Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

Provided are an information processing device, method, and program for performing beamforming on an aircraft more quickly. [Solution] In the communication system, an information processing device 100 mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle, which is an air vehicle, is equipped with a first acquisition unit 131 that acquires first position information indicating the position of a ground station that controls the unmanned aerial vehicle, a second acquisition unit 132 that acquires second position information that indicates the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a third acquisition unit 133 that acquires attitude information indicating the attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle, which indicates roll, pitch, and yaw, a calculation unit 134 that calculates the beam formation direction for communication from the unmanned aerial vehicle to the ground station based on the first position information, the second position information and the attitude information and calculates the beam formation direction while shifting the yaw value among the attitude information, an identification unit 135 that identifies, from the beam formation directions calculated by the calculation unit, the beam formation direction capable of communicating with the ground station, and a communication unit 110 that communicates with the ground station by directing the beam in the beam formation direction identified by the identification unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program for a communication system mounted on an aircraft.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, by arranging base stations for wireless communication at high altitudes, the communication area per base station becomes wider. Therefore, a communication system using HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station), known as a high altitude platform in which an aircraft staying at a high altitude is equipped with a wireless station, has been developed.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a technique in which a base station performs beamforming in a communication system using HAPS (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, HAPS communicates with a ground station that controls HAPS. At this time, beamforming can also be performed in the communication between HAPS and the ground station to improve the communication accuracy between HAPS and the ground station. By the way, when performing beamforming from HAPS to the ground station, its direction is calculated based on the position of HAPS, the position of the ground station, and the attitude of HAPS. However, there is a problem that the value of the gyro sensor for specifying the attitude of HAPS may not be reliable.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus mounted on a HAPS that can quickly detect the direction of beamforming.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an information processing apparatus mounted on an unmanned aircraft that functions as a communication relay apparatus for relaying communication between a plurality of terminals, and includes a first acquisition unit that acquires first position information indicating the position of a ground station that controls the unmanned aircraft, a second acquisition unit that acquires second position information indicating the position of the own aircraft, a third acquisition unit that acquires attitude information indicating the attitude of the own aircraft, that is, roll, pitch, and yaw, and a calculation unit that calculates the formation direction of a beam for communication from the own aircraft to the ground station based on the first position information, the second position information, and the attitude information, and calculates the formation direction of the beam while shifting the value of yaw among the attitude information, and a specifying unit that specifies the formation direction of a beam that can communicate with the ground station among the formation directions of the beam calculated by the calculation unit, and a communication unit that communicates with the ground station by directing the beam in the formation direction of the beam specified by the specifying unit.

[0008] In the above information processing apparatus, the specifying unit may specify, as the formation direction of a beam that can communicate with the ground station, the formation direction of the beam with the highest reception level in the communication between the communication unit and the ground station in each of the formation directions of the beam calculated by the calculation unit.

[0009] In the above information processing apparatus, the specifying unit may specify, as the formation direction of a beam that can communicate with the ground station, the formation direction of a beam whose reception level in the communication between the communication unit and the ground station exceeds a predetermined threshold value from among the formation directions of the beam calculated by the calculation unit.

[0010] In the above information processing apparatus, the calculation unit may calculate the formation direction of the beam while shifting the value of yaw within a range of a predetermined error value.

[0011] In the above information processing apparatus, when the specifying unit cannot specify the beam forming direction, the calculating unit may increase a predetermined error value.

[0012] In the above information processing apparatus, when the specifying unit cannot specify the beam forming direction, the calculating unit may further calculate the beam forming direction while shifting the value of pitch or roll.

