Flight control device, flight control system, flight control method, and flight control program

Abstract

To provide a flight control program capable of predicting or preventing a collision of drones.SOLUTION: A flight control program that controls flights of drones causes a computer to execute occupying airspace setting step S45 of setting an occupying airspace of a first drone on the basis of position information of the first drone, and setting an occupying airspace of a second drone on the basis of position information of the second drone, and interference determination step S70 of determining an interference condition of each of the occupying airspace of the first drone and the occupying airspace of the second drone.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a flight control device, a flight control system, a flight control method, and a flight control program for controlling the flight of a drone. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) have been used for commercial purposes such as logistics and delivery, surveying, aerial photography, and agriculture, as well as recreational purposes.

[0003] Drones are remotely controlled by radio waves and are susceptible to wind, especially outdoors, so it is relatively difficult to fly them along a desired flight path, which increases the possibility of them colliding with buildings or other drones during flight.

[0004] In order to avoid such drone collisions, various collision avoidance methods have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-196880 [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-117129 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the collision avoidance system in Patent Document 1 is for fixed structures such as buildings, and paragraph 0042 of the same document only states that "based on surrounding environment information indicating the presence of drone 2, it is predicted whether drone 2 is likely to collide with building 6," and no specific prediction method is disclosed. Therefore, the system cannot be directly applied to collision avoidance between drones flying against each other.

[0007] In addition, the control system described in Patent Document 2 uses lighting colors and blinking patterns, and audio to allow other operators to predict the presence and movement of the drone. It also describes a system in which a drone transmits radio waves to other drones and receives radio waves from them to notify them of the approach of other drones. However, both methods require the installation of new devices and sensors for collision avoidance, and therefore are not very versatile.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a flight control device, a flight control system, a flight control method, and a flight control program that are capable of predicting or preventing collisions between drones. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] (1) One aspect of the present invention is a flight control device that controls the flight of drones, and includes an occupied airspace setting unit that sets an occupied airspace for a first drone based on position information of the first drone, and sets an occupied airspace for the second drone based on position information of the second drone, and an interference determination unit that determines an interference state between the occupied airspace of the first drone and the occupied airspace of the second drone. (2) In the above aspect (1), an alarm may be issued if the interference determination unit determines that the airspace occupied by the first drone and the airspace occupied by the second drone are in an interference state. (3) Another aspect of the present invention is a flight control system including a flight control device of aspect (2) above, a first control device that automatically controls the flight of the first drone, and a second control device that automatically controls the flight of the second drone, and the flight control device may report the alarm to at least one of the first control device and the second control device. (4) In the aspect (3) above, the control device to which the alarm is issued may perform emergency operation control on the drone it controls. (5) In the above aspect (3) or (4), the flight control device may output the airspace occupied by the first drone to at least the second control device, or may output the airspace occupied by the second drone to at least the first control device. (6) Another aspect of the present invention is a flight control system including a flight control device of aspect (2) above, a first control device that automatically controls the flight of the first drone, and a control device that controls the flight of a third drone, wherein the second drone is the third drone controlled by a pilot, and the flight control device may report the alarm on at least one of the first control device and a display unit visible to the pilot. (7) In the aspect (6) above, the flight control device may output at least the airspace occupied by the first drone to the display unit, or may output the airspace occupied by the third drone to at least the first control device. (8) Another aspect of the present invention is a flight control method for controlling the flight of a drone in a computer, the method including: an occupied airspace setting step of setting an occupied airspace for a first drone based on position information of the first drone, and setting an occupied airspace for the second drone based on position information of the second drone; and an interference determination step of determining an interference state between the airspace occupied by the first drone and the airspace occupied by the second drone. (9) Another aspect of the present invention is a flight control program for controlling the flight of drones, which causes a computer to execute an occupied airspace setting step of setting an occupied airspace for a first drone based on position information of the first drone, and setting an occupied airspace for the second drone based on position information of the second drone, and an interference determination step of determining an interference state between the occupied airspace of the first drone and the occupied airspace of the second drone. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a flight control device, a flight control system, a flight control method, and a flight control program that are capable of predicting or preventing collisions between drones. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a flight control system of a first embodiment according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a flight control method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the extent of occupied airspace. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a control (operation) screen on which an occupied airspace is set. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a flight control system of a second embodiment according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the description of the embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a flight control system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The flight control system 1 controls the flights of the first and second drones D1, D2, and includes a first control device 10 that automatically controls the flight of the first drone D1, a second control device 20 that automatically controls the flight of one or more second drones D2, and a flight control device 100 that can communicate with the first control device 10 and the second control device 20.

