Lighting monitoring and control system, lighting monitoring and control method, and program

Abstract

To simplify check of an aeronautical lighting on / off status at an airfield.SOLUTION: A lighting monitoring and control system comprises: a drone control device for controlling a movement speed, movement direction and altitude of a drone with an imaging unit; a route information storage unit for storing route information indicating a flight route of the drone when the drone images a plurality of aeronautical ground lights provided along a path for aircrafts at an airfield; a scenario execution unit for controlling an aeronautical lighting on / off status of each of the aeronautical ground lights being imaged at the time, in accordance with a position of the drone flying under control of the drone based on the route information; and a scenario management unit for displaying the images imaged by the drone.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a light monitoring and control system, a light monitoring and control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, multiple aeronautical lights (hereinafter also referred to as "lights" or "lighting devices") have been installed along the routes (runways, taxiways) for aircraft (planes, etc.) at airports (airports, etc.). When an aircraft takes off, lands, or taxis at an airport, the aeronautical lights along the route the aircraft should follow are turned on, and the surrounding aeronautical lights are turned off. This allows the pilot of the aircraft to easily recognize the route the aircraft should follow by looking at the turned-on aeronautical lights, even when visibility at the airport is poor due to the time of day (night) or weather conditions (rain, fog, etc.). In this way, the appropriate turning on and off of aeronautical lights supports the safe navigation of aircraft.

[0003] Furthermore, the Enforcement Regulations of the Aviation Act define aeronautical lighting as "aviation safety facilities that aid aircraft navigation by providing light." Therefore, aeronautical lighting is required to be in perfect condition at all times. Inspectors inspect aeronautical lighting every day (light checks) to ensure that the lighting is kept in perfect condition. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-33146 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2023-514894 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-120509 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Specifically, in conventional light checks, inspectors had to, for example, patrol runways and taxiways in vehicles and visually check the condition of each light (brightness when lit, dirt, direction of light projection, damage, etc.). Furthermore, in order to enter aircraft operating areas for light checks, inspectors had to acquire knowledge of air traffic control and radio communication methods, as well as recognize the layout of runways and taxiways. This placed a heavy burden on inspectors.

[0006] Therefore, an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a light monitoring and control system, a light monitoring and control method, and a program that can simplify checking the on / off status of airfield lights at an airport. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The lighting monitoring control system of the embodiment includes a drone control device that controls the movement speed, movement direction, and altitude of a drone equipped with an imaging unit; a route information storage unit that stores route information indicating the flight route of the drone when photographing multiple aeronautical lights installed in the aircraft passage at an airport; a scenario execution unit that controls the turning on and off of each of the aeronautical lights that are currently being photographed according to the position of the drone, which is flying under control of the drone control device based on the route information; and a scenario management unit that displays the images photographed by the drone on a display unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a light monitoring and control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an external view of the drone of the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating route information according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing by the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of a light monitoring control system, a light monitoring control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that, in the following, a scenario refers to the content of a light check as a whole (for example, for a light circuit).

[0010] 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a light monitoring control system S according to an embodiment. The light monitoring control system S includes an information processing device 100, a drone control device 120, a controller 130, a light circuit 4, and a drone 5.

[0011] The lighting circuit 4 is a circuit that connects a plurality of airfield lights. A plurality of lighting circuits 4 are provided.

[0012] Next, the drone 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an external view of the drone 5 according to the embodiment, where (a) is a view from below and (b) is a view from the side. The drone 5 is equipped with a camera 51 (photographing unit) and four propellers.

[0013] The drone 5 also includes a flight computer, motors, LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), etc. The flight computer is equipped with sensors such as a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, and a barometric pressure sensor, and the sensing data is used for various controls during flight. The flight computer enables the drone 5 to fly autonomously.

