Flight controller and flight control method

Abstract

To enable flight control of an aircraft, in which an aircraft such as a drone can avoid a collision with another drone without modifying or resetting a pre-set flight route.SOLUTION: A flight controller, when an aircraft 10 which can keep a stationary flight flies along a pre-set flight route 12, includes: setting a common area 20 in which each flight route 12 of aircrafts 10 interferes, on the basis of each flight route 12; setting an aircraft 10 whose flight route 12 interferes with that of another aircraft in the common area 20 as an interference aircraft; setting one interference aircraft as a permitted aircraft and other interference aircrafts as deterrent aircrafts among the interference aircrafts; controlling the permitted aircraft to be able to fly and approach to the common area 20; and controlling the deterrent aircrafts to keep stationary flights without approaching to the common area 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a flight control device and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles known as drones, which are flying objects with automatic flight control, has been rapidly increasing. Drones are usually controlled to fly along a set flight path (route), but during flight, the flight path is generally corrected or reset to avoid collisions with obstacles such as other drones (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-113509 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, drone flight paths are usually designed as optimal paths that satisfy given optimal conditions, such as being the shortest route and being less affected by wind, without taking into account the presence of other drones. For this reason, it would be extremely convenient if a method could be developed that could avoid collisions between drones without modifying or resetting flight paths designed as optimal paths.

[0005] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to realize a technology that enables flight control of an aircraft to avoid collisions without correcting or resetting a preset flight path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first invention for solving the above problem is: A flight control device that flies an aircraft capable of stopping flight along a preset flight path, A shared area setting means (for example, the shared area setting unit 202 in FIG. 6) for setting a shared area where the flight paths interfere based on the flight paths of the respective aircraft; An entry permission setting means (for example, the entry permission setting unit 204 in FIG. 6) that sets an aircraft whose flight path interferes with the shared area as an interfering aircraft, and sets one of the interfering aircraft as an allowed aircraft and the other as a prohibited aircraft; A shared area passage flight control means (for example, the shared area passage flight control unit 208 in FIG. 6) that controls the permitted aircraft to fly into the shared area and controls the inhibited aircraft to fly stopped without entering the shared area; A flight control device equipped with the above.

[0007] Other inventions include: A flight control method for flying a flying object capable of stopping flight along a preset flight path, comprising: Setting a shared area where the flight paths interfere based on the flight paths of each of the aircraft (for example, step S3 of FIG. 7); Setting aircraft whose flight paths interfere with the shared area as interfering aircraft, and setting one of the interfering aircraft as an allowed aircraft and the other as inhibited aircraft (for example, steps S5, S7, and S15 in FIG. 7); Controlling the permitted flying object to fly into the shared area and controlling the inhibited flying object to fly stopped without entering the shared area (for example, step S17 in FIG. 7); A flight control method may be configured to include the following.

[0008] According to the first invention, flight control of an aircraft can be realized to avoid collisions between the aircraft without modifying or resetting the flight path preset for the aircraft. In other words, collisions between aircraft can occur in an area where flight paths interfere with each other, but the interfering area is set as a shared area, and one interfering aircraft is set as an allowed aircraft that can enter the shared area, while other interfering aircraft are set as an inhibiting aircraft that does not allow entry into the shared area. This allows only one aircraft at most to enter the shared area, and collisions between the aircraft can be avoided. In addition, the inhibiting aircraft is prevented from entering the shared area by stopping its flight, so collisions between the aircraft can be avoided without changing the flight path preset.

[0009] The second invention is the above-mentioned invention, the shared area setting means sets an obstacle point to the shared area for each flight path of the aircraft; The shared area passing flight control means controls the inhibiting flying vehicle to stop flying at or just before the obstruction location. It is a flight control device.

[0010] According to the second invention, by setting obstacle points for each flight path that prevent entry into the shared area and cause the flight to stop, flight control can be reliably and easily achieved to prevent the inhibiting aircraft from entering the shared area.