[0014] The first drone D1 is a mobile object equipped with a propeller or other propulsion device, and can fly freely in a three-dimensional space by remote control or automatic control. The second drone D2 is similar to the first drone D1, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0015] This drone D1 is equipped with, for example, a position detection device that detects its own position (latitude, longitude, and altitude), a wireless communication device (including an antenna) that can communicate with the control devices 10 and 20, an obstacle sensor, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a power source (battery), and the like.

[0016] The position detection device includes an antenna that receives radio waves from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) (including Real-Time Kinematics (RTK)) and a processor (CPU) that detects its own position from the received radio waves. The obstacle sensor is composed of, for example, a camera and a laser sensor for measuring distance, and detects various structures such as surrounding buildings. The processor (CPU) also controls the propulsion unit and the like according to the received flight control commands.

[0017] Furthermore, the drone D1 can transmit aircraft identification information (remote ID) to the flight control device 100. The remote ID is linked to aircraft information (type, manufacturer, model, serial number, etc.) and pilot information (name, skill certificate, etc.) by a different system.

[0018] The first control device 10 is composed of a personal computer or the like, and includes a processing unit, a memory unit, a communication unit, an input unit, a display unit, etc. This control device 10 transmits flight control commands such as takeoff / landing, ascent / descent, forward / backward, acceleration / deceleration, steering, etc. to the processing unit of the drone D1 in order to automatically control the flight speed and flight direction of the drone D1.

[0019] The control device 10 also receives position information from the drone D1. The control device 10 may correct the position information received from the drone D1 using information from a ground reference station of a satellite positioning system. In addition, when flying indoors, the drone D1 may measure its own position by capturing an image of one or more markers indicating position information.

[0020] In this way, the control device 10 can fly the drone D1 according to the planned flight path. The second control device 20 has the same configuration as the control device 10 except that the control target is the second drone D2, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0021] The flight control device 100 controls the controlled airspace of a predetermined area in which the drones D1 and D2 fly. The flight control device 100 is composed of a personal computer or the like, and includes a processing unit 110, a storage unit 120, a communication unit 130, an input unit 140, a display unit 150, and the like.

[0022] The processing unit 110 is composed of a CPU, and also functions as an occupied airspace setting unit, an interference determination unit, a notification unit, and the like, which will be described later.

[0023] The storage unit 120 stores, for example, programs (applications) executed by the processing unit 110 and data (files) referenced by the processing unit 110. Examples of the programs include a file operation program and a flight control program, which will be described later.

[0024] Examples of the data include map (building) information including the controlled airspace, and location information described later. The map information may be stored in a storage unit of a server separate from the flight control device 100. In this case, various data may be received from the separate server and temporarily stored in the storage unit 120 (as a cache).

[0025] The communication unit 130 transmits and receives data via a wired or wireless connection to and from external devices such as the control devices 10 and 20. Note that data (e.g., location information, remote ID, etc.) may also be received directly from the drones D1 and D2.

[0026] The input unit 140 is configured, for example, with a mouse and keyboard, and is used by an operator to give instructions to the flight control system 100 (processing unit 110).

[0027] The display unit 150 is configured with a monitor, and displays various data, operation screens, and display images as necessary. For example, the display unit 150 displays the occupied airspaces A1 and A2 described below together with the positions of the drones D1 and D2 so that the operator can visually confirm them.

[0028] In addition, the flight control device 100 may be provided with a printing unit that is configured with a printer and prints various data, display images, etc., as necessary.

[0029] The flight control device 100 of the flight control system 1 stores some of the following steps as a flight control program in the storage unit 120, and executes the flight control program to realize the function of each step in the processing unit 110, etc. A flight control method in the flight control system 1 will be described below. Fig. 2 is a flow diagram showing a flight control method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the range of the occupied airspace A1. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a control (operation) screen showing the occupied airspaces A1 and A2. In Fig. 4, the symbol B indicates a building into which the drones D1 and D2 cannot enter.

