Environmental information generation device, environmental information generation system, and environmental information generation method

Abstract

To provide environmental information generation devices, etc., that can reduce operating costs while ensuring safety. [Solution] The environmental information generation device 102 comprises a flight performance acquisition unit, an environmental information acquisition unit, an environmental information generation unit, and an output unit. The flight performance acquisition unit acquires the flight performance of an aircraft from the aircraft management device 100. The environmental information acquisition unit acquires first environmental information. The environmental information generation unit uses the flight performance and the first environmental information to generate second environmental information with a spatial resolution lower than the spatial resolution of the first environmental information. The output unit outputs the second environmental information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an environmental information generation device, an environmental information generation system, and an environmental information generation method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the development of drones capable of vertical takeoff and landing and flying cars has been underway. These are called airmobility.

[0003] In the takeoff and landing of this airmobility, it is strongly affected by weather, especially wind. Therefore, it is important to obtain wind condition information that enables stable flight. It is often difficult to directly measure the wind conditions in the sky required for airmobility flying in the air. As methods for measuring wind conditions, methods such as predicting from measured values on the ground and predicting from information measured in the past are considered.

[0004] As a specific method for measuring wind conditions, for example, there is Patent Document 1. This publication states that "in a takeoff / landing control method, perform prior weather analysis from past weather data and terrain data of the takeoff / landing site, extract weather feature quantities, analyze the weather at the time of takeoff / landing of a vertical takeoff / landing aircraft from weather forecast data and the terrain data, obtain observed values such as wind speed and wind direction from weather sensors arranged around the takeoff / landing site, assimilate the analyzed value of the weather of the takeoff / landing site of the vertical takeoff / landing aircraft and the observed values such as the wind speed and the wind direction based on the extracted weather feature quantities, obtain the aircraft information of the vertical takeoff / landing aircraft around the takeoff / landing site and the flight plan data of the vertical takeoff / landing aircraft, simulate the environment around the takeoff / landing site based on the assimilated analyzed value of the weather, the aircraft information, and the flight plan data, and generate control data necessary for attitude control of the vertical takeoff / landing aircraft based on the simulated environment around the takeoff / landing site and output it to the vertical takeoff / landing aircraft."

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-135721 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Each air mobility vehicle has different environmental resistance capabilities. Therefore, air mobility operators and pilots must determine whether an air mobility vehicle can fly safely based on environmental information and its environmental resistance capabilities. The environment changes constantly. Therefore, the environmental information necessary for this determination must be highly accurate and provided quickly. However, increasing the resolution of the environmental information to achieve high accuracy increases processing time and computational costs. Conversely, lowering the resolution of the environmental information to provide it quickly makes it difficult to determine whether flight is possible. Therefore, there is a need to provide environmental information that is appropriate for each air mobility vehicle, while also providing environmental information with sufficient accuracy for determination and reducing the processing time for creating the environmental information. Patent Document 1 does not consider the provision of environmental information appropriate for each air mobility vehicle.

[0007] In view of these challenges, the object of the present invention is to provide an environmental information generation device, an environmental information generation system, and an environmental information generation method that can reduce operating costs while ensuring safety. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, an example of an environmental information generation device of the present invention comprises: a flight performance acquisition unit that acquires the flight performance of an aircraft; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires first environmental information; an environmental information generation unit that uses the flight performance and the first environmental information to generate second environmental information with a spatial resolution lower than the spatial resolution of the first environmental information; and an output unit that outputs the second environmental information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, operating costs can be reduced while ensuring safety. Other issues, configurations, and effects will be clarified by the following description of embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This diagram illustrates an example of the service flow provided by the wind condition information generation system. [Figure 2A] This flowchart shows the processing flow of the learning phase of the service provided by the wind condition information generation system. [Figure 2B] This flowchart shows the processing flow for the operational phase of the service provided by the wind condition information generation system. [Figure 3] This diagram conceptually illustrates an example of a configuration that realizes the processing flow in the learning phase of a service provided by a wind condition information generation system. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the structure of the aircraft information database. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the coordinate system of the aircraft. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates the parameters and resolution of wind conditions. [Figure 7] This diagram shows the structure of the wind condition information database. [Figure 8] This diagram shows a method for calculating wind resistance performance from the aircraft's shape. [Figure 9A] This is a diagram illustrating the method for determining spatial resolution. [Figure 9B] This figure follows Figure 9A. [Figure 10] This is a conceptual diagram of wind condition information data management after the spatial resolution has been determined. [Figure 11] This is a diagram illustrating the method for determining the time resolution. [Figure 12] This diagram illustrates a method for increasing the temporal resolution from one that covers all time periods. [Figure 13] This is a conceptual diagram of spatial management in a spatial information database. [Figure 14]It is a diagram for selecting a zoom level from the determined spatial resolution. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing the structure of the spatial information DB. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing the structure of the wind condition feature amount DB. [Figure 17A] It is a diagram showing an example of wind condition display on a display device. [Figure 17B] It is a diagram showing another example of wind condition display on a display device. [Figure 18] It is a hardware configuration diagram of an aircraft management device, a wind condition information providing device, an environment information generating device, an environment information learning device, and an environment prediction device.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and application examples within the technical concept of the present invention are also included in its scope.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of a service for operating a plurality of aircraft (airmobility) using a wind condition information generation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that the aircraft is not limited to an unmanned aircraft and may be a manned aircraft. Further, the aircraft is not limited to the multi-rotor method and may be an aircraft that flies by other methods.

