Monitoring system, monitoring method, and monitoring program

Abstract

To provide a system capable of reducing a cost on a monitoring flight aiming monitoring a sea area or an air area or the like and on a flight aiming an environment observation.SOLUTION: A monitoring system comprises: a mobile body for performing measurement by a sensor group while moving; an object detection section for detecting a search object based on the measurement information of a first sensor included in the sensor group; and an environment observation section for observing a predetermined environment state quantity based on the measurement information of a second sensor. The system has a parallel measurement mode for allowing the common mobile body to perform, in parallel, a measurement operation of the first sensor to be used for the detection of the search object by the object detection section and at least a part of the measurement operation of the second sensor to be used for the observation of the predetermined environment state quantity by the environment observation section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring system, a monitoring method, and a monitoring program. [Background technology]

[0002] To contribute to the monitoring of illegal activities or the saving of lives, there is a need for technology to monitor sea areas or airspace, and to detect and deal with suspicious objects such as suspicious ships or aircraft, or search targets such as ships in distress. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses technology to detect suspicious ships using aircraft radar, identify suspected suspicious ships based on data transmitted from the ship, and then approach the suspected suspicious ships to acquire images. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-101973 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Because it is difficult to predict when and in which areas the aforementioned suspicious ships and aircraft will appear, surveillance flights aimed at monitoring sea or airspace must be conducted continuously over a wide area above the sea or land, which poses the problem of high costs.

[0005] On the other hand, in recent years, the increase in river flooding due to heavy rain has become a problem, and there is a demand for technology to measure the atmospheric flow containing large amounts of water vapor, which causes the linear rain bands that bring about heavy rain. Furthermore, there is a demand for technology to predict the location and scale of tsunamis by detecting ionospheric holes that appear in the ionosphere immediately after a tsunami occurs. When conducting these environmental observations using aircraft, it is difficult to predict in advance when and in which area water vapor and tsunamis will be detected, so it is necessary to conduct continuous observations over a wide area over seas and land, which poses the same problem of high costs for environmental observation flights.

[0006] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a system that can reduce the costs involved in surveillance flights for the purpose of monitoring sea areas, airspace, etc., and flights for the purpose of environmental observation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present invention, a system is provided which comprises a mobile body equipped with a sensor group including a plurality of sensors and which performs measurements using the sensor group while moving, an object detection unit which detects a search object based on measurement information from a first sensor included in the sensor group, and an environment observation unit which observes a predetermined environmental state quantity based on measurement information from the first sensor or another second sensor included in the sensor group, wherein both or one of the object detection unit and the environment observation unit are arranged outside or inside the mobile body, and which has a parallel measurement mode in which at least part of the measurement operation of the first sensor used to detect the search object by the object detection unit and the measurement operation of the first sensor or the second sensor used to observe the predetermined environmental state quantity by the environment observation unit are performed in parallel by the common mobile body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, a system can be provided that can reduce the costs involved in surveillance flights for the purpose of monitoring sea areas, airspace, etc. and flights for the purpose of environmental observation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing how a surveillance aircraft that communicates with the surveillance system monitors sea areas and airspace. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing how a monitoring device that communicates with the monitoring system observes water vapor. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing how a monitoring device that communicates with the monitoring system observes a tsunami. [Figure 5] 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a communication mode between the monitoring system and a dispatcher that communicates with the monitoring system. FIG. [Figure 6a] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an aircraft that is an example of a surveillance aircraft. [Figure 6b] FIG. 1 is a functional configuration diagram of an aircraft control system 1000. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of a weather observation sensor. [Figure 8] This is a functional configuration diagram of the operation management system. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow of an aviation data sensing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control flow when the monitoring device performs measurement in a parallel measurement mode. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control flow when the monitoring device is made to perform additional measurements for risk assessment. [Figure 12] 10 is a table showing an example of risk determination criteria when a risk determination unit performs risk determination on a search object. [Figure 13] 10 is a table showing an example of a determination criterion for determining a response operation when a search target is detected by a response operation determination command unit. [Figure 14] 10 is a table showing an example of risk determination criteria when a risk determination unit performs risk determination regarding water vapor. [Figure 15]10 is a table showing an example of a determination criterion for determining a response action when water vapor is detected by a response action determination command unit. [Figure 16] 10 is a table showing an example of risk determination criteria when a risk determination unit determines a risk related to a tsunami. [Figure 17] 10 is a table showing an example of a determination criterion for determining a response action when a tsunami is detected by a response action determination command unit. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a determination control flow when a response operation determination command unit determines a response operation. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an operation management system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention will be described below by listing the contents of the embodiments. The present invention has the following configuration. [Item 1] a mobile object that is equipped with a sensor group including a plurality of sensors and performs measurements using the sensor group while moving; an object detection unit that detects a search object based on measurement information of a first sensor included in the sensor group; an environment observation unit that observes a predetermined environmental state quantity based on measurement information of the first sensor or another second sensor included in the sensor group, one or both of the object detection unit and the environment observation unit are disposed outside or inside the moving body, A system having a parallel measurement mode in which at least a portion of the measurement operation of the first sensor used to detect a search object by the object detection unit and the measurement operation of the first sensor or the second sensor used to observe a predetermined environmental state quantity by the environment observation unit are performed in parallel by a common mobile body. [Item 2] In the system according to item 1, A system that, when the object detection unit detects the search object, performs an operation depending on information about the detected search object, including requesting the deployment of another second mobile body, tracking the search object by the mobile body, or using the parallel measurement mode by the mobile body. [Item 3] In the system according to item 1, When the object detection unit detects the search object, a risk level is determined according to information about the detected search object; If the degree of risk is higher than a predetermined value, either a request for additional deployment of other second mobile units or tracking of the search object is executed; The system causes the mobile object to execute the parallel measurement mode when the degree of risk is lower than a predetermined value. [Item 4] In the system according to item 3, When the object detection unit detects the search object, the system obtains detailed measurement data by approaching the search object or by increasing the zoom amount of the camera, which is the first sensor, and determines the degree of risk based on the approach image. [Item 5] In the system according to item 3, When the object detection unit detects the search object, the system transmits data acquired from the first sensor about the search object to a ground device, and the ground device determines the degree of risk based on the acquired data. [Item 6] In the system according to item 1, A system in which, when the object detection unit detects the search object, the mobile body performs a tracking operation of the search object and the environmental observation unit performs an environmental observation operation in parallel, or the mobile body performs a detailed measurement data acquisition operation of acquiring detailed measurement data of the search object and the environmental observation operation in parallel. [Item 7] In the system according to item 1, A system in which, when the object detection unit detects the search object and requests the deployment of another second mobile body, the mobile body that detected the search object tracks the search object and the second mobile body executes the parallel measurement mode. [Item 8] In the system according to item 1, A system in which, when the object detection unit detects the search object and requests the deployment of another second mobile body, the mobile body that detected the search object executes the parallel measurement mode and the second mobile body tracks the search object. [Item 9] In the system according to item 1, When the environmental observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content above a predetermined value, the system executes an operation according to information about the detected water vapor, including requesting the addition of another second moving body, measuring the inside of the water vapor using the moving body, or operating in the parallel measurement mode using the moving body. [Item 10] In the system according to item 1, When the environment observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the environment observation unit determines a degree of risk according to information about the detected water vapor; When the degree of risk is higher than a predetermined value, either a request for additional deployment of other second moving bodies or measurement of the inside of the water vapor is executed; The system continues the parallel measurement mode by the mobile object when the degree of risk is lower than a predetermined value. [Item 11] In the system according to item 10, A system in which, when the environmental observation unit detects water vapor with a moisture content above a predetermined value, the mobile object measures the moisture content inside the water vapor and determines the degree of risk based on the measured moisture content. [Item 12] In the system according to item 1, When the environmental observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content above a predetermined value and requests the deployment of another second moving body, the system causes the moving body that detected the water vapor to measure the moisture content inside the water vapor and causes the second moving body to execute the parallel measurement mode. [Item 13] In the system according to item 1, When the environmental observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content above a predetermined value and requests the deployment of another second moving body, the system causes the moving body that detected the water vapor to execute the parallel measurement mode and the second moving body to measure the moisture content inside the water vapor. [Item 14] In the system according to item 1, When the environmental observation unit detects an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami, the system executes operations including requesting the deployment of other second mobile units, observing a tsunami on the sea surface with the mobile unit, issuing information or warnings related to the tsunami, or operating in the parallel measurement mode, depending on the information on the detected environmental change. [Item 15] In the system according to item 1, When the environmental observation unit detects an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami, the environmental observation unit determines a risk level according to the detected environmental change information related to the occurrence of a tsunami; When the risk level is higher than a predetermined value, the system executes one of the following: requesting the deployment of other second mobile units, observing the tsunami on the sea surface of the mobile unit, and issuing information or warnings about the tsunami; The system continues the parallel measurement mode by the mobile object when the degree of risk is lower than a predetermined value. [Item 16] In the system according to item 1, When the environmental observation unit detects an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami and requests the deployment of another second mobile body, the system causes the mobile body that detected the environmental change related to the occurrence of the tsunami to perform tsunami observation on the sea surface and the second mobile body to execute the parallel measurement mode. [Item 17] In the system according to item 1, When the environmental observation unit detects an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami and requests the deployment of another second mobile body, the system causes the mobile body that detected the environmental change related to the occurrence of the tsunami to execute the parallel measurement mode and causes the second mobile body to perform tsunami observation on the sea surface. [Item 18] In the system according to item 1, the sensor group includes a satellite signal receiving unit that receives satellite signals; The environmental observation unit detects a tsunami or a change in the number of electrons in the ionosphere caused by a tsunami based on the satellite signal received by the satellite signal receiving unit. [Item 19] In the system according to item 1, When the environmental observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value and performs measurements inside the water vapor using the mobile body, or when the environmental observation unit detects an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami and performs tsunami observation of the sea surface using the mobile body, A system that causes the object detection unit to perform a search operation for a search object. [Item 20] In the system according to item 1, When the object detection unit detects the search object and the environmental observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value or an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami, the degree of risk for each is determined according to information about the detected search object and the detected water vapor or tsunami; The system requests the deployment of additional second mobile bodies when the degree of risk of any of the second mobile bodies is greater than a predetermined value. [Item 21] In the system according to item 20, If it is determined that the risk level related to the detected water vapor or tsunami is higher than the risk level related to the detected search object, The moving body that has detected the environmental change related to the water vapor or the occurrence of a tsunami measures the amount of water inside the water vapor or observes a tsunami on the sea surface; The system causes the second mobile body to track the detected search object. [Item 22] In the system according to item 20, If it is determined that the risk level related to the detected water vapor or tsunami is lower than the risk level related to the detected search object, causing the moving body that detected the search object to track the detected search object; A system that causes the second mobile body to measure the amount of moisture inside the water vapor or observe tsunamis on the sea surface. [Item 23] In the system according to item 1, The system, wherein the moving body is an air vehicle, including an aircraft. [Item 24] A control method executed by a system including a computer, comprising: a measurement step in which a moving object is equipped with a sensor group including a plurality of sensors and performs measurements using the sensor group while moving; an object detection step of detecting a search object based on measurement information of a first sensor included in the sensor group; an environment observation step of observing a predetermined environmental state quantity based on measurement information of the first sensor or another second sensor included in the sensor group, A control method in which the measurement operation of the first sensor used in the object detection step and at least a portion of the measurement operation of the first sensor or the second sensor used in the environment observation step are performed in parallel by a common moving body. [Item 25] On the computer, a measurement step in which a moving object is equipped with a sensor group including a plurality of sensors and performs measurements using the sensor group while moving; an object detection step of detecting a search object based on measurement information of a first sensor included in the sensor group; an environment observation step of observing a predetermined environmental state quantity based on measurement information of the first sensor or another second sensor included in the sensor group, A program that causes at least a part of the measurement operation of the first sensor used in the object detection step and the measurement operation of the first sensor or the second sensor used in the environment observation step to be executed in parallel by the common mobile body.

