Control system, control method, and program

Abstract

According to the present invention, it is possible to more appropriately change a formation of a drone swarm including a plurality of drones or a communication network configuration in the drone swarm.SOLUTION: A control system according to the present invention includes a drone swarm including a plurality of drones, a state determination unit configured to determine a state related to an activity area of the drone swarm, a state related to an operation of the drone swarm, or a state related to an operation history of the drone swarm, a formation change determination unit configured to determine at least one of whether or not a formation of the drone swarm needs to be changed and a formation after the change in accordance with determination information by the state determination unit, and a command output unit configured to transmit and output a control command according to a determination content by the formation change determination unit to the drone swarm or to display and output information related to the control command from a display unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Marine surveillance and other activities have traditionally been carried out using manned vessels for the purposes of preventing nuisance and illegal fishing by ships navigating the sea or divers navigating underwater, inspecting offshore infrastructure, and conducting ecological research on marine life such as whales and dolphins. However, because the range of the oceanic area subject to surveillance, inspection, or research is extremely vast, there are limits to the area that can be monitored, inspected, and researched by manned vessels. Therefore, there is a need for more efficient monitoring, inspection, and research. In addition, in recent years, the use of multiple unmanned vessels capable of autonomously navigating the sea has been considered, and it is expected that they will be used for the above-mentioned surveillance, inspection, and research.

[0003] As a technique for controlling multiple unmanned aerial vehicles, Patent Document 1 discloses a control technique for realizing spatial effects using multiple aerial vehicles at outdoor live events and the like, and in particular, a formation is formed with a commander device 1, which is a first aerial vehicle, and multiple player devices 2, which are second aerial vehicles, and the commander device 1 is remotely controlled and the player devices 2 fly autonomously in accordance with command signals from the commander device 1. The technique disclosed allows each player device 2 to control the flight of its own device so that its position relative to the commander device 1 is the part position indicated by formation information 168 stored in memory, thereby leading and flying the entire formation in a formation based on the formation information 168. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-40309 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When multiple unmanned aerial vehicles are operating in a target area for purposes such as surveillance, inspection, and investigation, it is necessary to avoid collisions with immovable obstacles within the target area, avoid collisions with moving objects passing through the target area, and avoid accidentally entering restricted areas. In addition, the target area may include complex, narrow, and confined areas, and in such cases, it may be necessary to enter or pass through the confined areas.

[0006] Patent Document 1 discloses changing the formation of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles based on formation information input by a remote pilot or preset formation information for purposes such as outdoor live events, but when multiple unmanned aerial vehicles are operating in a target area for purposes such as monitoring, inspection, and investigation, it is necessary to appropriately change the formation of the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles depending on the situation, such as avoiding the above-mentioned obstacles and inaccessible areas. Also, it may be desirable to change the configuration of the wireless communication network between the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles in response to changes in the formation.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of at least one of the above problems, and one of its objectives is to provide a system or control method, etc., that can more appropriately change the formation of a group of unmanned aircraft including multiple unmanned aircraft or the communication network configuration within the group of unmanned aircraft. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to the present invention, a control system is provided which includes an unmanned aircraft group having a plurality of unmanned aircraft, a state determination unit which determines a state relating to the activity area of ​​the unmanned aircraft group, or a state relating to the operation of the unmanned aircraft group, or a state relating to the operation history of the unmanned aircraft group, a formation change determination unit which determines whether or not a formation change is necessary for the unmanned aircraft group and / or the formation after the change based on the determination information by the state determination unit, and a command output unit which transmits and outputs a control command to the unmanned aircraft group based on the determination content by the formation change determination unit, or displays and outputs information relating to the control command from a display unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to more appropriately change the formation of an unmanned aircraft fleet including multiple unmanned aircraft or the communication network configuration within the unmanned aircraft fleet. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an implementation image when the control system 1 is implemented in a real space. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing stakeholders related to a control system 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an unmanned boat group 1010 made up of unmanned boats 1000. [Figure 5] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing how an unmanned boat 1000 deployed on the sea monitors an object 7000, etc. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned watercraft 1000. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an integrated control system 2000. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing determination items by the detected object analysis unit 2210. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an integrated control system 2000. [Figure 10]FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the control system 1. [Figure 11] 3 is a sequence diagram showing the exchange of signals between systems in the control system 1. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the formation change necessity determining unit 2310 to determine whether a formation change is necessary. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow for determining a changed formation pattern by the formation change determination unit 2300. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow for determining a wireless communication network configuration by a communication configuration determining unit 2400. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a formation change control process flow by the formation change control unit 2500. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a branch-connect formation, which is an example of a formation pattern for a group of unmanned boats 1010. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a substantially V-shaped formation, which is an example of a formation pattern for a group of unmanned boats 1010. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 shows several other examples of an approximately V-shaped formation of an unmanned boat group 1010. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a substantially square formation, which is an example of a formation pattern for a group of unmanned boats 1010. [Figure 20] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing two examples of avoidance formations, which are examples of formation patterns for a group of unmanned boats 1010. FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how a moving object to be avoided is avoided by changing the formation of a group of unmanned boats 1010 to a separation avoidance formation. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how an unmanned boat group 1010 avoids an immobile object that needs to be avoided by changing its formation to a separation avoidance formation. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how a moving object to be avoided is avoided by changing the formation of a group of unmanned boats 1010 into a compressed avoidance formation. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a formation for narrow spaces in a formation pattern of a group of unmanned boats 1010. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a formation for narrow spaces in the formation pattern of the unmanned boat group 1010. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a formation for narrow spaces in the formation pattern of the unmanned boat group 1010. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a serial formation for communication in a formation pattern of a group of unmanned boats 1010. [Figure 28] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a wireless communication network using an aircraft 8100 and a submarine 8200. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a formation change when an unmanned boat group 1010 is moved to an operation area. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a formation change when the formation change control unit 2500 expands the formation. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a formation change when the formation change control unit 2500 expands the formation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention will be described below with reference to the following embodiments. [Item 1] a drone swarm having a plurality of drones; a state determination unit that determines a state related to the activity area of ​​the unmanned aerial vehicle group, a state related to the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle group, or a state related to the operation history of the unmanned aerial vehicle group; a formation change determination unit that determines whether or not a formation change is necessary for the group of unmanned aerial vehicles and / or the formation after the change in accordance with the determination information from the state determination unit; A control system comprising: a command output unit that transmits a control command to the group of unmanned aircraft in accordance with the decision made by the formation change decision unit, or displays information about the control command on a display unit. [Item 2] In the control system according to item 1, The formation change determination unit determines a formation change process when changing the formation of the unmanned aerial vehicle group according to the determined changed formation; The command output unit transmits and outputs the control command corresponding to the formation change process to the group of unmanned aircraft, or displays and outputs information regarding the control command from the display unit, a control system. [Item 3] In the control system according to item 1 or 2, A communication configuration determination unit is provided that determines whether or not a network configuration of a wireless communication network connecting the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles in the unmanned aerial vehicle group needs to be changed, or determines the network configuration after the change, depending on the changed formation determined by the formation change determination unit; A control system in which the command output unit transmits and outputs the control command to the group of unmanned aircraft in accordance with the decision made by the communication configuration decision unit, or displays and outputs information about the control command from the display unit. [Item 4] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 3, The communication configuration determination unit determines a network configuration change process for changing the network configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle group according to the determined changed network configuration, A control system in which the command output unit transmits and outputs the control command corresponding to the network configuration change process to the group of unmanned aircraft, or displays and outputs information regarding the control command from the display unit. [Item 5] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 4, A control system in which the state regarding the activity area of ​​the drone group determined by the state determination unit includes information on moving or stationary objects or areas that need to be avoided in the activity area of ​​the drone group. [Item 6] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 5, The formation change determination unit determines whether a formation change is necessary or determines the changed formation based on the relative distance or positional relationship between the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided in the activity area determined by the state determination unit and the group of unmanned aircraft or the unmanned aircraft. [Item 7] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 6, A control system in which the state related to the operation of the group of unmanned aircraft determined by the state determination unit includes at least one of the states of the speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed of the unmanned aircraft. [Item 8] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 7, A control system in which the formation change determination unit determines whether a formation change is necessary or determines the changed formation depending on the state related to the operation of the group of unmanned aircraft determined by the state determination unit. [Item 9] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 8, A control system in which the status regarding the operation history of the group of unmanned aircraft determined by the status determination unit includes a measurement area measured by a measurement sensor installed on the unmanned aircraft, or a measurement time, or a search rate calculated from the measurement area and the measurement time. [Item 10] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 9, The formation change determination unit determines whether a formation change is necessary or determines the changed formation based on the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle group's operation history determined by the state determination unit. [Item 11] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 10, When the group of unmanned aerial vehicles is deployed in a narrow area where the area width or area avoiding the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided is narrower than a predetermined value, The formation change determination unit determines a narrow space formation as the changed formation, in which multiple unmanned aircraft constituting at least a portion of the unmanned aircraft group are arranged in a line within the narrow space area. [Item 12] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 11, When the group of unmanned aerial vehicles is deployed in a narrow area where the area width or area avoiding the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided is narrower than a predetermined value, The formation change determination unit determines, as the changed formation, a first narrow space formation in which a first unmanned aircraft constituting at least a part of the unmanned aircraft fleet maintains a relative distance range in which it can wirelessly communicate with at least two or more other second unmanned aircraft. [Item 13] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 12, A control system wherein the first narrow space formation is a formation in which a wireless communication network is connected between the first unmanned aerial vehicle and at least two or more second unmanned aerial vehicles that are maintained within a relative distance range where wireless communication is possible. [Item 14] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 13, When there is a communication area where wireless communication with an external communication network is possible, A control system in which the formation change determination unit determines, as the changed formation, a communication serial formation in which a first unmanned aircraft, which is at least a part of the group of unmanned aircraft deployed in the communication area, and a second unmanned aircraft, which is another part of the group of unmanned aircraft, are connected in series via a wireless communication network. [Item 15] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 14, When the state determination unit detects the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided ahead in the direction of travel of the group of unmanned aerial vehicles, or when the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided approaching the group of unmanned aerial vehicles is detected, The formation change determination unit determines an avoidance formation that avoids the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided as the changed formation. [Item 16] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 15, The avoidance formation is a separation avoidance formation that separates at least a portion of the group of drones so that the relative distance between some of the drones in the group increases from the relative distance between other parts of the drones. [Item 17] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 16, The avoidance formation is a compressed avoidance formation in which at least a portion of the formation of the unmanned aerial vehicles is compressed so that the formation width when viewed from at least one direction is narrowed. [Item 18] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 17, When at least one of the speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed of the unmanned aircraft determined by the state determination unit exceeds a predetermined range, The formation change determination unit determines a compressed formation in which at least a portion of the formation of the unmanned aerial vehicles is compressed as the changed formation, a control system. [Item 19] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 18, When moving the drone fleet, The formation change determination unit determines the post-change formation to be an approximately V-shaped formation with the direction of travel of the group of unmanned aerial vehicles as its vertex. [Item 20] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 19, The approximately V-shaped formation is a formation in which some of the drones in the group are arranged in an inner area of ​​an approximately V-shaped area, and the drones are connected to multiple other drones via a wireless communication network. [Item 21] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 20, When moving the unmanned aerial vehicle group to the operation area, The formation change determination unit determines that the formation during movement to the activity area will be a first formation, and that the formation after movement to the activity area will be a second formation with a wider deployment range than the first formation. [Item 22] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 21, When acquiring measurement data by the measurement sensor of the unmanned aircraft, The formation change determination unit determines the changed formation as a parent unit of the unmanned aircraft that serves as the hub of a wireless communication network connecting multiple unmanned aircraft within the unmanned aircraft group, and a branched connection formation in which the communication path of the wireless communication network branches off from the parent unit into multiple paths. [Item 23] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 22, a formation change controller that controls the formation change of the unmanned aerial vehicles in response to the formation change process. [Item 24] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 23, The formation change control unit is a control system that interrupts the formation change, returns to the formation before the change, or performs a movement operation to narrow the distance between the drones, depending on the communication status of the wireless communication network that connects the drones in the group. [Item 25] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 24, the fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles includes a first unmanned aerial vehicle, a second unmanned aerial vehicle, and a third unmanned aerial vehicle; When the unmanned aerial vehicle connected to the first unmanned aerial vehicle via a wireless communication network is switched from the second unmanned aerial vehicle to a third unmanned aerial vehicle, The formation change control unit connects wireless communication between the first unmanned aircraft and the third unmanned aircraft and disconnects wireless communication between the first unmanned aircraft and the second unmanned aircraft when both the second unmanned aircraft and the third unmanned aircraft are located within a distance range where they can communicate wirelessly with the first unmanned aircraft. [Item 26] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 25, When changing the formation of the group of unmanned aerial vehicles from a first formation to a second formation in which the deployment density of the unmanned aerial vehicles is lower than that of the first formation, The formation change control unit is a control system that performs movement operations to increase the relative distance between the multiple drones, prioritizing positions closer to the parent drone, which serves as the hub of a wireless communication network connecting the multiple drones in the group. [Item 27] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 26, When changing the formation of the group of unmanned aerial vehicles from a first formation to a second formation in which the deployment density of the unmanned aerial vehicles is lower than that of the first formation, The formation change control unit is a control system that performs movement operations to increase the relative distance between multiple drones, prioritizing positions farthest from the parent drone, which serves as the hub of a wireless communication network connecting multiple drones in the group. [Item 28] In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 27, The state regarding the activity area of ​​the drone group determined by the state determination unit includes information on moving or immobile objects or areas that need to be avoided in the activity area of ​​the drone group, When the group of unmanned aircraft passes through a narrow area that is narrower than a predetermined width or a predetermined area and avoids the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided, and a first unmanned aircraft that is part of the group of unmanned aircraft has completed passing through the narrow area, and a second unmanned aircraft that is another part of the group of unmanned aircraft is passing through or has not yet passed through the narrow area, The formation change control unit is a control system that performs an operation to cause the first unmanned craft, which has passed through the narrow area, to wait at the exit of the narrow area or in an area surrounding the exit. [Item 29] 1. A method for controlling a system including a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles, the fleet including a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, the method comprising: The computer a state determination step of determining a state related to the operating area of ​​the drone fleet, a state related to the operation of the drone fleet, or a state related to the operation history of the drone fleet; a formation change determination step of determining whether or not a formation change of the unmanned aerial vehicles is necessary and / or the formation after the change, based on the information determined by the state determination step; a command output step of transmitting a control command to the group of unmanned aerial vehicles according to the content determined by the formation change determination step, or displaying information about the control command on a display unit; A control method for performing the above. [Item 30] A program that can be used in a system including a group of drones having a plurality of drones, to a computer, a state determination command for determining a state related to the activity area of the drone group, a state related to the operation of the drone group, or a state related to the operation history of the drone group, a formation change determination command for determining at least one of the necessity of changing the formation of the drone group and the formation after the change according to the determination information by the state determination command, a command output command for transmitting and outputting a control command corresponding to the determination content by the formation change determination command to the drone group, or displaying and outputting information related to the control command from a display unit, A program to be executed.