[0013] Also, in order to solve the above problems, an information processing method according to an aspect of the present invention is an information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus mounted on an unmanned aircraft that functions as a communication relay apparatus for relaying communication between a plurality of terminals. The information processing apparatus includes: a first acquisition step of acquiring position information indicating the position of a ground station that controls the unmanned aircraft; a second acquisition step of acquiring second position information indicating the position of the own aircraft; a third acquisition step of acquiring attitude information indicating the attitude of the own aircraft, that is, roll, pitch, and yaw; and a calculation step of calculating a beam forming direction for communication from the own aircraft to the ground station based on the first position information, the second position information, and the attitude information, the calculation step calculating the beam forming direction while shifting the yaw value among the attitude information; a specifying step of specifying a beam forming direction capable of communicating with the ground station among the beam forming directions calculated in the calculation step; and a communication step of communicating with the ground station by directing the beam in the beam forming direction specified in the specifying step.

[0014] In order to solve the above problems, an information processing program according to an aspect of the present invention causes a computer of an information processing device mounted on an unmanned aircraft that functions as a communication relay device for relaying communication between a plurality of terminals to have a first acquisition function of acquiring first position information indicating the position of a ground station that controls the unmanned aircraft, a second acquisition function of acquiring second position information indicating the position of its own aircraft, a third acquisition function of acquiring attitude information indicating the attitude of its own aircraft, that is, roll, pitch, and yaw, and a calculation function of calculating the formation direction of a beam for communication from its own aircraft to the ground station based on the first position information, the second position information, and the attitude information, the calculation function calculating the formation direction of the beam while shifting the value of yaw among the attitude information, a specification function of specifying the formation direction of a beam capable of communicating with the ground station among the formation directions of the beam calculated by the calculation function, and a communication function of communicating with the ground station by directing the beam in the formation direction of the beam specified by the specification function.

Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the information processing device according to the present invention, regarding the formation direction of the beam for communicating with the ground station, by shifting and specifying only in the yaw direction, the formation direction of the beam can be specified earlier than when shifting both in the roll direction and the pitch direction. Therefore, the processing load of the information processing device can be reduced, and communication with the ground station can be established earlier.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, an information processing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. <Summary>

[0018] The information processing apparatus according to the present invention is mounted on the flying object 10 shown in FIG. 1 and communicates with the ground station 200 and the communication terminals 300a and 300b (which may be collectively referred to as the communication terminal 300). The flying object 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a large (or small) aircraft that hovers in the air and functions as a base station for ground terminals. The flying object 10 may be an aircraft that constitutes a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) which is a high altitude platform. The flying object 10 may be a drone. Further, the information processing apparatus mounted on the flying object 10 is connected to the ground station 200 by wireless communication and is controlled under the management of the ground station 200. The communication network between the information processing apparatus and the ground station 200 is called a control link or a feeder link according to its use. Also, the information processing apparatus mounted on the flying object 10 provides wireless communication between a plurality of communication terminals 300 to each other as a base station for the communication terminals 300a and 300b (hereinafter, collectively referred to as the communication terminal 300 unless specifically distinguished). The communication network between the information processing apparatus and the communication terminal 300 is called a service link.

[0019] The ground station 200 may be a management apparatus that manages the flying object 10 serving as an aviation base station and the ground base station, or may be a ground base station. The ground station 200 may allocate a communication area to be provided to the communication terminal 300 by the flying object 10, and accordingly transmit a command for controlling the airframe to the flying object 10, or receive a report regarding the flight state and the communication provision status from the flying object 10.

[0020] Also, the communication terminal 300 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a mobile communication module, an IoT (Internet of Things) device, etc. In Embodiment 1, one flying object 10 and one ground station 200 are shown, and two communication terminals 300 are illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and there may be more. Also, the ground base stations are configured to be connectable to each other via a ground communication network, and the communication terminal 300 can also communicate using the communication network.

[0021] The flying object 10 is basically driven by instructions from the ground station 200 (either directly or via the satellite 400). In addition, the flying object 10 may also navigate autonomously according to a pre-stored automatic navigation program.

[0022] The information processing device of the flying object 10 communicates with the ground station 200 by performing beamforming to direct the directivity of the communication antenna. The information processing device according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to realize such beamforming more quickly.