[0011] <A. First Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Further, the embodiments shown below are merely examples, and other known elements and alternative means can be adopted according to the use, purpose, scale, etc.

[0012] [A-1. Configuration] (A-1-1. Overview) FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a monitoring system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as “aerial data sensing system 1” or “system 1”) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring system 1 has a function of monitoring a search target in a target airspace or sea area by a monitoring device 110, and further has a function of performing environmental observation on meteorological information including water vapor or tsunami occurrence by the monitoring device 110. Hereinafter, the monitoring function of the monitoring system 1 and the environmental observation function of meteorological information or tsunami occurrence will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the monitoring system 1 searches for a search target in an airspace or sea area that is a monitoring target area. Various processes are executed according to the search target detected by the monitoring device 110 in the monitoring target area F (FIG. 2). The monitoring target area F (F110) is a three-dimensional area to be photographed by the monitoring device 110 (aircraft 111, artificial satellite 113), and for example, refers to above water, underwater, and above the sky. Further, the ground may be included in the monitoring target area F. The monitoring device 110 may exist within the monitoring target area F, or may photograph from outside the monitoring target area F.

[0014] Search objects include, for example, suspicious ships (S200), suspicious aircraft (S100), ships in distress, shipwrecked persons, or drifting objects. Suspicious ships include, for example, ships violating territory, enemy ships, spy ships, smuggling ships, or poaching ships. Suspicious aircraft include enemy aircraft. Suspicious ships and suspicious aircraft also include aircraft engaged in illegal activities such as smuggling, poaching, or smuggling. Ships in distress include, for example, disaster-stricken ships, stranded ships, capsized ships, unmanned ships, and drifting ships. Drifting objects include, for example, the hull of a ship, a crashed aircraft, fishing nets or wood, or fragments thereof, a glacier, heavy oil, or mines. Note that search objects are not limited to these, and objects specified according to various purposes may be search objects.

[0015] 2, the surveillance device 110 is a device that captures an image of at least a part of a surveillance range F110 of a surveillance target area F, and searches for a search target. Details of the surveillance device 110 will be described later.

[0016] Furthermore, the monitoring system 1 performs environmental observations related to weather information using a monitoring aircraft 110, as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing how a monitoring aircraft communicating with the monitoring system observes water vapor as weather information. Reference symbol R111 indicates the measurement area of ​​the monitoring aircraft (aircraft) 111, and reference symbol R113 indicates the measurement area of ​​the monitoring aircraft (artificial satellite) 113.

[0017] As the temperature of the ocean water in the sea 94 rises, the evaporated seawater is continuously moved upward by the rising air current 96a, generating a mass 92 of water vapor 90 (atmospheric river 92). Subsequently, due to the influence of air current 96b, the atmospheric river 92 moves over the coastline 97 toward the land 98. When the moisture content of the water vapor 90 exceeds the saturated water vapor amount due to topographical influences, the water vapor 90 liquefies in the sky, becoming water 90a and forming clouds 92a (rain clouds). This can result in the formation of a linear rain band, causing prolonged heavy rain in a specific area. In Japan, which is surrounded by sea, almost all of the water vapor 90 that causes heavy rain flows from above the sea 94 onto the land 98. Therefore, in order to detect the water vapor 90 in advance, it is necessary to search for the water vapor 90 in the area from the land 98 to the sea 94 and detect it early.

[0018] Water in the air is (1) Visible state: droplets (raindrops, snow, etc.), particles (fog and clouds at a relative humidity of 100% Rh) (2) Invisible state: Water in gaseous state (relative humidity Rh less than 100%) The term "water vapor" means both the visible state (1) and the invisible state (2).

[0019] The object to be measured or detected in the meteorological observation in this embodiment is invisible water vapor 90 (however, visible water 90a may also be measured or detected in addition to this). Based on the measurement results of water vapor 90, the amount of gaseous water (invisible) and the amount of liquefied water (visible) are calculated.

[0020] In FIG. 3, the measurement area R111 of the aircraft 111 is facing upward, indicating that the aircraft 20 is flying at a relatively low altitude (for example, between 100 and 200 m) and measuring the atmospheric river 92 above the aircraft 111.

[0021] Alternatively, the monitoring system 1 can detect the location and magnitude of a tsunami by detecting changes in the total electron content (hereinafter referred to as "TEC") in the ionosphere caused by the occurrence of a tsunami as environmental observation. Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram showing how a monitoring aircraft (aircraft 111) that communicates with the monitoring system observes environmental changes caused by the occurrence of a tsunami as meteorological information.

[0022] When a tsunami occurs, the vertical vibrations of the sea surface become sound waves (such as infrasonic waves) and propagate into the sky, causing a decrease or disappearance of the total electron count (TEC) in the ionosphere 60 to 500 km above the tsunami's location (a phenomenon known as an ionospheric hole). Such ionospheric holes can be detected by TEC measurement devices in satellite signal receivers that receive satellite signals from high-orbit satellites 113 orbiting at a high altitude of approximately 20,000 km or low-orbit satellites 113a orbiting at a low altitude of approximately 2,000 km. For example, when an ionospheric hole occurs, the carrier frequency of the satellite signal fluctuates. Therefore, the ionospheric hole can be detected based on the carrier frequency fluctuations, and the initial wave source of the tsunami can be estimated.

[0023] Such ionospheric holes are detected by measuring the TEC based on satellite signals received from the artificial satellite 113 or 113a using a TEC measuring device mounted on a monitoring device (aircraft 111, ship 112, ground-based radar 114). Note that in the conventional method of detecting ionospheric holes using ground-based radar 114, the satellite signals pass through the ionosphere above land 98, so the probability of detecting ionospheric holes that occur in the early stages after a tsunami is low. However, when detecting ionospheric holes using aircraft 111 flying over the sea, the satellite signals pass through the ionosphere above the sea 94, so the probability of detecting ionospheric holes that occur in the early stages after a tsunami is improved.

[0024] In addition, as a method of observing environmental changes caused by a tsunami, it is possible to observe a tsunami by detecting the shape of the sea surface using sensors such as optical cameras and LiDAR. Alternatively, it is possible to observe a tsunami from changes in ship position information contained in AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals received from multiple ships at sea. Another tsunami observation method is to detect the shape of the sea surface by using an aircraft 111 to detect sea surface reflection waves that are generated when GPS radio waves transmitted from an artificial satellite 113a or the like are reflected on the sea surface.

[0025] (A-1-2. Airborne Data Sensing System 1) As shown in Figure 1, the aviation data sensing system 1 (surveillance system 1) mainly comprises an aircraft control system 1000 that manages the flight and photography of the surveillance aircraft 110, a base system 2000, and an airspace / sea area surveillance and control system 3000.

[0026] The aircraft control system 1000 is a system mounted on the surveillance aircraft 110. The aircraft control system 1000 controls each part of the surveillance aircraft 110, causes the surveillance aircraft 110 to travel along a predetermined route and perform surveillance.

[0027] The base system 2000 is a system configured at the base 2010. The base system 2000 transmits and receives data to and from the monitoring device 110, analyzes the data acquired by the monitoring device 110, and formulates an operation plan for the monitoring device 110 based on the analysis results, etc., and transmits the plan to the monitoring device 110.

[0028] Base 2010 may be fixed equipment 2010a that is fixedly installed on the ground or the like, or may be a mobile vehicle-type device 2010b. Base system 2000 may include multiple bases 2010.

[0029] The base system 2000 mainly has the following functionalities: an aircraft flight operation system 2100 , an acquired data management system 2200 , a communication infrastructure management system 2300 , and a flight management system 2400 .

[0030] The aircraft flight operating system 2100 is a system that generates missions for the surveillance aircraft 110 and controls the movement of the surveillance aircraft 110. The mission is, for example, a movement plan including the movement route and movement speed of the surveillance aircraft 110, and the movement route is set, for example, in an airspace at an altitude of 100 m to 6000 m. In particular, when a fixed-wing aircraft (with an aircraft width of approximately 6 m) is used to perform a search flight for a search target or an environmental observation flight, the flight route is a round-trip route with one side of 200 km made 10 times at round-trip intervals of approximately 30 km. The aircraft flight operating system 2100 transmits control signals to the surveillance aircraft 110 via the communication infrastructure management system 2300 to operate the surveillance aircraft 110 automatically.

[0031] The acquired data management system 2200 is a system that analyzes acquired data including video or images. The acquired data management system 2200 determines how to process the massive amount of acquired data for each piece of acquired data, and transmits processing commands to the aircraft control system 1000, the spatial information data utilization system 4000, or the like via the communication infrastructure management system 2300. The spatial information data utilization system 4000 is a system that has the function of analyzing sensing data from, for example, the surveillance device 110, integrating the data with map data and other information, and publishing the integrated information. The processing commands from the acquired data management system 2200 are, for example, commands to transmit specific data to another system 1000, 4000, or the like, to store specific data, or to analyze specific data.

[0032] The communication infrastructure management system 2300 is a system that manages communication means for transmitting and receiving data between the base system 2000 and the aircraft control system 1000. The communication infrastructure management system 2300 transmits information generated by, for example, the aircraft flight operating system 2100 and the acquired data management system 2200 to the aircraft control system 1000. The communication infrastructure management system 2300 also monitors the communication speed as well as the availability of communication via the existing infrastructure, determines the speed and urgency of the data transmission, and then determines the type of data transmission process and executes the data transmission and reception. The transmission process may be, for example, parallel transmission or switched transmission. Furthermore, if the communication infrastructure management system 2300 determines that data should be transmitted by physically transporting the memory by a person, it may display this information on an appropriate display unit and request the administrator to physically transport the memory.