[0012] <A. First Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Further, the embodiments shown below are merely examples, and other known elements and alternative means can be adopted according to the use, purpose, scale, etc.

[0013] [A-1. Configuration] (A-1-1. System Configuration) First, the system configuration of the control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0014] (A-1-1-1. Outline of System Configuration) FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "system 1") according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the control system 1 includes an unmanned craft 1000 and a general control system 2000. The general control system 2000 is also configured to be able to communicate with an external collaborative system 5000 and an external system 6000 via an internet line or the like, and is capable of inputting and outputting information. The general control system 2000 can send control commands to the unmanned craft 1000 deployed on the sea via a terrestrial base station 4000 and a communication satellite 3000, and can also receive the operating status and measurement data of the unmanned craft 1000.

[0015] Unmanned watercraft 1000 is equipped with parent device 1001 capable of communicating with communication satellite 3000 and child devices 1002 capable of communicating directly or indirectly with parent device 1001, and a communication network is established between the multiple child devices 1002 and parent device 1001. In addition, the multiple child devices 1002 and parent device 1001 have the function of measuring ships, divers, drifting objects, castaways, marine life such as whales, breakwaters, harbor areas, offshore infrastructure facilities (wind power generation facilities, wave power generation facilities, offshore plants, offshore runways, etc.), floating buoys, fish pens, and other objects using measurement sensors (optical cameras, IR cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR, radar sensors such as millimeter wave sensors and microwave sensors, sonar and other sonic sensors) mounted on the vehicle.

[0016] The detection determination results and measurement data of the object detected by the unmanned vessel 1000, as well as various information on the operation status of the unmanned vessel 1000, are transmitted to the overall control system 2000 via the communications satellite 3000 and the terrestrial base station 4000. The overall control system 2000 determines operation commands for the unmanned vessel 1000 based on information acquired from the unmanned vessel 1000, pre-registered information, user-entered information, and the like. The generated information such as the operation commands is transmitted to the cooperative system 5000, and the system can also obtain intervention commands from the cooperative system.

[0017] (A-1-1-2. Example of Control System 1 Implementation in Real Space) 2 is a diagram showing an example of an implementation image when the control system 1 is implemented in real space. In the example shown in Fig. 2, a terrestrial base station 4000 and an integrated control system 2000 are provided on the ground side shown in the upper right of the drawing. Also provided on the ground side is a cooperative system 5000 including related facilities of external cooperative organizations such as private organization-related facilities (including private security organizations, marine research organizations, infrastructure inspection organizations, private rescue organizations, etc.), and further provided is an external system 6000 such as an AIS (Automatic Identification System) control center or AIS base station that acquires information about ships navigating the ocean via wireless communication and manages this ship information.

[0018] On the other hand, on the ocean side shown on the left side of the drawing, there are deployed an unmanned vessel 1000, an object 7000 to be monitored or inspected, such as a suspicious vessel or offshore infrastructure, and part of a cooperative system 5000, such as a patrol vessel operated by an external cooperative organization. The unmanned vessel 1000 also has a group of multiple unmanned vessels (1010a, 1010b, 1010c) consisting of a master vessel and multiple slave vessels, and each group of unmanned vessels can communicate directly or via a communication satellite 3000. The unmanned vessel 1000 can also communicate with a patrol vessel directly or via the communication satellite 3000. For example, the unmanned vessel 1000 can notify the patrol vessel (or a research vessel) of detection information regarding the object 7000. The unmanned vessel 1000 may also be communicably connected to an AIS base station to acquire AIS information.

[0019] In the example shown in Figure 2, the overall control system 2000 is implemented in a facility on land, but this is not limited to this. All or some of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in this embodiment can also be installed on other coastal field bases on land or manned mother ships at sea, not shown, and the operation and management of the unmanned boat 1000 can be performed at the coastal field base or manned mother ship.

[0020] (A-1-2. Stakeholders regarding Control System 1) Fig. 3 is a diagram showing stakeholders related to the control system 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the control system 1 has an operator who operates the unmanned watercraft 1000 by inputting and outputting information via a command output unit 2600 and a user input reception unit 2700 of the overall control system 2000. If all or part of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in this embodiment are implemented in a coastal field base on land or a manned mother ship at sea (not shown), the operator can manage the operation of the unmanned watercraft 1000 at the coastal field base or the manned mother ship.

[0021] In addition, the private security organization-related facilities of the cooperative system 5000 have a monitoring manager, and the monitoring boats have monitors, who work together to monitor suspicious ships and nuisance activities in the marine area. The marine research organization-related facilities have an investigation manager, and the investigation boats have investigators, who work together to investigate marine life and the like in the marine area. The infrastructure inspection organization-related facilities have an infrastructure inspection manager, and the inspection boats have inspectors, who work together to inspect the facilities they are inspecting. The cooperative system 5000 may also include private rescue organizations. The AIS control center of the external system 6000 has a person in charge of generating, operating, and managing AIS information.

[0022] Furthermore, the objects 7000 that are the targets of monitoring and investigation by the control system 1 and the collaboration system 5000 include suspicious ships, divers, marine life (such as whales), marine buoys, wind power generation facilities, fish pens, and other offshore facilities. The control system 1 can communicate and cooperate with the collaboration system 5000 and the external system 6000 to more efficiently monitor, inspect, or investigate the objects 7000.

[0023] (A-1-3. Configuration of Unmanned Boat 1000) Figure 4 is a configuration diagram showing an unmanned vessel group 1010 made up of unmanned vessels 1000. As shown in Figure 4, the unmanned vessel 1000 is made up of one or more unmanned vessel groups 1010 (1010a, 1010b). Each unmanned vessel group 1010 has at least one master unit 1001 and multiple slave units 1002. The master unit 1001 is connected to a communication satellite 3000 for communication and has the function of aggregating information collected from the multiple slave units 1002 and transmitting it to the communication satellite 3000, as well as transmitting information related to operational commands obtained from the communication satellite 3000 and information generated by the master unit 1001 directly or indirectly to each slave unit 1002. The communication path between the ground-side overall control system 2000 and the group of unmanned vessels 1010 is not limited to the communication path via the communication satellite 3000 and the parent unit 1001, but may be replaced with, for example, another communication path, such as a communication configuration in which the terrestrial base station 4000 and each unmanned vessel (parent unit and child unit) are directly connected via wireless communication, or a communication configuration in which another communication satellite (such as a VDES satellite) connected to the terrestrial base station 4000 is directly connected via wireless communication to each unmanned vessel (parent unit and child unit), or these communication paths may be combined to provide redundancy to the communication path.

[0024] 4 includes a primary connection slave device 10021 that is communicatively connected to the master device 1001, a secondary connection slave device 10022 that is communicatively connected to the primary connection slave device 10021, and a tertiary connection slave device 1023 that is communicatively connected to the secondary connection slave device 10022. Each slave device (primary connection slave device 10021, secondary connection slave device 10022, tertiary connection slave device 1023) has the function of relaying information received from another master device 1001 or slave device 1002 to the other master device 1001 or slave device 1002, thereby forming a communication network between the master device 1001 and the multiple slave devices 1002.

[0025] 5 is a conceptual diagram showing how an unmanned vessel 1000 deployed on the sea monitors an object 7000. As shown in FIG. 5, multiple unmanned vessels (parent vessel 1001, child vessels 10021, 10022, 10023) are deployed on the sea, and the measurement sensors 1110 mounted on each unmanned vessel 1000 can measure the object 7000 present within its measurable range. Measurement data and detection judgment results of the object 7000 detected by the measurement sensors 1110 are collected in the parent vessel 1001 via a wireless communication network between the unmanned vessels 1000, transmitted from the parent vessel 1001 to a communication satellite 3000, and then transmitted to the overall control system 2000 via a terrestrial base station 4000 and an internet line. In addition, each unmanned boat 1000 is equipped with a navigation unit 1300 that can navigate the unmanned boat in any direction, and can perform detailed measurement operations on the target object 7000 based on operation commands generated by the overall control system 2000 or the parent unit 1001.

[0026] In the configuration of the present embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, a non-terrestrial network using a communication satellite 3000 or other communication satellites placed in a geosynchronous orbit (Geosynchronous Orbit), a medium Earth orbit (MEO), a low Earth orbit (LEO), or other orbits is used as the communication network for transmitting and receiving information between the overall control system 2000 and the unmanned watercraft 1000. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A non-terrestrial network using an unmanned air vehicle (HAPS) called a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) can also be used. In this case, for example, an unmanned air vehicle that circles at an altitude of approximately 8 to 50 km can be used. Furthermore, a communication network for transmitting and receiving information between the overall control system 2000 and the unmanned watercraft 1000 can also be used, which directly connects the terrestrial base station 4000 to the unmanned watercraft 1000 via wireless communication, without going through the communication satellite 3000 or HAPS. The terrestrial base station 4000 is not limited to a fixed base station, and may be a mobile base station. Furthermore, as a communication network for transmitting and receiving information between the overall control system 2000 and the unmanned boat 1000, any of the above-mentioned multiple communication networks (non-terrestrial network using a communication satellite, non-terrestrial network using an unmanned aerial vehicle, or communication network directly connecting the terrestrial base station 4000 to the unmanned boat 1000 via wireless communication) can be applied, but this is not limited to this, and it is also possible to combine the above-mentioned multiple communication networks to make the communication path redundant using multiple communication networks.

[0027] (A-1-4. Configuration of Unmanned Boat 1000) Next, the functions and details implemented in the unmanned watercraft 1000 will be described with reference to Figure 6. In the present invention, an unmanned watercraft refers to a mobile body capable of navigating on or underwater, regardless of whether it is autonomous or remotely controlled, and includes a mobile body including a mobile buoy equipped with a thrust generating unit.

[0028] Figure 6 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned watercraft 1000. Note that Figure 6 illustrates the functional block diagram of the unmanned watercraft 1000, but the parent unit 1001 and child unit 1002 of the unmanned watercraft 1000 can implement functions similar to those shown in Figure 6. The unmanned watercraft 1000 includes a measurement unit 1100, a vessel state determination unit 1200, a navigation unit 1300, a communication unit 1400, a determination unit 1500, and a recording unit 1600.

[0029] The measurement unit 1100 is a functional unit that detects an object 7000 present within a measurable range around the unmanned watercraft 1000 using a measurement sensor 1110, and acquires measurement information about the object 7000. The measurement unit 1100 includes the measurement sensor 1110 and a measurement control unit 1120.

[0030] The measurement sensor 1110 may include one (monocular) or multiple electro-optical sensors that acquire image data of the sea, optical sensors such as optical cameras, infrared sensors (IR sensors), and stereo cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR that acquire point cloud data, optical distance measuring sensors such as ToF sensors (Time of Flight sensors), and radar sensors that detect millimeter waves and microwaves. The measurement sensor 1110 acquires measurement data of an object 7000 that exists within a measurable range on the sea by measuring the periphery of the unmanned boat 1000. Furthermore, each of the above sensors can be used as a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to an object based on the measurement data.

[0031] In addition to the above-described sensors, the measurement sensor 1110 may also include an acoustic sensor (also referred to as an acoustic measurement unit) that includes a sonar that uses sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. The acoustic sensor can be used not only underwater but also in the air above the water. When used in the air, the acoustic sensor can be used as a distance sensor that measures the distance to an object by measuring the sound waves that are generated and reflected off the object. When used underwater, the acoustic sensor may be either an active sonar that generates sound waves and measures the sound waves that resonate with underwater objects, or a passive sonar that measures the sound generated by underwater objects. The active sonar may be, for example, a side-scan sonar, a multi-beam sonar, or a single-beam sonar. The acoustic sensor may also be configured with a USBL transceiver, an acoustic communication modem, or the like.

[0032] The measurement control unit 1120 also operates a sensor attitude changing device that can change the attitude of the measurement sensor 1110 to control at least one of the attitude angles of the measurement sensor 1110 around three axes relative to the unmanned watercraft 1000. For example, if the measurement sensor is an optical sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the frame rate, shutter speed, etc. If the measurement sensor is a laser sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of the irradiated laser. If the measurement sensor is a radar sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of millimeter waves or microwaves. The measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the measurement sensitivity of the measurement sensor to any control amount. If the measurement sensor is an optical sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can change the zoom amount or resolution of the optical sensor to any control amount.

[0033] Next, the unmanned watercraft state determination unit 1200 includes a navigation state determination unit 1210, an internal state determination unit 1220, and an external state determination unit 1230, and is a functional unit that determines the navigation state and internal and external states of the unmanned watercraft 1000. The navigation state determination unit 1210 determines the position (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), movement speed, heading, movement direction, movement acceleration / deceleration, turning speed, and other state quantities related to the navigation state of the unmanned watercraft. The internal state determination unit 1220 determines the remaining energy of the battery and fuel installed in the unmanned watercraft, the travelable distance that can be calculated based on the remaining energy, temporary abnormal states of equipment installed in the unmanned watercraft (temperature abnormality, communication abnormality, etc.), and equipment failure states. In addition, the external condition determination unit 1230 determines the communication conditions such as communication strength (dB value, etc.) and communication speed with other unmanned boats 1000 in the unmanned boat group 1010 with which it is communicating, or the ocean currents and tidal currents (flow speed, flow direction), wind speed (wind speed, wind direction), wave height, and weather (rain, snow, cloudy, etc.) around the unmanned boat.

[0034] The method by which the navigation state determination unit 1210 determines the position, moving speed, moving direction, and acceleration / deceleration of the aircraft itself is not particularly limited, but for example, the current position, moving speed, and moving direction of the aircraft itself can be determined using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GPS (Global Positioning System), RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System), etc. Here, the aircraft's own position information includes at least two-dimensional coordinate information (e.g., latitude and longitude) in a planar view, and preferably includes three-dimensional coordinate information including altitude information. Furthermore, the acceleration / deceleration can be calculated based on the amount of change over time in the determined moving speed.

[0035] The method for measuring the aircraft's heading is to determine the aircraft's heading at the current time using, for example, a geomagnetic sensor, a GNSS compass, or SLAM technology using the seabed shape. The heading includes an attitude angle (orientation) in a planar view around at least the Z axis, and preferably may be attitude information around three axes: the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. The turning speed can be calculated based on the amount of change over time in the determined heading information.

[0036] Next, the navigation unit 1300 is a functional unit that includes a thrust generating unit, an attitude control mechanism, and a navigation control unit, and that navigates the parent unit 1001 in any direction according to operational commands received via the communication unit 1400. The thrust generating unit is configured, for example, with a propeller, and can generate thrust by driving the propeller using the power of an engine or an electric motor. The thrust generating unit 1310 can also be configured with a sail that receives wind to generate thrust, or with a wave glider that receives wave power to generate thrust.

