Rescue method using flight body, drowning accident rescue system, and program

Abstract

To provide a technology of efficiently finding and rescuing a rescue target person.SOLUTION: A rescue method using a flight body includes: a person state acquisition step of acquiring information indicating a state of a person located on water or in water by using one or more sensors; a rescue target person detection step of detecting a rescue target person by using the information acquired by the one or more sensors; and a rescue step of causing the flight body to approach the rescue target person and execute a predetermined rescue action.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rescue method using an aircraft, a water rescue system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to prevent water accidents, it is essential to quickly detect accidents and carry out rescue operations.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses technology related to a search system. In the search system, a rescue request signal is sent from a wearable device in response to a user's operation. When a management server receives the rescue request signal sent from the wearable device, it issues a dispatch command to a drone and directs the drone to the current location of the wearable device. When the drone is directly above the user, the management server commands the drone to drop its life jacket. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-37353 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the search system of Patent Document 1, a rescue request signal is output when the user operates the wearable device, so it does not deal with cases where the user is not wearing the wearable device or is wearing the wearable device but is unable to operate it.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a technique for efficiently rescuing a person to be rescued. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present application includes a number of means for solving the above problems, examples of which are as follows.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, a rescue method using an aircraft according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized by comprising a person status acquisition procedure for acquiring information indicating the status of a person located on or underwater using a sensor, a rescue target detection procedure for detecting a person to be rescued using the information acquired by the sensor, and a rescue procedure for bringing the aircraft close to the person to be rescued and having it perform a predetermined rescue action.

[0009] In the rescue procedure, the aircraft may provide a flotation device to the person being rescued.

[0010] The rescue procedure may be characterized by bringing a gripping portion of the flying object close to the person to be rescued.

[0011] In the rescue procedure, the aircraft may be characterized by flying near the person to be rescued for a certain period of time.

[0012] In the rescue procedure, the aircraft may detect the position of the person to be rescued and follow the position of the person to be rescued.

[0013] The step of detecting a person to be rescued may be characterized in that the person to be rescued is detected using a difference between images acquired by the sensor at different times.

[0014] The rescue target person detection step may be characterized in that the rescue target person is detected by detecting a decrease in the number of people on water vehicles.

[0015] The rescue target detection step may be characterized in that the rescue target is detected by detecting that a face of a person positioned underwater is continuously positioned underwater for a certain period of time.

[0016] In the person situation acquisition step, the information may be acquired by the sensor that captures an image of the underside of an object on water.

[0017] The rescue procedure may be characterized by carrying out the rescue action using a surveillance drone and a rescue drone that provides rescue means.

[0018] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, a water rescue system according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising a person status acquisition unit that uses a sensor to acquire information indicating the status of a person located on or underwater, a rescue target detection unit that detects a person to be rescued using the information acquired by the sensor, and an aircraft control unit that brings an aircraft close to the person to be rescued and performs a predetermined rescue action.

[0019] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, a program according to another aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a processing unit of a computer to execute a water rescue method, and is characterized in that it executes a person status acquisition procedure that uses a sensor to acquire information indicating the status of a person located on or underwater, a rescue target detection procedure that detects a person to be rescued using the information acquired by the sensor, and a rescue procedure that brings an aircraft close to the person to be rescued and causes a predetermined rescue action to be performed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, a person to be rescued can be rescued efficiently.

[0021] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing an example of an outline of a water rescue system. Figure 1(A) is a diagram (part 1) showing an example of an outline of a water rescue system, and Figure 1(B) is a diagram (part 2) showing an example of an outline of a water rescue system. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of a water rescue system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of flying object information. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a water rescue device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a person situation information monitoring process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an outline of a water rescue system according to a first modified example. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of rescue processing of a water rescue device in a first modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a water rescue system according to a second modified example. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a movement control process of the surveillance drone 20A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of an outline of a water rescue system 1. Figure 1(A) is a diagram (part 1) showing an example of an outline of the water rescue system 1, and Figure 1(B) is a diagram (part 2) showing an example of an outline of the water rescue system 1.