[0011] The third invention is the above-mentioned invention, A position acquisition means (e.g., the position acquisition unit 210 in FIG. 6) for acquiring a flight position of each of the aircraft; Further comprising: The entry permission setting means determines whether the permitted flying object has passed through the shared area based on the flight position of the permitted flying object, and when it is determined that the permitted flying object has passed through the shared area, sets one of the inhibited flying objects as a new permitted flying object. It is a flight control device.

[0012] According to the third invention, when a permitted flying object passes through the shared area, one of the inhibited flying objects is set as the new permitted flying object, which allows other flying objects to enter the shared area quickly after one flying object has left the shared area, thereby reducing stopped flights involving inhibited flying objects as much as possible.

[0013] The fourth aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned invention, A position acquisition means (e.g., the position acquisition unit 210 in FIG. 6) for acquiring a flight position of each of the aircraft; Further comprising: the entry permission setting means sets an aircraft flying at a position that satisfies a given close distance condition with respect to the shared area and whose flight path interferes with the shared area as the interfering aircraft; It is a flight control device.

[0014] For aircraft flying at a distance from a shared area, even if their flight path interferes with the shared area, it is too early to determine whether or not they will collide in the shared area. In other words, it is only necessary to determine whether or not to allow an aircraft to enter the shared area for aircraft flying at a position close to the shared area. For this reason, as in the fourth invention, by setting an aircraft flying at a position that satisfies a given short distance condition to the shared area as an interfering aircraft, an aircraft flying at a position that interferes with the shared area and is flying at a position that satisfies a given short distance condition to the shared area as an interfering aircraft, and it is possible to simplify and speed up the determination of whether or not to allow an aircraft to enter the shared area.

[0015] The fifth invention is the above-mentioned invention, A position acquisition means (e.g., the position acquisition unit 210 in FIG. 6) for acquiring a flight position of each of the aircraft; A protection area setting means (for example, the protection area setting unit 212 in FIG. 6) for setting a protection area including the aircraft that follows the flight position of the aircraft; Further comprising: The shared area setting means sets an area where the protection zone interferes with the aircraft when the aircraft flies along the flight path or where a predetermined proximity condition is satisfied as the shared area. It is a flight control device.

[0016] The actual flight position of an aircraft may deviate from the preset flight path due to the influence of wind, etc. For this reason, as in the fifth invention, by setting an area where the protection zone that follows the flight position of the aircraft when the aircraft flies along the flight path satisfies the interference or proximity condition as a shared area, it is possible to increase the reliability and safety of avoiding collisions between aircraft in anticipation of a situation where the actual flight position deviates from the flight path.

[0017] The sixth aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned invention, The entry permission setting means sets a priority order for each of the interfering flying objects, and sets the permitted flying objects according to the priority order. It is a flight control device.

[0018] According to the sixth invention, by setting a priority order for each interfering aircraft, it becomes possible to perform appropriate flight control taking into account the flight purpose of each aircraft, such as wanting to fly it to its destination quickly.

[0019] The seventh aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned invention, a vehicle position information acquisition means for acquiring information on the traveling position of a train or bus running on a predetermined route according to a predetermined timetable by communicating with a vehicle operation control system for managing the traveling positions of the train or bus and controlling the operation of the train or bus; Further comprising: the shared area setting means sets the route interference area to be included in the shared area when a traveling position of the vehicle heading toward a route interference area in which the flight path interferes with the default route satisfies a predetermined approach condition; The entry permission setting means sets the interfering aircraft, whose flight path interferes with the line interference area in the shared area, as the inhibited aircraft until the vehicle passes through the line interference area. It is a flight control device.

[0020] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the flight of the flying object can be controlled so as to avoid collision with a train or a bus. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] An overview of flight control for an aircraft. [Diagram 2] An overview of flight control for an aircraft. [Diagram 3] An overview of flight control for an aircraft. [Figure 4] An overview of flight control for an aircraft. [Diagram 5] An explanatory diagram of protection zone settings. [Figure 6] An example of the functional configuration of a flight control device. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart of a flight control process. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of flight control of an aircraft when other moving objects are taken into account. [Figure 9] 13 is an example of the functional configuration of a flight control device when other moving objects are taken into consideration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the form to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals.