[0023] Hereinafter, the method for realizing this beamforming will be described in detail. <Configuration> <Flying object 10>

[0024] The flying object 10 flies in the sky for a certain period. For example, the sky is at a high altitude of about 20 km, and the certain period is a period of several weeks, several months, or one year, etc. The flying object 10 is, as an example, a solar plane or a solar airship, etc., and can fly for a longer period compared to a normal airplane or airship. When the flying object 10 flies in the stratosphere, for example, the stratosphere has stable air currents, so the flying object 10 can stay in the air for a long time. Note that the altitude at which the flying object 10 flies is not limited to about 20 km, and it may be higher or lower than 20 km. Here, when the communication terminal 300 is a conventional terrestrial cellular mobile terminal, the technically usable distance for communicating with the base station, for example, in the case of LTE (Long Term Evolution), is about 100 km. In this case, the altitude of the flying object 10 is about 50 km or less.

[0025] In addition to the above examples (solar plane or solar airship), the aircraft 10 only needs to have the function of flying in the air. For example, it can be an airplane, an airship, a balloon, a helicopter, a drone, etc. Moreover, various sensors or various cameras can be mounted on the aircraft 10. As an example of the sensor, there is a sensor capable of performing remote sensing by laser ranging, Doppler radar, etc., but it is not limited to these. The aircraft 10 (information processing device) transmits the measurement results of these sensors and cameras and the acquisition results of the information indicating the distribution of the communication terminals 300 described later to the ground station 200, so that the ground station 200 can assign an appropriate communication area to the aircraft 10. <Configuration of Information Processing Device 100>

[0026] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the information processing device 100. The information processing device 100 is an information processing device that functions as a base station for relaying communication between communication terminals 300 on the ground, and is a computer system that operates according to a predetermined program.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a control unit 130, and a storage unit 140.

[0028] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface having a function of communicating with devices external to the information processing device 100. The communication unit 110 has a function of communicating with the ground station 200 and the communication terminal 300 as external devices.

[0029] The communication unit 110 performs control link communication with the ground station 200 via a control link antenna (not shown) and transmits and receives information regarding the airframe of the aircraft 10. Here, the control link antenna is an antenna provided on the airframe of the aircraft 10 and is used for communication of information regarding the airframe with the ground station 200. Further, the control link communication is communication related to the control of the aircraft 10 carried out between the ground station 200 and the aircraft 10, and for the aircraft 10, it is communication using the control link antenna. Also, the information regarding the airframe is, for example, a control signal of the airframe transmitted from the ground station 200 to the aircraft 10, a state signal (status information) of the aircraft 10 transmitted from the aircraft 10 to the ground station 200, and the like. The control signal of the airframe is a signal indicating the flight control of the airframe, and the state signal is a signal indicating the flight state of the airframe. Each may include the current coordinates, speed, traveling direction, tilt level of the airframe in the air, as well as sensing data sensed by various sensors for detecting the state of each part of the airframe including the drive unit 150 and the surrounding situation.

[0030] Further, the communication unit 110 performs feeder link communication with the ground station 200 via a feeder link antenna (not shown). Here, the feeder link communication is communication carried out between the ground station 200 using the feeder link antenna provided on the airframe of the aircraft 10.

[0031] In communication with the ground station 200, the communication unit 110 forms an antenna directivity in the direction of the beam formation direction specified by a specific unit 135 described later and executes communication.

[0032] Further, the communication unit 110 provides service link communication to the communication terminal 300 via a service link antenna (not shown). The service link communication is communication for providing a communication service with another communication terminal 300 to the communication terminal 300 using the service link antenna provided on the aircraft 10. That is, the service link serves as a link for providing a function as a so-called base station that relays communication between communication terminals 300.

[0033] The communication unit 110 may be implemented as individual communication devices, respectively, a communication device for communicating with the ground station 200 and a communication device for communicating with the communication terminal 300, or may be implemented as a single communication device capable of communicating with both the ground station 200 and the communication terminal 300.

[0034] The control unit 130 is a processor having a function of controlling each part of the flying object 10. The control unit 130 may be implemented by a single core or by a multi-core.

