Coating control device and information processing method

Abstract

This system suppresses the deterioration of moving objects without human intervention. [Solution] The coating control device 1 includes an acquisition unit 131 that acquires the movement plan of the aircraft 2 stored in a storage unit that stores the mobile body, and weather information indicating the weather conditions corresponding to the acquired movement plan; a determination unit 132 that determines whether to apply a protective agent to the aircraft 2 based on the movement plan and weather information; and a coating control unit 133 that, when the determination unit 132 determines that the agent should be applied to the aircraft 2, causes the coating device 4 to apply the agent to the aircraft 2.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a coating control device and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, inspections of structures and the like have been carried out using flying objects capable of autonomous flight (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When using a moving object in the sea or near the sea, it may not be possible to perform maintenance by humans over a long period of time. In this case, seawater adheres to the moving object, causing the moving object to corrode, or dirt adheres to the lens of the camera of the moving object, causing the moving object to deteriorate.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to suppress deterioration of a moving object without human intervention.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention is a coating control device. The coating control device includes an acquisition unit that acquires a movement plan of a moving object stored in a storage unit that stores the moving object, and acquires weather information indicating a weather condition corresponding to the acquired movement plan; a determination unit that determines whether to apply a chemical for protecting the body of the moving object to the moving object based on the movement plan and the weather information; and a coating control unit that causes a coating device that applies the chemical to apply the chemical to the moving object when the determination unit determines to apply the chemical to the moving object.

[0007] The acquisition unit may acquire the weather information in the vicinity of the storage unit, which is the flight start location of the mobile body indicated by the movement plan, from an observation device that observes the weather in the vicinity of the storage unit and is provided in or near the storage unit.

[0008] The coating control device may have a communication unit that communicates with a device different from the coating control device, and the acquisition unit may acquire the weather information corresponding to the date and time the mobile body indicated in the movement plan will fly and the location where the mobile body will fly, via the communication unit.

[0009] The determination unit may, based on the movement plan and the weather information, identify the degree of influence of deterioration elements that cause deterioration of the body of the moving body as the moving body moves according to the movement plan, and may determine whether to apply the agent to the moving body based on the identified degree of influence.

[0010] The coating control unit may control the amount of the agent applied based on the degree of influence.

[0011] The coating device may be capable of cleaning the mobile body, and if the determination unit determines that the drug should be applied to the mobile body, the coating control unit may have the coating device clean the mobile body before applying the drug to the mobile body.

[0012] The acquisition unit may acquire an image of the moving body, and if the coating control unit determines that the moving body is dirty based on the image, it may cause the coating device to clean the moving body.

[0013] Each of the multiple agents may be associated with a degradation element that causes deterioration of the mobile body corresponding to weather conditions, the coating control unit may identify the weather conditions that the weather information indicates satisfies, select an agent associated with a degradation element corresponding to the identified weather conditions as an agent to be applied to the mobile body, or have the coating device apply the selected agent to the mobile body.

[0014] The system may have a storage unit that stores application history information indicating the application history of the drug to the mobile body, and the determination unit may determine whether to apply the drug to the mobile body based on the application history indicated by the application history information.

[0015] The determination unit may determine whether to apply the drug to the moving body based on the application history indicated by the application history information and the movement plan acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0016] A second aspect of the present invention is an information processing method. This information processing method includes the steps of: obtaining a movement plan for a mobile body stored in a storage unit for storing a mobile body, which is executed by a computer; obtaining weather information indicating weather conditions corresponding to the obtained movement plan; determining whether to apply a protective agent to the mobile body based on the movement plan and the weather information; and, if it is determined that the agent should be applied to the mobile body, causing an application device to apply the agent to the mobile body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, the deterioration of the moving object can be suppressed without human intervention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an overview of the flight control system. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the flight control system. [Figure 3]This is a diagram showing an example of weather - specific impact degree information. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing an example of location - specific impact degree information. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing an example of calculating the impact degree on the deterioration of the aircraft based on weather information. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing an example of calculating the impact degree on the deterioration of the aircraft based on a flight plan. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing the process flow of the coating control device.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] [Overview of Coating Control Device 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overview of the coating control device 1. The coating control device 1 is provided in a storage facility 3 for storing the aircraft 2 or in the vicinity of the storage facility 3, and is a computer for applying a chemical to the aircraft 2. The aircraft 2 is, for example, a drone that can fly autonomously. The storage facility 3 is, for example, a drone port as a waiting place where the aircraft 2 waits, and a coating device 4 for applying a chemical to the waiting aircraft 2 is provided. The coating device 4 applies a chemical for protecting the body of the aircraft 2, such as a coating agent or a water - repellent agent, to the aircraft 2 stored in the storage facility 3 according to the control of the coating control device 1.