[0037] The attitude control mechanism is composed of a rudder mounted on the aircraft body, a propeller attitude change mechanism that can change the propeller attitude angle (mainly the yaw angle around the Z axis), and so on, and by changing these angles it is possible to control the nose direction (yaw angle) of the unmanned watercraft 1000. In addition, a center of gravity position change mechanism that changes the position of a heavy object inside the aircraft body using an actuator can also control the attitude angles of the aircraft body, namely the roll angle around the X axis and the pitch angle around the Y axis.

[0038] The navigation control unit is a functional unit that controls the output from the thrust generation unit and the attitude control mechanism to control the navigation operation of the aircraft. The navigation control unit has one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), an MPU, or a DSP), and is equipped with a processing unit that can access a memory (storage unit). The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that the processing unit can execute to perform one or more processing steps.

[0039] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the navigation status of the aircraft. For example, the control module adjusts the aircraft's position on the sea surface, movement speed, movement acceleration / deceleration, heading, turning speed, and attitude angle around three axes. That is, the navigation control unit 1330 controls the navigation operation of the aircraft by causing the aircraft to perform various operations such as forward movement, reverse movement, acceleration, deceleration, and turning.

[0040] Next, the communication unit 1400 is equipped with an unmanned craft-to-unmanned craft communication unit 1410, a satellite communication unit 1420, and an external communication unit 1430, and is a functional unit that communicates with other unmanned crafts 1000 in the unmanned craft group 1010, the communication satellite 3000, external flying bodies 8100, submersible craft 8200, patrol craft, and AIS base stations. The unmanned craft-to-unmanned craft communication unit 1410 is equipped with a communication antenna for unmanned craft-to-unmanned craft communication, and communicates with other unmanned crafts 1000 in the unmanned craft group 1010. The satellite communication unit 1420 is equipped with a satellite communication antenna, and communicates with the communication satellite 3000. The external communication unit 1430 is equipped with an AIS antenna and a VHF antenna, and communicates with external patrol craft and AIS base stations.

[0041] Next, the determination unit 1500 is a functional unit that makes a determination regarding the target object 7000. The determination unit 1500 includes an object detection determination unit 1510. The object detection determination unit 1510 interprets the measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor 1110 and determines the presence or absence of an object, the size of the object, and the like.

[0042] The object detection determination unit 1510 determines, based on the interpretation information of the measurement data, whether or not to transmit the measurement data to the overall control system 2000 and perform object analysis. For example, even if the object detection determination unit 1510 detects an object on the water, if the estimated size of the object is smaller than a predetermined value and it is determined that it is likely to be an object other than a monitored object, or that it is not an object with which the unmanned watercraft 1000 needs to avoid collision, it can determine that it is not necessary to transmit the measurement data to the overall control system 2000. On the other hand, if the estimated size of the object detected by the object detection determination unit 1510 is larger than a predetermined standard, it is likely to be a ship or marine life that is a monitored object, or it is likely to be an object with which the unmanned watercraft 1000 needs to avoid collision, it can determine that it is necessary to transmit the measurement data to the overall control system 2000.

[0043] Next, the recording unit 1600 includes a measurement data recording unit 1610, a host device state recording unit 1620, and a determination information recording unit 1630. The measurement data recording unit 1610 records measurement data measured by the measurement unit 1100. The host device state recording unit 1620 records various state information related to the host device determined by the host device state determination unit 1200. Furthermore, the determination information recording unit 1630 records various determination information determined by the determination unit 1500.

[0044] (A-1-5. Configuration of the integrated control system 2000) Next, the functions and contents of the overall control system 2000 will be described using Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the overall control system 2000. As shown in Fig. 7, the overall control system 2000 includes an information import unit 2100, a state determination unit 2200, a formation change determination unit 2300, a communication configuration determination unit 2400, a formation change control unit 2500, a command output unit 2600, a user input reception unit 2700, and an information communication unit 2800.

[0045] (A-1-5-1. Information import unit 2100) The information import unit 2100 is a functional unit that imports information to be processed or used in each functional unit within the overall control system 2000 from the unmanned watercraft 1000, the cooperative system 5000, or the external system 6000. The information import unit 2100 includes an activity area information acquisition unit 2110, an external information acquisition unit 2120, a formation pattern acquisition unit 2130, an external user input information acquisition unit 2140, and a detection information acquisition unit 2150.

[0046] The activity area information acquisition unit 2110 is a functional unit that acquires information about the activity area in which the unmanned vessel group 1010 is active. An activity area is an area in which the unmanned vessel group 1010 carries out activities such as monitoring, surveying, or inspection, and the information about the activity area can include information about the location, area, and shape of the activity area, geographic information within the activity area (islands, shallows, embankments, offshore infrastructure such as wind power generation facilities, and fishing-related facilities such as aquaculture farms and fish pens), the width of the sea area through which the unmanned vessel group 1010 passes within the activity area, the width between the navigation lanes through which the unmanned vessel group 1010 passes, and navigation lane information (location, traffic volume by time of day, whether or not the unmanned vessel group 1010 can pass through by time of day). The activity area information acquisition unit 2110 can acquire information about the activity area from the external collaboration system 5000 or the user input acceptance unit 2700, which will be described later.

[0047] The external information acquisition unit 2120 is a functional unit that acquires ship navigation information for the marine area where the unmanned watercraft 1000 is deployed or its surrounding area from the AIS control center of the external system 6000. The ship navigation information may include not only real-time ship navigation information but also information on the position and traffic volume of navigational routes. Ship navigation information may also be acquired from another VHF data exchange system included in the external system 6000. The external information acquisition unit 2120 may also acquire weather information for the marine area where the unmanned watercraft 1000 is deployed or its surrounding area from the Japan Meteorological Agency or a private weather information system, which are also external systems 6000. The external information acquisition unit 2120 may also acquire information such as the installation locations and communication areas of terrestrial base stations 4000 and the like from a communication infrastructure system, which is also external systems 6000.

[0048] The formation pattern acquisition unit 2130 is a functional unit that acquires information about the formation pattern of the unmanned boat group 1010. The formation pattern acquisition unit 2130 can acquire information about a variety of formation patterns, such as V-shaped, branched, and serial patterns, which will be described later. The formation pattern acquisition unit 2130 can acquire information about the formation pattern from the external cooperative system 5000 or the user input acceptance unit 2700, which will be described later.

[0049] The external user input information acquisition unit 2140 is a functional unit that receives intervention command information from the cooperative system 5000, etc. For example, it can receive, from the cooperative system 5000, intervention command information regarding information for determining whether or not a formation change is necessary, information for determining the changed formation, information for determining whether or not a communication network switch is necessary, information for determining the communication network configuration after the switch, etc., which are sent to the cooperative system 5000 via the information communication unit 2800, which will be described later.

[0050] The detection information acquisition unit 2150 is a functional unit that acquires, via a communication satellite 3000, a HAPS, a terrestrial base station 4000, or the like, determination results determined by the determination units 1500 of the multiple unmanned watercraft 1000, and measurement data measured by the multiple unmanned watercraft 1000. The measurement data acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 2150 is measurement data measured by measurement sensors mounted on the unmanned watercraft 1000, and includes measurement data measured by optical sensors such as one (monocular) or multiple electro-optical sensors that acquire image data of the sea, optical cameras, infrared sensors (IR sensors), and stereo cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR that acquire point cloud data, optical ranging sensors such as ToF sensors (Time of Flight sensors), radar sensors that detect millimeter waves and microwaves, and sonic sensors including sonar that use sound waves such as ultrasound.

[0051] (A-1-5-2. State Determination Unit 2200) The state determination unit 2200 is a functional unit that analyzes detected objects, determines the state of the activity area, the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle group's operations, and the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle group's operation history, based on the detection information acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 2150. The state determination unit 2200 includes a detected object analysis unit 2210, an avoidance area determination unit 2220, and an unmanned aerial vehicle state determination unit 2230.

[0052] Detected object analysis unit 2210 is a functional unit that analyzes detected objects for multiple determination items based on the detection information acquired by detection information acquisition unit 2150. Object detection determination by detected object analysis unit 2210 will be described below with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the determination items by detected object analysis unit 2210.

[0053] 8, the items to be determined by the detected object analysis unit 2210 can include object feature determination. The items to be determined for object features can include the type, shape, size, orientation, etc. Here, the type of object may be determined by using AIS information, ship navigation information, etc. acquired by the external information acquisition unit 2120 to determine the type of detected ship.

[0054] In addition, the judgment items by the detected object analysis unit 2210 can include a monitoring target judgment as to whether the detected object is a monitoring target or not, and an avoidance necessity judgment as to whether the detected object is an object that should be avoided from contact with the unmanned boat 1000 or not.

[0055] The determination of whether an object is a monitored object can be made, for example, based on the preset monitoring object determination conditions and the type, shape, size, orientation, etc. of the detected object determined by object characteristic determination, to determine whether the object is a monitored object (for example, a ship, fleet, suspicious ship, diver, marine life (whales, etc.), offshore buoy, wind power generation facility, fish pen, and other offshore facilities).

[0056] The determination of whether or not avoidance is necessary can determine whether or not contact with an object needs to be avoided based on, for example, preset determination conditions for whether or not avoidance is necessary and the type, shape, size, orientation, etc. of the detected object determined by the object feature determination. Objects that need to be avoided can include, for example, the above-mentioned monitored objects, and further, in addition to monitored objects, objects that are larger than a predetermined size (marine buoys, driftwood, rubble, jetties, breakwaters, harbor areas, land, offshore facilities (wind power plants, offshore plants, offshore runways), etc.) can also be determined to need to be avoided.

[0057] The items determined by the detected object analysis unit 2210 can include static state determination and dynamic state determination. The static state determination items include the relative distance, orientation, and position coordinates of the object. The dynamic state determination items include the moving / stationary state, moving direction, moving speed, past moving route history, and future predicted route.

[0058] Here, an example of a method for determining the static state will be described. First, the relative distance can be obtained based on analysis processing of image data obtained by one or more optical sensors. Also, the relative distance can be obtained based on measurement data obtained by a laser sensor such as a LiDAR or ToF (Time of Flight) sensor, a radar sensor that detects millimeter waves or microwaves, or a sonic sensor including a sonar that uses sound waves such as ultrasonic waves.

[0059] The orientation of an object as seen from the unmanned watercraft 1000 can be determined from orientation information of the object detected from measurement data acquired by an optical sensor, laser sensor, radar sensor, or the like. The orientation information of the object may be calculated as an absolute orientation in a global coordinate system, or as a relative orientation in a local coordinate system based on, for example, the position and heading orientation of the unmanned watercraft 1000. Furthermore, the position coordinates of the object can be calculated based on the self-position coordinate information detected by the unmanned watercraft 1000's own-ship state determination unit 1200 and the above-mentioned relative orientation and relative distance information. The position coordinates may be two-dimensional coordinates on a horizontal XY plane, but are preferably three-dimensional coordinates in an XYZ space that also includes information on the height direction. The position coordinates may be local position coordinates in a local coordinate system or global position coordinates in a global coordinate system (absolute coordinate system).

[0060] Next, an example of a method for determining a dynamic state will be described. Based on a change analysis of measurement data obtained by performing measurements multiple times in a time series, it is possible to determine whether the vehicle is moving or stationary, and to determine the direction and speed of movement. Furthermore, it is possible to determine the history of past movement routes based on past measurement data. Furthermore, it is possible to determine a predicted future route based on the results of determining the past movement history, current direction of movement, orientation, etc.

[0061] Here, the type of detected object determined by the detected object analysis unit 2210 can be determined to be, for example, a ship, a fleet, a suspicious ship, a diver, a castaway, a drifting ship, flotilla, marine buoy, marine life (whales, dolphins, schools of fish, etc.), driftwood, rubble, jetties, breakwaters, harbors, land, marine facilities (wind power plants, marine plants, marine runways), and marine facilities such as fish pens. In this way, by detecting suspicious ships and divers, it is possible to monitor nuisances at sea. By detecting castaways and drifting ships, it is possible to rescue castaways. By detecting flotsam (rubbish, wood, etc.), it is possible to obtain obstacle information for safe navigation of ships. By detecting marine buoys, it is possible to support systems that recover and communicate with marine buoys. By monitoring marine life (whales, dolphins, schools of fish, etc.), it is possible to support marine surveys. Furthermore, by detecting offshore facilities such as wind power plants, offshore plants, and offshore runways, and fish pens, these facilities can be inspected.

[0062] Next, the avoidance-required area determination unit 2220 is a functional unit that determines objects and areas that need to be avoided based on the determination result by the detected object analysis unit 2210 and information about the activity area acquired by the activity area information acquisition unit 2110.

[0063] For example, the area-to-be-avoided determination unit 2220 can determine information about moving or stationary objects that need to be avoided in the activity area of ​​the unmanned boat group based on information about the static state of the object that the detected object analysis unit 2210 has determined to need to be avoided, such as the relative distance, position coordinates, and direction, as well as information about the object that needs to be avoided, such as the moving / stationary state, movement direction, movement speed, and predicted future route, and information about the location of the activity area in which the unmanned boat group 1010 is active, acquired by the activity area information acquisition unit 2110.

[0064] As another example, the area-to-be-avoided determination unit 2220 can determine information about moving or stationary objects that must be avoided and areas that must be avoided in the activity area of ​​the unmanned boat group, based on information about the location of the activity area in which the unmanned boat group 1010 is active, acquired by the activity area information acquisition unit 2110, geographic information within the activity area (shallows, embankments, offshore infrastructure facilities such as wind power generation facilities, fish farms, fish pens, and other fishing-related facilities), information about highways and no-entry areas, etc. In other words, it can determine the locations of objects that must be avoided, such as shallows and embankments, and areas that must be avoided, such as highway information and no-entry areas.

[0065] Next, the unmanned boat state determination unit 2230 is a functional unit that determines the state of the unmanned boat 1000. The unmanned boat state determination unit 2230 can determine at least one of the states of the unmanned boat 1000, namely, speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed, based on, for example, determination information from the unmanned boat 1000's own aircraft state determination unit 1200. In addition to the states described above, the unmanned vessel state determination unit 2230 can determine status information related to the unmanned vessel 1000, such as the vessel's own position (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), heading, direction of movement, and other state quantities related to the vessel's navigation state detected by the vessel state determination unit 1200, the remaining energy of the battery or fuel installed on the vessel, the distance that can be calculated based on that remaining energy, temporary abnormal states of equipment installed on the vessel (temperature abnormality, communication abnormality, etc.), equipment failure state, communication status such as communication strength (dB value, etc.) and communication speed with other unmanned vessels 1000 in the unmanned vessel group 1010 with which it is communicating, or ocean currents and tides (flow speed, flow direction) around the vessel, wind speed (wind speed, wind direction), wave height, and weather (rain, snow, cloudy, etc.).

