Information control system, information control method, or program

Abstract

This system provides an information processing system that can appropriately perform evasive maneuvers to avoid collisions between multiple aircraft. [Solution] An information processing system for controlling the actions of one or more aircraft located in a predetermined target airspace area or a predetermined target takeoff and landing area, comprising: an aircraft information acquisition unit that acquires aircraft information that changes over time, which includes information about the aircraft's state, operating state and flight purpose, of an aircraft located in the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area; a priority determination unit that updates the priority of an aircraft based on the changing aircraft information; a movement information acquisition unit that acquires movement information such as the aircraft's planned flight path; an arbitration unit that determines one or more first aircraft from among multiple aircraft that require evasive action based on a comparison of the priorities of multiple aircraft; and a communication unit that transmits information regarding evasive action to the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, etc.

Description

Technical Field

[0005]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information control system, an information control method, or a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for detecting another aircraft (10A) existing within a predetermined range from an aircraft (10B), determining the possibility of a collision between the aircraft (10B) and the other aircraft (10A) based on an attribute related to the movement of the other aircraft (10A), and controlling the flight of the aircraft (10B) according to the specified type to avoid a collision with the other aircraft (10A) when it is determined that there is a possibility of a collision.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, in emergency situations such as the occurrence of natural disasters, there has been an increasing need to fly aircraft such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the airspace near the disaster site for various purposes such as on-site investigations, emergency medical transportation, reporting, firefighting, and rescue. In such emergency situations, in the airspace area near the disaster site and the takeoff / landing area, a large number of aircraft for various purposes fly densely, so it is required to perform flight control including appropriate mediation such as priority flight among these aircraft.

[0005] <000T028>Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for avoiding collisions between aircraft as described above, specifically a method of performing collision avoidance maneuvers between aircraft based on a predetermined priority for each aircraft operating on regular peacetime routes. However, unlike normal aircraft operations, in emergencies such as disasters, aircraft for various purposes such as on-site surveys, emergency medical transport, news reporting, firefighting, and rescue operations fly in close proximity to the scene, and the status of each aircraft, including its flight purpose and flight plan, changes moment by moment. Thus, even in situations where the status of aircraft changes moment by moment, it is necessary to appropriately mediate between each aircraft and avoid collisions.

[0006] Furthermore, unlike normal aircraft operations, in emergencies such as disasters, the flight paths of aircraft may not be predetermined, and even predetermined flight paths may be changed. Therefore, it is not possible to predict interference between aircraft in advance. In addition, it may take time to determine which aircraft will take evasive action to avoid a collision, and mediation negotiations with the aircraft's pilot may be necessary. For this reason, it is essential to properly control aircraft during such mediation periods and to conduct mediation negotiations with pilots quickly.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of at least one of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an information processing system, information processing method, or program that can appropriately perform collision avoidance maneuvers between multiple aircraft. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, an information processing system for controlling the actions of one or more aircraft present in a target airspace area or a target takeoff and landing area includes: an aircraft information acquisition unit that acquires aircraft information that changes over time, which includes information on the aircraft state, operational state and flight purpose of an aircraft that is flying in or is expected to enter the target airspace area, or an aircraft that is present in or is expected to enter the target takeoff and landing area; and a priority determination unit that updates the priority of the aircraft based on the changing aircraft information. The information processing system includes: a movement information acquisition unit that acquires movement information relating to at least one of the planned flight path, planned takeoff and landing position, and current or past flight path of the aircraft; an arbitration unit that determines one or more first aircraft from among the multiple aircraft that require avoidance action based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft; and a communication unit that transmits information relating to the avoidance action to at least one of the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, other aircraft present in the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area, the pilot terminal of the other aircraft, and terminals of persons concerned with the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, collision avoidance maneuvers can be appropriately performed to avoid collisions between multiple flying objects. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is an overall configuration diagram of an information control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a configuration diagram showing the main functions of the control base system 2000. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a means of communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001. [Figure 4] This is a functional block diagram showing the main functions of the manned aircraft 3001. [Figure 5] This is a functional block diagram of the UTM4200. [Figure 6]It is a functional block diagram of ATM4300. [Figure 7] It is a functional block diagram of the airframe operation operating system 2200 of the control center system 2000. [Figure 8] It is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the airspace monitoring system 4100. [Figure 9] It is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the information control system 1. [Figure 10] It is a sequence diagram showing the operation processing of the information control system 1. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of the prior information that the airspace monitoring system 4100 acquires in advance. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart showing the aircraft detection processing flow by the aircraft detection determination unit 4110. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an example of the aircraft information acquired by the aircraft information acquisition unit 4120. [Figure 14] It is a flowchart showing the interference prediction determination processing flow by the interference determination unit 4150. [Figure 15] It is a flowchart showing the mediation processing flow by the mediation unit 4160. [Figure 16] It is a flowchart showing the transmission processing flow of the command of the mediation result and the notification information by the communication unit 4180. [Figure 17] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the airspace monitoring system 4100 and the like.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] The contents of the embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described. The present invention has the following configuration. [Item 1] An information processing system for controlling the operations of one or more aircraft existing in a target airspace area or a target departure / arrival area, Information on at least one of the aircraft state, operating state, and flight purpose of an aircraft that is flying or expected to enter the target airspace area in the future, or an aircraft that is present in or expected to enter the target departure / arrival area in the future, and which changes over time, and an aircraft information acquisition unit that acquires the aircraft information; A priority determination unit that updates the priority of the aircraft based on the changing aircraft information; A movement information acquisition unit that acquires movement information regarding at least one of the flight planned route of the aircraft, the planned departure / arrival position, and the flight route of the aircraft at present or in the past; A mediation unit that determines one or more first aircraft that require an avoidance operation from a plurality of the aircraft based on a comparison of the priorities of the plurality of the aircraft; An information processing system including a communication unit that transmits information regarding the avoidance operation to at least one of the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, other aircraft present in the target airspace area or the target departure / arrival area, the pilot terminals of the other aircraft, and the terminal of a person concerned regarding the target airspace area or the target departure / arrival area. [Item 2] The information processing system according to Item 1, wherein the aircraft information acquired by the aircraft information acquisition unit includes information regarding the aircraft state regarding at least one of an abnormality, a failure, the remaining fuel amount, and the charge amount of the power storage device of the aircraft. [Item 3] The information processing system according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the aircraft information acquired by the aircraft information acquisition unit includes information regarding the flight purpose of the aircraft including at least one of measurement data acquisition of a predetermined area, transportation of luggage or people to the predetermined area, output of voice, light, or display information in the predetermined area, and evacuation guidance in the predetermined area. [Item 4] The information processing system according to any one of Items 1 to 3, wherein An information processing system that updates the information regarding the flight purpose during the control of the aircraft in accordance with information input from the pilot of the aircraft or an external system. [Item 5] An information processing system as described in any of items 1 to 4, The information processing system includes, in which the aircraft information acquired by the aircraft information acquisition unit includes information regarding the operating state of the aircraft, including at least one of the following: moving towards a target area, performing the flight objective, returning after the completion of the flight objective, and waiting for a command for the flight objective. [Item 6] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 5, The system includes an interference determination unit that determines a plurality of aircraft that may interfere with each other based on the movement information acquired by the movement information acquisition unit, The interference determination unit predicts or determines the predicted time-series movement position of the aircraft during flight or takeoff / landing in the target airspace area or the target takeoff / landing area, based on the movement information acquired by the movement information acquisition unit. An information processing system that determines interference of the predicted movement positions in at least one of the target airspace area and the target takeoff and landing area, based on the predicted movement positions in the time series. [Item 7] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 6, The interference determination unit is an information processing system that determines interference exists based on the time-series predicted movement positions of multiple aircraft when the time difference between the date and time when the predicted movement positions are less than or equal to a predetermined distance is less than or equal to a predetermined time, or when other aircraft are present in the planned landing position or the takeoff and landing airspace to the planned landing position. [Item 8] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 7, The arbitration unit is an information processing system that compares the priorities of a plurality of aircraft updated by the priority determination unit and determines the aircraft whose priority is lower than that of other aircraft, or whose priority is lower than that of other aircraft by a predetermined value or more, as the first aircraft requiring the avoidance action. [Item 9] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 8, An operator display unit that displays and outputs the aircraft information to the operator of the information control system, The system includes an operator input receiving unit that receives input information from the operator of the information control system, The arbitration unit is an information processing system that determines the first flying object requiring avoidance action based on the operator input information obtained by the operator input reception unit. [Item 10] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 9, An information processing system in which, if the mediation unit compares the priorities of a plurality of aircraft updated by the priority determination unit and determines that the priorities are substantially the same, the difference in priorities is within a predetermined range, or other mediation criteria are met, the communication unit transmits information regarding mediation negotiations to the plurality of aircraft or the pilot terminals of the aircraft. [Item 11] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 10, An operator display unit that displays and outputs the aircraft information to the operator of the information control system, The system includes an operator input receiving unit that receives input information from the operator of the information control system, An information processing system in which, as a result of the mediation unit comparing the priorities of a plurality of aircraft updated by the priority determination unit, the operator display unit displays information regarding mediation negotiations when it determines that the priorities are substantially the same, the difference in priorities is within a predetermined range, or other mediation criteria are met. [Item 12] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 11, The communication unit is an information processing system that transmits requests for additional information and inquiry information regarding the permissibility of the avoidance maneuver to multiple aircraft or the control terminals of the aircraft. [Item 13] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 12, When the arbitration unit decides to wait as the avoidance action for the first aircraft, Information processing system in which the information regarding the avoidance operation transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft includes information regarding the standby operation of the first aircraft, which includes standby in flight, standby in landing, or standby in a pre-takeoff state. [Item 14] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 13, When the arbitration unit decides to have the first aircraft stand still as the avoidance action, Information processing system in which the information regarding the avoidance action transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft includes information regarding the flight standby action of the first aircraft, which includes any of the following: circling flight standby, altitude change flight standby, or hovering flight standby. [Item 15] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 14, The arbitration unit, based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft, determines from the multiple aircraft one or more second aircraft that do not require the avoidance maneuver, An information processing system in which the information regarding the avoidance action transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft includes information regarding the aircraft of the second aircraft for which it has been determined that the avoidance action is unnecessary. [Item 16] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 15, When the arbitration unit determines that the avoidance action required for the first aircraft is to wait, An information processing system in which the information regarding the avoidance operation transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft includes information regarding the predicted waiting time of the first aircraft. [Item 17] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 16, The arbitration unit, based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft, determines from the multiple aircraft one or more second aircraft that do not require the avoidance maneuver, The communication unit transmits information regarding operation commands to the second aircraft or the pilot terminal of the second aircraft. An information processing system in which the information relating to the operation commands for the second aircraft includes information relating to any of the following: flight commands, flight speed commands, flight altitude commands, flight time limits, landing commands, landing time limits, takeoff commands, or takeoff time limits. [Item 18] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 17, The arbitration unit, based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft, determines from the multiple aircraft one or more second aircraft that do not require the avoidance maneuver, The communication unit transmits information regarding the first aircraft to the second aircraft or the pilot terminal of the second aircraft. An information processing system that transmits information about the first aircraft to the second aircraft, including information about the type of the first aircraft, the pre-arrangement action plan of the first aircraft, and information about the avoidance action of the first aircraft. [Item 19] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 18, During the arbitration process in which the arbitration unit determines the first flying object, Information processing system wherein the communication unit transmits information regarding waiting operations during arbitration, including waiting for flight, waiting for landing, or waiting before takeoff, as a waiting operation during the execution of the arbitration process, to at least one of the following: the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, other aircraft located in the target airspace area or the target takeoff / landing area, the pilot terminal of the other aircraft, or terminals of persons involved in the target airspace area or the target takeoff / landing area. [Item 20] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 19, If the current flight path or operating state of the first aircraft differs from the standby operation of the first aircraft transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, The communication unit is an information processing system that transmits warning information to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, or retransmits information regarding the avoidance action. [Item 21] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 20, If the current flight path or operating state of the first aircraft differs from the standby operation of the first aircraft transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, The aforementioned communication unit is an information processing system that notifies other aircraft other than the first aircraft within the target airspace area, or the pilot terminals of those other aircraft, of a standby command or an evacuation command. [Item 22] An information processing system described in any of items 1 to 21, During the arbitration process in which the arbitration unit determines the first flying object, The communication unit is an information processing system that notifies other aircraft in the target airspace area other than the multiple aircraft whose flight paths interfere with each other, or the pilot terminals of the other aircraft, of information regarding the aircraft subject to arbitration processing. [Item 23] An information processing system as described in any of items 1 to 22, To at least one of the following: the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, other aircraft located in the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area, the pilot terminal of the other aircraft, or the terminals of persons concerned with the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area, If the arbitration unit is in the process of determining the first aircraft, the communication unit transmits information indicating that the arbitration process is in progress. Alternatively, an information processing system that transmits information indicating that the mediation process has been completed by the mediation unit when the mediation process is completed. [Item 24] An information processing method for controlling the movements of one or more aircraft located in a predetermined target airspace area or a predetermined target takeoff and landing area, Computers An aircraft information acquisition step involves acquiring aircraft information that changes over time, relating to at least one of the aircraft's state, operating state, and flight purpose, for an aircraft that is flying in or is expected to enter the aforementioned target airspace area, or an aircraft that is present in or is expected to enter the aforementioned target takeoff and landing area. A priority determination step in which the priority of the aircraft is updated based on the changing aircraft information, A movement information acquisition step involves acquiring movement information relating to at least one of the aircraft's planned flight path, planned takeoff and landing position, and current or past flight path. An arbitration step in which, based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft, one or more first aircraft from the multiple aircraft that require evasive action, An information processing method that performs a communication step of transmitting information regarding the avoidance operation to at least one of the following: the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, another aircraft located in the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area, the pilot terminal of the other aircraft, or a terminal of a person concerned with the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area. [Item 25] A program for controlling the movements of one or more aircraft located in a designated target airspace area or a designated target takeoff and landing area, On the computer, An aircraft information acquisition command obtains aircraft information that changes over time, regarding an aircraft that is flying in or is expected to enter the aforementioned target airspace area, or an aircraft that is present in or is expected to enter the aforementioned target takeoff and landing area, and which has information regarding at least one of its aircraft status, operating status, and flight purpose. A priority determination command that updates the priority of the aircraft based on the changing aircraft information, A movement information acquisition command for acquiring movement information regarding at least any one of the planned flight route of the aircraft, the planned takeoff / landing position, and the current or past flight route of the aircraft, A mediation command for determining one or more first aircraft that require an avoidance operation from a plurality of aircraft based on the comparison of the priorities of the plurality of aircraft, A program for executing a communication command to transmit information regarding the avoidance operation to at least any one of the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, other aircraft present in the target airspace area or the target takeoff / landing area, the pilot terminals of the other aircraft, and the terminal of the person concerned regarding the target airspace area or the target takeoff / landing area.