[0033] The flight management system 2400 is a system that makes decisions and gives instructions regarding the operation of the surveillance aircraft 110. The flight management system 2400 formulates work plans and operational commands related to the work of the surveillance aircraft 110, including, for example, measurements and flights, and transmits the operational commands to the aircraft control system 1000 via the communication infrastructure management system 2300. The flight management system 2400 may also determine the priority of work according to the degree of risk and transmit this to the aircraft control system 1000. The flight management system 2400 may formulate plans for multiple surveillance aircraft 110, including surveillance aircraft that will be deployed additionally, and transmit information about the plans to each aircraft control system 1000.

[0034] The flight management system 2400 also receives control requests due to the environment or the operation of other aircraft, for example, from the airspace / sea area surveillance and control system 3000, and adjusts the operation plan of the surveillance aircraft 110. Furthermore, the flight management system 2400 can request the airspace / sea area surveillance and control system 3000 to dispatch a vehicle when it detects a search target, when it detects water vapor containing a moisture content above a predetermined value, or when it detects an environmental condition quantity caused by a tsunami. The flight management system 2400 can transmit information such as each determination result and warning information via the communication unit 2470 (described later) to external systems such as weather monitoring systems (such as Disaster Prevention Crossview) used by meteorological agencies and disaster response agencies, and Japan Surrounding Sea and Airspace Defense Monitoring Systems used by defense agencies and crisis response agencies, and can also acquire information from external systems. The functional components of the flight management system 2400 will be described later.

[0035] The configuration of the base system 2000 may be realized as a single device, or may be realized by a plurality of devices (e.g., the monitoring device 110, the traffic management system 2400) partially or entirely connected by a communication network NW. Also, each functional unit of the traffic management system 2400 may be realized by being implemented in a different base system 2000 connected to each other by a communication network NW.

[0036] The airspace and sea area monitoring and control system 3000 is a system that monitors at least the airspace and sea area of ​​the monitoring target area F. The airspace and sea area monitoring and control system 3000 acquires information from an existing ship control system 5000 or air traffic control system 6000 that is installed outside the monitoring system 1. The air traffic control system 6000 may be, for example, a drone traffic management system (UTM), a drone traffic management subsystem (UASSP), or an air traffic management system (ATM). That is, the airspace and sea area monitoring and control system 3000 measures or acquires information about the environment and other aircraft in the monitoring target area F and transmits the information to the flight management system 2400. If there is a problem with the work plan of the monitoring aircraft 110 based on the information from the airspace and sea area monitoring and control system 3000, the flight management system 2400 changes the work plan.

[0037] In addition, the airspace / sea area surveillance and control system 3000 requests the ship control system 5000 or the air traffic control system 6000 to dispatch a vehicle based on a request for dispatching a vehicle received from the operation management system 2400.

[0038] In this embodiment, multiple aircraft control systems 1000 are controlled by one flight management system 2400. However, multiple flight management systems 2400 may be connected to one surveillance aircraft 110 via multiple communication networks NW, i.e., the system may be made redundant. In this case, even if an abnormality occurs in the flight management system 2400 or the communication network, the operation of the system 1, and therefore the surveillance and search object processing by the surveillance aircraft 110, can be continued by the other redundant flight management systems 2400 and communication networks NW, thereby improving the reliability of the system 1.

[0039] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the communication mode of each component that communicates with the monitoring system 1. As shown in Fig. 5, bases 200, such as fixed equipment 200a and vehicle-type device 200b, are connected to a spatial information data utilization system 4000 via a network NW. The spatial information data utilization system 4000 and fixed equipment 200a are connected to the network NW by wire. Furthermore, the vehicle-type device 200b is connected to the network NW wirelessly.

[0040] The monitoring device 110 is wirelessly connected to the base 200. The base 200 is also wirelessly connected to the dispatch vehicle 300.

[0041] 1 may be connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network such as the Internet or a communication method such as LTE. Furthermore, each component may be connected to a communication network by satellite communication via an artificial satellite.

[0042] (A-1-3. Dispatch machine 120) The dispatch vehicle 120 is an aircraft that takes action at a predetermined point in the monitored area F in response to a dispatch request from the monitoring system 1. The dispatch vehicle 120 is, for example, a manned or unmanned aircraft or ship. The dispatch vehicle 120 may have the same configuration as the monitoring aircraft 110.

[0043] The dispatch vehicle 120 may be an aircraft equipped with a tracking sensor different from that of the surveillance aircraft 110. For example, the surveillance aircraft 110 may be equipped with a lightweight or power-saving sensor for the purpose of long-term operation, while the dispatch vehicle 120 may be equipped with a relatively heavy or power-consuming sensor. This configuration allows the dispatch vehicle 120 to track the search target in a manner different from that of the surveillance aircraft 110. For example, the dispatch vehicle 120 may be equipped with an IR sensor. This configuration makes it easy to detect people or fires. The dispatch vehicle 120 may also be equipped with a night-vision camera. This configuration enables nighttime surveillance.

[0044] The dispatch vehicle 120 is equipped with various pieces of equipment depending on the purpose of the dispatch. When the dispatch vehicle 120 sails to a predetermined location for the purpose of rescue or relief, it may be equipped with speakers or relief supplies. Relief supplies include, for example, water, a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, or a life jacket. Furthermore, when the dispatch vehicle 120 sails to warn of or apprehend a suspicious object, it may be equipped with speakers or weapons. The monitoring system 1 may notify the dispatch vehicle 120 of the desired equipment when requesting deployment, and the dispatch vehicle 120 equipped with the desired equipment may sail to the desired location.

[0045] Furthermore, the dispatch vehicle 120 may be an artificial satellite. In response to a request from the operation management system 2400, the artificial satellite 113 serving as the dispatch vehicle 120 may adjust its photographing position so that the position where the monitoring aircraft 110 detected the search object is included in the monitoring range F110. In response to a request from the operation management system 2400, an artificial satellite 113 whose monitoring range F110 includes the position where the search object was detected may be selected, and the selected artificial satellite 113 may start transmitting photographing data in response to the request for deployment.

[0046] In this case, for example, when the aircraft 111 detects a search object, it transmits the attributes and location of the search object to the base 2010. The base 2010 transmits a dispatch request to the airspace / sea area surveillance control system 3000 according to at least the attributes. In response to a signal from the airspace / sea area surveillance control system 3000, the dispatch vehicle 120 flies toward the location of the search object.

[0047] (A-1-4. Surveillance device 110) (A-1-4-1. Overview of the surveillance device 110) As shown in FIG. 5 , the monitoring device 110 may be, for example, an aircraft 111, a ship 112, a satellite 113, a ground-based radar 114, or another mobile object, such as a submarine moving underwater or a vehicle moving on land. The aircraft 111 may be, for example, an unmanned aerial vehicle, and may be a fixed-wing type. The aircraft 111 may include an object detection sensor unit 1210 whose detection range is, for example, the area to the side, front, or above the aircraft 111, and detect a suspicious aircraft S100 or the like. The detection sensor of the aircraft 111 may also include a detection range below the aircraft 111 and detect a suspicious ship S200, a drifting ship, a drifter, or a flotsam present in the sea below the aircraft 111. The aircraft 111 may also include a meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 whose detection range is the area ahead or above the aircraft 111 and detects water vapor in the atmosphere. Furthermore, the aircraft 111 may include a tsunami observation sensor unit 1230 that detects ionospheric holes based on satellite signals, and detects the location and magnitude of a tsunami.

[0048] The ship 112 monitors a monitoring area F and performs environmental observations of water vapor and ionospheric holes while moving on water, for example, the ocean. The ship 112 is equipped with a wide-area surveillance radar (not shown) whose monitoring area is to the side or above, and detects search targets from the sea. The wide-area surveillance radar can be configured using any known appropriate technology. The ship 112 is also equipped with a meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 whose detection area is to the side or above, and detects water vapor in the atmosphere. Furthermore, the ship 112 may be equipped with a tsunami observation sensor unit 1230 that detects ionospheric holes based on satellite signals, and detects the location and size of a tsunami.

[0049] The artificial satellite 113 photographs the monitoring target area F while moving around the Earth. The artificial satellite 113 also includes a meteorological observation sensor unit 1220, which remotely senses water vapor.

[0050] The ground-mounted radar 114 is a device mounted on the ground. The ground-mounted radar 114 includes, for example, a wide-area surveillance radar (not shown) whose monitoring area is to the side or above, and detects search targets from the ground. The ground-mounted radar 114 may also be mounted on a ship or a mobile object on land, and the monitoring aircraft 110 may include the ground-mounted radar 114 mounted on a ship or on land. The ground-mounted radar 114 may also include a meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 whose detection area is to the side or above, and detects water vapor in the atmosphere. Furthermore, the ground-mounted radar 114 may also include a tsunami observation sensor unit 1230 that detects ionospheric holes based on satellite signals, and detects the location and magnitude of tsunamis.

[0051] A moving surveillance aircraft 110, such as an aircraft 111, monitors a surveillance target area F while changing a surveillance range F110 as it moves. The surveillance aircraft 110 may also monitor the surveillance target area F by changing the orientation of the sensor. For example, when searching for a search target, as shown in FIG. 2, the sensor can be oriented diagonally upward to set the surveillance range F110 diagonally above the aircraft when conducting airspace surveillance, while the sensor can be oriented downward to set the surveillance range F110 below the aircraft when conducting maritime surveillance. Furthermore, when conducting a flight to monitor water vapor in the atmosphere, the sensor can be oriented diagonally upward to set a measurement range R111 diagonally above the aircraft, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0052] Furthermore, the surveillance device 110 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may include various configurations that are mounted on land or a ship and search for a search target.

[0053] A single system 1 includes a plurality of surveillance aircraft 110, and the system 1 can fly a plurality of surveillance aircraft 110 simultaneously over a single surveillance area F, or use them for surveillance, thereby photographing the surveillance area F. Note that in this embodiment, the surveillance aircraft 110 has been described as being included in the system 1, but the surveillance system 1 only needs to be configured to send control commands to the surveillance aircraft 110, and the present invention is not limited to a configuration in which the surveillance aircraft 110 itself is included in the system 1.

[0054] (A-1-4-2.Aircraft 111) 6(a) is a perspective view showing an example of an aircraft 111, which is an example of a surveillance aircraft 110. In this specification, the term "aircraft" refers to any flying object that has the function of autonomously controlling its attitude, regardless of the power means (electric power, prime mover, etc.), the control method (wireless or wired, and whether fully autonomous flight or partially manual flight, etc.), and whether it is manned or unmanned. Furthermore, aircraft may also be referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), flying objects, multicopters, RPASs (remote piloted aircraft systems), UASs (unmanned aircraft systems), etc.