[0066] In addition to the information described above, the unmanned watercraft status determination unit 2230 can also determine the number of master units 1001 and slave units 1002 that make up the unmanned watercraft group 1010, and the specifications of the communication distance of each unmanned watercraft 1000.

[0067] Next, the unmanned boat operation history determination unit 2240 is a functional unit that determines the status related to the operation history of the unmanned boat group 1010 and the unmanned boat 1000. The unmanned boat operation history determination unit 2240 can determine, for example, the measurement implementation area measured by the measurement sensor 1110 provided on the unmanned boat 1000, or the measurement implementation time, or the search rate calculated from the measurement implementation area and the measurement implementation time.

[0068] Here, the search rate is the degree of measurement for each area defined by the measurement area in a two-dimensional plane or three-dimensional space where measurements were performed and the measurement time at each location within the activity area of ​​the unmanned boat group 1010, and can also be calculated as a coverage rate or surveillance density distribution.

[0069] (A-1-5-3. Formation Change Decision Unit 2300) Next, we will explain the formation change determination unit 2300. The formation change determination unit 2300 is a functional unit that determines whether a formation change is necessary for the unmanned boat group 1010 and the formation after the change, based on the determination information from the state determination unit 2200. The formation change determination unit 2300 includes a formation change necessity determination unit 2310, a formation determination unit 2320, and a formation change process determination unit 2330.

[0070] The formation change necessity determining unit 2310 is a functional unit that determines whether a formation change is necessary for the unmanned boat group 1010 in accordance with the determination information by the state determining unit 2200. The formation change necessity determining unit 2310 can determine that a formation change is necessary, for example, when the relative distance between the unmanned boat group 1010 or the unmanned boat 1000 and a moving or stationary object or area that must be avoided in the activity area of ​​the unmanned boat group determined by the avoidance area determining unit 2220 is closer than a predetermined distance, or when the positional relationship matches a predetermined formation change determination condition.

[0071] As another example, the formation change necessity determining unit 2310 can determine that a formation change is necessary when it is necessary to carry out activities such as surveillance, investigation, inspection, etc. inside a narrow area that is covered by an object or area to be avoided and has a width smaller than a predetermined distance or an area smaller than a predetermined area.

[0072] As another example, if the relative distance between the predicted path of a moving object or area to be avoided and the group of unmanned boats 1010 or the unmanned boat 1000 is expected to be closer than a predetermined distance, or if the relative distance between a stationary object or area to be avoided and the planned path of a moving group of unmanned boats 1010 or the unmanned boat 1000 is expected to be closer than a predetermined distance, it can be determined that a formation change is necessary.

[0073] The formation determination unit 2320 is a functional unit that determines the changed formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 in accordance with the determination information by the state determination unit 2200. The formation determination unit 2320 can determine the changed formation in accordance with, for example, the relative distance and positional relationship between the unmanned boat group 1010 or the unmanned boat 1000 and moving or stationary objects or areas that need to be avoided in the activity area of ​​the unmanned boat group determined by the avoidance area determination unit 2220. The formation determination unit 2320 can determine the formation by selecting a specific formation pattern from multiple formation patterns acquired by the formation pattern acquisition unit 2130.

[0074] As another example, the formation determination unit 2320 can determine whether a formation change is necessary or determine the changed formation based on status information about the operation of the unmanned vessel group 1010 (at least one of the speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed of the unmanned vessels 1000) determined by the unmanned vessel status determination unit 2230. As one example, if at least one of the speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed of the unmanned vessels determined by the unmanned vessel status determination unit 2230 exceeds a predetermined range, the formation determination unit 2320 can determine a compressed formation in which at least a portion of the unmanned vessel group formation is compressed as the changed formation. In this way, by compressing the group formation when at least one of the speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed exceeds the predetermined range, the risk of communication being interrupted due to the relative distance between the unmanned vessels 1000 becoming too large can be reduced in advance.

[0075] As yet another example, the formation determination unit 2320 can determine whether a formation change is necessary or determine a new formation based on the status of the operation history of the unmanned boat group 1010 (such as the measurement area, or the measurement time, or the search rate calculated from the measurement area and the measurement time) determined by the unmanned boat operation history determination unit 2240. As one example, if the measurement area, or the measurement time, or the search rate, etc. is lower than a preset target value, the formation determination unit 2320 can determine to expand the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 and widen the deployment area in order to improve the search rate, etc.

[0076] As another example, when passing through a narrow area to avoid objects or areas that need to be avoided, the formation determination unit 2320 can determine to change the formation to a long and narrow formation that can pass through the narrow area.

[0077] As another example, when monitoring vessels or the like in a sea area such as the entrance or exit of a strait, the formation determination unit 2320 can improve the surveillance search rate at the entrance or exit of the strait by forming a single or multiple lines of formation extending in the width direction of the strait and conducting surveillance patrols that move in the width direction of the strait. Also, when the speed of the vessels or the like to be monitored is predicted to be fast, the multiple lines of formation can be arranged so that the positions of the unmanned vessels 1000 are staggered, further improving the surveillance search rate at the entrance or exit of the strait.

[0078] The formation change process determination unit 2330 is a functional unit that determines a formation change process to be used when changing the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010, in accordance with the changed formation determined by the formation determination unit 2320. The formation change process determination unit 2330 can, for example, determine a time-series formation change process for switching the formation from the current formation to the changed formation.

[0079] (A-1-5-4. Communication configuration determination unit 2400) The communication configuration determination unit 2400 is a functional unit that determines whether or not the network configuration of the wireless communication network connecting the multiple unmanned crafts 1000 in the unmanned craft group 1010 needs to be changed and what the changed network configuration will be, in accordance with the changed formation determined by the formation determination unit 2320. The communication configuration determination unit 2400 includes a communication switching necessity determination unit 2410, a communication configuration change determination unit 2420, and a communication configuration change process determination unit 2430.

[0080] The communication switching necessity determination unit 2410 is a functional unit that determines whether or not a change is required to the network configuration of the wireless communication network connecting the multiple unmanned craft 1000 in the unmanned craft group 1010, in accordance with the changed formation determined by the formation determination unit 2320. The communication switching necessity determination unit 2410 can determine that a change to the network configuration of the wireless communication network is required, for example, when it is determined that the relative distance between the unmanned craft 1000 that are communicatively connected in the changed formation determined by the formation determination unit 2320 exceeds the previously determined communicable distance.

[0081] The communication configuration change determination unit 2420 is a functional unit that determines the changed network configuration of the wireless communication network connecting the multiple unmanned craft 1000 in the unmanned craft group 1010, in accordance with the changed formation determined by the formation determination unit 2320. The communication configuration change determination unit 2420 determines, for example, a network configuration in which each unmanned craft 1000 in the changed formation determined by the formation determination unit 2320 is communicatively connected to at least one other unmanned craft 1000.

[0082] The communication configuration change determination unit 2420 can determine a wireless communication network connection method for connecting multiple unmanned craft 1000 in the unmanned craft group 1010, and a communication network configuration that utilizes external communication relay systems such as air vehicles 8100, submersible craft 8200, and marine communication buoys other than the unmanned craft 1000. Furthermore, the communication configuration change determination unit 2420 is not limited to the connection of multiple unmanned craft 1000 in the unmanned craft group 1010, but can also determine the connection path between the unmanned craft group 1010 and the terrestrial base station 4000 from among direct communication, communication using a communication satellite 3000, communication using a HAPS, communication via an undersea cable, and the like.

[0083] The communication configuration change process determination unit 2430 is a functional unit that determines a network configuration change process when changing the network configuration of the unmanned boat group, in accordance with the changed network configuration determined by the communication configuration change determination unit 2420. The communication configuration change process determination unit 2430 can, for example, determine a time-series communication configuration change process for switching from the current network configuration to the changed network configuration.

[0084] As an example of a communication configuration change process, when the group of unmanned vessels 1010 includes at least a first unmanned vessel, a second unmanned vessel, and a third unmanned vessel, the communication configuration change process determination unit 2430 can perform a communication configuration change process to switch the unmanned vessel connected to the first unmanned vessel via a wireless communication network from the second unmanned vessel to the third unmanned vessel by connecting wireless communication between the first unmanned vessel and the third unmanned vessel when both the second unmanned vessel and the third unmanned vessel are located within a distance range where wireless communication with the first unmanned vessel is possible, and then disconnecting wireless communication between the first unmanned vessel and the second unmanned vessel.

[0085] (A-1-5-5. Formation change control unit 2500) The formation change control unit 2500 is a functional unit that controls formation changes of the unmanned boat group 1010 in accordance with the formation change process determined by the formation change process determination unit 2330, or in addition, the communication configuration change process determined by the communication configuration change process determination unit 2430. The formation change control unit 2500 includes a formation change execution unit 2510, a formation change interruption determination unit 2520, a formation return execution unit 2530, and a formation return interruption determination unit 2540.

[0086] The formation change execution unit 2510 is a functional unit that executes a formation change of the unmanned boat group 1010 in accordance with the formation change process determined by the formation change process determination unit 2330, or in addition, the communication configuration change process determined by the communication configuration change process determination unit 2430.

[0087] The formation change interruption determination unit 2520 is a functional unit that determines, as a control command, whether to interrupt the formation change, return to the formation before the change, or take a movement action to narrow the distance between the unmanned vessels, depending on the communication state of the wireless communication network that connects the multiple unmanned vessels 1000 in the unmanned vessel group 1010. For example, if the communication strength (dB value, etc.) of wireless communication with other unmanned vessels 1000 connected via the wireless communication network, as determined by the unmanned vessel 1000's own vessel state determination unit 1200, falls below a predetermined value, or if a communication interruption has occurred, the formation change interruption determination unit 2520 determines, as a control command, whether to interrupt the formation change, return to the formation before the change, or take a movement action to narrow the distance between the unmanned vessels.

[0088] The formation return execution unit 2530 is a functional unit that executes formation return when it is determined that the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 has been changed to the changed formation determined by the formation change determination unit 2300.

[0089] The formation return interruption determination unit 2540 is a functional unit that determines, as a control command, whether to interrupt the formation return or to perform a movement operation to narrow the distance between the unmanned boats, depending on the communication status in the wireless communication network that connects the multiple unmanned boats 1000 in the unmanned boat group 1010.

[0090] (A-1-5-6. Command output section 2600) The command output unit 2600 includes a display unit 2610 and a control command unit 2620. The command output unit 2600 has a function of transmitting and outputting a control command to the unmanned boat group 1010 via the control command unit 2620 in accordance with the determination made by the formation change determination unit 2300, including whether or not a formation change is necessary and the determined formation after the change, or is otherwise a functional unit that displays and outputs information related to the control command from the display unit 2610.

[0091] For example, the control command unit 2620 transmits to the group of unmanned boats 1010 a control command as to whether or not a formation change is necessary as determined by the formation change determination unit 2300, or a control command to change the formation to the changed formation as determined by the formation change determination unit 2300. The display unit 2610 also displays information relating to the details of the decision made by the formation change determination unit 2300, such as whether or not a formation change is necessary and the changed formation.

[0092] In addition, the command output unit 2600 has the function of transmitting and outputting control commands corresponding to the formation change process determined by the formation change process determination unit 2330 to the unmanned boat group 1010 via the control command unit 2620, or is a functional unit that displays and outputs information regarding the control commands from the display unit 2610.

[0093] For example, the control command unit 2620 transmits and outputs to the group of unmanned boats 1010 a control command to change the formation by moving the position of the unmanned boats 1000 within the group of unmanned boats 1010 in accordance with the formation change process determined by the formation change process determination unit 2330. In addition, the display unit 2610 displays and outputs information related to the formation change process determined by the formation change process determination unit 2330 and other determination details, for example.

[0094] Here, the display unit 2610 can display and output not only information about the decisions made by the formation change determination unit 2300 and the formation change process determination unit 2330, but also various types of determination information made by the state determination unit 2200. By displaying such information, the user can grasp state information such as detected objects, unmanned boat states, and unmanned boat operation history used in the determination processing of the formation change determination unit 2300 and the formation change process determination unit 2330.

[0095] Furthermore, the display unit 2610 is not limited to displaying the various types of determination information from the state determination unit 2200 described above, but can also display actual data such as current or past measurement data measured by the unmanned watercraft 1000 as is.

[0096] Furthermore, the display unit 2610 may display not only information about the details of decisions made by the formation change decision unit 2300 and the formation change process decision unit 2330, but also information about recommended formations when a manual intervention command is input.

[0097] In addition, the command output unit 2600 has the function of transmitting and outputting control commands to the unmanned boat group 1010 via the control command unit 2620 in accordance with the determination content, including whether or not the wireless communication network configuration determined by the communication configuration determination unit 2400 needs to be changed and the network configuration after the change, or is a functional unit that displays and outputs information regarding the control commands from the display unit 2610.

[0098] For example, the control command unit 2620 transmits and outputs to the unmanned watercraft group 1010 a control command indicating whether or not the wireless communication network configuration determined by the communication configuration determination unit 2400 needs to be changed, or a control command to change the wireless communication connection to the changed network configuration determined by the communication configuration determination unit 2400. Furthermore, the display unit 2610 displays and outputs information related to the determination content, such as whether or not the wireless communication network configuration determined by the communication configuration determination unit 2400 needs to be changed and the changed network configuration.

[0099] The command output unit 2600 has the function of transmitting and outputting a control command corresponding to the communication configuration change process determined by the communication configuration change process determination unit 2430 to the unmanned boat group 1010 via the control command unit 2620, or is a functional unit that displays and outputs information related to the control command from the display unit 2610.

[0100] For example, the control command unit 2620 transmits and outputs to the group of unmanned crafts 1010 a control command for switching wireless communication connections within the group of unmanned crafts 1010 in accordance with the communication configuration change process determined by the communication configuration change process determination unit 2430. Furthermore, the display unit 2610 displays and outputs information related to the communication configuration change process determined by the communication configuration change process determination unit 2430 and other determined details, for example.

[0101] Here, the display unit 2610 can display not only information about the decisions made by the communication configuration determination unit 2400 and the communication configuration change process determination unit 2430, but also various state information about the unmanned watercraft 1000 determined by the unmanned watercraft state determination unit 2230. By displaying such information, the user can grasp the information about the state of the unmanned watercraft 1000 that was used in the determination processing by the communication configuration determination unit 2400 and the communication configuration change process determination unit 2430.

[0102] The display unit 2610 can notify the user when a new object is detected or when the latest decision result is generated from the formation change decision unit 2300 or the communication configuration decision unit 2400. When notifying the user, the display unit 2610 can notify the user not only by display output but also by sound, light emission, or vibration.

