Flight route search device, method, and program

Abstract

To search for a safe and stable flight route in consideration of a radio wave state and a purpose.SOLUTION: A first data transmission performance required for each one of a plurality of types of assumed flight purposes is defined in a first data table, and a second data transmission performance is defined in a second data table correspondingly to a combination of a plurality of values expressing a radio wave reception intensity level with a plurality of values expressing radio wave reception quality. When one of the flight purposes is designated in this state, the first data transmission performance required in the flight purpose is acquired from the first data table. A radio wave state on the flight route is acquired on a plurality of flight route candidates which can be set between a flight start point and a flight end point. Then, the second data transmission performance corresponding to the radio wave state is acquired from the second data table. The flight route having the second data transmission performance which meets the first data transmission performance is selected from the flight route candidates.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to a flight path search device, method, and program used to search for a flight path of an aircraft such as a drone. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, attention has been focused on the social use of drones and other flying objects capable of vertical takeoff and landing. For example, their use in various fields, such as logistics, postal service, security, disaster investigation, inspection, surveying, and agriculture, is being considered. In the logistics field, for example, there are cases where drones fly beyond visual line of sight due to the size of the target area and geographical conditions. Furthermore, autonomous navigation of drones is also being considered for the future.

[0003] However, achieving BVLOS flight and autonomous navigation requires searching for an appropriate flight path in advance and issuing instructions to the pilot or aircraft, and various studies have been conducted on this. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology that assumes the flying of multiple aircraft and determines a flight path so that the distance between the aircraft in the flight space is equal to or greater than the allowable proximity distance at all times. It also describes taking into account the effects of weather, wind conditions, and obstacles such as birds when setting the allowable proximity distance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-000132 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Furthermore, when searching for a flight route, it is necessary to know in advance which route will allow the aircraft to receive stable radio waves.

[0006] This invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a technology that makes it possible to search for a safer and more stable flight path taking into account radio wave conditions and the intended use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problem, one aspect of a flight path search device or flight path search method according to the present invention includes a first data table defining a first data transmission performance required for each of a plurality of possible flight applications, and a second data table defining a achievable second data transmission performance corresponding to a combination of a plurality of values ​​representing radio wave reception strength levels and a plurality of values ​​representing radio wave reception quality. When one of the plurality of flight applications is designated, the device or method obtains the first data transmission performance required for the designated flight application from the first data table. The device or method also obtains radio wave conditions along each of a plurality of possible flight path candidates between a flight start point and a flight end point, and obtains from the second data table the second data transmission performance achievable at the reception strength levels and reception quality represented by the radio wave conditions. The device or method then selects the flight path from the plurality of possible flight path candidates that can achieve the second data transmission performance that satisfies the first data transmission performance.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, when a flight purpose is specified, the data transmission performance required for the specified flight purpose is obtained from a first data table. At the same time, the data transmission performance that can be achieved for each of a plurality of flight path candidates based on the radio wave conditions is obtained from a second data table. Then, by comparing the data transmission performances, a flight path with radio wave conditions that can achieve the data transmission performance required for the flight purpose is selected from the plurality of flight path candidates. Therefore, it is possible to search for an optimal flight path by taking into account both the radio wave conditions for each flight path and the flight purpose. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] In other words, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that enables searching for a safer and more stable flight path taking into account radio wave conditions and the purpose. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a flight management system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the flight path search device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the flight path search device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the process for setting the usage-specific score and the radio wave score executed by the control unit of the flight route search device shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the flight path search processing executed by the control unit of the flight path search device shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the use score table. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the radio wave score table. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a flight path search device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the processing executed by the control unit of the flight route search device shown in FIG. 8 to select a flight route taking into account the wind condition score. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flight route selection process executed by the control unit of the flight route search device shown in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the wind condition score table. [Figure 12]FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a selection result obtained by the flight route selection process shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [First embodiment] (Configuration example) (1) System FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an air traffic control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The traffic management system of the first embodiment enables wireless data transmission between the drone DL and the control controller CT via a network NW in order to fly the drone DL as an unmanned aerial vehicle within visual line of sight and beyond visual line of sight.