[0055] The aircraft 111 mainly comprises an airframe 111a, main wings 111b, and a tail 111c as mechanical components for flight. The aircraft 111 is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and any appropriate configuration can be adopted. For example, the aircraft 111 may be a fixed-wing aircraft, a rotary-wing aircraft, or a vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL) equipped with fixed wings and rotary wings. Furthermore, if the aircraft is equipped with rotary wings, a propeller guard (not shown) may be provided to prevent the rotary wings from interfering with obstacles.

[0056] The body 111a has, for example, a sensor unit 1200 attached below or in front of the body 111a. The body 111a may be equipped with a plurality of sensor units 1200. The monitoring device 110 may have an alarm device, such as a warning light and a speaker, that issues a warning to people around the monitoring device 110.

[0057] (A-1-5. Aircraft Control System 1000) (A-1-5-1. Functional blocks of the aircraft control system 1000) 6(b) is a functional configuration diagram of the aircraft control system 1000 of this embodiment. The aircraft control system 1000 is mounted on the surveillance aircraft 110, and manages or controls the flight and photography of the surveillance aircraft 110.

[0058] The aircraft control system 1000 is equipped with an arithmetic unit such as a CPU for executing information processing, and storage devices such as RAM and ROM, which constitute the software configuration, primarily comprising the functional blocks of a self-positioning unit 1100, a sensor unit 1200, an aircraft control unit 1300, a data recording unit 1400, and a communication unit 1500.

[0059] (A-1-5-2. Self-positioning unit 1100) The self-positioning unit 1100 receives signals from artificial satellites and measures the position (absolute position) of the aircraft based on the signals. The self-positioning unit 1100 measures its current position using, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or a Global Positioning System (GPS), although this is not particularly limited. For example, a Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) can also be used as a method for measuring the self-position. The position information includes at least two-dimensional coordinate information (e.g., latitude and longitude) in a planar view, and preferably includes three-dimensional coordinate information including altitude information.

[0060] (A-1-5-3. Sensor unit 1200) The sensor unit 1200 uses multiple sensors (described later) to monitor search targets in the target airspace or sea area and to observe the environment related to meteorological information or tsunami occurrence. The sensor unit 1200 includes an object detection sensor unit 1210, a meteorological observation sensor unit 1220, and a tsunami observation sensor unit 1230, which are necessary for such monitoring and environmental observation.

[0061] The object detection sensor unit 1210 is a sensor that acquires information about a search object in the monitored area F. The object detection sensor unit 1210 is, for example, a camera that acquires an image of the search object, but may also be a sensor such as a laser sensor (for example, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging)) that acquires point cloud data. The object detection sensor unit 1210 may also be an IR camera in addition to a visible light camera. The object detection sensor unit 1210 may have a function for automatically controlling parameters such as exposure, contrast, or ISO.

[0062] The meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 is a sensor that acquires information regarding the detection of water vapor in the atmosphere within the measurement range R. A detailed configuration example of the meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 will be described using FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a detailed configuration diagram of the meteorological observation sensor unit 1220. The meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 includes at least one of a remote sensing unit 1221 and a direct sensing unit 1222. The detection of water vapor in the atmosphere by the meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 does not only detect water vapor at a local point, but also detects water vapor (or a mass of water vapor) having a certain volume.

[0063] The remote sensing unit 1221 is composed of a sensor capable of non-contact measurement of the position and shape of water vapor in the atmosphere. Examples include a laser sensor (Doppler LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), green laser, etc.), a ceilometer, and a microwave sensor. When a laser sensor is used as the remote sensing unit 1221, the outline (outline) of a visible water vapor mass can be determined based on the reflected light that returns when a scanning laser emitted from the laser sensor hits the boundary (outline) of the water vapor mass containing cloud particles. Alternatively, the outline (outline) of an invisible water vapor mass can be determined by determining, based on the reflected light, that a specific wavelength of the scanning laser emitted from the laser sensor is absorbed by the water vapor inside the water vapor mass. The detection of water vapor in the atmosphere by the remote sensing unit 1221 does not only detect water vapor at a local point, but can also detect the position and shape of water vapor (or water vapor masses) with a certain volume.

[0064] The direct sensing unit 1222 is composed of sensors capable of measuring atmospheric state quantities used to calculate the moisture content of water vapor in the atmosphere, etc. Examples include a relative hygrometer 12221, an atmospheric thermometer 12222, an atmospheric pressure gauge 12223, a dew point thermometer 12224, an anemometer 12225, and a speedometer 12226. The direct sensing unit 1222 also detects water vapor in the atmosphere not only at a local point, but also the position and shape of water vapor (or a mass of water vapor) with a certain volume.

[0065] The relative humidity meter 12221 detects the relative humidity RH around the aircraft 111. The atmospheric temperature meter 12222 detects the atmospheric temperature Ta around the aircraft 111. The atmospheric pressure meter 12223 detects the atmospheric pressure P around the aircraft 111. The dew point thermometer 12224 detects the dew point temperature Td around the aircraft 111.

[0066] The anemometer 12225 detects wind speed and direction around the aircraft 111. When the aircraft 111 itself is moving, the measurements of the anemometer 12225 are affected by the direction and speed of movement of the aircraft 111. Therefore, the wind speed and direction measured by the anemometer 12225 can be said to be relative wind speed and relative wind direction, respectively. By correcting this relative wind speed and relative wind direction with the direction and speed of movement of the aircraft 111, it is possible to calculate the atmospheric wind speed and wind direction when the speed of the aircraft 111 is zero. Alternatively, the anemometer 12225 may estimate the airspeed (= atmospheric flow speed) from the attitude control information of the aircraft 111, measure the ground speed (≒ absolute speed) from the GNSS positioning information (or LiDAR, GNSS Doppler) of the aircraft 111, and determine that "ground speed - airspeed" = absolute speed of atmospheric wind speed (atmospheric ground speed). Furthermore, when a Doppler LiDAR is used as the remote sensing unit 1221, the remote sensing unit 1221 can also be used as an anemometer 12225.

[0067] The tsunami observation sensor unit 1230 is equipped with a TEC measuring device that detects ionospheric holes caused by tsunamis, or a visible light camera, IR camera, LiDAR or other laser sensor that detects changes in the shape of the sea surface due to tsunamis, or an AIS signal receiver that receives ship information such as the ship's identification code, name, position, course, speed, and destination via VHF radio waves.

[0068] The orientation (attitude of the sensor unit relative to the airframe 111a of the monitoring device 110) of each sensor of the sensor unit 1200 can be adjusted by a sensor actuator (not shown). The holder of the sensor unit 1200 may have a so-called gimbal control mechanism that suppresses the transmission of shaking or vibration of the airframe to the sensor unit 1200. The airframe control unit 1300 (described later) controls the sensor unit 1200 and the holder to adjust the monitoring target area F, measurement range R, etc. of the sensor unit 1200.

[0069] The sensing data acquired by the sensor unit 1200 is transmitted to the operation management system 2400, etc. The sensing data may also be stored in the data recording unit 1400 of the surveillance device 110 itself.

[0070] As described above, the sensor unit 1200 includes three types of sensor units: the object detection sensor unit 1210, the weather observation sensor unit 1220, and the tsunami observation sensor unit 1230. However, all or some of these sensor units may be configured with a common sensor device. For example, all three types of sensor units may be configured with LiDAR. Alternatively, they may be configured with different sensor devices such as a visible light camera, LiDAR, and TEC measurement device.

[0071] (A-1-5-4. Aircraft control unit 1300) The aircraft control unit 1300 is a mechanism and functional unit that operates the surveillance aircraft 110, and if the surveillance aircraft 110 is an aircraft 111, it generates thrust in the aircraft to make the aircraft 111 lift off and move in a desired direction. If the surveillance aircraft 110 is a ship 112, it generates thrust in the aircraft to make the ship 112 move in a desired direction over the sea. If the surveillance aircraft 110 is an artificial satellite 113, it may control the position of the artificial satellite 113.

[0072] The aircraft control unit 1300 onboard the aircraft 111 includes a processing unit, also referred to as a flight controller. The processing unit may include one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), MPU, or DSP). The processing unit has access to a memory. The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that the processing unit can execute to perform one or more steps.

[0073] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the state of the surveillance aircraft 110. For example, if the surveillance aircraft 110 is an aircraft 111, the control module adjusts the spatial arrangement, attitude angle, angular velocity, angular acceleration, angular jerk rate, and / or acceleration of the surveillance aircraft 110, which has six degrees of freedom (translational motion x, y, and z, and rotational motion θx, θy, and θz). That is, the aircraft control unit 1300 controls the surveillance aircraft 110 to perform various operations such as takeoff, forward movement, turning, landing, etc., and controls the attitude angle control and flight operations of the surveillance aircraft 110 from takeoff to flight and landing.

[0074] The aircraft control unit 1300 can control the flight of the surveillance aircraft 110, for example, based on an autonomous flight program acquired from the aircraft flight operating system 2100. The aircraft control unit 1300 can also control the flight of the surveillance aircraft 110 by controlling the motors based on various information such as the monitored area F, flight permitted / prohibited areas, information on the corresponding flight geofences, map information including two-dimensional or three-dimensional map data, current position information of the surveillance aircraft 110, attitude information (heading information), speed information, and acceleration information, and any combination of these.

[0075] The aircraft control unit 1300 may control the orientation and zoom amount of each sensor (object detection sensor unit 1210, weather observation sensor unit 1220, tsunami observation sensor unit 1230) of the sensor unit 1200. Regarding the orientation of the sensor unit 1200, the aircraft control unit 1300 may control either or both of the pitch angle with respect to the horizontal and the yaw angle with respect to a predetermined reference direction. Based on the monitoring mode, the aircraft control unit 1300 generates commands for the monitoring device 110 and the sensor unit 1200 so that an image is captured at the position, height, direction, and zoom amount set in the monitoring mode, and transmits the commands to the monitoring device 110. For example, when a search object is detected, the aircraft control unit 1300 may cause the monitoring device 110 to approach the search object or increase the zoom amount of the camera serving as the object detection sensor unit 1210, thereby acquiring an image of the approaching search object.

[0076] (A-1-5-5. Data recording unit 1400) Data recording unit 1400 is a functional unit that records data obtained by the search operation or environmental observation operation of monitoring device 110 onto a recording medium inside monitoring device 110. Specifically, data recording unit 1400 records position coordinates obtained by self-positioning unit 1100, and sensing data such as image data obtained by sensor unit 1200. The recording medium may include, for example, a separable medium such as an SD card or RAM.

[0077] (A-1-5-6. Communications Department 1500) The communication unit 1500 is capable of radio wave communication via the communication network NW and includes, for example, a radio wave communication module. The communication unit 1500 is capable of communication with the monitoring device 110 and the like via the communication network NW. The communication unit 1500 has a communication function for wirelessly communicating with the monitoring device 110 using, for example, Wi-Fi, 2.4 GHz, or a frequency band of 5.6 to 5.8 GHz. The communication unit 1500 also has a wireless communication function for communicating with the flight management system 2400 via the communication network NW using a communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution). The communication unit 1500 transmits, for example, data recorded in the data recording unit 1400 to the flight management system 2400 and the like. The communication unit 1500 also receives commands such as operation commands from the flight management system 2400.