[0103] In addition, when information about an object is sent to the collaborative system 5000 or other external systems using the information communication unit 2920 described below, information such as the destination's contact details, contact method, and location may be displayed on the display unit 2610.

[0104] (A-1-5-7. User input reception unit 2700) Next, the user input accepting unit 2700 will be described. The user input accepting unit 2700 is a functional unit that accepts any user input information related to various information displayed on the display unit 2610 or unrelated to the displayed information. The user input information may include an intervention control command from the user for the unmanned watercraft 1000 or the unmanned watercraft group 1010. The user input accepting unit 2700 may be a portable mobile terminal such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or laptop PC. The user input information may also be accepted via operation buttons provided on the display screen of the display unit 2610.

[0105] For example, the user input accepting unit 2700 can accept an intervention command input that changes the result of the formation change necessity determination unit 2310's determination of whether a formation change is necessary, an intervention command input that re-designates the formation determined by the formation determination unit 2320 as an arbitrary formation, and an intervention command input that changes the formation change process determined by the formation change process determination unit 2330 to an arbitrary process. Similarly, the user input accepting unit 2700 can also accept an intervention command input that arbitrarily changes various information determined by the communication configuration determination unit 2400.

[0106] In addition, when displaying actual measurement data measured by the unmanned boat 1000 on the display unit 2610, input information regarding display priority information (time priority display, detailed image priority display, area specification priority display, etc.) may be accepted from the user.

[0107] (A-1-5-8. Department of Information and Communications 2800) The information communication unit 2800 is a functional unit that outputs information similar to the information displayed on the display unit 2610, i.e., various status information determined by the status determination unit 2200, the decision content determined by the formation change determination unit 2300, the decision content determined by the communication configuration determination unit 2400, or candidate information for control commands generated in accordance with these decision content to the cooperative system 5000, the external system 6000, or other external systems.

[0108] The information communication unit 2800 can also acquire information similar to the information accepted by the user input acceptance unit 2700 from the cooperative system 5000, the external system 6000, or other external systems. In other words, the information communication unit 2800 can accept intervention command inputs that arbitrarily change various pieces of information determined by the formation change determination unit 2300 and the communication configuration determination unit 2400.

[0109] The functions implemented in the unmanned watercraft 1000 and the overall control system 2000 described above using Figures 6 and 7 are merely one embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this implementation example. In other words, some of the functions implemented in the unmanned watercraft 1000 shown in Figure 6 (mainly the function of the determination unit 1500) can be implemented in the overall control system 2000. On the other hand, some of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in Figure 7 (mainly at least one of the information import unit 2100, state determination unit 2200, formation change determination unit 2300, communication configuration determination unit 2400, and formation change control unit 2500) can also be implemented in the unmanned watercraft 1000. In addition, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the function of initially detecting an object based on measurement data is implemented in the judgment unit 1500 on the unmanned boat 1000 side, but this initial detection and judgment function can also be implemented in a distributed manner on both the unmanned boat 1000 side and the overall control system 2000 side, and it is also possible to implement all of the initial detection and judgment functions on the overall control system 2000 side.

[0110] (A-1-6. Hardware Configuration) 9 is a hardware configuration diagram of an overall control system 2000. Here, the overall control system 2000 in the present invention is an information processing device such as a server device or a PC. As shown in the figure, the overall control system 2000 has an input device 100, an output device 200, a processing device 300, a main memory device 400, an auxiliary memory device 500, a communication device 600, and a bus 700 that electrically connects these devices.

[0111] The input device 100 can constitute the user input receiving unit 2700, and is a device that allows a user to input information and instructions to the integrated control system 2000. Specifically, the input device 100 is, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, or an audio input device such as a microphone.

[0112] The output device 200 is a device that outputs various information generated by the integrated control system 2000, and can constitute the display unit 2610. Specifically, the output device 200 can constitute the display unit 2610 using a display device for eyewear, AR, or VR, or can also be a printer or a speaker.

[0113] The processing device 300 is, for example, a device that performs arithmetic processing. Specifically, the processing device 300 is, for example, a CPU, a microprocessor, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other semiconductor devices capable of performing arithmetic processing.

[0114] The main storage device 400 is a memory device such as a RAM that temporarily stores various types of read information and a ROM that stores programs, application programs, and other various information executed by the processing device 300. The auxiliary storage device 500 is a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory that can store digital information.

[0115] The communication device 600 is a device that performs wireless or wired information communication with the outside, and can constitute the information communication unit 2800 described above.

[0116] (A-1-7. Control flow of control system 1) Next, a description will be given of the overall control flow of the control system 1. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the control system 1.

[0117] First, the information import unit 2100 acquires advance information from the external system 6000 or the like (step 101). In this step, for example, information regarding the area of ​​operation in which the unmanned craft 1000 is deployed, route information and navigation information for ships in the area of ​​operation and its surrounding areas, information regarding multiple formation change patterns for the unmanned craft group 1010, and detection information detected by the unmanned craft 1000 are acquired.

[0118] Next, various initial settings are made, such as the initial formation and activity area of ​​the unmanned boat group 1010 at the start of activity, and the unmanned boat group 1010 is deployed in the surveillance area to begin activities such as surveillance (step 102).

[0119] Next, the status determination unit 2200 determines the activity area of ​​the unmanned boat group 1010, the operating status of the unmanned boat group 1010, and the operating history status of the unmanned boat group 1010 (step 103).

[0120] Next, the formation change necessity determining unit 2310 determines whether or not a formation change is necessary for the unmanned boat group 1010 (step 104). The detailed processing of this step will be described later.

[0121] Next, the processing step to transition to is determined depending on whether the formation change necessity determining unit 2310 has determined that a formation change is necessary for the unmanned boat group 1010 (step 105). If it is determined in this step that a formation change is necessary, the processing transitions to step 106, and on the other hand, if it is determined that a formation change is not necessary, the processing returns to step 103.

[0122] Next, the formation determination unit 2320 and the formation change process determination unit 2330 determine a changed formation pattern and its change process (step 106). The detailed processing of this step will be described later.

[0123] Next, the communication configuration determining unit 2400 determines whether or not the wireless communication network configuration needs to be changed, the wireless communication network configuration after the change, and the change process (step 107). The detailed processing content of this step will be described later.

[0124] Next, the formation change control unit 2500 and the command output unit 2600 execute a formation change for the unmanned boat group 1010 and display and output various information (step 108). The detailed processing of this step will be described later.

[0125] (A-1-8. Control sequence within control system 1) Next, a description will be given of a control sequence between the systems in the control system 1. Fig. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the exchange of signals between the systems in the control system 1.

[0126] First, advance information is transmitted from the external system 6000 or the like to the overall control system 2000. Then, the overall control system 2000 performs initial settings such as the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 based on the advance information, and transmits an activity start command to the parent device 1001. The parent device 1001 transmits the received activity start command to the child device 1002.

[0127] When an object is detected by the determination unit 1500 of one of the mobile bodies such as the unmanned boat 1000 (for example, the slave unit 1002a), the object detection information detected by the slave unit 1002a is transmitted to the master unit 1001. Furthermore, the master unit 1001 transmits the received object detection information to the integrated control system 2000. Here, the object detection information may include measurement data in addition to the determination result by the determination unit 1500.

[0128] Next, the state determination unit 2200 of the overall control system 2000 analyzes the detected object, and the formation change determination unit 2300 determines whether a formation change is necessary for the unmanned boat group 1010 and the formation pattern to be changed to. The overall control system 2000 also transmits proposal information for changing the formation to the determined formation pattern to the cooperative system 5000, etc.

[0129] The cooperative system 5000 sends approval for the received formation pattern change proposal information or external user input information specifying another formation pattern back to the integrated control system 2000. The integrated control system 2000 confirms a control command for the formation change based on the received external user input information and transmits the confirmed formation change command to the parent unit 1001. The parent unit 1001 transmits the received formation change command to the child units 1002.

[0130] (A-1-9. Formation change necessity determination process) Next, the formation change necessity determination process will be described. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the formation change necessity determination process flow by the formation change necessity determination unit 2310. In particular, Figure 12 shows the detailed processing flow of step 104 in the flowchart shown in Figure 11.

[0131] First, the positions of moving or stationary objects to be avoided and areas to be avoided around the unmanned boat group 1010 are determined based on the determination results by the area to be avoided determination unit 2220 (step 201).

[0132] Next, the relative distance between the unmanned boat group 1010 or each unmanned boat 1000 and the object or area to be avoided is determined from the position information of the unmanned boat group 1010 or each unmanned boat 1000 obtained by the determination by the unmanned boat state determination unit 2230 and the position information of the object or area to be avoided (step 202).

[0133] Next, the process step to transition to is determined depending on whether the determined relative distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance (step 203). If it is determined in this step that the relative distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, the process transitions to step 206. On the other hand, if it is determined that the relative distance is not equal to or less than the predetermined distance, the process transitions to step 204.

[0134] Next, if it is determined in step 203 that the relative distance is not equal to or less than the predetermined distance, the movement state of the unmanned boat 1000 is determined based on the determination result of the unmanned boat state determination unit 2230 (step 204). In this step, at least one of the speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed of the unmanned boat 1000 is determined as the movement state of the unmanned boat 1000. Note that the movement state of the unmanned boat 1000 is not limited to the current movement state, but may also include predicted states of future movement states (speed, acceleration, deceleration, turning speed).

[0135] Next, the process step to transition to is determined depending on whether the determined movement state of the unmanned watercraft 1000 is within a predetermined range (step 205). Here, a state in which the movement state is within the predetermined range means a state in which at least one of the speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed of the unmanned watercraft 1000 is within the predetermined range. If it is determined in this step that the movement state is within the predetermined range, the process transitions to step 207. On the other hand, if it is determined that the movement state is not within the predetermined range, the process transitions to step 206.

[0136] Next, if it is determined in step 203 that the relative distance is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, or if it is determined in step 205 that the movement state is not within the predetermined range, it is determined that a formation change of the unmanned boat group 1010 is necessary (step 206).

[0137] Next, if it is determined in step 205 that the movement state is within the predetermined range, it is determined that a formation change of the unmanned boat group 1010 is not necessary (step 206).

[0138] (A-1-10. Process for determining changed formation patterns) Next, the process for determining a modified formation pattern will be described. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the process flow for determining a modified formation pattern by the formation change determination unit 2300. In particular, Figure 13 shows the detailed process flow of step 106 in the flowchart shown in Figure 11.

[0139] First, the content of the command mission given to the unmanned craft group 1010 is understood (step 301). The command mission in this step includes information specifying the activity area acquired by the activity area information acquisition unit 2110, and information specifying the purpose of the activity for the unmanned craft group 1010 (monitoring suspicious ships, inspecting offshore infrastructure, investigating marine life, etc.) acquired by the user input acceptance unit 2700 and the external user input information acquisition unit 2140, which will be described later.

[0140] Next, the movement state of the unmanned watercraft 1000 is determined based on the determination result of the unmanned watercraft state determination unit 2230 (step 302). In this step, at least one of the speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed of the unmanned watercraft 1000 is determined as the movement state of the unmanned watercraft 1000.

[0141] Next, based on the determination result by the avoidance-required area determination unit 2220, the positions of moving or stationary objects to be avoided and areas to be avoided around the unmanned boat group 1010 are determined (step 303).

[0142] Next, the formation determination unit 2320 determines the formation pattern after the change (step 304). A specific example of the formation pattern determined in this step will be described later.

[0143] Next, the formation change process is determined based on the determined post-change formation pattern in the formation change process determination step (step 305). A specific example of the formation change process determined in this step will be described later.

[0144] (A-1-11. Processing for determining wireless communication network configuration) Next, the process of determining the wireless communication network configuration will be described. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the process flow of determining the wireless communication network configuration by the communication configuration determining unit 2400. In particular, Fig. 14 shows a detailed process flow of step 107 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 11.

[0145] First, the communication switching necessity determining unit 2410 determines whether or not switching of the wireless communication network configuration is necessary (step 401).

[0146] Next, the processing step to transition to is determined depending on whether it has been determined that a switch in the wireless communication network configuration is necessary (step 402). In this step, it can be determined that a change in the network configuration of the wireless communication network is necessary, for example, if it is determined that the relative distance between the unmanned crafts 1000 that are connected for communication in the changed formation determined by the formation determination unit 2320 exceeds the previously determined communicable distance. If it is determined in this step that a switch in the wireless communication network configuration is necessary, the processing transitions to step 403; on the other hand, if it is determined that a switch in the wireless communication network configuration is not necessary, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0147] Next, if it is determined in step 402 that switching of the wireless communication network configuration is necessary, the processing step to transition to is determined depending on whether or not there are other candidate communication configurations with which wireless communication can be established (step 403). In this step, it is determined, for example, whether or not there are other candidate communication configurations with which unmanned watercraft 1000 can be communicatively connected, where the relative distance between the unmanned watercraft 1000 is within a pre-determined communication distance range. If it is determined in this step that there are other candidate communication configurations with which wireless communication can be established, the processing transitions to step 405. On the other hand, if it is determined that there are no other candidate communication configurations with which wireless communication can be established, the processing transitions to step 404.

[0148] Next, if it is determined in step 403 that there are no other candidates for communication configurations with which wireless communication can be established, the post-change formation pattern and formation change process for the unmanned boat group 1010 are changed (step 404). After this step is performed, the process transitions to step 401.

[0149] Next, if it is determined in step 403 that there are other candidate communication configurations that enable wireless communication, the communication configuration change determination unit 2420 determines a wireless communication network configuration in accordance with the changed formation pattern (step 405). In this step, for example, a communication network configuration is determined in accordance with the changed formation pattern that allows all unmanned vessels 1000 in the unmanned vessel group 1010 to be directly or indirectly connected to the master unit 1001 via a communication network. Furthermore, a communication network configuration can be created in which an unmanned vessel 1000 in the unmanned vessel group 1010 is communicatively connected to multiple other unmanned vessels 1000, thereby providing redundant communication paths.

[0150] Next, the communication configuration change process determination unit 2430 determines a wireless communication network switching process according to the determined wireless communication network configuration (step 406). In this step, for example, the communication configuration change process for switching the unmanned vessel connected to the first unmanned vessel via the wireless communication network from the second unmanned vessel to the third unmanned vessel is performed so that communication between the unmanned vessels 1000 is not interrupted during the wireless communication network switching. When both the second unmanned vessel and the third unmanned vessel are located within a distance range where wireless communication with the first unmanned vessel is possible, wireless communication between the first unmanned vessel and the third unmanned vessel is connected, and then wireless communication between the first unmanned vessel and the second unmanned vessel is disconnected. In other words, the communication switching is performed while the first unmanned vessel overlaps the communication ranges of the second and third unmanned vessels.