[0024] The water rescue system 1 includes a water rescue device 10, an air vehicle 20, and one or more sensors 30. For example, the water rescue device 10 is an information processing device owned by a water rescue service provider. The air vehicle 20 is a device capable of flying on water, such as a drone. The sensor 30 is a device installed on or underwater and capable of acquiring information about the status of a person. In the example shown below, the sensor 30 is a camera that acquires images of a person located on or underwater, but the sensor 30 is not limited to a camera.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1(A), the water rescue device 10 uses a sensor 30 to monitor a swimmer Y in a pool. For example, if the swimmer Y drowns, the water rescue device 10 determines that the swimmer Y is a person to be rescued. The water rescue device 10 causes one or more flying objects 20 to perform rescue operations for the swimmer Y who is the person to be rescued. The water rescue device 10 may also monitor a swimmer Y at a beach and perform rescue operations, as shown in FIG. 1(B).

[0026] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the water rescue system 1. The water rescue device 10 is, for example, a server computer or a PC (Personal Computer). The flying object 20 is equipped with a sensor 21 and is able to acquire information about swimmer Y during flight. In the example shown below, the sensor 21 is a camera that acquires images of the person to be rescued, but the sensor 21 is not limited to a camera and can be any sensor that can detect a person at a predetermined timing, such as an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor.

[0027] The sensor 30 may be any sensor that detects the continuous movement of a person, such as a camera, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an inertial sensor, a gyro sensor, or a geomagnetic sensor. The sensor 30 may be fixed or attached to a mobile object. The sensor 30 may also serve as the sensor 21.

[0028] As described above, the water rescue device 10 detects a person to be rescued using information acquired by the sensor 30. The water rescue device 10 causes the flying object 20 to perform a predetermined rescue operation. At that time, the water rescue device 10 uses information acquired by the sensor 21 of the flying object 20 to determine whether the flying object 20 is located near the person to be rescued. The water rescue device 10 may also use the information acquired by the sensor 21 to determine whether the rescue operation was successful.

[0029] The flying object 20 has functions according to the rescue operation it is responsible for. As an example, the flying object 20 has the function of emitting light or outputting sound. As another example, the flying object 20 may be equipped with multiple sensors 21 to determine whether the flying object 20 is holding a flotation device (e.g., a life jacket). As another example, the flying object 20 may have a gripping unit, and one of the multiple sensors 21 may detect whether the person to be rescued is gripping the gripping unit. In addition, one flying object 20 may be configured to perform different types of rescue operations. The flying object 20 performs rescue operations under the control of the flying object control unit 113 of the water rescue device 10, which will be described later, but may also perform rescue operations under the control of a control unit (not shown) that the flying object 20 has.

[0030] The water rescue apparatus 10 comprises a processing unit 110, a memory unit 120, an input unit 130, an output unit 140, and a communication unit 150. The processing unit 110 comprehensively controls the entire water rescue apparatus 10. The memory unit 120 stores information necessary for processing by the processing unit 110. The input unit 130 accepts information input to the water rescue apparatus 10 from an input device connected via an input IF 14 (described later). The output unit 140 outputs information stored in the water rescue apparatus 10 from an output device connected via an output IF 15 (described later). The communication unit 150 controls the transmission and reception of information to and from other information processing devices connected for communication. The communication unit 150 receives signals transmitted from the sensors 21 and 30.

[0031] The processing unit 110 includes a person status acquisition unit 111, a rescue target person detection unit 112, and an aircraft control unit 113. The person status acquisition unit 111 acquires information indicating the status of a person located on or underwater using the sensor 30. For example, the person status acquisition unit 111 acquires a video of a person, and stores the video in the memory unit 120 as person status information 121.

[0032] The rescue target person detection unit 112 detects the rescue target person using the person situation information 121 acquired by the sensor 30. For example, the rescue target person detection unit 112 detects the rescue target person using the difference between images acquired by the sensor 30 at different times. The rescue target person detection unit 112 may detect the rescue target person using the difference between multiple still images, or may detect the rescue target person using the difference indicated by a video, i.e., the transition of the person's movement.