[0030] First, we will explain the processing in the drones D1, D2 and the control devices 10, 20. However, since the processing in the drones D1, D2 and the control devices 10, 20 is the same except for the control targets, the description of the drone D2 and the control device 20 will be omitted as appropriate.

[0031] When a certain timing arrives during flight control of the drone D1 by the control device 10, the drone D1 executes a positioning step S10.

[0032] In the positioning step S10, the drone D1 measures its own position (latitude, longitude, and altitude) using a satellite positioning system. Then, the drone D1 stores its own position information (X, Y, Z) in the storage unit of the drone D1.

[0033] In the position information transmission step S20, the drone D1 transmits its own position information to the control device 10, and in the transmission / reception completion step S23, receives a notification of reception completion from the control device 10. Note that the drone D1 may repeatedly transmit the position information until receiving a notification of reception completion from the control device 10.

[0034] In the position information receiving step S21, when the control device 10 receives the first position information of the drone D1 (step S21-YES), it transmits a reception completion notification to the drone D1 in a reception completion transmission step S22. The first position information received in the position information receiving step S21 is stored in the storage unit of the control device 10 as first flight information together with the flight speed and flight direction used by the control device 10 for flight control of the drone D1.

[0035] In the flight information transmission step S30, the control device 10 transmits the first flight information to the flight control device 100, and receives a notification of completion of reception from the flight control device 100 in the transmission and reception completion step S33. Note that the flight information may be transmitted repeatedly until a notification of completion of reception is received from the flight control device 100. The steps from the positioning step S10 to the flight information transmission step S30 are executed for all drones controlled by the flight control device 100, including the second drone D2. Also, if the first position information of the drone D1 is not received in the position information reception step S21 (step S21-NO), the process proceeds to the occupied airspace reception step S51.

[0036] Next, the internal processing of the flight control system 100 begins. In the flight information receiving step S31, when the flight control device 100 receives the first flight information via the communication unit 130 (step S31-YES), it transmits a reception completion notification to the control device 10 in a reception completion transmission step S32. The first flight information received in the flight information receiving step S31 is stored in the storage unit 120.

[0037] At this time, the flight control device 100 waits until it receives flight information in the flight information reception step S31 (step S31-NO), and acquires flight information on all flight control targets including the second drone D2 in addition to the flight information on the first drone D1. The timing of receiving this flight information may be any time before the interference determination step S70 described later. Then, the following occupied airspace calculation step S40 to occupied airspace transmission step S50 may be performed sequentially for each flight information reception timing, or may be performed all at once after all flight information is received.

[0038] In the occupied airspace calculation step S40, the range of the occupied airspace A1 of the drone D1 is calculated based on the external dimension data of the drone D1 acquired in advance based on the remote ID, etc., and the first flight information acquired in the flight information reception step S31. This occupied airspace A1 is a flight airspace that one drone (e.g., D1) can exclusively monopolize, and can be said to be a virtual defensive shield that prevents the intrusion of the other drone (e.g., D2).

[0039] The range of the occupied airspace A1, that is, the shape of the occupied airspace A1, is not particularly limited and may be any three-dimensional shape such as an oval sphere, rectangular parallelepiped, or cube, but a sphere is preferable in terms of reducing the amount of calculation.

[0040] Therefore, if the range of the occupied airspace A1 is set to a sphere, the radius R1 of the occupied airspace A1 can be calculated by adding the radius d1 of the circumscribing circle capable of accommodating the drone D1, the travel distance L1 per unit time, and the safety distance M1 including measurement error, as shown in equation (1) (see Figure 3). Formula (1)...R1=(d1+L1+M1)

[0041] In addition, instead of the safety distance M1, a safety factor K1 may be used as in the formula (2). Formula (2)...R1=(d1+L1)×K1

[0042] However, the safety distance M1 or safety factor K1 may be selected appropriately depending on the external dimensions, weight, (average) flight speed, number of drones flying simultaneously, etc. of the drone D1.

[0043] Further, the moving distance L1 per unit time may be calculated by the processing unit 110 of the flight control device 100 based on the first flight information as in this embodiment, but may also be calculated by the processing unit of the control device 10.

