Information processing device, information processing method, and program

The information processing device addresses the challenges of low latency and scalability in aircraft communication by selecting the appropriate communication protocol based on flight path and communication quality, ensuring reliable and efficient communication for each aircraft.

JP7681751B1Active Publication Date: 2025-05-22KDDI CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024040870
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-03-15
Publication Date
2025-05-22
Estimated Expiration
2044-03-15

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing communication protocols, such as WebRTC, struggle with low latency video delivery and scalability, making it difficult to select the appropriate protocol for each aircraft based on flight path and communication quality.

Method used

An information processing device that acquires flight plan and communication quality information, selects between a first communication protocol (more tolerant to packet loss) and a second protocol (with lower communication delay) based on the flight path and presence of an assistant, and transmits control information to the aircraft to use the selected protocol.

Benefits of technology

Enables aircraft to communicate using a protocol suitable for each flight path, improving communication reliability and reducing latency by adapting to varying communication quality and flight conditions.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To enable aircraft to communicate using a communication protocol suitable for each aircraft. [Solution] The management server 1 has an acquisition unit 121 that acquires flight plan information indicating the planned flight route of an aircraft that captures images during flight and communication quality information indicating the communication quality for each location, a selection unit 123 that selects either a first communication protocol or a second communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used by the aircraft for communication based on the communication quality on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information, and a transmission unit 124 that transmits control information to the aircraft for causing the aircraft to transmit images in accordance with the selected communication protocol.
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program for processing information relating to communications of an air vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system that uses WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) to distribute audio and video from an aircraft such as a drone to an information terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-51540 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Although the WebRTC communication protocol has the advantage of being able to deliver video with low latency, it has characteristics such as low tolerance for packet loss and requires a large communication bandwidth due to peer-to-peer connection (difficult to deliver to many destinations). Conventionally, low latency video delivery and video delivery to many destinations are required for each aircraft, but it was not easy for users to select and set the appropriate communication protocol for each aircraft.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to enable aircraft to communicate using a communication protocol that is suitable for each aircraft. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device of a first aspect of the present invention has an acquisition unit that acquires flight plan information indicating a planned flight path of an aircraft that captures images during flight and communication quality information indicating communication quality for each location, a selection unit that selects either a first communication protocol or a second communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used by the aircraft for communication based on the communication quality on the planned flight path indicated by the communication quality information, and a transmission unit that transmits control information to the aircraft for causing the aircraft to transmit the images in accordance with the selected communication protocol.

[0007] The transmitter may transmit the control information to the air vehicle in accordance with the selected communication protocol.

[0008] The selection unit may select the first communication protocol on the condition that the communication quality of the entire planned flight route satisfies a predetermined criterion, and select the second communication protocol on the condition that the communication quality of at least a portion of the planned flight route does not satisfy the criterion.

[0009] The selection unit may select the selected communication protocol before the aircraft begins flying along the planned flight path, and the transmission unit may transmit the control information for setting the selected communication protocol to the aircraft before the aircraft begins flying along the planned flight path.

[0010] The communication quality may include at least one of a packet loss rate and a communication speed.

[0011] The first communication protocol may be a communication protocol that is more tolerant to packet loss than the second communication protocol.

[0012] The second communication protocol may be a communication protocol having a smaller communication delay than the first communication protocol.

[0013] The transmitting unit may transmit the control information for limiting the number of destinations to which the airborne vehicle transmits the images to a predetermined number or less, on condition that the selecting unit selects the second communication protocol having a lower communication delay than the first communication protocol as the selected communication protocol.

[0014] The information processing device may further have an identification unit that identifies, based on the flight plan information, the presence or absence of an assistant to assist the flying of the aircraft along the planned flight route, and the selection unit may select the selected communication protocol based on the communication quality on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information and the presence or absence of the assistant identified by the identification unit.

[0015] The selection unit may select the second communication protocol, which has less communication delay than the first communication protocol, on condition that the identification unit has identified that the assistant is not present, and may select the first communication protocol on condition that the identification unit has identified that the assistant is present.

[0016] The acquisition unit may acquire information indicating the number of destinations to which the airborne vehicle will transmit the image, and the selection unit may select the first communication protocol, which has greater packet loss resistance than the second communication protocol, on condition that the number of destinations is greater than or equal to a threshold, and select the second communication protocol on condition that the number of destinations is less than the threshold.