[0035] As functions realized by the control unit 130, the control unit 130 includes a first acquisition unit 131, a second acquisition unit 132, a third acquisition unit 133, a calculation unit 134, and a specification unit 135.

[0036] The first acquisition unit 131 acquires first position information indicating the position of the ground station 200 that controls the flying object on which the information processing device 100 is mounted. The position of the ground station 200 may be stored in the storage unit 140 in advance as latitude and longitude information, and the first acquisition unit 131 may acquire the position of the ground station 200 from the storage unit 140. Alternatively, the first acquisition unit 131 may acquire the position of the ground station 200 from the ground station 200 in communication with the ground station 200 via the communication unit 110. The first acquisition unit 131 transmits the first position information to the calculation unit 134.

[0037] The second acquisition unit 132 acquires second position information indicating the position of the information processing device 100 (the position of the flying object 10). The second acquisition unit 132 may acquire, for example, position information measured by a positioning device mounted on the own aircraft (as an example, position information measured by GPS (Global Positioning System)) as the second position information. Note that as long as positioning is possible, it is not limited to GPS, and other systems may be used. The second acquisition unit 132 transmits the second position information to the calculation unit 134.

[0038] The third acquisition unit 133 acquires attitude information indicating the attitude of the information processing device 100 (the attitude of the flying object 10) and showing the values of roll, pitch, and yaw. The third acquisition unit 133 may acquire the attitude information of a gyro sensor or the like provided in the information processing device 100 or the flying object 10 from a sensor that can output the information in terms of the values of roll, pitch, and yaw. However, regarding the values of roll, pitch, and yaw of the gyro sensor, although the reliability of roll and pitch is high, it is known that the reliability of yaw is low. This can also be confirmed, for example, by installing two gyro sensors at the same position and observing the difference between the output values of each. Roll, pitch, and yaw may each be the rotation directions shown in FIG. 1. That is, roll may be the rotation angle from the reference value in the rotation about the X-axis when the traveling direction of the flying object 10 is taken as the X-axis. Also, pitch may be the rotation angle from the reference value in the rotation about the Y-axis when the left-right direction of the flying object 10 perpendicular to the X-axis is taken as the Y-axis. Also, yaw may be the rotation angle from the reference value in the downward rotation about the Z-axis when the vertical direction (gravity direction) of the flying object 10 perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis is taken as the Z-axis. The third acquisition unit 133 transmits the attitude information to the calculation unit 134.

[0039] Based on the first position information transmitted from the first acquisition unit 131, the second position information transmitted from the second acquisition unit 132, and the attitude information transmitted from the third acquisition unit 133, the calculation unit 134 calculates the formation direction of a beam (antenna directivity) for communicating with the ground station 200 from the antenna of the communication unit 110 of the information processing device 100. Also, regarding the calculated formation direction of the beam, the formation direction of the beam is calculated while shifting only the value of yaw. This formation of the beam is also called beamforming.

[0040] Specifically, the calculation unit 134 calculates the formation direction of the beam as follows.

[0041] First, the attitude of the information processing device 100 (the flying object 10), that is, the attitude indicated by the attitude information transmitted from the third acquisition unit, is φ roll , θpitch , ψ yaw is assumed. Also, let the relative position from the information processing device 100 of the ground station 200 that the beam is directed to be (x, y, z). This relative position can be specified from the first position information acquired by the first acquisition unit 131 and the second position information acquired by the second acquisition unit 132. The antenna of the communication unit 110 (relative position centered on the gyro sensor) is (x ant , y ant , z ant ), and when the installation angle of the antenna is φ tilt , θ ant , the following equation (1) holds.

[0042]

Equation

[0043] In the above equation (1), x’ ant is the time derivative of x ant , and the same applies to y and z. Also, in the above equation (1), R x , R y , R z can be expressed by the following equations (2) to (4). Note that θ in equations (2) to (4) is an angle for expressing the yaw angle, pitch angle, and roll angle in matrix form, and θ is basically different (it may be the same in some cases) between equation (2) and equation (3), equation (3) and equation (4), and equation (4) and equation (2).

