 50. The pairing unit 209, for example, establishes a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of control devices 50 and each of the plurality of drones 100. The pairing unit 209 transmits, for example, the IP addresses of the plurality of drones 100 stored in the information storage unit 202 to each of the plurality of control devices 50 based on the pairing group information stored in the information storage unit 202, to each of the plurality of control devices 50, and transmits the IP addresses of the plurality of control devices 50 stored in the information storage unit 202 to each of the plurality of drones 100, thereby establishing a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of control devices 50 and each of the plurality of drones 100.

[0130] The instruction acquisition unit 206 acquires, for example, a control authority switching instruction to switch the control device 50 having control authority of the drone 100 belonging to the pairing group indicated by the pairing group information stored in the information storage unit 202 from a first control device belonging to the pairing group to a second control device belonging to the pairing group. In response to the instruction acquisition unit 206 acquiring the control authority switching instruction, the switching unit 216 switches the control device 50 having control authority of the drone 100 from the first control device to the second control device by transmitting a control authority switching signal to the drone 100 indicating a switch from flight based on a control signal transmitted by the first control device to flight based on a control signal transmitted by the second control device while the drone 100 is flying.

[0131] 15 to 19 are explanatory diagrams for explaining another example of the processing flow of the system 10. Here, the description assumes that pairing between the transmitter and the drone has not been established and that the drones D1 and D2 are waiting on the ground in remote control flight mode as a starting state. Note that the information processing device 200 stores pairing group information indicating a pairing group consisting of the drones D1 and D2, and the transmitters P1 and P2.

[0132] In S402 of FIG. 15, the information processing device 200 writes the IP address (Y1.Y1.Y1.Y1) of drone D1 and the IP address (Y2.Y2.Y2.Y2) of drone D2 to the Raspberry Pi 52 mounted on transmitter P1 and the Raspberry Pi 52 mounted on transmitter P2 based on the pairing group information, and writes the IP address (X1.X1.X1.X1) of transmitter P1 and the IP address (X2.X2.X2.X2) of transmitter P2 to the Raspberry Pi 152 mounted on drone D1 and the Raspberry Pi 152 mounted on drone D2, thereby establishing pairing between transmitter P1 and drone D1, pairing between transmitter P1 and drone D2, pairing between transmitter P2 and drone D1, and pairing between transmitter P2 and drone D2, respectively. Here, the explanation will be continued assuming that the control target of transmitter P1 is set to drone D1 and the control target of transmitter P2 is set to drone D2.

[0133] 16, the control target of the transmitter P1 is set to the drone D1, so the information processing device 200 instructs the transmitter P1 to start transmitting a control signal to the drone D1. Also, in S404, the control target of the transmitter P2 is set to the drone D2, so the information processing device 200 instructs the transmitter P2 to start transmitting a control signal to the drone D2.

[0134] In S406, the transmitter P1 starts transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 in accordance with the instruction from the information processing device 200 in S404. The drone D1 receives the control signal from the transmitter P1 via the cellular communication network using the communication module 154, and transfers the received control signal from the transmitter P1 to the Raspberry Pi 152. Here, the explanation will be continued assuming that the control device 50 having the authority to control the drone D1 in the remote control flight mode is set to the transmitter P1.

[0135] Also, in S406, transmitter P2 starts transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of drone D2 in accordance with the instruction from information processing device 200 in S404. Drone D2 receives the control signal from transmitter P2 via the cellular communication network using communication module 154, and transfers the received control signal from transmitter P2 to the Raspberry Pi 152. Here, the explanation will be continued assuming that the control device 50 having the authority to control drone D2 in remote control flight mode is set to transmitter P2.

[0136] In S408, the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 transfers the control signal of the transmitter P1 to the FC of the drone D1 because the flight mode of the drone D1 is set to the remote control flight mode and the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 is set to the transmitter P1. The FC of the drone D1 starts flying the drone D1 based on the control signal of the transmitter P1 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0137] Also, in S408, the Raspberry Pi 152 of drone D2 transfers the control signal of transmitter P2 to the FC of drone D2 because the flight mode of drone D2 is set to remote control flight mode and the control device 50 with the control authority of drone D2 is set to transmitter P2. The FC of drone D2 starts flying drone D2 based on the control signal of transmitter P2 transferred by Raspberry Pi 152.

[0138] 17, the information processing device 200 acquires a control target switching instruction that instructs the transmitter P1 to switch the control target from the drone D1 to the drone D2 and the transmitter P2 to switch the control target from the drone D2 to the drone D1. In S412, in response to acquiring the control target switching instruction in S410, the information processing device 200 instructs the transmitter P1 to start transmitting a control signal to the drone D2. Also, in S412, in response to acquiring the control target switching instruction in S410, the information processing device 200 instructs the transmitter P2 to start transmitting a control signal to the drone D1.