[0012] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying 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. One Embodiment> [A-1. Configuration] (A-1-1. Overview) FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information control system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "system 1") according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the information control system 1 includes an unmanned aircraft 1000, a control base system 2000, a manned aircraft 3000, a control system 4000, and a spatial information data utilization system 5000. Further, the control system 4000 has an airspace monitoring system 4100, an unmanned aircraft operation management system (UAS Traffic Management (hereinafter also referred to as "UTM")) 4200, and an air traffic management system (Air Traffic Management (hereinafter also referred to as "ATM")) 4300.

[0014] Various aircraft and other flying objects, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) 1000 and manned aerial vehicles (UAVs) 3000, fly within the airspace area controlled by the control system 4000. Furthermore, the UAVs 1000 (UAVs 1001 and 1002) are controlled based on control commands received via wireless communication from the control base system 2000 and remote control terminals 2002. The UAVs 1000 and manned aerial vehicles 3000 include objects that fly for various purposes and objectives. For example, an object intended to collect measurement data from a target area is equipped with sensors such as optical cameras, infrared cameras, and laser sensors including LiDAR, and uses these sensors to acquire information about the target area from above as measurement data. Additionally, objects flown for disaster relief purposes have the capability and functionality to transport victims, and objects flown for the purpose of transporting medical supplies have the capability and functionality to transport supplies.

[0015] The control base system 2000 receives flight status information from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001, which is the target of control, via control communication, and transmits flight control commands to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 to remotely control its flight. The control base system 2000 also has the function of receiving measurement data acquired by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 via measurement data communication and transmitting the received measurement data to the spatial information data utilization system 5000, which will be described later. The control base system 2000 is not limited to fixed structures, but can also be composed of movable vehicles, ships, or aircraft.

[0016] The airspace surveillance system 4100 is a system that monitors a target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area and detects one or more aircraft (including unmanned aircraft 1000 and manned aircraft 3000) present in the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area. The airspace surveillance system 4100 has the function of constantly detecting aircraft flying in the airspace using aircraft detection devices such as radar and sonar. In addition, the airspace surveillance system 4100 acquires various information about the aircraft and flight status of the unmanned aircraft 1000 and manned aircraft 3000 via the UTM 4200 and ATM 4300 described later. The detailed functions of the airspace surveillance system 4100 will be described later.

[0017] The UTM4200 is a system commonly known as an Unmanned Aircraft Traffic Management (UAS) system. Its purpose is to ensure the safe and efficient operation of 1000 unmanned aircraft within its designated airspace by collecting aircraft information, weather information, and other data within the airspace. This information is then shared with the 1000 unmanned aircraft via wireless communication, thereby preventing accidents and other incidents involving the 1000 unmanned aircraft. Further details will be provided later.

[0018] The ATM4300 is a system commonly known as an Air Traffic Management system. Its purpose is to ensure the safe and efficient operation of 3000 manned aircraft within its designated airspace by collecting information on 3000 manned aircraft, weather information, and other relevant data. This information is then shared with the 3000 manned aircraft via radio communication, thereby preventing accidents and other incidents involving them. Further details will be provided later.

[0019] The spatial information data utilization system 5000 is connected to the control base system 2000 by wired or wireless communication and receives measurement data acquired by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1000 from the control base system 2000. The spatial information data utilization system 5000 processes the received measurement data to make it easier for users to understand the state of the measurement target area, and provides the processed data to user terminals, etc. For example, if the measurement data is an image measured by an optical camera or infrared camera, it generates a wide-area image by stitching together multiple images, or a wide-area orthorectified image by orthorectifying and stitching together multiple images, or a map image by integrating the wide-area image or wide-area orthorectified image with geographic information. Also, if the measurement data is point cloud data acquired by a laser sensor, it processes the point cloud data to generate three-dimensional spatial data represented by a Digital Surface Model (DSM) or Digital Elevation Model (DEM), or a map image by integrating the three-dimensional spatial data with geographic information.

[0020] Furthermore, the spatial information data utilization system 5000 may have a function to estimate and display the time when the data processing described above will be completed. In addition, when utilizing satellite measurement data acquired by artificial satellites as well as aerial measurement data acquired by aircraft, both types of data can be combined and displayed in a way that allows for identification. It is also possible to display the processed information of the data acquired earlier (for example, satellite measurement data) first, and then update and display the processed information of the data acquired later. Furthermore, the aerial measurement data and satellite measurement data may each be displayed on a timeline based on the measurement time. The spatial information data utilization system 5000 can also acquire information regarding the planned update schedule and update completion of the wide-area aerial image area from the pilot base system 2000 and display this information.

[0021] Furthermore, the wired or wireless communication between each component of the information control system 1 shown in Figure 1 (unmanned aircraft 1000, control base system 2000, manned aircraft 3000, airspace monitoring system 4100, UTM 4200, ATM 4300, spatial information data utilization system 5000) may be interconnected via a communication network such as an internet line or a communication method such as LTE. Each wireless communication may constitute a dedicated wireless communication network or utilize existing wireless infrastructure. In addition, the control communication for sending and receiving the control-related information described above (e.g., Command and Control link) and the measurement data communication for sending and receiving measurement data (e.g., payload link) are each assigned a different communication frequency band or a different communication path and communicated via a different wireless communication link.

[0022] (A-1-2. Overview of the Control Base System 2000) Next, the main functions of the control base system 2000 and its communication connectivity with other systems will be explained. Figure 2 is a configuration diagram showing the main functions of the control base system 2000. The control base system 2000 includes a communication infrastructure management system 2100, an aircraft operation operation system 2200, an operation management system 2300, and an acquired data management system 2400.

[0023] The communication infrastructure management system 2100 has a communication function to transmit control-related information, including control command information and flight status information, and other information such as measurement data, directly or via the communication satellite 8000 to the unmanned aircraft 1001, which is the target of the control base system 2000. It may also have a communication function to receive detection position information and flight status information of aircraft within the monitored airspace from the airspace monitoring system 4100. Furthermore, it has a communication function to transmit information such as measurement data to the spatial information data utilization system 5000. The communication infrastructure management system 2100 may also have a function to determine the communication connection status and a means for switching communication means. Specifically, it can monitor the communication loss status, communication strength, and communication speed status, and determine a suitable communication means according to the stability and speed required for communication, and execute a switch to that communication means. The communication processing may be, for example, parallel transmission or switching transmission.

[0024] The aircraft operation system 2200 is a system that controls the unmanned aircraft 1001 by generating a flight mission for the unmanned aircraft 1001 to be remotely controlled, acquiring the real-time flight status (including position and speed) of the unmanned aircraft 1001, and transmitting control target values ​​to the unmanned aircraft 1001 as control commands. The flight mission is, for example, a control command that includes the movement path and movement speed of the unmanned aircraft 1001. In addition, the aircraft operation system 2200 can receive input from the pilot regarding mediation negotiations when mediation negotiations with other aircraft are necessary.

[0025] The flight management system 2300 is a system that makes decisions and gives instructions for the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 to be controlled. The flight management system 2500 plans the operations of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001, including sensing and flight, and transmits the plan to the aircraft operation system 2200, causing the aircraft operation system 2200 to generate flight missions and the like according to the plan.

[0026] The acquired data management system 2400 is a system that manages measurement data acquired by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 that is being controlled. Specifically, it performs the following actions on the vast amount of measurement data acquired via the communication infrastructure management system 2100: determining whether or not the measurement data contains defective data, recording the measurement data, and determining whether or not to transmit the measurement data to the spatial information data utilization system 5000.

[0027] (A-1-3. Overview of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle 1001) Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 will be described. Figure 3 is a functional block diagram showing the main functions of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001. In this specification, "flying vehicle" refers to all flying vehicles that have flight capabilities, regardless of the means of power (electricity, prime mover, etc.), control method (wireless or wired, fully autonomous or partially manual control, etc.), and whether they are manned or unmanned. Furthermore, "unmanned aerial vehicle" refers to an unmanned flying vehicle, and may be referred to as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), multicopter, RPAS (Remote Piloted Aircraft System), or UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System), etc.