[0078] The communication unit 1500 may perform real-time transmission to, for example, the flight operations management system 2400. The communication unit 1500 may also perform real-time transmission of acquired data including, for example, images, point cloud data, humidity, etc. acquired by the sensor unit 1200. In addition, acquired information acquired by additional measurement, which will be described later, is also similarly transmitted to the flight operations management system 2400, etc. Note that the method for transmitting the measurement data and additional measurement data acquired by the sensor unit 1200 to the flight operations management system 2400 is not limited to wireless data communication by the communication unit 1500, and may also be a method in which the aircraft lands at the ground base system 2000 and the acquired data is directly collected from the data recording unit 1400.

[0079] (A-1-6. Flight Management System 2400) The operation management system 2400 includes a measurement mode command unit 2410, a measurement result determination unit 2420, an additional measurement command unit 2430, a risk determination unit 2440, a response action determination command unit 2450, a future prediction unit 2460, a communication unit 2470, and a display unit 2480.

[0080] (A-1-6-1. Measurement mode command unit 2410) The measurement mode command unit 2410 includes an object monitoring command unit 2411, an environment observation command unit 2412, and a parallel measurement mode command unit 2415. The object monitoring command unit 2411 outputs an operation command to cause the object detection sensor unit 1210 mounted on the monitoring aircraft 110 to search for a search object in a target airspace or sea area and detect the search object.

[0081] The environmental observation command unit 2412 outputs an operational command to have the monitoring aircraft 110 conduct environmental observations related to weather information including water vapor in the target airspace or the occurrence of a tsunami to detect specific environmental state quantities. The environmental observation command unit 2412 further includes a water vapor observation command unit 2413 and a tsunami observation command unit 2414. The water vapor observation command unit 2413 outputs an operational command to have the weather observation sensor unit 1220 of the monitoring aircraft 110 search for and detect water vapor containing a predetermined amount of moisture or more in the atmosphere per unit volume or unit weight. The tsunami observation command unit 2414 outputs an operational command to have the tsunami observation sensor unit 1230 of the monitoring aircraft 110 detect ionospheric holes caused by the occurrence of a tsunami, changes in the shape of the sea surface caused by the tsunami, or changes in the height position of a ship caused by the tsunami.

[0082] The parallel measurement mode command unit 2415 outputs an operation command to execute in parallel an object search operation using the object detection sensor unit 1210 mounted on the monitoring device 110 and an environment observation operation using the meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 or the tsunami observation sensor unit 1230. Specifically, it outputs an operation command to execute in parallel at least a part of the measurement operation of the object detection sensor unit 1210 used to detect a search object mounted on a common monitoring device 110 and the measurement operation of the meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 or the tsunami observation sensor unit 1230.

[0083] (A-1-6-2. Measurement result determination unit 2420) The measurement result determination unit 2420 includes an object detection unit 2421 and a specific environmental state detection unit 2422. The object detection unit 2421 detects a desired search object that has been registered in advance by performing data processing such as image processing on measurement information measured by the object detection sensor unit 1210 mounted on the monitoring device 110. Furthermore, when the object detection unit 2421 detects a search object, it acquires a position related to the detection of the search object. The position related to the detection of the search object may be the position coordinates of the search object estimated by analyzing the monitoring range F110 of the monitoring device 110 at the time the search object is detected. Furthermore, the position related to the detection of the search object may be the position coordinates of the monitoring device 110 at the time the search object is detected.

[0084] The specific environmental condition detection unit 2422 further includes a water vapor detection unit 2423 and a tsunami detection unit 2424, thereby detecting specific environmental condition quantities. The water vapor detection unit 2423 searches for and detects water vapor containing a predetermined amount of moisture or more in the atmosphere per unit volume or unit weight using the meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 of the monitoring device 110. The tsunami detection unit 2424 detects the occurrence of a tsunami by detecting an ionospheric hole caused by the occurrence of a tsunami, a change in the shape of the sea surface caused by the tsunami, or a change in the height position of a ship caused by the tsunami using the tsunami observation sensor unit 1230 of the monitoring device 110. The tsunami detection unit 2424 can also predict the range, expected time of arrival, expected height, etc. of the tsunami through a tsunami propagation simulation based on information such as the detected initial wave source of the tsunami. The predicted tsunami height can be estimated by measuring the tsunami height at an offshore location and obtaining the water depth at that location using geographical information, etc., and then using Green's law shown below to estimate the height of the first arriving tsunami wave.

[0085]

number

[0086] In this formula (1), H is the wave height and h is the water depth. The subscript "0" indicates the source area, and "1" indicates the area near the coast. Green's Law indicates that when a tsunami reaches a coast in shallow water from offshore, the height of the tsunami will be higher than when it is offshore.

[0087] (A-1-6-3. Additional measurement command unit 2430) The additional measurement command unit 2430 determines the operation required to determine the risk level for the detected search object, water vapor, or tsunami based on the detection results of the search result determination unit 2420 for the search object, water vapor, or tsunami, and commands the execution of that operation. Measurement information obtained by additional measurements in response to the operation command from the additional measurement command unit 2430 is transmitted to the risk determination unit 2440 (installed on the ground, described below) and used for risk determination. For example, when the additional measurement command unit 2430 detects a search object, it outputs an operation command to move the surveillance device closer to the search object, or to narrow the measurement range of the camera, LiDAR, IR sensor, etc. constituting the object detection sensor unit 1210 (increasing the zoom amount in the case of a camera) to acquire proximity measurement data, enlarged images, high-resolution measurement data, high-resolution images, etc. of the search object. The operation command may also be to execute an environmental observation operation in parallel with the acquisition of the proximity image of the search object.

[0088] As another example, when the additional measurement command unit 2430 detects water vapor containing a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value in the atmosphere per unit volume or unit weight, it outputs an operation command to the monitoring aircraft 110 (aircraft) to fly inside the water vapor mass and measure the moisture content inside and around the water vapor mass. In this case, for example, when the monitoring aircraft 110 is to fly inside or around the water vapor mass, the route interval (route width) of the round-trip flight path may be set narrower than the round-trip path when flying in other areas. Furthermore, when the monitoring aircraft 110 is to fly inside or around the water vapor mass, the flight speed inside or around the water vapor mass may be set lower than when flying in other areas. Furthermore, when the flow direction of the water vapor is detected, the flight path of the aircraft inside or around the water vapor mass may be set as a round-trip path along the flow direction. Furthermore, if the vertical flow of water vapor is detected using an anemometer or the like, a flight path may be set that flies at multiple altitudes inside or around the mass of water vapor, and one or more aircraft may fly along the flight path at multiple altitudes.

[0089] The additional measurement command unit 2430 may also output an operation command to drop a dropsonde, which is a unitized version of the meteorological observation sensor unit 1220, into the inside of or around the detected water vapor mass. Alternatively, the position of the detected water vapor mass and its surroundings may be measured by a LiDAR sensor (weather observation sensor unit 1220).

[0090] (A-1-6-4. Risk assessment unit 2440) When the measurement result determination unit 2420 detects a search object, detects water vapor with a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or detects the occurrence of a tsunami, the risk determination unit 2440 calculates the degree of risk according to the information on the search object, the information on the water vapor, or the information on the tsunami obtained by the measurement result determination unit 2420. The risk determination unit 2440 includes a detected object risk determination unit 2441 and an environmental risk determination unit 2442.

[0091] When the measurement result determination unit 2420 detects a search object, the detected object risk determination unit 2441 calculates the degree of risk posed by the search object according to information about the search object. For example, if a suspicious aircraft or ship carrying a weapon is detected as a search object, the risk level is evaluated as high because there is a possibility of an attack resulting in personal injury. On the other hand, if a suspicious ship that may be trespassing or engaging in illegal fishing is detected, the risk level is evaluated as medium because there is a low possibility of immediate personal injury. Furthermore, if drifting objects that may collide with ships, such as large debris, are detected, the risk level is evaluated as low.

[0092] The environmental risk determination unit 2442 includes a water vapor risk determination unit 2443 and a tsunami risk determination unit 2444. When the measurement result determination unit 2420 detects water vapor with a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the water vapor risk determination unit 2443 calculates the degree of risk of heavy rain, heavy snow, or the like caused by water vapor according to information about the water vapor. For example, the degree of risk can be evaluated in three levels: high, medium, or low, according to the amount of moisture contained in the detected mass of water vapor.

[0093] When the measurement result determination unit 2420 detects the occurrence of a tsunami, the tsunami risk determination unit 2444 calculates the degree of risk caused by the tsunami according to information about the tsunami. Here, the information about the tsunami is, for example, the coastal location where the tsunami arrived, the time of arrival, the tsunami height, and the tsunami speed, and according to this information and taking into account the predicted scale of damage caused by the tsunami, the tsunami risk determination unit 2444 calculates the degree of risk, for example, one of three levels: large, medium, or small.

[0094] (A-1-6-5. Response action determination command unit 2450) When the measurement result determination unit 2420 detects a search object, water vapor, or a tsunami, the response action determination command unit 2450 determines a response action based on information about these detection results or the risk determination result calculated from these detection results, and outputs a command to execute the response action.

[0095] First, we will explain the response action to be taken when a search object is detected by the measurement result determination unit 2420. When a search object is detected by the measurement result determination unit 2420, the response action determination command unit 2450 determines the response action based on information on the degree of risk caused by the search object determined by the detected object risk determination unit 2441. For example, the response action is determined according to the degree of risk as follows: - Low risk level: Run parallel measurement mode. Medium risk level: Request the deployment of other surveillance aircraft. Have the surveillance aircraft that detects the search target execute parallel measurement mode. Have the additional surveillance aircraft track the search target. High risk level: Request the deployment of other surveillance aircraft. Have the surveillance aircraft that detected the search target track the search target. Have the additional surveillance aircraft perform parallel measurement mode.

[0096] As described above, if the risk level is "medium" or higher (higher than "low"), a request for additional deployment of other surveillance aircraft will be made and the object of search will be tracked; if the risk level is "low" (lower than "medium"), parallel measurement mode will be executed.

[0097] Next, a description will be given of the response action to be taken when water vapor having a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value is detected by the measurement result determination unit 2420. When water vapor having a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value is detected by the measurement result determination unit 2420, the response action determination command unit 2450 determines the response action based on information on the degree of risk due to water vapor determined by the water vapor risk determination unit 2443. For example, the response action to be taken is determined according to the degree of risk as follows: - Low risk level: Run parallel measurement mode. Medium risk: Request the deployment of other monitoring aircraft. Have the monitoring aircraft that detected the water vapor execute parallel measurement mode. Have the additional monitoring aircraft perform detailed measurements inside or around the water vapor. High risk level: Request the deployment of other monitoring aircraft. Have the monitoring aircraft that detected the water vapor carry out detailed measurements inside or around the water vapor. Have the additional monitoring aircraft perform parallel measurement mode.