[0023] The flight control device 1 of this embodiment controls an aircraft capable of stationary flight (so-called "hovering") to fly along a preset flight path. In this embodiment, the aircraft to be controlled is an unmanned aerial vehicle called a drone, but it goes without saying that any other aircraft may be used as long as it is capable of automatic flight control. The flight path of the aircraft is designed in advance as an optimal flight path from a starting point (departure point) to an end point (arrival point) taking into consideration, for example, wind direction and the presence or absence of obstacles (ground objects, etc.). The flight control device 1 causes the aircraft to fly along the flight path set for the aircraft, but controls the aircraft to stop flying as necessary to avoid collisions between the aircraft.

[0024] 1 to 4 are diagrams for explaining an overview of the control of an aircraft by a flight control device 1. Each of FIGS. 1 to 4 shows a schematic top view (plan view) of the airspace (three-dimensional space) in which an aircraft 10 flies, looking down from above. For ease of explanation, FIGS. 1 to 4 show the flight airspace as a two-dimensional plane, with the aircraft 10 flying on a flight surface at a constant height. The flight airspace (three-dimensional space) is divided into voxels, which are predetermined three-dimensional cubic spaces as unit spaces, and the flight path 12 of the aircraft 10 is determined as a series of these voxels. In FIGS. 1 to 4, the voxels are represented as two-dimensional areas of "squares" indicated by dotted lines, and the flight path 12 of the aircraft 10 is indicated by a "dashed line" passing through these squares.

[0025] In the example of Figs. 1 to 4, the flight control device 1 controls three aircraft 10 (aircraft 10a, 10b, 10c), each of which has a defined flight path 12 (flight paths 12a, 12b, 12c). As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, if the flight paths 12 of the aircraft 10 interfere with each other (intersect or approach each other), there is a risk that the aircraft 10 will collide with each other at the point of interference. The flight control device 1 performs the following control to avoid collisions between the aircraft 10.

[0026] 1, a shared area 20 is first set where the flight paths 12 of each flying object 10 interfere with each other. Since the flight paths 12 are a series of voxels, voxels where the flight paths 12 of each flying object 10 overlap are set as the shared area 20. Note that instead of overlapping voxels, voxels that satisfy a proximity condition that allows the flight paths 12 to be considered to be in proximity, such as adjacent voxels, may also be set as the shared area 20.

[0027] Then, the aircraft 10 whose flight path 12 interferes with the shared area 20 are set as interfering aircraft of the shared area 20, and a priority order for permitting entry is set for each interfering aircraft in order to avoid collisions between the aircraft 10 in the shared area 20. The priority order can be determined, for example, according to the type of aircraft 10 or the importance of the purpose of the flight. In addition, for each flight path 12 of the interfering aircraft, an obstacle point 22 is set as an entry point into the shared area 20 along the flight path 12.

[0028] In the example of FIG. 1, a shared area 20A where the flight paths 12a, 12b of the flying bodies 10a, 10b interfere with each other, and a shared area 20B where the flight paths 12a, 12c of the flying bodies 10a, 10c interfere with each other are set. In the shared area 20A, the flying bodies 10a, 10b are the interfering flying bodies, and the priority order is higher for the flying bodies 10b, 10a. In the shared area 20A, an obstruction point 22A-a that is the entry point for the flying body 10a, and an obstruction point 22A-b that is the entry point for the flying body 10b are set. In the shared area 20B, the flying bodies 10a, 10c are the interfering flying bodies, and the priority order is higher for the flying bodies 10c, 10a. In the shared area 20B, an obstruction point 22B-a that is the entry point for the flying body 10a, and an obstruction point 22B-c that is the entry point for the flying body 10c are set.

[0029] Next, as shown in FIG. 2, when the aircraft 10 flies and approaches the shared area 20, one of the approaching interfering aircraft is set as an allowed aircraft that can enter the shared area 20, and the other interfering aircraft is set as an inhibiting aircraft that inhibits entry into the shared area 20, according to the priority order set for the shared area 20. Here, the aircraft 10 being "approaching" the shared area 20 means that the aircraft 10 is located at a position that satisfies a close distance condition that indicates that the distance from the aircraft 10 to the shared area 20 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance that can be considered as approaching the shared area 20. The predetermined distance can be determined, for example, as a distance calculated from the time required for the aircraft 10 to reach the entry point into the shared area 20 and a predetermined speed, or as a distance obtained by adding a predetermined safety distance to the distance required to transition from flight at a predetermined maximum speed to stopping flight.