[0028] The unmanned aerial vehicle 1000 is an unmanned aircraft or other unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 may be a fixed-wing aircraft, a rotary-wing aircraft, or a vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL) equipped with both fixed wings and rotary wings. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 comprises a flight unit 1100, a measurement unit 1200, a communication unit 1300, a self-state determination unit 1400, and an aerial vehicle information recording unit 1500.

[0029] (A-1-3-1. Flight Unit 1100) The flight unit 1100 is a functional unit that flies the unmanned aircraft 1001 and includes a self-position measurement unit 1110, an attitude measurement unit 1120, a flight control unit 1130, and an other aircraft detection unit 1140.

[0030] The self-position measurement unit 1110 measures the aircraft's position (absolute position). The self-position measurement unit 1110 is not particularly limited, but for example, it measures its current position using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GPS (Global Positioning System), etc. As a method for measuring the self-position, for example, RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System) can also be used. The position information includes at least two-dimensional coordinate information in a planar view (e.g., latitude, longitude), and preferably three-dimensional coordinate information including altitude information. Note that the self-position measurement unit 1110 may measure information such as velocity and acceleration, not just the aircraft's position.

[0031] The attitude measurement unit 1120 measures the attitude (orientation) of the aircraft. The attitude measurement unit 1120 measures the current orientation of the aircraft using, for example, a geomagnetic sensor, a GNSS compass, etc. The attitude information includes at least the attitude angle (azimuth) in a plan view around the Z axis, and preferably includes attitude information around the three axes of the X, Y, and Z axes. The attitude measurement unit 1120 may also measure information on angular velocity and angular acceleration, not just the attitude of the aircraft.

[0032] The flight control unit 1130 is a mechanism and function unit that causes the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 to fly, and generates thrust in the airframe to lift the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 and move it in a desired direction. The flight control unit 1130 has a processing unit also called a flight controller. The processing unit may have one or more processors such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), MPU, or DSP). The processing unit has access to memory (storage unit). The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that the processing unit can execute to perform one or more steps.

[0033] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001. For example, the control module adjusts the spatial arrangement, attitude angle, angular velocity, angular acceleration, angular jerk velocity, and / or acceleration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001, which has six degrees of freedom (translational motion x, y, and z, and rotational motion θx, θy, and θz). In other words, the flight control unit 1130 causes the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 to perform various operations such as lift-off, forward movement, turning, and landing, and controls the attitude angle and flight movements of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 from takeoff through flight and landing.

[0034] The flight control unit 1130 can control the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 based on an autonomous flight program acquired from, for example, the aircraft operation system 2200. The flight control unit 1130 can also control the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 by controlling the motors based on various information such as the measurement target area, flight permission / prohibition area, corresponding flight geofence information, map information including 2D or 3D map data, the current position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001, attitude information (heading information), speed information, and acceleration information, as well as any combination thereof.

[0035] The other aircraft detection unit 1140 is a functional unit that detects manned aircraft 3000 or other unmanned aircraft flying in the airspace surrounding the aircraft. The other aircraft detection unit 1150 detects other aircraft using sensors such as radar and laser (LiDAR).

[0036] (A-1-3-2. Measurement unit 1200) The measurement unit 1200 is a functional unit that acquires information about the area to be measured using the measurement sensor 1210. The measurement unit 1200 comprises the measurement sensor 1210, the sensor attitude control unit 1220, and the sensor control unit 1230.

[0037] The measurement sensor 1210 consists of, for example, an optical camera for acquiring optical images, an infrared camera for acquiring infrared images, a laser sensor such as LiDAR for acquiring point cloud data, and a radar sensor. The measurement sensor 1210 acquires optical images, infrared images, and point cloud data of the ground surface of the area to be measured from above the area to be measured as measurement data.

[0038] The sensor attitude control unit 1220 controls the attitude angle of at least one of the three axes of the measurement sensor 1210 relative to the body of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 by operating an attitude changing device such as a gimbal that supports the measurement sensor. The sensor attitude control unit 1220 may control either or both the pitch angle relative to the horizontal attitude of the aircraft and the yaw angle relative to a predetermined reference direction. The sensor attitude control unit 1220 controls the orientation of the measurement sensor 1210 by adjusting the sensor attitude changing device so that the measurement target area can be photographed from a pre-set flight path.

[0039] The sensor control unit 1230 controls the measurement parameters of the measurement sensor 1210, such as the timing of data acquisition and the zoom amount. The sensor control unit 1230 controls the measurement sensor 1210 so that images are taken according to pre-set measurement conditions such as data acquisition timing and zoom amount. For example, if the measurement sensor is an optical camera, the sensor control unit 1230 may also control the image acquisition timing, shutter speed, resolution, etc.

[0040] (A-1-3-3. Communications Department 1300) The communication unit 1300 includes a radio communication module capable of radio communication. The communication unit 1300 also comprises a UTM communication unit 1310 for communicating with the UTM 4200, a monitoring system communication unit 1320 for communicating with the airspace monitoring system 4100, and a base station communication unit 1330 for communicating directly with the control base system 2000 or via the communication satellite 8000. Each of these communication units can utilize wireless communication via a communication network NW, or direct wireless communication using Wi-Fi, 2.4GHz, or 5.6-5.8GHz frequency bands. The communication unit 1300 can utilize a communication network NW that utilizes a communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution).

[0041] The UTM communication unit 1310 transmits control status information, such as measurement information including the self-position measured by the self-position measurement unit 1110 and measurement information of the aircraft's attitude measured by the attitude measurement unit 1120, to the UTM 4200, and receives flight commands and other information from the UTM 4200.

[0042] The monitoring system communication unit 1320 transmits, for example, measurement information such as the self-position measured by the self-position measurement unit 1110 and control status information such as the aircraft attitude measured by the attitude measurement unit 1120 to the airspace monitoring system 4100, and receives information on the operation of other aircraft within the monitored airspace from the airspace monitoring system 4100.

[0043] The base communication unit 1330 transmits control status information, such as measurement information including the self-position measured by the self-position measurement unit 1110 and measurement information regarding the aircraft's attitude measured by the attitude measurement unit 1120, to the control base system 2000. It also receives flight control commands for the flight control unit 1130, sensor attitude control commands for the sensor attitude control unit 1220, and sensor control commands for the sensor control unit 1230 from the control base system 2000. The base communication unit 1330 also transmits measurement data (optical images, infrared images, point cloud data, etc. of the ground surface of the measurement target area, etc.) measured by the measurement unit 1200 of the unmanned aircraft 1001 to the control base system 2000.

[0044] (A-1-3-4. Player's status determination unit 1400) The aircraft status determination unit 1400 is a functional unit that determines the aircraft's operational status (e.g., in emergency operation, rushing to the scene, waiting for work instructions, returning after work completion), as well as its internal status, including fuel depletion, equipment failure or abnormalities within the aircraft. The aircraft's operational status may be received from the control base system 2000 or determined by the aircraft itself.

[0045] (A-1-3-5. Aircraft Information Recording Unit 1500) The aircraft information recording unit 1500 comprises an aircraft type information recording unit 1510, a work status recording unit 1520, an aircraft status recording unit 1530, and a flight plan recording unit 1540. The aircraft type information recording unit 1510 records information about the aircraft type, including whether it is a manned or unmanned aircraft, and aircraft specifications, including the size and weight of the aircraft. The work status recording unit 1520 records the work status of the aircraft (e.g., in emergency operation, rushing to the scene, waiting for work instructions, returning after work completion) as determined by the aircraft status determination unit 1400. The aircraft status recording unit 1530 records the internal state of the aircraft as determined by the aircraft status determination unit 1400. The flight plan recording unit 1540 is a functional unit that records the aircraft's planned course and flight purpose.

[0046] (A-1-4.Manned Aircraft 3001) Next, the manned aircraft 3001 will be described. Figure 4 is a functional block diagram showing the main functions of the manned aircraft 3001. In this specification, "manned aircraft" refers to an aircraft capable of carrying a person. The manned aircraft 3001 comprises a flight unit 3100, a measurement unit 3200, a communication unit 3300, a self-state determination unit 3400, an aircraft information recording unit 3500, and a control unit 3600. The flight unit 3100, measurement unit 3200, self-state determination unit 3400, and aircraft information recording unit 3500 can have the same functions as the flight unit 1100, measurement unit 1200, self-state determination unit 1400, and aircraft information recording unit 1500 of the unmanned aircraft 1001.

[0047] The communication unit 3300 comprises an ATM communication unit 3310 and an air traffic control system communication unit 3320. The ATM communication unit 3310 transmits control status information, such as measurement information including the aircraft's position measured by the self-position measurement unit 3110 and measurement information regarding the aircraft's attitude measured by the attitude measurement unit 3120, to the ATM 4300, and receives flight commands and other information from the ATM 4300.

[0048] The control system communication unit 3320 transmits control status information, such as measurement information including the self-position measured by the self-position measurement unit 3110 and measurement information regarding the aircraft's attitude measured by the attitude measurement unit 3120, to the airspace monitoring system 4100, and can receive information on the operation of other aircraft within the monitored airspace from the airspace monitoring system 4100.

[0049] The control unit 3600 is a functional unit for a pilot aboard the manned aircraft 3001 to control the manned aircraft 3001. The control unit 3600 includes a display unit 3610, a speaker 3620, a control command input unit 3630, an aircraft status input unit 3640, and a mediation negotiation input unit 3650.

[0050] The display unit 3610 is a functional unit that displays various information to the pilot, such as flight control information from the flight unit 3100, measurement information from the measurement unit 3200, navigation information of other aircraft acquired by the communication unit 3300, and the aircraft's status determined by the aircraft status determination unit 3400. The display unit 3610 can also output information related to mediation negotiations acquired by the air traffic control system communication unit 3320 as audio. The speaker 3620 is a functional unit that outputs audio information to the pilot, and can, for example, output information related to mediation negotiations acquired by the air traffic control system communication unit 3320 as audio.

[0051] The control command input unit 3630 is a functional unit that receives control command input from the pilot. The aircraft status input unit 3640 is a functional unit that receives input from the pilot regarding the aircraft's flight purpose, operational status (e.g., emergency operation in progress, rushing to the scene, waiting for work instructions, returning after work completion), and internal status information including fuel depletion, equipment failure or abnormalities within the aircraft. The mediation negotiation input unit 3650 is a functional unit that receives input of the pilot's response information to mediation negotiation information acquired by the air traffic control system communication unit 3320.

[0052] (A-1-5.UTM4200) Next, we will describe the UTM4200. Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of the UTM. The UTM4200 comprises an unmanned aircraft information acquisition unit 4210, an air traffic control unit 4220, an aircraft communication unit 4230, and an external system communication unit 4240.

[0053] The Unmanned Aircraft Information Acquisition Unit 4210 is a functional unit that acquires information on unmanned aircraft within the target airspace or target takeoff and landing area for which flight operations are managed. The Unmanned Aircraft Information Acquisition Unit 4210 receives control status information such as the self-position measured by the self-position measurement unit 1110 and the aircraft attitude measured by the attitude measurement unit 1120 of the unmanned aircraft 1001, with which the UTM 4200 communicates wirelessly. Furthermore, it receives information on unmanned and manned aircraft within the monitored airspace detected by the aircraft detection and determination unit 4110 of the airspace monitoring system 4100 via the external system communication unit 4240, which will be described later. In addition, the Unmanned Aircraft Information Acquisition Unit 4210 can receive control status information such as the position, speed, and attitude of manned aircraft 3000 operated by the ATM 4300, which is directly or indirectly connected to the ATM 4300 for communication purposes.

