Control system, control method, and program

Abstract

According to the present invention, activities such as monitoring and surveying using multiple mobile units can be carried out more efficiently. [Solution] A control system that controls the operation of multiple mobile bodies equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting objects in order to detect the object, comprising: an object detection unit that detects the object based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensors; and a unit formation command determination unit that determines a formation command specifying the formation configuration of one or more platoons to be formed by the multiple mobile bodies, wherein the unit formation command determination unit determines the formation command of the platoon according to the current state or future predicted state of the detected object when the object detection unit detects the object.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] For example, in the ocean area, for the purpose of preventing nuisance acts and illegal fishing by ships sailing on the sea or divers diving in the sea, for the purpose of inspecting offshore infrastructure facilities, or for the purpose of ecological surveys of marine organisms such as whales and dolphins, marine monitoring by manned ships has been conventionally carried out. However, since the range of the ocean area to be monitored, inspected, or surveyed is extremely vast, there is a limit to the area where manned ships can be deployed for the purpose of monitoring, inspection, and survey, and it is required to perform monitoring, inspection, and survey more efficiently. Also, in such a background, in recent years, the utilization of moving objects such as multiple unmanned ships has been considered, and it is expected to be utilized for the above-mentioned monitoring, inspection, and survey.

[0003] As a technology for controlling multiple drones, Patent Document 1 discloses a control device including: other - machine information acquisition means for acquiring information on the state of other machines while each machine constituting a drone group autonomously makes an action selection in order to optimize the action of the entire drone group; action comparison means for acquiring information on the state of other machines from the other - machine information acquisition means, acquiring a sensor signal including information on the state of its own machine, and calculating a comparison value for a plurality of types of actions that its own machine should take using the acquired information on its own machine and other machines; action selection means for selecting an action that its own machine should take based on the comparison values of the plurality of types of actions calculated by the action comparison means; operation amount calculation means for calculating the operation amount of its own machine using the information on the action selected by the action selection means and the information on the state of other machines obtained from the other - machine information acquisition means; and operation setting means for setting an operation set value of an actuator for operating its own machine using the calculation result of the operation amount calculation means.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Re-tabled publication No. 2018-105599 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] When attempting to more efficiently monitor and investigate moving objects using multiple mobile units, it is desirable to form groups of multiple mobile units and assign post-detection actions such as tracking, anticipating, and surrounding the object to each group. Although Patent Document 1 discloses a method for controlling the operation of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it does not consider dividing multiple UAVs into multiple groups and performing post-detection actions for each group.

[0006] Furthermore, when each group is required to perform post-detection actions, the group composition and actions required for each group to perform these actions change depending on the situation. However, it was not easy to appropriately determine such group composition and actions and control the moving objects.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of at least one of the above problems, and one of its objectives is to provide a system or control method, etc., that can more efficiently carry out activities such as monitoring and investigation using multiple mobile bodies. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to the present invention, a control system is obtained that controls the operation of a plurality of mobile bodies equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting an object to detect the object, the system comprising: an object detection unit that detects the object based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensors; and a unit formation command determination unit that determines a formation command regarding the composition of a platoon for forming one or more platoons with the plurality of mobile bodies, wherein when the object detection unit detects the object, the unit formation command determination unit determines the formation command for the platoon according to the current state or predicted future state of the detected object. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, activities such as monitoring and surveying using multiple mobile units can be carried out more efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is an overall configuration diagram of control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of an implementation image of control system 1 in real space. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a cooperative system 5000 and an external system 6000. [Figure 4] This is a conceptual diagram showing how the unmanned vessel system 1000, deployed on the sea, performs tasks such as searching for target objects 7000. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the configuration of an unmanned vessel system 1000, which consists of multiple unmanned vessels. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a formation of the Unmanned Vehicle System 1000 deployed at sea. [Figure 7] This is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned vessel 1010. [Figure 8] This is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the 2000 integrated control system. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the prior information obtained by the information import unit 2100. [Figure 10] It is a state transition diagram showing the state transition of the squadron operation command determined by the pre-discovery squadron operation decision unit. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing a list of the operation commands of the squad determined by the pre-discovery squad operation decision unit. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing an example of the determination result regarding the state of the object determined by the object state determination unit 2420. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an example of the determination items of the future state prediction determination by the future state prediction unit 2500. [Figure 14] It is a flowchart diagram showing the processing flow of the control system 1. [Figure 15] It is a sequence diagram showing the signal exchange between systems within the control system 1. [Figure 16] It is a flowchart diagram showing an example of the determination processing flow of the search command by the pre-discovery operation decision unit 2200. [Figure 17] It is a diagram showing an example of the display for proposing to the user the search command determined by the pre-discovery operation decision unit 2200. [Figure 18] It is a flowchart diagram showing an example of the execution processing flow of the search operation. [Figure 19] It is a flowchart diagram showing an example of the state determination processing flow of the object by the object detection determination unit 2400. [Figure 20] It is a flowchart diagram showing an example of the future state prediction processing flow of the object by the future state prediction unit 2500. [Figure 21] It is a diagram showing an example of the display for proposing to the user the determination result of the future state prediction by the future state prediction unit 2500. [Figure 22] It is a flowchart diagram showing an example of the determination processing flow of the post-discovery operation of the squadron by the squadron control command determination unit 2600. [Figure 23] It is a diagram showing an example of the display for proposing to the user the determination result of the post-discovery operation of the squadron by the squadron control command determination unit 2600. [Figure 24]It is a diagram showing how the first post-discovery operation determined by the squadron control command determination unit 2600 is executed. [Figure 25] It is a diagram showing how the second post-discovery operation determined by the squadron control command determination unit 2600 is executed. [Figure 26] It is a diagram showing how the third post-discovery operation determined by the squadron control command determination unit 2600 is executed. [Figure 27] It is a diagram showing how the fourth post-discovery operation determined by the squadron control command determination unit 2600 is executed. [Figure 28] It is a diagram showing how the fifth post-discovery operation determined by the squadron control command determination unit 2600 is executed. [Figure 29] It is a flowchart diagram showing an example of the determination processing flow of the post-discovery operation of the unmanned boat 1010 by the squad control command determination unit 2700. [Figure 30] It is a diagram showing an example of a display example for proposing to the user the determination result of the post-discovery operation of the unmanned boat 1010 by the squad control command determination unit 2700. [Figure 31] It is a state transition diagram showing the execution state of the role for each squad when executing the post-discovery operation. [Figure 32] It is a state transition diagram showing the execution state of the role regarding the corresponding action for each squad when executing the post-discovery operation. [Figure 33] It is a state transition diagram showing the execution state of the role regarding the auxiliary support action for each squad when executing the post-discovery operation. [Figure 34] It is a hardware configuration diagram of the overall control system 2000.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] The content of the embodiment of the present invention is listed and described below. The present invention has the following configuration. [Item 1] In a control system that controls the operations of a plurality of moving bodies equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting an object and performs detection of the object, An object detection unit that detects the object based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor, The system comprises a unit formation command determination unit that determines formation commands regarding the composition of a platoon for forming one or more platoons using multiple of the aforementioned mobile units, The unit formation command determination unit is a control system that, when the object detection unit detects an object, determines the formation command for the platoon according to the current state or predicted future state of the detected object. [Item 2] In the control system described in item 1, A control system in which the formation command for the platoon determined by the unit formation command determination unit includes information regarding the number of platoons. [Item 3] In the control system described in item 1 or 2, The unit formation command determination unit is a control system that determines the roles of one or more platoons according to the current state or predicted future state of the object, and determines the formation command, which includes information specifying the number of platoons according to the roles. [Item 4] In the control system described in any of items 1 to 3, A control system in which the formation command for the platoon determined by the unit formation command determination unit includes information regarding the number of mobile units belonging to each of the single or multiple platoons. [Item 5] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 4, The unit formation command determination unit is a control system that determines the roles of one or more platoons according to the current state or predicted future state of the object, and determines the formation command which includes information specifying the number of mobile units belonging to each platoon according to the roles. [Item 6] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 5, A control system in which the formation command of the platoon determined by the unit formation command determination unit includes command information for exchanging the mobile units belonging to multiple platoons among the multiple platoons. [Item 7] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 6, The system includes a user input receiving unit that receives user input information regarding the composition of the aforementioned platoon, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines the organization command for the platoon in accordance with the user input information. [Item 8] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 7, A control system in which the formation command determined by the unit formation command determination unit includes information specifying the composition of the platoon, which is composed of a plurality of mobile units that are directly connected to each other or indirectly connected via a wireless communication network or other mobile units. [Item 9] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 8, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines the organization command, which includes information regarding the connection configuration of a plurality of mobile units via the wireless communication network, according to the organization details of the determined platoon. [Item 10] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 9, The system includes a user input receiving unit that receives user input information regarding the composition of the aforementioned platoon, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines the organization command, including information regarding the connection configuration of the platoon's wireless communication network, in accordance with the user input information. [Item 11] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 10, The aforementioned unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines platoon operation commands specifying roles for each of the single or multiple aforementioned platoons. [Item 12] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 11, The platoon action command determined by the unit organization command decision unit includes: Tracking, surrounding, delaying, intercepting, handing over tracking, continuous measurement and supplementation, or ambushing the aforementioned object. Or storage, transmission, or analysis processing of the aforementioned measurement data, or relaying communications with other aforementioned mobile bodies, or charging of the energy storage device mounted on the mobile body, A control system that includes information specifying at least one of the roles for each platoon. [Item 13] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 12, The platoon action command determined by the unit organization command decision unit includes: The primary role includes tracking, surrounding, delaying, intercepting, handing over tracking, continuing to monitor, or ambushing the aforementioned object, A second role including at least one of the following: storage, transmission, or analysis processing of the aforementioned measurement data, and communication relay of other mobile devices. A control system that includes information specifying one of the roles for each platoon. [Item 14] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 13, The platoon action command determined by the unit organization command decision unit includes: The primary role includes tracking, surrounding, delaying, intercepting, handing over tracking, continuing to monitor, or ambushing the aforementioned object, A second role including at least one of the following: storage, transmission, or analysis processing of the aforementioned measurement data, and communication relay of other mobile devices. A control system that includes information specifying both roles for each of the aforementioned platoons. [Item 15] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 14, The platoon action command determined by the unit organization command decision unit includes: The primary role includes tracking, surrounding, delaying, intercepting, handing over tracking, continuing to monitor, or ambushing the aforementioned object, A second role including at least one of the following: storing, transmitting, or analyzing the measurement data, or relaying communications of other mobile devices. Information that designates one of the roles for a portion of the aforementioned platoons, A control system that includes information for assigning both the first and second roles to other parts of a plurality of the platoons. [Item 16] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 15, The system includes a user input receiving unit that receives user input information regarding the roles of each platoon, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines the platoon operation commands relating to the roles of each platoon, in accordance with the user input information. [Item 17] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 16, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines a mobile body operation command for at least some of the mobile bodies belonging to the platoon, including at least one of a role and a mobile target, in accordance with the platoon operation command for the role designated for each platoon. [Item 18] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 17, The unit formation command determination unit is a control system that determines a movement target for each platoon, including at least one of the movement target position and movement target time, in accordance with the platoon operation command for the role designated for each platoon. [Item 19] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 18, The aforementioned unit organization command decision-making unit, A control system for determining a platoon deployment command relating to the composition or deployment of a platoon, which includes at least one of the following: the composition position, composition time, or formation shape for each platoon when forming the platoon according to the determined organizational structure; or the target movement position, target movement time for each platoon after the platoon has been formed according to the organizational structure; or the target movement position, target movement time for the mobile body belonging to the platoon. [Item 20] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 19, The system includes a user input receiving unit that receives user input information regarding the contents of platoon deployment orders for each platoon, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines the deployment command for the platoon in accordance with the user input information. [Item 21] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 20, A control system comprising a display unit that displays and outputs information related to commands generated by the aforementioned unit organization command decision unit. [Item 22] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 21, A control system comprising a control command transmission unit that transmits commands generated by the unit formation command determination unit to the mobile unit. [Item 23] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 22, A control system comprising an information transmission unit that transmits information related to commands generated by the aforementioned unit organization command decision unit to an external source. [Item 24] In a control system described in any of items 1 to 23, The aforementioned mobile entity is an unmanned vessel capable of moving on the sea by remote control, autonomous navigation, or automatic navigation, and the control system detects the aforementioned object using the measurement sensor. [Item 25] A control method for detecting an object by controlling the movement of multiple moving bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting the object, An object detection step in which the object is detected based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor, A control method that, when an object is detected by the object detection step, performs a unit formation command determination step which determines a formation command specifying the composition of one or more platoons to be formed by a plurality of mobile units, according to the current state or predicted future state of the detected object. [Item 26] A program for detecting an object by controlling the movement of multiple mobile bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting the object, On the computer, An object detection command for detecting the object based on the measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor, When the object is detected based on the measurement data, a unit formation command determination command for determining the formation details of the unit for forming a single or multiple squads by the plurality of mobile bodies according to the current state or the predicted future state of the detected object. A program for executing the command.