[0044]

Equation

[0045]

Equation

[0046]

Equation

[0047] Rearranging Equation (1) gives the following Equation (5).

[0048] [Number]

[0049] As a result, the horizontal beamforming angle Az can be calculated as in the following Equation (6). Note that the angle Az is the direction in which the ground station 100 is estimated to exist as seen from the communication antenna of the communication unit 110 of the aircraft 10, and may be the angle from the reference direction with the communication antenna as the origin in the plane including the X-axis and the Y-axis.

[0050] [Number]

[0051] Also, the vertical beamforming angle El can be calculated as in the following Equation (7). Note that the angle El is the direction in which the ground station 100 is estimated to exist as seen from the communication antenna of the communication unit 110 of the aircraft 10, and may be the angle from the reference direction with the communication antenna as the origin in the plane including the X-axis and the Z-axis.

[0052] [Number]

[0053] Here, the calculation unit 134 calculates the formation directions of a plurality of beams while shifting the value of ψ in Equation (5) by a predetermined angle within a predetermined range. Here, shifting the value of ψ by a predetermined angle within a predetermined range means performing calculations by adding or subtracting a predetermined error value e centered on ψ, …ψ yaw - 2e, ψ yaw - e, ψ yaw 0, ψ yaw + e, ψ yaw + 2e, ψ yaw 0, ψ yaw + e, ψ yawIn each case of the yaw values such as +2e, …, it may be to calculate Az and El. The range for adding and subtracting this error value may be predetermined, thereby suppressing the calculation load. Thereby, the calculation unit 134 can execute the scanning in the beam direction only for the yaw direction with low reliability of the gyro sensor, and specify the formation direction of the beam.

[0054] The specifying unit 135 specifies the formation direction of the beam for communicating with the ground station 200 from among the formation directions of the plurality of beams calculated by the calculating unit 134. Specifically, for each of the formation directions of the plurality of beams calculated by the calculating unit 134, the specifying unit 135 causes the communication unit 110 to form a beam in each case, and at that time, receives the signal transmitted from the ground station 200. The content of the signal transmitted from the ground station may be arbitrary. Then, the specifying unit 135 specifies the formation direction of the beam with the highest reception level in the received signals in the communication unit 110. The specifying unit 135 transmits the specified formation direction of the beam to the communication unit 110 and instructs to use it for communication with the ground station 200. Thereby, the information processing apparatus 100 can execute communication with the ground station 200 in the state with the highest reception level, that is, in a stable state.

[0055] The storage unit 140 has a function of storing various programs and data required for the operation of the information processing apparatus 100. The storage unit 140 can be realized by, for example, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), a flash memory, etc., but is not limited thereto. The storage unit 140 may store, for example, a program for performing beamforming to be formed toward the ground station 200 based on information indicating the state of its own device.

[0056] The above is a configuration example of the information processing apparatus 100 mounted on the aircraft 10. Although not described here and omitted for simplicity, the information processing apparatus 100 has a function of appropriately communicating with the communication terminal 300 and executing a process of relaying communication between the communication terminals 300. Further, the information processing apparatus 100 may have a function of controlling the navigation of the aircraft 10 according to an instruction from the ground station 20 or a predetermined program.

[0057] Note that since the ground station 200 and the communication terminal 300 have the same configuration as general ground stations 200 and communication terminals 300, detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0058] <Operation> FIG. 3 is an operation example of the information processing apparatus 100 and is a flowchart showing an operation example when specifying the beam forming direction with respect to the ground station 200. The process shown in FIG. 3 may be a process executed at a timing when the information processing apparatus 100 (aircraft 10) needs to communicate with the ground station 200 or at a predetermined timing, but is not limited to these timings.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 3, the first acquisition unit 131 of the information processing apparatus 100 acquires first position information indicating the position of the ground station 200 which is a ground gateway (step S301). The first acquisition unit 131 transmits the acquired first position information to the calculation unit 134. The information processing apparatus 100 starts communication with the ground station 200 via the communication unit 110 (step S302).