[0098] As described above, if the risk level is "medium" or higher (higher than "low"), additional monitoring equipment will be requested to be deployed and detailed measurements will be carried out inside or around the water vapor; if the risk level is "low" (lower than "medium"), parallel measurement mode will be carried out.

[0099] Next, we will explain the response action when the occurrence of a tsunami is detected by the measurement result determination unit 2420. When the occurrence of a tsunami is detected by the measurement result determination unit 2420, the response action determination command unit 2450 determines the response action based on the information on the degree of risk due to the tsunami determined by the tsunami risk determination unit 2444. For example, the response action is determined according to the degree of risk as follows: - Low risk level: Run parallel measurement mode. - Medium risk level: Request the deployment of other monitoring aircraft. Have the monitoring aircraft that detected the tsunami operate in parallel measurement mode. Have the additional monitoring aircraft observe the tsunami on the sea surface based on the detected tsunami's location, movement speed, initial wave source location, and current predicted location (or issue instructions to satellites, ground facilities, and other aircraft (both manned and unmanned) to observe the tsunami). Transmit information or warnings regarding the tsunami. Here, a tsunami warning is information transmitted to encourage caution and preparation for the risk posed by a tsunami. - Risk level "High": Request the deployment of additional monitoring aircraft. Based on the detected tsunami's location, movement speed, initial wave source location, and current predicted location, the monitoring aircraft that detected the tsunami will conduct tsunami observations on the sea surface. The additional monitoring aircraft will be instructed to perform parallel measurement mode (or instruct satellites, ground facilities, and other aircraft (both manned and unmanned) to observe the tsunami). Information or warnings regarding the tsunami will be transmitted.

[0100] As described above, if the risk level is "medium" or higher (higher than "small"), the system will request the deployment of additional monitoring aircraft, observe the tsunami on the sea surface, and issue information or warnings about the tsunami. If the risk level is "small" (lower than "medium"), the system will execute parallel measurement mode.

[0101] In the above explanation, when water vapor having a moisture content above a predetermined value is detected and the monitoring device that detected the water vapor measures the inside of the water vapor or its surroundings, an example was shown in which another monitoring device that is dispatched to the scene executes parallel measurement mode, but the monitoring device that detected the water vapor may measure the inside of the water vapor or its surroundings and simultaneously search for the search object. Similarly, when environmental changes related to the occurrence of a tsunami are detected and the monitoring device that detected the tsunami observes the sea surface, the monitoring device that detected the tsunami may simultaneously observe the sea surface and search for the search object.

[0102] Next, we will explain the response operations when the object detection unit 2421 and the specific environmental state detection unit 2422 of the measurement result determination unit 2420 simultaneously detect a search object and water vapor with a moisture content above a predetermined value or the occurrence of a tsunami.

[0103] When the object detection unit 2421 detects a search object and the specific environmental state detection unit 2422 detects water vapor with a moisture content above a predetermined value or an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami, the risk determination unit 2440 determines the degree of risk for each of the detected search object and the information related to the water vapor or tsunami, and if the degree of risk for either is greater than a predetermined value, it requests the deployment of additional monitoring equipment.

[0104] In the above situation, if it is determined that the risk associated with the detected water vapor or tsunami is higher than the risk associated with the detected search object, the monitoring aircraft that detected the environmental change related to the occurrence of water vapor or tsunami can be made to measure the amount of moisture inside the water vapor or observe the tsunami on the sea surface, and other monitoring aircraft that are dispatched can be made to track the search object.

[0105] On the other hand, if it is determined that the risk associated with the detected water vapor or tsunami is lower than the risk associated with the detected search object, the monitoring aircraft that detected the search object may be made to track the detected search object, and another monitoring aircraft that is dispatched may be made to measure the amount of moisture inside the water vapor or observe the tsunami on the sea surface.

[0106] (A-1-6-6. Future Prediction Section 2460) The future prediction unit 2460 performs future predictions regarding the search object, water vapor, or tsunami detected by the measurement result determination unit 2420. The predicted information is notified to an external system or displayed on the display unit 2480. For example, future prediction information regarding the search object may predict the future movement path and location of the detected search object. Alternatively, based on past detection history information regarding the search object, it may predict areas and times when the search object is likely to appear as statistical information. Furthermore, for future prediction information regarding water vapor, for example, it may predict areas and times when future heavy rain or heavy snow is likely to occur based on information regarding detected water vapor. Furthermore, for future prediction information regarding tsunamis, it may predict the future arrival time, area, tsunami height, tsunami speed, and damage scale based on a comparison of tsunami height and levee height based on information regarding the detected tsunami occurrence.

[0107] When predicting the future movement path and movement position of the search object as future prediction information regarding the search object, the future movement path and movement position are predicted based on the current position, movement direction, and movement speed of the detected search object.

[0108] (A-1-6-7. Communications Department 2470) The communication unit 2470 notifies an external system or a user terminal device of the prediction information by the future prediction unit 2460, the detection information by the measurement result determination unit 2420, and the information or warning information of the risk level determination result by the risk determination unit 2440. The notification destination systems may include terminal devices of ordinary people outside this system, weather monitoring systems (such as disaster prevention crossview) used by meteorological agencies and disaster response agencies, defense monitoring systems for the sea and air space around Japan used by defense agencies and crisis response agencies, systems used by local governments regarding detected search targets, water vapor, or tsunamis, or systems used by fire brigades.

[0109] (A-1-6-8.Display section 2480) The display unit 2480 displays on the display unit 2480 or other user terminal device the prediction information from the future prediction unit 2460, the detection information from the measurement result determination unit 2420, and the risk level determination result from the risk determination unit 2440. The display unit 2480 displays, for example, this information in association with a map displayed as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional space, or aerial data (aerial images, point clouds, spatial information, etc.), or a map image that combines a map and aerial data.

[0110] (A-1-7. Control flow of the aviation data sensing system 1) The overall control flow of the aviation data sensing system will be described below with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the control flow of the aviation data sensing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0111] First, a surveillance device such as an aircraft is operated in a parallel measurement mode to detect a search target and to perform measurements required for detecting a specific environmental state in parallel (step 101).

[0112] Next, the object detection unit 2421 and the specific environmental state detection unit 2422 of the measurement result determination unit 2420 detect the search object or the specific environmental state (step 202).

[0113] Next, the additional measurement command unit 2430 executes additional measurements necessary for risk assessment (step 203).

[0114] Next, the risk determination unit 2440 executes risk determination (step 104).

[0115] Next, the countermeasure action determination command unit 2450 determines a countermeasure action according to the risk determination result and issues a command for the action (step 105).

[0116] Next, the future prediction unit 2460 predicts the future state of the search object, water vapor, or tsunami (step 106).

[0117] Next, the communication unit 2470 and the display unit 2480 notify or display the predicted information from the future prediction unit 2460, the detected information from the measurement result determination unit 2420, and the risk level determination result from the risk determination unit 2440 (step 107).

[0118] (A-1-8. Control flow when performing measurement in parallel measurement mode) A detailed control flow when performing measurement in the parallel measurement mode will be described below with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the control flow when the monitoring device performs measurement in the parallel measurement mode.

[0119] First, the parallel measurement mode command unit 2415 outputs a command for the parallel measurement mode, and the monitoring device 110 executes a measurement operation in the parallel measurement mode (step 201).

[0120] Next, if at least one of the search object, water vapor with a moisture content above a predetermined value, or a tsunami is detected, this control flow ends; if none of these are detected, the process returns to step 201 and measurement in parallel measurement mode continues until these are detected.

[0121] (A-1-9. Control flow when performing additional measurements for risk assessment) The control flow when the additional measurement command unit 2430 causes the monitoring device to perform additional measurement for risk assessment will be described below with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the control flow when the monitoring device is caused to perform additional measurement for risk assessment.

[0122] First, the additional measurement command unit 2430 acquires information about the search object, water vapor having a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or tsunami detected by the measurement result determination unit 2420 (step 301).

[0123] Next, the process to be transitioned is determined depending on whether or not the search object is detected (step 302). If the search object is detected, the process transitions to step 303, and if the search object is not detected, the process transitions to step 304.

[0124] Next, if a search object is detected in step 302, the additional measurement command unit 2430 sends information about the search object, such as an acquired image of the search object, to the risk assessment unit, or the additional measurement command unit 2430 outputs a command to acquire a close-up image of the search object, causing the surveillance device to acquire a close-up image and send the close-up image to the risk assessment unit.

[0125] Next, the process to be transitioned is determined depending on whether or not water vapor having a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value is detected (step 304). If water vapor is detected, the process transitions to step 305, whereas if water vapor is not detected, the control flow ends.

[0126] Next, if the water vapor is detected in step 304, detailed measurements are made inside the water vapor or its surroundings, and the measurement information obtained by the detailed measurements is sent to the risk assessment unit (step 305). Note that detailed measurements can be made by flying a surveillance aircraft inside the water vapor or its surroundings to make direct measurements, by dropping a dropsonde with a unitized meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 into the water vapor or its surroundings, or by remotely sensing the position of the water vapor using a LiDAR sensor mounted as the meteorological observation sensor unit 1220 on the surveillance aircraft.

[0127] (A-1-10. Methods for determining risk and response actions regarding search targets) The following describes a method for determining a risk regarding a search object by the detected object risk determination unit 2441 of the risk determination unit 2440, and a method for determining a response action based on the risk determination result. Fig. 12 is a table showing an example of risk determination criteria when the risk determination unit determines a risk regarding a search object. Fig. 13 is a table showing an example of determination criteria when the response action determination command unit determines a response action when a search object is detected.

[0128] First, the criteria for risk determination by the detected object risk determination unit 2441 will be described. The risk determination criteria shown in Table T101 of Fig. 12 indicate risk levels (on a 10-point scale) corresponding to attributes of the detection information of the search object (drifting object, suspicious ship, ship in distress / victims, etc.) and preliminary information (size of the drifting object, presence or absence of weapons on the suspicious ship, risk of sinking of the ship in distress / victims, etc.). In other words, the detected object risk determination unit 2441 of the risk determination unit 2440 determines the degree of risk based on the risk determination criteria according to the determination result by the measurement result determination unit 2420 and the detection information and preliminary information of the search object interpreted by image analysis of the additional measurement information.

[0129] Next, a method for determining a response action by response action determination command unit 2450 when a search object is detected will be described. Table T102 in Fig. 13 shows a risk rank, whether or not additional deployment is requested, the action of additional aircraft, and the action of surveillance aircraft, corresponding to each risk No. and risk level shown in Table T101. That is, based on the response action determination criteria shown in Table T102, the necessity of additional deployment, the action of additional aircraft, and the action of surveillance aircraft, which are response actions according to the risk determination result by detected object risk determination unit 2441, are determined.