[0013] The aircraft management device 100 manages the aircraft information (flight performance) of a plurality of aircraft. The wind condition information providing device 101 provides wind condition information. The environment information generating device 102 generates wind condition information with a resolution of the wind condition according to the target aircraft using the aircraft information acquired from the aircraft management device 100 and the wind condition information acquired from the wind condition information providing device 101. The environment information learning device 103 learns wind condition features using the wind condition information generated by the environment information generating device 102 and the wind condition information acquired from the wind condition information providing device 101.

[0014] The flight control device 105 manages flight information. The environmental forecasting device 104 outputs predicted wind conditions in the surrounding environment where an aircraft identified using flight information acquired from the flight control device 105 will fly. The display device 106 displays the predicted wind conditions of the surrounding environment output from the environmental forecasting device 104. The user 107 makes flight decisions using the predicted wind conditions of the surrounding environment displayed on the display device 106.

[0015] The aircraft management device 100, wind condition information provision device 101, environmental information generation device 102, environmental information learning device 103, and environmental forecasting device 104 are, for example, computers, and as shown in Figure 18, include a processor 10 (CPU, etc.), a storage device 20 (memory, HDD, etc.), and a communication device 30. Input devices 40 (keyboard, mouse, etc.), output devices 50 (display, etc.), and other devices (connection I / F to sensors, etc.) are provided as needed.

[0016] The wind condition information generation system in this embodiment is divided into two phases: a learning phase and an operation phase. In Figure 1, the device enclosed by the dotted line is used to perform processing in the learning phase, and the device enclosed by the dashed line is used to perform processing in the operation phase. The aircraft management device 100 and the wind condition information provision device 101, which are included in both phases, are always in operation and provide the latest information for that time when a request is made.

[0017] The process that realizes this series of steps will now be explained. Figures 2A and 2B are flowcharts of the processing flow of this embodiment. Steps S201 to S207 in Figure 2A represent the learning phase, and steps S208 to S216 in Figure 2B represent the operation phase.

[0018] In Figures 2A and 2B, the learning phase and the operation phase are represented as a single processing sequence. However, the learning phase and the operation phase may be processed in parallel on separate terminals. In that case, an unlearned state will occur, and the most suitable features may not necessarily be provided in step S212.

[0019] First, we will explain the method for learning wind conditions to provide information suitable for the aircraft during the learning phase from step S201 to step S207. Since this learning phase is a feature of this embodiment, its functional configuration is shown in Figure 3 and will be explained accordingly.

[0020] First, in step S201, the flight performance acquisition unit of the environmental information generation device 102 sends the aircraft shape ID of the target aircraft to the aircraft management device 100, and acquires the flight performance of the corresponding aircraft. The aircraft management device 100 has an aircraft information database, and the specifications of the flight performance corresponding to the target aircraft shape ID are stored as data. The aircraft shape ID is an ID defined by the model, including the size and shape of the aircraft and the output of the installed motors. The aircraft shape ID is assumed to have been entered in advance by the user or air mobility operator.

[0021] The flight performance data returned from the aircraft information database corresponding to this ID indicates the maximum value at which the aircraft can maintain stability in the environment. If the value is below this value, it is considered that the aircraft in question is capable of stable flight. For example, in wind-related data, this would include the maximum wind speed and the change in wind speed. Figure 4 shows an example of flight performance. The stability of an aircraft differs depending on the direction in which the wind hits it. Therefore, a coordinate axis unique to the aircraft body is taken as shown in Figure 5, and wind hitting the aircraft in a direction parallel to the xy plane, which is horizontal to the aircraft, is defined as horizontal wind, and wind hitting in the z direction is defined as vertical wind. Figure 4 shows examples of wind resistance and wind change resistance for horizontal wind and vertical wind, respectively.

[0022] Wind resistance indicates the maximum value at which the aircraft can maintain its position against a given wind, while wind change resistance indicates the maximum value of the change in wind speed within a given period of time.