[0014] Furthermore, the drone 5 can be seen at night by lighting up the LED. Furthermore, if an identifier is assigned to each drone 5, multiple drones 5 can be operated. Furthermore, for safety reasons, the drone 5 can be stopped (aborted) in an emergency, and an alarm is issued by the information processing device 100 or the controller 130 if the drone 5 deviates from its route, is not recovered (fails to return), or has a low battery. Furthermore, operation on rainy days may be prohibited.

[0015] Returning to FIG. 1, the drone control device 120 controls the movement speed, movement direction, and altitude of the drone 5.

[0016] The information processing device 100 is a computer device and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), information input unit (mouse, keyboard, touch panel, etc.), display unit, communication unit, etc. The information processing device 100 includes the components shown in FIG. 1 as part of its functional configuration.

[0017] The history data processing unit 101 performs processing such as compression of the video (captured image) sent from the GUI unit 110. The history data processing unit 101 is connected to a DB 102 (captured image storage unit) for storing the video.

[0018] The GUI unit 110 includes a graphics unit 111 (display unit) that displays a monitoring screen required to perform a light check, and a monitoring data processing unit 112 that processes data. The monitoring data processing unit 112 includes a drone communication unit 115, a scenario execution unit 114, and a scenario management unit 113.

[0019] The drone communication unit 115 transmits and receives control signals for the drone 5 and images captured by the drone 5 to and from the drone control device 120. The scenario execution unit 114 controls the flight of the drone 5 based on route information including the route of the drone 5 and the positional information of aeronautical lights on that route, and turns on and off the lighting circuit 4 so that the drone 5 can capture images of aeronautical lights.

[0020] The scenario management unit 113 displays the entire airport and the positions of multiple aeronautical lights on the graphics unit 111, and creates route information in response to a selection operation by the user (inspector) on the multiple aeronautical lights displayed. The route information indicates the flight route of the drone 5 when photographing the multiple aeronautical lights installed in the aircraft passage at the airport. In this case, the route information is created taking into consideration the shooting direction of the camera 51 of the drone 5 (for example, diagonally downward from the direction of travel). The directionality of the light projected by the aeronautical lights is also taken into consideration (details will be described later).

[0021] The scenario management unit 113 is also connected to a DB 116 (route information storage unit). The DB 116 stores route information.

[0022] Furthermore, the scenario execution unit 114 controls the lighting circuit 4 to turn on and off each aeronautical light of the subject being photographed at that time, according to the position of the drone 5 flying under control based on route information from the drone control device 120. After receiving video of the drone 5 from the drone communication unit 115, the scenario execution unit 114 transmits the video to the scenario management unit 113. Upon receiving instructions from the scenario execution unit 114, the scenario management unit 113 causes the graphics unit 111 to display the video. Furthermore, the scenario management unit 113 stores the video in the DB 102 via the history data processing unit 101.

[0023] The controller 130 is a device for manually operating the drone 5 (details will be described later).

[0024] Although not shown in FIG. 1, various types of information for implementing this embodiment are also stored in storage units other than DB 102 and DB 116.

[0025] Next, examples of screens will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing examples of screens according to an embodiment. Each screen is displayed on the graphics unit 111.

[0026] 1(a) shows a light check screen 200 that is displayed when a light check is performed. The light check screen 200 includes an operation unit 210, an airport overview display unit 220, and a video display unit 230.

[0027] The airport overall map display unit 220 displays an overall airport map showing an outline of the runways and taxiways. The storage unit of the information processing device 100 stores information for displaying this overall airport map in advance. The scenario management unit 113 receives instructions from the scenario execution unit 114 and displays the overall airport map, as well as a drone icon to indicate the current location of the drone 5.

[0028] Specifically, the display position of the drone icon is updated as needed based on the coordinate information of its own location sent from the drone 5 and the coordinate information associated with the airport overall map. This allows the inspector to check the implementation status of the light check. In addition, the scenario name (Scenario 1) and light circuit name (Light A) are displayed on the screen so that the inspector can check which scenario and light circuit are being executed.