[0130] In the example shown in Table T102, for risks No. 1-1 and 1-2 with a risk rank of "low," the monitoring device determines that the parallel measurement mode is to be performed. In addition, for risks No. 1-3, which are of a "medium" risk rank, the deployment of additional surveillance aircraft is requested, and the surveillance aircraft that detects the search object is made to execute parallel measurement mode, and the additional surveillance aircraft is made to track the search object. In addition, for risks No. 1-4, 1-5, and 1-6, which are ranked "high," the system requests the deployment of other surveillance aircraft, and the surveillance aircraft that detects the search object tracks the search object (it can continue to perform other functions), and the additional surveillance aircraft executes parallel measurement mode.

[0131] (A-1-11. Criteria for risk assessment related to water vapor) The following describes a method for determining a risk related to water vapor by the water vapor risk determination unit 2443 of the risk determination unit 2440, and a method for determining a response action based on the risk determination result. Fig. 14 is a table showing an example of risk determination criteria when the risk determination unit determines a risk related to water vapor. Fig. 15 is a table showing an example of determination criteria when the response action determination command unit determines a response action when water vapor is detected.

[0132] First, the criteria for risk assessment by the water vapor risk assessment unit 2443 will be described. Table T201 in FIG. 14 shows risk levels (10 levels) corresponding to the amount of moisture (H) in the water vapor and the direction of movement (wind direction at the location of the water vapor). That is, the water vapor risk assessment unit 2443 of the risk assessment unit 2440 detects the amount of moisture and the direction of movement of the water vapor based on the assessment results by the measurement result assessment unit 2420 and the measurement information from additional measurements, and assesses the risk level related to the water vapor based on the risk assessment criteria shown in Table T201. In the example of the assessment criteria shown in Table T201, the moisture amount H is divided into three levels: when it is smaller than the first threshold value a, when it is greater than the first threshold value a but less than the second threshold value b, and when it is greater than the second threshold value b, and the risk level increases as the moisture amount increases. Furthermore, the risk level is relatively higher when the direction of movement is toward land.

[0133] Next, a method for determining a response action by the response action determination command unit 2450 when water vapor is detected will be described. Table T202 in Fig. 15 shows the risk rank, whether or not additional deployment is requested, the action of additional aircraft, and the action of monitoring aircraft, corresponding to each risk No. and risk level shown in Table T201. In other words, based on the response action determination criteria shown in Table T202, the response actions according to the risk determination result by the water vapor risk determination unit 2443, such as whether or not additional deployment is required, the action of additional aircraft, and the action of monitoring aircraft, are determined.

[0134] 33 In the example shown in Table T202, for risks No. 2-1 and 2-2, which are of the "low" risk rank, the monitoring device determines that the parallel measurement mode is to be performed. In addition, for risks No. 2-3 and 2-4, which are of a "medium" risk rank, the deployment of other monitoring aircraft is requested, and the monitoring aircraft that detects water vapor is made to execute parallel measurement mode, and the additional monitoring aircraft is made to perform detailed measurements inside or around the water vapor. Furthermore, for risks No. 2-5 and 2-6, which are "high" risk ranks, a request is made to dispatch additional monitoring aircraft, and the monitoring aircraft that detects water vapor will carry out detailed measurements inside or around the water vapor, and the additional monitoring aircraft will carry out parallel measurement mode. Note that when the risk rank is "high," the risk of disaster is considered high, so the monitoring aircraft will continue to carry out detailed measurements inside or around the water vapor, and time-series information will be obtained from the detailed measurements.

[0135] (A-1-12. Criteria for assessing tsunami risk) The following describes a method for determining a risk related to a tsunami by the tsunami risk determination unit 2444 of the risk determination unit 2440, and a method for determining a response action based on the risk determination result. Fig. 16 is a table showing an example of risk determination criteria when the risk determination unit determines a risk related to a tsunami. Fig. 17 is a table showing an example of determination criteria when the response action determination command unit determines a response action when a tsunami is detected.

[0136] First, the criteria for risk assessment by the tsunami risk assessment unit 2444 will be described. Table T301 in FIG. 16 shows risk levels (10 levels) corresponding to the predicted tsunami height (h) when the tsunami reaches the coast and the tsunami impact area (e.g., the total distance along the coast that the tsunami will reach). That is, the tsunami risk assessment unit 2444 of the risk assessment unit 2440 predicts the predicted tsunami height (h) when the tsunami reaches the coast and the tsunami impact area based on the assessment results by the measurement result assessment unit 2420, and assesses the degree of risk related to the tsunami based on the risk assessment criteria shown in Table T301. In the example of the assessment criteria shown in Table T301, the predicted tsunami height (h) is divided into three levels: when it is smaller than the first threshold A, when it is greater than the first threshold A but less than the second threshold B, and when it is greater than the second threshold B. The higher the predicted tsunami height, the higher the risk level. Furthermore, when the tsunami impact area is wide, the risk level is relatively higher than when the tsunami impact area is large.

[0137] Next, a method for determining a response action by the response action determination command unit 2450 when a tsunami is detected will be described. Table T302 in Fig. 17 shows the risk rank, whether or not to request additional deployment, the action of additional aircraft, and the action of surveillance aircraft, corresponding to each risk number and risk level shown in Table T301. In other words, based on the response action determination criteria shown in Table T302, the response actions according to the risk determination result by the tsunami risk determination unit 2444, such as whether or not to request additional deployment, the action of additional aircraft, and the action of surveillance aircraft, are determined.

[0138] In the example shown in Table T302, for risks No. 3-1 and 3-2 with a risk rank of "low," the monitoring device determines to execute the parallel measurement mode. Furthermore, for risks No. 2-3 and 2-4, which are of a "medium" risk rank, the deployment of other monitoring aircraft is requested, the monitoring aircraft that detects the tsunami is made to execute parallel measurement mode, and the additional monitoring aircraft is made to observe the tsunami on the sea surface. Furthermore, as response actions not shown, it may be decided to issue commands to satellites, ground facilities, and other aircraft (including manned and unmanned aircraft) to observe the tsunami, or to issue an alert with information about the tsunami. Furthermore, for risks No. 2-5 and 2-6, which are "high" risk ranks, the system requests the deployment of other monitoring aircraft, has the monitoring aircraft that detects the tsunami observe the tsunami on the sea surface, and has the additionally deployed monitoring aircraft execute parallel measurement mode. Furthermore, as a response action not shown, it may be determined to issue a command to observe the tsunami to the artificial satellite 113, ground equipment, or other aircraft (including manned and unmanned aircraft), or to issue an alert with information about the tsunami.

[0139] (A-1-13. Determination flow of response operation determination command unit 2450) A description will be given of a determination flow of a response action by the response action determination command unit 2450. Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing a determination control flow when the response action determination command unit determines a response action.

[0140] First, the risk determination result determined by the risk determination unit 2440 is acquired (step 401).

[0141] Next, the next processing step to transition to is determined depending on whether a risk of risk level 4 or higher has been detected (step 402). If a risk of risk level 4 or higher has not been detected, the process transitions to step 403, whereas if a risk of risk level 4 or higher has been detected, the process transitions to step 404.

[0142] Next, if no risk of risk level 4 or higher is detected in step 402, a countermeasure action of executing parallel measurement mode in the monitoring device is determined (step 403). After this step is performed, this determination control flow is terminated.

[0143] Next, if a risk of risk level 4 or higher is detected in step 402, a request is made to deploy additional surveillance devices (step 404).

[0144] Next, the next processing step to transition to is determined depending on whether multiple types of risks with risk level 4 or higher have been detected (step 405). That is, the processing step is determined depending on whether multiple risks with risk level 4 or higher have been detected out of risks related to the search object, risks related to water vapor, and risks related to tsunamis. If multiple risks with risk level 4 or higher have not been detected, the process transitions to step 406, whereas if multiple risks with risk level 4 or higher have been detected, the process transitions to step 407.

[0145] Next, if multiple risks of risk level 4 or higher are not detected in step 405, the response action of the own device (the monitoring device that detected the risk factor) corresponding to the risk of risk level 4 or higher is determined based on the determination criteria shown in Figures 13, 15, and 17, and a determination is made as to whether to execute parallel measurement mode for the additionally dispatched monitoring device. After that, the determination control flow in this figure ends (step 406). After performing this step, the determination control flow ends.

[0146] Next, if multiple risks with risk levels of 4 or higher are detected in step 405, it is determined whether the risk levels of the multiple detected risks differ, and the next processing step to transition to is determined based on the determination result (step 407). If the risk levels of the multiple detected risks do not differ, the process transitions to step 408, and if the risk levels of the multiple detected risks differ, the process transitions to step 409.

[0147] Next, if the risk levels of the multiple detected risks do not differ in step 407, multiple response actions corresponding to the multiple detected risks are arbitrarily assigned to the monitoring device itself (the monitoring device that detected the risk factor) and the additionally dispatched monitoring device, or the user is requested to input the response action assignment via the user interface device (step 408). After performing this step, this judgment control flow ends.

[0148] Next, if the risk levels of the multiple detected risks differ in step 407, a decision is made to assign the response action corresponding to the higher risk level to the own device (the monitoring device that detected the risk factor) and the response action corresponding to the lower risk level to the additionally dispatched monitoring device (step 409). After this step is performed, this decision control flow ends.

[0149] (A-1-14. Hardware configuration of flight management system) 19 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a flight management system. Here, the flight management system 2400 of the present invention is an information processing device such as a server device or a PC. As shown in the figure, the flight management system 2400 has an input device 210, an output device 220, a processing device 300, a main memory device 400, an auxiliary memory device 500, a communication device 600, and a bus 700 that electrically connects these devices.

[0150] The input device 210 is a device that allows a user to input information and instructions to the flight management system 2400. Specifically, the input device 210 is, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, or an audio input device such as a microphone. The output device 220 is a device that outputs information generated by the flight management system 2400. Specifically, the output device 220 is a display device (including eyewear, AR, VR display devices, etc.), a printer, or a speaker.

[0151] The processing device 300 is, for example, a device that performs arithmetic processing. Specifically, the processing device 300 is, for example, a CPU, a microprocessor, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other semiconductor devices capable of performing arithmetic processing.

[0152] The main storage device 400 is a memory device such as a RAM that temporarily stores various types of read information and a ROM that stores programs, application programs, and other various information executed by the processing device 300. The auxiliary storage device 500 is a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory that can store digital information. The communication device 600 is a device that performs wireless or wired information communication with an external device.