[0023] Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram of wind speed and wind speed change. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents wind speed. The time intervals are divided into predetermined resolutions. Consider the wind speed and wind speed change for each period t1 to t5 shown in Figure 6. For example, the maximum wind speed in period t2 is represented by the value 601, and the difference between the maximum wind speed 602 and the minimum wind speed 603 in period t4 is the maximum wind speed change amount 604. Furthermore, since the effect of wind on aircraft stability differs depending on the aircraft shape, the effects of wind from further decomposed directions in addition to horizontal and vertical may be defined. Also, if there is no corresponding aircraft shape ID in the aircraft information DB, the response will be "not applicable".

[0024] Next, in step S202, the environmental information generation device 102 acquires detailed wind condition information from the wind condition information provision device 101. The wind condition information provision device 101 includes a wind condition information database, wind condition sensor information, and wind condition real-time information.

[0025] Wind sensors are capable of measuring wind speed using wind speed sensors installed at specific locations, and include Doppler LiDAR and other types. The wind sensor information, which is the output value of the wind sensor, is, for example, the wind speed and wind direction at the time of measurement. In addition, real-time wind information is information on wind speed and wind direction for a region, which can be obtained from the Japan Meteorological Agency or weather information vendors.

[0026] The wind condition information database, as shown in Figure 7, records wind condition sensor information and wind condition observation information measured in the past, categorized by time and region. However, the wind condition information database stores both wind condition sensor information and wind condition observation information with the highest possible temporal and spatial resolution.

[0027] Figure 7 shows an example of wind condition information stored in a wind condition information database. Wind condition information, including wind speed, wind direction, vertical wind speed, and maximum wind speed for each time point, is managed in conjunction with location information such as latitude, longitude, and altitude. The location is entered as the location measured by a wind condition sensor or the location distributed in the wind condition report, and the time is entered as the measurement time or the time predicted using the wind condition report. Furthermore, the wind condition information is not limited to the above; it may also include other information as long as it is managed together with the location and time. In addition, although the location is represented in three dimensions such as latitude, longitude, and altitude in Figure 7, it may also be represented in two dimensions, and furthermore, it does not have to represent a location on Earth such as latitude and longitude, but any information that can identify a location is acceptable.

[0028] The environmental information acquisition unit of the environmental information generation device 102 requests wind conditions for a certain period of time in the past for the target area from the wind condition information DB, and the wind condition information provision device 101 retrieves the information corresponding to the request by searching the wind condition information DB and outputting it.

[0029] Next, in step S203, the environmental information generation device 102 generates wind condition information with spatiotemporal resolution corresponding to the wind resistance performance of the aircraft and outputs it to the environmental information learning device 103. The environmental information generation device 102 takes the flight performance acquired in step S201 and the wind condition information acquired in step S202 as input, calculates the temporal and spatial resolution, and outputs wind condition information with the determined resolution. The environmental information generation unit is mainly divided into three parts: a wind resistance performance calculation unit, a resolution calculation unit, and a spatiotemporal allocation unit. Each process is described below.

[0030] The wind resistance calculation unit calculates the minimum required performance from the acquired flight performance of each aircraft. Minimum performance is a series of values ​​obtained by extracting the minimum values ​​for each item in each of the multiple flight performances. For example, if the flight performance of aircraft A to C is given as shown in Figure 8, the wind resistance calculation result will be 5 for maximum horizontal wind resistance (minimum for aircraft C), 2 for maximum horizontal wind change resistance (minimum for aircraft B), 2 for maximum vertical wind resistance (minimum for aircraft C), and 2 for maximum vertical wind change resistance (minimum for aircraft A or B). In this way, the lowest wind resistance performance state for all the target aircraft is combined into a single value and sent to the resolution calculation unit.

[0031] The resolution calculation unit determines the resolution corresponding to the wind resistance performance based on the combined wind resistance performance of multiple units calculated by the wind resistance performance calculation unit, and using the target time and space wind condition information obtained from the environmental information acquisition unit. The resolution is determined by two conditions: the wind speed in the target spatiotemporal area is less than or equal to the wind resistance performance, and two spatiotemporalally adjacent wind speed changes are less than or equal to the wind resistance performance. The maximum value of the spatiotemporal resolution is predetermined. The resolution calculation unit acquires wind condition information from the environmental information acquisition unit in a range that exceeds at least the maximum resolution.

[0032] Figures 9A and 9B are conceptual diagrams for determining spatial resolution. Within the range 901, which has the minimum resolution, there are multiple ranges 902, which have the maximum resolution obtained from the environmental information acquisition unit. The center point of this range 902 is the position represented by the position information managed in the wind condition information database. The width of range 902 is equal to the difference between each point of the position information managed in the wind condition information database.