[0020] The coating control device 1 acquires the movement plan of the aircraft 2 stored in the storage facility 3 ((1) in FIG. 1). When the coating control device 1 acquires the movement plan, it acquires weather information indicating the weather situation corresponding to the movement plan ((2) in FIG. 1).

[0021] The coating control device 1 determines whether to apply the agent to the aircraft 2 based on the acquired movement plan and weather information (Figure 1, (3)). When the coating control device 1 determines that the agent should be applied to the aircraft 2, it transmits coating instruction information to the coating device 4, thereby controlling the coating of the agent to the aircraft 2 by the coating device 4 (Figure 1, (4)). In this way, the coating control device 1 can automatically apply the agent to the aircraft 2, thereby suppressing the deterioration of the aircraft 2 without human intervention.

[0022] [Functional configuration of the coating control device 1] Next, the functional configuration of the coating control device 1 will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the coating control device 1. The coating control device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13.

[0023] The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for sending and receiving data with the aircraft 2, etc., via a communication network such as a mobile phone line or the internet. The memory unit 12 is a storage medium for storing various types of data, and includes ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), hard disk, and SSD (Solid State Drive). The memory unit 12 stores the program to be executed by the control unit 13. The memory unit 12 stores the program that causes the control unit 13 to function as the acquisition unit 131, the determination unit 132, and the coating control unit 133.

[0024] The control unit 13 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 13 functions as an acquisition unit 131, a determination unit 132, and a coating control unit 133 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 12.

[0025] The acquisition unit 131 acquires the flight plan of the aircraft 2, which is the movement plan of the aircraft 2 stored in the hangar facility 3, which serves as a storage facility for the aircraft 2, and acquires weather information indicating the weather conditions corresponding to the acquired flight plan. For example, the acquisition unit 131 accesses a flight management device (not shown) that manages the flight of the aircraft 2 via the communication unit 11 and acquires the flight plan of the aircraft 2 stored in the hangar facility 3. The acquisition unit 131 may also access the aircraft 2 via the communication unit 11 and acquire the flight plan of the aircraft 2 stored in the aircraft 2.

[0026] When the acquisition unit 131 acquires the flight plan of the aircraft 2, it identifies the date and time of flight of the aircraft 2 as indicated in the flight plan, and the location of the flight of the aircraft 2. The flight plan includes, for example, flight path information that associates the date and time of flight corresponding to each of several locations that indicate the flight route of the aircraft 2 with three-dimensional position information indicating the altitude and latitude and longitude of that location.

[0027] The acquisition unit 131 accesses a weather server (not shown) via the communication unit 11, which provides weather forecasts for multiple areas as weather information, and acquires weather information corresponding to the date and time of flight of the aircraft 2 as indicated in the flight plan and the flight location of the aircraft 2.

[0028] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 131 acquires weather information from an observation device (not shown) located in or near the hangar facility 3 that observes the weather around the hangar facility, which is the flight start location for the aircraft 2 indicated in the flight plan.

[0029] The determination unit 132 determines whether to apply a protective agent to the aircraft 2 based on the flight plan and weather information acquired by the acquisition unit 131. For example, the determination unit 132 identifies the degree of influence of deterioration elements that cause deterioration of the aircraft 2's body as the aircraft 2 moves according to the flight plan, based on the flight plan and weather information, and determines whether to apply a protective agent to the aircraft 2 based on the identified degree of influence.

[0030] Specifically, the determination unit 132 refers to weather-specific impact information, which indicates the degree of impact on the deterioration of the aircraft when the aircraft flies in each of several weather types, and location-specific impact information, which indicates the degree of impact on the deterioration of the aircraft when the aircraft flies in each of several location types, and calculates the degree of impact on the deterioration of the aircraft 2 when the aircraft 2 flies in the weather conditions indicated by the acquired weather information according to the flight plan.

[0031] Figure 3 shows an example of weather-specific impact information. As shown in Figure 3, weather-specific impact information is information that associates a type of weather with the degree of impact on the deterioration of an aircraft when it flies under that type of weather. Impact levels are set for each of multiple elements, such as salt damage, rust, and dust. In the example shown in Figure 3, one impact level is associated with one element for each type of weather, but it is also possible for impact levels to be associated with multiple elements for each type of weather.