[0033] The flying object control unit 113 controls the movement of the flying object 20. The flying object control unit 113 causes the flying object 20 to approach the person to be rescued and to perform a predetermined rescue action.

[0034] The storage unit 120 stores person status information 121 and flying object information 122. The person status information 121 is information indicating the status of a person on or in the water, acquired by the sensor 30. The flying object information 122 is information related to the flying object 20.

[0035] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the air vehicle information 122. The air vehicle information 122 includes, for example, an air vehicle ID, a type, a deployment flag, and an equipment flag. The air vehicle ID is identification information that identifies the air vehicle 20. The type is information that indicates the type of air vehicle 20. The type indicates the type of rescue action that the air vehicle 20 will take. For example, the type indicates whether the air vehicle 20 will be in charge of surveillance, whether it will provide rescue means using a life jacket, or whether it will provide rescue means using a gripping unit.

[0036] The deployment flag is information indicating whether the flying object 20 is deployed or not deployed and is located in the pit. The equipment flag is information indicating whether the flying object 20 has equipment such as a swim ring or not.

[0037] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the water rescue device 10. The water rescue device 10 includes a calculation device 11, a memory 12, an external storage device 13, an input IF (Interface) 14, an output IF 15, and a communication IF 16, and each component is connected by a bus.

[0038] The arithmetic device 11 is a arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes processing according to a program recorded in the memory 12 or the external storage device 13. In the water rescue device 10, processing is performed by the arithmetic device 11 that operates according to a program read onto the memory 12 or the external storage device 13. The processing unit 110 realizes each function by the arithmetic device 11 executing the program.

[0039] The memory 12 is a storage device such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or flash memory, and functions as a storage area from which programs and data are temporarily read. The external storage device 13 is a writable and readable storage medium and storage media drive, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable), or DVD-RAM (Digital Versatile Disk-Random Access Memory). The functions of the storage unit 120 are realized by the memory 12 or the external storage device 13. Note that the functions of the storage unit 120 may also be realized by a storage device connected via the communication IF 16.

[0040] The input IF14 is an interface for receiving input operations from an operator, and is connected to input devices such as a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, microphone, etc. The output IF15 is an interface for outputting information to an output device such as an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display built into the water rescue apparatus 10.

[0041] The communication IF 16 is an interface for connecting the water rescue apparatus 10 to a network, and is connected to a communication device such as a LAN (Local Area Network) card. The water rescue apparatus 10 may also have a storage medium drive (not shown) for inputting and outputting information from portable media such as a CD (Compact Disk) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0042] The processing of each component of the water rescue apparatus 10 may be executed by one piece of hardware or by multiple pieces of hardware. Also, the processing of each component of the water rescue apparatus 10 may be realized by one program or by multiple programs.

[0043] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a person situation information monitoring process. This process starts when the person situation acquisition unit 111 starts acquiring the person situation information 121 detected by the sensor 30 (or the sensor 21).

[0044] First, the rescue target person detection unit 112 determines whether or not a rescue target person has been detected (step S1). Specifically, the rescue target person detection unit 112 monitors the person situation information 121 that the sensor 30 continues to detect, and determines whether or not a rescue target person is present using a predetermined method.

[0045] For example, before starting the processing of this flowchart, the rescue target detection unit 112 generates a drowning determination model by performing machine learning using multiple images taken when a drowning occurs. During the processing of step S1, the rescue target detection unit 112 detects a rescue target by using the drowning determination model for the images acquired by the sensor 30.

[0046] As another example, the rescue target person detection unit 112 may detect a rescue target person based on changes in the water surface, such as splashes or ripples, that appear in the image. As another example, the rescue target person detection unit 112 detects information indicating the posture of a person appearing in the image, skeletal information, movement information of skeletal parts, acceleration, and behavioral information indicating angular velocity. The rescue target person detection unit 112 may generate a drowning judgment model by performing machine learning using the behavioral information when drowning occurs, and detect a rescue target person by applying the drowning judgment model to the image acquired by the sensor 30.