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

[0013] [A. Configuration] (A-1. System Configuration) First, the system configuration of the control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0014] (A-1-1. Outline of System Configuration) Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "System 1") according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the control system 1 comprises an unmanned vessel system 1000 and a central control system 2000. The central control system 2000 is configured to communicate with an external cooperative system 5000 and an external system 6000 via an internet connection or the like, and can input and output information. The central control system 2000 can transmit control commands to the unmanned vessel system 1000 deployed at sea via a ground base station 4000 and a communication satellite 3000, and can also receive the operating status and measurement data of the unmanned vessel system 1000. Therefore, the integrated control system 2000 can remotely control, autonomously navigate, or automatically navigate the unmanned vessel system 1000, which has multiple unmanned vessels 1010 (also called "unmanned ships") that are capable of navigating and moving on the sea and equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting the target object 7000, and perform tasks such as searching for the target object 7000 and tracking it after discovery using the measurement sensors in a predetermined area (first area) on or under the sea. Here, the predetermined area is any area that can be set or pre-set by the user.

[0015] The unmanned vessel system 1000 comprises one or more unmanned vessels 1010. When the unmanned vessel system 1000 is composed of multiple unmanned vessels 1010, the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 are connected to each other by wireless communication and can form a communication network. The unmanned vessel 1010 also has the function of measuring objects 7000, including ships, divers, floating objects, people adrift, marine life such as whales, breakwaters, harbor areas, offshore infrastructure facilities (wind power generation facilities, wave power generation facilities, offshore plants, offshore runways, etc.), floating buoys, fish farms, and other objects, using measurement sensors mounted on the vessel (optical cameras, IR cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR, radar sensors such as millimeter-wave sensors and microwave sensors, sound wave sensors such as sonar, etc.).

[0016] The detection results and measurement data of the objects 7000 detected by the unmanned vessel system 1000, as well as various information on the operational status of each unmanned vessel 1010 of the unmanned vessel system 1000, are transmitted to the central control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 and the ground base station 4000. The central control system 2000 determines operational commands for the unmanned vessel system 1000 based on the information obtained from the unmanned vessel system 1000 and the request information obtained in advance. The generated operational commands and other information are transmitted to the user terminal device 8000 and displayed to the user. Furthermore, intervention commands related to operational commands can be obtained from the user via the user terminal device 8000.

[0017] (A-1-2. Example of implementing control system 1 in real space) Figure 2 shows an example of an implementation image of control system 1 in real space. In the example shown in Figure 2, a ground base station 4000 and a central control system 2000 are provided on the ground side, as shown in the upper right of the figure. Also on the ground side are a cooperative system 5000 connected to the central control system 2000 via a network, an external system 6000, and a user terminal device 8000.

[0018] On the other hand, on the ocean side shown on the left of the diagram, the unmanned vessel system 1000 is deployed to search for and track objects 7000 in the ocean. The unmanned vessel system 1000 also has multiple groups (1000a, 1000b, 1000c) consisting of a master unit and multiple slave units, and each group can communicate directly or via the communication satellite 3000.

[0019] In the example shown in Figure 2, the central control system 2000 is shown to be implemented in a land-based facility, but it is not limited to this. All or part of the functions implemented in the central control system 2000 shown in this embodiment can be installed on coastal field bases located in land-based coastal areas (not shown) or on manned mother ships at sea, and the operation and management of the unmanned vessel system 1000 can be performed at the coastal field bases or manned mother ships.

[0020] In the embodiment described in Figures 1 and 2 above, an example was described in which a non-terrestrial network using a geosynchronous orbit or low-earth orbit communication satellite 3000 is used as the communication network for sending and receiving information between the integrated control system 2000 and the unmanned vessel system 1000. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a non-terrestrial network using an unmanned aerial vehicle called a HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station) can also be used. In this case, for example, an unmanned aerial vehicle that circles at an altitude of about 8 to 50 km can be used. Furthermore, as the communication network for sending and receiving information between the integrated control system 2000 and the unmanned vessel 1010, it is also possible to use a communication network that directly connects the ground base station 4000 to the unmanned vessel 1010 via wireless communication, without going through the communication satellite 3000 or HAPS. Note that the ground base station 4000 is not limited to a stationary fixed base station, but may consist of a mobile base station. As another example, in addition to the wireless communication described above, wired communication using fiber optic cables or the like can also be used as a means of communication between the central control system 2000 and the unmanned vessel system 1000.

[0021] (A-1-3. Overview of Cooperative System 5000 and External System 6000) Figure 3 shows an example of a cooperative system 5000 and an external system 6000. As shown in Figure 3, the control system 1, which has an unmanned vessel system 1000 and a central control system 2000, is connected to the cooperative system 5000 and the external system 6000, respectively, via a network.

[0022] Furthermore, the Cooperative System 5000 includes systems for, for example, private security organizations, marine research organizations, infrastructure inspection organizations, private rescue organizations, and other external cooperating organizations. Private security organizations have monitoring supervisors at their facilities and monitoring personnel on their monitoring vessels, and they work together to monitor suspicious vessels and disruptive activities in marine areas.

[0023] Furthermore, the external system 6000 includes systems such as an Automated Information System (AIS) that acquires identification information and operational status information of vessels navigating in the ocean area, and an environmental information provision system that provides weather information (such as wind, rain, snow, clouds, fog, and wave height) for the area where the unmanned vessel system 1000 is deployed and its surrounding areas. In addition to these systems, the external system 6000 may also include an MDA system that provides oceanographic information such as the velocity, direction, and position of ocean currents and tidal currents. The external system 6000 may also include information on the altitude and position of the sun and the altitude and position of the moon.

[0024] (A-1-4. Scenes of searching for and tracking 7000 objects) Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram showing how an unmanned vessel system 1000 deployed on the sea performs the search for an object 7000. As shown in Figure 4, multiple unmanned vessels 1010 constituting a group are deployed on the sea, and the measurement sensors 1110 mounted on each unmanned vessel 1010 can measure the object 7000 that is within the measurable range on or under the sea.

[0025] The measurement data and detection / determination results of the measured objects 7000 are collected by the master unit 1001 via a communication network between the unmanned vessels 1010, transmitted from the master unit 1001 to the communication satellite 3000, and then transmitted to the central control system 2000 via the ground base station 4000 and the internet. In addition, each unmanned vessel 1010 is equipped with a navigation unit 1300 that allows it to navigate in any direction, and can perform various tasks such as searching for and tracking objects 7000 based on operation commands transmitted by the central control system 2000.

[0026] (A-2. Configuration of 1000 unmanned boats) Next, the system configuration of the unmanned boat system 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 7.

[0027] (A-2-1. Overview of the Unmanned Vehicle System 1000) Figure 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of an unmanned vessel system 1000 composed of multiple unmanned vessels. As shown in Figure 5, the unmanned vessel system 1000 is composed of one or more platoons (1000a, 1000b), and each platoon consists of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 that can communicate with each other. Furthermore, the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 that make up each platoon are configured to act as a master unit 1001 that can wirelessly communicate with the communication satellite 3000, or as slave units 1002 that can communicate directly or indirectly with the master unit 1001. The master unit 1001 communicates with the communication satellite 3000, aggregates information collected from the multiple slave units 1002 and transmits it to the communication satellite 3000, and has the function of directly or indirectly transmitting information related to operation commands acquired from the communication satellite 3000 and information it generates itself to each slave unit 1002.

[0028] The platoon 1000a shown in Figure 5 comprises a primary connected slave unit 10021 that communicates with the master unit 1001, a secondary connected slave unit 10022 that communicates with the primary connected slave unit 10021, and a tertiary connected slave unit 10023 that communicates with the secondary connected slave unit 10022. Each slave unit (primary connected slave unit 10021, secondary connected slave unit 10022, and tertiary connected slave unit 10023) has the function of relaying information received from other master units 1001 or slave units 1002 to other master units 1001 or slave units 1002, thereby forming a communication network between the master unit 1001 and the multiple slave units 1002.

[0029] Figure 5 shows the configuration of a platoon having a master unit 1001 and a slave unit 1002, but it is not limited to this. A platoon 1000 composed of unmanned vessels 1010 can be composed of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 equipped with communication units that are connected to a common wireless communication network that enables them to communicate with each other directly or indirectly. Furthermore, a platoon 1000 can also be defined as a single unmanned vessel 1010 that does not communicate wirelessly with other unmanned vessels 1010 but has the function of a master unit that communicates with a communication satellite 3000. In addition, a platoon 1000 can also be composed of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 that communicate with each other via a communication satellite 3000, rather than multiple unmanned vessels 1010 that are connected to each other directly or indirectly through a wireless communication network as described above.

[0030] Here, Figures 1 to 5 illustrate a system configuration in which multiple unmanned vessels 1010 are used to perform activities such as searching for and tracking objects 7000 in a target area such as an ocean area. However, in the present invention, it is possible to use mobile bodies other than unmanned vessels 1010, which are unmanned ships that navigate on water. In other words, the present invention can be applied to vehicles that can travel on land, aircraft that can fly in the air, underwater mobile bodies that can move underwater, and other mobile bodies. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to autonomously moving or remotely controlled unmanned aircraft as mobile bodies, but is not limited to this, and it is also possible to use manned mobile bodies as some or all of the mobile bodies.

[0031] (A-2-2. Configuration of the unmanned vessel 1010 that makes up the group) Figure 6 shows an example of a formation of the unmanned vessel system 1000 deployed at sea. In the example shown in Figure 6, when multiple unmanned vessels 1010 are deployed at sea to perform a predetermined mission, the formation of a group composed of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 and their communication connection relationships are shown.

[0032] The platoon 1000a shown in Figure 6 consists of one master unit 1001 and multiple slave units 1002. Furthermore, the master unit 1001 and the multiple slave units 1002 are connected via wireless communication, as shown by the solid lines, thereby forming a wireless communication network at sea. Each slave unit 1002 has a primary connection slave unit 10021 that connects wirelessly to the master unit 1001, and a secondary connection slave unit 10022 that connects wirelessly to the primary connection slave unit 10021.

[0033] In this embodiment, the number of relays by the slave units 1002 when forming a platoon is not limited, and it may include tertiary, quaternary, or higher-level connecting slave units. The primary connecting slave unit 10021 shown in Figure 6 has the function of relaying the transmission and reception of information between the master unit 1001 and the secondary connecting slave units 10022, thereby enabling the exchange of information between the master unit 1001 and multiple secondary connecting slave units 10022.

[0034] Furthermore, the number of secondary connection units 10022 that wirelessly connect to the primary connection unit 10021 is not limited to one. Multiple secondary connection units 10022 can be wirelessly connected to the primary connection unit 10021, thereby forming a tree-like communication network in which multiple unmanned vessels 1010 branch off within the platoon 1000a. In addition, since there is an upper limit to the wireless communication distance between each unmanned vessel 1010, the position of at least one of the two unmanned vessels 1010 that communicate wirelessly with each other, for example, the master unit 1001 and the primary connection unit 10021, and the primary connection unit 10021 and the secondary connection unit 10022, is controlled so that the relative distance between the unmanned vessels 1010 is maintained within the range of the upper limit relative communication distance included in the monitoring plan as shown in Figure 11.

[0035] Furthermore, if the relative distance between the two unmanned vessels 1010 increases and the other unmanned vessel 1010 moves outside the communication range, wireless communication between them will become impossible, and control commands from the central control system 2000 will not be able to be transmitted. Therefore, it is desirable for the two unmanned vessels 1010 that are connected to each other to perform self-position control to maintain the relative distance between them within the communication range, with a higher priority than other control functions.

[0036] On the other hand, the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that do not communicate wirelessly with each other does not require the maintenance of the aforementioned communication connection. However, in order to efficiently search for the target object 7000, which is the objective of the unmanned vessel system 1000, it is preferable for each unmanned vessel 1010 to maintain an appropriate distance so that the measurement ranges of the measurement sensors of each unmanned vessel 1010 do not overlap, or overlap to a moderate degree, rather than being too close together and having most of the measurement ranges of the measurement sensors overlap. Therefore, regarding the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that do not communicate with each other, the position of at least one of the unmanned vessels 1010 is controlled with a relatively lower priority so as to maintain a preset steady-state relative distance. This control to maintain the steady-state relative distance can be achieved, for example, by applying a control based on the Boids algorithm.

[0037] Furthermore, if the relative distance between the unmanned vessels 1010 becomes too close and there is a possibility of collision, position control can be performed to increase the relative distance with a relatively high priority in order to avoid a collision and prevent damage to the unmanned vessels 1010.

[0038] As described above, control to maintain the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that communicate with each other within the communication range, and avoidance control to avoid collisions with other unmanned vessels approaching at close range, are performed with relatively high priority. On the other hand, control to maintain the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that do not communicate with each other can be performed with relatively low priority. In this way, the distance relationship between multiple unmanned vessels 1010 can be adjusted by controlling the attractive and repulsive forces between the unmanned vessels 1010.