[0054] The flight control unit 4220 generates flight commands for the unmanned aircraft 1000 that communicates via radio and flight status information for other aircraft in the target airspace, based on the control status information of unmanned aircraft within the target airspace or takeoff and landing area acquired by the unmanned aircraft information acquisition unit 4210, and transmits the flight commands and flight status information to the unmanned aircraft 1000 via the aircraft communication unit 4230, which will be described later.

[0055] The aircraft communication unit 4230 is communication equipment for direct communication with the unmanned aircraft 1000, and includes communication equipment such as a wireless communication antenna. The wireless communication antenna is communication equipment for direct communication with the unmanned aircraft 1000. In addition, for direct wireless communication between the unmanned aircraft 1000 and the UTM 4200, communication channels using various frequency bands can be applied, similar to the aircraft communication unit 4300 of the airspace surveillance system 4100.

[0056] The external system communication unit 4240 is a functional unit that communicates with other interconnected systems, namely the airspace monitoring system 4100, the control base system 2000, and the ATM 4300.

[0057] (A-1-6.ATM4300) Next, we will describe the ATM4300. Figure 6 is a functional block diagram of the ATM4300. The ATM4300 comprises a manned aircraft information acquisition unit 4310, an air traffic control unit 4320, an aircraft communication unit 4330, and an external system communication unit 4340.

[0058] The Manned Aircraft Information Acquisition Unit 4310 is a functional unit that acquires information on manned aircraft within the target airspace and takeoff / landing area for which flight management is performed. The Manned Aircraft Information Acquisition Unit 4310 receives control status information, including measurement information such as its own position and aircraft attitude, measured by the manned aircraft 3001 with which the ATM 4300 communicates wirelessly. Furthermore, it receives information on unmanned and manned aircraft within the monitored airspace detected by the aircraft detection and determination unit 4110 of the airspace monitoring system 4100 via the external system communication unit 4340, which will be described later. In addition, the Manned Aircraft Information Acquisition Unit 4310 receives control status information such as the position, speed, and attitude of the unmanned aircraft 1000 operated by the UTM 4200, which is directly or indirectly connected to the Manned Aircraft Information Acquisition Unit 4310 for flight management.

[0059] The flight control unit 4320 generates flight commands for the manned aircraft 3000 that communicates via radio and flight status information for other aircraft flying in the target airspace, based on the control status information of manned aircraft within the target airspace or takeoff and landing area acquired by the manned aircraft information acquisition unit 4310, and transmits the flight commands and flight status information to the manned aircraft 3000 via the aircraft communication unit 4330, which will be described later.

[0060] The aircraft communication unit 4330 is a communication facility for direct communication with the manned aircraft 3000, and is equipped with communication equipment such as a radio communication antenna. The radio communication antenna is a communication facility for direct communication with the manned aircraft 3000. In addition, for direct radio communication between the manned aircraft 3000 and the ATM 4300, communication channels using various frequency bands can be applied, similar to the aircraft communication unit 4300 of the airspace surveillance system 4100.

[0061] The external system communication unit 4340 is a functional unit that communicates with other interconnected systems, namely the airspace monitoring system 4100, the control base system 2000, and the UTM 4200.

[0062] (A-1-6. Overview of Aircraft Operation System 2200) Next, the aircraft operation system 2200 of the control base system 2000 will be described. Figure 7 is a functional block diagram of the aircraft operation system 2200 of the control base system 2000. The aircraft operation system 2200 comprises a command unit 2210 and a remote control unit 2220.

[0063] (A-1-6-1. Command Department 2210) The command unit 2210 comprises a mission generation unit 2211, a control target value generation unit 2212, and a command output unit 2213. The mission generation unit 2211 generates a flight mission, including planned information on the movement path and movement speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001, based on the flight plan of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 obtained from the flight management system 2300. Furthermore, if the mission generation unit 2211 receives input from the pilot of a change in the flight plan from the piloting unit 2230 (described later), it generates a flight mission based on that information.

[0064] The control target value generation unit 2212 generates control target values ​​based on the generated flight mission and control state information acquired from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001 (including flight position, attitude information, direction of movement, and speed of movement measured by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001). The command output unit 2213 transmits the command information of the generated control target values ​​to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1001, which is the target of the control, via the communication infrastructure management system 2100.

[0065] (A-1-6-2. Remote control unit 2220) The remote control unit 2220 includes a display unit 2221, a speaker 2222, a control command input unit 2223, an aircraft status input unit 2224, and a mediation / negotiation input unit 2225.

[0066] The display unit 2221 outputs various information to the operator controlling the unmanned aircraft 1001 via the remote control unit 2220. For example, it is a functional unit that displays various information to the operator performing remote control, such as flight control information from the flight unit 1100 of the unmanned aircraft 1001, measurement information from the measurement unit 1200, navigation information of other aircraft acquired by the communication unit 1300, and the status of the aircraft determined by the aircraft status determination unit 1400.

[0067] The display unit 2221 also has the function of displaying flight mission information generated by the mission generation unit 2211 and input information entered by the control command input unit 2223, which will be described later. The speaker 2222 outputs various information by voice to the pilot who controls the unmanned aircraft 1001 by the remote control unit 2220. For example, it can output by voice information related to mediation negotiations obtained from the airspace monitoring system 4100.

[0068] The control command input unit 2233 is a functional unit that receives control commands input by the operator of the remote control unit 2220 to the unmanned aircraft 1001. The control command input unit 2223 receives control commands from the operator via hardware such as a touch panel, control levers, and input buttons. The control command input unit 2223 can input commands such as the direction of movement, attitude, and speed of the unmanned aircraft 1001, and can also input modifications to the flight mission displayed as a control command.

[0069] The aircraft status input unit 2224 is a functional unit that receives input from the pilot regarding the flight purpose of the unmanned aircraft 1001 being controlled, the aircraft's operational status (e.g., in emergency operation, rushing to the scene, waiting for work instructions, returning after work completion), and information regarding the aircraft's internal status, including fuel depletion, equipment failure or abnormalities within the aircraft. The mediation negotiation input unit 2225 is a functional unit that receives input of the pilot's response information to mediation negotiation information obtained from the airspace monitoring system 4100.

[0070] (A-1-7. Overview of the Airspace Monitoring System 4100) Next, the airspace monitoring system 4100 will be described. Figure 8 is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the airspace monitoring system. The airspace monitoring system 4100 includes an aircraft detection and determination unit 4110, an aircraft information acquisition unit 4120, a priority determination unit 4130, a movement information acquisition unit 4140, an interference determination unit 4150, a mediation unit 4160, an operator interface unit 4170, and a communication unit 4180.

[0071] (A-1-7-1. Aircraft detection and determination unit 4110) The aircraft detection and determination unit 4110 is a functional unit that searches for the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area to be monitored and detects aircraft present in said airspace area or target takeoff and landing area. It comprises an aircraft detection sensor 4111 and an aircraft determination unit 4112.

[0072] The aircraft detection sensor 4111 can consist of a radar sensor, a laser sensor, or other sensor capable of non-contact detection of objects. When using a radar sensor, radar waves (electromagnetic waves) are irradiated from the ground or sea where the airspace surveillance system 4100 is installed toward the airspace area to be monitored by the airspace surveillance system 4100, and aircraft within the target area are detected by detecting the reflected waves that are reflected by aircraft within the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area. On the other hand, when using a laser sensor, similarly, laser light is irradiated from the ground or sea where the airspace surveillance system 4100 is installed toward the airspace area or target takeoff and landing area to be monitored by the airspace surveillance system 4100, and aircraft within the target airspace area are detected by detecting the reflected light that is reflected by aircraft within the target area.

[0073] The aircraft determination unit 4112 determines at least one of the aircraft's position, direction of movement, speed of movement, and acceleration of movement based on detection information of reflected radar waves or reflected laser light obtained by the aircraft detection sensor 4111. The aircraft determination unit 4112 also has a function to determine whether or not a target aircraft exists within the monitored area. For example, if the size of the object determined by the detection information is smaller than a predetermined size, it can be determined to be noise information such as a bird rather than an aircraft. In addition to the presence of an aircraft, the aircraft may also be identified by giving it unique characteristics (curvature, reflectivity) and determining these unique characteristics using reflected laser light or radar waves. Furthermore, information on the entry of unmanned aircraft 1000 or manned aircraft 3000 into the monitored area may be acquired via UTM4200, ATM4300, or other external air traffic control systems (such as ADS-B).

[0074] (A-1-7-2. Aircraft information acquisition section 4120) The aircraft information acquisition unit 4120 is a functional unit that acquires aircraft information that changes over time, including information on the aircraft status, operating status, and flight purpose of aircraft that are flying in or expected to enter the target airspace area, or aircraft that are present in or expected to enter the target takeoff and landing area. The aircraft information acquisition unit 4120 has the function of acquiring information such as the aircraft status, operating status, and flight purpose of an aircraft before it enters the controlled area, and continuously acquiring updated information on these during control. The aircraft information acquisition unit 4120 comprises a flight purpose information acquisition unit 4121, an operating status information acquisition unit 4122, and an aircraft status information acquisition unit 4123.

[0075] The Flight Purpose Information Acquisition Unit 4121 is a functional unit that acquires information regarding the flight purpose of an aircraft. The flight purpose acquired by the Flight Purpose Information Acquisition Unit 4121 includes information regarding the aircraft's flight purpose, such as acquiring measurement data in a predetermined area, transporting luggage or people to the predetermined area, outputting audio, light, or display information in the predetermined area, or guiding evacuation in the predetermined area. The flight purpose information may also include disaster relief, firefighting, emergency medical services, news reporting, acquisition of measurement data, and scheduled flights. The Flight Purpose Information Acquisition Unit 4121 can acquire the above-mentioned flight purpose information from an unmanned aircraft 1000, a control base system 2000, or a manned aircraft 3000 in a monitored area.

[0076] The operational status information acquisition unit 4122 is a functional unit that acquires information regarding the operational status of the aircraft. The operational status information acquired by the operational status information acquisition unit 4122 includes information such as the aircraft moving towards the target area, performing its flight objective, returning after completing its flight objective, and waiting for instructions regarding its flight objective. In addition to the above, the operational status information may also include information such as responding to a disaster emergency, responding to special instructions from headquarters, performing disaster response missions, and performing normal operations.

[0077] The aircraft status information acquisition unit 4123 is a functional unit that acquires information regarding the aircraft's status. The aircraft status information acquired by the aircraft status information acquisition unit 4123 includes aircraft abnormalities (temporary, reversible abnormalities), malfunctions (irreversible malfunctions), fuel levels (fuel for engines, etc.), and charge levels of the energy storage device.

[0078] In addition to the information described above, the aircraft information acquisition unit 4120 may also acquire information that identifies the aircraft type, such as whether it is a manned or unmanned aircraft, as well as information that identifies the size and weight of the aircraft. Furthermore, even while controlling aircraft in the monitored area, the aircraft information acquisition unit 4120 can receive updated information on the above-mentioned information (information regarding flight purpose, operating status, and aircraft status) from the unmanned aircraft 1000, the control base system 2000, the manned aircraft 3000, or an external system in the monitored area, and can update the information when new information is received. For example, if the flight purpose acquired when the unmanned aircraft 1000 entered the monitored area was to acquire measurement data for a pre-designated disaster area, the flight purpose may change if a new mission (for example, acquiring measurement data for a different area) is assigned to the unmanned aircraft 1000.