[0151] (A-1-12. Formation change control processing) Next, the formation change control process will be described. Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the formation change control process flow by the formation change control unit 2500. In particular, Figure 15 shows the detailed process flow of step 108 in the flowchart shown in Figure 11.

[0152] First, the formation change execution unit 2510 starts changing the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 and the wireless communication network configuration (step 501).

[0153] Next, the communication state of the unmanned craft 1000 determined by the unmanned craft state determination unit 2230 is determined (step 502). For example, the communication strength (dB value, etc.) with other unmanned crafts 1000 in the unmanned craft group 1010 with which communication is being performed is determined.

[0154] Next, the process step to transition to is determined depending on whether the determined communication strength has dropped below a predetermined value (step 503). If it is determined in this step that the communication strength has dropped below the predetermined value, the process transitions to step 504. On the other hand, if it is determined that the communication strength has not dropped below the predetermined value, the process transitions to step 505.

[0155] Next, if it is determined in step 503 that the communication strength has dropped below a predetermined value, the formation change interruption determination unit 2520 interrupts the formation change, etc. (step 504). In this step, instead of interrupting the formation change, the unmanned boats may return to the formation before the change, or may perform a movement operation to narrow the distance between the unmanned boats.

[0156] Next, if it is determined in step 503 that the communication strength has not fallen below a predetermined value, the process step to transition to is determined depending on whether the formation change operation has been completed (step 505). If it is determined in this step that the formation change operation has been completed, the process transitions to step 506, but if it is determined that the formation change operation has not been completed, the process returns to step 502.

[0157] Next, based on the determination result by the avoidance-required area determination unit 2220, the relative distance from the surrounding objects and avoidance-required areas of the unmanned boat group 1010 is determined (step 506).

[0158] Next, it is determined whether or not to return to formation based on the relative distance from the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided (step 507). In this step, for example, if the formation change is to an avoidance formation intended to avoid the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided, it can be determined that the formation should be returned to when the relative distance from the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided is greater than a predetermined distance. Also, if the formation change is to compress the formation because the speed, etc. of the unmanned boats exceeds a predetermined range, it can be determined that the formation should be returned to when the speed, etc. of the unmanned boats 1000 drops within the predetermined range.

[0159] Next, the process step to transition to is determined depending on whether or not it is determined that the formation will be restored (step 508). If it is determined that the formation will be restored in this step, the process transitions to step 509, and if it is determined that the formation will not be restored, the process returns to step 506.

[0160] Next, if it is determined in step 508 that the formation should be returned, the formation return execution unit 2530 starts the formation return operation (step 509).

[0161] Next, the process step to transition to is determined depending on whether the determined communication strength has dropped below a predetermined value (step 510). If it is determined in this step that the communication strength has dropped below a predetermined value, the process transitions to step 511, whereas if it is determined that the communication strength has not dropped below the predetermined value, the process of this flowchart is terminated.

[0162] Next, if it is determined in step 510 that the communication strength has dropped below a predetermined value, the formation return interruption determination unit 2540 interrupts the formation return or the like (step 504). In this step, instead of interrupting the formation return, the unmanned boats may perform a movement operation to narrow the distance between them.

[0163] (A-1-13. Formation pattern of Unmanned Boat Group 1010) A number of formation patterns for the unmanned boat group 1010 determined by the formation determination unit 2320 will now be described.

[0164] (A-1-13-1. Branching structure formation) Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a branch-connection formation, which is one example of a formation pattern for a group of unmanned boats 1010. The example shown in Fig. 16 shows a branch-connection formation made up of one master boat 1001 and 12 slave boats 1002, which are connected to each other via a wireless communication network. Here, the master boat 1001 is an aircraft that serves as the hub of the wireless communication network that connects the multiple unmanned boats 1000 in the group. In the branch-connection formation shown in Fig. 16, the communication path branches off into multiple paths from the master boat 1001, and each of the slave boats 1002 is connected via a wireless communication network.

[0165] As an example, when the measurement sensor 1110 of the unmanned boat 1000 acquires measurement data in the activity area of ​​the unmanned boat group 1010, the formation determination unit 2320 can determine the branching and connecting formation shown in Figure 16 as the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010, particularly when improving the search rate by more efficiently acquiring measurement data in a wide activity area.

[0166] (A-1-13-2. Near-V formations and other movement formations) 17 to 19, the movement formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 will be described below. Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example of a substantially V-shaped formation, which is an example of a formation pattern for the unmanned boat group 1010.

[0167] As shown in Figure 17, the approximate V-shaped formation is a formation that allows the unmanned boat group 1010 to move more efficiently when moving as a group, and is a formation in which the parent boats 1001 and child boats 1002 are arranged in an approximate V shape with the direction of travel of the unmanned boat group 1010 as the apex. As an example, the formation determination unit 2320 can determine this approximate V-shaped formation as the post-change formation when the unmanned boat group 1010 is moving as a group. For example, when the unmanned boat group 1010 is moving as a group, and particularly when the unmanned boat group 1010 is moving at a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined value or for a predetermined period of time or longer, the formation determination unit 2320 determines that changing to an approximate V-shaped formation will be effective, and determines to change to an approximate V-shaped formation.

[0168] The master unit 1001 can be placed at the apex of the V. By placing the master unit at the apex of the V in this way, it is possible to place the master unit near the center of the communication network within the formation, allowing measurement data and other information to be collected more quickly from each slave unit 1002 of the unmanned boat group 1010.

[0169] Furthermore, the angle of the apex of the V shape (angle α) can be determined appropriately depending on the movement speed of the unmanned boat group 101. As an example, if the movement speed of the unmanned boat group 101 is relatively fast, angle α can be set to a relatively small angle, and if the movement speed of the unmanned boat group 101 is relatively slow, angle α can be set to a relatively large angle.

[0170] There are several possible variations of the approximate V-shaped formation pattern other than the formation shown in Figure 17. Figure 18 is a diagram showing several other examples of approximate V-shaped formations of unmanned boat groups 1010.

[0171] FIG. 18a shows an example of a formation in which one serial configuration consisting of multiple unmanned vessels 1000 has been added to the inside of the V of a roughly V-shaped formation. The added serial configuration in this figure is connected to the parent vessel 1001 via wireless communication. Next, FIG. 18b shows an example of a formation in which two serial configurations consisting of multiple unmanned vessels 1000 have been added to the inside of the V of a roughly V-shaped formation. The added serial configurations in this figure are connected to the parent vessel 1001 via wireless communication. Although FIGS. 18a and 18b show examples of formations in which one or two serial configurations connected to the parent vessel 1001 have been added to the inside of the V of the roughly V-shaped formation, the number of additional serial configurations may be three or more.

[0172] Next, Figure 18c shows another example of a formation in which four serial configurations are added inside the V of a roughly V-shaped formation. The four serial configurations added to the formation shown in Figure 18c are connected to child units 1002 instead of parent units 1001. Figure 18d shows an example of a formation in which five serial configurations are added inside the V of a roughly V-shaped formation. Of the five serial configurations added in Figure 18d, one is connected to parent unit 1001 and the other four are connected to child units 1002. The number of serial configurations added inside the roughly V-shaped formation is not limited to the four and five shown in Figures 18c and 18d, and can be more than four.

[0173] Next, Figure 18e shows an example of a formation in which three unmanned watercraft 1000 are arranged on the inside of the V of a roughly V-shaped formation. The three unmanned watercraft 1000 added to the formation shown in Figure 18e are connected to multiple other child watercraft 1002 via wireless communication paths, resulting in a formation and communication network configuration with redundant wireless communication paths so that even if one wireless communication path is cut off, communication with the parent watercraft 1001 can be indirectly achieved via other wireless communication paths.

[0174] Figure 18f shows an example of a formation in which eight unmanned watercraft 1000 are arranged inside the V of a roughly V-shaped formation. The eight unmanned watercraft 1000 added to the formation shown in Figure 18f are connected to multiple other child watercraft 1002 via wireless communication paths, resulting in a formation and communication network configuration with redundant wireless communication paths so that even if one wireless communication path is disconnected, communication with the parent watercraft 1001 can be indirectly achieved via another wireless communication path.

[0175] As shown in Figures 18e and 18f, some of the multiple unmanned vessels 1000 that make up the unmanned vessel group 1010 are arranged in a roughly V-shaped inner area, and the unmanned vessels 1000 arranged in the inner area are connected to the other multiple unmanned vessels 1000 via a wireless communication network, creating a redundant communication path, allowing the unmanned vessel group 1010 to continue operating even if a communication interruption occurs on one of the communication paths. For this reason, it is desirable to have a redundant connection in the communication network as shown in Figures 18e and 18f, particularly when the movement speed of the unmanned vessel group 1010 is faster than a predetermined value.

[0176] 17 and 18 above, a generally V-shaped formation was described as the movement formation for the unmanned boat group 1010, but formations other than a generally V-shape can also be used as the movement formation. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a generally square formation, which is one example of a formation pattern for the unmanned boat group 1010. The generally square formation shown in FIG. 19 is a formation that allows for more efficient movement when the unmanned boat group 1010 is moved as a group, and is a generally rectangular formation with the longitudinal direction being the direction of travel of the unmanned boat group 1010. As an example, the formation determination unit 2320 can determine this generally square formation as the post-change formation when the unmanned boat group 1010 is moved as a group.

[0177] A parent unit 1001 and multiple child units 1002 are positioned at the front of the approximately rectangular formation in the direction of travel, with other child units 1002 positioned behind the parent unit 1001 and child units 1002. The width of the rectangular unmanned boat group 1010 in the direction of travel can be determined appropriately depending on the movement speed of the unmanned boat group 101. For example, if the movement speed of the unmanned boat group 101 is relatively fast, the width can be made relatively short, and if the movement speed of the unmanned boat group 101 is relatively slow, the width can be made relatively long.

[0178] There are several possible variations in the wireless communication network configuration for a roughly rectangular formation. Figure 19a shows a formation and wireless communication network configuration in which multiple unmanned vessels 1000 are connected in series via wireless communication in three rows along the direction of travel of the unmanned vessel group 1010. Next, Figure 19b shows a formation and communication network configuration in which the multiple unmanned vessels 1000 forming the roughly rectangular formation are connected to multiple other slave vessels 1002 via wireless communication paths, and the wireless communication paths are redundant so that even if one wireless communication path is disconnected, communication with the master vessel 1001 can be indirectly achieved via another wireless communication path. Therefore, it is desirable to use a redundant connection for the communication network as shown in Figure 19b, especially when the movement speed of the unmanned vessel group 1010 is faster than a predetermined value.

[0179] (A-1-13-3. Obstacle avoidance formation) 20 to 23, the avoidance formations used by the unmanned boat group 1010 to avoid objects that need to be avoided, such as obstacles, or areas that need to be avoided, such as public roads, will be described below. Fig. 20 shows two examples of avoidance formations, which are examples of formation patterns for the unmanned boat group 1010.

[0180] The avoidance formation shown in Figure 20 is an avoidance formation that is determined as a changed formation by the formation change determination unit 2300 when an object to be avoided or an area to be avoided is detected ahead in the direction of travel of the unmanned boat group 1010, or when an object to be avoided or an area to be avoided approaching the unmanned boat group 1010 is detected, and is an avoidance formation that avoids objects to be avoided or areas to be avoided.

[0181] Fig. 20a is a diagram showing a separation avoidance formation, which is one example of an avoidance formation. The separation avoidance formation shown in Fig. 20a is a formation in which at least a portion of the group formation is separated so that the relative distance between some unmanned boats in the unmanned boat group 1010 increases from the other unmanned boats, and by separating the formation, it is possible to avoid objects that need to be avoided, such as ships, and areas that need to be avoided.

[0182] Fig. 20b is a diagram showing a compressed avoidance formation, which is an example of an avoidance formation. The compressed avoidance formation shown in Fig. 20b is a formation in which at least a portion of the unmanned boat group 1010 is compressed so that the width of the formation is narrowed when viewed from at least one direction, and by compressing the formation, it is possible to avoid objects that need to be avoided, such as ships, and areas that need to be avoided.

[0183] Figure 21 is a diagram showing how a moving object to be avoided is avoided by changing the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 to a separation avoidance formation. Figure 21 particularly shows the state of the unmanned boat group 1010 and the vessel at time t1 when a vessel is detected as a moving object to be avoided approaching the unmanned boat group 1010, and at time t2 when the formation is changed to a separation avoidance formation to avoid the vessel.

[0184] At time t1, the formation change necessity determining unit 2310 determines that a formation change is necessary when the relative distance between the approaching vessel and the unmanned vessel group 1010 is equal to or less than a predetermined value based on the determination result of the avoidance-required area determining unit 2220. Furthermore, the formation determination unit 2320 determines information about the object to be avoided, such as the position, size, and speed of the approaching vessel, based on the determination result of the avoidance-required area determining unit 2220, and determines the position and direction of separation of the formation by determining the arrangement of the multiple unmanned vessels 1000 in the unmanned vessel group 1010 based on the determination result of the unmanned vessel state determining unit 2230. Here, the formation determination unit 2320 determines the separation position of the unmanned vessel group 1010 based on the straight or curved position of the predicted path of the moving object to be avoided, and can determine the changed separation avoidance formation so that the separated formation will separate and move in a direction approximately perpendicular to the predicted path.

[0185] At time t2, the formation change control unit 2500 changes the formation to the determined separation avoidance formation to avoid the approaching vessel.

[0186] Figure 22 is a diagram showing how an immobile object to be avoided is avoided by changing the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 to a separation avoidance formation. Figure 22 particularly shows the state of the unmanned boat group 1010 and ships at time t1 when a wave-dissipating block or the like, which is an immobile object to be avoided, is detected approaching the moving unmanned boat group 1010, and at time t2 when the formation is changed to a separation avoidance formation to avoid the wave-dissipating block or the like.

[0187] At time t1, the formation change necessity determining unit 2310 determines that a formation change is necessary when the relative distance between the moving unmanned boat group 1010 and an immobile object to be avoided (such as a wave-dissipating block) around the unmanned boat group 1010 falls below a predetermined value, based on the determination result of the avoidance-necessary area determining unit 2220. Furthermore, the formation determining unit 2320 obtains information about the object to be avoided, such as the position and size of the approaching wave-dissipating block, based on the determination result of the avoidance-necessary area determining unit 2220, and determines the speed at which the unmanned boat group 1010 is approaching the wave-dissipating block, etc., and the positional state of the multiple unmanned boats 1000 in the unmanned boat group 1010, based on the determination result of the unmanned boat state determining unit 2230, thereby determining that the separation avoidance formation will be a changed formation, and further determining the location and direction to separate the formation. Here, the formation determination unit 2320 can determine the separation position of the unmanned boat group 1010 based on the straight lines or curves of the planned course of the unmanned boat group 1010, and determine the modified separation avoidance formation so that the separated formation moves separately in a direction approximately perpendicular to the planned course.