[0039] Furthermore, while Figure 6 illustrates an example of controlling the distance relationship between multiple unmanned vessels 1010 within a single platoon, when deploying multiple platoons, the distance relationship between the platoons can be adjusted in a similar manner by controlling attractive and repulsive forces. Note that even if the distance between platoons decreases, a collision will not immediately occur, so the repulsive force between platoons may be set weaker than the repulsive force between unmanned vessels within a platoon.

[0040] (A-2-3. Configuration of the unmanned vessel 1010) Figure 7 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned vessel 1010. Although Figure 7 describes the functional block diagram of the unmanned vessel 1010, the master unit 1001 and the slave unit 1002 of the unmanned vessel 1010 can both implement the same functions as shown in Figure 7. The unmanned vessel 1010 is equipped with a measurement unit 1100, a self-state determination unit 1200, a navigation unit 1300, a communication unit 1400, a determination unit 1500, and a recording unit 1600.

[0041] The measurement unit 1100 is a functional unit that detects objects 7000 that are within the measurable range in the sea using the measurement sensor 1110 and acquires measurement information about the objects 7000. The measurement unit 1100 comprises a measurement sensor 1110 and a measurement control unit 1120.

[0042] The measurement sensor 1110 may include one (monocular) or more electro-optical sensors for acquiring image data on the sea surface, optical sensors such as optical cameras, infrared sensors (IR sensors), and stereo cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR for acquiring point cloud data, optical distance measuring sensors such as ToF sensors (Time of Flight sensors), and radar sensors for detecting millimeter waves and microwaves. By measuring the area around the unmanned vessel 1010, the measurement sensor 1110 acquires measurement data for 7000 objects within the measurable range on the sea surface. Furthermore, each of the above sensors can be used as a distance measuring sensor to measure the distance to an object based on the measurement data.

[0043] Furthermore, the measurement sensor 1110 may also have an acoustic wave sensor (also called an acoustic wave measurement unit) that includes a sonar that utilizes sound waves such as ultrasound, in addition to the sensors described above. The acoustic wave sensor can be used not only underwater but also in the air above the water. When the acoustic wave sensor is used in the air, it can be used as a distance measuring sensor to measure the distance to an object by measuring the sound waves that are reflected back from the object after being generated. When the acoustic wave sensor is used underwater, it may be either an active sonar that generates sound waves and measures the sound waves that resonate from objects in the water, or a passive sonar that measures the sound emitted from objects in the water. The active sonar can be configured as, for example, a side-scan sonar, a multi-beam sonar, or a single-beam sonar. The acoustic wave sensor may also be configured as a USBL transceiver or an acoustic communication modem.

[0044] Furthermore, the measurement control unit 1120 controls the attitude angle of at least one of the three axes of the measurement sensor 1110 relative to the unmanned vessel 1010 by operating a sensor attitude change device that can change the attitude of the measurement sensor 1110. Also, for example, if the measurement sensor is an optical sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the frame rate, shutter speed, etc. Also, if the measurement sensor is a laser sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of the irradiating laser. Also, if the measurement sensor is a radar sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of millimeter waves or microwaves. Also, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the measurement sensitivity of the measurement sensor to an arbitrary control amount. Also, if the measurement sensor is an optical sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can change the zoom amount and resolution of the optical sensor to an arbitrary control amount.

[0045] Next, the self-vehicle state determination unit 1200 comprises a navigation state determination unit 1210, an internal state determination unit 1220, and an external state determination unit 1230, and is a functional unit that determines the navigation state, internal state, and external state of the unmanned vessel 1010. The navigation state determination unit 1210 determines the self-vehicle's position (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), speed, heading, direction of movement, acceleration / deceleration, turning speed, and other state quantities related to the navigation state. The internal state determination unit 1220 determines the remaining energy and fuel levels of the battery installed on the self-vehicle, the distance that can be traveled calculated from the remaining energy and fuel levels, temporary abnormal conditions of equipment installed on the self-vehicle (temperature abnormalities, communication abnormalities, etc.), and equipment failure states.

[0046] Furthermore, the external status determination unit 1230 can determine the communication quality status such as communication strength (dB value, etc.), communication speed, and communication delay of wireless communication with other unmanned vessels 1010 within the unmanned vessel system 1000, or wireless communication with the integrated control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or ground base station 4000, or the sea conditions around the vessel (wave height, wave speed, ocean current speed, ocean current direction, tidal current speed, tidal current direction), meteorological conditions (wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity), weather conditions (fog, thunderstorms, rain, snow, hail, sleet, cloudy, etc.), seawater conditions (seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity, pH value, presence or absence of seaweed beds, etc.), solar-related information (solar position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory), backlighting, frontlighting, solar radiation), and other conditions (moon position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory, lunar phase), ionospheric disturbances (solar flares, etc.)).

[0047] The method used by the navigation state determination unit 1210 to determine the aircraft's position, speed, direction of movement, and acceleration / deceleration rate is not particularly limited, but for example, the aircraft's position, speed, and direction of movement at the current time can be determined using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GPS (Global Positioning System), RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System), etc.

[0048] Furthermore, as another example of how the navigation state determination unit 1210 determines the position, speed, direction of movement, and acceleration / deceleration of the aircraft, if the measurement sensor 1110 can detect the seabed shape, the current position, speed, and direction of movement of the aircraft can be determined using SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) technology based on the previously recorded seabed shape and the seabed shape detected by the measurement sensor 1110.

[0049] Here, the positional information includes at least two-dimensional coordinate information in a planar view (e.g., latitude and longitude), and preferably three-dimensional coordinate information including altitude. Furthermore, acceleration and deceleration can be calculated based on the time change of the determined movement speed.

[0050] Furthermore, the method for measuring the aircraft's heading involves determining the aircraft's heading at the current time using, for example, a geomagnetic sensor, a GNSS compass, or SLAM technology utilizing the seabed shape. The heading includes at least the attitude angle (direction) in a plan view around the Z axis, and preferably includes attitude information around three axes: the X, Y, and Z axes. The turning speed can be calculated based on the amount of change over time of the determined heading information.

[0051] Next, the navigation unit 1300 comprises a thrust generation unit 1310, an attitude control mechanism 1320, and a navigation control unit 1330, and is a functional unit that navigates the aircraft in any direction according to operation commands received via the communication unit 1400. The thrust generation unit 1310 can be made of any means capable of generating thrust, and as an example, it can be made of a propeller driven using the power of an engine or electric motor. The thrust generation unit 1310 can also be made of a sail that generates thrust by receiving wind, or it can be made of a wave glider that generates thrust by receiving wave force.

[0052] The attitude control mechanism 1320 consists of a rudder plate on the aircraft and a propeller attitude change mechanism that can change the attitude angle of the propeller (mainly the yaw angle around the Z axis). By changing these angles, the aircraft's heading direction (yaw angle) can be controlled. In addition, the attitude angles of the aircraft's roll angle around the X axis and pitch angle around the Y axis can also be controlled by a center of gravity position change mechanism that changes the position of heavy objects inside the aircraft using actuators.

[0053] Furthermore, the navigation control unit 1330 is a functional unit that controls the aircraft's navigation operation by controlling the thrust generation unit 1310 and the attitude control mechanism 1320. The navigation control unit 1330 has one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), MPU, or DSP), and includes a processing unit that can access memory (storage unit). The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that the processing unit can execute to perform one or more processing steps.

[0054] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the aircraft's navigation state. For example, the control module adjusts the aircraft's position on the sea surface, speed, acceleration / deceleration, heading, turning speed, and attitude angles around the three axes. In other words, the navigation control unit 1330 controls the aircraft's navigation by causing it to perform various actions such as moving forward, backward, accelerating, decelerating, and turning.

[0055] Next, the communication unit 1400 comprises an inter-unmanned vessel communication unit 1410 and a central control communication unit 1420, and is a functional unit that communicates with other unmanned vessels 1010 within the unmanned vessel system 1000 and the central control system 2000. The inter-unmanned vessel communication unit 1410 is equipped with a communication antenna used for the maritime wireless communication network and communicates with other unmanned vessels 1010 within the unmanned vessel system 1000. The central control communication unit 1420 is equipped with a satellite communication antenna capable of communicating with the communication satellite 3000, or a communication antenna capable of communicating with the ground base station 4000, and communicates with the central control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or the ground base station 4000. In addition to the above-mentioned communication units, the communication unit may also include a communication unit equipped with an AIS antenna or a VHF antenna that communicates with external surveillance vessels or AIS base stations.

[0056] Next, the determination unit 1500 is a functional unit that performs data processing such as primary processing and data compression of measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor 1110. For example, the determination unit 1500 can perform primary processing to process the raw data (measurement data) after measurement acquired by the measurement sensor 1110 and generate transmission data for wireless transmission from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the central control system 2000. Furthermore, in order to reduce the transmission load when wirelessly transmitting the transmission data from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the central control system 2000, the determination unit 1500 can perform data compression processing to compress the raw data (measurement data) after measurement and generate transmission data.

[0057] Furthermore, the determination unit 1500 can interpret the state of the object 7000 by performing primary processing on the measurement data, and can determine the presence or absence of a detected object, the size of the detected object, and so on. It may also have a function to determine whether or not to transmit measurement data and data for transmission from the unmanned vessel system 1000 to the integrated control system 2000, or to select the data to be transmitted, based on the interpretation results.

[0058] Next, the recording unit 1600 comprises a measurement data recording unit 1610, a self-operated machine status recording unit 1620, and a judgment information recording unit 1630. The measurement data recording unit 1610 records the measurement data measured by the measurement unit 1100. The self-operated machine status recording unit 1620 records various status information about the self-operated machine determined by the self-operated machine status determination unit 1200. The judgment information recording unit 1630 records various judgment information determined by the determination unit 1500.

[0059] (A-3. Description of the Integrated Control System 2000) Next, the functions and contents of the integrated control system 2000 will be explained using Figure 8. Figure 8 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the integrated control system 2000. As shown in Figure 8, the integrated control system 2000 includes an information import unit 2100, a pre-detection action determination unit 2200, an unmanned vessel state determination unit 2300, an object detection determination unit 2400, a future state prediction unit 2500, a company control command determination unit 2600, a platoon control command determination unit 2700, and an information input / output unit 2800.

[0060] (A-3-1. Information Import Unit 2100) The information import unit 2100 is a functional unit that imports information to be processed or used in each functional unit within the integrated control system 2000 from the unmanned vessel 1010, the cooperative system 5000, the external system 6000, the user terminal device 8000, etc. The information import unit 2100 includes an activity condition acquisition unit 2110, an object determination condition 2120, a status definition acquisition unit 2130, and an unmanned vessel information acquisition unit 2140. Figure 9 shows an example of prior information acquired by the information import unit 2100.

[0061] The activity condition acquisition unit 2110 is a functional unit that receives various information regarding activity conditions for performing search operations before discovering the target object 7000 and post-discovery operations such as tracking after discovery. As shown in Figure 9, the search conditions acquired by the activity condition acquisition unit 2110 include, for example, the target area to be searched (location and extent of the sea or underwater area), the activity time (date and time of activity execution, period, time, time zone, etc.), and the search target (search rate indicating the ratio of the searched area to the target area). These search conditions may also include other requested information such as the requested alert level and the requested search rate (ratio of the area of ​​the searched area to the area to be searched). For example, the activity condition acquisition unit 2110 can acquire requested search conditions from the cooperative system 5000, the user terminal device 8000, or the user input reception unit 2820, which will be described later.

[0062] The object determination conditions 2120 is a functional unit that pre-acquires the criteria for detecting and determining the state of an object, which are performed by the object detection and determination unit 2400. As shown in Figure 9, the object determination conditions acquired by the object determination conditions 2120 include, for example, criteria information such as the type of object (ship, diver, marine life, etc.), size (e.g., total length of 2m or more), and shape, which are used as criteria for the detection and determination of an object 7000 by the object detection unit 2410 of the object detection and determination unit 2400. Information regarding the object detection and determination conditions can also be acquired from the AIS system of the external system 6000.

[0063] The status definition acquisition unit 2130 is a functional unit that pre-acquires definition information for each of the multiple statuses of the unmanned vessel 1010 determined by the unmanned vessel status determination unit 2300. As shown in Figure 9, the status information of the unmanned vessel 1010 acquired by the status definition acquisition unit 2130 includes, for example, the search status during the search before the target object is discovered, the post-discovery status after the target object is discovered, and a common status that is common before and after the discovery of the target object.

[0064] The search status includes statuses related to the search, such as anchored search and patrol search. The post-discovery status includes statuses of actions taken in response to the detected object 7000, such as encirclement, delay, intercept, pursuit, handover of pursuit, and ambush (surveillance and capture). The common status includes statuses common before and after the discovery of an object, such as communication supplementation to compensate for the radio communication capabilities of other unmanned vessels 1010, data storage / transmission, primary analysis processing, recovery charging in case of energy depletion, patrolling in energy-depleted conditions, anchoring, movement, deployment, recovery, and detection of malfunctions or anomalies in the unmanned vessel 1010.