[0060] The second acquisition unit 132 acquires second position information indicating the position of its own aircraft (step S303). The second acquisition unit 132 transmits the acquired second position information to the calculation unit 134.

[0061] The third acquisition unit 133 acquires attitude information indicating the attitude of its own aircraft (step S304). Then, the third acquisition unit 133 transmits the acquired attitude information to the calculation unit 134.

[0062] The calculation unit 134 calculates the beam formation direction when communicating with the ground station 200 by the communication unit 110 based on the transmitted first position information, second position information, and attitude information (step S305). At this time, as described above, among the attitude information acquired by the third acquisition unit 133, due to the characteristics of the gyro sensor, the reliability of the value in the yaw direction is lower than the values in the roll direction and pitch direction. Therefore, the beam formation direction calculated based on the first position information, second position information, and generated information is not necessarily optimal for communication with the ground station 200. Therefore, the calculation unit 134 calculates the formation directions of a plurality of beams while shifting the yaw direction of the calculated beam formation direction by a predetermined angle. The calculation unit 134 transmits the information on the formation directions of the calculated plurality of beams to the specifying unit 135.

[0063] The specifying unit 135 specifies the beam formation direction suitable for communication with the ground station 200 from among the information on the formation directions of the plurality of transmitted beams. Specifically, the specifying unit 135 specifies the beam formation direction by executing the processes of steps S306 to step 310. The specifying unit 135 first performs the beam scanning process of steps S306 to S309. The specifying unit 135 starts beam scanning (step S306). First, the specifying unit 135 selects one of the formation directions of the plurality of transmitted beams and causes the communication unit 110 to form a beam in that direction (step S307). In that state, the communication unit 110 receives the signal transmitted from the ground station 200 and measures the reception level (step S308). When the signal cannot be received, the reception level is set to 0, and the reception level is incremented by 1 for each exceeding of a predetermined threshold value in dB. The specifying unit 135 and the communication unit 110 execute this process for each beam formation direction.

[0064] Then, the specifying unit 135 specifies the beam formation direction based on the reception level measured in step S308 (step S310). That is, the specifying unit 135 specifies the beam formation direction in which the reception level is the highest when the communication unit 110 receives the signal from the ground station 200 for each of the formation directions of the plurality of beams.

[0065] When the specific unit 135 determines the formation direction of the beam to be used by the communication unit 110 for communication with the ground station 200, it transmits the information to the communication unit 110. The communication unit 110 executes beamforming control according to the transmitted beam formation direction (step 311). Note that the details of the beamforming control are the same as those of generally recognized known technologies, so the description is omitted.

[0066] The communication unit 110 performs the beamforming control specified by the specific unit 135 to execute predetermined communication with the ground station 200 (step S312). The predetermined communication content is not limited, but may include transmitting information indicating the state of the aircraft 10 from the information processing device 100 to the ground station 200, transmitting information indicating the communication state between the information processing device 100 and the communication terminal 300 from the information processing device 100 to the ground station 200, or receiving information regarding the flight control of the aircraft 10 from the ground station 200.

[0067] After the communication with the ground station 200 ends (step S313), the information processing device 100 ends the process. In this way, the information processing device 100 is configured to be able to realize beamforming for the ground station 200 at an early stage.

[0068] <Summary> According to the information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment, by narrowing down to the yaw direction value with unstable measurement values in the measurement by a gyro sensor or the like, while shifting the direction of beamforming, the directivity for communication with the ground station 200 can be determined. That is, regarding the pitch direction and the roll direction, since the measurement results by a gyro sensor or the like are reliable, by not shifting the beamforming direction in these directions, the antenna directivity formed from the information processing device 100 toward the ground station 200 can be determined earlier. In addition, the processing load of the information processing device 100 can be reduced by omitting the calculations in the pitch direction and the roll direction.