[0079] (A-1-7-3. Priority determination unit 4130) The priority determination unit 4130 is a functional unit that updates the priority of an aircraft based on aircraft information acquired by the aircraft information acquisition unit and changes during aircraft control. The priority determination unit 4130 comprises a priority determination criterion acquisition unit 4131 and an aircraft priority determination unit 4132.

[0080] The priority determination criteria acquisition unit 4131 is a functional unit that acquires criteria information for determining the priority of aircraft to perform various operations such as flight and takeoff / landing preferentially in the target airspace area or target takeoff / landing area. The priority determination criteria acquisition unit 4131 can acquire priority determination criteria according to each piece of information (information related to flight purpose, operating status, aircraft status, aircraft type, etc.) acquired by the aircraft information acquisition unit 4120.

[0081] For example, the priority determination criterion acquisition unit 4131 can acquire priority determination criteria that set the priority of manned aircraft higher than that of unmanned aircraft, depending on the aircraft type information, which is manned / unmanned. Another example is that the priority determination criterion acquisition unit 4131 can acquire priority determination criteria that set the priority of larger aircraft or heavier aircraft higher, depending on the aircraft type information, which is the size and weight of the aircraft.

[0082] As another example, the priority determination criterion acquisition unit 4131 can acquire priority determination criteria so that the priority gradually decreases in the following order, depending on the purpose of the aircraft's flight: rescue, transport of rescued persons, transport of rescue supplies, search and rescue, warning announcement, measurement, transport of normal supplies, and media filming. As yet another example, the priority determination criterion acquisition unit 4131 can acquire priority determination criteria to set a higher priority for aircraft with an abnormality (temporary reversible abnormality) or malfunction (irreversible malfunction) related to the aircraft's condition, or to set a higher priority for aircraft whose fuel level (fuel for engines, etc.) or the charge level of its energy storage device has fallen below a predetermined value.

[0083] As another example, the priority determination criterion acquisition unit 4131 can acquire priority determination criteria that set a higher priority for aircraft that entered the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area earlier, or for aircraft that have an earlier estimated arrival time at their destination based on their flight plan.

[0084] The aircraft priority determination unit 4132 is a functional unit that determines the priority of each aircraft according to the priority determination criteria acquired by the priority determination criteria acquisition unit 4131. Here, the priority determined by the aircraft priority determination unit 4132 can be defined as a priority level that is divided into multiple levels, for example, by a multi-level numerical value. The aircraft priority determination unit 4132 can also determine the priority by receiving priority input from an operator via the operator interface unit 4170, which will be described later. Furthermore, it may have a function to acquire priority determination information from the unmanned aircraft 1000, the manned aircraft 3000, the control base system 2000, the operator interface unit 4170, or other external systems.

[0085] Furthermore, the aircraft priority determination unit 4132 can also determine the priority as unclear if it is not possible to determine the priority. In such cases, the aircraft priority determination unit 4132 may have the function of determining the priority by transmitting priority determination request information to the unmanned aircraft 1000, the manned aircraft 3000, the control base system 2000, the operator interface unit 4170, or other external systems, and receiving priority determination information from these systems.

[0086] (A-1-7-4. Movement information acquisition unit 4140) The movement information acquisition unit 4140 is a functional unit that acquires movement information relating to at least one of the following: the planned flight path of an aircraft, the planned takeoff and landing position, and the current or past flight path of an aircraft. The movement information acquisition unit 4140 can acquire this information from the unmanned aircraft 1000, the manned aircraft 3000, the control base system 2000, the operator interface unit 4170, and other external systems. The movement information acquisition unit 4140 includes a movement plan acquisition unit 4141 and a movement path information acquisition unit 4142.

[0087] The movement plan acquisition unit 4141 is a functional unit that acquires information related to the movement plan of an aircraft, including its planned flight path and planned takeoff and landing positions. The movement plan acquisition unit 4141 can acquire this movement plan information from unmanned aircraft 1000, manned aircraft 3000, control base system 2000, operator interface unit 4170, and other external systems. Furthermore, the movement plan acquisition unit 4141 can acquire information related to the movement plan, including its planned flight path and planned takeoff and landing positions, not only for aircraft located within the controlled airspace, but also for aircraft located in surrounding areas outside the controlled airspace.

[0088] The mobile path information acquisition unit 4142 is a functional unit that acquires flight path information of current or past aircraft. The mobile path information acquisition unit 4142 can acquire this flight path information from unmanned aircraft 1000, manned aircraft 3000, control base system 2000, operator interface unit 4170, or other external systems, or it can acquire it from aircraft detection and determination unit 4110. Furthermore, the mobile path information acquisition unit 4142 can acquire flight path information of current or past aircraft not only for aircraft located within the controlled airspace, but also for aircraft located in surrounding areas outside the controlled airspace.

[0089] (A-1-7-5. Interference detection unit 4150) The interference determination unit 4150 is a functional unit that determines multiple aircraft that may interfere with each other based on the movement information acquired by the movement information acquisition unit 4140. The interference determination unit 4150 includes a time-series position determination unit 4151 and an interference detection determination unit 4152.

[0090] The time-series position determination unit 4151 is a functional unit that predicts or grasps the time-series predicted position of an aircraft during flight or takeoff and landing in a target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area, based on the movement information acquired by the movement information acquisition unit 4140. Here, the time-series predicted position includes the predicted position at each future time. The time-series position determination unit 4151 can also predict and calculate the time-series predicted position based on the movement information, and can grasp information if the movement plan included in the movement information includes information on the time-series predicted position. The time-series position determination unit 4151 may also have the function of predicting or grasping the time-series predicted position of an aircraft not limited to the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area, but also in the surrounding area.

[0091] The interference detection and determination unit 4152 is a functional unit that determines interference of predicted movement positions in at least one of the target airspace area and the target takeoff and landing area based on the time-series predicted movement positions. For example, the interference detection and determination unit 4152 determines interference based on the time-series predicted movement positions of multiple aircraft if the time difference between the date and time when the predicted movement positions are less than or equal to a predetermined distance is less than or equal to a predetermined time, or if there is another aircraft in the planned landing position or the takeoff and landing airspace to the planned landing position. The objects for which interference is determined by the interference detection and determination unit 4152 are not limited to interference between aircraft, but may also include birds and other objects detected by the aircraft detection and determination unit 4110, and may have the function of determining interference between aircraft and other aircraft such as birds.

[0092] The interference detection and determination unit 4152 can determine interference of predicted movement positions in at least one of the target airspace area and the target takeoff and landing area based on the criteria described above, thereby enabling it to determine overlapping use of takeoff and landing fields, overlapping flight paths or near misses where the distance is closer than a predetermined distance, and overlapping of flight space including the surrounding space of the flight path.

[0093] (A-1-7-6.Mediation Department 4160) The arbitration unit 4160 is a functional unit that performs arbitration processing to determine one or more evasive aircraft (hereinafter also referred to as the first aircraft) that require evasive action from among the multiple aircraft based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft. The arbitration unit 4160 comprises a priority aircraft determination unit 4161, an arbitration negotiation unit 4162, and a requested action determination unit 4163.

[0094] The priority aircraft determination unit 4161 compares the priorities of multiple aircraft updated by the priority determination unit 4130 and determines aircraft with lower priorities than other aircraft as evasive aircraft requiring evasive action, and determines aircraft with relatively higher priorities as priority aircraft (hereinafter also referred to as second aircraft) that will take priority action. Alternatively, the priority aircraft determination unit 4161 can also determine aircraft with priorities lower than other aircraft by a predetermined value or more as evasive aircraft requiring evasive action, and determine aircraft with priorities higher than other aircraft by a predetermined value or more as priority aircraft that will take priority action. This allows for the determination of evasive aircraft requiring evasive action and priority aircraft not only when the difference in priority is small and the priorities are almost the same, but also when the difference in priority is large.

[0095] The mediation and negotiation unit 4162 is a functional unit that assists in mediation negotiations between the aircraft subject to mediation, its pilot, or the operator of the airspace monitoring system 4100 to determine which aircraft should perform evasive maneuvers and which aircraft should take priority action. As an example, the mediation and negotiation unit 4162 can determine which aircraft requires evasive maneuvers based on the operator's input information obtained by the input reception unit 4172, which will be described later, and which receives input information from the operator.

[0096] As another example, the mediation negotiation unit 4162 may, for example, determine, after comparing the priorities of multiple aircraft updated by the priority determination unit 4130, that the priorities are approximately the same, the difference in priorities is within a predetermined range, or other mediation criteria are met, then decide to transmit information regarding mediation negotiations to multiple aircraft or the aircraft's control terminals (control base system 2000) via the communication unit 4180 (described later), and further decide to display information regarding the mediation negotiations of multiple aircraft on the display unit 4171 of the operator interface unit 4170 (described later).

[0097] The mediation and negotiation unit 4162 may decide to transmit requests for additional information and inquiries regarding the permissibility of evasive maneuvers to multiple aircraft or aircraft control terminals (control base systems 2000) via the communications unit 4180.

[0098] The requested action determination unit 4163 is a functional unit that determines the content of the avoidance action to be requested from the avoidance aircraft determined by the priority aircraft determination unit 4161 and the mediation / negotiation unit 4162. For example, if the requested action determination unit 4163 determines "wait" as the avoidance action for the avoidance aircraft, it will determine the content of the waiting action for the avoidance aircraft from among waiting in flight, waiting in landing, or waiting in a pre-takeoff state. Furthermore, if the requested action determination unit 4163 determines "wait" as the avoidance action for the avoidance aircraft, it can also determine the estimated waiting time for the avoidance aircraft to perform the waiting action described above.

[0099] As another example, when the requested action determination unit 4163 determines "flight standby" as the avoidance action for the avoidance aircraft, it determines the content of the flight standby action for the avoidance aircraft, which may include either a circling flight standby, an altitude change flight standby, or a hovering flight standby.

[0100] As another example, the requested action determination unit 4163 can also determine one or more priority aircraft from among several aircraft that do not require evasive action, based on a comparison of the priorities of multiple aircraft.

[0101] As another example, the request action determination unit 4163 may have a function to determine a waiting action during mediation to be performed while the mediation process is being executed by the priority aircraft determination unit 4161 or the mediation negotiation unit 4162 of the mediation unit 4160 to determine the aircraft to be avoided. The waiting action during mediation may include flight waiting, landing waiting, or pre-takeoff waiting.

[0102] (A-1-7-7. Operator Interface Unit 4170) The operator interface unit 4170 is a functional unit that displays and outputs information to the operator of the airspace monitoring system 4100 and receives input information from the operator. The operator interface unit 4170 comprises a display unit 4171 and an input receiving unit 4172.

[0103] The display unit 4171 is a functional unit that displays and outputs information such as aircraft information to the operator of the airspace monitoring system 4100. For example, if the mediation negotiation unit compares the priorities of multiple aircraft updated by the priority determination unit 4130 and determines that the priorities are approximately the same, the difference in priorities is within a predetermined range, or other mediation criteria are met, the display unit 4171 can display information related to the mediation negotiation.

[0104] As another example, the display unit 4171 can display information such as the position, direction of movement, speed, and acceleration of an aircraft detected by the aircraft detection and determination unit 4110, as well as information such as the flight purpose, operating status, and aircraft status acquired from the aircraft information acquisition unit 4120, and the movement plan acquired from the movement information acquisition unit 4140. The display unit 4171 can also display the above information on a map linked to location information.

[0105] The input reception unit 4172 is a functional unit that receives input information from the operator. For example, it can receive response input information from the operator regarding information related to mediation negotiations displayed on the display unit 4171.