[0017] An information processing method of a second aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: acquiring flight plan information indicating a planned flight path of an aircraft that captures images during flight, acquired communication quality information indicating communication quality for each location, selecting one of a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used by the aircraft for communication based on the communication quality on the planned flight path indicated by the communication quality information, and transmitting control information to the aircraft for causing the aircraft to transmit the images in accordance with the selected communication protocol, executed by a processor.

[0018] A third aspect of the program of the present invention causes a processor to execute the steps of acquiring flight plan information indicating a planned flight path of an aircraft that captures images during flight, acquiring communication quality information indicating communication quality for each location, selecting one of a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used by the aircraft for communication based on the communication quality on the planned flight path indicated by the communication quality information, and transmitting control information to the aircraft for causing the aircraft to transmit the images in accordance with the selected communication protocol. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve the effect that aircraft can communicate using a communication protocol suitable for each aircraft. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a management system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a management server according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining exemplary flight plan information. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining exemplary communication quality information. [Diagram 5] 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method in which a selection unit selects a communication protocol; FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an information processing method executed by the management server according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] [Overview of Management System S] 1 is a schematic diagram of a management system S according to this embodiment. The management system S includes a management server 1, an aircraft 2, and an information terminal 3. The management system S may also include other terminals, devices, etc.

[0022] The management server 1 is a computer that processes information related to communications with the aircraft 2. The management server 1 transmits control information to the aircraft 2, causing the aircraft 2 to transmit data such as captured images in accordance with a specific communication protocol. The management server 1 is a single computer or multiple computers. The management server 1 may also be one or multiple virtual servers operating on a cloud, which is a collection of computer resources.

[0023] The aircraft 2 is an unmanned flying device such as a drone that flies in the air. The aircraft 2 flies along a predetermined planned flight route according to the operation of a pilot. The aircraft 2 may also fly automatically along a predetermined planned flight route without the operation of a pilot. The aircraft 2 has an imaging unit for generating captured images by capturing images during flight, and a communication unit for transmitting and receiving information between the management server 1 and the aircraft 2 by wireless communication.

[0024] The information terminal 3 is a computer used by a user. The information terminal 3 is, for example, an information terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. The user is, for example, a pilot who pilots the aircraft 2, a manager who manages the flight of the aircraft 2, or an assistant who assists in the flight of the aircraft 2. The information terminal 3 has a display unit such as a liquid crystal display for displaying information, and an operation unit such as a touch panel for receiving operations by the user.

[0025] The outline of the process executed by the management system S according to this embodiment will be described below. The management server 1 acquires flight plan information indicating the planned flight route of the flying object 2 and communication quality information indicating the communication quality for each position. The communication quality is, for example, the loss rate of packets used for communication.

[0026] The management server 1 selects one of the first and second communication protocols as a selected communication protocol to be used for communication by the aircraft 2 based on the planned flight route indicated by the flight plan information and the communication quality on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information. The first communication protocol is, for example, a communication protocol with high packet loss tolerance but relatively large communication delay. The second communication protocol is, for example, a communication protocol with low packet loss tolerance but relatively small communication delay.

[0027] The management server 1 transmits control information to the aircraft 2 for causing the aircraft 2 to transmit captured images in accordance with the selected communication protocol. Based on the control information transmitted by the management server 1, the aircraft 2 transmits captured images captured during flight to at least one of the management server 1 and the information terminal 3 in accordance with the selected communication protocol, that is, the first communication protocol or the second communication protocol.

[0028] In this way, the management system S selects a communication protocol based on communication quality information indicating the communication quality on the planned flight route of the aircraft 2, and controls the aircraft 2 to communicate using the selected communication protocol. This allows the management system S to communicate using a communication protocol suitable for each aircraft 2.

[0029] [Administration Server 1 Configuration] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the management server 1 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the arrows indicate main data flows, and there may be data flows other than those shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, each block indicates a configuration in functional units, not a configuration in hardware (device) units. Therefore, the blocks shown in FIG. 2 may be implemented in a single device, or may be implemented separately in multiple devices. Data may be exchanged between blocks via any means, such as a data bus, a network, or a portable storage medium.

[0030] The management server 1 has a storage unit 11 and a control unit 12. The storage unit 11 is a storage medium including a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, etc. The storage unit 11 stores in advance a program to be executed by the control unit 12. The storage unit 11 may also store in advance flight plan information indicating a planned flight route along which the aircraft 2 is scheduled to fly, and communication quality information indicating communication quality for each position.