[0047] If the rescue target person detection unit 112 does not determine that a rescue target person has been detected ("NO" in step S1), the person status acquisition unit 111 determines whether the sensor data has ended (step S2). Specifically, the person status acquisition unit 111 determines whether the acquisition of the person status information 121, which began to be acquired before the start of this process, has ended. For example, if the sensor 30 has finished acquiring images due to a timer (not shown), or if the sensor 30 or the water rescue apparatus 10 has finished acquiring images in response to an input operation, the person status acquisition unit 111 determines that the sensor data has ended.

[0048] If the person status acquisition unit 111 determines that the sensor data has not ended ("NO" in step S2), the rescue target person detection unit 112 transitions the process to step S1. That is, the person status acquisition unit 111 continues to acquire the person status information 121, and the rescue target person detection unit 112 continues to monitor the person status information 121.

[0049] When the person state acquisition unit 111 determines that the sensor data has ended ("YES" in step S2), the processing unit 110 ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0050] When the rescue target person detection unit 112 determines that a rescue target person has been detected ("YES" in step S1), it identifies the position of the rescue target person (step S3). Specifically, the rescue target person detection unit 112 identifies the position of the rescue target person using the position of the sensor 30 that continues to acquire the person situation information 121. For example, if the sensor 30 is fixed, the rescue target person detection unit 112 considers the position of the sensor 30 to be the position of the rescue target person. Alternatively, for example, if the sensor 30 is mounted on a mobile object, the rescue target person detection unit 112 measures the position of the mobile object based on position information of a GPS receiver of the mobile object, and considers the position of the mobile object to be the position of the rescue target person. Alternatively, for example, the rescue target person detection unit 112 identifies the position of the rescue target person included in the image acquired by the sensor 30 using a known method of estimating a position from the size of a subject.

[0051] Next, the aircraft control unit 113 causes the aircraft 20 to perform a predetermined rescue action (step S4). Specifically, the aircraft control unit 113 causes the aircraft 20 to arrive in the air above the location of the person to be rescued. As an example, the aircraft 20 is equipped with a life jacket, and the aircraft control unit 113 outputs a signal to operate a claw-like member that fastens the life jacket, and drops the life jacket equipped to the aircraft 20 from the air, thereby performing the rescue action.

[0052] As another example, the flying object 20 is equipped with a gripping part that can be held by the person being rescued. In this example, the flying object control unit 113 brings the flying object 20 close to the person being rescued so that the person being rescued can grasp the gripping part. The gripping part of the flying object 20 is equipped with a sensor 21 that can detect whether or not the person being rescued has grasped it, and when the flying object control unit 113 detects that the person being rescued has grasped the gripping part, it performs a rescue operation by lifting the flying object 20 so that the person being rescued can breathe.

[0053] As another example, the aircraft control unit 113 executes a rescue operation by controlling the movement of the aircraft 20 so that the aircraft 20 continues to fly near the person to be rescued for a certain period of time, thereby enabling a rescuer, such as a lifesaver, heading to the rescue location to recognize the location of the person to be rescued.

[0054] As another example, the aircraft 20 detects the position of a person to be rescued and follows the position of the person to be rescued. For example, the aircraft control unit 113 accepts an input operation to specify the person to be rescued to follow from an image acquired by the sensor 21 of the aircraft 20. When the aircraft control unit 113 transmits information indicating the specified person to be rescued to the aircraft 20, the aircraft 20 moves to follow the person to be rescued using the information acquired by the sensor 21. For example, in cases where the person to be rescued may be moved by tidal currents, such as at a beach, the aircraft 20 can support the rescue by the rescuer by moving to follow the person to be rescued. After that, the processing unit 110 ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0055] As described above, according to this embodiment, when a person in need of rescue appears, the person in need of rescue can be rescued quickly and efficiently.

[0056] The rescue target person detection unit 112 may determine whether or not a person detected by the sensor 21 of the flying object 20 is a rescue target person. For example, in step S4, the flying object control unit 113 acquires identification information, such as a facial image of the person acquired by the sensor 21, from the flying object 20. The rescue target person detection unit 112 compares the identification information of the person to be rescued detected in step S1 with the identification information received from the flying object 20.