[0033] To determine the spatial resolution, we use a method of combining several ranges of 902, which have the highest resolution, into one. The following describes how to determine the resolution by changing it in multiples of 2. For simplicity, the following explanation assumes that the positional information is 2D. If the positional information is 3D, you just need to add an extra axis.

[0034] First, the resolution calculation unit obtains the wind conditions v11 at a certain position 903, the wind conditions v12 at position 904 which is adjacent to position 903 along the positive direction of the horizontal axis of the position coordinate system, the wind conditions v21 at position 905 which is adjacent to position 903 along the positive direction of the vertical axis of the position coordinate system, and the wind conditions v22 at position 906 which is adjacent to position 903 along the positive directions of both the horizontal and vertical axes of the position coordinate system.

[0035] These wind condition data v11 through v22 are assumed to include wind speed and wind direction, respectively. If other wind condition information is included, the same processing as described below will yield equivalent results.

[0036] For the wind conditions at these four acquired locations, the resolution calculation unit calculates the difference delta of each wind condition as shown in (1) below.

[0037]

number

[0038] However, in the above formula, the values ​​in parentheses indicate the values ​​used from among the values ​​included in the wind condition information.

[0039] For these difference deltas, the resolution calculation unit calculates the maximum difference delta, which is the maximum value, as shown in (2) below.

[0040]

number

[0041] However, the || in the above formula represents the absolute value, and the value in parentheses indicates the value used from among the values ​​included in the wind condition information.

[0042] The resolution calculation unit compares these calculated maximum difference values ​​with the wind resistance performance dv calculated by the wind resistance performance calculation unit, and determines the truth value of all of them as shown in (3) below, by determining "true" if the maximum difference value is less than or equal to the wind resistance performance and "false" if it is greater than the wind resistance performance.

[0043]

number

[0044] If all difference maximum values ​​are "true", the resolution can be reduced for the four corresponding locations, and the resolution calculation unit creates new wind condition information v11_2. The resolution calculation unit obtains the wind condition information v11_2 as shown in (4) below.

[0045]

number

[0046] Once wind condition information v11_2 is generated at position 907, the resolution calculation unit performs the same process for the four positions from position 908 to position 911, which are adjacent to position 904, and generates new wind condition information v12_2 for the area 912 enclosed by the thick line. This is repeated for all areas 901, and if new wind condition information can be generated for all areas, the resolution calculation unit records the newly generated wind condition information.

[0047] This method allows for a reduction in the resolution of wind condition information based on the wind resistance performance of the target aircraft. However, if resolution generation fails midway through the process, the resolution calculation unit discards the generated wind condition information and does not reduce the resolution.

[0048] Furthermore, if the resolution based on wind conditions is reduced, the resolution calculation unit performs the same process as described above on the wind condition information after reducing the resolution by one level, and repeats this until the resolution no longer decreases.

[0049] The resolution calculation unit performs the resolution reduction process for one time point, and then repeats the same process for the next time point, thereby performing the process for all time points. Figure 10 is a conceptual diagram of wind condition information data management after the spatial resolution has been set for all time points. If the spatial resolution is the same for all time points, the resolution calculation unit terminates the spatial resolution setting process. If different spatial resolutions are set for each time point, the resolution calculation unit sets the spatial resolution to match the highest spatial resolution set for each time point, regenerates the wind condition information for all time points, and terminates the spatial resolution setting process.

[0050] Once the spatial resolution for all time points is determined, the resolution calculation unit then determines the temporal resolution. Figure 11 is a conceptual diagram for setting the temporal resolution. The spatial resolution is determined by sequentially merging adjacent ranges corresponding to the maximum spatial resolution in a way that satisfies the wind resistance requirements, thereby reducing the resolution. In contrast, the temporal resolution is determined by sequentially dividing the entire time T, which includes multiple time points corresponding to the maximum temporal resolution, in a way that satisfies the wind resistance requirements, thereby reducing the resolution.

[0051] First, a graph showing the wind condition information v11_2 for position 1101, enclosed in a thick border, arranged in time series for all target time points is shown at the bottom of Figure 11. In this time series, when the time at which the wind speed reaches its maximum value 1102 over the entire time T is tm, and the time at which it reaches its minimum value 1103 is tn, the resolution calculation unit confirms, as shown in (5), that the difference 1104, delta, satisfies the wind resistance performance requirement.

[0052]

number

[0053] The resolution calculation unit determines the truth value by classifying it as "true" if it is below the wind resistance performance and "false" if it is above the wind resistance performance. If it is true, the entire time period T can be treated as a single piece of wind condition information, and the resolution can be reduced. The resolution calculation unit then generates new wind condition information v11_2 (time). The resolution calculation unit then obtains the new wind condition information as shown in (6) below.