[0139] In S414, in accordance with the instruction from the information processing device 200 in S412, the transmitter P1 starts transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2, in addition to transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1. The drone D2 receives the control signal from the transmitter P1 via the cellular communication network using the communication module 154, and transfers the received control signal from the transmitter P1 to the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0140] Furthermore, in S414, in accordance with the instruction from the information processing device 200 in S412, the transmitter P2 starts transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1, in addition to transmitting a control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2. The drone D1 receives the control signal from the transmitter P2 via the cellular communication network using the communication module 154, and transfers the received control signal from the transmitter P2 to the Raspberry Pi 152.

[0141] In S416, the flight mode of drone D1 is set to remote control flight mode, and the control device 50 with control authority for drone D1 is set to transmitter P1, so the Raspberry Pi 152 of drone D1 transfers the control signal of transmitter P1 to the FC of drone D1, but does not transfer the control signal of transmitter P2 to the FC of drone D1. Also, in S416, the flight mode of drone D2 is set to remote control flight mode, and the control device 50 with control authority for drone D2 is set to transmitter P1, so the Raspberry Pi 152 of drone D2 transfers the control signal of transmitter P2 to the FC of drone D2, but does not transfer the control signal of transmitter P1 to the FC of drone D2.

[0142] 18, the information processing device 200 changes the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 stored in the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 from the transmitter P1 to the transmitter P2 by transmitting a control authority switching signal to the drone D1, the control authority switching signal including an end signal indicating that the flight based on the control signal transmitted by the transmitter P1 is to be ended and a start signal indicating that the flight based on the control signal transmitted by the transmitter P2 is to be started, to the drone D1. Also, in S418, the information processing device 200 changes the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D2 stored in the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 from the transmitter P2 to the transmitter P1 by transmitting a control authority switching signal to the drone D2, the control authority switching signal including an end signal indicating that the flight based on the control signal transmitted by the transmitter P2 is to be ended and a start signal indicating that the flight based on the control signal transmitted by the transmitter P1 is to be started, to the drone D2.

[0143] In S420, in response to the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D1 being changed from transmitter P1 to transmitter P2 by the information processing device 200 in S418, the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1 stops transferring the control signal of the transmitter P1 to the FC of the drone D1 and starts transferring the control signal of the transmitter P2 to the FC of the drone D1. The FC of the drone D1 controls the flight of the drone D1 based on the control signal of the transmitter P2 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152. This completes the control target switching process by the information processing device 200, which switches the control target of the transmitter P1 from drone D1 to drone D2.

[0144] Also, in S420, in response to the control device 50 having the control authority of the drone D2 being changed from the transmitter P2 to the transmitter P1 by the information processing device 200 in S418, the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2 stops transferring the control signal of the transmitter P2 to the FC of the drone D2 and starts transferring the control signal of the transmitter P1 to the FC of the drone D2. The FC of the drone D2 controls the flight of the drone D2 based on the control signal of the transmitter P1 transferred by the Raspberry Pi 152. This completes the control target switching process by the information processing device 200, which switches the control target of the transmitter P2 from the drone D2 to the drone D1.

[0145] 19, in response to the completion of switching from drone D1 to drone D2 as the control target of transmitter P1 in S420, the information processing device 200 instructs transmitter P1 to end transmission of the control signal to drone D1. Also, in S422, in response to the completion of switching from drone D2 to drone D1 as the control target of transmitter P2 in S420, the information processing device 200 instructs transmitter P2 to end transmission of the control signal to drone D2.

[0146] In S424, the transmitter P1, in accordance with the instruction from the information processing device 200 in S422, ends the transmission of the control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D1. Also, in S424, the transmitter P2, in accordance with the instruction from the information processing device 200 in S422, ends the transmission of the control signal to the Raspberry Pi 152 of the drone D2.