[0029] Buttons for starting / stopping the light check, an operation switching button, and a route creation button are displayed on the operation unit 210. When the "Start" button is pressed, the scenario selection dialogue shown in (b) is displayed.

[0030] In the scenario selection dialog, a scenario is selected from multiple scenarios stored in DB 116, and a light check begins when the execute button is pressed. When the cancel button on the operation unit 210 is pressed, the scenario execution unit 114 sends a return command for the drone 5 to the drone control device 120, immediately canceling the light check.

[0031] The operation switching button is a button for switching between automatic operation and manual operation of the drone 5. During a light check, the automatic button is normally selected, but when the manual button is operated, the operation switches to manual operation.

[0032] When the route creation button is operated on the operation unit 210, the route creation dialog shown in (c) is displayed, allowing a route to be created using an overall airport map. The route creation dialog includes a scenario selection unit 301 and a scenario route creation unit 302.

[0033] The scenario selection section 301 allows you to select the scenario you want to edit (select from a pull-down menu) or create a new scenario (directly input the scenario name). The route information (light names) that the scenario has is displayed for the selected scenario. You can edit the scenario using the add and delete buttons, and move the selected light name using the rearrange buttons (upward black triangle / downward black triangle), changing the execution order. Light checks are performed in order from top to bottom.

[0034] When a light name is selected, detailed route information for that light name is displayed in the scenario route generation unit 302. When a light is clicked on the overall airport map in the scenario route generation unit 302, the scenario management unit 113 collects the coordinates ((x1, y1), (x2, y2), ...) of all lights on the lighting circuit to which that light belongs from the DB 116. The collected data is automatically displayed in the table on the right.

[0035] The name of each lighting fixture will automatically be entered as "light circuit name-number" (e.g. "light fixture A-1") (light fixture names can be edited). Next, set the start position of the light check. Once the start position is set, the end (turnaround) position will also be set automatically. Because airfield lights have directional light projection (directivity in the direction of the aircraft's flight), light checks are carried out on a round trip route. For this reason, the start position targets the two lighting fixtures at the ends of the lighting circuit (one is the start position, the other is the end position).

[0036] When the save button is operated in the scenario selection unit 301, the scenario management unit 113 saves the scenario and path information file in the DB 116. The video display unit 230 in (a) comprises a video selection screen 231 for selecting recorded video, and a video display screen 232.

[0037] When the video to be played is selected from the pull-down menu on the video selection screen 231 and the play button is operated, the scenario management unit 113 displays the recorded video on the graphics unit 111. The video name is saved using the date and time when the write check started, for example, as "yyyyMMdd-hhmmss" (for example, "20240109-100000" for 10:00:00 on January 9, 2024).

[0038] The video display screen 232 is a screen for displaying video. When playing back recorded video, the playback speed can be changed, and N-times speed playback (N: 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, etc.) is possible. On the other hand, when displaying (real-time) video sent from the drone 5, the video selection screen 231 and speed setting cannot be operated. As described above, the light check screen 200 makes it possible to perform operations related to light checks, grasp the implementation status of light checks, generate routes, etc.

[0039] 4 is a diagram showing route information according to an embodiment. The scenario file in (a) contains the scenario name (Scenario 1) and the lighting circuits (lights A, B, and C) for which light checks are performed in that scenario. The order of the lighting circuits (from top to bottom) corresponds directly to the order in which light checks are performed.

[0040] The lighting circuit file (b) includes the lighting name (light A), the lighting device names (light A-1 to A-10) that the lighting circuit has, and their coordinates ((x1, y1), (x2, y2), ...). The lighting device name and coordinates are used as the destination of the drone 5. Furthermore, by comparing the image of the drone 5 with information on the drone 5's current position, it is possible to identify the lighting device.