[0032] Figure 4 shows an example of location-specific impact information. As shown in Figure 4, location-specific impact information is information that associates the type of location, the flight altitude of the aircraft from the ground or sea surface, and the degree of impact on the deterioration of the aircraft if it were to fly over a different location of the same type at the same altitude.

[0033] The determination unit 132 refers to weather-specific impact information and calculates the degree of deterioration caused by the weather to the aircraft 2 when the aircraft flies over multiple locations indicated by the flight path information included in the flight plan under the weather conditions indicated by the acquired weather information. For example, if aircraft 2 flies from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., the determination unit 132 calculates the degree of deterioration caused by the weather to the aircraft 2 every 10 minutes based on the weather information, and then sums up the calculated impacts to calculate the degree of deterioration caused by the weather to the aircraft 2.

[0034] Figure 5 shows an example of calculating the degree of impact on the deterioration of aircraft 2 based on weather information. As shown in Figure 5, it can be confirmed that the degree of impact on the deterioration of aircraft 2 due to rust is calculated to be 9, based on the weather every 10 minutes from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

[0035] Similarly, the determination unit 132 refers to location-specific impact information and calculates the degree of impact that the flight location has on the deterioration of the aircraft 2 when it flies over multiple locations indicated by the flight path information included in the flight plan. For example, the determination unit 132 refers to map information indicating the location type for each of the multiple locations and identifies the location type corresponding to the multiple locations indicated by the flight path information. Then, for each of the multiple locations indicated by the flight path information, the determination unit 132 identifies the impact associated with the corresponding location type and flight altitude.

[0036] For example, if aircraft 2 flies from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM, the determination unit 132 calculates the type of location corresponding to each of the multiple locations indicated by the flight path information, and the degree of influence associated with the flight altitude. By summing the degrees of influence for each of the multiple locations, the determination unit 132 calculates the degree of influence that the flight location has on the deterioration of aircraft 2. For example, the determination unit 132 calculates the degree of influence on the deterioration of aircraft 2 every 10 minutes and sums the calculated degrees of influence to calculate the degree of influence that the flight location has on the deterioration of aircraft 2.

[0037] Figure 6 shows an example of calculating the degree of impact on the deterioration of aircraft 2 based on the flight plan. As shown in Figure 6, based on the location type and altitude corresponding to the flight position every 10 minutes from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM, it can be confirmed that the degree of impact on the deterioration of aircraft 2 was calculated as follows: impact from salt damage was 9, impact from rust was 9, and impact from sand and dust was 8.

[0038] The determination unit 132 calculates the degree of deterioration of the aircraft 2 if the aircraft 2 flies in the weather conditions indicated by the acquired weather information according to the flight plan by summing the calculated degree of deterioration of the aircraft 2 due to weather and the degree of deterioration of the flight location. For example, the determination unit 132 calculates the degree of deterioration of the aircraft 2 as follows by summing the degree of influence calculated in the example shown in Figure 5 and the degree of influence calculated in the example shown in Figure 6: the degree of influence due to salt damage is 9, the degree of influence due to rust is 18, and the degree of influence due to sand and dust is 8.

[0039] Then, if the determination unit 132 determines that the calculated impact level exceeds a predetermined threshold for determining whether or not to apply the agent to the aircraft, it determines that an agent to protect the body of the aircraft 2 should be applied to the aircraft 2. For example, if the predetermined threshold is 10, and the impact level due to rust is 18, which exceeds the predetermined threshold, the determination unit 132 determines that an agent to protect the body of the aircraft 2 should be applied to the aircraft 2.

[0040] When the determination unit 132 determines that the agent should be applied to the aircraft 2, the coating control unit 133 instructs the coating device 4 to apply the agent to the aircraft 2. Specifically, first, the coating control unit 133 selects an agent to be applied to the aircraft 2 from among several agents that can be applied to the aircraft 2.

[0041] The memory unit 12 stores the drug name as drug identification information for each of the multiple drugs, and associates it with deterioration elements that cause deterioration of the aircraft 2, corresponding to weather conditions and location type. The coating control unit 133 identifies the weather conditions that the weather information satisfies and the location type of the place where the aircraft 2 will fly based on the flight plan, and selects the drug associated with the deterioration elements corresponding to the identified weather conditions and location type as the drug to be applied to the aircraft 2.