[0031] The control unit 12 has an acquisition unit 121, an identification unit 122, a selection unit 123, a transmission unit 124, and a reception unit 125. The control unit 12 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and functions as the acquisition unit 121, the identification unit 122, the selection unit 123, the transmission unit 124, and the reception unit 125 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 11. In addition, the processor of the aircraft 2 may function as at least a part of the acquisition unit 121, the identification unit 122, the selection unit 123, the transmission unit 124, and the reception unit 125.

[0032] The processing executed by the management system S will be described in detail below. Before the aircraft 2 starts flying, the acquisition unit 121 acquires flight plan information from the memory unit 11 or other storage device. The flight plan information is information related to the flight of the aircraft 2, including the planned flight route of the aircraft 2. The flight plan information is, for example, designated in advance by a pilot or an administrator, and stored in the memory unit 11 or other storage device.

[0033] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining exemplary flight plan information. Fig. 3 shows each piece of information indicated by the flight plan information on a map. The flight plan information includes a planned flight route R, which is a route along which the aircraft 2 is planned to fly. The flight plan information represents the planned flight route R by at least one of, for example, points along which the aircraft 2 is planned to pass, a line along which the aircraft 2 is planned to fly, and an area along which the aircraft 2 is planned to fly.

[0034] The flight plan information may also include beyond visual line of sight flight information indicating whether the aircraft 2 will fly beyond visual line of sight, assistant information indicating whether or not there is an assistant assisting the aircraft 2 while flying along the planned flight path, and destination information indicating the number of destinations to which the aircraft 2 will send captured images while flying.

[0035] The beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight information is information indicating whether or not the pilot will not have direct visual contact with the aircraft 2 while the aircraft 2 is flying along the planned flight route R. The assistant information is information indicating whether or not there is an assistant other than the pilot who monitors the area around the planned flight route R while the aircraft 2 is flying along the planned flight route R. The destination information is information indicating the destination (ID (Identifier), IP address, etc.) of the information terminal 3 to which the aircraft 2 will transmit captured images while the aircraft 2 is flying along the planned flight route R, and the number of information terminals 3 to which the aircraft 2 will transmit captured images.

[0036] The acquisition unit 121 acquires communication quality information indicating communication quality for each location from the storage unit 11 or other storage device. The communication quality includes, for example, at least one of a packet loss rate (also called packet loss) corresponding to the rate at which communication packets do not reach a destination when communicating at a specific location, and a communication speed corresponding to the speed at which data is transmitted and received when communicating at a specific location. The communication quality is, for example, measured in advance by a specific information terminal or the like, or calculated using a known simulation method, and stored in the storage unit 11 or other storage device.

[0037] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining exemplary communication quality information. Fig. 4 shows each piece of information indicated by the communication quality information on a map. The communication quality information is, for example, information that associates a point (coordinates, etc.) or an area (cell, etc.) with the communication quality at the point or area.

[0038] The identification unit 122 identifies the presence or absence of an assistant to assist the flight of the aircraft 2 flying along the planned flight route R, based on the flight plan information acquired by the acquisition unit 121. When the flight plan information includes assistant information, the identification unit 122 may, for example, identify that an assistant is present on the condition that the assistant information indicates that an assistant is present, and identify that an assistant is not present on the condition that the assistant information does not indicate that an assistant is present. When the flight plan information does not include assistant information but includes beyond visual line of sight flight information, the identification unit 122 may, for example, identify that an assistant is present on the condition that the beyond visual line of sight flight information indicates that the aircraft 2 will fly beyond visual line of sight, and identify that an assistant is not present on the condition that the beyond visual line of sight flight information does not indicate that the aircraft 2 will fly beyond visual line of sight.

[0039] Before the aircraft 2 begins flying along the planned flight route R, the selection unit 123 selects either the first communication protocol or the second communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used by the aircraft 2 for communication based on the flight plan information and communication quality information acquired by the acquisition unit 121.

[0040] 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method in which the selection unit 123 selects a communication protocol. The first communication protocol is, for example, a communication protocol that has stronger packet loss resistance but larger communication delay than the second communication protocol. The first protocol is, for example, SRT (Secure Reliable Transport). In SRT, the aircraft 2 transmits captured images to the management server 1, and the management server 1 transfers the captured images received from the aircraft 2 to multiple information terminals 3. Therefore, in SRT, the communication bandwidth for the aircraft 2 to distribute captured images to multiple information terminals 3 tends to be relatively small.