[0054]

number

[0055] Once wind condition information V11_2 is generated at position 1101, the resolution calculation unit performs the same process for position 1105, which is adjacent to position 1101, and generates new wind condition information v12_2. This is repeated for all ranges 1101, and if new wind condition information can be generated for all ranges, the resolution calculation unit records the newly generated wind condition information. This method makes it possible to reduce the resolution of the wind condition information based on the wind resistance performance of the target aircraft.

[0056] On the other hand, if the value is greater than the wind resistance performance (i.e., false), the entire time period T cannot be treated as a single piece of wind condition information, and therefore the resolution cannot be reduced from the maximum time resolution to the time resolution corresponding to the entire time period T. If a resolution cannot be generated for even one period of the entire range, the resolution calculation unit discards the generated wind condition information and, without reducing the resolution, tries increasing the resolution by one level from the time resolution corresponding to the entire time period T.

[0057] Furthermore, to increase the time resolution by one level, the resolution calculation unit divides all target time periods into the first half 1201 and the second half 1202, as shown in Figure 12. For each of the divided first half 1201 and second half 1202, the wind condition information for position 1203 in the first half 1201, enclosed in a thick frame, is arranged in chronological order, and the same processing as above is performed, allowing the resolution calculation unit to determine the truth or falsity shown in (7) below.

[0058]

number

[0059] If this judgment is true, the entire time period T / 2 of the first half of 1201 can be treated as a single piece of wind condition information, thus reducing the resolution. The resolution calculation unit then generates new wind condition information v11_2 (time) as shown in (8) below.

[0060]

number

[0061] The resolution calculation unit performs the same process for all positions in the first half 1201 and the second half 1202 to determine truth or falsity. If all positions are found to be true, the resolution calculation unit records the newly generated wind condition information. On the other hand, if even one position is found to be false, the resolution calculation unit further divides the first half 1201 and the second half 1202 into two parts, performs the same process to determine truth or falsity, and tries increasing the time resolution one step at a time.

[0062] This method determines the wind condition information with the spatiotemporal resolution required by the target group of aircraft, and the resolution calculation unit terminates processing.

[0063] The spatiotemporal allocation unit, which performs the final processing of the environmental information generation unit, allocates the wind condition information with the determined time and spatial resolution to the space defined by the spatial information DB (Figure 13). The output unit writes the allocated wind condition information to the spatial information DB as the output of the environmental information generation device 102.

[0064] In the spatial information database, the space is divided into small partitioned spaces 1301 as shown in Figure 13, and each partitioned space is assigned a spatial ID. The spatial ID is an ID that uniquely represents the space of the real field, and in the case of a 3D space, it is represented by three parameters (for example, latitude, longitude, altitude or x, y, z). The size of the partitioned space is also defined by the zoom level. The zoom level is defined as follows: zoom level = 0 is defined as the area converted by Mercator projection in a range where latitude and longitude are converted to squares, excluding some areas of the polar regions (north and south latitudes above approximately 85.0511 degrees), and zoom level = 1 is defined as the area divided in half vertically and horizontally by doubling the side length of a single square tile, and the size is halved for each increase in zoom level.

[0065] The spatiotemporal assignment unit, when assigning wind condition information for a certain position 1401, generated with the resolution calculated by the resolution calculation unit as shown in Figure 14, to a spatial ID, selects the zoom level that best matches the size of the spatial ID and the range 1402, which is the size of the spatial resolution centered on position 1401 included in the wind condition information. The wind condition information corresponding to the selected zoom level and spatial ID is assigned. The assigned wind condition information is output from the environmental information generation device 102 through the output unit. The output unit writes the wind condition corresponding to the zoom level, spatial ID, and time to the spatial information DB in the environmental information learning device 103 shown in Figure 15, and terminates step S203. However, if wind condition information with the same zoom level, time, and spatial ID has already been written, the output unit terminates step S203 without writing.

[0066] Steps S204 to S206 are steps in which features are learned that make it possible to predict wind conditions at any location based on specific wind conditions.

[0067] First, in step S204, the wind condition output learning unit in the environmental information learning device 103 acquires wind condition information for all spatial IDs corresponding to each time point at the zoom level selected in step S203 from the spatial information DB.

[0068] Next, in step S205, the environmental information learning device 103 calculates wind condition features using wind condition information obtained from the environmental information generation device 102 and wind condition information obtained from the wind condition information providing device 101 (wind condition sensor information, wind condition actual information). The wind condition information obtained from the wind condition information providing device 101 is a combination of either the wind condition sensor information and / or wind condition actual information installed in the wind condition information providing device 101, and wind condition information for each location is provided.

[0069] The wind condition output learning unit takes wind condition information obtained from the wind condition information providing device 101 as input and calculates wind condition features that output wind condition information obtained from the environmental information generating device 102. The calculation of wind condition features may be done using a method that employs principal component analysis, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, or by using a type of neural network called a CNN.