[0014] Specifically, the network NW includes a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) that employs a short-range wireless data communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and a mobile communication network that employs the 4G or 5G standard, and the wireless LAN is used when flying the drone DL within visual line of sight, while the mobile communication network is used when flying beyond visual line of sight. Note that BS1, BS2, ... in the figure indicate base stations of the mobile communication network.

[0015] The traffic management system according to the first embodiment is also equipped with a flight route search device SV. Hereinafter, a flight route will also be referred to as a flight route. The flight route search device SV is capable of transmitting data between, for example, the flight controller CT and a management terminal (not shown) used by a system administrator via the network NW.

[0016] (2) Flight path search device SV The flight path search device SV is configured by, for example, a server computer installed on the cloud or the web. Note that the flight path search device SV may also be configured by, for example, a personal computer used by a system administrator.

[0017] 2 and 3 are block diagrams showing an example of the hardware configuration and software configuration of the flight path search device SV, respectively.

[0018] The flight path search device SV has a control unit 1A that uses a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), and this control unit 1A is connected via a bus 5 to a memory unit having a program memory unit 2 and a data memory unit 3A, and a communication interface (hereinafter, interface will be referred to as I / F) unit 4.

[0019] The communication I / F unit 4 uses a communication protocol defined in the network NW to send and receive data between the control controller CT and the management terminal, and also performs communication operations when downloading data from the radio wave condition management site and the wind condition management site.

[0020] The program storage unit 2 is configured by combining, for example, a nonvolatile memory such as a solid state drive (SSD) as a storage medium that can be written to and read from at any time, and a nonvolatile memory such as a read only memory (ROM), and stores middleware such as an operating system (OS) as well as application programs required to execute various controls according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the OS and each application program will be collectively referred to as a program.

[0021] The data storage unit 3A is, for example, a combination of a non-volatile memory such as an SSD that can be written to and read from at any time as a storage medium, and a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), and its storage area includes an application score table storage unit 31, a radio wave score table storage unit 32, a radio wave score list storage unit 33, and a flight route information storage unit 34.

[0022] The usage score table storage unit 31 stores a usage score table that defines the required data transmission performance for each of a plurality of possible usages. Specifically, the usage score table defines the required throughput value for each usage, and further defines scores that represent each level when this throughput value is divided into a plurality of levels.

[0023] The radio wave score table storage unit 32 stores a radio wave score table that represents radio wave conditions in the flight area. Specifically, the radio wave score table defines a throughput value, which is a value indicating achievable data transmission performance, for all combinations of multiple values ​​of radio wave reception strength levels (Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)) and multiple values ​​of reception quality levels (Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and further defines scores that represent each level when this throughput value is divided into multiple levels.

[0024] The radio wave score list storage unit 33 stores a radio wave score list that lists the radio wave scores determined for each of a plurality of flight route candidates assumed in the flight area.

[0025] The flight route information storage unit 34 stores information representing a flight route selected by a flight route search process of the control unit 1A, which will be described later.

[0026] The control unit 1A has the following processing functions necessary to implement the first embodiment of this invention: a usage score setting processing unit 11, a radio wave score setting processing unit 12, a usage-specific score search processing unit 13, a radio wave condition data acquisition processing unit 14, a flight route-specific radio wave score list generation processing unit 15, a flight route selection processing unit 16A, and a flight route information transmission processing unit 17.

[0027] The processing units 11 to 17 are all realized by causing a hardware processor of the control unit 1 to execute an application program stored in the program storage unit 2. Note that some or all of the processing units 11 to 17 may be realized using hardware such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0028] The usage score setting processing unit 11 generates a usage score table by associating multiple possible types of usage input by a system administrator on a management terminal, throughput values ​​representing the data transmission performance required for each of these usages, and scores defined for these throughput values.The generated usage score table is then stored in the usage score table storage unit 31.

[0029] The radio wave score setting processing unit 12 generates a radio wave score table by associating multiple combinations of reception strength levels and reception quality levels in the flight area, which are input by a system administrator on a management terminal, with throughput values ​​that represent the data transmission performance that can be achieved with these combinations, and scores defined for these throughput values.The generated radio wave score table is then stored in the radio wave score table storage unit 32.