[0042] For example, the coating control unit 133 selects the agent associated with the degradation element with the highest impact among the multiple degradation elements whose influence is greatest when the aircraft 2 moves according to its flight plan under the weather conditions indicated by the weather information acquired by the acquisition unit 131, as the agent to be applied to the aircraft 2.

[0043] Furthermore, the coating control unit 133 controls the amount of chemical applied based on the degree of influence of deterioration elements that cause deterioration of the aircraft body 2 as the aircraft body 2 moves according to the flight plan, as identified by the determination unit 132. For example, the memory unit 12 stores the range of influence of each of the multiple deterioration elements and the amount of chemical applied as application amount information. The coating control unit 133 refers to the application amount information and identifies the deterioration element with the highest influence among the influence of each of the multiple deterioration elements identified by the determination unit 132, and identifies the amount of chemical to be applied to the aircraft body 2 as the amount of chemical to be applied to the aircraft body 2, which is the amount of chemical to be applied to the deteriorate element and which is associated with the range that includes the highest influence. The coating control unit 133 then instructs the coating device 4 to apply the selected chemical to the aircraft body 2 in the identified application amount.

[0044] The coating device 4 may also be capable of washing the aircraft 2 with water. In this case, when the determination unit 132 determines that the agent should be applied to the aircraft 2, the coating control unit 133 may cause the coating device 4 to wash the aircraft 2 before applying the agent to the aircraft 2.

[0045] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 131 may acquire an image of the aircraft 2. The coating control unit 133 may then determine whether or not the aircraft 2 is dirty based on the image acquired by the acquisition unit 131. If the coating control unit 133 determines that the aircraft 2 is dirty, it may instruct the coating device 4 to clean the aircraft 2 before applying the chemical agent to the aircraft 2. In this way, the coating control device 1 can remove any dirt adhering to the aircraft 2 before applying the chemical agent to the aircraft 2, thereby improving the effectiveness of the chemical agent application.

[0046] [Processing flow in the coating control device 1] Next, we will explain the processing flow in the coating control device 1. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the processing flow related to the coating control device 1.

[0047] First, the acquisition unit 131 acquires the flight plan of the aircraft 2 stored in the storage facility 3, which serves as a storage unit for the aircraft 2 (S1). Next, the acquisition unit 131 acquires weather information indicating the weather conditions corresponding to the acquired flight plan (S2).

[0048] Next, the determination unit 132 identifies the degree of influence of each of several deterioration elements that cause deterioration of the body of the aircraft 2 as the aircraft 2 moves according to the flight plan, based on the acquired flight plan and weather information (S3).

[0049] Next, the determination unit 132 determines whether the identified impact level exceeds a predetermined threshold for determining whether or not to apply the agent to the aircraft 2 (S4). If the determination unit 132 determines that the identified impact level exceeds the predetermined threshold (YES in S4), it proceeds to S5. If it determines that the identified impact level is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold (NO in S4), it terminates the process related to this flowchart.

[0050] Next, the coating control unit 133 selects a chemical agent to be applied to the aircraft 2 from among multiple chemical agents that can be applied to the aircraft 2, based on the degree of influence of each of the multiple degradation elements identified by the determination unit 132 (S5).

[0051] Next, the coating control unit 133 determines the amount of chemical to be applied to the aircraft 2 based on the highest influence level among the multiple degradation elements identified by the determination unit 132 (S6). Then, the coating control unit 133 controls the coating device 4 to apply the selected chemical to the aircraft 2 in the specified amount (S7).

[0052] [Differentiation] In the above-described embodiment, the determination unit 132 determined whether to apply the agent to the aircraft 2 based on the movement plan, but is not limited to this. The determination unit 132 may also determine whether to apply the agent to the aircraft 2 based on the history of agent application to the aircraft 2.

[0053] In this case, once the coating control unit 133 has finished coating the aircraft 2 with the drug by the coating device 4, it stores the drug identification information that identifies the coated drug, the date the drug was applied, and the amount of drug applied as coating history information in the storage unit 12.

[0054] The determination unit 132 determines whether to apply the agent to the aircraft 2 based on the application history indicated by the application history information stored in the memory unit 12. The determination unit 132 determines whether to apply the agent to the aircraft 2 based on the application history indicated by the application history information and the movement plan and weather information acquired by the acquisition unit 131.

[0055] For example, the determination unit 132 determines the degree of deterioration of the durability effect due to application based on the elapsed time since the application of the drug included in the application history. For example, a function is provided for each of the multiple drugs that outputs the degree of deterioration in response to the input of the elapsed time since the application date and time.