[0147] According to the system 10 shown in FIG. 15 to FIG. 19, the information processing device 200 establishes a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of control devices 50 and each of the plurality of drones 100 based on the pairing group information. Furthermore, the information processing device 200 instructs the control device 50 to start transmitting a control signal to a first drone belonging to the pairing group, which is a control target of the control device 50 belonging to the pairing group indicated by the pairing group information. The control device 50 starts transmitting a control signal to the first drone in accordance with the instruction by the information processing device 200. As a result, the control device 50 starts transmitting a control signal to the first drone. Next, in response to acquiring a control target switching instruction instructing to switch the control target of the control device 50 from the first control device to a second control device belonging to the pairing group, the information processing device 200 instructs the control device 50 to start transmitting a control signal to the second drone. The control device 50 starts transmitting a control signal to the second drone in accordance with the instruction by the information processing device 200. As a result, the control device 50 starts transmitting a control signal to the first drone and the second drone. After that, the information processing device 200 switches the control target of the control device 50 from the first drone to the second drone while the second drone is flying. Furthermore, the information processing device 200 instructs the control device 50 to end the transmission of the control signal to the first drone in response to the completion of the switching of the control target of the control device 50. The control device 50 ends the transmission of the control signal to the first drone in accordance with the instruction from the information processing device 200. As a result, the control device 50 transmits the control signal only to the second drone. Therefore, in the system 10 shown in FIG. 15 to FIG. 19, the information processing device 200 causes the control device 50 to transmit the control signal to both the drone 100 that is the current control target and the drone 100 to be switched to only at the timing when the control target of the control device 50 is switched, thereby suppressing the transmission of unnecessary control signals that are not transferred to the FC of the drone 100, and the control target of the control device 50 can be switched from the first drone to the second drone with fewer communication resources.

[0148] Fig. 20 shows an outline of another example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 200. The information processing device 200 includes an information storage unit 202, an information receiving unit 204, an instruction acquisition unit 206, a pairing unit 209, a response receiving unit 210, a first instruction unit 211, a second instruction unit 213, a switching unit 216, a notification unit 217, and an information transmitting unit 218. Note that it is not essential that the information processing device 200 includes all of these components. Here, differences between the example of the information processing device 200 shown in Fig. 20 and the example of the information processing device 200 shown in Fig. 6, the example of the information processing device 200 shown in Fig. 10, and the example of the information processing device 200 shown in Fig. 14 will be mainly described.

[0149] The first instruction unit 211 instructs the control device 50 to start transmitting a control signal to a first drone that belongs to a pairing group and is the control target of the control device 50 that belongs to the pairing group indicated by the pairing group information stored in the information storage unit 202. The first instruction unit 211 instructs the control device 50 to start transmitting a control signal to the first drone, for example, in response to the pairing unit 209 establishing pairing between the control device 50 and the first drone.

[0150] The instruction acquisition unit 206 acquires, for example, a control target switching instruction to switch the control target of the control device 50 from the first drone to the second drone belonging to the pairing group. In response to the instruction acquisition unit 206 acquiring the control target switching instruction, the second instruction unit 213 instructs the control device 50 to start transmitting a control signal to the second drone.

[0151] For example, in response to the second instruction unit 213 instructing the control device 50 to start transmitting a control signal to the second drone, the switching unit 216 switches the control target of the control device 50 from the first drone to the second drone by transmitting an end signal indicating the end of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device 50 to the first drone while the second drone is flying, and transmitting a start signal indicating the start of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device 50 to the second drone. The first instruction unit 211 may instruct the control device 50 to end the transmission of the control signal to the first drone in response to the completion of switching of the control target of the control device 50 by the switching unit 216.

[0152] 21 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a computer 1200 functioning as the information processing device 200. A program installed in the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the device according to the above embodiment, or cause the computer 1200 to execute operations or one or more "parts" associated with the device according to the above embodiment, and / or cause the computer 1200 to execute a process or steps of the process according to the above embodiment. Such a program can be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to execute specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0153] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216, which are connected to each other by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive 1226, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive 1226 may be a DVD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, or the like. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, or the like. The computer 1200 also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard 1242, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0154] The CPU 1212 operates according to a program stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphic controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or into itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 1218.

[0155] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD drive 1226 reads programs or data from a DVD-ROM 1227 or the like and provides the programs or data to the storage device 1224. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0156] The ROM 1230 stores therein a boot program or the like that is executed by the computer 1200 upon activation, and / or a program that depends on the hardware of the computer 1200. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via a USB port, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, and the like.

[0157] The programs are provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM 1227 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the storage device 1224, the RAM 1214, or the ROM 1230, which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 1212. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be constructed by implementing operations or processing of information according to the use of the computer 1200.

[0158] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded in the RAM 1214 and instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, the DVD-ROM 1227, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to a network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0159] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 may cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, the DVD drive 1226 (DVD-ROM 1227), an IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 1214, and perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may then write back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0160] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored in the recording medium and undergo information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequence of the program, and write back the results to the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1212 may search for an entry whose attribute value of the first attribute matches a specified condition from among the plurality of entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0161] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on the computer 1200 or in the vicinity of the computer 1200. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or a RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0162] The blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams in the present embodiment may represent stages of a process in which an operation is performed or "parts" of an apparatus responsible for performing the operation. Particular stages and "parts" may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, such as, for example, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), and the like, including AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

[0163] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by a suitable device, such that a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs or flash memories), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), static random access memories (SRAMs), compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), Blu-ray disks, memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, and the like.