[0030] For example, when the usage-specific score search processing unit 13 receives a usage specified by the drone pilot from the control controller CT, it searches the usage score table memory unit 31 for a score defined for the throughput value required for the specified usage.

[0031] The radio wave condition data acquisition processing unit 14 acquires radio wave condition data in the flight area via the communication I / F unit 4 from, for example, a site that manages radio wave conditions.

[0032] Based on the acquired radio wave condition data, the flight route-specific radio wave score list generation processing unit 15 determines the radio wave conditions along the flight route for each of the multiple flight route candidates that can be set in the flight area. Then, based on the determination results and the radio wave scores stored in the radio wave score table storage unit 32, it calculates the radio wave scores for each of the multiple flight route candidates, lists the results, generates a radio wave score list for each flight route, and stores it in the radio wave score list storage unit 33.

[0033] The flight route selection processing unit 16A selects a flight route from the plurality of flight route candidates that will obtain a radio wave score equal to or higher than the above-mentioned application-specific score, based on the application-specific score obtained by the application-specific score search processing unit 13 and the radio wave score list stored in the radio wave score list storage unit 33. Then, information representing the selected flight route is stored in the flight route information storage unit 34 in association with the identification information of the above-mentioned specified application.

[0034] The flight route information transmission processing unit 17 transmits the flight route information stored in the flight route information storage unit 34 from the communication I / F unit 4 to, for example, the flight controller CT used by the requesting pilot.

[0035] (Example of operation) Next, an example of the operation of the flight route search device SV configured as above will be described.

[0036] (1) Setting the score table FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the score table setting processing executed by the control unit 1A of the flight path search device SV.

[0037] Prior to the operation of the system, for example, the system administrator sets an application score table representing the necessary data transmission performance in each of a plurality of assumed applications for the flight route search device SV, and a radio wave score table representing the data transmission performance according to the radio wave situation in the flight area to be operated.

[0038] (1-1) Setting of the application score table When the control unit 1A of the flight route search device SV receives a request for setting an application score from, for example, a management terminal in step S10, under the control of the application score setting processing unit 11, in step S11, information representing the types of a plurality of types of flight applications assumed for operation, throughput values representing the necessary data transmission performance for each of these flight applications, and scores defined for these throughput values are received from the management terminal via the communication I / F unit 4, respectively. Then, the application score setting processing unit 11 generates an application score table by associating the received application type information with the throughput value and its score, and stores the generated application score table in the application score table storage unit 31.

[0039] FIG. 6 shows an example of an application score table. In this example, as applications in out-of-sight flight, three types of applications using video transmission and an application using only telemetry communication are defined. Among these, the three types of applications using video transmission are applications that require a quality of Full HD (High Density) or higher, applications that require a video quality equivalent to HD, and applications that require a video quality equivalent to standard SD.

[0040] For example, a throughput value of a Mbps or more is required for an application that requires a video quality equivalent to Full HD, a throughput value of b (b < a) Mbps or more is required for an application that requires a video quality equivalent to HD, and a throughput value of c (c < b) Mbps or more is required for an application that requires a video quality equivalent to SD, and they are respectively set. Also, for the a Mbps, b Mbps, and c Mbps of the throughput values, scores of "5", "4", and "3" are respectively set.

[0041] On the other hand, for applications that only use telemetry communication, a throughput value of, for example, d (d < c) Kbps or more is set, and a score of "2" is set for this throughput value. For throughput values less than d Kbps, a score of "1" is set as e (e < d) Kbps. Note that the above throughput values a to e can be arbitrarily set.

[0042] (1-2) Setting of Radio Wave Score Table When the control unit 1A of the flight path search device SV receives a radio wave score setting request from the management terminal in step S12, under the control of the radio wave score setting processing unit 12, in step S13, a plurality of combinations of the received signal strength level and the received quality level of radio waves in the flight area, a throughput value representing the data transmission performance achievable in these combinations, and a score defined for these throughput values are received from the management terminal via the communication I / F unit 4, respectively. Then, the radio wave score setting processing unit 12 generates a radio wave score table by associating the throughput value and the score with each combination of the received signal strength level and the received quality level. Then, the generated radio wave score table is stored in the radio wave score table storage unit 32.