[0057] If the aircraft control unit 113 determines, as a result of the comparison, that the identification information of the person acquired by the sensor 21 is the identification information of the person to be rescued, it causes the aircraft 20 to rescue the person to be rescued. Note that the identification of the person acquired by the sensor 21 may be performed by the aircraft 20. In this case, the aircraft 20 has a processing unit (not shown) and acquires the identification information of the person to be rescued detected in step S1 from the water rescue device 10. The processing unit may compare the identification information acquired from the water rescue device 10 with the identification information acquired by the sensor 21, and execute rescue action if it determines that the identification information is that of the same person.

[0058] In step S1, the rescue target person detection unit 112 can detect rescue targets by various methods. For example, the rescue target person detection unit 112 identifies the number of people on a specific vehicle on water using person status information 121 acquired at a certain timing. The rescue target person detection unit 112 detects a decrease in the number of people using person status information 121 acquired at a later timing. If the number of people remains decreased for a predetermined period after detecting the decrease in the number of people, the rescue target person detection unit 112 considers that a rescue target person has been detected. This allows, for example, the air vehicle 20 to patrol around a yacht on the sea and detect the occurrence of a water accident, allowing rescue action to be taken quickly.

[0059] Alternatively, for example, the sensor 30 may be caused to capture an image of the underside of an object such as aquatic play equipment to detect whether a drowning accident has occurred. In this case, the rescue target person detection unit 112 detects the person to be rescued using person status information 121 acquired by the sensor 30, which is installed to detect information on the underside of the object such as aquatic play equipment. In this example, the rescue target person detection unit 112 detects the person to be rescued by detecting that the face of a person located underwater remains underwater for a certain period of time. This allows the person to be quickly detected and rescue action to be taken if a situation occurs, such as when a person has sunk under play equipment and is unable to raise their head above water.

[0060] <First Modification> The water rescue system 1 in the first modification includes a plurality of flying objects 20 that can perform different types of rescue actions. Below, differences from the above-described embodiment will be described.

[0061] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of an outline of a water rescue system in the first modified example. In the example shown in Figure 6, the water rescue system 1 (not shown) performs rescue operations using a surveillance drone 20A, which is an aircraft 20 responsible for monitoring. The water rescue system 1 also performs rescue operations using a rescue drone 20B, which is an aircraft 20 responsible for providing rescue means using life jackets.

[0062] For example, surveillance drone 20A periodically patrols a body of water, and acquires information about swimmer Y using an on-board sensor 21, and transmits it to water rescue device 10. When water rescue device 10 determines that swimmer Y is a person to be rescued, surveillance drone 20A stops patrolling, flies over swimmer Y, and emits light or outputs sound to notify lifeguards or other flying objects 20 of swimmer Y's location. In addition, water rescue device 10 flies rescue drone 20B, which is equipped with a life tube, to the vicinity of swimmer Y and drops the life tube to swimmer Y.

[0063] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of rescue processing of the water rescue apparatus 10 in the first modified example. This processing is executed, for example, in step S4 of FIG.

[0064] First, the air vehicle control unit 113 causes the surveillance drone 20A to arrive above the person to be rescued (step S11). As one example, the air vehicle control unit 113 refers to the air vehicle information 122 and causes an air vehicle 20 whose deployment flag is not currently deployed and whose type indicates that it is a surveillance drone 20A to arrive at the location of the person to be rescued identified in step S3 of FIG. 5. As another example, if the sensor used to detect the person to be rescued in step S1 is the sensor 21 possessed by the air vehicle 20, the air vehicle control unit 113 may cause the air vehicle 20 to arrive at the location of the person to be rescued as the surveillance drone 20A. As another example, the air vehicle control unit 113 may identify the surveillance drone 20A that is closest to the location of the person to be rescued among the air vehicles 20 whose type indicates that it is a surveillance drone 20A, and cause it to arrive at the location of the person to be rescued.

[0065] Next, the air vehicle control unit 113 causes the surveillance drone 20A to emit light and fly around the person to be rescued (step S12). Specifically, the air vehicle control unit 113 causes the surveillance drone 20A, which has reached the position of the person to be rescued in step S11, to emit light and fly around the person to be rescued.