[0041] When the start of a light check is operated on the operation unit 210 on the light check screen 200 (FIG. 3(a)) of the graphics unit 111, the graphics unit 111 sends a light check start command to the scenario management unit 113. Upon receiving the start command, the scenario management unit 113 acquires route information from the DB 116. The scenario management unit 113 periodically passes the name of the lighting circuit and the coordinates of the destination to the scenario execution unit 114 according to the scenario information included in the acquired route information.

[0042] The scenario execution unit 114 turns on and off the light circuits based on the light circuit names and coordinates, and sends the coordinate information to the drone communication unit 115. When turning on and off the light circuits, only the light circuits corresponding to the route are turned on, and the other light circuits are turned off.

[0043] The drone communication unit 115 sends the received coordinate information to the drone control device 120. The drone control device 120 sets the coordinate information as the destination of the drone 5 and periodically controls the drone 5.

[0044] The drone 5 sends information about its current location (coordinates) and the captured image to the drone control device 120. The current location information and the image are transferred from the drone control device 120 via the drone communication unit 115, the scenario execution unit 114, and the scenario management unit 113, and finally to the graphics unit 111, causing the image to be displayed on the graphics unit 111.

[0045] When the scenario management unit 113 determines that the drone 5 has reached its destination based on the drone's current location information received from the scenario execution unit 114, it passes the coordinate information of the next destination to the scenario execution unit 114, and thereafter repeats the same process to control the drone 5.

[0046] Furthermore, the scenario management unit 113 sends the video to the history data processing unit 101, which stores the video in the DB 102. The graphics unit 111 also displays the video on the video display unit 230 of the light check screen 200 (FIG. 3(a)), and also indicates the current location of the drone 5 using a drone icon on the airport overall map display unit 220. This allows the inspector to check the implementation status of the light check on the screen.

[0047] Next, manual operation of the drone 5 by the controller 130 will be described. The operation content by the controller 130 is transmitted to the drone 5 via the drone control device 120. Also, to prevent the signals from the information processing device 100 and the signals from the controller 130 from being mixed in the drone control device 120, the signal received by the drone control device 120 is controlled by switching from "automatic" to "manual" using the operation switching button provided on the operation unit 210 of the light check screen 200 (FIG. 3(a)).

[0048] Specifically, when "automatic" is selected, the drone control device 120 accepts signals from the information processing device 100, but does not accept (discards) signals from the controller 130. Furthermore, when "manual" is selected, the drone control device 120 accepts signals from the controller 130, but does not accept (discards) signals from the information processing device 100.

[0049] When switching from manual to automatic, the scenario selection dialog (Fig. 3(b)) is displayed and the scenario selection operation is performed, just as when the light check start button is pressed. Also, to prevent erroneous operation, each button may be set so that the operation content is not reflected unless it is pressed twice.

[0050] The controller 130 also has a display. The drone control device 120 sends the video from the drone 5 to the controller 130, allowing the inspector to check the video on the controller 130 in real time.

[0051] Next, the flow of processing by the information processing device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing processing by the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. Here, it is assumed that route information has already been created.

[0052] In step S1, the scenario execution unit 114 controls the drone 5 via the drone control device 120 so that the drone 5 flies along the route in the route information.

[0053] Next, in step S2, the scenario execution unit 114 controls the lighting circuit 4 to turn on and off the airfield lights according to the position of the drone 5.

[0054] Next, in step S3, the scenario execution unit 114 acquires captured images (video) from the drone 5 via the drone control device 120.

[0055] Next, in step S4, the scenario management unit 113 receives an instruction from the scenario execution unit 114 and displays an image on the light check screen 200 (FIG. 3(a)) of the graphics unit 111. This allows the inspector to easily perform a light check by looking at this screen.

[0056] Next, in step S5, the scenario execution unit 114 determines whether to end the control, and if Yes (for example, when the "Cancel" button for the light check is operated on the operation unit 210 (Figure 3(a)) of the light check screen 200), the processing ends, and if No, the process returns to step S1.