[0043] FIG. 7 shows an example of a radio wave score table. In this example, as the received signal strength level (RSRP) of radio waves, five levels of -p1 dBm or more, less than -p1 dBm and -p2 dBm or more, less than -p2 dBm and -p3 dBm or more, less than -p3 dBm and -p4 dBm or more, and less than -p4 dBm are set. Also, as the received quality level (RSRQ), five levels of q1 dB or more, less than q1 dB and -q2 dB or more, less than -q2 dB and -q3 dB or more, less than -q3 dB and -q4 dB or more, and less than -q4 dB are set. Then, for all combinations of these received signal strength levels and received quality levels, throughput values of a Mbps, b Mbps, c Mbps, d Kbps, and e Kbps are set as throughput values representing the achievable data transmission quality, respectively.

[0044] Also, as with the usage score table mentioned above, scores of "5", "4", "3", "2", and "1" are set for the five levels of throughput values ​​aMbps, bMbps, cMbps, dKbps, and eKbps, respectively.

[0045] In the above example, the process of generating the usage score table and radio wave score table is described as being performed by the flight path search device SV, but if the management terminal has the function of generating each of the score tables, the flight path search device SV only needs to receive and store each of the score tables from the management terminal, and the process of generating each score table is not required.

[0046] (2) Flight route search With the above-mentioned use score table and radio wave score table set, the control unit 1A of the flight path search device SV executes the process of searching for the flight route of the drone DL as follows.

[0047] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the flight route search processing executed by the control unit 1A of the flight route search device SV.

[0048] (2-1) Generating a list of radio wave scores for each flight route That is, when the control unit 1A of the flight route search device SV detects a flight route search request transmitted, for example, from the pilot controller CT in step S20, it first acquires data representing the radio wave conditions in the flight area, for example, from a site that manages the radio wave conditions, in step S21 under the control of the radio wave condition data acquisition processing unit 14.

[0049] Next, in step S22, the control unit 1A of the flight route search device SV, under the control of the flight route-specific radio wave score list generation processing unit 15, first determines the radio wave conditions along the flight route for each of the multiple flight route candidates that can be set in the flight area based on the acquired radio wave condition data. The radio wave conditions are represented by the radio wave reception strength level and reception quality. Next, the flight route-specific radio wave score list generation processing unit 15 references the radio wave score table stored in the radio wave score table storage unit 32 and searches for a score corresponding to the throughput value that can be achieved under the determined radio wave conditions for each of the flight route candidates. The scores for each flight route obtained by this search process are then listed to generate a radio wave score list for each flight route, and the list is stored in the radio wave score list storage unit 33.

[0050] It is assumed that the radio wave conditions in the flight area change little over time. Therefore, the process of generating the radio wave score list for each flight route described above may be performed in advance before a search request is input. In this way, the process of generating the radio wave score list for each flight route does not need to be performed every time a search request is input.

[0051] (2-2) Search for scores by purpose For example, suppose that the pilot inputs a request to designate the use of the drone DL to be used into the pilot controller CT. When the control unit 1A of the flight path search device SV detects the use designation request in step S23, under the control of the use-specific score search processing unit 13, in step S24, first, it receives the use designation information transmitted from the pilot controller CT via the communication I / F unit 4. Then, in step S25, the use-specific score search processing unit 13 refers to the use score table stored in the use score table storage unit 31, and searches for a score representing a throughput value corresponding to the use designated by the received use designation information.

[0052] For example, if an application requiring "video transmission of full HD or higher" is specified, the application score search processing unit 13 searches for a score of "5" representing a throughput value of aMbps or higher, as shown in Fig. 6. If an application requiring "video transmission of HD or higher" is specified, scores of "4" and "5" representing throughput values ​​of bMbps or higher are searched for. Similarly, if an application requiring video transmission equivalent to SD or an application requiring only telemetry communication is specified, scores corresponding to the throughput values ​​corresponding to these specified applications are searched for.

[0053] (2-3) Flight route selection Next, in step S26, under the control of the flight route selection processing unit 16A, the control unit 1A of the flight route search device SV refers to the radio wave score list for each flight route candidate stored in the radio wave score list memory unit 33, and selects from among the multiple flight route candidates a flight route candidate having a radio wave score equal to or higher than the score searched for by the above-mentioned use-specific score search process.