[0070] As the final step of the learning phase, in step S206, the wind condition output learning unit stores the spatial ID and wind condition features of the wind condition information used as input for learning in step S205, along with the zoom level selected in step S203, into the wind condition feature database as shown in Figure 16.

[0071] Next, in step S207, if there is a new aircraft, the learning phase from steps S201 to S206 is repeated to add the spatial ID and wind condition features at the corresponding zoom level to the wind condition feature database.

[0072] The above completes the learning phase. Using the wind condition features input into the wind condition feature database, it becomes possible to predict the wind conditions at a location indicated by an arbitrary spatial ID from the wind condition information of locations indicated by multiple spatial IDs. Once the learning phase is complete, the system moves on to the phase of operating the wind condition information generation system for actually flying the aircraft.

[0073] First, in the operational phase, in step S208, the environmental prediction device 104 acquires operational information from the flight control device 105. The operational information includes the aircraft ID which uniquely identifies the aircraft itself, the flight path, and the estimated arrival times at each intermediate point.

[0074] Next, in step S209, the environmental forecasting device 104 requests wind condition features corresponding to the wind resistance performance of the aircraft in operation from the environmental information learning device 103. The environmental forecasting device 104 searches for spatial IDs around the flight path acquired in step S208 and determines the time when wind condition information for that spatial ID is needed. At the determined time and spatial ID, the environmental forecasting device 104 calculates the required zoom level using the flight speed of the aircraft scheduled to fly, and sends the zoom level along with the spatial ID containing the available wind condition information to the environmental information learning device 103.

[0075] In step S210, the environmental information learning device 103 checks for the existence of wind condition features that match the requested combination of zoom level and spatial ID, and selects wind condition features to return to the environmental prediction device 104. The environmental information learning device 103 searches the wind condition feature database using the received zoom level and spatial ID of the wind condition information. If a wind condition feature exists, it selects that wind condition feature and proceeds to step S212; otherwise, it proceeds to step S211.

[0076] In step S211, since the requested feature does not exist, the environmental information learning device 103 selects the feature with the highest resolution, i.e., the highest zoom level, from among the spatial IDs of the wind condition information received in step S210.

[0077] In step S212, the environmental prediction device 104 acquires the features selected in step S210 or step S211.

[0078] Next, in step S213, the environmental forecasting device 104 obtains wind condition information for the spatial ID that was sent to the environmental information learning device 103 in step S209 from the wind condition information providing device 101.

[0079] Next, in step S214, the environmental forecasting device 104 generates wind condition information for any point around the shipping lane based on the wind condition features acquired in step S212 and the wind condition information acquired in step S213.

[0080] Next, in step S215, the environmental forecasting device 104 transmits the wind condition information generated in S214 to the display device 106, and the display device 106 displays the received wind condition information. The display on the display device 106 can be, for example, a method of displaying the wind condition information itself as shown in Figure 17A, or a method of displaying only areas above a certain threshold in different colors as shown in Figure 17B. Any display method is acceptable as long as the information necessary for flight related to wind condition information is displayed.

[0081] Finally, in step S216, the user determines whether or not it is possible to fly along the route based on the wind condition information displayed on the display device 106. This determination of whether or not it is possible to make the decision automatically by having the user set a threshold for the wind condition information in advance.

[0082] By implementing the methods described above, it becomes possible to obtain the necessary and sufficient wind condition information for each aircraft while keeping calculation and management costs down, enabling stable flight operations.

[0083] The main features of the above embodiment can also be summarized as follows:

[0084] As shown in Figure 3, the environmental information generation device 102 comprises a flight performance acquisition unit, an environmental information acquisition unit, an environmental information generation unit, and an output unit. The flight performance acquisition unit acquires the flight performance of the aircraft from the aircraft management device 100. The environmental information acquisition unit acquires first environmental information (e.g., wind condition information) from the wind condition information provision device. The environmental information generation unit uses the flight performance and the first environmental information to generate second environmental information (e.g., wind condition information) with a spatial resolution lower than the spatial resolution of the first environmental information (Figure 9A). The output unit outputs the second environmental information to the environmental information learning device 103.

[0085] By outputting a second environmental information system with reduced spatial resolution according to the aircraft's flight performance, it is possible to reduce operating costs while ensuring safety.

[0086] The environmental information generation unit generates second environmental information such that the range of environmental changes in the flight environment is within the range of changes that are permissible for flight based on the flight performance. This allows the resolution to be set to meet the environmental resistance performance of the aircraft. The "resolution" of the second environmental information generated by the environmental information generation unit is "within the range of changes that are permissible for flight".