[0030] In the example of FIG. 2, aircraft 10a and 10b are approaching the shared area 20A. In this case, the aircraft 10b, which has a higher priority in the shared area 20A, is designated as an authorized aircraft and is allowed to enter the shared area 20A. The aircraft 10a, which has a lower priority, is designated as an inhibited aircraft and is controlled to stop at or just before the obstruction point 22A-a so as not to enter the shared area 20A. At this time, only aircraft 10c is approaching the shared area 20B, and this aircraft 10c is designated as an authorized aircraft and is allowed to enter the shared area 20B.

[0031] Next, as shown in FIG. 3, when the aircraft 10b, which is an permitted aircraft, passes through the shared area 20A, the aircraft 10b is excluded from the interfering aircraft in the shared area 20A. Then, the aircraft 10a, which has the next priority, is designated as the new permitted aircraft and is allowed to fly into the shared area 20A. Then, the aircraft 10a passes through the shared area 20A and flies further to approach the shared area 20B. At this time, since the aircraft 10c is designated as a permitted aircraft and is passing through the shared area 20B, the aircraft 10a is designated as an inhibited aircraft for the shared area 20B and is controlled to stop and fly at or just before the obstruction point 22B-a so as not to enter the shared area 20B.

[0032] 4, when the permitted flying object 10c passes through the shared area 20B, the flying object 10c is excluded from the interfering flying objects in the shared area 20B. Then, the flying object 10a is the only interfering flying object approaching the shared area 20B, and the flying object 10a is designated as the new permitted flying object and is able to fly into the shared area 20B.

[0033] In addition, when setting the shared area 20, a protection area including the aircraft 10 that follows the flight position of the aircraft 10 may be set, and an area where the protection area interferes when the aircraft 10 flies along the flight path 12 or where a specified proximity condition is satisfied may be set as the shared area 20.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the setting of the protection area. The protection area 14 is a three-dimensional area centered on the flight position of the aircraft 10. In this embodiment, the protection area 14 is a cubic (rectangular) area with voxels as units. The actual flight path of the aircraft 10 may deviate from the preset flight path 12 due to the influence of wind, etc. On the premise of this deviation of the flight path 12, an area of ​​a size in which the aircraft 10 may be located is set as the protection area 14 based on, for example, the size and flight speed of the aircraft 10. In addition, since the aircraft 10 flies along the predetermined flight path 12, the transition of the protection area 14 set to follow the flight position of the aircraft 10 when flying along the flight path 12 can be set in advance.

[0035] That is, the protection zone 14 is set so as to extend the flight path 12 of the aircraft 10. Since the protection zone 14 is an area in which the aircraft 10 may be located, voxels in which the protection zones 14 of each aircraft 10 interfere or which satisfy a predetermined proximity condition are set as the shared area 20. When the protection zones 14 "interfere," it means that the voxels "overlap," and the proximity condition is when the voxels do not interfere (overlap) but are considered to be in proximity, for example, adjacent to each other.

[0036] 1 to 4 above, for the sake of simplicity, a case is illustrated in which the protection area 14 is not set. In other words, one "square" corresponds to one voxel. When the protection area 14 is set, the protection area 14 is set so as to encompass the flight path 12, so the same explanation can be given by replacing the "flight path 12" with the "protection area 14" that encompasses the flight path 12 and by replacing one voxel ("square") with a set of multiple voxels ("squares") that correspond to the protection area 14.

[0037] [Function configuration] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the flight control device 1. According to Fig. 6, the flight control device 1 includes an operation unit 102, a display unit 104, a communication unit 106, a processing unit 200, and a storage unit 300, and can be configured as a type of computer system.