[0065] The unmanned vessel information acquisition unit 2140 is a functional unit that acquires various information from the unmanned vessel 1010 via communication satellites 3000, HAPS, ground base stations 4000, etc. For example, the unmanned vessel information acquisition unit 2140 acquires measurement data measured by the measurement unit 1100, judgment results determined by the judgment unit 1500, and various status information determined by the self-vehicle status determination unit 1200 from the unmanned vessel 1010.

[0066] (A-3-2. Pre-detection action determination unit 2200) The pre-discovery action determination unit 2200 is a functional unit that determines the action commands for the unmanned vessel 1010 in the state before the unmanned vessel 1010 discovers the target object 7000. The pre-discovery action determination unit 2200 comprises a pre-discovery company action determination unit 2210 and a pre-discovery platoon action determination unit 2220.

[0067] The pre-discovery company action decision unit 2210 is a functional unit that determines company-level action commands composed of multiple platoons before the unmanned vessel 1010 discovers the target object 7000. Figure 10 is a state transition diagram showing the state transitions of the company action commands determined by the pre-discovery company action decision unit.

[0068] As shown in Figure 10, the operational commands for the company include the pre-mission preparation state, the mission operation state, and the mission completion / cancellation state. The pre-mission preparation state includes the movement state, where the unmanned vessel system 1000 is moved to the activity area, and the deployment state, where the unmanned vessel 1010 is deployed in a predetermined formation within the activity area. The mission operation state includes the platoon change state, where the platoon's composition is changed by replacing unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to the platoon, the search state, where the target object is searched for, the recovery charge state, where the battery storage device mounted on the unmanned vessel is charged, the standby state, and the post-discovery action state, where a response action is taken after the target object is discovered (detected). The mission completion / cancellation state includes the return state, where the unmanned vessel 1010 is moved to the recovery location, and the recovery state, where the unmanned vessel 1010 is recovered.

[0069] In addition to the action commands shown in Figure 10, the pre-detection company action decision unit 2210 can determine the organization of the multiple platoons that make up the company and the planned patrol routes for the platoons. Here, the organization of the platoons and the determination of action commands may be determined by assigning action areas to each platoon according to the alert level and search rate for each area. Furthermore, when generating planned patrol routes, the pre-detection company action decision unit 2210 can generate planned patrol routes such that the relative distance to these surrounding objects is above a certain level, based on information acquired in advance regarding the presence, type, location, and size of stationary and moving objects in the surrounding sea area, so as not to interfere with these surrounding objects. In this case, information on stationary and moving objects in the surrounding sea area can be acquired from the AIS system of the external system 6000, etc.

[0070] Furthermore, the pre-detection company action decision unit 2210 may also have a function to determine the platoon's formation. In that case, to prevent communication from being interrupted due to the increased distance between unmanned vessels as a result of the formation change, the pre-detection action decision unit 2200 monitors the relative distance and communication strength between unmanned vessels in real time and decides to change the formation within a range where communication is possible or where communication can be maintained. It may also have a function to determine whether the formation change has been completed.

[0071] The pre-discovery company action determination unit 2210 can determine the current state of the company's actions in real time from among the states shown in Figure 10, and can also determine the current state of the unmanned vessel 1010 from the unmanned vessel information acquired by the unmanned vessel information acquisition unit 2140, and determine the next company action command state to transition to.

[0072] The pre-discovery platoon action decision unit 2220 is a functional unit that determines action commands for each of several platoons before the unmanned vessel 1010 discovers the target object 7000. Figure 11 shows a list of platoon action commands determined by the pre-discovery platoon action decision unit. In particular, Figure 11 shows a list of platoon-level action commands when the company-level action commands are in a search state.

[0073] As shown in Figure 11, the operational commands for the platoon include search, communication relay, data analysis, data transmission, data storage, standby, and recharge. The search operation can be selected from patrol search, which is performed while patrolling, and anchored search, which is performed while anchored. The communication relay operation is the operation of relaying communications to other unmanned vessels 1010 within the platoon. The data analysis operation is the operation of performing a primary analysis of measurement data by the determination unit 1500 of the unmanned vessel 1010. The data transmission operation is the operation of transmitting measurement data, etc. to the central control system 2000. Data storage is the operation of storing measurement data, etc. Recharge is the operation of charging the energy storage device installed on the unmanned vessel, and the charging methods include charging using power generation devices such as solar panels, wave power generation, and wind power generation, external power supply, or replacement of the energy storage device from an external source.

[0074] (A-3-3. Unmanned Vessel Status Determination Unit 2300) The unmanned vessel status determination unit 2300 is a functional unit that detects or estimates the status of the unmanned vessel 1010 based on information detected by the unmanned vessel's own status determination unit 1200. The unmanned vessel status determination unit 2300 comprises a status detection unit 2310 and a performance estimation unit 2320.

[0075] The state detection unit 2310 can detect, for example, the position (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), speed, heading, direction of movement, acceleration / deceleration, turning speed, other state variables related to the navigation state of the unmanned vessel 1010, the remaining energy and fuel levels of the battery installed on the unmanned vessel 1010, the distance that can be traveled calculated from the remaining energy and fuel levels, temporary abnormal conditions of equipment installed on the unmanned vessel 1010 (temperature abnormalities, communication abnormalities, etc.), and equipment failure conditions, based on various state information about the unmanned vessel 1010 detected by the self-state determination unit 1200 of the unmanned vessel 1010.

[0076] Furthermore, the status detection unit 2310 can determine the communication quality status such as communication strength (dB value, etc.), communication speed, and communication delay of wireless communication within the unmanned vessel system 1000, or wireless communication with the integrated control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or ground base station 4000, or the ocean conditions around the unmanned vessel 1010 (wave height, wave speed, ocean current speed, ocean current direction, tidal current speed, tidal current direction), meteorological conditions (wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity), weather conditions (fog, thunderstorms, rain, snow, hail, sleet, cloudy, etc.), seawater conditions (seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity, pH value, presence or absence of seaweed beds, etc.), solar-related information (solar position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory), backlighting, frontlighting, solar radiation), and other conditions (moon position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory, lunar phase), ionospheric disturbances (solar flares, etc.)).

[0077] The performance estimation unit 2320 is a functional unit that estimates various performances such as measurement performance, power performance, and communication performance that the unmanned vessel 1010 can achieve, according to the navigation status, internal status, and external status of the unmanned vessel detected by the status detection unit 2310. For example, if the battery energy level is low, it is likely to affect the measurement performance, power performance, and communication performance. Similarly, if the sea conditions around the unmanned vessel 1010 are poor, it is likely to affect the measurement performance, power performance, and communication performance. Therefore, the performance estimation unit 2320 takes these various conditions into consideration to estimate the various performances that the unmanned vessel 1010 can achieve.

[0078] (A-3-4. Object detection and determination unit 2400) The object detection and determination unit 2400 is a functional unit that detects the object 7000 and determines the state of the object 7000 based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor 1110 mounted on the unmanned vessel 1010. The object detection and determination unit 2400 comprises an object detection unit 2410 and an object state determination unit 2420.

[0079] The object detection unit 2410 analyzes the measurement data acquired from the unmanned vessel 1010 based on the object determination conditions acquired by the object determination conditions 2120, and makes an object detection determination if the object determination conditions are met.

[0080] The object state determination unit 2420 has the function of analyzing measurement data acquired from the unmanned vessel 1010 and determining the state of the object 7000 detected by the object detection unit 2410. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the determination result regarding the state of the object determined by the object state determination unit 2420. As shown in Figure 12, the object state determination result determined by the object state determination unit 2420 includes the object type, static state, dynamic state, history information, etc.

[0081] In the example shown in Figure 12, the object type includes the type of object 7000 (ship, diver, marine life, etc.), size, and shape. The static state includes the orientation and position of the object 7000 (two-dimensional or three-dimensional position coordinates, etc.). The dynamic state includes whether the object 7000 is moving or stationary, its speed, direction of movement, acceleration, deceleration, turning radius, turning speed, etc. The history information includes the movement trajectory and other static or dynamic history information.

[0082] Furthermore, if the object state determination unit 2420 cannot definitively determine some of the various determination items shown in Figure 12 based on the measurement data, it can calculate an estimated result using past history information, etc.

[0083] Furthermore, in addition to the functions described above, the object detection and determination unit 2400 may also have a function to determine the measurement status of the object 7000 by the unmanned vessel 1010. In this case, the measurement status of the object detection and determination unit 2400 may include: acquisition status (a state in which the measurement unit 1100 is able to continuously measure the object 7000), indication of measurement being exceeded (a state in which the measurement unit 1100 is able to continuously measure the object 7000, but the distance to the object 7000 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value), confirmed measurement being exceeded (a state in which the measurement unit 1100 is able to continuously measure the object 7000, but the distance to the object 7000 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value and the distance is further increasing), and measurement lost status (a state in which the measurement unit 1100 is unable to measure the object 7000 and the position of the object 7000 cannot be confirmed).

[0084] (A-3-5. Future State Prediction Unit 2500) The future state prediction unit 2500 is a functional unit that predicts the future operating state and monitoring state of the object 7000 based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor 1110 mounted on the unmanned vessel 1010, or the determination or estimation results from the object detection and determination unit 2400. The future state prediction unit 2500 comprises a future object operation prediction unit 2510 and a future monitoring state prediction unit 2520.

[0085] The future object motion prediction unit 2510 is a functional unit that predicts and calculates the future motion state of the object 7000 based on, for example, the determination or estimation results regarding the state of the object 7000 as shown in Figure 12. In addition to the various state information shown in Figure 12, the future object motion prediction unit 2510 can also predict and calculate the future motion state of the object 7000 according to the determination results of the type of action of the object 7000 (escape, disturbance, stopping, silence, shake-off, intimidation, attack, etc.).

[0086] Figure 13 shows an example of the criteria used for future state prediction by the future state prediction unit 2500. In the example shown in Figure 13, the future state prediction criteria include criteria for predicting the future operation of the object 7000, determining its static state at a future time, and determining its dynamic state at a future time.

[0087] The future motion prediction includes the predicted movement path and predicted destination of the object 7000. The static state at future time includes position coordinates and orientation. The dynamic state at future time includes whether or not it is moving (moving / stationary), movement speed, movement direction, turning radius, turning speed, acceleration, deceleration, etc. The future state prediction unit 2500 can calculate multiple predicted paths, not just one. It can also calculate information on multiple high-probability meeting points (including the final destination) instead of a predicted path.

[0088] In addition to the various prediction items shown in Figure 20, the future state prediction unit 2500 may also have functions to calculate, for example, an encounter rate indicating the probability that the unmanned vessel 1010 will encounter the object 7000 in the future, and an object detection probability indicating the probability that the unmanned vessel 1010 will detect the object 7000 in the future using the measurement unit 1100.

[0089] Furthermore, the future state prediction unit 2500 may have a function to determine the validity of the predicted movement path. For example, the future state prediction unit 2500 can determine whether the previously predicted movement path is valid based on the latest state information of the object 7000 determined by the object detection and determination unit 2400. As a result of this determination, for example, the predicted path may be normal, the predicted path may be undetermined (indicating that it is not valid), or the predicted path may be abnormal (confirmed to be invalid; re-prediction is necessary).

[0090] Furthermore, it is conceivable that the object detection and determination unit 2400 may detect multiple objects 7000. In such cases, if the multiple objects 7000 are operating as a single group with similar positions and movement paths, the future operating state of the multiple objects 7000 is predicted and calculated as a single group. Also, if the multiple objects 7000 are operating separately with different positions or movement paths, the future operating state of each object 7000 can be predicted separately.

[0091] The future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 is a functional unit that predicts the future monitoring state of the object 7000 by the unmanned vessel 1010, based on the prediction results from the future object motion prediction unit 2510 and the determination results from the unmanned vessel state determination unit 2300.

[0092] For example, the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 can predict in advance whether a detection loss state will occur in the future, in which the measurement unit 1100 of the unmanned vessel 1010 will no longer be able to continue detecting the object 7000, or whether a tracking failure state will occur in which the relative distance to the object 7000 will exceed a predetermined value and the relative distance will not be reduced. Furthermore, if a detection loss state is predicted to occur in the future, the unit can generate loss prediction information including the range and duration of continuous detection by the unmanned vessel 1010, the predicted location and duration of loss, or the predicted direction and speed of movement of the object 7000 when the detection loss state occurs. Furthermore, if a tracking failure state is predicted to occur in the future, the unit can generate tracking failure prediction information including the tracking range and duration of tracking by the unmanned vessel 1010, the predicted location and duration of tracking failure, or the predicted direction and speed of movement of the object 7000 when the tracking failure state occurs.

[0093] (A-3-6. Company Control and Command Decision Unit 2600) The company control command determination unit 2600 is a functional unit that determines control commands to control the actions of multiple platoons constituting the company after the unmanned vessel 1010 has detected the target object 7000. In particular, the company control command determination unit 2600 has the function of determining formation commands, etc., regarding the composition of platoons for forming one or more platoons using multiple unmanned vessels 1010. The company control command determination unit 2600 comprises a company role assignment determination unit 2610, a company organization determination unit 2620, and a company deployment target determination unit 2630.