[0087] The environmental information generation unit generates multiple divided regions of the flight environment such that the maximum and minimum values ​​of environmental changes in adjacent divided regions represent the range of changes in the flyable environment, and reflects this in the second environmental information. This improves safety.

[0088] Environmental information includes, for example, wind conditions. This allows the resolution to be set to meet the wind resistance requirements of the aircraft.

[0089] The environmental information generation unit uses the flight performance of the aircraft and the first environmental information (e.g., wind condition information) to generate second environmental information (e.g., wind condition information) with a time resolution lower than that of the first environmental information (Figure 11).

[0090] By outputting secondary environmental information with reduced temporal resolution according to the aircraft's flight performance, it is possible to reduce operating costs while ensuring safety.

[0091] Flight performance includes the range of change in the environment in which the aircraft can fly (e.g., wind conditions) (e.g., the range of resistance to horizontal wind changes) (e.g., less than or equal to the maximum resistance to horizontal wind changes) (Figure 4). The first environmental information (wind condition information) includes positional information of multiple regions constituting space and time-series information of the environment in each region. If the environmental information generation unit finds that the range of change in the environment of multiple adjacent regions is within the range (Equation (3)), it combines the multiple adjacent regions into one to reduce the spatial resolution (Equation (4)). Also, if the environmental information generation unit finds that the range of change in the environment during a predetermined period of time series is within the range (Equation (5)), it combines multiple times included in the predetermined period into one to reduce the temporal resolution (Equation (6)).

[0092] This allows for a reduction in spatial and temporal resolution to meet the environmental resistance requirements of the aircraft.

[0093] In this embodiment, there are multiple flying objects. The environmental information generation unit uses the lowest flight performance (Figure 8) and the first environmental information (wind condition information) to generate second environmental information (wind condition information) with a spatial resolution lower than that of the first environmental information.

[0094] This allows for a reduction in spatial resolution to meet the environmental resistance requirements of multiple aircraft.

[0095] The environment is, for example, wind conditions. The environment may also be rainfall or temperature. If the range of change in wind conditions in multiple adjacent areas is within the range (Equation (3)), the environment information generation unit calculates the value of the wind conditions for a combined area based on the wind condition values ​​of the multiple adjacent areas (Equation (4)). Furthermore, if the range of change in wind conditions over a predetermined period of time series is within the range (Equation (5)), the environment information generation unit calculates the value of the wind conditions for a combined time based on the wind condition values ​​of multiple times included in the predetermined period (Equation (6)).

[0096] This allows the use of wind information with reduced spatial and temporal resolution to meet the wind resistance requirements of the aircraft.

[0097] The range of change in wind conditions within the newly combined region is within the aforementioned range. Furthermore, the range of change in the maximum and minimum wind conditions of multiple adjacent regions is also within the aforementioned range. This improves safety.

[0098] Wind conditions include, for example, wind speed or wind direction. This allows for the use of wind condition information with reduced spatial and temporal resolution to meet the wind speed or wind direction resistance requirements of the aircraft.

[0099] The environmental information generation system comprises an environmental information generation device 102, an environmental information learning device 103, and an environmental prediction device 104. The environmental information learning device 103 learns feature quantities that show the correspondence between the input, which is first environmental information (e.g., wind condition information), and the output, which is second environmental information (e.g., wind condition information). The environmental prediction device 104 calculates a predicted value of the second environmental information using the feature quantities and the first environmental information, and outputs the predicted value of the second environmental information to the display device 106.

[0100] The user can easily determine whether the aircraft is capable of flying based on the predicted values ​​of the second environmental information output to the display device 106. The features include, for example, features extracted by principal component analysis (principal components), weight parameters of deep learning, or coefficients of a regression equation.

[0101] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are included. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described.

[0102] Furthermore, some or all of the above configurations and functions may be implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Alternatively, the above configurations and functions may be implemented in software by having the processor interpret and execute programs that implement each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0103] Embodiments of the present invention may also be as follows.

[0104] (C1). An environmental information generating device comprising: a flight performance acquisition unit that acquires the range of change in wind conditions over which an aircraft can fly; a wind condition acquisition unit that acquires the wind conditions of a flight area; an environmental information generating unit that divides the flight area using the range of change in the wind conditions over which an aircraft can fly and the wind conditions of the flight area; and an output unit that outputs the wind conditions of a flight area based on the wind conditions of each of the flight areas divided by the environmental information generating unit, wherein the environmental information generating unit divides the area so that the range of change in wind conditions in each area is within the range of change in the wind conditions over which an aircraft can fly, and the ranges of the maximum and minimum values ​​of the wind conditions in adjacent areas are within the range of change in the wind conditions over which an aircraft can fly.