[0038] The operation unit 102 is realized by an input device such as a button switch, a touch panel, a keyboard, etc., and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation performed to the processing unit 200. The display unit 104 is realized by a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a touch panel, etc., and performs various displays corresponding to display signals from the processing unit 200. The communication unit 106 is realized by a wired or wireless communication device, for example, and communicates with an external device via a given communication network. In particular, various wireless communications required for flight control of each flying object 10 are performed between the communication unit 10 and each flying object 10.

[0039] The processing unit 200 is realized by an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and issues instructions and transfers data to each unit constituting the flight control device 1 based on the programs and data stored in the storage unit 300, thereby controlling the entire flight control device 1. The processing unit 200 also executes a flight control program 302 stored in the storage unit 300, thereby functioning as each of the functional blocks of a shared area setting unit 202, an entry permission setting unit 204, a flight control unit 206, a position acquisition unit 210, and a protection area setting unit 212. However, these functional blocks can also be configured as independent arithmetic circuits using an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like.

[0040] The shared area setting unit 202 sets a shared area 20 where the flight paths 12 interfere based on the flight paths 12 of each of the flying bodies 10 that are capable of stopping flight. Also, it sets an obstacle point 22 to the shared area 20 for each flight path 12 of the flying body 10. Furthermore, it may be possible to set as the shared area 20 an area where the protection zone 14 interferes when flying along the flight path 12 and / or satisfies a predetermined proximity condition.

[0041] Specifically, since the flight path 12 of the aircraft 10 is a series of voxels, voxels where multiple flight paths 12 overlap are set as the shared area 20. In addition, for each interfering flight path 12, an obstacle point 22 that is an entry point into the shared area 20 along the flight path 12 is set (see FIG. 1). Furthermore, when the protection area setting unit 212 sets a protection area 14 that follows the flight position of the aircraft 10, voxels where the protection areas 14 of each aircraft 10 interfere and / or satisfy a predetermined proximity condition are set as the shared area 20.

[0042] Here, data related to the flying object 10 to be controlled by the flight control device 1 is stored in the storage unit 300 as flying object data 310. The flying object data 310 stores, for each flying object 10, a flight path 12, a current flight position acquired by the position acquisition unit 210, and a flight history that is an actual flight path up to the current time, in association with an flying object ID that is identification information. The flight path 12 is expressed as a series of voxels, and may be a predetermined flight path, or may be a protection zone that includes the flight path and is set by the protection zone setting unit 212.

[0043] Data related to the shared area 20 set by the shared area setting unit 202 is stored in the storage unit 300 as shared area setting data 320. The shared area setting data 320 stores, for each shared area 20, a setting position (e.g., the corresponding voxel ID), the aircraft ID of the interfering aircraft, the priority order, the obstruction point 22, whether entry into the shared area 20 is permitted (distinguishing between permitted aircraft and prohibited aircraft), and whether the shared area has been passed through.

[0044] The entry permission setting unit 204 sets the flying object 10 whose flight path 12 interferes with the shared area 20 as an interfering flying object, sets one of the interfering flying objects as an allowed flying object, and sets the other interfering flying objects as inhibited flying objects. In addition, the unit 204 determines whether the permitted flying object has passed through the shared area 20 based on the flight position of the permitted flying object, and if it is determined that the permitted flying object has passed through, removes the permitted flying object from the interfering flying objects and sets one of the inhibited flying objects as a new permitted flying object. In addition, a priority is set for each interfering flying object, and the permitted flying object is set according to the priority. Note that the unit 20 may set the flying object 10 whose flight path 12 interferes with the shared area 20 and flies at a position that satisfies a given close distance condition as an interfering flying object.

[0045] Specifically, aircraft 10 whose flight paths 12 interfere with the shared area 20 are set as interfering aircraft in the shared area 20, and a priority order is set for permitting entry for each interfering aircraft in order to avoid collisions between aircraft 10 in the shared area 20. The priority order can be determined, for example, according to the type of aircraft 10 and the importance of the purpose of the flight.