[0041] The second communication protocol is, for example, a communication protocol that has a lower tolerance for packet loss than the first communication protocol but has a smaller communication delay. The second communication protocol is, for example, WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication). In WebRTC, the aircraft 2 transmits captured images to each of the multiple information terminals 3 by connecting one-to-one with each of the information terminals 3 (also called peer-to-peer connection). Therefore, in WebRTC, the communication bandwidth for the aircraft 2 to deliver captured images to the multiple information terminals 3 tends to be relatively large.

[0042] The first communication protocol and the second communication protocol are not limited to the specific communication protocols shown here, and may be other communication protocols having different communication characteristics.

[0043] The selection unit 123 selects the first communication protocol on condition that the overall communication quality of the planned flight route R satisfies a predetermined selection criterion, and selects the second communication protocol on condition that the communication quality of at least a part of the planned flight route R does not satisfy the selection criterion. The selection criterion is, for example, specified in advance by the pilot or the manager and stored in the storage unit 11.

[0044] The selection criterion may include, for example, that the packet loss rate, which is the communication quality, is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. In this way, the selection unit 123 can reduce the risk of communication packet loss by selecting a first communication protocol with high packet loss tolerance when the packet loss rate is high on the planned flight route R, and can reduce communication delays by selecting a second communication protocol with low packet loss tolerance when the packet loss rate is low.

[0045] The selection criterion may include, for example, that the communication speed, which is the communication quality, is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value. As a result, the selection unit 123 can enable stable communication by selecting a first communication protocol having a small communication band for delivering captured images when the communication speed is low on the planned flight route R, and can reduce communication delays by selecting a second communication protocol having a large communication band for delivering captured images when the communication speed is high.

[0046] In addition, when the communication quality information does not include the communication quality at each position of the planned flight route R, the selection unit 123 may use the communication quality of a position closest to each point of the planned flight route R among the multiple positions whose communication quality information includes the communication quality. In addition, the selection unit 123 may use the average value of the communication quality of a predetermined number of positions in order of proximity to each point of the planned flight route R among the multiple positions whose communication quality information includes the communication quality.

[0047] The selection unit 123 may select a communication protocol based on the communication quality on the planned flight route R indicated by the communication quality information and the presence or absence of an assistant identified by the identification unit 122. In this case, the selection unit 123 may, for example, select the second communication protocol on the condition that the identification unit 122 identifies that there is no assistant, in addition to the above-mentioned selection criteria, and select the first communication protocol on the condition that the identification unit 122 identifies that there is an assistant. In this way, the selection unit 123 selects the second communication protocol with a smaller communication delay than the first communication protocol on the condition that there is no assistant, thereby making it easier for the pilot to recognize the approach of the aircraft 2 to an obstacle or the like at an early stage even in a situation where the pilot is piloting the aircraft 2 without an assistant.

[0048] The selection unit 123 may also select a communication protocol based on the communication quality on the planned flight route R indicated by the communication quality information and the number of destinations indicated by the flight plan information. In this case, the selection unit 123 may, for example, select a first communication protocol on the condition that the number of destinations is equal to or greater than a threshold, in addition to the above-mentioned selection criteria, and select a second communication protocol on the condition that the number of destinations is less than the threshold. In this way, the selection unit 123 can enable stable communication by selecting the first communication protocol, which has a smaller communication bandwidth for delivering captured images than the second communication protocol, on the condition that the number of destinations is large.

[0049] The transmission unit 124 transmits control information to the aircraft 2 for causing the aircraft 2 to transmit captured images in accordance with the selected communication protocol selected by the selection unit 123 before the aircraft 2 starts flying along the planned flight route R. The control information is, for example, information for setting the selected communication protocol in the aircraft 2.

[0050] The transmission unit 124 may transmit the control information to the aircraft 2 according to the selected communication protocol selected by the selection unit 123. This allows the management server 1 to transmit the control information to the aircraft 2 in the selected communication protocol used by the aircraft 2 to transmit captured images, and to confirm that the aircraft 2 is capable of communication using the selected communication protocol.

[0051] The aircraft 2 sets the selected communication protocol in the communication unit according to the control information received from the management server 1, and transmits captured images according to the selected communication protocol while flying along the planned flight route R. This allows the management system S to communicate using a communication protocol suitable for each aircraft 2 depending on the communication quality along the planned flight route R of the aircraft 2.