[0188] At time t2, the formation change control unit 2500 changes the formation to the determined separation avoidance formation to avoid approaching immovable objects to be avoided, such as wave-dissipating blocks. In Figure 22, wave-dissipating blocks are shown as an example of immovable objects to be avoided, but other immovable objects to be avoided, such as breakwaters, shallow waters, land, offshore power generation facilities, and offshore runways, as well as fish pens and offshore buoys, can also be used to change the formation to a similar separation avoidance formation. Furthermore, this is not limited to immovable objects to be avoided, but can also be applied to avoiding immovable areas to be avoided, such as navigation routes.

[0189] Figure 23 is a diagram showing how a moving object to be avoided is avoided by changing the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 to a compressed avoidance formation. Figure 23 particularly shows the state of the unmanned boat group 1010 and the ship at time t1 when a ship, as a moving object to be avoided, is detected approaching the unmanned boat group 1010, and at time t2 when the formation is changed to a compressed avoidance formation to avoid the ship.

[0190] At time t1, the formation change necessity determining unit 2310 determines that a formation change is necessary when the relative distance between the approaching vessel and the unmanned vessel group 1010 is equal to or less than a predetermined value based on the determination result of the avoidance-required area determining unit 2220. Furthermore, the formation determination unit 2320 obtains information about the object to be avoided, such as the position, size, and speed of the approaching vessel, based on the determination result of the avoidance-required area determining unit 2220, and determines the positioning status of the multiple unmanned vessels 1000 in the unmanned vessel group 1010 based on the determination result of the unmanned vessel state determining unit 2230, thereby determining a compressed avoidance formation as the new formation and further determining the location and direction of compression of the formation. Here, the formation determination unit 2320 determines the location of compression of the unmanned vessel group 1010 based on the position of a straight line or curve in the predicted path of the moving object to be avoided, and can determine the new compressed avoidance formation so that the formation moves compressed in a direction approximately perpendicular to the predicted path.

[0191] At time t2, the formation change control unit 2500 changes the formation to the determined compressed avoidance formation to avoid the approaching vessel.

[0192] (A-1-13-4. Formation when operating in a narrow space) 24 to 26, a description will be given below of the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 when they are operating in a narrow, confined area. Fig. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a narrow space formation in the formation pattern of the unmanned boat group 1010. In particular, Fig. 24 shows a narrow space formation determined by the formation determination unit 2320 when the unmanned boat group 1010 is deployed in a narrow space where the area width or area is narrower than a predetermined value, avoiding immobile objects that need to be avoided and areas that need to be avoided, and to carry out activities such as monitoring, inspection, and investigation.

[0193] In the example shown in Figure 24, when the activity area is a narrow area (such as a bay) inside an immovable object that needs to be avoided, such as a port wharf or breakwater, multiple unmanned vessels that make up at least a part of the unmanned vessel group 1010 are arranged in a line so that they can enter the narrow area, allowing the unmanned vessel group 1010 to perform activities such as monitoring, inspection, and investigation even in the narrow area. In this way, in a narrow area, by transforming all or a part of the unmanned vessel group 1010 into a long, narrow line, it becomes possible to operate even in a complex, narrow area. Note that the communication connection of the long, narrow line-shaped part of the narrow space formation may be a serial connection configuration in which communication is connected to adjacent unmanned vessels 1000 as shown in Figure 24, but it is not necessarily required that adjacent unmanned vessels be connected in a series connection, and a communication network configuration in which communication is connected to any other unmanned vessel within the communication range is also possible.

[0194] Figure 25 is a diagram showing another example of a narrow space formation in the formation pattern of the unmanned boat group 1010. In particular, Figure 25 shows a narrow space formation determined by the formation determination unit 2320 when the unmanned boat group 1010 is deployed in a narrow space where the area width or area is narrower than a predetermined value, avoiding immobile objects that need to be avoided or areas that need to be avoided, and passes through the narrow space.

[0195] In the example shown in Figure 25, when passing through a narrow area between immovable objects that need to be avoided, such as a harbor pier or breakwater, multiple unmanned boats that make up at least a part of the unmanned boat group 1010 are arranged in a line so that they enter the narrow area, showing the changes in the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 at times t1, t2, and t3 as the unmanned boat group 1010 passes through the narrow area.

[0196] At time t1, a plurality of unmanned boats 1000 at the front of the unmanned boat group 1010 are shown forming a line and entering the narrow area. At time t2, a portion of the unmanned boat group 1010 at the front of the group has passed through the narrow area, while the other unmanned boats 1000, including the parent boat 1001, are passing through or have just passed the narrow area. At time t2, the formation change control unit 2500 causes the unmanned boats 1000 that have passed through the narrow area to wait at the exit of the narrow area or in an area nearby. At time t3, all of the unmanned boats 1000 in the unmanned boat group 1010 have passed through the narrow area. At time t3, the unmanned boat group 1010, together with the plurality of unmanned boats 1000 that had been waiting at or near the exit of the narrow area, begin moving from the area near the exit of the narrow area.

[0197] As shown in Figure 25, when passing through a narrow area, all or part of the unmanned vessel group 1010 can be deformed into a long, thin line, making it possible for them to pass through the narrow area. Note that the communication connection of the long, thin line-shaped part of the narrow space formation may be a serial connection configuration in which the unmanned vessels 1000 are communicatively connected to adjacent unmanned vessels 1000 as shown in Figure 25, but serial connection with adjacent unmanned vessels is not necessary, and a communication network configuration in which the unmanned vessels are communicatively connected to any other unmanned vessels within the communication range can also be used.

[0198] Figure 26 is a diagram showing another example of a formation for narrow spaces in the formation pattern of an unmanned boat group 1010.In particular, Figure 26 shows the first narrow space formation determined by the formation determination unit 2320 when an unmanned boat group 1010 is deployed in a narrow space where the area width or area is narrower than a predetermined value, avoiding immobile objects that need to be avoided (coasts) or areas that need to be avoided (congested highways), and passes through the narrow space.

[0199] The example shown in Figure 26 shows the changes in the formation of the unmanned vessel group 1010 at times t1, t2, and t3 when unmanned vessels constituting at least a part of the unmanned vessel group 1010 enter a narrow area inside a bay coastal area and a congested highway area, and the unmanned vessels that have entered the narrow area pass through the narrow area in a formation that maintains a relative distance range that allows wireless communication with at least two or more other unmanned vessels.

[0200] At time t1, an unmanned boat 1000b at the front of the group of unmanned boats 1010 is shown entering a narrow area in a formation that maintains a relative distance that allows communication with the other two or more unmanned boats. At this time, as shown in Figure 26, the unmanned boat 1000 at the front of the group of unmanned boats 1010 may be connected via a wireless communication network to the other two or more unmanned boats within the communication range.

[0201] Also, at time t2, the unmanned vessel 1000b, which is located ahead of the unmanned vessel group 1010 in the direction of travel, has completed passing through the narrow area and moved into the range of direct communication with the terrestrial base station 4000 located near the exit of the narrow area. Here, the formation change control unit 2500 can move the unmanned vessel 1000b into that communication area based on information about the installation location and communication area of ​​the terrestrial base station 4000 acquired by the external information acquisition unit 2120. In this case, the unmanned vessel 1000b, which has moved into the range of direct communication with the terrestrial base station 4000, is assigned the function of a master unit 1001 that relays communications between the ground communication network and the unmanned vessel group 1010.

[0202] Also, at time t3, almost all of the unmanned boats 1000 in the unmanned boat group 1010 have passed through the narrow area. At time t3, the unmanned boat group 1010 merges with the unmanned boats 1000 that have been waiting at or near the exit of the narrow area and the unmanned boats 1000 that have passed through the narrow area, and the unmanned boat group 1010 begins moving from the area near the exit of the narrow area.

[0203] As shown in Figure 26, the formation of the unmanned vessel group 1010 when passing through a narrow area does not necessarily have to be in single file, but may be a zigzag formation as shown in Figure 26, a lattice formation, or other formations such as a diamond or hexagon. Furthermore, by configuring the wireless communication network of the unmanned vessel group 1010 when passing through a narrow area as a redundant network configuration in which communication is connected to multiple other unmanned vessels within communication range, communication connections with all unmanned vessels 1000 in the unmanned vessel group 1010 can be maintained even if some communication connections are lost.

[0204] Furthermore, if there is an area where direct communication with the terrestrial base station 4000 is possible, at least one unmanned vessel 1000 can be moved to that area to relay communication between the terrestrial base station 4000 and other unmanned vessels 1000 in the unmanned vessel group 1010, thereby making it possible to provide redundant communication between the unmanned vessel group 1010 and the ground-side network.

[0205] In the above Figures 24 to 26, an example was explained in which the formation is changed to a narrow space formation when the unmanned boat group 1010 is operating in a narrow, cramped area. However, if the width of the narrow area is not significantly narrower than the width of the branched structure formation, which is the basic shape of the unmanned boat group 1010, the branched structure formation may be kept and changed to a formation with a reduced width to enter or pass through the narrow area.

[0206] Furthermore, if the width of the narrow area is even narrower and it is difficult to enter or pass through the narrow area using a formation with a compressed branching structure shape, the aforementioned approximately V-shaped formation may be used to enter or pass through the narrow area.Also, if the width of the narrow area is even narrower and it is difficult to enter or pass through the narrow area using an approximately V-shaped formation, it may be possible to enter or pass through the narrow area using the narrow space formations shown in Figures 24 to 26.

[0207] The narrow area described above may not only be an area avoiding immobile objects to be avoided or areas to be avoided, but may also be a narrow area in which multiple moving vessels are defined as objects to be avoided based on the distance between the multiple vessels currently sailing based on AIS information, etc., when crossing a highway area where vessels are traveling in close proximity. In this case as well, as described above, it is possible to determine whether or not the unmanned vessel group 1010 needs to change its formation and the formation to be changed based on a comparison between the width of the narrow area and the width of the branched structure formation, which is the basic shape of the unmanned vessel group 1010.

[0208] (A-1-13-5.Series formation for communication) The following describes a serial communication formation when an area exists in which the unmanned boat group 1010 can wirelessly communicate with an external communication network, such as a ground-based network, and the unmanned boat group 1010 communicates with that communication network. Figure 27 shows an example of a serial communication formation in the formation pattern of the unmanned boat group 1010.

[0209] 27 shows an example in which, when a terrestrial base station 4000 connectable to a ground-side communication network is installed on land and a communication area exists where direct wireless communication with the terrestrial base station 4000 is possible, the formation change determination unit 2300 positions at least some of the unmanned vessels 1000a of the unmanned vessel group 1010 in the communication area, and determines that the changed formation will be a communication serial formation in which the unmanned vessel 1000a and the other unmanned vessels 1000 of the unmanned vessel group 1010 are connected in series via a wireless communication network. The formation change control unit 2500 can also move the unmanned vessel 1000a to the communication area based on information about the installation location of the terrestrial base station 4000 and the communication area acquired by the external information acquisition unit 2120.

[0210] In the example shown in Figure 27, an unmanned watercraft 1000a located in a communication area is connected to a parent device 1001 via a wireless communication network configuration in which multiple unmanned watercraft 1000 are connected in series. In this way, by forming a stretched formation of a series-connected network of some of the unmanned watercraft 1010, some of the unmanned watercraft 1000a can be placed in a communication area where they can communicate directly with a terrestrial base station 4000, thereby establishing a communication path with the terrestrial base station 4000. This makes it possible to maintain a communication path when communication with a communication satellite 3000 or the like is not possible, and to achieve communication path redundancy by using this in combination with communication via a communication satellite 3000 or the like.

[0211] (A-1-13-6. Wireless communication network using aircraft 8100 and submersible 8200) 28, an example of configuring a wireless communication network in cooperation with not only the unmanned craft 1000 but also the flying object 8100 and the submersible craft 8200 will be described below. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of a wireless communication network using the flying object 8100 and the submersible craft 8200.

[0212] The example shown in Figure 28 shows an example in which, when each unmanned vessel 1000 in the group of unmanned vessels 1010 is unable to maintain wireless communication using only the wireless communication network between the unmanned vessels 1000, the unmanned vessels 1000 cooperate with an aircraft 8100 or a submarine 8200 to relay wireless communication, thereby connecting each unmanned vessel 1000 in the group of unmanned vessels 1010 to the communication network.

[0213] For example, if direct wireless communication is not possible due to an obstacle between unmanned vessel 1000a and parent vessel 1001 or the long relative distance between unmanned vessel 1000a and parent vessel 1001, and if an air vehicle 8100 capable of communication relay is present, communication relay is performed by air vehicle 8100 to establish a communication connection between unmanned vessel 1000a and parent vessel 1001. Also, if direct wireless communication is not possible due to the long relative distance between unmanned vessel 1000b and unmanned vessel 1000c or other sea conditions, and if a submersible vessel 8200 capable of communication relay is present, communication relay is performed by submersible vessel 8200 to establish a communication connection between unmanned vessel 1000b and unmanned vessel 1000c.

[0214] In this way, the wireless communication network within the unmanned vessel group 1010 can be constructed by partially utilizing communication relays by other mobile bodies such as the air vehicle 8100 and the submersible vessel 8200.

[0215] (A-1-13-7. Changing formation when moving to the activity area) Below, using Figure 29, we will show how the formation of unmanned boat group 1010 changes at times t1, t2, and t3 when unmanned boat group 1010 is released from the coast or elsewhere, moved from the release point to its activity area, and begins activity in the activity area. Figure 29 is a diagram showing an example of a formation change when unmanned boat group 1010 is moved to the activity area.

[0216] At time t1, multiple unmanned vessels 1000 that make up the unmanned vessel group 1010 are released, for example, off the coast. At time t1, the released unmanned vessel 1000 establishes a communication connection with the other unmanned vessels 1000. The released unmanned vessel 1000 also waits near the release point until the release of the unmanned vessels 1000 in the unmanned vessel group 1010 is complete. Note that, so that the released unmanned vessel 1000 can immediately establish a communication connection with the overall control system 2000, it is desirable to release the unmanned vessel 1000 that performs the functions of the master vessel 1001 first or in the first half of the unmanned vessel group 1010, and establish a communication connection with the overall control system 2000 and build a wireless communication network within the unmanned vessel group 1010.

[0217] Next, at time t2, the released group of unmanned boats 1010 are moved together in a compressed formation with the relative distances between the unmanned boats 1000 being relatively short. In this way, when the group of unmanned boats 1010 are moved to the activity area, by moving them in a tight formation rather than a wide formation, the possibility of interference with moving or stationary obstacles is reduced and unnecessary formation changes to avoid the obstacles can be avoided.

[0218] Next, at time t3, after the unmanned craft group 1010 has completed its movement to the activity area, it changes its formation to one with a wider deployment range than the narrow formation it had during movement. Note that the timing for changing the formation from the narrow formation during movement to the wide formation in the activity area is not limited to after the movement to the activity area has been completed, and the formation may also be widened during movement.