[0066] Next, the air vehicle control unit 113 determines whether or not there is a rescue drone 20B that is not currently performing a rescue (step S13). Specifically, the air vehicle control unit 113 references the air vehicle information 122 and determines whether or not there is an air vehicle 20 whose deployment flag is not currently performing a rescue drone 20B. If the air vehicle control unit 113 determines that there is no rescue drone 20B that is not currently performing a rescue (if "NO" in step S13), it repeats the processing of this step. That is, the air vehicle control unit 113 executes the processing of this step until a rescue drone 20B that is not currently performing a rescue is detected. The air vehicle control unit 113 may output error information indicating that there is no rescue drone 20B that is not currently performing a rescue.

[0067] When determining that there is a rescue drone 20B that is not currently performing a rescue ("YES" in step S13), the air vehicle control unit 113 determines whether there is a rescue drone holding a life jacket (step S14). Specifically, the air vehicle control unit 113 refers to the air vehicle information 122 and determines whether there is a rescue drone 20B whose equipment flag indicates that a life jacket is attached, among the rescue drones 20B that were determined to exist in step S13 and are not currently performing a rescue.

[0068] When the air vehicle control unit 113 determines that there is no rescue drone equipped with a life jacket ("NO" in step S14), it puts on the life jacket (step S15). Specifically, the air vehicle control unit 113 notifies the person in charge of the rescue drone 20B by notifying error information indicating that there is no rescue drone 20B equipped with a life jacket, thereby prompting the person in charge to put on the life jacket. Note that when the life jacket is put on, the air vehicle control unit 113 changes the equipment flag of the rescue drone 20B to information indicating that the life jacket is being put on.

[0069] If the air vehicle control unit 113 determines in step S14 that a rescue drone 20B equipped with a life jacket is present (if "YES" in step S14), or after step S15, it moves the surveillance drone 20A and causes the rescue drone 20B to arrive above the person to be rescued (step S16). Specifically, the air vehicle control unit 113 causes the rescue drone 20B equipped with a life jacket to arrive at the position of the person to be rescued identified in step S3 of Fig. 5. At that time, the air vehicle control unit 113 moves the surveillance drone 20A so that the rescue drone 20B and the surveillance drone 20A do not come into contact with each other.

[0070] In order to continue monitoring the person to be rescued, when moving the surveillance drone 20A, the air vehicle control unit 113 desirably moves the surveillance drone 20A to a position where the sensor 21 of the surveillance drone 20A can detect the person to be rescued. After that, the air vehicle control unit 113 drops a life ring onto the person to be rescued. In this modification, the rescue drone 20B has the life ring tethered to it, and can adjust the position of the life ring by towing the life ring after it has fallen.

[0071] Next, the rescue target person detection unit 112 determines whether or not wearing a life jacket has been detected (step S17). For example, the rescue target person detection unit 112 analyzes an image acquired by the sensor 21 of the surveillance drone 20A to determine whether or not the rescue target person is wearing a life jacket. Note that the rescue target person detection unit 112 may also determine whether or not the rescue target person is wearing a life jacket by analyzing an image acquired by the sensor 21 of the rescue drone 20B.

[0072] If the rescue target person detection unit 112 determines that the life jacket is not being worn ("NO" in step S17), it causes the rescue drone 20B to arrive at the position of the rescue target person (step S18). The surveillance drone 20A continues to acquire personal status information of the rescue target person using the sensor 21, and the rescue target person detection unit 112 updates the position of the rescue target person. The rescue target person detection unit 112 tows the life jacket to the updated position of the rescue target person.

[0073] When the rescue target person detection unit 112 determines that the wearing of the life jacket has been detected (if "YES" in step S17), it notifies the detection of the wearing of the life jacket (step S19). After that, the processing unit 110 ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0074] In the above example, the rescue drone 20B performs a rescue action by providing a life jacket to the person to be rescued. The rescue action performed by the rescue drone 20B is not limited to this example. For example, the rescue drone 20B may perform a rescue action by having the person to be rescued hold the gripping part.