[0106] (A-1-7-8. Communications Department 4180) The communication unit 4180 is a functional unit that transmits various information, including avoidance actions, to at least one of the following: an aircraft, the pilot terminal of the aircraft, another aircraft in the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area, the pilot terminal of said other aircraft, or terminals of persons involved in the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area. The communication unit 4180 comprises a priority determination result notification unit 4181, a mediation negotiation communication unit 4182, a request action command transmission unit 4183, and a warning information transmission unit 4184.

[0107] The priority determination result notification unit 4181 is a functional unit that notifies the aircraft, the aircraft's pilot terminal, other aircraft in the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area, the pilot terminals of those other aircraft, and terminals of relevant parties related to the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area of ​​information regarding the result determined by the priority aircraft determination unit 4161.

[0108] For example, the priority determination result notification unit 4181 can transmit information about the avoidance aircraft to the priority aircraft determined by the priority aircraft determination unit 4161 or to the pilot terminal (pilot base system 2000) of the priority aircraft. In this case, the information about the avoidance aircraft transmitted to the priority aircraft may include information about the type of the avoidance aircraft, the pre-arrangement action plan of the avoidance aircraft, or information about the avoidance action of the avoidance aircraft.

[0109] As another example, the priority determination result notification unit 4181 may have a function to notify other aircraft in the target airspace area other than the multiple aircraft whose flight paths interfere with each other, or the pilot terminal (pilot base system 2000) of other aircraft, of information regarding the aircraft subject to arbitration processing, while the arbitration processing that determines the aircraft to be avoided by the arbitration unit 4160 is being performed.

[0110] As another example, the priority determination result notification unit 4181 can transmit information such as the position, direction of movement, speed, and acceleration of the aircraft detected by the aircraft detection determination unit 4110, the flight purpose acquired from the aircraft information acquisition unit 4120, and the movement plan acquired from the movement information acquisition unit 4140 to the aircraft or the aircraft's control terminal.

[0111] As another example, when the arbitration process for determining the avoidance aircraft by the arbitration unit 4160 is in progress, the priority determination result notification unit 4181 may have a function to transmit information indicating that the arbitration process is in progress to at least one of the following: the avoidance aircraft, the pilot terminal of the avoidance aircraft, other aircraft in the target airspace area or target takeoff / landing area, the pilot terminal of the other aircraft, or the terminals of persons involved in the target airspace area or target takeoff / landing area. Alternatively, when the arbitration process by the arbitration unit 4160 is completed, the priority determination result notification unit 4181 may have a function to transmit information indicating that the arbitration process is completed to the aforementioned aircraft, etc.

[0112] The mediation negotiation communication unit 4182 has the function of transmitting information regarding mediation negotiations to multiple aircraft or the pilot terminals of aircraft. The mediation negotiation communication unit 4182 may transmit information regarding mediation negotiations to the above-mentioned multiple aircraft or the pilot terminals of aircraft if, as a result of comparing the priorities of the multiple aircraft updated by the priority determination unit, it determines that the priorities are substantially the same, the difference in priorities is within a predetermined range, or other mediation criteria are met.

[0113] As another example, the mediation and negotiation communications unit 4182 may have a function to transmit requests for additional information and inquiries regarding the permissibility of evasive maneuvers to multiple aircraft or the pilot terminals of the aircraft.

[0114] The requested action command transmission unit 4183 is a functional unit that transmits each action command determined by the requested action determination unit 4163 to the aircraft or the aircraft's control terminal. For example, when "standby" is determined as the avoidance action of the avoidance aircraft, the requested action command transmission unit 4183 has the function of transmitting an avoidance action command to the avoidance aircraft or the pilot terminal of the avoidance aircraft, which includes information regarding the standby action of the avoidance aircraft, including standby in flight, standby in landing, or standby in a pre-takeoff state. Alternatively, when "standby" is determined as the avoidance action of the avoidance aircraft, the requested action command transmission unit 4183 may have the function of transmitting an avoidance action command to the avoidance aircraft or the pilot terminal of the avoidance aircraft, which includes information regarding the estimated standby time of the avoidance aircraft.

[0115] As another example, the request action command transmission unit 4183 may have a function to transmit an avoidance action command to the avoidance aircraft or the pilot terminal of the avoidance aircraft, which includes information regarding the flight standby action of the avoidance aircraft, including either a circling flight standby, an altitude change flight standby, or a hovering flight standby, when "standby flight" is determined as the avoidance action of the avoidance aircraft.

[0116] As another example, the request action command transmission unit 4183 may have a function to transmit an avoidance action command containing information about the aircraft information of the preferred aircraft to the avoidance aircraft or the pilot terminal of the avoidance aircraft when one or more preferred aircraft that do not require avoidance action are determined from among multiple aircraft. Here, the information about the aircraft information of the preferred aircraft that is transmitted may include, for example, the flight purpose, aircraft status, operating status, and the reason for the priority determination.

[0117] As another example, the requested action command transmitting unit 4183 may have a function to transmit an action command to the priority aircraft or the pilot terminal of the priority aircraft, including information regarding one of the following: flight command, flight speed command, flight altitude command, flight time limit command, landing command, landing time limit command, takeoff command, or takeoff time limit command, when one or more priority aircraft are determined from among multiple aircraft that do not require evasive action.

[0118] As another example, while the arbitration process that determines the avoidance aircraft by the arbitration unit 4160 is being executed, the requested action command transmission unit 4183 may have a function to transmit information regarding an arbitration standby action, including flight standby, landing standby, or pre-takeoff standby, as a standby action for the avoidance aircraft during the arbitration process by the arbitration unit 4160, to at least one of the following: the avoidance aircraft, the pilot terminal of the avoidance aircraft, other aircraft in the target airspace area or target takeoff / landing area, the pilot terminal of the other aircraft, or terminals of persons concerned with the target airspace area or target takeoff / landing area.

[0119] As another example, the request action command transmission unit 4183 may have a function to transmit information regarding the aircraft information of the priority aircraft determined by the priority aircraft determination unit 4161, along with information regarding avoidance actions, to the avoidance aircraft or the pilot terminal (pilot base system 2000) of the avoidance aircraft.

[0120] The warning information transmission unit 4184 is a functional unit that transmits warning information when the avoidance aircraft is performing abnormal operations that do not comply with the operation commands transmitted to the avoidance aircraft by the requested operation command transmission unit 4183. For example, if the current flight path or operating state of the avoidance aircraft differs from the standby operation of the avoidance aircraft transmitted from the requested operation command transmission unit 4183 to the avoidance aircraft or the pilot terminal of the avoidance aircraft, the warning information transmission unit 4184 can transmit warning information to the avoidance aircraft or the pilot terminal of the avoidance aircraft.

[0121] The warning information transmission unit 4184 can transmit warning information to the avoidance aircraft or the pilot terminal of the avoidance aircraft not only when the avoidance aircraft is performing abnormal operations that do not comply with the operation command as described above, but also when manual control intervention is performed on an aircraft within the target airspace.

[0122] The system may also have a function to transmit a primary evasive order to other aircraft or notify other aircraft that manual intervention has occurred, not only when an evasive aircraft is performing abnormal actions that do not comply with the action orders transmitted to the evasive aircraft by the requested action order transmission unit 4183, but also when manual pilot intervention or input of changes in route or altitude is received from at least one of multiple aircraft in the target airspace.

[0123] As another example, if the current flight path or operational status of the avoidance aircraft differs from the standby operation of the avoidance aircraft transmitted from the request operation command transmission unit 4183 to the avoidance aircraft or the pilot terminal of the avoidance aircraft, the warning information transmission unit 4184 may have a function to notify the pilot terminals of other aircraft other than the avoidance aircraft within the target airspace area of ​​a standby command or an evacuation command. Here, the standby command to be notified (a command to temporarily wait and then return to the original operation) may include either a flight standby command in a predetermined airspace or a landing standby command at a predetermined landing point. The evacuation command to be notified (a command to perform an evacuation without returning to the original operation) may include either a command to move to an area outside the target airspace area under control or a command to land in an area outside the target takeoff and landing area under control. Furthermore, an evacuation airspace with sufficient size for evacuation flight may be set in advance, and information regarding the evacuation space may be transmitted along with the command to move to the evacuation space.

[0124] (A-1-8. Control Flowchart) Next, the operation flow of the information control system 1 will be described. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the information control system 1.

[0125] First, various types of advance information are obtained using the airspace monitoring system 4100 (step 101).

[0126] Next, the aircraft detection and determination unit 4110 searches for the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area to be monitored, and detects an aircraft present in the said target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area, or acquires information on the approach of an aircraft (step 102).

[0127] Next, the aircraft information acquisition unit 4120 acquires aircraft information (step 103). The aircraft information acquired in this step is information relating to at least one of the aircraft status, operating status, and flight purpose of an aircraft that is flying in or is expected to enter the target airspace area, or an aircraft that is present in or is expected to enter the target takeoff and landing area, and is information that changes over time.

[0128] Next, the priority determination unit 4130 updates the priority of the aircraft based on the aircraft information acquired in step 103 (step 104).

[0129] Next, the movement information acquisition unit 4140 acquires movement information relating to at least one of the aircraft's planned flight path, planned takeoff and landing position, or current or past flight path (step 105).

[0130] Next, the interference determination unit 4150 determines multiple aircraft that may interfere with each other based on the movement information acquired by the movement information acquisition unit 4140 (step 106).

[0131] Next, the arbitration unit 4160 performs an arbitration process to determine one or more evasive aircraft from among the multiple aircraft that require evasive action, based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft (step 107).

[0132] Next, the communications unit 4180 transmits various information, including evasive maneuvers and other notification information, to at least one of the following: the aircraft, the aircraft's pilot terminal, other aircraft in the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area, the pilot terminal of said other aircraft, or terminals of persons involved in the target airspace area or target takeoff and landing area (step 108).

[0133] (A-1-9. Operation Processing Sequence) Next, we will explain an example of information exchange between the information control system 1 and each system. Figure 10 is a sequence diagram showing the operation process of the information control system 1.

[0134] First, the external system 6000 transmits preliminary information to the control system 4000. The control system 4000 then acquires aircraft information and navigation information from the unmanned aircraft 1001 and the manned aircraft 3001, determines priority and checks for interference based on the acquired information, and performs arbitration processing by the arbitration unit 4160.

[0135] Next, if the control system 4000 determines that mediation negotiations are necessary to decide which aircraft will perform evasive maneuvers and which aircraft will take priority action, it transmits mediation negotiation information to the manned aircraft 3001 and the control base system 2000. Furthermore, it obtains response information to the mediation negotiation information from the manned aircraft 3001 and the control base system 2000.

[0136] Next, the control system 4000 performs mediation processing based on the acquired response information and notifies the manned aircraft 3001 and the control base system 2000 of the mediation processing results.

[0137] (A-1-10. Contents of the preliminary information) Figure 11 shows an example of prior information acquired in advance by the airspace monitoring system 4100. As shown in Figure 11, the prior information includes priority determination criteria, interference determination criteria, and mediation determination criteria. The priority determination criteria are information acquired by the priority determination criteria acquisition unit 4131 and include information on criteria for determining priority, such as priority by aircraft type, priority by aircraft specifications, priority by flight purpose, priority by aircraft status, priority by operating status, and others (priority by desired arrival time / airspace entry time).

[0138] Furthermore, the interference determination criteria are reference information used by the interference detection determination unit 4152 to determine whether or not interference is occurring. These criteria include, for example, that the distance of the planned path or predicted path is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, or that the distance of the predicted movement position at each future time is less than or equal to a predetermined distance.