[0164] The computer readable instructions may include either assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.

[0165] Computer readable instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or to a programmable circuit, either locally or over a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, etc., to cause the processor of the general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or to a programmable circuit, to execute the computer readable instructions to generate means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0166] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the description of the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0167] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before" or "prior to," and that the process may be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that the process must be performed in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0168] 10 system, 20 network, 42 ​​base station, 44 base station, 50 control device, 52 Raspberry Pi, 54 communication module, 55 user, 57 user, 60 control device, 65 user, 67 user, 85 display, 87 display, 100 drone, 120 camera, 150 control device, 152 Raspberry Pi, 154 communication module, 200 information processing device, 202 information storage unit, 204 information receiving unit, 206 instruction acquisition unit, 208 first pairing unit, 209 pairing unit, 210 response receiving unit, 211 first instruction unit, 212 instruction unit, 213 second instruction unit, 214 second pairing unit, 216 switching unit, 217 notification unit, 218 information transmission unit, 250 wireless communication module, 1200 computer, 1210 host controller, 1212 CPU, 1214 RAM, 1216 graphic controller, 1218 display device, 1220 input / output controller, 1222 communication interface, 1224 storage device, 1226 DVD drive, 1227 DVD-ROM, 1230 ROM, 1240 input / output chip, 1242 keyboard

Claims

1. A first pairing unit that establishes a first pairing between the first control device and the drone by transmitting an IP (Internet Protocol) address of the drone to a first control device and transmitting an IP address of the first control device to the drone; An instruction acquisition unit that acquires a control authority switching instruction to instruct a control device having control authority of the drone to be switched from the first control device to a second control device; a second pairing unit that, in response to the instruction acquisition unit acquiring the control authority switching instruction, transmits the IP address of the drone to the second control device while the drone is flying, and transmits the IP address of the second control device to the drone, thereby establishing a second pairing between the second control device and the drone; a switching unit that switches the control device having the control authority of the drone from the first control device to the second control device by transmitting to the drone a control authority switching signal indicating a switch from flight based on a control signal transmitted by the first control device to flight based on a control signal transmitted by the second control device in response to the second pairing being established by the second pairing unit; An information processing device comprising:

2. a pairing unit that transmits an IP address of the first drone and an IP address of the second drone to a control device and transmits an IP address of the control device to the first drone and the second drone, thereby establishing a first pairing between the control device and the first drone and a second pairing between the control device and the second drone, respectively; An instruction acquisition unit that acquires a control object switching instruction to switch the control object of the control device from the first drone to the second drone; a switching unit that switches the controlled object of the control device from the first drone to the second drone by transmitting an end signal to the first drone, indicating that flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device will be terminated, and transmitting a start signal to the second drone, indicating that flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device will be initiated, while the second drone is flying, in response to the instruction acquisition unit acquiring the control object switching instruction; An information processing device comprising:

3. An information storage unit that stores pairing group information indicating a pairing group composed of a plurality of drones and a plurality of control devices; A pairing unit that establishes a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of pilots and each of the plurality of drones by transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of pilots to each of the plurality of pilots based on the pairing group information and transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of pilots to each of the plurality of drones; An instruction acquisition unit that acquires a control authority switching instruction to instruct a control device having control authority of a drone belonging to the pairing group to be switched from a first control device belonging to the pairing group to a second control device belonging to the pairing group; a switching unit that switches the control device having the control authority of the drone from the first control device to the second control device by transmitting a control authority switching signal to the drone, the control authority switching signal indicating that the drone will be switched from flying based on a control signal transmitted by the first control device to flying based on a control signal transmitted by the second control device, while the drone is flying, in response to the instruction acquisition unit acquiring the control authority switching command; An information processing device comprising:

4. An information storage unit that stores pairing group information indicating a pairing group composed of a plurality of drones and a plurality of control devices; A pairing unit that establishes a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of pilots and each of the plurality of drones by transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of pilots to each of the plurality of pilots based on the pairing group information and transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of pilots to each of the plurality of drones; A first instruction unit that instructs the control device to start transmitting a control signal to a first drone that belongs to the pairing group and is a control target of the control device that belongs to the pairing group; An instruction acquisition unit that acquires a control object switching instruction to instruct the control device to switch the control object from the first drone to a second drone belonging to the pairing group; A second instruction unit that instructs the control device to start transmitting a control signal to the second drone in response to the instruction acquisition unit acquiring the control target switching instruction; a switching unit that switches the control target of the control device from the first drone to the second drone by transmitting an end signal to the first drone, indicating an end of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device, while the second drone is flying, and transmitting a start signal to the second drone, indicating a start of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device, in response to the second instruction unit instructing the control device to start transmitting a control signal to the second drone; Equipped with The first instruction unit instructs the control device to end transmission of the control signal to the first drone in response to completion of switching of the control target of the control device by the switching unit. Information processing device.