[0219] As described above, when the unmanned boat group 1010 is moved from an area such as a release point to an activity area, the formation change decision unit 2300 decides to change the formation so that the boats will be in a narrow formation while moving to the activity area, and that the formation after moving to the activity area will have a wider deployment range than the formation during movement, thereby preventing unnecessary formation changes during movement.

[0220] (A-1-13-8. Formation change process when expanding the formation) Below, several variations of the formation change process when expanding a formation will be explained using Figures 30 and 31. Figure 30 is a diagram showing an example of how a formation changes when expanding a formation by the formation change control unit 2500. In particular, Figure 30 shows how the formation expands at times t1, t2, and t3 in a formation expansion operation in which the distance between unmanned boats 1000 is increased preferentially from positions closest to the parent boat 1001 when expanding a formation from one with a high density of unmanned boats 1000 to one with a low density of unmanned boats 1000.

[0221] At time t1, the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 is the branched structure formation before the formation change began. Next, at time t2, a movement operation is performed to increase the relative distance between unmanned boats 1000, giving priority to positions closer to the parent device 1001, which serves as the hub of the wireless communication network connecting the multiple unmanned boats in the unmanned boat group 1010. Next, at time t3, a movement operation is performed to increase the relative distance between unmanned boats 1000 located farther from the parent device 1001.

[0222] Figure 31 is a diagram showing another example of a formation change when expanding the formation by the formation change control unit 2500. In particular, Figure 31 shows the state at times t1, t2, and t3 of the formation expansion operation, in which the distance between unmanned boats 1000 is increased preferentially from positions farthest from the parent boat 1001, when expanding the formation from one with a high density of unmanned boats 1000 to one with a low density of unmanned boats 1000.

[0223] At time t1, the formation of the unmanned boat group 1010 is the branched structure formation before the formation change began. Next, at time t2, movement operations are performed to increase the relative distance between unmanned boats 1000, giving priority to those located farthest from the parent device 1001, which serves as the hub of the wireless communication network connecting the multiple unmanned boats in the unmanned boat group 1010. Next, at time t3, movement operations are performed to increase the relative distance between unmanned boats 1000 located closer to the parent device 1001.

[0224] In the above embodiment, a control system 1 was described that utilizes a group of unmanned vessels 1010 consisting of multiple unmanned vessels 1000 that operate on the sea or water, but the present invention is not limited to ships such as the unmanned vessel 1000, and can be applied to any unmanned aircraft such as an unmanned aerial vehicle that can move through the air, an unmanned submarine that can move underwater, or an unmanned vehicle that can move on land, or to a group of unmanned vessels consisting of multiple unmanned vessels.

[0225] The above-described embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

[0226] [A-2. Effects of this embodiment] The above-described embodiment allows for more appropriate changes to the formation of a drone group including multiple drones or the communication network configuration within the drone group. For example, by changing the formation of the drone group or the communication network configuration within the drone group based on the status of objects or areas that need to be avoided in the drone group's activity area, or the status of the drone group's operation, including its speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed, or the search rate related to the drone group's operation history, it becomes possible to change the formation and network configuration to suit the environment of the activity area and the status and operation history of the drone group. [Explanation of symbols]

[0227] 1...Control system (system) 100...input device 200...output device 300...Processing device 400...Main storage device 500...Auxiliary storage device 600...Communication device 700...bus 1000...Unmanned boat 1001...Base unit 1002...Sub unit 10021... Primary connection slave unit 10022... Secondary connection slave unit 10023...Tertiary connection slave unit 1010...Unmanned boat group 1100...Measuring unit 1110...Measuring sensor 1120...Measurement control unit 1200...Own aircraft state determination unit 1210...Navigation state determination unit 1220: Internal state determination unit 1230: External state determination unit 1300...Navigation Department 1400...Communication unit 1410...Unmanned vehicle communication unit 1420...Satellite communication unit 1430...External communication unit 1500: Determination unit 1510: Object detection determination unit 1600...Recording section 1610...Measurement data recording section 1620...Own aircraft status recording section 1630...Determination information recording section 2000...Comprehensive control system 2100... Information import unit 2110... Activity area information acquisition unit 2120: External information acquisition unit 2130: Formation pattern acquisition unit 2140: External user input information acquisition unit 2150: Detection information acquisition unit 2200... State determination unit 2210... Detected object analysis unit 2220: Area to be avoided determination unit 2230: Unmanned boat status determination unit 2240…Unmanned boat operation history determination unit 2300…Formation change decision section 2310…Formation change necessity decision section 2320...Formation determination unit 2330...Formation change process determination unit 2400: Communication configuration determination unit 2410: Communication switching necessity determination unit 2420: Communication configuration change determination unit 2430: Communication configuration change process determination unit 2500...Formation change control unit 2510...Formation change execution unit 2520…Formation change interruption decision unit 2530…Formation return execution unit 2540…Formation return interruption determination unit 2600...Command output section 2610...Display section 2620...Control and Command Department 2700...User input reception unit 2800…Ministry of Information and Communications 3000...Communication satellite 4000...Ground base station 5000... Collaborative system 6000... External system 7000...Object 8100...Flying object 8200...submersible

Claims

1. a drone swarm having a plurality of drones; a state determination unit that determines a state related to the activity area of ​​the unmanned aerial vehicle group, a state related to the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle group, or a state related to the operation history of the unmanned aerial vehicle group; a formation change determination unit that determines whether or not a formation change is necessary for the group of unmanned aerial vehicles and / or the formation after the change in accordance with the determination information from the state determination unit; A control system comprising: a command output unit that transmits a control command to the group of unmanned aircraft in accordance with the decision made by the formation change decision unit, or displays information about the control command on a display unit.

2. 2. The control system of claim 1, The formation change determination unit determines a formation change process when changing the formation of the unmanned aerial vehicle group according to the determined changed formation; The command output unit transmits and outputs the control command corresponding to the formation change process to the group of unmanned aircraft, or displays and outputs information regarding the control command from the display unit, a control system.

3. 2. The control system of claim 1, a communication configuration determination unit that determines whether or not a network configuration of a wireless communication network connecting the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles in the unmanned aerial vehicle group needs to be changed, or determines the network configuration after the change, according to the changed formation determined by the formation change determination unit; A control system in which the command output unit transmits and outputs the control command to the group of unmanned aircraft in accordance with the decision made by the communication configuration decision unit, or displays and outputs information about the control command from the display unit.

4. 4. The control system of claim 3, The communication configuration determination unit determines a network configuration change process for changing the network configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle group according to the determined changed network configuration, A control system in which the command output unit transmits and outputs the control command corresponding to the network configuration change process to the group of unmanned aircraft, or displays and outputs information regarding the control command from the display unit.

5. 2. The control system of claim 1, A control system in which the state regarding the activity area of ​​the drone group determined by the state determination unit includes information on moving or stationary objects or areas that need to be avoided in the activity area of ​​the drone group.

6. 6. The control system of claim 5, The formation change determination unit determines whether a formation change is necessary or determines the changed formation based on the relative distance or positional relationship between the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided in the activity area determined by the state determination unit and the group of unmanned aircraft or the unmanned aircraft.

7. 2. The control system of claim 1, A control system in which the state related to the operation of the group of unmanned aircraft determined by the state determination unit includes at least one of the states of the speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed of the unmanned aircraft.

8. 8. The control system of claim 7, A control system in which the formation change determination unit determines whether a formation change is necessary or determines the changed formation depending on the state related to the operation of the group of unmanned aircraft determined by the state determination unit.

9. 2. The control system of claim 1, A control system in which the status regarding the operation history of the group of unmanned aircraft determined by the status determination unit includes a measurement area measured by a measurement sensor installed on the unmanned aircraft, or a measurement time, or a search rate calculated from the measurement area and the measurement time.

10. 10. The control system of claim 9, The formation change determination unit determines whether a formation change is necessary or determines the changed formation based on the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle group's operation history determined by the state determination unit.

11. 6. The control system of claim 5, When the group of unmanned aerial vehicles is deployed in a narrow area where the area width or area avoiding the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided is narrower than a predetermined value, The formation change determination unit determines a narrow space formation as the changed formation, in which multiple unmanned aircraft constituting at least a portion of the unmanned aircraft group are arranged in a line within the narrow space area.

12. 6. The control system of claim 5, When the group of unmanned aerial vehicles is deployed in a narrow area where the area width or area avoiding the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided is narrower than a predetermined value, The formation change determination unit determines, as the changed formation, a first narrow space formation in which a first unmanned aircraft constituting at least a part of the group of unmanned aircraft maintains a relative distance range in which it can wirelessly communicate with at least two or more other second unmanned aircraft.

13. 13. The control system of claim 12, A control system, wherein the first narrow space formation is a formation in which a wireless communication network is connected between the first unmanned aerial vehicle and at least two or more second unmanned aerial vehicles, the second unmanned aerial vehicles being maintained within a relative distance range where wireless communication is possible.

14. 2. The control system of claim 1, When there is a communication area where wireless communication with an external communication network is possible, A control system in which the formation change determination unit determines, as the changed formation, a communication serial formation in which a first unmanned aircraft, which is at least a part of the group of unmanned aircraft deployed in the communication area, and a second unmanned aircraft, which is another part of the group of unmanned aircraft, are connected in series via a wireless communication network.

15. 6. The control system of claim 5, When the state determination unit detects the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided ahead in the direction of travel of the group of unmanned aerial vehicles, or when the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided approaching the group of unmanned aerial vehicles is detected, The formation change determination unit determines an avoidance formation that avoids the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided as the changed formation.

16. 16. The control system of claim 15, The avoidance formation is a separation avoidance formation that separates at least a portion of the group of drones so that the relative distance between some of the drones in the group increases from the relative distance between other parts of the drones.

17. 16. The control system of claim 15, The avoidance formation is a compressed avoidance formation in which at least a portion of the formation of the unmanned aerial vehicles is compressed so that the formation width when viewed from at least one direction is narrowed.

18. 8. The control system of claim 7, When at least one of the speed, acceleration, deceleration, and turning speed of the unmanned aircraft determined by the state determination unit exceeds a predetermined range, The formation change determination unit determines a compressed formation in which at least a portion of the formation of the unmanned aerial vehicles is compressed as the changed formation, a control system.

19. 2. The control system of claim 1, When moving the group of unmanned aerial vehicles, The formation change determination unit determines the post-change formation to be an approximately V-shaped formation with the direction of travel of the group of unmanned aerial vehicles as its vertex.

20. 20. The control system of claim 19, The approximately V-shaped formation is a formation in which some of the drones in the group are arranged in an inner area of ​​an approximately V-shaped area, and the drones are connected to multiple other drones via a wireless communication network.

21. 2. The control system of claim 1, When moving the unmanned aerial vehicle group to the operation area, The formation change determination unit determines that the formation during movement to the activity area will be a first formation, and that the formation after movement to the activity area will be a second formation with a wider deployment range than the first formation.

22. 2. The control system of claim 1, When acquiring measurement data by the measurement sensor of the unmanned aircraft, The formation change determination unit determines the changed formation as a parent unit of the unmanned aircraft that serves as the hub of a wireless communication network connecting multiple unmanned aircraft within the unmanned aircraft group, and a branched connection formation in which the communication path of the wireless communication network branches off from the parent unit into multiple paths.

23. 3. The control system of claim 2, a formation change controller that controls the formation change of the unmanned aerial vehicles in response to the formation change process.

24. 24. The control system of claim 23, The formation change control unit is a control system that interrupts the formation change, returns to the formation before the change, or performs a movement operation to narrow the distance between the drones, depending on the communication status of the wireless communication network that connects the drones in the group.

25. 24. The control system of claim 23, the fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles includes a first unmanned aerial vehicle, a second unmanned aerial vehicle, and a third unmanned aerial vehicle; When the unmanned aerial vehicle connected to the first unmanned aerial vehicle via a wireless communication network is switched from the second unmanned aerial vehicle to the third unmanned aerial vehicle, The formation change control unit connects wireless communication between the first unmanned aircraft and the third unmanned aircraft and disconnects wireless communication between the first unmanned aircraft and the second unmanned aircraft when both the second unmanned aircraft and the third unmanned aircraft are located within a distance range in which they can communicate wirelessly with the first unmanned aircraft.

26. 24. The control system of claim 23, When changing the formation of the group of unmanned aerial vehicles from a first formation to a second formation in which the deployment density of the unmanned aerial vehicles is lower than that of the first formation, The formation change control unit is a control system that performs movement operations to increase the relative distance between the multiple drones, prioritizing positions closer to the parent drone, which serves as the hub of a wireless communication network connecting the multiple drones in the group.

27. 24. The control system of claim 23, When changing the formation of the group of unmanned aerial vehicles from a first formation to a second formation in which the deployment density of the unmanned aerial vehicles is lower than that of the first formation, The formation change control unit is a control system that performs movement operations to increase the relative distance between the multiple drones, prioritizing positions farthest from the parent drone, which serves as the hub of a wireless communication network connecting the multiple drones in the group.

28. 24. The control system of claim 23, The state regarding the activity area of ​​the drone group determined by the state determination unit includes information on moving or immobile objects or areas that need to be avoided in the activity area of ​​the drone group, When the group of unmanned aircraft passes through a narrow area that is narrower than a predetermined width or a predetermined area and avoids the object to be avoided or the area to be avoided, and a first unmanned aircraft that is part of the group of unmanned aircraft has completed passing through the narrow area, and a second unmanned aircraft that is another part of the group of unmanned aircraft is passing through or has not yet passed through the narrow area, The formation change control unit is a control system that performs an operation to cause the first unmanned craft, which has passed through the narrow area, to wait at the exit of the narrow area or in an area surrounding the exit.

29. 1. A method for controlling a system including a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles, the fleet including a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, the method comprising: The computer a state determination step of determining a state related to the operating area of ​​the unmanned aerial vehicle group, a state related to the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle group, or a state related to the operation history of the unmanned aerial vehicle group; a formation change determination step for determining whether or not a formation change of the unmanned aerial vehicles is necessary and / or the formation after the change, based on the information determined by the state determination step; a command output step of transmitting a control command to the group of unmanned aerial vehicles according to the content determined by the formation change determination step, or displaying information about the control command on a display unit; A control method for performing

30. A program usable for a system having a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles, the program comprising: On the computer, a state determination command for determining a state related to the operating area of ​​the unmanned aerial vehicle group, or a state related to the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle group, or a state related to the operation history of the unmanned aerial vehicle group; a formation change decision command that determines whether or not a formation change is necessary for the group of unmanned aerial vehicles and / or the changed formation according to the determination information from the state determination command; a command output command to transmit a control command corresponding to the content of the determination made by the formation change determination command to the unmanned aerial vehicle group, or to display and output information about the control command from a display unit; A program that executes the following.

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