[0046] When an interfering flying object approaches the shared area 20, one of the approaching interfering flying objects is set as a permitted flying object that is allowed to enter the shared area 20 according to the priority order set for that shared area 20, and the other interfering flying objects are set as inhibiting flying objects that are not allowed to enter the shared area 20. When a permitted flying object passes through the shared area 20, that flying object is removed from the interfering flying objects in that shared area 20, and one of the interfering flying objects approaching the shared area 20 at that time is set as a new permitted flying object (see Figures 2 to 4). More preferably, the interfering flying object with the next highest priority order is set as the new permitted flying object.

[0047] The flight control unit 206 communicates via the communication unit 106 to control the flying object 10 to fly along a flight path predetermined for the flying object 10. The flight control unit 206 also has a shared area passage flight control unit 208.

[0048] The shared area passage flight control unit 208 controls permitted aircraft to fly into the shared area 20, and controls inhibited aircraft to stop flying at or just before the obstruction point 22 without entering the shared area 20. Specifically, when an aircraft 10 approaches and attempts to pass through the shared area 20, if the aircraft 10 is a permitted aircraft, it is controlled to fly along the flight path 12, and if the aircraft 10 is an inhibited aircraft, it is controlled to stop flying at or just before the obstruction point 22 to the shared area 20 so as not to enter the shared area 20 (see Figures 2 to 4).

[0049] The position acquisition unit 210 acquires the flight position of each flying object 10. Specifically, for example, the flying object 10 may have a function of detecting its own flight position by receiving radio waves from a satellite positioning system (GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)) such as GPS (Global Positioning System) or by optical distance measurement, and flight position information may be received and acquired from each flying object 10 via the communication unit 106. In addition, the flight position of each flying object 10 may be measured by a radar device or the like installed on the ground, and the flight position of each flying object 10 may be received and acquired from the radar device or the like via the communication unit 106.

[0050] The protection area setting unit 212 sets, for each flying object 10, a protection area including the flying object that follows the flight position of the flying object 10. Specifically, a three-dimensional area of ​​a cube (rectangular parallelepiped) with voxels as the unit centered on the flight position of the flying object 10 along the flight path 12 is set as the protection area 14 of the flying object 10 (see FIG. 5).

[0051] 6, the memory unit 300 is realized by a storage device such as a hard disk, a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores programs and data for the processing unit 200 to comprehensively control the flight control device 1, and is also used as a working area for the processing unit 200 to temporarily store results of calculations executed by the processing unit 200 in accordance with various programs, and input data via the operation unit 102 and communication unit 106. In this embodiment, the memory unit 300 stores a flight control program 302, flying object data 310, and shared area setting data 320.

[0052] 7 is a flowchart of the flight control process performed by the flight control device 1. First, the flight paths 12 of each flying object 10 to be controlled are acquired (step S1). Next, the shared area setting unit 202 sets a shared area 20 in which each flight path 12 interferes (step S3). Then, the following processes (steps S5 to S23) are performed in parallel on each of the set shared areas 20.

[0053] That is, the entry permission setting unit 204 sets the aircraft 10 whose flight path 12 interferes with the target shared area 20 as an interfering aircraft (step S5), and sets all interfering aircraft as inhibited aircraft as an initial setting (step S7). Next, the priority order of the interfering aircraft is set (step S9). In addition, for each interfering aircraft, an obstacle point 22 of the flight path 12 to the shared area 20 is set (step S11).

[0054] Next, it is determined whether there is an interfering flying object approaching the shared area 20, and if there is an approaching interfering flying object (step S13: YES), one of the approaching interfering flying objects is designated as an authorized flying object in accordance with the priority order (step S15). Then, the shared area passage flight control unit 208 controls the authorized flying object to fly into the shared area 20 along the flight path 12, and controls the inhibited flying object to stop at or just before the obstruction point 22 so as not to enter the shared area 20 (step S17).

[0055] Next, it is determined whether the permitted flying object has passed through the shared area 20, and if so (step S19: YES), the permitted flying object is excluded from the interfering flying objects (step S21). Next, it is determined whether there are any interfering flying objects that have not yet passed through the shared area 20, and if there are any interfering flying objects that have not yet passed through (step S23: YES), the process returns to step S13. If there are no interfering flying objects that have not yet passed through the shared area 20 (step S23: NO), all interfering flying objects have passed through the shared area, and the processing for that shared area is terminated.