[0054] As a result, for example, if the specified use is to use video transmission that requires full HD or higher, a route with a throughput value (score of 5) that allows for video transmission of full HD or higher within the flight area will be selected. Also, if the specified use is to use video transmission that requires HD or higher, a route with a throughput value (score of 4 or higher) that allows for video transmission of HD or higher within the flight area will be selected. Similarly, if the specified use is to use video transmission that requires SD or higher, a route with a score of 3 or higher will be selected, and if the specified use is to use telemetry communication only, a route with a score of 2 or higher will be selected.

[0055] (2-4) Sending flight route information The control unit 1A of the flight route search device SV stores information representing the selected flight route in the flight route information storage unit 34. At this time, the information representing the flight route includes, for example, the position coordinates of a plurality of points along the flight route.

[0056] Next, in step S27, the control unit 1A of the flight route searching device SV, under the control of the flight route information transmission processing unit 17, reads out the flight route information from the flight route information memory unit 34 and transmits the read out flight route information from the communication I / F unit 4 to the requesting pilot controller CT.

[0057] Thus, the pilot can operate the drone DL according to the flight route information sent from the flight route search device SV, or the drone DL autonomously navigates the designated flight route according to the flight route information.

[0058] Therefore, for example, if the pilot specifies an application requiring full HD video transmission, the drone DL will select and fly a flight route that satisfies the throughput value required for the specified application, and as a result, the video data captured by the drone DL will be transmitted to the flight controller CT at a quality that meets full HD. Similarly, the drone DL will fly a flight route that satisfies the throughput value required for the application specified by the pilot, and as a result, video data or telemetry data will be transmitted to the flight controller CT at a quality that corresponds to the specified application.

[0059] (2-5) Flight route search completion process The control unit 1A of the flight route search device SV monitors for a request to end the search for a flight route in step S28. Then, until a search end request is detected, the control unit 1A repeatedly executes a series of flight route search processes in steps S23 to S28 each time a new use is specified. In contrast, for example, if the pilot inputs a search end request, the control unit 1A of the flight route search device SV ends the above search process and returns to a standby state.

[0060] (effect) As described above, in the first embodiment, a usage score table that defines the throughput values ​​required for each usage and their scores, and a radio wave score table that defines the throughput values ​​achievable depending on the radio wave conditions and their scores are set, and then a score list is generated for each of multiple flight route candidates expected in the flight area, indicating the throughput values ​​achievable under the radio wave conditions. Then, when a flight usage is specified in this state, the usage score table is searched for the score of the throughput value required for the specified flight usage, and a flight route having a score corresponding to a throughput value that can achieve a throughput value that satisfies the searched score is selected from the multiple flight route candidates and notified to the pilot or drone DL.

[0061] Therefore, it is possible to search for the optimal flight route by taking into account both the radio wave conditions for each candidate flight route and the flight purpose of the drone DL.

[0062] In addition, a common score value is set for the throughput value required for each application and the throughput value that can be achieved depending on the radio wave conditions, and this common score value is used to perform flight route search processing, so the flight path search device SV can search for flight routes in a short time using simple processing.

[0063] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment of the flight path search device according to the present invention is configured to search for a flight route by taking into consideration wind conditions along the flight route in addition to the flight purpose and radio wave conditions along the flight route described in the first embodiment as parameters for searching for the flight route.

[0064] (Configuration example) Figure 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a flight path search device SV according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as in Figure 3 are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations will be omitted. In addition, the hardware configuration of the flight path search device SV is the same as in Figure 2 and will not be shown.

[0065] The control unit 1B of the flight route search device SV newly includes a wind condition score setting processing unit 18, a wind condition data acquisition processing unit 19, a wind condition score list generation processing unit 20 by flight route, and a flight route selection processing unit 16B in addition to the application / radio wave score processing unit consisting of the application score setting processing unit 11, the radio wave score setting processing unit 12, the application-specific score search processing unit 13, the radio wave condition data acquisition processing unit 14, and the flight route-specific radio wave score list generation processing unit 15 shown in Figure 3.