[0075] This modification allows rescue operations to be carried out quickly using multiple different types of aircraft 20. For example, by having different aircraft 20 monitor and intervene to rescue targets, the processing load on each aircraft 20 can be reduced. Furthermore, by using multiple aircraft 20, it is possible to determine whether the rescue was successful based on information detected by sensors 21 at different positions.

[0076] <Second Modification> The water rescue system 1 in the second modification allows direct communication between a plurality of flying bodies 20. Below, differences from the above-described embodiment and the first modification will be described.

[0077] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of a water rescue system 1 in the second modified example. The water rescue system 1 in the second modified example includes a surveillance drone 20A and a rescue drone 20B as flying objects 20. As in the first modified example, the surveillance drone 20A is the flying object 20 responsible for surveillance, and the rescue drone 20B is the flying object 20 responsible for providing rescue means. The surveillance drone 20A and the rescue drone 20B each include a control unit 210 and a communication unit 250. The control unit 210 controls the movement of the surveillance drone 20A or the rescue drone 20B.

[0078] The communication unit 250 includes a water rescue device transceiver unit 251 and an air vehicle transceiver unit 252. The water rescue device transceiver unit 251 transmits and receives information to and from the water rescue device. The air vehicle transceiver unit 252 transmits and receives information to and from other air vehicles 20. The air vehicle transceiver unit 252 is capable of P2P communication and can establish a P2P communication session with other air vehicles 20. The air vehicle transceiver unit 252 functions as, for example, a P2P communication module. The air vehicle transceiver unit 252 may perform P2P communication using short-range communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0079] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the movement control process of the surveillance drone 20A. This process starts when the surveillance drone 20A receives an instruction to start a rescue operation in step S4 of Figure 5. Note that the air vehicle transceiver unit 252 of the rescue drone 20B outputs a signal indicating a connection request to another air vehicle 20 when performing a rescue operation.

[0080] First, the air vehicle transceiver 252 receives a connection request from the rescue drone 20B (step S21). Specifically, when the surveillance drone 20A and the rescue drone 20B approach each other to a distance where they can communicate with each other, the air vehicle transceiver 252 receives a signal indicating a connection request output by the approaching rescue drone 20B.

[0081] Next, the air vehicle transceiver 252 establishes a connection with the rescue drone 20B (step S22). Note that while the air vehicle transceiver 252 is connecting with the rescue drone 20B, the water rescue apparatus transceiver 251 can communicate with the water rescue apparatus 10.

[0082] Next, the air vehicle transmitting and receiving unit 252 flies at a position a predetermined distance away from the rescue drone 20B (step S23). Specifically, the air vehicle transmitting and receiving unit 252 measures the distance to the rescue drone 20B using the signal strength of the signal received from the rescue drone 20B. The control unit 210 moves the surveillance drone 20A so that the distance to the rescue drone 20B remains equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0083] Next, the water rescue apparatus transceiver unit 251 determines whether or not a return instruction has been received from the water rescue apparatus 10 (step S24). If the water rescue apparatus transceiver unit 251 determines that a return instruction has not been received from the water rescue apparatus 10 ("NO" in step S24), the control unit 210 shifts the processing to step S23. That is, the surveillance drone 20A continues flying.

[0084] When the water rescue apparatus transceiver unit 251 determines that it has received a return instruction from the water rescue apparatus ("YES" in step S24), the control unit 210 ends the processing of this flowchart. After that, the surveillance drone 20A returns to the pit under the control of the control unit 210 or the air vehicle control unit 113 of the water rescue apparatus 10.

[0085] With this modified example, the surveillance drone 20A and the rescue drone 20B are connected so that they can communicate with each other, so that even if a problem occurs in communication with the water rescue device 10, contact between the surveillance drone 20A and the rescue drone 20B can be prevented.