[0094] The company-internal role assignment unit 2610 is a functional unit that determines platoon action commands, assigning roles to one or more platoons based on information such as the current state or predicted future state of the detected object 7000. For example, the platoon action commands determined by the company-internal role assignment unit 2610 include information that assigns each platoon at least one of the following roles: tracking, surrounding, delaying, intercepting, taking over tracking, continuous measurement and acquisition, or ambushing the object 7000; or storing, transmitting, or analyzing measurement data; or relaying communication with other unmanned vessels 1010; or charging the energy storage device mounted on the unmanned vessel 1010.

[0095] Here, the company-level role assignment determination unit 2610 can determine the roles required at the company level and the roles that should be prioritized, according to the future state prediction results from the future state prediction unit 2500. For example, the priority order of various roles can be set in advance for each future state prediction result, and based on this pre-set information, the roles that should be prioritized at the company level and their priority order can be determined from various roles (encirclement, delaying, preemptive strike, pursuit, pursuit handover, ambush, etc.). Furthermore, according to the roles that should be prioritized at the company level, the roles can be assigned to multiple platoons within the company in order from the highest priority roles.

[0096] For example, if the company prioritizes the "pursuit" role, the first priority could be pursuit, the second priority could be taking over the pursuit, and the third priority could be communication support, data storage / transmission, and initial analysis processing.

[0097] As another example, when prioritizing the "encirclement" role at the company level, the first priority could be encirclement, the second priority could be tracking, tracking handover, and ambush, and the third priority could be communication support, data storage / transmission, and initial analysis processing.

[0098] As another example, if the company level prioritizes the role of "detaining" the enemy, the first priority could be detaining the enemy, the second priority could be tracking, handing over the tracking, and ambushing, and the third priority could be communication support, data storage / transmission, and initial analysis processing.

[0099] As another example, if the company level prioritizes the role of "ambush (surveillance and capture)," the first priority could be ambush (surveillance and capture), the second priority could be encirclement, delaying, preemption, pursuit, and handover of pursuit, and the third priority could be communication support, data storage / transmission, and initial analysis processing.

[0100] As another example, if the role of "recovery and recharging" is prioritized at the company level, the first priority could be recovery and recharging, the second priority could be encirclement, delaying, preemptive strikes, and ambushes, and the third priority could be communication support, data storage / transmission, and primary analysis processing.

[0101] The various roles included in the platoon action command can include response actions against the discovered target 7000 (including tracking, encirclement, delaying, intercepting, handing over tracking, continuing to monitor, or ambushing), support actions to assist in tracking the discovered target 7000 (including communication support, data storage / transmission, primary analysis processing, etc.), and other common actions (such as recharge). Furthermore, each platoon can be assigned one of the roles (i.e., a single role) from the response actions, support actions, and common actions.

[0102] Furthermore, while an example was described in which the company-internal role assignment unit 2610 assigns a single role from among response actions, support actions, and common actions to each platoon, this embodiment is not limited to this, and multiple roles can also be assigned to each platoon. In this case, both response actions and support actions (i.e., multiple roles) can be assigned to each platoon.

[0103] Additionally, some platoons within a company can be assigned either a response action or a support action role (i.e., a single role), while other platoons within a company can be assigned both a response action and a support action role (i.e., multiple roles).

[0104] Furthermore, the company-internal role assignment unit 2610 may have a function to determine the alert level for the roles assigned to each platoon. Also, the company-internal organization determination unit 2620, described later, may determine the number of unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to each platoon according to the alert level assigned to the role. In other words, platoons assigned roles with a high alert level can be assigned a larger number of unmanned vessels 1010.

[0105] Furthermore, the company-internal role assignment unit 2610 can, along with the time counter, decide on changes to the roles assigned to each platoon, changes from a single role to multiple roles, role transfers between multiple platoons, and role swapping between multiple platoons, based on information such as the current state or predicted future state of the detected object 7000, which changes over time.

[0106] The company-internal role assignment unit 2610 can automatically determine the roles of each platoon as described above, but it may also have a function to determine the roles of each platoon based on user input information. For example, the user input reception unit 2820, described later, can receive user input information regarding the roles of each platoon from a user terminal device 8000 or the like, and the company-internal role assignment unit 2610 can then determine the roles of each platoon based on that user input information.

[0107] Next, the company-internal organization determination unit 2620 is a functional unit that determines organization commands regarding the composition of platoons for forming one or more platoons using multiple mobile units. For example, when the object detection determination unit 2400 detects an object 7000, the company-internal organization determination unit 2620 can determine platoon organization commands according to the current state or predicted future state of the detected object 7000. It can also determine platoon organization commands according to the suspicious level or threat level of the detected object 7000.

[0108] The company organization determination unit 2620 can determine the organization details, including the number of platoons that make up the company and the number of unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to each platoon. The platoon organization command determined by the company organization determination unit 2620 includes information regarding the number of platoons that make up the company and the number of unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to each platoon.

[0109] Furthermore, the company organization determination unit 2620 can determine the roles of one or more platoons according to the current state of the object 7000 determined by the object detection determination unit 2400, or the predicted future state predicted by the future state prediction unit 2500, and determine an organization command that includes information specifying the number of platoons constituting the company and the number of unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to each platoon, according to the role of each platoon.

[0110] Furthermore, the method for determining the formation command is not limited to the method described above. For example, the formation command can also be determined according to the current state of the object 7000 determined by the object detection determination unit 2400, or according to the future predicted state predicted by the future state prediction unit 2500. Another example is that the company formation determination unit 2620 can determine the roles of one or more platoons regardless of the detection state of the object 7000, and determine a formation command that includes information specifying the number of platoons constituting the company and the number of unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to each platoon, according to the role of each platoon.

[0111] Furthermore, the company-internal organization decision unit 2620 can decide not only on the number of platoons and the number of unmanned vessels 1010 in each platoon, but also on swapping unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to multiple platoons among the platoons. In this case, the platoon organization order decided by the unit organization command decision unit includes command information for swapping unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to multiple platoons among the multiple platoons.

[0112] Furthermore, the company-internal organization determination unit 2620 may have a function to determine organization commands that include information regarding the connection configuration of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 via a wireless communication network, according to the determined platoon organization. Here, the connection configuration of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 via a wireless communication network refers, for example, to the connection relationship of the wireless communication network established between multiple unmanned vessels 1010 within platoon 1000a, as shown by the solid lines in Figure 6. Here, the master unit 1001 and the primary connection slave unit 10021 are assigned the role of providing communication support between other unmanned vessels 1010 and the central control system 2000.

[0113] Furthermore, the company-internal organization determination unit 2620 may have a function to determine how to change the connection relationships of the wireless communication network established between multiple unmanned vessels 1010 within a platoon 1000a. For example, when switching the connection relationship between unmanned vessel A and unmanned vessel B to between unmanned vessel A and unmanned vessel C, it is possible to decide to switch the connection when unmanned vessel A is located within range of both unmanned vessel B and unmanned vessel C (i.e., unmanned vessel A is located within the overlapping range of communication between unmanned vessel B and unmanned vessel C).

[0114] Furthermore, the system may have the function of determining the configuration of a wireless communication network that includes not only the connection configuration of a wireless communication network established between multiple unmanned vessels 1010, but also maritime communication buoys, aircraft (UAVs, etc.), underwater submersibles (UUVs, etc.), and ground communication stations. Moreover, it may have the function of determining the connection path that connects the aforementioned maritime wireless communication network with the ground-based network.

[0115] The company organization determination unit 2620 can automatically determine the organization commands and wireless communication network connection configurations mentioned above, but it may also have a function to determine the organization commands and wireless communication network connection configurations in accordance with user input information. For example, the user input reception unit 2820, described later, can receive user input information regarding platoon organization commands and wireless communication network connection configurations from a user terminal device 8000, and the company organization determination unit 2620 can then determine the platoon organization commands in accordance with this user input information.

[0116] Next, the company-internal deployment objective determination unit 2630 is a functional unit that determines platoon deployment commands related to the formation or deployment of platoons, including at least one of the following: the formation position, formation time, or formation shape for each platoon when forming a platoon with the formation details determined by the company-internal organization determination unit 2620, or the target movement position and target movement time for each platoon after the platoon has been formed. In other words, the company-internal deployment objective determination unit 2630 can determine the operational objectives for the platoon when forming it, and the operational objectives for the platoon after it has been formed.

[0117] The company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 can, for example, determine a position before the location where the tracking platoon predicted by the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 will lose detection of the target, as the target location (tracking handover location) for the platoon assigned the tracking handover role.

[0118] Furthermore, the company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 can determine a movement target that includes at least one of the movement target position and movement target time for each platoon, in accordance with the platoon action command for the role assigned to each platoon. As an example in this case, for example, if a platoon is assigned the role of encirclement, the company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 can determine the current position of the object 7000 determined by the object status determination unit 2420, or the position on the predicted movement path of the object 7000 predicted by the future monitoring status prediction unit 2520, as the encirclement position for the platoon assigned the encirclement role, and determine a target position to which the unmanned craft 1010 should move to surround the object 7000 at the encirclement position. The company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 can also determine the encirclement target time.

[0119] Furthermore, the company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 can, for example, when a platoon is assigned the role of acting as a preemptive striker, determine the position of the object 7000 on the predicted movement path predicted by the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 as the re-turning position for the platoon assigned the preemptive striker role, and determine the target time for movement to the preemptive striker position. The company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 prioritizes moving the platoon to arrive at the determined preemptive striker position before the target time, and determines a deployment objective to change formation to a predetermined formation after arriving at the preemptive striker position.

[0120] Furthermore, the company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 can, for example, determine the target position of a platoon assigned the role of continuous tracking from within the area range in which the target object 7000 can be measured, if the role of continuous tracking is assigned to a platoon. Furthermore, the company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 can, for example, determine the target position of a platoon assigned the role of communication supplementation from within the communication range from the unmanned vessel 1010 to which communication supplementation is to be provided, based on information on the communication range between the unmanned vessels 1010. Furthermore, the company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 can, for example, determine the target position of a platoon assigned the role of data storage / transmission and primary analysis processing from within the range in which direct communication is possible with the unmanned vessel 1010 that acquires measurement data, if the role of data storage / transmission and primary analysis processing is assigned to a platoon.

[0121] Furthermore, while the company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 can automatically determine the platoon deployment command described above, it may also have a function to determine the platoon deployment command according to user input information when it receives input information from the user. For example, the user input reception unit 2820, described later, can receive user input information regarding the platoon deployment command from a user terminal device 8000 or the like, and the company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 can determine the platoon deployment command according to said user input information.

[0122] If the object detection and determination unit 2400 determines that the measurement is lost (the measurement unit 1100 is unable to measure the object 7000 and therefore the location of the object 7000 cannot be confirmed), the company control command determination unit 2600 may decide to terminate the tracking of the object 7000 and to return the number, size, and deployment of each platoon belonging to the company to the state before the discovery of the object 7000.

[0123] (A-3-7. Platoon Control Command Decision Unit 2700) The platoon control command determination unit 2700 is a functional unit that determines unmanned vessel operation commands to control the operation of the unmanned vessels 1010 within each platoon after the unmanned vessels 1010 have detected the target object 7000. The company control command determination unit 2600 comprises a platoon role determination unit 2710 and a platoon moving target determination unit 2720.

[0124] The platoon role determination unit 2710 can determine the roles of at least some (all or some) of the unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to a platoon, according to the roles of each platoon determined by the company role assignment determination unit 2610. For example, if the platoon's role is to monitor and capture (ambush) an object 7000, some of the unmanned vessels 1010 in the platoon may acquire measurement data of the object 7000 (monitoring and capturing), some of the unmanned vessels 1010 may store, transmit, and receive measurement data and perform primary analysis processing, and some of the unmanned vessels 1010 may perform communication support. In other words, the detailed roles necessary to carry out the platoon's mission can be divided among multiple unmanned vessels 1010 within the platoon.

[0125] The Platoon Role Determination Unit 2710 determines whether each role can be performed based on the status and performance information of each unmanned vessel 1010 determined by the Unmanned Vehicle Status Determination Unit 2300, and decides to assign a playable role to each unmanned vessel 1010. For example, if the Platoon Role Determination Unit 2710 determines that an unmanned vessel 1010 has low battery energy, it decides to assign it the role of recharge, regardless of the role assigned to the platoon. Another example is assigning roles such as tracking, delaying, or encirclement to unmanned vessels 1010 that are relatively close to the target object 7000, requiring immediate approach to the target object 7000. On the other hand, roles other than tracking, delaying, or encirclement (such as preemptive strikes, ambush (surveillance and capture), tracking handover, communication supplementation, data storage / transmission, and primary analysis processing) to unmanned vessels 1010 that are relatively far from the target object 7000. Furthermore, the unmanned vessel 1010, which is closest to the target's advance position, can be assigned the role of advancement.

[0126] The platoon role determination unit 2710, when assigning tracking and handover roles to multiple unmanned vessels 1010 within the same platoon, compares the predicted movement path of the object 7000 with the power performance of the unmanned vessels 1010 within the platoon to estimate whether each unmanned vessel 1010 can track, the tracking distance, the tracking time, etc., and can decide to assign the tracking and handover role to the unmanned vessel 1010 suitable for the role. For the unmanned vessel 1010 assigned the tracking and handover role, the platoon movement target determination unit 2720, described later, determines a movement target to the tracking and handover location.