[0056] The determination unit 132 identifies the last agent applied to the aircraft 2 based on the application history, and also identifies the elapsed time since that agent was applied. The determination unit 132 obtains the degree of degradation by inputting the elapsed time to a function corresponding to the identified agent. The determination unit 132 then determines to apply the agent to the aircraft 2 if the degree of influence of the flight location on the degradation of the aircraft 2 exceeds a first threshold and the obtained degree of degradation exceeds a second threshold. In this way, the application control device 1 can control the application of the agent while taking into account the degradation that has occurred since the agent was applied.

[0057] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment described an example of applying the drug to the flying object 2, the application control device 1 may also control the application of the drug to an autonomously moving mobile body. The autonomously moving mobile body may be, for example, an autonomously driving automobile or an autonomously moving robot.

[0058] [Effects of this embodiment] As explained above, the coating control device 1 determines whether to apply a protective agent to the aircraft 2 based on the flight plan of the aircraft 2 stored in the hangar facility 3 and weather information indicating the weather conditions corresponding to the flight plan. If it determines that the agent should be applied, it instructs the coating device 4 to apply the agent to the aircraft 2. In this way, the coating control device 1 can suppress the deterioration of the aircraft 2 without human intervention.

[0059] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation."

[0060] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist. For example, all or part of the apparatus can be configured by functionally or physically distributing and integrating in any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combinations are combined with the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1. Flight control system 2 flying objects 3. Storage facilities 4. Coating device 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control Unit 131 Acquisition Department 132 Judgment section 133 Coating Control Unit

Claims

1. An acquisition unit acquires the movement plan of a mobile body stored in a storage unit that stores a mobile body, and acquires weather information indicating the weather conditions corresponding to the acquired movement plan. A determination unit that determines whether to apply a protective agent to the body of the moving object based on the aforementioned movement plan and weather information, When the determination unit determines that the drug should be applied to the moving body, the application device for applying the drug is provided with an application control unit that causes the drug to be applied to the moving body, A coating control device having

2. The acquisition unit acquires the weather information in the vicinity of the storage unit, which is the flight start location of the mobile body indicated by the movement plan, from an observation device that is provided in or near the storage unit and observes the weather in the vicinity of the storage unit. The coating control device according to claim 1.

3. It has a communication unit that communicates with a device different from the aforementioned coating control device, The acquisition unit acquires, via the communication unit, the weather information corresponding to the date and time the mobile body indicated in the movement plan will fly and the location where the mobile body will fly. The coating control device according to claim 1.

4. The determination unit identifies the degree of influence of deterioration elements that cause deterioration of the body of the moving object as the moving object moves according to the movement plan, based on the movement plan and the weather information, and determines whether to apply the agent to the moving object based on the identified degree of influence. The coating control device according to claim 1.

5. The coating control unit controls the amount of the agent to be applied based on the degree of influence. The coating control device according to claim 4.

6. The coating apparatus is capable of cleaning the moving body, When the determination unit determines that the drug should be applied to the mobile body, the coating control unit causes the coating device to clean the mobile body before applying the drug to the mobile body. The coating control device according to claim 1.

7. The acquisition unit acquires the captured image of the moving object, If the coating control unit determines that the moving body is dirty based on the captured image, it will cause the coating device to clean the moving body. The coating control device according to claim 6.

8. Each of the multiple chemicals is associated with a degradation element that causes deterioration of the mobile body in response to weather conditions. The coating control unit identifies the weather conditions that the weather information indicates, selects a chemical agent associated with the deterioration element corresponding to the identified weather conditions as the chemical agent to be applied to the mobile body, and instructs the coating device to apply the selected chemical agent to the mobile body. The coating control device according to claim 1.

9. It has a storage unit that stores application history information showing the application history of the drug to the mobile body, The determination unit determines whether to apply the drug to the mobile body based on the application history indicated by the application history information. The coating control device according to claim 1.

10. The determination unit determines whether to apply the drug to the moving body based on the application history indicated by the application history information and the movement plan acquired by the acquisition unit. The coating control device according to claim 9.

11. A computer executes The steps include: obtaining the movement plan of a mobile body stored in a storage unit that stores a mobile body, and obtaining weather information indicating the weather conditions corresponding to the obtained movement plan; A step of determining whether to apply a protective agent to the body of the moving object based on the aforementioned movement plan and weather information, When it is determined that the agent should be applied to the moving body, the step of causing the application device to apply the agent to the moving body is performed. An information processing method having

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