[0086] Although the above describes each embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiment and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described exemplary embodiment has been described in detail to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to an embodiment including all of the components described herein. Furthermore, part of the components of one exemplary embodiment can be replaced with the components of another exemplary embodiment. Furthermore, the components of another exemplary embodiment can be added to the components of one exemplary embodiment. Furthermore, part of the components of each exemplary embodiment can be added, deleted, or replaced with other components. Furthermore, some or all of the above-described components, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Furthermore, the control lines and information lines in the figures are only those considered necessary for explanation, and not necessarily all of them are shown. It can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected.

[0087] Furthermore, the functional configuration of the water rescue apparatus 10 described above is categorized according to the main processing content for ease of understanding. The classification method and names of the components do not limit the present invention. As described above, the configuration of the water rescue apparatus 10 can be categorized into more components according to the processing content. Furthermore, one component can be categorized to perform even more processing.

[0088] For example, in the above example, the water rescue device 10 detects a person to be rescued and causes the flying object 20 to perform a rescue operation. In this embodiment, the flying object 20 may have the functions of the water rescue device 10. That is, the person to be rescued detection unit of the flying object 20 may detect the person to be rescued using the person status information 121 acquired by the sensor 30. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1: Water rescue system, 10: Water rescue device, 11: Computing unit, 12: Memory, 13: External storage device, 14: Input IF, 15: Output IF, 16: Communication IF, 20: Air vehicle, 21-30: Sensor, 110: Processing unit, 111: Person status acquisition unit, 112: Rescue target person detection unit, 113: Air vehicle control unit, 120: Memory unit, 121: Person status information, 130: Input unit, 140: Output unit, 150: Communication unit

Claims

1. a person status acquisition step of acquiring information indicating the status of a person located on or underwater using a sensor; a rescue target detection step of detecting a rescue target using the information acquired by the sensor; A rescue method using an aircraft, comprising a rescue procedure of bringing the aircraft close to the person to be rescued and having the aircraft perform a predetermined rescue action.

2. A rescue method using an aircraft according to claim 1, A rescue method using an aircraft, characterized in that in the rescue procedure, the aircraft provides a flotation device to the person to be rescued.

3. A rescue method using an aircraft according to claim 1, A rescue method using an aircraft, characterized in that the rescue procedure involves bringing a gripping portion of the aircraft close to the person to be rescued.

4. A rescue method using an aircraft according to claim 1, A rescue method using an aircraft, characterized in that in the rescue procedure, the aircraft flies near the person to be rescued for a certain period of time.

5. A rescue method using an aircraft according to claim 1, A rescue method using an aircraft, characterized in that in the rescue procedure, the aircraft detects the position of the person to be rescued and follows the position of the person to be rescued.

6. A rescue method using an aircraft according to claim 1, A rescue method using an aircraft, characterized in that the rescue target person detection step detects the rescue target person using a difference between images acquired by the sensor at different times.

7. A rescue method using an aircraft according to claim 6, A rescue method using an aircraft, characterized in that the rescue target person detection step detects the rescue target person by detecting a decrease in the number of people on a water vehicle.

8. A rescue method using an aircraft according to claim 6, A rescue method using an aircraft, characterized in that the rescue target detection procedure detects the person to be rescued by detecting that the face of a person located underwater remains located underwater for a certain period of time.

9. A rescue method using an aircraft according to claim 8, A rescue method using an aircraft, characterized in that in the person situation acquisition step, the information is acquired by the sensor that photographs the underside of an object on the water.

10. A rescue method using an aircraft according to claim 1, A rescue method using an aerial vehicle, characterized in that the rescue procedure involves carrying out the rescue action using a surveillance drone and a rescue drone that provides rescue means.

11. a person status acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the status of a person located on or underwater using a sensor; a rescue target detection unit that detects a rescue target using the information acquired by the sensor; A water rescue system comprising an aircraft control unit that causes an aircraft to approach the person to be rescued and perform a predetermined rescue action.

12. A program for causing a processing unit of a computer to execute a water rescue method, a person status acquisition step of acquiring information indicating the status of a person located on or underwater using a sensor; a rescue target detection step of detecting a rescue target using the information acquired by the sensor; A program that executes a rescue procedure that causes an aircraft to approach the person to be rescued and executes a predetermined rescue action.

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