[0044] Next, in an occupied airspace setting step S41, the airspace is set as a controlled airspace controlled by the flight control device 100. At this time, it is preferable to display the set occupied airspace A1 on the display unit 150 (see FIG. 4).

[0045] In the occupied airspace transmission step S50, the flight control device 100 transmits information on at least the occupied airspace A2 (A1) of the other drone D2 (D1) among all the occupied airspaces A1, A2 calculated and set, to the control device 10 (20) that controls the flight of the drone D1 (D2). More preferably, information on all the occupied airspaces A1, A2 calculated and set may be transmitted to the control devices 10, 20, respectively. Next, in the transmission and reception completion step S53, a notification of reception completion is received from the control devices 10, 20. The flight control device 100 may be configured to repeatedly transmit the occupied airspace information until a notification of reception completion is received from the control devices 10, 20.

[0046] After that, the process shifts again to the internal processing in the control devices 10 and 20. In the occupied airspace receiving step S51, when the control device 10 receives information on at least the occupied airspace A2 of the other drone D2 (step S51-YES), it transmits a reception completion notification to the flight control device 100 in a reception completion transmission step S52. The occupied airspace A2 received in the occupied airspace receiving step S51 is stored in the memory unit of the control device 10. On the other hand, if the occupied airspace is not received in the occupied airspace receiving step S51 (step S51-NO), the process proceeds to the warning receiving step S81.

[0047] In the next occupied airspace establishing step S60, the controller 10 establishes the occupied airspace A2 based on the occupied airspace A2 (see FIG. 4).

[0048] Here, the internal processing of the flight control system 100 will be explained again. At the same time as or around the time of the occupied airspace transmission step S50, an interference determination step S70 is executed. In the interference determination step S70, an interference determination unit (processing unit) 110 determines whether the occupied airspace A1 on one side and the occupied airspace A2 on the other side are in an interference state of contact or intersection or more, or are in a non-interference state, for example, by comparing the center coordinates and radius of the occupied airspace A1 with the coordinates of the outer surface of the occupied airspace A2.

[0049] If the result of the determination is a non-interference state (step S70-NO), it can be said that there is no intrusion of the other drone D2 and the possibility of collision is low. Therefore, the flight can be continued until the next unit time has elapsed.

[0050] On the other hand, if the result of the determination is an interference state (step S70-YES), it can be said that the other drone D2 has intruded and there is a high risk of collision.

[0051] Incidentally, when there are two drones D1 and D2 to be controlled, the interference between the occupied airspace A1 and the occupied airspace A2 is a relative relationship, so it is advisable to make a judgment for at least one of the drones (for example, D1). Also, when there are n drones D1, D2, etc. to be controlled, it is advisable to make a judgment for at least "n × (n-1) / 2" combinations.

[0052] If the result of the determination in the interference determination step S70 is an interference state (step S70-YES), the flight control device 100 executes an alarm issuance step S80. In the alarm issuance step S80, the alarm unit (processing unit) 110 issues or outputs an alarm.

[0053] The destination of the alarm notification / output may be at least one, and preferably both (all) of the control devices 10, 20. Furthermore, the alarm may be displayed as an alert on the display unit 150 of the flight control device 100. In the transmission / reception completion step S83, a notification of reception completion is received from the control device 10, 20. Note that the alarm may be repeatedly notified or output until a notification of reception completion is received from the control device 10, 20. Furthermore, if the result of the determination in the interference determination step S70 is a non-interference state (step S70-NO) or if a notification of reception completion is received in the transmission / reception completion step S83, the process proceeds to the flight information reception step S31.

[0054] The explanation will return to the internal processing in the control devices 10 and 20. Here again, the internal processing in the control devices 10 and 20 is the same except that the control targets are different drones D1 and D2, so the control device 10 in which the alarm was issued will be explained as a representative example.

[0055] In the warning reception step S81, when the control device 10 receives a warning notified from the flight control device 100 (step S81-YES), the control device 10 transmits a notification of reception completion to the flight control device 100 in a reception completion transmission step S82.

[0056] Furthermore, the control device 10 that has received the alarm issues an emergency operation command to the drone D1 in an emergency operation command step S84, and receives a notification of completion of reception from the drone D1 in a transmission / reception completion step S87. The control device 10 may be configured to repeatedly transmit the emergency operation command until it receives a notification of completion of reception from the drone D1.