[0069] <Modification example> The information processing apparatus according to the above embodiment is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that it may be realized by other methods. Hereinafter, various modifications will be described.

[0070] (1) The flowchart shown in FIG. 3 of the above embodiment is an example, and if the same result can be obtained, the processing may be executed by other procedures. For example, in FIG. 3, the communication for the exchange of information with the ground station 200 is performed after determining the direction of the beam (step S312). However, the communication itself can be executed as long as the signals reach each other. Therefore, if a predetermined reception level can be ensured, the processing of step S312 may be configured to be executed in parallel with the processing of steps S306 to S311.

[0071] (2) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the calculation unit 134 calculates the formation directions of a plurality of beams and the specifying unit 135 specifies the beam formation direction from among them. However, this method is not limited thereto. The calculation unit 134 calculates the formation direction of one beam based on the first position information, the second position information, and the attitude information and transmits it to the specifying unit 135. The specifying unit 135 may be configured to specify the beam formation direction while shifting the angle in the yaw direction with respect to the beam formation direction transmitted from the calculation unit 134.

[0072] (3) In the above embodiment, an example of specifying the beam formation direction in which the reception intensity is the highest has been described, but this is not limited thereto. If the communication between the information processing apparatus 100 and the ground station 200 can be performed sufficiently stably, it is not necessary to specify the beam formation direction in which the reception intensity is the highest. That is, when the beam formation direction in which the reception intensity exceeds a predetermined threshold value can be specified, the beam scanning process (see steps S306 to S309) may be terminated there, and the communication may be configured to be performed in the specified beam formation direction. By doing so, the beam formation direction can be specified earlier, and there is a possibility that it is not necessary to perform beam scanning for all the directions calculated by the calculation unit 134, so that the processing load on the information processing apparatus 100 can be reduced accordingly.

[0073] (4) In the above embodiment, it is determined to specify the beam formation direction of the beam with the highest reception level. At this time, there is a possibility that this reception level does not exceed the reception level threshold value at which stable communication is predetermined to be possible. In such a case, as an example, the communication unit 110 may use the beam formation direction used previously, that is, the beam formation direction used at the date and time closest to the current time. Alternatively, as another example, in such a case, the specifying unit 135 may not be limited to the yaw direction, and may also shift the beam formation direction with respect to the pitch direction and the roll direction to specify the beam formation direction in which the reception level is the highest. By doing so, the information processing apparatus 100 can surely execute communication with the ground station 200.

[0074] (5) In the above embodiment, it is determined to specify the beam formation direction of the beam with the highest reception level. At this time, there is a possibility that this reception level does not exceed the reception level threshold value at which stable communication is predetermined to be possible. In such a case, the beam scanning may be performed by adding or subtracting the error value beyond the predetermined range for adding and subtracting the error value e. By doing so, the information processing apparatus 100 can surely execute communication with the ground station 200.

[0075] (6) The program for specifying the beamforming direction of each embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided in a state stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can store the program in a "non-transitory tangible medium". The storage medium can include any suitable storage medium such as an HDD or an SSD, or any suitable combination of two or more of these. The storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile. Note that the storage medium is not limited to these examples, and any device or medium can be used as long as it can store the program.

[0076] Note that the information processing apparatus 100 can realize the functions of the plurality of functional units shown in each embodiment, for example, by reading out the program stored in the storage medium and executing the read program. Further, the program may be provided to the information processing apparatus 100 or the like via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave). The information processing apparatus 100 realizes the functions of the plurality of functional units shown in each embodiment, for example, by executing the program downloaded via the Internet or the like. This program may be executed by the information processing apparatus 100 or the like.

[0077] Note that the program can be implemented using, for example, a script language such as ActionScript or JavaScript (registered trademark), an object-oriented programming language such as Objective-C or Java (registered trademark), a markup language such as HTML5, but is not limited thereto.