5. A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1 ; The drone; The first control device; The second control device; A system comprising:

7. The information processing device according to claim 2 ; The first drone; and The second drone; and The control device; A system comprising:

8. The information processing device according to claim 3 ; The plurality of drones; The plurality of control devices; A system comprising:

9. An information processing device according to claim 4; The plurality of drones; The plurality of control devices; A system comprising:

10. 1. A computer-implemented information processing method, comprising: a first pairing step of establishing a first pairing between the first pilot and the drone by transmitting an IP address of the drone to a first pilot and transmitting an IP address of the first pilot to the drone; An instruction acquisition step of acquiring a control authority switching instruction to switch a control device having control authority of the drone from the first control device to a second control device; a second pairing step of establishing a second pairing between the second control device and the drone by transmitting the IP address of the drone to the second control device and transmitting the IP address of the second control device to the drone while the drone is flying in response to acquiring the control authority switching command in the command acquisition step; a switching step of switching the control device having the control authority of the drone from the first control device to the second control device by transmitting a control authority switching signal to the drone, the control authority switching signal indicating a switch from flight based on a control signal transmitted by the first control device to flight based on a control signal transmitted by the second control device, in response to the establishment of the second pairing in the second pairing step; An information processing method comprising:

11. 1. A computer-implemented information processing method, comprising: a pairing step of establishing a first pairing between the pilot and the first drone and a second pairing between the pilot and the second drone by transmitting an IP address of the first drone and an IP address of the second drone to the pilot and transmitting an IP address of the pilot to the first drone and the second drone; An instruction acquisition step of acquiring a control object switching instruction for instructing the control device to switch the control object from the first drone to the second drone; a switching step of switching the controlled object of the control device from the first drone to the second drone by transmitting an end signal indicating an end of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device to the first drone while the second drone is flying, and transmitting a start signal indicating a start of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the control device to the second drone in response to acquiring the control object switching instruction in the instruction acquiring step; An information processing method comprising:

12. 1. A computer-implemented information processing method, comprising: A pairing step of establishing a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of pilots and each of the plurality of drones by transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of drones to each of the plurality of pilots and transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of pilots to each of the plurality of drones based on pairing group information stored in the computer and indicating a pairing group composed of a plurality of drones and a plurality of pilots; An instruction acquisition step of acquiring a control authority switching instruction to switch a control device having control authority of a drone belonging to the pairing group from a first control device belonging to the pairing group to a second control device belonging to the pairing group; a switching step of switching the control device having the control authority of the drone from the first control device to the second control device by transmitting a control authority switching signal to the drone, the control authority switching signal indicating a switch from flight based on a control signal transmitted by the first control device to flight based on a control signal transmitted by the second control device, while the drone is flying, in response to acquiring the control authority switching command in the command acquisition step; An information processing method comprising:

13. 1. A computer-implemented information processing method, comprising: A pairing step of establishing a plurality of pairings between each of the plurality of pilots and each of the plurality of drones by transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of drones to each of the plurality of pilots and transmitting an IP address of each of the plurality of pilots to each of the plurality of drones based on pairing group information stored in the computer and indicating a pairing group composed of a plurality of drones and a plurality of pilots; A first instruction stage instructs the control device to start transmitting a control signal to a first drone belonging to the pairing group, which is a control target of the control device belonging to the pairing group; An instruction acquisition step of acquiring a control object switching instruction for instructing the control device to switch the control object from the first drone to a second drone belonging to the pairing group; A second instruction step of instructing the control device to start transmitting a control signal to the second drone in response to acquiring the control target switching instruction in the instruction acquisition step; a switching step of switching the controlled object of the controller from the first drone to the second drone by transmitting an end signal indicating an end of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the controller to the first drone while the second drone is flying, and transmitting a start signal indicating an start of flight based on the control signal transmitted by the controller to the second drone, in response to instructing the controller to start transmitting a control signal to the second drone in the second instruction step; Equipped with The first instruction step includes a step of instructing the control device to end transmission of the control signal to the first drone in response to completion of switching of the control target of the control device in the switching step, Information processing methods.

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