[0052] The transmission unit 124 may transmit control information for limiting the number of destinations to which the flying object 2 transmits the captured images to an upper limit or less, on condition that the selection unit 123 selects the second communication protocol as the selected communication protocol. The flying object 2 sets the upper limit number of destinations in the communication unit according to the control information received from the management server 1, and transmits the captured images to destinations equal to or less than the upper limit while flying along the planned flight route R. If the number of destinations exceeds the upper limit, the flying object 2 does not transmit the captured images to the destinations exceeding the upper limit. This allows the management system S to prevent a situation in which the flying object 2 cannot normally transmit the captured images to each destination due to a large number of destinations when the second communication protocol having a large communication bandwidth for distributing the captured images is selected.

[0053] When the selected communication protocol is the first communication protocol, the flying object 2 transmits images captured during flight to the management server 1 in accordance with the first communication protocol. In the management server 1, the receiving unit 125 receives the captured images transmitted by the flying object 2. The transmitting unit 124 transmits the captured images received by the receiving unit 125 to one or more information terminals 3 preset as destinations.

[0054] When the selected communication protocol is the second communication protocol, the aircraft 2 transmits images captured during flight to one or more information terminals 3 preset as transmission destinations in accordance with the second communication protocol.

[0055] One or more information terminals 3 display on a display unit the captured image received from the management server 1. In this way, the management system S can cause the information terminal 3 to display the captured image transmitted from the aircraft 2 using a communication protocol suitable for each aircraft 2.

[0056] [Information processing method flow] 6 is a diagram showing a flowchart of an information processing method executed by the management server 1 according to this embodiment. The management server 1 starts the subsequent processing when a predetermined start condition (such as a user performing a start operation on the information terminal 3) is satisfied.

[0057] The acquisition unit 121 acquires flight plan information indicating a planned flight route of the aircraft 2 from the memory unit 11 or other storage device (S11). The acquisition unit 121 acquires communication quality information indicating communication quality for each position from the memory unit 11 or other storage device (S12).

[0058] The identification unit 122 identifies, based on the flight plan information acquired by the acquisition unit 121, the presence or absence of an assistant to assist the flying object 2 flying along the planned flight route R (S13).

[0059] Before the aircraft 2 starts flying the planned flight route R, the selection unit 123 selects either the first communication protocol or the second communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used for communication by the aircraft 2 based on the flight plan information and communication quality information acquired by the acquisition unit 121 (S14). Here, the selection unit 123 may select the selected communication protocol based on the presence or absence of an assistant identified by the identification unit 122 in addition to the flight plan information and communication quality information acquired by the acquisition unit 121.

[0060] Before the aircraft 2 begins flying along the planned flight route R, the transmission unit 124 transmits control information to the aircraft 2 to cause the aircraft 2 to transmit captured images in accordance with the selected communication protocol selected by the selection unit 123 (S15).

[0061] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the management system S of this embodiment, the management server 1 selects a communication protocol based on communication quality information indicating the communication quality on the planned flight route R of the aircraft 2, and controls the aircraft 2 to communicate using the selected communication protocol. In this way, the management system S can cause each aircraft 2 to communicate using a communication protocol suitable for the aircraft 2 according to the communication quality on the planned flight route R of the aircraft 2.

[0062] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "build resilient infrastructure, promote industry, innovation and infrastructure."

[0063] As described above, the present invention has been described using embodiments. However, 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 the gist. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically dispersing and integrating it in any unit. Also, new embodiments resulting from any combination of a plurality of embodiments are included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination have the effects of the original embodiments combined.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0064] S Management System 1 Management Server 11 Storage Unit 12 Control Unit 121 Acquisition Unit 122 Identification Unit 123 Selection Unit 124 Transmission Unit 125 Reception Unit 2 Aircraft 3 Information Terminal

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires flight plan information indicating a planned flight path of an aircraft that captures images during flight and communication quality information indicating communication quality for each position; A determination unit that determines whether or not there is an assistant to assist the flight of the aircraft flying the planned flight route based on the flight plan information; a selection unit which selects, from a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol having a smaller communication delay or a weaker tolerance for packet loss than the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used for communication by the aircraft on condition that the communication quality value on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is within a predetermined range and the identification unit has identified that the assistant is not present, and which selects the first communication protocol as the selected communication protocol on condition that the communication quality value on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is outside the range and the identification unit has identified that the assistant is present; a transmission unit that transmits control information to the aircraft for transmitting the image from the aircraft in accordance with the selected communication protocol; An information processing device having the above configuration.