[0139] Furthermore, the arbitration criteria are reference information for arbitration processing performed by the arbitration unit 4160, and include, for example, arbitration criteria information for deciding to command the lower-priority aircraft to take evasive action when the difference in priority between each aircraft is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0140] (A-1-11. Detection and determination of approaching aircraft) Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the flight detection processing flow by the flight detection and determination unit 4110. In particular, it shows the detailed processing of step 102 in Figure 9.

[0141] First, the aircraft detection and determination unit 4110 detects aircraft present within the target airspace area (step 201).

[0142] Next, the aircraft detection and determination unit 4110 detects an aircraft present within the takeoff and landing area (step 202).

[0143] Next, flight plan information for the aircraft is obtained from the external system 6000 (step 203).

[0144] Next, flight plan information for the aircraft is obtained from the unmanned aircraft 1001, the manned aircraft 3001, or the control base system 2000 (step 204).

[0145] Next, the system determines which aircraft have entered the control area based on the acquired information (step 205).

[0146] (A-1-12. Acquisition of aircraft information) Figure 13 shows an example of aircraft information acquired by the aircraft information acquisition unit 4120. As shown in Figure 13, the acquired aircraft information includes aircraft type, aircraft specifications, flight purpose, aircraft status, operating status, and flight plan.

[0147] The aircraft type includes information that identifies whether the aircraft is manned or unmanned. The aircraft specifications include information that identifies the size and weight of the aircraft. The flight purpose includes information related to the aircraft's purpose, such as disaster relief, firefighting, emergency medical services, news reporting, data acquisition, scheduled flights, special instructions from headquarters, and other purposes. The flight purpose may also include acquiring measurement data in a designated area, transporting luggage or people to the designated area, outputting audio, light, or display information in the designated area, and guiding evacuations in the designated area. The aircraft status includes aircraft abnormalities (temporary, reversible abnormalities), aircraft malfunctions (irreversible malfunctions), fuel level status (just before running out of fuel, running out of fuel, etc.), charge level status (just before running out of charge, running out of charge, etc.), and normal status.

[0148] Furthermore, operational status includes states such as moving towards the target area, performing the flight objective, returning after completing the flight objective, and waiting for instructions regarding the flight objective. In addition to the above, operational status information may also include states such as responding to disaster emergencies, responding to special instructions from headquarters, performing disaster response missions, and performing normal operations. Flight plans also include information such as departure point, destination, flight path, departure time, estimated arrival time, and flight speed.

[0149] (A-1-13. Interference prediction determination process) Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the interference prediction and determination processing flow by the interference determination unit 4150. In particular, Figure 14 shows the detailed processing of step 106 shown in Figure 9.

[0150] First, the time-series position determination unit 4151 determines the predicted time-series flight position of the aircraft at a future time (step 301).

[0151] Next, the interference determination unit 4150 determines whether or not there is an aircraft whose predicted flight position is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, and determines the next processing step to proceed to depending on whether or not there is an aircraft whose predicted flight position is less than or equal to a predetermined distance (step 302). In this step, if it is determined that there is an aircraft whose predicted flight position is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, the process proceeds to step 303. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no aircraft whose predicted flight position is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, the process proceeds to step 305.

[0152] Next, if step 302 determines that there is an aircraft whose predicted flight position is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, the interference determination unit 4150 determines whether the time difference between the predicted flight positions and the aircraft is less than or equal to a predetermined distance is less than or equal to a predetermined time, and determines the next processing step to proceed to depending on whether the time difference is less than or equal to a predetermined time (step 303). In this step, if it is determined that the time difference is less than or equal to a predetermined time, the process proceeds to step 304, on the other hand, if it is determined that the time difference is not less than or equal to a predetermined time, the process proceeds to step 305.

[0153] Next, if step 303 determines that the time difference is less than or equal to a predetermined time, the interference determination unit 4150 determines that there is interference between the aircraft (step 304).

[0154] Next, if step 302 determines that there are no aircraft whose predicted flight position is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, or if step 303 determines that the time difference is not less than or equal to a predetermined time, the interference determination unit 4150 determines that there is no interference between the aircraft (step 305).

[0155] (A-1-14. Mediation process between multiple aircraft) Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the mediation process flow by the mediation unit 4160. In particular, Figure 15 shows the detailed processing of step 107 of the flowchart shown in Figure 9.

[0156] First, the priority aircraft determination unit 4161 determines the priority of aircraft that the interference determination unit 4150 has determined to be interfering with each other (step 401).

[0157] Next, the priority aircraft determination unit 4161 determines whether the difference in priority between multiple aircraft is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and determines the next processing step to proceed to depending on whether or not it is determined that the difference in priority is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step 402). In this step, if it is determined that the difference in priority is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the process proceeds to step 404; on the other hand, if it is determined that the difference in priority is not greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the process proceeds to step 403.

[0158] Next, if it is determined in step 402 that the difference in priority is not greater than a predetermined value, that is, if the priorities of the aircraft are approximately the same, or the difference in priority is within a predetermined range, then mediation request information is output to the display unit 4171 of the airspace monitoring system 4100 (step 403). In this step, instead of outputting to the display unit 4171 of the airspace monitoring system 4100, or in addition to the display unit 4171, the mediation request information may also be output to the aircraft (unmanned aircraft 1000, manned aircraft 3000) or the aircraft's control terminal (control base system 2000).

[0159] Next, based on the response information obtained from the operator interface unit 4170, the aircraft, and the aircraft's control terminal, the mediation and negotiation unit 4162 determines which aircraft should take evasive action (step 404).

[0160] Next, if step 402 determines that the difference in priority is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the priority aircraft determination unit 4161 determines which aircraft should perform the avoidance maneuver (step 405).

[0161] Next, the requested action determination unit 4163 determines the requested action for the aircraft to be evaded or for other aircraft (step 406).

[0162] (A-1-15. Notification of Mediation Results) Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the transmission process flow of the arbitration result command and notification information by the communications unit 4180. In particular, Figure 16 shows the detailed processing of step 108 shown in Figure 9.

[0163] First, the request action command transmission unit 4183 transmits a request action command to the evasive aircraft to perform an evasive maneuver (step 501).

[0164] Next, the request action command transmission unit 4183 transmits a request action command to the priority aircraft to be prioritized for action (step 502).

[0165] Next, based on information such as the position, direction of movement, speed of movement, and acceleration of the aircraft obtained by the aircraft detection and determination unit 4110, or the operating state information of the aircraft obtained by the operating state information acquisition unit 4122, it is determined whether or not there are any aircraft that are not performing the actions specified in the requested action command, and the next processing step to proceed to is determined according to the result of this determination (step 503). If it is determined in this step that there are aircraft that are not performing the actions specified in the requested action command, the process proceeds to step 504. On the other hand, if it is determined that there are no aircraft that are not performing the actions specified in the requested action command, the process of this flowchart is terminated.

[0166] Next, if it is determined in step 503 that there is an aircraft that is not performing the actions specified in the requested action command, the warning information transmission unit 4184 transmits an evacuation command to all aircraft within the controlled airspace (step 504). Here, the evacuation command transmitted to all aircraft (a command to evacuate without returning to the original action) includes either a command to evacuate to an area outside the controlled airspace area or a command to evacuate and land in an area outside the controlled takeoff and landing area.

[0167] Next, the warning information transmission unit 4184 retransmits the requested action command or transmits warning information to aircraft that are not performing the actions specified in the requested action command (step 505).

[0168] (A-1-16. Hardware Configuration) Figure 17 is a configuration diagram showing the hardware configuration of the airspace monitoring system 4100, etc. Here, the airspace monitoring system 4100, the control base system 2000, the UTM 4200, the ATM 4300, the spatial information data utilization system 5000, etc. in the present invention are information processing devices such as server devices and PCs. As shown in the figure, the airspace monitoring system 4100, the control base system 2000, the UTM 4200, the ATM 4300, and the spatial information data utilization system 5000 each have an input device 100, an output device 200, a processing device 300, a main memory 400, an auxiliary memory 500, a communication device 600, and a bus 700 that electrically connects each of these devices.

[0169] The input device 100 is a device for users of each system that constitutes the information control system 1 to input information and instructions. Specifically, the input device 100 is, for example, a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, or voice input device such as a microphone.

[0170] The output device 200 is a device that outputs information from the airspace monitoring system 4100, the control base system 2000, UTM 4200, ATM 4300, and the information display unit in the spatial information data utilization system 5000. Specifically, the output device 200 is a display device (including eyewear, AR, VR display devices, etc.), a printer, or a speaker.

[0171] The processing unit 300 is, for example, a device that performs arithmetic processing. Specifically, the processing unit 300 is, for example, a CPU, a microprocessor, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other semiconductor device capable of performing calculations.

[0172] The main memory 400 is a memory device such as RAM, which temporarily stores various information read from the system, and ROM, which stores programs executed by the processing unit 300, application programs, and various other information. The auxiliary memory 500 is a non-volatile memory device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory, which can store digital information.

[0173] The communication device 600 is a device that performs wireless or wired information communication with an external device.

[0174] [A-2. Effects of this embodiment] According to this embodiment, collision avoidance maneuvers can be appropriately performed between multiple aircraft. Specifically, even if the flight purpose, aircraft state, and operating state differ, and these states change over time, the multiple aircraft can be made to appropriately perform avoidance maneuvers according to the current state.

[0175] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various configurations can be adopted based on the contents of this specification.

[0176] The flowchart used in the above embodiment does not necessarily have to be executed in the order shown. Some processing steps may be executed in parallel. Additional processing steps may be adopted, and some processing steps may be omitted. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0177] 1… Information processing system (system) 100...Input device 200...Output device 300... Processing unit 400... Main memory 500... Auxiliary storage device 600... Communication device 700...bus 1000... Unmanned aircraft 1100...Flight unit 1110...Self-positioning unit 1120...Attitude measurement unit 1130...Flight control unit 1140...Other aircraft detection unit 1200... Measuring unit 1210... Measurement sensor 1220...Sensor attitude control unit 1230...Sensor control unit 1300... Communications Department 1310... UTM Communications Department 1320... Surveillance System Communications Department 1330... Base Station Communications Department 1400... Player's status determination unit 1500... Aircraft Information Recording Unit 1510... Aircraft Type Information Recording Unit 1520...Work status recording unit 1530...Aircraft status recording unit 1540... Flight Plan Records Department 2000... Control base system 2100... Communication Infrastructure Management System 2200...Aircraft Operation System 2210...Command Center 2211...Mission Generation Center 2212...Control target value generation unit 2213...Command output unit 2220... Remote control unit 2221... Display unit 2222...Speaker 2223...Control command input unit 2224...Aircraft status input section 2225...Mediation negotiation input section 2300... Flight Management System 2400...Data Acquisition Management System 3000...manned aircraft 3100...Flight unit 3110...Self-positioning unit 3120...Attitude measurement unit 3130...Flight control unit 3140...Other aircraft detected 3200... Measuring unit 3210... Measurement sensor 3220...Sensor attitude control unit 3230...Sensor control unit 3300... Communications Department 3310... UTM Communications Department 3320... Communications unit of the monitoring system 3330... Base station communications unit 3400... Player's status determination unit 3500... Aircraft information recording unit 3510... Aircraft type information recording unit 3520...Work status recording unit 3530...Aircraft status recording unit 3540... Flight Plan Records Department 3600...Control unit 3610...Display unit 3620...Speaker 3630...Control command input unit 3640...Flight status input section 3650...Mediation negotiation input section 4000... Air traffic control system 4100...Airspace surveillance system 4110...Aircraft detection and determination unit 4111...Aircraft detection sensor 4112...Aircraft determination section 4120…Flight object information acquisition unit 4121…Flight purpose information acquisition unit 4122...Operation status information acquisition unit 4123...Aircraft status information acquisition unit 4130...Priority determination unit 4131...Priority determination criteria acquisition unit 4132…Aircraft priority determination unit 4140...Movement information acquisition unit 4141...Movement plan acquisition unit 4142...Movement route information acquisition unit 4150...Interference detection unit 4151...Time-series position determination unit 4152...Interference detection unit 4160…Arbitration Department 4161…Priority Aircraft Determination Department 4162... Mediation and Negotiation Department 4163... Request Action Decision Department 4170... Operator Interface Unit 4171...Display unit 4172...Input reception unit 4180...Communication Department 4181...Priority Judgment Result Notification Department 4182... Mediation and Negotiation Communications Department 4183... Request Action Command Transmission Department 4184...Warning Information Transmission Unit 4200…UTM 4210... Unmanned Aircraft Information Acquisition Unit 4220... Air Traffic Control Unit 4230...Aircraft communications unit 4240...External system communications unit 4300...ATM 4310…Manned aircraft information acquisition department 4320…Flight control department 4330...Aircraft communications unit 4340...External system communications unit 5000... Spatial Information Data Utilization System 6000…External systems