[0153] Note that Figure 19 describes the hardware configuration of the operation management system 2400, but other systems within the aviation data sensing system 1 (aircraft operation operating system 2100, acquired data management system 2200, communication infrastructure management system 2300, airspace / sea area monitoring and control system 3000) can also be realized with a hardware configuration similar to that shown in Figure 19 above.

[0154] In the above-described embodiment, an embodiment has been described in which the operation management system 2400 is equipped with a measurement mode command unit 2410, a measurement result determination unit 2420, an additional measurement command unit 2430, a risk determination unit 2440, a response action determination command unit 2450, a future prediction unit 2460, and a communication unit 2470, but all or part of the functions implemented in the operation management system 2400 may also be implemented in the monitoring aircraft 110 (aircraft).

[0155] In the above-described embodiment, the detection of water vapor having a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value and a tsunami are described as examples of environmental conditions detected by the specific environmental condition detection unit 2422, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to these and can also be applied to embodiments that detect other environmental conditions such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In such cases, the sensor unit 1200 mounted on the monitoring device can be configured with a camera, a sound collection sensor, a barometer, etc.

[0156] The above-described embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

[0157] [A-2. Effects of this embodiment] The above-described embodiment provides a system that can simultaneously carry out surveillance flights of suspicious ships and the like, which require constant monitoring of a wide area, and environmental observation flights, which similarly require observations of a wide area, using a common aircraft (surveillance aircraft), thereby reducing the costs associated with flights for both purposes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0158] 1...Aviation Data Sensing System 90...Water Vapor 90a...water 92...mass of water vapor (atmospheric river) 92a...Cloud (rain cloud) 94...Sea 96a...Updraft 96b...Air current 97...Coastline 98...Land 110…Surveillance aircraft 111…Aircraft 112…Ship 113…Satellite 113a...Low-orbit satellite 114...Ground-based radar 120...Dispatching machine 210...Input device 220...output device 300...processing device 400…Main storage device 500…Auxiliary storage device 600...Communication equipment 700...Bus 1000...Aircraft control system 1100...Self-positioning unit 1200: Sensor unit 1210: Object detection sensor unit 1220...Weather observation sensor unit 1221...Remote sensing unit 1222...Direct sensing unit 12221...Relative humidity meter 12222...Atmospheric thermometer 12223...Atmospheric barometer 12224…Dew point thermometer 12225…Anemometer 12226...Speedometer 1230...Tsunami observation sensor section 1300...Aircraft control unit 1310...Motor control unit 1320...Motor 1400...Data recording unit 1500...Communications Department 2000...Base System 2100...Aircraft Operation System 2200...Acquisition data management system 2300...Communication Infrastructure Management System 2400...Flight Management System 2410...Measurement Mode Command Unit 2411...Object Monitoring Command 2412...Environmental Observation Command 2413...Water Vapor Observation Command Center 2414...Tsunami Observation Command Center 2415...Parallel measurement mode command unit 2420...Measurement result determination unit 2421...Object detection unit 2422...Specific environmental state detection unit 2423...Water vapor detection unit 2424...Tsunami detection unit 2430: Additional measurement command unit 2440: Risk assessment unit 2441...Detection object risk determination unit 2442...Environment risk determination unit 2443...Water vapor risk assessment section 2444...Tsunami risk assessment section 2450: Response action determination command unit 2460: Future prediction unit 2470...Communication unit 2480...Display unit 3000...Airspace and Sea Area Surveillance and Control System 4000...Spatial information data utilization system 5000...Ship traffic control system 6000...Air traffic control system

Claims

1. a mobile object that is equipped with a sensor group including a plurality of sensors and performs measurements using the sensor group while moving; an object detection unit that detects a search object based on measurement information of a first sensor included in the sensor group; an environment observation unit that observes a predetermined environmental state quantity based on measurement information of the first sensor or another second sensor included in the sensor group, one or both of the object detection unit and the environment observation unit are disposed outside or inside the moving body, A system having a parallel measurement mode in which at least a portion of the measurement operation of the first sensor used to detect a search object by the object detection unit and the measurement operation of the first sensor or the second sensor used to observe a specified environmental state quantity by the environment observation unit are performed in parallel by a common mobile body.

2. 10. The system of claim 1, When the object detection unit detects the search object, the system performs an operation including requesting the deployment of another second mobile body, tracking the search object by the mobile body, or using the parallel measurement mode by the mobile body, depending on information about the detected search object.

3. 10. The system of claim 1, When the object detection unit detects the search object, a risk level is determined according to information about the detected search object; If the degree of risk is higher than a predetermined value, either a request for additional deployment of other second mobile units or tracking of the search object is executed; The system causes the mobile object to execute the parallel measurement mode when the degree of risk is lower than a predetermined value.

4. 4. The system of claim 3, When the object detection unit detects the search object, the system obtains detailed measurement data by approaching the search object or by increasing the zoom amount of the camera, which is the first sensor, and determines the degree of risk based on the detailed measurement data.

5. 4. The system of claim 3, A system in which, when the object detection unit detects the search object, the acquired data of the search object obtained from the first sensor is transmitted to a ground device, and the ground device determines the degree of risk based on the acquired data.

6. 10. The system of claim 1, A system in which, when the object detection unit detects the search object, the mobile body performs a tracking operation of the search object and the environmental observation unit performs an environmental observation operation in parallel, or the mobile body performs a detailed measurement data acquisition operation of acquiring detailed measurement data of the search object and the environmental observation operation in parallel.

7. 10. The system of claim 1, A system in which, when the object detection unit detects the search object and requests the deployment of another second mobile body, the mobile body that detected the search object tracks the search object and the second mobile body executes the parallel measurement mode.

8. 10. The system of claim 1, When the object detection unit detects the search object and requests the deployment of another second mobile body, the system causes the mobile body that detected the search object to execute the parallel measurement mode and causes the second mobile body to track the search object.

9. 10. The system of claim 1, When the environmental observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content greater than a predetermined value, the system performs an operation depending on information about the detected water vapor, including requesting the addition of another second moving body, measuring the interior of the water vapor using the moving body, or operating in the parallel measurement mode using the moving body.

10. 10. The system of claim 1, When the environment observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the environment observation unit determines a degree of risk according to information about the detected water vapor; If the risk level is higher than a predetermined value, one of requesting the deployment of other second moving bodies or measuring the inside of the water vapor is executed; The system continues the parallel measurement mode by the mobile object when the degree of risk is lower than a predetermined value.

11. 11. The system of claim 10, A system in which, when the environmental observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content above a predetermined value, the mobile object measures the moisture content inside the water vapor and determines the degree of risk based on the measured moisture content.

12. 10. The system of claim 1, When the environmental observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content above a predetermined value and requests the deployment of another second moving body, the system causes the moving body that detected the water vapor to measure the moisture content inside the water vapor and causes the second moving body to execute the parallel measurement mode.

13. 10. The system of claim 1, When the environmental observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content above a predetermined value and requests the deployment of another second moving body, the system causes the moving body that detected the water vapor to execute the parallel measurement mode and the second moving body to measure the moisture content inside the water vapor.

14. 10. The system of claim 1, When the environmental observation unit detects an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami, the system executes operations including requesting the deployment of other second mobile units, observing a tsunami on the sea surface with the mobile unit, issuing information or warnings related to the tsunami, or operating in the parallel measurement mode, depending on the information on the detected environmental change.

15. 10. The system of claim 1, When the environmental observation unit detects an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami, the environmental observation unit determines a degree of risk according to the detected environmental change information related to the occurrence of a tsunami; When the risk level is higher than a predetermined value, the system executes one of the following: requesting the deployment of other second mobile units, observing the tsunami on the sea surface of the mobile unit, and issuing information or warnings about the tsunami; The system continues the parallel measurement mode by the mobile object when the degree of risk is lower than a predetermined value.

16. 10. The system of claim 1, When the environmental observation unit detects an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami and requests the deployment of another second mobile body, the system causes the mobile body that detected the environmental change related to the occurrence of the tsunami to perform tsunami observation on the sea surface and causes the second mobile body to execute the parallel measurement mode.

17. 10. The system of claim 1, When the environmental observation unit detects an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami and requests the deployment of another second mobile body, the system causes the mobile body that detected the environmental change related to the occurrence of the tsunami to execute the parallel measurement mode and causes the second mobile body to perform tsunami observation on the sea surface.

18. 10. The system of claim 1, the sensor group includes a satellite signal receiving unit that receives satellite signals; The environmental observation unit detects a tsunami or a change in the number of electrons in the ionosphere caused by a tsunami based on the satellite signal received by the satellite signal receiving unit.

19. 10. The system of claim 1, When the environmental observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value and measures the inside of the water vapor using the mobile body, or when the environmental observation unit detects an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami and performs tsunami observation of the sea surface of the mobile body, A system that causes the object detection unit to perform a search operation for a search object.

20. 10. The system of claim 1, When the object detection unit detects the search object and the environmental observation unit detects water vapor having a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined value or an environmental change related to the occurrence of a tsunami, the degree of risk for each is determined according to information about the detected search object and the detected water vapor or tsunami; The system requests the deployment of additional second mobile bodies when the degree of risk of any of the second mobile bodies is greater than a predetermined value.

21. 21. The system of claim 20, If it is determined that the risk level related to the detected water vapor or tsunami is higher than the risk level related to the detected search object, The moving body that has detected the environmental change related to the water vapor or the occurrence of a tsunami measures the amount of water inside the water vapor or observes a tsunami on the sea surface; The system causes the second mobile body to track the detected search object.

22. 21. The system of claim 20, If it is determined that the risk level related to the detected water vapor or tsunami is lower than the risk level related to the detected search object, causing the moving body that detected the search object to track the detected search object; A system that causes the second mobile body to measure the amount of moisture inside the water vapor or observe tsunamis on the sea surface.

23. 10. The system of claim 1, The system, wherein the moving body is an air vehicle, including an aircraft.

24. A control method executed by a system including a computer, comprising: a measurement step in which a moving object is equipped with a sensor group including a plurality of sensors and performs measurements using the sensor group while moving; an object detection step of detecting a search object based on measurement information of a first sensor included in the sensor group; an environment observing step of observing a predetermined environmental state quantity based on measurement information of the first sensor or another second sensor included in the sensor group, A control method in which the measurement operation of the first sensor used in the object detection step and at least a portion of the measurement operation of the first sensor or the second sensor used in the environment observation step are performed in parallel by a common moving body.

25. On the computer, a measurement step in which a moving object is equipped with a sensor group including a plurality of sensors and performs measurements using the sensor group while moving; an object detection step of detecting a search object based on measurement information of a first sensor included in the sensor group; an environment observation step of observing a predetermined environmental state quantity based on measurement information of the first sensor or another second sensor included in the sensor group, A program that causes a common moving body to execute in parallel at least a portion of the measurement operation of the first sensor used in the object detection step and the measurement operation of the first sensor or the second sensor used in the environment observation step.

Images