[0066] In addition to the usage score table memory unit 31, radio wave score table memory unit 32, radio wave score list memory unit 33, and flight route information memory unit 34 shown in Figure 3, the memory area of ​​the data memory unit 3B has newly been provided with a wind condition score table memory unit 35 and a wind condition score list memory unit 36.

[0067] The wind condition score setting processing unit 18 acquires wind condition scores defined for combinations of wind speed and wind direction that represent wind conditions, for example from a management terminal, generates a wind condition score table by associating the acquired wind condition scores with combinations of wind speed and wind direction, and stores the generated wind condition score table in the wind condition score table memory unit 35.

[0068] When searching for a flight route, the wind condition data acquisition processing unit 19 acquires wind condition data in the flight area from a site that manages wind conditions.

[0069] Based on the acquired wind condition data, the flight route-specific wind condition score list generation processing unit 20 determines the wind conditions along each of the multiple flight route candidates that can be set in the flight area. Then, based on the determination results and the wind condition scores stored in the wind condition score table storage unit 35, it calculates the wind condition scores for each of the multiple flight route candidates, lists the results, generates a wind condition score list for each flight route, and stores it in the wind condition score list storage unit 36.

[0070] The flight route selection processing unit 16B selects, from among a plurality of flight routes selected based on the score corresponding to the flight purpose and the radio wave score list for each flight route candidate, a flight route whose wind condition score is equal to or greater than a threshold value and has the largest score value, by referring to the wind condition score list for each flight route.

[0071] (Example of operation) Next, an example of the operation of the flight route search device SV configured as above will be described.

[0072] (1) Setting the wind score table When the control unit 1B of the flight route search device SV receives a wind condition score setting request from, for example, a management terminal, under the control of the wind condition score setting processing unit 18, it receives from the management terminal via the communication I / F unit 4 multiple combinations of wind speed and wind direction values ​​that represent the wind conditions in the flight area and scores that represent the ease of flight defined for these combinations. The wind condition score setting processing unit 18 then generates a wind condition score table by associating the scores that represent the ease of flight with the multiple combinations of wind speed and wind direction values. The generated wind condition score table is then stored in the wind condition score table storage unit 35.

[0073] An example of a wind condition score table is shown in Figure 11. In this example, wind speed is defined in 1 m / s increments as three levels: 5 m / s or less, 6 m / s to 9 m / s, and 10 m / s or more, and wind direction is defined in 1 degree increments as two levels: tailwind (0 to 180 degrees) and headwind (181 to 360 degrees).

[0074] Scores indicating ease of flight are set from "5" to "1" in descending order of ease of flight. In the example of Figure 11, a score of "5" is set for any wind direction when the wind speed is 5 m / s or less. When the wind speed is 6 m / s or more and 9 m / s or less, a score of "4" is set for a tailwind and a score of "3" is set for a headwind, and when the wind speed is 10 m / s or more, a score of "2" is set for a tailwind and a score of "1" is set for a headwind.

[0075] (2) Flight route search Wind conditions are expected to change from moment to moment depending on weather conditions, so the process of generating a wind condition score list for each flight route and the process of selecting a flight route based on this wind condition score list are performed during the flight route search process.

[0076] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing steps and processing contents of the flight route search process executed by the control unit 1B of the flight route search device SV, including the process of generating a wind condition score list for each flight route candidate and the process of selecting a flight route using this wind condition score list.

[0077] (2-1) Generate a list of wind condition scores for each flight route candidate That is, the control unit 1B of the flight route search device SV performs the process of generating a radio wave score list for each flight route candidate described in the first embodiment and the process of searching for the throughput value score required for the specified application, and then performs the process of generating a wind condition score list for each flight route candidate as follows.

[0078] That is, first, in step S30, the control unit 1B of the flight route search device SV, under the control of the wind condition data acquisition processing unit 19, acquires data indicating the latest wind conditions in the flight area from, for example, a site that manages wind conditions.

[0079] Next, in step S31, the control unit 1B of the flight route search device SV, under the control of the flight route-specific wind condition score list generation processing unit 20, determines the wind conditions along the flight route for each of the multiple flight route candidates that can be set in the flight area based on the acquired wind condition data. The wind conditions are expressed by wind speed and wind direction.