[0057] In the emergency operation reception step S85, when the drone D1 receives an emergency operation command (step S85-YES), a reception completion notification is sent to the control device 10 in the reception completion sending step S86, and the drone D1 proceeds to the next emergency operation step S88.

[0058] When the process proceeds to the emergency operation step S88, at least one of the drones D1 and D2 executes emergency operation to land or hover (stop in the air) according to the emergency operation control of the corresponding control device 10 or 20. After the emergency operation step S88 is completed, or if the drone D1 does not receive an emergency operation command in the emergency operation reception step S85 (step S85-NO), the process proceeds to the positioning step S10.

[0059] Here, the warning of the interference state may be in multiple stages, such as a first warning and a second warning, depending on the amount of interference. When the amount of interference is small, a first emergency operation command to hover may be issued with the first warning, and when the amount of interference becomes larger, a second emergency operation command to land may be issued with the second warning.

[0060] Returning to the interference determination step S70, if the determination result is a non-interference state and the alarm notification step S80 is not executed (i.e., if no alarm is received in the alarm reception step S81) (step S81-NO), the control devices 10, 20 will execute the flight airspace inspection step S90 and then proceed to the position information reception step S21.

[0061] In the flight airspace inspection step S90, the occupied airspaces A1 and A2 set in the occupied airspace setting step S60 are compared with the planned flight routes of the drones D1 and D2, and, for example, it is investigated whether the planned flight route of the drone D1 (and the occupied airspace A1) passes through (intersects) the occupied airspace A2. If the investigation shows that the planned flight route of the drone D1 (and the occupied airspace A1) passes through the occupied airspace A2, the control device 10 may correct the planned flight route of the drone D1 based on the position of the occupied airspace A2, without changing the final destination, so as not to invade the occupied airspace A2. The planned flight route may be corrected by the operator.

[0062] In this way, the control device 10 modifies the planned flight path of the controlled object so that the other drone D1 does not fly in the occupied airspace A2 established in the occupied airspace establishment step S60.

[0063] Thereafter, the flight control system 1 repeatedly executes steps from positioning step S10 to flight airspace inspection step S90 every time a unit time elapses, thereby controlling the flights of multiple drones D1, D2 and avoiding and preventing collisions between the drones D1, D2.

[0064] Next, a flight control system 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a flight control system 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] The flight control system 1 of the second embodiment includes a first control device 10 that automatically controls the flight of a first drone D1, a first control device 20 that automatically controls the flight of a second drone D2, a third control device 30 that remotely controls the flight of one or more third drones D3, and a flight control device 100 that can communicate with the first control device 10 and the third control device 30.

[0066] Note that there may be multiple drones D1, D2, and D3, and multiple corresponding control devices 10, 20 and control devices 30. The second drone D2 can be rephrased as the first drone D1 in that it is automatically controlled by the control device 20. Therefore, the relationship between the drones D1 and D2 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and the relationship between the drones D2 and D3 is the same as that between the drones D1 and D3, so the description thereof will be omitted.

[0067] The control device 30 is configured as a so-called radio control device that has transmitting and receiving antennas and sticks and buttons for XYZ axis operation so that a pilot can control it.

[0068] The pilot of this drone D3 places an auxiliary device 31 equipped with a display unit such as a monitor in addition to the control device 30. This auxiliary device 31 is composed of a personal computer or the like, and is connected to the drone D3, the control device 30, and the flight control device 100 so as to be able to communicate wirelessly or via wires. The display unit of the auxiliary device 31 may be a head-mounted display, or the control device 30 and the auxiliary device 31 may be integrated.

[0069] A flight control method in the flight control system 1 of the second embodiment will be described. The flight control method of the second embodiment is almost the same as the flight control method of the first embodiment, except for the following points.

[0070] In the position information transmission step S20, the drone D3 may transmit its own position information measured by the drone D3 to the flight control device 100 directly from the drone D3 or via the piloting device 30 or auxiliary device 31.

[0071] Furthermore, when the information or instructions transmitted from the flight control device 100 to the drone D3, such as the occupied airspace receiving step S51 or the warning receiving step S81, are received by the auxiliary device 31. In addition, in the case of the drones D1 and D2, the same as in the first embodiment.