[0105] An air mobility wind condition information generation system having an environmental information generation device in the environmental information generation unit in (C2).(C1) characterized by dividing the time management range by using the fact that the range of change in wind conditions over time in each region is within the range of change in airworthy wind conditions.

[0106] (C3).(C1) The environmental information generation unit has an environmental information generation device that, when there are multiple aircraft obtained from the flight performance acquisition unit, acquires the flight performance of the aircraft with the lowest flight performance and divides the area. This wind condition information generation system for air mobility has an environmental information generation device.

[0107] A wind condition information generation system for air mobility, having an environmental information generation device characterized in that the range of change in wind conditions in (C4) and (C1) is the range of change in wind speed, wind direction, and vertical wind speed.

[0108] According to (C1)-(C4), safe takeoffs and landings appropriate for the aircraft become possible. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0109] 100...Flight management device 101...Wind condition information providing device 102…Environmental information generation device 103…Environmental Information Learning Device 104...Environmental prediction device 105... Flight control system 106...Display device

Claims

1. A flight performance acquisition unit that acquires the flight performance of an aircraft, The first environmental information acquisition unit acquires environmental information, An environmental information generation unit generates second environmental information with a spatial resolution lower than the spatial resolution of the first environmental information, using the flight performance and the first environmental information. An output unit that outputs the second environmental information, An environmental information generation device equipped with the following features.

2. In the environmental information generation device according to claim 1, The aforementioned environmental information generation unit is An environmental information generating device that generates second environmental information such that the range of environmental changes in the flight environment is within the range of changes that allows flight based on the flight performance.

3. In the environmental information generation device according to claim 2, The aforementioned environmental information generation unit is An environmental information generating device that generates multiple divided regions such that the maximum and minimum values ​​of the environmental change amounts in adjacent divided regions become the range of change in the flyable environment, and reflects these in the second environmental information.

4. In the environmental information generation device according to claim 1, An environmental information generator that includes wind conditions in its environmental information.

5. In the environmental information generation device according to claim 1, The aforementioned environmental information generation unit is Using the flight performance of the aircraft and the first environmental information, a second environmental information is generated with a time resolution lower than that of the first environmental information. An environmental information generation device characterized by the following features.

6. In the environmental information generation device according to claim 5, The aforementioned flight performance includes the range of changes in the environment in which the aircraft can fly, The first environmental information includes location information of multiple regions constituting the space, and time-series information of the environment of each region. The aforementioned environmental information generation unit is If the range of environmental changes in multiple adjacent regions is within the aforementioned range, the multiple adjacent regions are combined into one, reducing the spatial resolution. If the range of environmental change during a predetermined period of the time series falls within the specified range, multiple time points included in the predetermined period are combined into one, thereby reducing the time resolution. An environmental information generation device characterized by the following features.

7. In the environmental information generation device according to claim 1, The aforementioned flying objects are multiple, The aforementioned environmental information generation unit is Using the lowest flight performance and the first environmental information, a second environmental information with a spatial resolution lower than the spatial resolution of the first environmental information is generated. An environmental information generation device characterized by the following features.

8. In the environmental information generation device according to claim 6, The aforementioned environment is wind conditions, The aforementioned environmental information generation unit is If the range of change in wind conditions in multiple adjacent areas is within the aforementioned range, the wind condition value for the combined area is calculated based on the wind condition values ​​of the multiple adjacent areas. If the range of change in wind conditions during a predetermined period of the time series falls within the specified range, the wind condition value for a single combined time is calculated based on the wind condition values ​​for multiple times included in the predetermined period. An environmental information generation device characterized by the following features.

9. In the environmental information generation device according to claim 8, The range of change in wind conditions within the newly combined region is within the aforementioned range. An environmental information generation device characterized by the following features.

10. In the environmental information generation device according to claim 9, The range of change between the maximum and minimum wind conditions of the multiple adjacent new regions is within the aforementioned range. An environmental information generation device characterized by the following features.

11. In the environmental information generation device according to claim 8, The aforementioned wind conditions are wind speed or wind direction. An environmental information generation device characterized by the following features.

12. In an environmental information generation system comprising the environmental information generation device described in claim 1, The aforementioned environmental information generation system is An environmental information learning device that learns feature quantities that show the correspondence between the first environmental information which is the input and the second environmental information which is the output, An environmental prediction device that calculates a predicted value of the second environmental information using the aforementioned feature quantities and the first environmental information, and outputs the predicted value of the second environmental information to a display device, An environmental information generation system characterized by further comprising the following features.

13. The process of acquiring the flight performance of an aircraft, The first step is to acquire environmental information, A step of generating second environmental information having a spatial resolution lower than the spatial resolution of the first environmental information using the flight performance and the first environmental information, The process of outputting the second environmental information, A method for generating environment information to cause the processor to execute.

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