[0056] [Effects] According to this embodiment, flight control of the flying body 10 can be realized so that collisions between the flying bodies 10 can be avoided without modifying or resetting the flight path 12 preset for the flying body 10. In other words, collisions between the flying bodies 10 can occur in an area where the flight paths 12 interfere with each other, but the interfering area is set as a shared area 20, and one interfering flying body is set as an allowed flying body that can enter the shared area 20, while other interfering flying bodies are set as inhibited flying bodies that do not enter the shared area 20. As a result, only one flying body 10 at most can enter the shared area 20, and collisions between the flying bodies 10 can be avoided. In addition, the inhibited flying body is prevented from entering the shared area 20 by stopping its flight, so that collisions between the flying bodies 10 can be avoided without changing the flight path 12 preset.

[0057] Incidentally, the applicable embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can of course be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the shared area 20 is set in consideration of only the flight path 12 of the flying object 10 that is the subject of flight control, but it may also be set in consideration of the movement paths of other moving objects other than the flying object 10 that move along a predetermined path. Examples of such moving objects include vehicles such as trains and buses that run on ground along specified routes according to a predetermined timetable.

[0059] Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining an outline of control of an aircraft when the movement path of such other moving objects is taken into consideration. Like Figs. 1 to 4 described above, Fig. 8 shows a schematic top view (plan view) of the airspace (three-dimensional space) in which the aircraft 10 flies, looking down from above.

[0060] In the example of Fig. 8, there is a track 32 that is a predetermined route on which a railway vehicle, which is an example of a moving object, runs. A shared area 20C that is a route interference area where the flight path 12d of the flying object 10d interferes with the track 32 of the railway vehicle 30, and a shared area 20D where the flight paths 12d, 12e of the flying objects 10d, 10e interfere with each other are set. The flying object 10d is an interfering flying object in the shared area 20C. In addition, an obstruction point 22C-d that is an entry point for the flying object 10d is set in the shared area 20C.

[0061] In this case, when the railcar 30 is not approaching the line interference area (shared area 20C), the permitted air vehicles and the inhibited air vehicles are set according to the priority order set for the interfering air vehicles (air vehicles 10d) in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment. The threshold distance for determining the approach of the railcar 30 to the line interference area (shared area 20C) needs to be longer than the time required for the air vehicle 10 flying in the line interference area (shared area 20C) to exit before the railcar 30 reaches the line interference area (shared area 20C). Therefore, the threshold distance can be set based on the time required for determining that the air vehicle 10 flying in the line interference area (shared area 20C) can exit and the predetermined running speed (e.g., maximum speed) of the railcar 30. When the distance between the railcar 30 along the track 32 and the line interference area (shared area 20C) reaches the threshold distance, it can be determined that the railcar 30 is approaching the line interference area (shared area 20C).

[0062] When the railcar 30 approaches the line interference area, all interfering flying objects are set as inhibited flying objects until the railcar 30 passes through the line interference area, and after the railcar 30 passes through the line interference area, permitted flying objects and inhibited flying objects are set according to the priority order set for the interfering flying object (aircraft 10d) in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. In other words, the flight of the flying object 10 is controlled so that the railcar 30 has priority over the flying object 10 in passing through the line interference area.

[0063] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the flight control device 1B when the movement route of such other moving objects is taken into consideration. In Fig. 9, the vehicle operation control system 3 is a system that manages the running positions of trains or buses, which are examples of other moving objects, that run on a predefined route according to a predefined timetable, and controls the running of the trains or buses. The flight control device 1B communicates with the vehicle operation control system 3 via, for example, a communication unit 106, and acquires in advance the route and timetable that are the movement route of each vehicle, and acquires the current running position of each vehicle at any time.

[0064] The acquired data on each vehicle is stored in the storage unit 300 as vehicle data 330. The vehicle data 330 stores, for each vehicle, a route, a timetable, and a current traveling position in association with a vehicle ID, which is identification information.