[0078] At least a part of the processing in the ground station 200 may be realized by cloud computing configured by one or more computers. Further, each functional unit of the information processing apparatus (the aircraft 10, the ground station 200, and the communication terminal 300) may be realized by one or more circuits that realize the functions shown in the above embodiments, and the functions of a plurality of functional units may be realized by one circuit.

[0079] (7) The various methods and processes shown in the above embodiments and modification examples may be appropriately combined so as to meet the purpose of easily finding the beam forming direction.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0080] 10 Aircraft 100 Information Processing Device 110 Communication Unit 130 Control Unit 131 First Acquisition Unit 132 Second Acquisition Unit 133 Third Acquisition Unit 134 Calculation Unit 135 Identification Unit 140 Storage Unit 200 Ground Station 300, 300a, 300b Communication Terminals

Claims

1. An information processing device mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle that functions as a communication relay device that relays communications between a plurality of terminals, A first acquisition unit that acquires first location information indicating a location of a ground station that controls the unmanned aerial vehicle; a second acquisition unit that acquires second location information indicating a location of the own device; a third acquisition unit that acquires attitude information indicating roll, pitch, and yaw of the aircraft; a calculation unit that calculates a direction in which a beam is formed for communication from the aircraft to the ground station based on the first position information, the second position information, and the attitude information, and calculates the direction in which the beam is formed while shifting a yaw value among the attitude information; a determination unit that determines a beam forming direction capable of communicating with the ground station from among the beam forming directions calculated by the calculation unit; a communication unit that directs a beam in the direction of beam formation specified by the specifying unit and communicates with the ground station. Information processing device.

2. The identification unit identifies a beam forming direction with the highest reception level in communication with the ground station by the communication unit in each of the beam forming directions calculated by the calculation unit as a beam forming direction capable of communicating with the ground station.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

3. The identification unit identifies, as a forming direction of a beam capable of communicating with the ground station, a forming direction of a beam in which a reception level in communication with the ground station by the communication unit exceeds a predetermined threshold, from among the forming directions of the beam calculated by the calculation unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

4. The calculation unit calculates a beam formation direction while shifting the yaw value within a range of a predetermined error value.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

5. When the specifying unit cannot specify the beam forming direction, the calculating unit increases the predetermined error value.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4.

6. When the determination unit cannot determine the beam forming direction, the calculation unit calculates the beam forming direction while further shifting the pitch or roll value.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4.

7. An information processing method executed by an information processing device mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle that functions as a communication relay device that relays communications between a plurality of terminals, comprising: The information processing device includes: a first acquisition step of acquiring first position information indicating a position of a ground station that controls the unmanned aerial vehicle; a second acquisition step of acquiring second location information indicating a location of the own aircraft; a third acquisition step of acquiring attitude information indicating roll, pitch, and yaw of the aircraft; a calculation step of calculating a direction in which a beam is formed for communication from the aircraft to the ground station based on the first position information, the second position information, and the attitude information, the calculation step calculating the direction in which the beam is formed while shifting a yaw value of the attitude information; a determining step of determining a direction of a beam capable of communicating with the ground station from among the beam forming directions calculated in the calculating step; and a communication step of communicating with the ground station by directing the beam in the beam formation direction identified in the identification step. Information processing methods.

8. A computer of an information processing device mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle that functions as a communication relay device for relaying communications between a plurality of terminals, a first acquisition function for acquiring first location information indicating a location of a ground station that controls the unmanned aerial vehicle; a second acquisition function for acquiring second location information indicating a location of the own aircraft; a third acquisition function for acquiring attitude information indicating the attitude of the aircraft, the roll, pitch, and yaw; a calculation function for calculating a direction in which a beam is formed for communication from the aircraft to the ground station based on the first position information, the second position information, and the attitude information, the calculation function calculating the direction in which the beam is formed while shifting a yaw value among the attitude information; A determination function that determines a beam forming direction capable of communicating with the ground station from among the beam forming directions calculated by the calculation function; A communication function for directing a beam in a direction of forming a beam specified by the specifying function and communicating with the ground station. Information processing program.

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