Claims

1. An information processing system for controlling the movements of one or more aircraft located in a target airspace area or a target takeoff and landing area, An aircraft information acquisition unit acquires aircraft information that changes over time, which includes information on the aircraft status, operating status, and flight purpose of an aircraft that is flying in or is expected to enter the aforementioned target airspace area, or an aircraft that is present in or is expected to enter the aforementioned target takeoff and landing area, and which includes information on the aircraft status, operating status, and flight purpose of an aircraft that is currently flying in or is expected to enter the aforementioned target airspace area. A priority determination unit updates the priority of the aircraft based on the changing aircraft information, A movement information acquisition unit that acquires movement information relating to at least one of the aircraft's planned flight path, planned takeoff and landing position, and current or past flight path, An arbitration unit that determines one or more first aircraft from among the multiple aircraft that require evasive action based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft, An information processing system comprising a communication unit that transmits information relating to the avoidance operation to at least one of the following: the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, another aircraft located in the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area, the pilot terminal of the other aircraft, or a terminal of a person concerned with the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, The aircraft information acquired by the aircraft information acquisition unit includes information regarding the aircraft's condition, specifically concerning any abnormality, malfunction, fuel level, or charge level of the energy storage device of the aircraft.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, The information processing system includes, for the purpose of the flight of the aircraft, which is acquired by the aircraft information acquisition unit, and which includes information relating to the flight purpose of the aircraft, including at least one of the following: acquisition of measurement data for a predetermined area, transport of luggage or people to the predetermined area, output of sound, light, or display information in the predetermined area, and evacuation guidance in the predetermined area.

4. The information processing system according to claim 3, An information processing system that updates the information regarding the flight purpose during the control of the aircraft in accordance with information input from the pilot of the aircraft or an external system.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, The information processing system includes, in which the aircraft information acquired by the aircraft information acquisition unit includes information regarding the operating state of the aircraft, including at least one of the following: moving towards a target area, performing the flight objective, returning after the completion of the flight objective, and waiting for a command for the flight objective.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1, The system includes an interference determination unit that determines a plurality of aircraft that may interfere with each other based on the movement information acquired by the movement information acquisition unit, The interference determination unit predicts or determines the predicted time-series movement position of the aircraft during flight or takeoff / landing in the target airspace area or the target takeoff / landing area, based on the movement information acquired by the movement information acquisition unit. An information processing system that determines interference of the predicted movement positions in at least one of the target airspace area and the target takeoff and landing area, based on the predicted movement positions in the time series.

7. The information processing system according to claim 6, The interference determination unit is an information processing system that determines, based on the time-series predicted movement positions of multiple aircraft, that interference has occurred if the time difference between the date and time when the predicted movement positions are less than or equal to a predetermined distance is less than or equal to a predetermined time, or if another aircraft is present in the planned landing position or the takeoff and landing airspace to the planned landing position.

8. The information processing system according to claim 1, The arbitration unit is an information processing system that compares the priorities of a plurality of aircraft updated by the priority determination unit and determines the aircraft whose priority is lower than that of other aircraft, or whose priority is lower than that of other aircraft by a predetermined value or more, as the first aircraft requiring the avoidance action.

9. The information processing system according to claim 1, An operator display unit that displays and outputs the aircraft information to the operator of the information control system, The system includes an operator input receiving unit that receives input information from the operator of the information control system, The arbitration unit is an information processing system that determines the first flying object requiring avoidance action based on the operator input information obtained by the operator input reception unit.

10. The information processing system according to claim 1, An information processing system in which, if the mediation unit compares the priorities of a plurality of aircraft updated by the priority determination unit and determines that the priorities are substantially the same, the difference in priorities is within a predetermined range, or other mediation criteria are met, the communication unit transmits information regarding mediation negotiations to the plurality of aircraft or the pilot terminals of the aircraft.

11. The information processing system according to claim 1, An operator display unit that displays and outputs the aircraft information to the operator of the information control system, The system includes an operator input receiving unit that receives input information from the operator of the information control system, An information processing system in which, as a result of the mediation unit comparing the priorities of a plurality of aircraft updated by the priority determination unit, the operator display unit displays information regarding mediation negotiations when it determines that the priorities are substantially the same, the difference in priorities is within a predetermined range, or other mediation criteria are met.

12. The information processing system according to claim 8, The communication unit is an information processing system that transmits requests for additional information and inquiry information regarding the permissibility of the avoidance maneuver to multiple aircraft or the control terminals of the aircraft.

13. The information processing system according to claim 1, When the arbitration unit decides to wait as the avoidance action for the first aircraft, Information processing system in which the information regarding the avoidance operation transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft includes information regarding the standby operation of the first aircraft, which includes standby in flight, standby in landing, or standby in a pre-takeoff state.

14. The information processing system according to claim 1, When the arbitration unit decides to have the first aircraft stand still as the avoidance action, Information processing system in which the information regarding the avoidance action transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft includes information regarding the flight standby action of the first aircraft, which includes any of the following: circling flight standby, altitude change flight standby, or hovering flight standby.

15. The information processing system according to claim 1, The arbitration unit, based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft, determines from the multiple aircraft one or more second aircraft that do not require the avoidance maneuver, An information processing system in which the information regarding the avoidance action transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft includes information regarding the aircraft of the second aircraft for which it has been determined that the avoidance action is unnecessary.

16. The information processing system according to claim 1, When the arbitration unit determines that the avoidance action required for the first aircraft is to wait, An information processing system in which the information regarding the avoidance operation transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft includes information regarding the predicted waiting time of the first aircraft.

17. The information processing system according to claim 1, The arbitration unit, based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft, determines from the multiple aircraft one or more second aircraft that do not require the avoidance maneuver, The communication unit transmits information regarding operation commands to the second aircraft or the pilot terminal of the second aircraft. An information processing system in which the information relating to the operation commands for the second aircraft includes information relating to any of the following: flight commands, flight speed commands, flight altitude commands, flight time limits, landing commands, landing time limits, takeoff commands, or takeoff time limits.

18. The information processing system according to claim 1, The arbitration unit, based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft, determines from the multiple aircraft one or more second aircraft that do not require the avoidance maneuver, The communication unit transmits information regarding the first aircraft to the second aircraft or the pilot terminal of the second aircraft. An information processing system that transmits information about the first aircraft to the second aircraft, including information about the type of the first aircraft, the pre-arrangement action plan of the first aircraft, and information about the avoidance action of the first aircraft.

19. The information processing system according to claim 1, During the arbitration process in which the arbitration unit determines the first flying object, Information processing system wherein the communication unit transmits information regarding waiting operations during arbitration, including waiting for flight, waiting for landing, or waiting before takeoff, as a waiting operation during the execution of the arbitration process, to at least one of the following: the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, other aircraft located in the target airspace area or the target takeoff / landing area, the pilot terminal of the other aircraft, or terminals of persons involved in the target airspace area or the target takeoff / landing area.

20. The information processing system according to claim 13, If the current flight path or operating state of the first aircraft differs from the standby operation of the first aircraft transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, The communication unit is an information processing system that transmits warning information to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, or retransmits information regarding the avoidance action.

21. The information processing system according to claim 13, If the current flight path or operating state of the first aircraft differs from the standby operation of the first aircraft transmitted from the communication unit to the first aircraft or the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, The aforementioned communication unit is an information processing system that notifies other aircraft other than the first aircraft within the target airspace area, or the pilot terminals of those other aircraft, of a standby command or an evacuation command.

22. The information processing system according to claim 1, During the arbitration process in which the arbitration unit determines the first flying object, The communication unit is an information processing system that notifies other aircraft in the target airspace area other than the multiple aircraft whose flight paths interfere with each other, or the pilot terminals of the other aircraft, of information regarding the aircraft subject to arbitration processing.

23. The information processing system according to claim 1, To at least one of the following: the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, other aircraft located in the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area, the pilot terminal of the other aircraft, or the terminals of persons concerned with the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area, If the arbitration unit is in the process of determining the first aircraft, the communication unit transmits information indicating that the arbitration process is in progress. Alternatively, an information processing system that transmits information indicating that the mediation process has been completed by the mediation unit when the mediation process is completed.

24. An information processing method for controlling the movements of one or more aircraft located in a predetermined target airspace area or a predetermined target takeoff and landing area, Computers An aircraft information acquisition step involves acquiring aircraft information that changes over time, relating to at least one of the aircraft's state, operating state, and flight purpose, for an aircraft that is flying in or is expected to enter the aforementioned target airspace area, or an aircraft that is present in or is expected to enter the aforementioned target takeoff and landing area. A priority determination step in which the priority of the aircraft is updated based on the changing aircraft information, A movement information acquisition step involves acquiring movement information relating to at least one of the aircraft's planned flight path, planned takeoff and landing position, and current or past flight path. An arbitration step in which, based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft, one or more first aircraft from the multiple aircraft that require evasive action, An information processing method that performs a communication step of transmitting information regarding the avoidance operation to at least one of the following: the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, another aircraft located in the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area, the pilot terminal of the other aircraft, or a terminal of a person concerned with the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area.

25. A program for controlling the movements of one or more aircraft located in a designated target airspace area or a designated target takeoff and landing area, On the computer, An aircraft information acquisition command obtains aircraft information that changes over time, regarding an aircraft that is flying in or is expected to enter the aforementioned target airspace area, or an aircraft that is present in or is expected to enter the aforementioned target takeoff and landing area, and which has information regarding at least one of its aircraft status, operating status, and flight purpose. A priority determination command that updates the priority of the aircraft based on the changing aircraft information, A movement information acquisition command to acquire movement information relating to at least one of the planned flight path, planned takeoff and landing position, and current or past flight path of the aircraft, A mediation order to determine one or more first aircraft from among the multiple aircraft that require evasive action, based on a comparison of the priorities of the multiple aircraft, A program that causes a communication command to transmit information regarding the avoidance operation to at least one of the following: the first aircraft, the pilot terminal of the first aircraft, another aircraft located in the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area, the pilot terminal of the other aircraft, or a terminal of a person concerned with the target airspace area or the target takeoff and landing area.

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