[0080] Next, the flight route-specific wind condition score list generation processing unit 20 searches for a score indicating the ease of flight under the determined wind conditions for each of the flight route candidates, by referring to the wind condition score table stored in the wind condition score table storage unit 35. Then, the scores indicating the ease of flight for each flight route obtained by this search process are compiled into a list to generate a wind condition score list for each flight route, and the list is stored in the wind condition score list storage unit 36.

[0081] (2-2) Flight route selection Next, under the control of the flight route selection processing unit 16B, the control unit 1B of the flight route search device SV executes the process of selecting a flight route in step S32 as follows.

[0082] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure and processing content of the flight route selection processing executed by the flight route selection processing unit 16B.

[0083] That is, in step S321, the flight route selection processing unit 16B first selects, from among the multiple flight route candidates, multiple flight route candidates having radio wave scores that satisfy the throughput value required for the specified purpose, based on the score for each flight purpose and the radio wave score for each flight route candidate. This flight route selection process based on the flight purpose and radio wave conditions has been described in the first embodiment, so a detailed description will be omitted here.

[0084] Next, in step S322, the flight route selection processing unit 16B references the flight route-specific wind condition score list for each of the multiple flight route candidates selected in step S321 to select a flight route whose wind condition score, indicating ease of flight, is equal to or greater than a preset threshold. Furthermore, it selects one of the selected flight routes with the highest wind condition score. Information representing the selected flight route is then stored in the flight route information storage unit 34.

[0085] In addition, if there are multiple weather routes with wind condition scores above the threshold value and all of them have a score value of "5", all of these multiple flight routes may be selected.

[0086] (2-3) Sending flight route information The control unit 1B of the flight route search device SV, under the control of the flight route information transmission processing unit 17, transmits information representing the selected flight route from the communication I / F unit 4 to the flight controller CT that made the request.

[0087] The pilot can then fly the drone DL beyond visual line of sight according to the flight route information acquired using the control controller CT.

[0088] (effect) As described above, in the second embodiment, the wind condition scores are determined for multiple flight routes selected from multiple flight route candidates based on the scores for each purpose and the radio wave scores for each flight route. Then, based on the determination results, the flight route whose ease of flight taking wind conditions into account is equal to or greater than a threshold and has the highest wind condition score is selected.

[0089] Therefore, it is possible to search for a more optimal flight route by taking into account the purpose of the flight, the radio wave conditions along the flight route, and also the wind conditions along the flight route.

[0090] Figure 12 shows an example of a flight route selected by taking into consideration the wind conditions along the flight route in addition to the radio wave conditions for each flight purpose and flight route. In this example, of flight routes R1, R2, R3, and R4 assumed as flight routes from a flight start point S to a flight end point G, R1, R3, and R4 are selected as flight route candidates that can obtain a radio wave score with a throughput value required for the flight purpose, and R4 is further selected from the selected flight route candidates R1, R3, and R4 as the flight route assumed to be easiest to fly given the wind conditions.

[0091] In FIG. 12, the density of cells indicates the quality of the radio wave conditions, the direction of the arrow indicates the wind direction, and the thickness of the arrow indicates the wind speed.

[0092] [Other embodiments] (1) In the second embodiment, a case has been described in which multiple flight route candidates are first selected based on the flight purpose and the radio wave condition scores, and then the optimal flight route is selected from the multiple selected flight routes based on the wind condition score. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, flight route candidates may first be selected based on the wind condition score, and then the optimal flight route may be selected from the selected flight route candidates based on the flight purpose and the radio wave condition scores.

[0093] Another selection method may be to add the scores for the flight purpose and radio wave conditions and the wind condition score, each weighted appropriately, and select the optimal flight route based on the added score.

[0094] (2) In addition, various modifications can be made to the various processing functions, processing procedures and contents, types of flight use, flight use, radio wave conditions, and wind conditions of the flight path search device SV, etc., without departing from the spirit of this invention.

[0095] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is merely an example of the present invention in every respect. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, when implementing the present invention, specific configurations according to the embodiments may be appropriately adopted.