[0127] Furthermore, when assigning tracking roles to multiple unmanned vessels 1010 within the same platoon, the platoon role determination unit 2710 can determine from among the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 which will lead the tracking operation and which will follow the tracking lead. In addition, when assigning tracking roles to multiple unmanned vessels 1010 within the same platoon, the platoon role determination unit 2710 can determine the tracking formation of the multiple unmanned vessels 1010. Possible tracking formations include a follow formation that tracks from behind the target object 7000, an encirclement formation that deploys at three locations (left, right, and rear) of the target object 7000, an encirclement formation that deploys at two locations (left, right, front, and rear) of the target object 7000, and an encirclement formation that deploys at four locations (left, right, front, and rear).

[0128] The platoon role determination unit 2710 can determine the status of additional actions during tracking, relating to the content of additional actions during tracking. For example, the following can be determined as additional action states during tracking: tracking only, tracking while preventing collisions between unmanned vessels 1010, tracking while preventing collisions between unmanned vessels 1010 and object 7000, tracking while having the unmanned vessel 1010 approach object 7000, and tracking while having the unmanned vessel 1010 at a distance from object 7000.

[0129] The platoon-internal movement target determination unit 2720 can determine the movement targets of individual unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to the platoon, such as the movement target position and movement target time. Here, the platoon-internal movement target determination unit 2720 can determine the movement targets of the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to the platoon according to the role of each platoon determined by the company-internal role assignment determination unit 2610. However, the method of determining movement targets is not limited to this, and the platoon-internal movement target determination unit 2720 can also determine the movement targets of the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 belonging to the platoon based on information other than information related to the role of the platoon.

[0130] In addition to the functions described above, the platoon control command decision unit 2700 may also have a function to perform actions such as attaching a transmitter, paint, etc., to the target object 7000 if, for example, the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 predicts that a detection loss state will occur in the future and there are no other unmanned vessels 1010 that can intercept or take over. In such cases, it may also transmit information regarding the detection loss state to an external coordinating system 5000 or the like.

[0131] (A-3-8. Information Input / Output Unit 2800) The information input / output unit 2800 is a functional unit that acquires information input to the integrated control system 2000 from users or external systems, and outputs commands or displays information generated by each functional unit within the integrated control system 2000. The information input / output unit 2800 comprises a display unit 2810, a user input receiving unit 2820, a command transmission output unit 2830, and an information transmission unit 2840.

[0132] The display unit 2810 is a functional unit that displays and outputs acquired information, judgment information, decision information, etc., from each functional unit within the integrated control system 2000. For example, the display unit 2810 has the function of displaying and outputting command information determined by the company control command decision unit 2600 or the platoon control command decision unit 2700.

[0133] The user input receiving unit 2820 is a functional unit that receives user input information related to various types of information input from external user terminal devices 8000 and user interface devices of the central control system 2000. For example, the user input receiving unit 2820 can receive user input information related to platoon formation commands, wireless communication network connection configurations, roles for each platoon, and platoon deployment commands.

[0134] The command transmission output unit 2830 is a functional unit that transmits command information determined by the company control command determination unit 2600 and the platoon control command determination unit 2700 to the unmanned vessel system 1000.

[0135] The information transmission unit 2840 is a functional unit that transmits information related to command information determined by the company control command decision unit 2600 and the platoon control command decision unit 2700 to an external coordinating system 5000 or user terminal device 8000.

[0136] (A-4. Control flow of control system 1) Next, we will explain the control flow of the entire control system 1. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the control system 1.

[0137] First, the information import unit 2100 acquires preliminary information (step 101). In this step, for example, activity conditions, object detection determination conditions, and unmanned vessel status predefined information are acquired, as shown in Figure 9.

[0138] Next, the pre-discovery action determination unit 2200 determines the action commands (such as search commands) for the unmanned vessel 1010 in the state before the unmanned vessel 1010 discovers the target object 7000 (step 102). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

[0139] Next, the search operation command is updated according to the unmanned vessel status determined by the unmanned vessel status determination unit 2300, and the search control is executed (step 103). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

[0140] Next, the process to proceed to is determined based on whether or not the object detection unit 2410 detects the object 7000 (step 104). In this step, if the object 7000 is detected, the process proceeds to step 105; on the other hand, if the object 7000 is not detected, the process proceeds to step 103.

[0141] Next, if the object 7000 is detected in step 104, the object state determination unit 2420 determines the state of the object 7000 (step 105). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

[0142] Next, the future state prediction unit 2500 predicts the future operating state and monitoring state of the object 7000 (step 106). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

[0143] Next, the company control command determination unit 2600 determines control commands to control the actions of the multiple platoons constituting the company after the unmanned vessel 1010 has detected the target object 7000 (step 107). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

[0144] Next, the platoon control command determination unit 2700 determines the unmanned vessel operation commands that control the operation of the unmanned vessels 1010 within each platoon after the unmanned vessels 1010 have detected the target object 7000 (step 108). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

[0145] Next, the unmanned vessel status determination unit 2300 determines the unmanned vessel status, and the operation commands for the platoon after object discovery are updated and search control is executed (step 103). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

[0146] (A-5. Control sequence within control system 1) Next, we will explain the control sequences between each system within control system 1. Figure 15 is a sequence diagram showing the signal exchange between systems within control system 1.

[0147] First, request information, including activity conditions, is transmitted from the user terminal device 8000 to the central control system 2000. The central control system 2000 determines a search command for the unmanned vessel 1010 using the pre-discovery action determination unit 2200 and transmits the search command to the master unit 1001a of platoon A. The master unit 1001a then transmits the search command to the slave unit 10021a within platoon A. Upon receiving the search command, the master unit 1001a and the slave unit 10021a perform the search for the target object 7000 according to the search command.

[0148] Next, if the sub-unit 10021a detects the target object 7000 through the search, the sub-unit 10021a transmits detection information, including measurement data of the target object 7000, to the master unit 1001a. The master unit 1001a then transmits the received detection information to the central control system 2000.

[0149] Next, the central control system 2000 determines the state of the object 7000 and predicts its future movements based on the received detection information, generates post-detection actions for the unmanned vessel 1010, and transmits the generated post-detection action proposal information to the user terminal device 8000.

[0150] Next, the central control system 2000 receives user input information from the user terminal device 8000 regarding post-detection actions. Based on the received user input information, the central control system 2000 determines the post-detection actions and transmits a post-detection action command to the master unit 1001a of Platoon A. The master unit 1001a then transmits the post-detection action command to the slave units 10021a within Platoon A. Upon receiving the post-detection action command, the master unit 1001a and slave units 10021a control the organization of Platoon A, the connection configuration of the wireless communication network, the roles of Platoon A, deployment operations, and the individual operations of the unmanned vessel 1010, in accordance with the post-detection action command.

[0151] (A-6. Execution of the search operation) The method for performing the search operation will be explained below using Figures 16 to 18.

[0152] (A-6-1. Process flow for determining the search operation) Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow for determining a search command by the pre-discovery action determination unit 2200. In particular, Figure 16 explains the detailed processing flow of step 102 in the control flow shown in Figure 14.

[0153] First, the pre-discovery company action determination unit 2210 determines the actions of the company (a collection of multiple platoons) during the search (step 201). In this step, for example, the organization of the multiple platoons that make up the company and the company-level action commands shown in Figure 10 are determined. Here, the organization of the platoons and the determination of action commands may also be done by determining the assignment of action areas for each platoon according to the alert level and search rate for each area. Furthermore, when changing the organization by swapping the unmanned vessels 1010 among multiple platoons, the swapping of the unmanned vessels 1010 among multiple platoons can be determined according to the alert level set for each area, the search rate, the internal state of each platoon, and the action status of each platoon shown in Figure 11.

[0154] Next, the pre-discovery platoon action determination unit 2220 determines the platoon's actions during the search (step 202). In this step, for example, roles are determined for each platoon, as shown in Figure 11.

[0155] Next, the pre-discovery platoon action determination unit 2220 determines the role of each unmanned craft 1010 belonging to the platoon, according to the roles determined for each platoon (step 203).

[0156] Next, the decision information determined in each of the above steps is displayed (step 204). In this step, the decision information is displayed to the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

[0157] Next, the user input receiving unit 2820 receives user input information (step 205). In this step, the decisions made in each of the above steps can be modified according to the received user input information.

[0158] (A-6-2. Example of displaying the result of the search operation) Figure 17 shows an example of a display that proposes a search command to the user, determined by the pre-discovery action determination unit 2200. In the example shown in Figure 17, the search target area and the locations of multiple platoons (platoons A, B, C, and D) are displayed on the map. Information on the roles determined for each platoon (patrol surveillance, mooring surveillance, etc.) is also displayed. Furthermore, the planned patrol route of platoon A, which is performing patrol surveillance, is displayed on the map.

[0159] As shown in Figure 17, the patrol route for Platoon A generated by the pre-detection action determination unit 2200 is a patrol route that passes through locations at a certain distance or more away from the other platoons B, C, and D, and the patrol route is generated in a way that avoids collisions between platoons. In addition, the pre-detection action determination unit 2200 may also assign action areas to each platoon, not just the patrol routes. When assigning action areas to each platoon, the assignment of action areas to each platoon may be determined according to the alert level and search rate for each area.

[0160] In addition to the planned patrol route, the pre-detection action determination unit 2200 can also determine changes to the formation of each platoon during the search (formation expansion / contraction, formation division, etc.). In this case, to prevent communication from being interrupted due to the increased distance between unmanned vessels as a result of the formation changes, the pre-detection action determination unit 2200 monitors the relative distance and communication strength between unmanned vessels in real time and determines formation changes within a relative distance where communication is possible or within a range where communication can be maintained. It can also determine how to change formations when platoons pass each other and which platoons should be given priority when passing each other.

[0161] Furthermore, at the bottom of the screen, operation buttons are displayed for approving or modifying the proposed deployment, roles, and patrol routes of each platoon. The 2000 central control system can receive user input information through these operation buttons.

[0162] Although not shown in Figure 17, if a surveillance vessel of the cooperative system 5000 is monitoring an area outside the search target area of ​​the unmanned vessel system 1000, it is possible to predict the areas and times when the cooperative system 5000 will be unmonitored near the boundary with its monitoring area, and generate a planned patrol route that temporarily extends beyond the search target area into the external area to prevent the area near the boundary from remaining unmonitored for a certain period of time.

[0163] (A-6-3. Execution Flow of Search Operations) Figure 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the execution process flow of a search operation. In particular, Figure 18 explains the detailed processing flow of step 103 in the control flow shown in Figure 14.

[0164] First, the unmanned vessel information acquisition unit 2140 acquires information from the unmanned vessel 1010 (step 301).

[0165] Next, the unmanned vessel status determination unit 2300 determines the status of each unmanned vessel 1010 that makes up the company and platoon (step 302).

[0166] Next, the performance estimation unit 2320 estimates various performances that the unmanned vessel 1010 can achieve, such as measurement performance, power performance, and communication performance (step 303).

[0167] Next, the pre-discovery action determination unit 2200 updates the search command based on information about the status and various performance characteristics of the unmanned vessel 1010 (step 304).

[0168] Next, the updated search command information determined in step 304 is displayed and output (step 305). In this step, the updated information is displayed and output to the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

[0169] Next, the user input receiving unit 2820 receives user input information (step 205). In this step, the search command described above can be modified according to the received user input information.

[0170] (A-7. Determination of the object's state and prediction of its future state) The following explains the state determination of object 7000 and the prediction of the platoon's state using Figures 19 to 21.

[0171] (A-7-1. Process flow for determining the state of the object) Figure 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the object state determination processing flow by the object detection and determination unit 2400. In particular, Figure 19 explains the detailed processing flow of step 105 in the control flow shown in Figure 14.

[0172] First, the unmanned vessel information acquisition unit 2140 acquires the measurement data measured by the unmanned vessel 1010 (step 401).

[0173] Next, the object detection unit 2410 performs a determination to confirm the detection of the object 7000 (step 402).

[0174] Next, the object state determination unit 2420 determines various states of the object 7000 (step 403). In this step, various states such as those shown in Figure 12 are determined.

[0175] Next, information regarding the detection results and state determination results of the object 7000 determined in steps 402 and 403 is displayed and output (step 404). In this step, state information is displayed and output to the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

[0176] Next, the user input reception unit 2820 receives user input information (step 405). In this step, the detection judgment result and status information of the object 7000 described above can be modified according to the received user input information.

[0177] (A-7-2. Future state prediction processing flow for the target object) Figure 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the future state prediction processing flow of an object by the future state prediction unit 2500. In particular, Figure 20 explains the detailed processing flow of step 106 in the control flow shown in Figure 14.

[0178] First, the future object motion prediction unit 2510 predicts and calculates the future operating state of the object 7000 (step 501).

[0179] Next, the performance estimation unit 2320 predicts various performance characteristics of the future unmanned vessel (step 502).