[0072] At this time, for example, if the flight control device 100 outputs information on the occupied airspace A1 of the other drone D1 to at least the auxiliary device 31, the pilot can continue flying the drone D3 while performing operations to avoid a collision or to avoid a detour in the occupied airspace A1 of the other drone. Alternatively, if the flight control device 100 outputs information on the occupied airspace A3 of the drone D3 to at least the control device 10, the control device 10 can perform avoidance flight control so that the drone D1 does not enter the occupied airspace A3.

[0073] However, for greater safety, it is advisable to output information on the occupied airspace A1 and the occupied airspace A3 to the control device 10 and the auxiliary device 31, respectively.

[0074] Similarly, the flight control system 100 may output an alarm to at least one of the control device 10 and the auxiliary device 31, and more safely, to both.

[0075] Here, if the display unit of the auxiliary device 31 is a head-mounted display worn by the pilot, the occupied airspaces A1, A2 (, A3) as shown in Fig. 4 may be virtually added (decorated) and displayed in the actual flight space visible to the pilot using augmented reality (AR) technology. Also, if the display unit is a general monitor, the occupied airspaces A1, A2 (, A3) may be superimposed on the background of live video from the drone D3 camera or a fixed camera.

[0076] As described above, the flight control device 100 of the first and second embodiments of the present invention is a flight control device 100 that controls the flights of drones D1, D2, and D3, and is equipped with an occupied airspace setting unit (processing unit) 110 that sets the occupied airspace A1 of the first drone D1 based on position information of the first drone D1, and sets the occupied airspaces A2, A3 of the second drones D2, D3 based on position information of the second drones D2, D3, and an interference determination unit (processing unit) 110 that determines the interference state between the occupied airspace A1 of the first drone D1 and the occupied airspaces A2, A3 of the second drones D2, D3.

[0077] This makes it possible to determine the interference state between the airspaces A1, A2, and A3 occupied by the drones D1, D2, and D3, and therefore to predict and prevent collisions between the drones D1, D2, and D3.

[0078] The flight control device 100 of the first and second embodiments issues an alarm when the interference determination unit 110 determines that the occupied airspace A1 of the first drone D1 and the occupied airspaces A2 and A3 of the second drones D2 and D3 are in an interference state. This makes it possible to issue an alarm to notify the risk of collision between the drones D1, D2, and D3.

[0079] The flight control system 1 of the first embodiment includes a first control device 10 and a second control device 20, and the flight control device 100 issues an alarm to at least one of the first control device 10 and the second control device 20. This makes it possible to select an action to avoid an interference state according to the flight priority of multiple drones D1 and D2.

[0080] In the flight control system 1 of the first embodiment, the control devices 10 and 20 that have received an alarm perform emergency operation control on the drones D1 and D2 that they control. This allows emergency operation control to be performed only on the selected drones D1 and D2.

[0081] In the flight control system 1 of the first embodiment, (information about) the first occupied airspace A1 is output to at least the display unit of the control device 20, or (information about) the second occupied airspace A2 is output to at least the first control device 10. This allows at least one of the control devices 10, 20 to select an interference avoidance action for the drones D1, D2, thereby making it possible to avoid a collision between the drones D1, D2.

[0082] The flight control system 1 of the second embodiment includes a first control device 10 and a control device 30 that is controlled by a pilot and controls the flight of a third drone D3, and the flight control device 100 outputs an alarm to at least one of the first control device 10 and the display unit of the auxiliary device 31 that is visible to the pilot. This makes it possible to select an action to avoid an interference state according to the flight priority of the multiple drones D1 and D3.

[0083] In the flight control system 1 of the second embodiment, (information about) the first occupied airspace A1 is output to at least the display unit of the auxiliary device 31, or (information about) the third occupied airspace A3 is output to at least the first control device 10. This allows the pilot of the drone D3 to recognize the occupied airspace A1 of the drone D1, or allows the control device 10 to perform emergency operation control on the drone D1, thereby making it possible to avoid collision between the drones D1 and D3.