[0096] In short, this invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and in the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] SV: Flight path search device CT: Control controller DL…Drone NW...Network BS1,BS2…Base station 1A, 1B...Control section 2...Program memory section 3A, 3B…Data storage unit 4...Communication I / F section 5...Bus 11...Use score setting processing unit 12...Radio wave score setting processing unit 13...Application score search processing section 14...Radio wave condition data acquisition processing unit 15...Radio wave score list generation processing unit for each flight route 16A, 16B...Flight route selection processing unit 17...Flight route information transmission processing unit 18...Wind condition score setting processing unit 19...Wind condition data acquisition processing section 20...Wind condition score list generation processing unit for each flight route 31...Application score table storage section 32...Radio wave score table storage section 33...Radio Score List Memory 34...Flight route information storage unit 35...Wind condition score table storage section 36…Wind score list memory section

Claims

1. A flight path search device that searches for a flight path of an unmanned aerial vehicle, a first data table defining a first data transmission performance required for each of a plurality of assumed flight applications; a second data table defining achievable second data transmission performances corresponding to a plurality of combinations of radio wave reception strengths and a plurality of radio wave reception qualities; a first processing unit that, when one of the plurality of flight applications is designated, acquires a first data transmission performance required for the designated flight application from the first data table; a second processing unit that acquires radio wave condition data representing a reception strength level and reception quality of radio waves along the flight path for each of a plurality of flight path candidates that can be set between the flight start point and the flight end point; a third processing unit that acquires, for each of the plurality of flight path candidates, from the second data table, a second data transmission performance that can be realized by the reception strength level and the reception quality represented by the acquired radio wave condition data; a fourth processing unit that selects the flight path that can realize the second data transmission performance that satisfies the first data transmission performance from the plurality of flight path candidates; A flight path search device comprising:

2. 2. The flight path search device according to claim 1, wherein the first data table defines, as the plurality of types of flight applications, a plurality of types of applications with different video transmission qualities and an application performing telemetry communication, and defines the first data transmission performance required for each of the plurality of types of applications with different video transmission qualities and the application performing telemetry communication.

3. The first data table and the second data table divide the first data transmission performance and the second data transmission performance into a plurality of common levels set in advance and define common radio wave scores for these levels; The first processing unit obtains, from the first data table, a first radio wave score corresponding to the first data transmission performance required for the specified flight purpose; The third processing unit acquires, for each of the plurality of flight path candidates, a second radio wave score corresponding to the second data transmission performance from the second data table; The fourth processing unit selects the flight route having the second radio wave score and a radio wave score equal to or greater than the first radio wave score. The flight path search device according to claim 1.

4. a third data table defining wind condition scores representing the ease of flight corresponding to combinations of multiple wind speeds and multiple wind directions; a fifth processing unit that acquires, for each of the plurality of flight route candidates, the wind condition score that indicates the wind speed and the wind direction along the flight route; a sixth processing unit that acquires, for each of the plurality of flight path candidates, from the third data table, the wind condition score corresponding to the wind speed and the wind direction represented by the acquired wind condition score; Furthermore, The fourth processing unit a processing unit that selects a plurality of the flight paths that have a radio wave score equal to or greater than the first radio wave score and the second radio wave score; a processing unit that selects, from the selected plurality of flight routes, a flight route on which the wind condition score is equal to or greater than a preset threshold; The flight path search device according to claim 3 , comprising:

5. A flight path search method in which a process of searching for a flight path of an unmanned aerial vehicle is executed by an information processing device, defining a first data transmission performance required for each of a plurality of anticipated flight applications and storing the first data transmission performance in a first data table; a step of storing, in a second data table, achievable second data transmission performances defined in correspondence with a plurality of combinations of radio wave reception strengths and a plurality of radio wave reception qualities; When one of the plurality of flight applications is designated, acquiring a first data transmission performance required for the designated flight application from the first data table; a step of acquiring radio wave condition data representing the reception strength level and reception quality of radio waves along a flight path for each of a plurality of flight path candidates that can be set between a flight start point and a flight end point; acquiring, for each of the plurality of flight path candidates, from the second data table, a second data transmission performance that can be realized by the reception strength level and the reception quality represented by the acquired radio wave condition data; selecting the flight route having the second data transmission performance that satisfies the first data transmission performance from among the plurality of flight route candidates; A flight path search method comprising:

6. A program that causes a processor included in the flight path search device to execute at least one of the processes performed by the first to fourth processing units included in the flight path search device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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