[0180] Next, the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 predicts the future monitoring state of the object 7000 by the unmanned vessel 1010 (step 503).

[0181] Next, the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 predicts the conditions for the unmanned vessel 1010 to continuously monitor the object 7000 (step 504).

[0182] Next, the prediction results calculated in each of the above steps are displayed (step 505). In this step, the prediction results are displayed to the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

[0183] Next, the user input receiving unit 2820 receives user input information (step 506). In this step, the prediction information described above can be modified according to the received user input information.

[0184] (A-7-3. Example of displaying the prediction results for the future state of the object) Figure 21 shows an example of a display example where the results of the future state prediction by the future state prediction unit 2500 are suggested to the user. In the example shown in Figure 21, the initial discovery location, movement history, current location and orientation of the object 7000, and the predicted movement path predicted by the future state prediction unit 2500 are displayed on the map.

[0185] Furthermore, at the bottom of the screen, operation buttons are displayed for approving or modifying the suggested forecast information. The integrated control system 2000 can receive user input information through these operation buttons.

[0186] Furthermore, if the activity area for the unmanned vessel 1010 is predetermined, the future state prediction unit 2500 may have a function to predict the position and time when the object 7000 will leave the activity area in the future, or the position and time when the object 7000 will re-enter the activity area after having left, based on the future state prediction of the activity area and the object 7000. In that case, information regarding the prediction results will be displayed on the display screen shown in Figure 21.

[0187] (A-8. Method for determining the company's post-discovery action order) The method for determining the action orders to the company after the discovery of object 7000 will be explained below using Figures 22 to 23.

[0188] (A-8-1. Process flow for determining action orders after a company is discovered) Figure 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow for determining the post-discovery actions of a company by the company control command decision unit 2600. In particular, Figure 22 explains the detailed processing flow of step 107 in the control flow shown in Figure 14.

[0189] First, the company-level role assignment unit 2610 determines the roles required at the company level (step 601). In this step, for example, the roles required of a company, which is a collection of multiple platoons, are determined. Here, the company-level role assignment unit 2610 can determine which roles should be prioritized at the company level, according to the future state prediction results from the future state prediction unit 2500. In other words, it determines which roles should be prioritized from among various roles (encirclement, delaying, preemptive strike, pursuit, pursuit handover, ambush, etc.). Note that priority information and priority order information for the above-mentioned roles may be set in advance.

[0190] Here, the various roles assigned to the unmanned craft 1010 can be defined as follows: Tracking is the action of moving in the vicinity of the object 7000 and following the movement of the object 7000; Tracking handover is the action of taking on the main role of following the movement of the object 7000 while also participating in the tracking; Anticipation is the action of moving ahead of the predicted movement path of the object 7000 without participating in the tracking; and Surrounding is the action of surrounding the object 7000 without participating in the tracking, even when the object 7000 approaches, without moving.

[0191] Next, the company's role assignment determination unit 2610 determines the roles and responsibilities of each platoon within the company (step 602).

[0192] Next, the company organization determination unit 2620 determines the organizational structure of multiple platoons within the company (step 603).

[0193] Next, the company-internal deployment target determination unit 2630 determines the deployment targets for multiple platoons within the company (step 604).

[0194] Next, the decision results calculated in each of the above steps are displayed (step 605). In this step, the decision results are displayed to the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

[0195] Next, the user input receiving unit 2820 receives user input information (step 606). In this step, the above-mentioned decision result can be modified according to the received user input information.

[0196] (A-8-2. Example of displaying proposed information for company-level operational orders) Figure 23 shows an example of a display example that proposes to the user the results of the company control command decision unit 2600's decision on the company's actions after discovery. In the example shown in Figure 23, the current position and orientation of the object 7000, the predicted future movement path, and the positions and formations of multiple platoons (platoons A, B, C, D) belonging to the company, the tracking start position, and the tracking handover position are displayed on the map.

[0197] Additionally, the roles assigned to each platoon are displayed at the bottom of the screen. In the example shown in this diagram, platoon A is assigned the role of tracking, platoon B the role of taking over tracking, and platoons C and D are assigned the role of ambush (surveillance and capture). Furthermore, operation buttons for approving or modifying the proposed post-detection actions are displayed at the bottom of the screen. The central control system 2000 can receive user input information through these operation buttons.

[0198] (A-9. Variations of actions after discovery) There are several variations in the post-detection actions determined by the company control command decision unit 2600. Each variation of the post-detection actions will be explained using Figures 24 to 28.

[0199] (A-9-1. First pattern of actions after discovery) Figure 24 shows the execution of the first post-detection action determined by the company control command decision unit 2600. The example shown in Figure 24 specifically illustrates a pattern in which there is no exchange or movement of unmanned craft 1010 between platoons or between platoons. The upper part of Figure 24 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, D) within the company at time t1, before any changes in the formation of multiple platoons or determination of roles for each platoon.

[0200] The central diagram in Figure 24 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, and D) within the company at time t2, after the reorganization of multiple platoons and the determination of each platoon's role. In the pattern shown in this diagram, there is no change in the number of platoons or the exchange or movement of unmanned vessels 1010 between platoons. Therefore, the formation of each platoon remains unchanged from time t1, and roles are assigned to each platoon. Platoon A is assigned the role of surveillance and capture, Platoon B is assigned the role of tracking and handover, and Platoons C and D are assigned the role of tracking.

[0201] The lower part of Figure 24 shows the planned movement paths of each platoon at time t3, when the deployment command for each platoon is executed. In the example shown in this figure, the deployment command causes platoons C and D, assigned the role of tracking, to move to the vicinity of the starting position of tracking object 7000. Platoon B, assigned the role of taking over tracking, moves to the vicinity of the tracking handover position. Platoon A, assigned the role of monitoring and capturing (ambush), moves to a position ahead of the predicted movement path (dotted arrow) of object 7000.

[0202] Here, Platoon B, assigned the role of tracking handover, moves to the vicinity of the predicted movement path of object 7000 and takes over the tracking role from Platoon A and Platoon D, which are performing the tracking. Platoon A, assigned the role of surveillance and capture (ambush), moves to the vicinity of the predicted loss location and time, where tracking is determined to become impossible in the future, and waits. In this way, based on the predicted movement path, movement speed, and past movement history of object 7000, the target location of object 7000 is predicted, and multiple platoons are positioned near the predicted movement path to enable long-term tracking. At this time, the platoons performing tracking handover and surveillance / capture (ambush) prioritize moving to the target location, and the action of adjusting the platoon formation can be performed after arriving at the target location.

[0203] (A-9-2. Second pattern of actions after discovery) Next, Figure 25 shows the execution of the second post-detection action determined by the company control command decision unit 2600. The example shown in Figure 25 specifically illustrates a pattern in which the number and size of the multiple platoons constituting the company remain unchanged, but the unmanned craft 1010s are swapped between the platoons. The upper part of Figure 25 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, D) within the company at time t1, before the reorganization of the multiple platoons. At time t1, the assignment of roles to the unmanned craft 1010s constituting each platoon is determined.

[0204] The central diagram in Figure 25 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, and D) within the company at time t2 after the reorganization of multiple platoons. In the pattern shown in this diagram, the unmanned vessels 1010 are swapped between platoons according to the roles assigned to them, and each platoon is organized according to its role. The number and size of each platoon after organization remain unchanged from time t1. Platoon A is assigned the role of surveillance and capture, Platoon B is assigned the role of tracking and handover, and Platoons C and D are assigned the role of tracking.

[0205] The lower part of Figure 25 shows the planned movement paths of each platoon at time t3, when the deployment command for each platoon is executed. In the example shown in this figure, the deployment command causes platoons C and D, assigned the role of tracking, to move to the vicinity of the starting position for tracking object 7000. Platoon B, assigned the role of taking over tracking, moves to the vicinity of the tracking handover position. Platoon A, assigned the role of monitoring and capturing, moves to a position ahead of the predicted movement path (dotted arrow) of object 7000.

[0206] (A-9-3. Third pattern of actions after discovery) Figure 26 shows the execution of the third post-detection action determined by the company control command decision unit 2600. The example shown in Figure 26 specifically illustrates a pattern in which the number of platoons and the size of each platoon are changed by swapping out unmanned vessels 1010 among multiple platoons that make up the company. The upper part of Figure 26 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, D) within the company at time t1 before the reorganization of the multiple platoons. At time t1, the role assignments for the unmanned vessels 1010 that make up each platoon are determined. In the example shown in this figure, all unmanned vessels 1010 of platoons A and B, and some unmanned vessels 1010 of platoons C and D are assigned the role of encirclement, while other unmanned vessels 1010 of platoons C and D are assigned the role of surveillance and capture.

[0207] The central diagram in Figure 26 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (Platoon A, C) within the company at time t2 after multiple platoon reorganizations. In the pattern shown in this diagram, the unmanned vessels 1010 are swapped between platoons according to the roles assigned to them, and two platoons, A and C, are formed for each role. Platoon A is composed of multiple unmanned vessels assigned the role of encirclement, while Platoon C is composed of multiple unmanned vessels assigned the role of surveillance and capture.

[0208] The lower part of Figure 26 shows the planned movement paths of each platoon at time t3, when the deployment orders for each platoon are executed. In the example shown in this figure, the deployment order causes platoon A, which is assigned the role of encirclement, to deploy along the predicted movement path of object 7000 to obstruct its progress. Platoon C, which is assigned the role of surveillance and capture, moves to a position where object 7000 can be detected, for example.

[0209] (A-9-4. Fourth pattern of actions after discovery) Figure 27 shows the execution of the fourth post-detection action determined by the company control command decision unit 2600. The example shown in Figure 27 specifically illustrates a pattern in which unmanned craft 1010s are swapped among multiple platoons constituting the company, changing the number and size of each platoon, and further, multiple roles are assigned to the reorganized platoons. The upper part of Figure 27 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, D) within the company at time t1 before the reorganization of the multiple platoons. At time t1, the assignment of roles to the unmanned craft 1010s constituting each platoon is determined. Here, some unmanned craft 1010s in platoon B are assigned multiple roles of encirclement and recovery / recharging. Also, some unmanned craft 1010s in platoon C are assigned multiple roles of encirclement and primary analysis processing.

[0210] The central diagram in Figure 27 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (Platoon A, C) within the company at time t2 after the reorganization of multiple platoons. In the pattern shown in this figure, the unmanned vessels 1010 are swapped between platoons according to the roles assigned to them, and two platoons, A and C, are formed for each role. Platoon A is composed of multiple unmanned vessels assigned the roles of encirclement, primary analysis processing, and recovery charging, while Platoon C is composed of multiple unmanned vessels assigned the roles of surveillance and capture.

[0211] The lower part of Figure 27 shows the planned movement paths of each platoon at time t3, when the deployment command for each platoon is executed. In the example shown in this figure, the deployment command causes platoon A, which is assigned the role of encirclement, to deploy along the predicted movement path of object 7000 to obstruct its progress. In addition to encirclement, unmanned craft 1010, which is assigned other roles (recovery charging, primary analysis processing) in addition to encirclement, performs its roles of recovery charging and primary analysis processing in parallel with its encirclement mission. Platoon C, which is assigned the role of surveillance and acquisition, moves to a position where object 7000 can be detected, for example.

[0212] (A-9-5. Fifth pattern of actions after discovery) Figure 28 shows the execution of the fifth post-detection action determined by the company control command decision unit 2600. The example shown in Figure 28 particularly illustrates the situation at time t4, when the company's organization is restructured after time t3, in a pattern where the number and size of platoons are changed by the exchange of unmanned craft 1010s among multiple platoons constituting the company, as shown in Figures 26 and 27. The upper part of Figure 28 shows the deployment of each platoon (platoons A and C) within the company at time t3, when the deployment command for each platoon is executed, showing a situation similar to that at time t3 in Figures 26 and 27.

[0213] The lower diagram of Figure 28 shows an example where the encirclement of Platoon A is broken by Object 7000, and Platoon A's organization is restructured. In this example, Platoon A is divided into three new platoons, and each of the three divided platoons is assigned the roles of tracking, tracking handover, and surveillance / capture, respectively. Also, at time t3, the role of Platoon C, which was assigned the role of surveillance / capture, is updated to tracking.

[0214] Therefore, at time t4, two platoons newly assigned the role of tracking will track object 7000, a platoon assigned the role of taking over tracking will move ahead of the predicted path of object 7000, and a platoon assigned the role of monitoring and capturing will move to a position where object 7000 can be detected.

[0215] (A-10. Method for determining action commands after the discovery of an unmanned vessel) The method for determining the action commands to the unmanned vessel 1010 after the discovery of the object 7000 will be explained below using Figures 29 and 30.

[0216] (A-10-1. Flowchart for determining action commands after the discovery of an unmanned vessel) Figure 29 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow for determining the actions to be taken after the discovery of the unmanned vessel 1010 by the platoon control command decision unit 2700. In particular, Figure 29 explains the detailed processing flow of step 108 in the control flow shown in Figure 14.

[0217] First, the role determination unit 2710 within the platoon determines the role of each unmanned vessel (step 701).