[0084] The flight control method of the first and second embodiments according to the present invention is a flight control method for controlling the flight of drones D1, D2, and D3 in a computer, and includes an occupied airspace setting step S41 for setting an occupied airspace A1 of the first drone D1 based on the position information of the first drone D1 and setting an occupied airspace A2, A3 of the second drones D2, D3 based on the position information of the second drones D2, D3, and an interference determination step S70 for determining an interference state between the occupied airspace A1 of the first drone D1 and the occupied airspaces A2, A3 of the second drones D2, D3. This provides the same effect as the flight control device 100.

[0085] The flight control program of the first and second embodiments according to the present invention is a flight control program for controlling the flight of drones D1, D2, and D3, and causes a computer to execute an occupied airspace setting step S41 for setting an occupied airspace A1 of the first drone D1 based on the position information of the first drone D1, and for setting the occupied airspaces A2 and A3 of the second drones D2 and D3 based on the position information of the second drones D2 and D3, and an interference determination step S70 for determining the interference state between the occupied airspace A1 of the first drone D1 and the occupied airspaces A2 and A3 of the second drones D2 and D3. This provides the same effect as the flight control device 100.

[0086] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

[0087] (Modification) In each of the above embodiments, the flight control device 100 and the control devices 10, 20 that automatically control the flight of the drones D1, D2 are separate devices, but the flight control device 100 may automatically control the flight of the drones D1, D2. Also, the control devices 10, 20 may automatically control only the flight of the drones D1, D2, and the steps from the position information receiving step S21 to the flight airspace inspection step S90 may be assigned to a defense device provided as a separate device capable of communicating with the control devices 10, 20.

[0088] In each of the above embodiments, the drones D1, D2, and D3 avoid collisions based on the occupied airspaces A1, A2, and A3, but may also avoid collisions by using obstacle sensors in combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1. Flight Control System 10 Control device 20 Control device 30 Control equipment, 31 Auxiliary equipment 100 Flight control equipment 110 Processing unit, 120 Memory unit, 130 Communication unit, 140 Input unit, 150 Display unit D1, D2, D3 drones, A1, A2, A3 occupied airspace, B building

Claims

1. A flight control device that controls the flight of a drone, an occupied airspace setting unit that sets an occupied airspace for a first drone based on position information of the first drone, and sets an occupied airspace for the second drone based on position information of a second drone; and an interference determination unit that determines an interference state between the airspace occupied by the first drone and the airspace occupied by the second drone. A flight control device characterized by:

2. When the interference determination unit determines that the airspace occupied by the first drone and the airspace occupied by the second drone are in an interference state, an alarm is issued.

2. A flight control system as claimed in claim 1.

3. A flight control device according to claim 2; A first control device that automatically controls the flight of the first drone; A flight control system including a second control device that automatically controls the flight of the second drone, The flight control device notifies at least one of the first control device and the second control device of the warning. A flight control system characterized by:

4. The control device to which the alarm is issued performs emergency operation control on the drone it controls.

4. A flight control system as claimed in claim 3.

5. The flight control device outputs the occupied airspace of the first drone to at least the second control device, or outputs the occupied airspace of the second drone to at least the first control device.

5. A flight control system according to claim 3 or 4.

6. A flight control device according to claim 2; A first control device that automatically controls the flight of the first drone; A flight control system including a control device for controlling the flight of the third drone, the second drone is the third drone piloted by a pilot; The flight control device notifies the alarm to at least one of the first control device and a display unit visible to the pilot. A flight control system characterized by:

7. The flight control device outputs at least the occupied airspace of the first drone to the display unit, or outputs at least the occupied airspace of the third drone to the first control device.

7. A flight control system as claimed in claim 6.

8. A flight control method for controlling the flight of a drone in a computer, comprising: an occupied airspace setting step of setting an occupied airspace for a first drone based on position information of the first drone, and setting an occupied airspace for the second drone based on position information of a second drone; An interference determination step of determining an interference state between the airspace occupied by the first drone and the airspace occupied by the second drone, A flight control method comprising:

9. A flight control program that controls the flight of a drone, an occupied airspace setting step of setting an occupied airspace for a first drone based on position information of the first drone, and setting an occupied airspace for the second drone based on position information of a second drone; an interference determination step of determining an interference state between the airspace occupied by the first drone and the airspace occupied by the second drone; A flight control program characterized by:

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