[0057] In this way, the lighting monitoring control system S of this embodiment can simplify the checking of the on / off status of airfield lights by displaying images from the drone 5 flying along the route information. This allows inspectors to perform light checks from the monitoring screen in the monitoring room without having to enter the runway or taxiway.

[0058] Furthermore, inspectors will no longer need to enter aircraft operating areas to perform light checks, which will significantly reduce their burden as they will no longer need to acquire knowledge of air traffic control and radio communication methods or recognize the layout of runways and taxiways. Furthermore, drones5 will be operated automatically, so no knowledge of how to operate them will be required.

[0059] In addition, by using the lighting circuit 4 to control the turning on and off of each aviation light of the subject being photographed at that time depending on the position of the flying drone 5, the burden on the inspector is further reduced and mistakes in turning the lights on and off can be avoided.

[0060] In addition, by recording the footage taken by the drone 5, light checks can be carried out more efficiently later by playing it back at double speed, for example.

[0061] Furthermore, the inspector can easily create route information using the route creation dialog shown in FIG. 3(c).

[0062] The program executed by the information processing device 100 of this embodiment can be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R (Recordable), or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).The program may also be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0063] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0064] For example, the write check using the video display screen 232 on the write check screen 200 in Fig. 3(a) is not limited to being performed manually, but may also be performed without human intervention, for example, by a machine learning method, etc. In this case, for example, a learning model may be created using training data, and a determination in the write check may be made using the learning model and the video. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 4...lighting circuit, 5...drone, 100...information processing device, 101...history data processing unit, 102...DB, 110...GUI unit, 111...graphics unit, 112...monitoring data processing unit, 113...scenario management unit, 114...scenario execution unit, 115...drone communication unit, 116...DB, 120...drone control device, 130...controller, S...lighting monitoring and control system

Claims

1. a drone control device that controls the movement speed, movement direction, and altitude of the drone equipped with the imaging unit; a route information storage unit that stores route information indicating a route taken by the drone when photographing a plurality of aeronautical lights installed in an aircraft passageway at an airport; a scenario execution unit that controls turning on and off the aeronautical lights of each of the subjects to be photographed at that time in accordance with the position of the drone that is flying under control of the drone control device based on the route information; and a scenario management unit that displays the images captured by the drone on a display unit; A lighting monitoring and control system comprising:

2. The light monitoring control system according to claim 1 , wherein the scenario management unit stores the images captured by the drone in a captured image storage unit.

3. 2. The light monitoring control system according to claim 1, wherein the scenario management unit displays the entire airport and the positions of the plurality of aeronautical lights on the display unit, and creates the route information in response to a user's selection operation on the plurality of aeronautical lights that are displayed.

4. A light monitoring control method using a light monitoring control system including a drone control device that controls the movement speed, movement direction, and altitude of a drone equipped with an image capturing unit, a route information storage unit that stores route information indicating a route of flight by the drone when capturing images of a plurality of aeronautical lights installed in an aircraft passage at an airport, a scenario execution unit, and a scenario management unit, a scenario execution step in which the scenario execution unit controls turning on and off the aeronautical lights of each of the subjects to be photographed at that time in accordance with the position of the drone that is flying under control of the drone control device based on the route information; a scenario management step in which the scenario management unit displays images captured by the drone on a display unit; A light monitoring and control method comprising:

5. a computer connected to a drone control device that controls the speed, direction, and altitude of a drone equipped with a photographing unit, the computer including a route information storage unit that stores route information indicating a route to be taken by the drone when photographing a plurality of aeronautical lights installed in the path of aircraft at an airport; a scenario execution unit that controls turning on and off the aeronautical lights of each of the subjects to be photographed at that time in accordance with the position of the drone that is flying under control of the drone control device based on the route information; and A program for functioning as a scenario management unit that displays images taken by the drone on a display unit.

Images