2. An acquisition unit that acquires flight plan information indicating a planned flight path of an aircraft that captures images during flight, communication quality information indicating communication quality for each position, and information indicating the number of destinations to which the aircraft will transmit the images; a selection unit that selects, from a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol having a smaller communication delay or a weaker packet loss tolerance than the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used for communication by the aircraft, on condition that the value of the communication quality on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is within a predetermined range and the number of destinations is less than a threshold, and selects the first communication protocol as the selected communication protocol on condition that the value of the communication quality on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is outside the range and the number of destinations is equal to or greater than the threshold; a transmission unit that transmits control information to the aircraft for transmitting the image from the aircraft in accordance with the selected communication protocol; An information processing device having the above configuration.

3. The transmitter transmits the control information to the air vehicle in accordance with the selected communication protocol. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. The selection unit selects the second communication protocol on condition that a criterion including that the communication quality value of the entire planned flight route is within the range is satisfied, and selects the second communication protocol on condition that the communication quality of at least a part of the planned flight route is outside the range.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The selection unit selects the selected communication protocol before the aircraft starts flying the planned flight path, The transmission unit transmits the control information for setting the selected communication protocol to the aircraft before the aircraft starts flying the planned flight path.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The communication quality includes at least one of a packet loss rate and a communication speed.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The transmission unit transmits the control information for limiting the number of destinations to which the aircraft transmits the image to a predetermined number or less, on the condition that the selection unit selects the second communication protocol having a smaller communication delay than the first communication protocol as the selected communication protocol.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The acquisition unit acquires information indicating the number of destinations to which the aircraft transmits the image, the selection unit selects the first communication protocol having a higher packet loss tolerance than the second communication protocol on condition that the number of the transmission destinations is equal to or greater than a threshold, and selects the second communication protocol on condition that the number of the transmission destinations is less than a threshold. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

9. The processor executes obtaining flight plan information indicating a planned flight path of an aircraft that captures images during flight; acquiring communication quality information indicating communication quality for each location; Identifying the presence or absence of an assistant to assist the flying object flying along the planned flight route based on the flight plan information; a step of selecting, from a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol having a smaller communication delay or a weaker tolerance for packet loss than the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used for communication by the aircraft, on condition that the communication quality value on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is within a predetermined range and it has been identified in the identifying step that the assistant is not present, and selecting the first communication protocol as the selected communication protocol on condition that the communication quality value on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is outside the range and it has been identified in the identifying step that the assistant is present; transmitting control information to the air vehicle to cause the air vehicle to transmit the image in accordance with the selected communication protocol; An information processing method comprising the steps of:

10. The processor executes obtaining flight plan information indicating a planned flight path of an aircraft that captures images during flight; acquiring communication quality information indicating communication quality for each location; obtaining information indicating a number of destinations to which the air vehicle will transmit the images; selecting a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol having a smaller communication delay or a weaker tolerance for packet loss than the first communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used for communication by the aircraft, on condition that the communication quality value on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is within a predetermined range and the number of destinations is less than a threshold, and selecting the first communication protocol as the selected communication protocol on condition that the communication quality value on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is outside the range and the number of destinations is equal to or greater than the threshold; transmitting control information to the air vehicle to cause the air vehicle to transmit the image in accordance with the selected communication protocol; An information processing method comprising the steps of:

11. The processor: obtaining flight plan information indicating a planned flight path of an aircraft that captures images during flight; acquiring communication quality information indicating communication quality for each location; Identifying the presence or absence of an assistant to assist the flying object flying along the planned flight route based on the flight plan information; a step of selecting, from a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol having a smaller communication delay or a weaker tolerance for packet loss than the first communication protocol, the second communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used for communication by the aircraft, on condition that the communication quality value on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is within a predetermined range and it has been identified in the identifying step that the assistant is not present, and selecting the first communication protocol as the selected communication protocol on condition that the communication quality value on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is outside the range and it has been identified in the identifying step that the assistant is present; transmitting control information to the air vehicle to cause the air vehicle to transmit the image in accordance with the selected communication protocol; A program to execute.

12. The processor: obtaining flight plan information indicating a planned flight path of an aircraft that captures images during flight; acquiring communication quality information indicating communication quality for each location; obtaining information indicating a number of destinations to which the air vehicle will transmit the images; selecting a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol having a smaller communication delay or a weaker tolerance for packet loss than the first communication protocol as a selected communication protocol to be used for communication by the aircraft, on condition that the communication quality value on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is within a predetermined range and the number of destinations is less than a threshold, and selecting the first communication protocol as the selected communication protocol on condition that the communication quality value on the planned flight route indicated by the communication quality information is outside the range and the number of destinations is equal to or greater than the threshold; transmitting control information to the air vehicle to cause the air vehicle to transmit the image in accordance with the selected communication protocol; A program to execute.

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