[0218] Next, the platoon-internal movement target determination unit 2720 determines movement targets such as the movement target position and movement target time for each unmanned vessel (step 702).

[0219] Next, the decision results calculated in each of the above steps are displayed (step 703). In this step, the decision results are displayed to the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

[0220] Next, the user input reception unit 2820 receives user input information (step 704). In this step, according to the received user input information, the above-described determination result can be corrected.

[0221] (A-10-2. Display example of proposed information on operation command after discovery of unmanned boat) FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a display for proposing to a user the determination result of the operation after discovery of the unmanned boat 1010 by the squad control command determination unit 2700. In the example shown in FIG. 30, on the map, the current position and direction of the object 7000, the future predicted movement path, and the positions and formations of a plurality of squads (squads A, B, C, D) belonging to the squadron, the tracking start position, and the tracking handover position are displayed.

[0222] In addition, detailed information on a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 belonging to an arbitrary squad (for example, squad 1000a) selected by the user on the map is displayed. For example, it is the identification information of each unmanned boat 1010 constituting the squad 1000a, the assigned roles (role 1, role 2), the arrangement of the unmanned boats, and the aircraft identification information of the communication connection destination connected by the wireless communication network.

[0223] Furthermore, on the lower side of the screen, operation buttons for approving or correcting the proposed operation after discovery are displayed. The overall control system 2000 can receive user input information via these operation buttons.

[0224] (A-11. Execution process of operation after discovery) Hereinafter, the execution process of the operation after discovery will be described with reference to FIGS. 31 to 33. FIG. 31 is a state transition diagram showing the execution state of the role for each squad when executing the operation after discovery. FIG. 31 is, in particular, a state transition diagram showing the role execution state for each squad when a single role is commanded for each squad by the in-squad role sharing determination unit 2610. The in-squad role sharing determination unit 2610 determines the role execution state for each squad shown in FIG. 31 and determines the next role to be commanded.

[0225] As shown in Figure 31, the roles of each platoon determined by the company's role assignment unit 2610 include response actions (including tracking, encirclement, delaying, intercepting, handing over tracking, continuous pursuit, or ambush), support actions to assist in tracking the discovered target 7000 (including communication support, data storage / transmission, primary analysis processing, etc.), and other common actions (such as recharge). In the example shown in this figure, one of the illustrated response actions, support actions, or common actions such as recharge can be determined as the platoon's role.

[0226] Figure 31 above shows the state transitions of the role execution status for each platoon when the company role assignment determination unit 2610 assigns a single role to each platoon. However, this embodiment is not limited to this, and the company role assignment determination unit 2610 can also assign multiple roles to each platoon. Figures 32 and 33 show the role execution status for each platoon when multiple roles are assigned to each platoon in this manner.

[0227] Figure 32 is a state transition diagram showing the execution status of roles related to response actions for each platoon when executing post-detection actions. Figure 33 is a state transition diagram showing the execution status of roles related to auxiliary support actions for each platoon when executing post-detection actions. The state transitions shown in Figure 32 and Figure 33 can operate simultaneously. Therefore, while one of the roles of the response actions shown in Figure 32 is being executed, one of the roles of the auxiliary support actions shown in Figure 33 can be executed in parallel.

[0228] (A-12. Hardware Configuration) Figure 34 is a hardware configuration diagram of the integrated control system 2000. Here, the integrated control system 2000 in the present invention is an information processing device such as a server or a PC. As shown in the figure, the integrated control system 2000 includes an input device 100, an output device 200, a processing device 300, a main memory device 400, an auxiliary memory device 500, a communication device 600, and a bus 700 that electrically connects each of these devices.

[0229] The input device 100 can constitute the user input receiving unit 2820 and is a device for the user to input information and instructions to the central control system 2000. Specifically, the input device 100 is, for example, a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, or voice input device such as a microphone.

[0230] The output device 200 is a device that outputs various information generated by the integrated control system 2000, and can constitute the display unit 2810. Specifically, the output device 200 can constitute the display unit 2810 with eyewear, AR, VR display devices, etc., and may also be a printer or a speaker.

[0231] 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.

[0232] 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 storage device 500 is a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory, which can store digital information. The communication device 600 is a device that performs wireless or wired information communication with the outside world.

[0233] In the embodiments described above, a control system 1 utilizing a group 1000 consisting of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 operating on the sea or water was described. However, the present invention is not limited to vessels such as unmanned vessels 1010, but can be applied to any mobile body or unmanned aircraft, such as unmanned aerial vehicles that can move through the air, unmanned submersibles that can move underwater, or unmanned vehicles that can move on land.

[0234] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its scope. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

[0235] [A-2. Effects of this embodiment] The above-described embodiment provides a system or control method that enables more efficient execution of activities such as monitoring and investigation using multiple mobile units. For example, by determining the composition of multiple platoons, including the number and size of multiple platoons, according to the situation, activities such as monitoring and investigation using multiple mobile units can be executed more efficiently. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0236] 1…Control 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 boat system 1001...Main unit 1002...Slave unit 10021... Primary connected slave unit 10022... Secondary connected slave unit 10023...Third-level connected slave unit 1010...Unmanned boat 1100...Measurement unit 1110...Measurement sensor 1120...Measurement and Control Unit 1200...Self-inflicted status determination unit 1210...Navigation status determination unit 1220...Internal state determination unit 1230...External state determination unit 1300... Navigation unit 1310... Thrust generation unit 1320...Attitude control mechanism 1330...Navigation control unit 1400... Communications Department 1410... Unmanned Vessel Communications Department 1420...General Control and Communications Department 1500…Judgment section 1600... Recording unit 1610... Measurement data recording unit 1620…Self - aircraft status recording unit 1630…Judgment information recording unit 2000…Overall control system 2100…Information import unit 2110…Activity condition acquisition unit 2120…Object judgment condition 2130…Status definition acquisition unit 2140…Unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2200…Pre - discovery operation decision unit 2210…Pre - discovery squadron operation decision unit 2220…Pre - discovery squad operation decision unit 2300…Unmanned boat status judgment unit 2310…Status detection unit 2320…Performance estimation unit 2400…Object detection and judgment unit 2410…Object detection unit 2420…Object status judgment unit 2500…Future status prediction unit 2510…Future object movement prediction unit 2520…Future monitoring status prediction unit 2600…Squadron control command decision unit 2610…Squadron internal role sharing decision unit 2620…Squadron internal formation decision unit 2630…Squadron internal deployment target decision unit 2700…Squad control command decision unit 2710…Squad internal role decision unit 2720…Squad internal movement target decision unit 2800…Information input / output unit 2810…Display unit 2820…User input reception unit 2830…Command transmission output unit 2840…Information transmission unit 3000…Communication satellite 4000…Ground base station 5000…Cooperation system 6000…External system 7000…Object 8000…User terminal device

Claims

1. In a control system that controls the movement of multiple moving bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting an object, An object detection unit that detects the object based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor, The system comprises a unit formation command determination unit that determines formation commands regarding the composition of a platoon for forming one or more platoons using multiple of the aforementioned mobile units, The unit formation command determination unit is a control system that, when the object detection unit detects an object, determines the formation command for the platoon according to the current state or predicted future state of the detected object.

2. In the control system according to claim 1, A control system in which the formation command for the platoon determined by the unit formation command determination unit includes information regarding the number of platoons.

3. In the control system according to claim 1, The unit formation command determination unit is a control system that determines the roles of one or more platoons according to the current state or predicted future state of the object, and determines the formation command, which includes information specifying the number of platoons according to the roles.

4. In the control system according to claim 1, A control system in which the formation command for the platoon determined by the unit formation command determination unit includes information regarding the number of mobile units belonging to each of the single or multiple platoons.

5. In the control system according to claim 1, The unit formation command determination unit is a control system that determines the roles of one or more platoons according to the current state or predicted future state of the object, and determines the formation command which includes information specifying the number of mobile units belonging to each platoon according to the roles.

6. In the control system according to claim 1, A control system in which the formation command of the platoon determined by the unit formation command determination unit includes command information for exchanging the mobile units belonging to multiple platoons among the multiple platoons.

7. In the control system according to claim 1, The system includes a user input receiving unit that receives user input information regarding the composition of the aforementioned platoon, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines the organization command for the platoon in accordance with the user input information.

8. In the control system according to claim 1, A control system in which the formation command determined by the unit formation command determination unit includes information specifying the composition of the platoon, which is composed of a plurality of mobile units that are directly connected to each other or indirectly connected via a wireless communication network or other mobile units.

9. In the control system according to claim 8, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines the organization command, which includes information regarding the connection configuration of a plurality of mobile units via the wireless communication network, according to the organization details of the determined platoon.

10. In the control system according to claim 9, The system includes a user input receiving unit that receives user input information regarding the composition of the aforementioned platoon, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines the organization command, including information regarding the connection configuration of the platoon's wireless communication network, in accordance with the user input information.

11. In the control system according to claim 1, The aforementioned unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines platoon operation commands specifying roles for each of the single or multiple aforementioned platoons.

12. In the control system according to claim 11, The platoon action command determined by the unit organization command decision unit includes: Tracking, surrounding, delaying, handing over tracking, continuous measurement and acquisition, or ambushing the aforementioned object, Or storage, transmission, or analysis processing of the aforementioned measurement data, or relaying communications with other aforementioned mobile bodies, or charging of the energy storage device mounted on the mobile body, A control system that includes information specifying at least one of the roles for each of the aforementioned platoons.

13. In the control system according to claim 11, The platoon action command determined by the unit organization command decision unit includes: The first role includes tracking, surrounding, delaying, handing over tracking, continuing to pursue or ambushing the aforementioned object, A second role including at least one of the following: storing, transmitting, or analyzing the measurement data, or relaying communications of other mobile devices. A control system that includes information specifying one of the roles for each platoon.

14. In the control system according to claim 11, The platoon action command determined by the unit organization command decision unit includes: The first role includes tracking, surrounding, delaying, handing over tracking, continuing to pursue or ambushing the aforementioned object, A second role including at least one of the following: storing, transmitting, or analyzing the measurement data, or relaying communications of other mobile devices. A control system that includes information specifying both roles for each of the aforementioned platoons.

15. In the control system according to claim 11, The platoon action command determined by the unit organization command decision unit includes: The first role includes tracking, surrounding, delaying, handing over tracking, continuing to pursue or ambushing the aforementioned object, A second role including at least one of the following: storing, transmitting, or analyzing the measurement data, or relaying communications of other mobile devices. Information that designates one of the roles for a portion of several of the aforementioned platoons, A control system that includes information for assigning both the first and second roles to other parts of a plurality of the platoons.

16. In the control system according to claim 13, 14, or 15, The system includes a user input receiving unit that receives user input information regarding the roles of each platoon, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines the platoon operation commands relating to the roles of each platoon, in accordance with the user input information.

17. In the control system according to claim 11, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines a mobile body operation command for at least some of the mobile bodies belonging to the platoon, including at least one of a role and a mobile target, in accordance with the platoon operation command for the role designated for each platoon.

18. In the control system according to claim 11, The unit formation command determination unit is a control system that determines a movement target for each platoon, including at least one of the movement target position and movement target time, in accordance with the platoon operation command for the role designated for each platoon.

19. In the control system according to claim 1, The aforementioned unit organization command decision-making unit, A control system for determining a platoon deployment command relating to the composition or deployment of a platoon, which includes at least one of the following: the composition position, composition time, or formation shape for each platoon when forming the platoon according to the determined organizational structure; or the target movement position, target movement time for each platoon after the platoon has been formed according to the organizational structure; or the target movement position, target movement time for the mobile body belonging to the platoon.

20. In the control system according to claim 19, The system includes a user input receiving unit that receives user input information regarding the contents of platoon deployment orders for each platoon, The unit organization command determination unit is a control system that determines the deployment command for the platoon in accordance with the user input information.

21. In the control system according to claim 1, A control system comprising a display unit that displays and outputs information related to commands generated by the aforementioned unit organization command decision unit.

22. In the control system according to claim 1, A control system comprising a control command transmission unit that transmits commands generated by the unit formation command determination unit to the mobile unit.

23. In the control system according to claim 1, A control system comprising an information transmission unit that transmits information related to commands generated by the aforementioned unit organization command decision unit to an external source.

24. In the control system according to claim 1, The aforementioned mobile entity is an unmanned vessel capable of moving on the sea by remote control, autonomous navigation, or automatic navigation, and the control system detects the aforementioned object using the measurement sensor.

25. A control method for detecting an object by controlling the movement of multiple moving bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting the object, An object detection step in which the object is detected based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor, A control method that, when an object is detected by the object detection step, performs a unit formation command determination step which determines a formation command specifying the composition of one or more platoons to be formed by a plurality of mobile units, according to the current state or predicted future state of the detected object.

26. A program for detecting an object by controlling the movement of multiple mobile bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting the object, On the computer, An object detection command for detecting the object based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor, A program that, upon detecting an object based on the measurement data, executes a unit formation command determination order that determines a formation command specifying the composition of one or more platoons to be formed by multiple mobile units, depending on the current state or predicted future state of the detected object.

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