[0065] The shared area setting unit 202B sets an area where the flight path 12 of the aircraft 10 and the path of the vehicle interfere with each other as a route interference area, and sets a threshold distance for determining the approach of the vehicle for each route interference area.

[0066] The entry permission setting unit 204B sets the priority of the flying object 10 (interfering flying object) whose flight path 12 interferes with a route interference area to a lower priority than that of a vehicle whose route interferes with the route interference area. Then, when the traveling position of a vehicle heading toward the route interference area satisfies a predetermined approach condition (for example, the distance to the route interference area is equal to or less than a preset threshold distance), the interfering flying object whose flight path interferes with the route interference area is set as a deterrent flying object until the vehicle passes through the route interference area, thereby preventing the interfering flying object from entering the route interference area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1...Flight control device 200... Processing section 202…Shared area setting section 204…Entry permission / denial setting section 206…Flight control unit 208…Common area passing flight control unit 210...Position acquisition unit 212...Protection area setting section 300...Storage section 302...Flight control program 310…Aircraft data 320...Shared area setting data 10. Flying object 12...Flight Path 14...Protection area 20…Shared area 22...Area of ​​obstruction

Claims

1. A flight control device that flies an aircraft capable of stopping flight along a preset flight path, a shared area setting means for setting a shared area in which the flight paths of the flying objects interfere with each other based on the flight paths of the flying objects; an entry permission setting means for setting an aircraft whose flight path interferes with the shared area as an interfering aircraft, and setting one of the interfering aircraft as an allowed aircraft and the other as a prohibited aircraft; a shared area passage flight control means for controlling the permitted flying object to fly into the shared area and for controlling the inhibited flying object to fly in a stopped state without entering the shared area; A flight control device comprising:

2. the shared area setting means sets an obstacle point to the shared area for each flight path of the aircraft; The shared area passing flight control means controls the inhibiting flying vehicle to stop flying at or just before the obstruction location. The flight control device according to claim 1 .

3. a position acquisition means for acquiring a flight position of each of the flying objects; Further comprising: The entry permission setting means determines whether the permitted flying object has passed through the shared area based on the flight position of the permitted flying object, and when it is determined that the permitted flying object has passed through the shared area, sets one of the inhibited flying objects as a new permitted flying object.

3. A flight control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a position acquisition means for acquiring a flight position of each of the flying objects; Further comprising: the entry permission setting means sets an aircraft flying at a position that satisfies a given close distance condition with respect to the shared area and whose flight path interferes with the shared area as the interfering aircraft; 3. A flight control device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A position acquisition means for acquiring a flight position of each of the flying objects; A protection zone setting means for setting, for each flying object, a protection zone including the flying object and following the flight position of the flying object; Further comprising: The shared area setting means sets an area where the protection zone interferes with the aircraft when the aircraft flies along the flight path or where a predetermined proximity condition is satisfied as the shared area.

3. A flight control device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The entry permission setting means sets a priority order for each of the interfering flying objects, and sets the permitted flying objects according to the priority order.

3. A flight control device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. a vehicle position information acquisition means for acquiring information on the traveling position of a train or bus running on a predetermined route according to a predetermined timetable by communicating with a vehicle operation control system for managing the traveling positions of the train or bus and controlling the operation of the train or bus; Further comprising: the shared area setting means sets the route interference area to be included in the shared area when a traveling position of the vehicle heading toward a route interference area in which the flight path interferes with the default route satisfies a predetermined approach condition; The entry permission setting means sets the interfering aircraft, whose flight path interferes with the line interference area in the shared area, as the inhibited aircraft until the vehicle passes through the line interference area.

3. A flight control device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. A flight control method for flying a flying object capable of stopping flight along a preset flight path, comprising: Setting a shared area where flight paths interfere with each other based on the flight paths of the respective aircraft; Setting aircraft whose flight paths interfere with the shared area as interfering aircraft, and setting one of the interfering aircraft as an authorized aircraft and the other as inhibited aircraft; Controlling the permitted flying object to fly into the shared area and controlling the inhibited flying object to fly in a stopped state without entering the shared area; A flight control method comprising:

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