Approach Route Setting System and Ground Support Device

Abstract

To easily adjust the height of a connection part provided in a ground assistance device even when the height of a work doorway of an aircraft is displaced.SOLUTION: An approach path setting system 24 comprises: a doorway position prediction unit 241 that predicts the vertical height position of a work doorway 14 relative to the height of a connection part 46 of a GSE 13 on the basis of position information about a reference height included in model information; a weight acquisition unit 245 that acquires prediction-time weight indicating the weight of a load on an aircraft 100 at the time of predicting the relative height position; and an approach path setting unit 243 that sets an approach path for bringing the connection part 46 close to the work doorway 14 through height adjustment on the basis of the relative height position predicted by the doorway position prediction unit. The doorway position prediction unit 241 corrects the prediction value of the relative height position on the basis of reference weight and the prediction-time weight.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an approach route setting system and a ground support device that can be connected to or approach a work entrance of an aircraft, can adjust the height, and set an approach route for bringing a connection part provided on the ground support device closer to the work entrance.

Background Art

[0002] At airports, a plurality of ground support devices for providing ground support to aircraft are deployed. The ground support device is called GSE (Ground Support Equipment), and there are various types of GSEs such as high-lift loaders, belt loaders, towing tractors, refueling trucks, airport power supply vehicles, and passenger steps. Conventionally, when providing ground support to an aircraft, the GSE was approached to the aircraft by manual operation by an operator.

[0003] GSEs are of engine type and electric type. Patent Document 1 describes an electric belt loader that can perform the cargo handling operation and traveling of a belt conveyor electrically.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An aircraft has working access openings such as a cargo loading / unloading opening, a passenger boarding / alighting opening, a refueling opening, a power supply opening, etc. The GSE is provided with a connecting portion that can be connected to the working access opening, and the loading and unloading of cargo, passengers, etc. into the aircraft are carried out through the connecting portion connected to the working access opening. When connecting the connecting portion of the GSE to the working access opening, in order to avoid damaging the aircraft, while avoiding contact between the GSE and the aircraft, the connecting portion of the GSE is brought close to the corresponding working access opening. However, since the position of the working access opening varies depending on the aircraft model, the operator who operates the GSE needs to remember the position of the working access opening for each aircraft model or check it each time, and then operate the GSE.

[0006] In addition, when ground support operations such as passenger boarding / alighting, refueling, cargo unloading and loading of the aircraft are carried out, the amount of sinking of the aircraft tires changes, and the height of the working access opening is displaced. Each time there is a displacement in the height of the working access opening due to ground support operations performed by other GSEs, the operator who operates the GSE needs to visually check the height position and adjust the height of the connecting portion of the GSE. Such operation of the GSE is very difficult and time-consuming for the operator.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to easily adjust the height of the connecting portion provided in the ground support device even when the height of the working access opening of the aircraft is displaced.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The approach route setting system of the present invention is an approach route setting system that sets an approach route for bringing a connection portion provided on a ground support device, which is connectable to or approachable to a work entrance of an aircraft and whose height is adjustable, closer to the work entrance. The system includes: a model information acquisition unit that acquires model information of the aircraft including position information of a reference height, which is the height of the work entrance when the weight of the load carried by the aircraft is a predetermined reference weight; an entrance position prediction unit that predicts a vertical relative height position of the work entrance with respect to the height of the connection portion of the ground support device based on the position information of the reference height; a weight acquisition unit that acquires a predicted weight, which is the weight of the load carried by the aircraft at the time of prediction of the relative height position by the entrance position prediction unit; and an approach route setting unit that sets an approach route for bringing the connection portion closer to the work entrance by adjusting the height based on the relative height position predicted by the entrance position prediction unit. The entrance position prediction unit corrects a predicted value of the relative height position of the work entrance based on the reference weight and the predicted weight.

[0009] According to the present invention, the predicted value of the vertical relative height position of the work entrance is corrected based on the reference weight and the predicted weight. Therefore, even if the height of the work entrance is displaced as the load carried by the aircraft increases or decreases, an accurate approach route for bringing the connection portion closer to the work entrance by adjusting the height can be set corresponding to the displacement. As a result, even if the height of the work entrance of the aircraft is displaced, the height of the connection portion provided on the ground support device can be easily adjusted.

[0010] In the present invention, the approach route setting system further includes a current position acquisition unit that acquires the current position of the ground support device, and an entrance position detection unit that detects a horizontal relative position of the work entrance in the horizontal direction with respect to the current position of the ground support device. Preferably, the approach route setting unit sets an approach route for bringing the connection portion closer to the work entrance by moving the ground support device based on the relative horizontal position detected by the entrance position detection unit.

[0011] According to the present invention, the relative horizontal positions of the working entrances / exits that differ for each model are detected by an entrance / exit position detection unit. Then, the connection part of the ground support device can be brought close to the working entrance / exit along an approach path set based on the detected relative horizontal position. Thereby, the ground support device can be easily brought close to the working entrance / exit.

[0012] In the present invention, the approach path setting system further includes a simulation unit that pre-executes a simulation of an approach operation for bringing the ground support device and the connection part to the working entrance / exit along the approach path set by the approach path setting unit, before the approach operation of the ground support device is actually performed. When it is determined by the simulation executed by the simulation unit that there is a possibility of contact between the ground support device and the aircraft, it is preferable that the approach path setting unit re-execute the setting of the approach path.

[0013] According to the present invention, a simulation of the approach operation of the ground support device and the connection part along the approach path is performed in advance, and when there is a possibility of contact with the aircraft, the approach path is re-set. For this reason, it is possible to set an approach path for bringing the ground support device close to the working entrance / exit while more reliably avoiding contact between the ground support device and the aircraft. Therefore, even when work delays or equipment troubles occur after the approach path is set, or when there is an error in the approach path due to a mistake in model information or the like, it is possible to prevent contact between the ground support device and the aircraft.

[0014] In the present invention, the approach path setting system further includes an inclination acquisition unit that acquires a predicted inclination amount, which is the amount of inclination of the aircraft with respect to the reference plane at the time of prediction of the relative height position by the entrance / exit position prediction unit. The entrance / exit position prediction unit preferably corrects the predicted value of the relative height position in the vertical direction of the working entrance / exit using the predicted inclination amount.

[0015] According to the present invention, the access position prediction unit corrects the predicted value of the relative height position in the vertical direction of the working access based on the amount of inclination of the aircraft with respect to the reference plane. Therefore, even if an inclination occurs with respect to the reference plane of the aircraft due to an increase or decrease in the load of the aircraft, etc., an accurate approach path for approaching the working access by adjusting the height of the connection part can be set corresponding to the inclination. Thereby, even if the height of the working access of the aircraft is displaced, the height of the connection part provided in the ground support device can be adjusted more easily.

[0016] In the present invention, the approach path setting system further includes a schedule acquisition unit that acquires a work schedule by the ground support device, the work schedule including information regarding the loading weight of the load carried into the aircraft by the ground support device, the unloading weight of the load unloaded from the aircraft, and the loading position of the load in the aircraft, and a work progress data acquisition unit that acquires work progress data regarding the progress status of the work schedule by the ground support device. The weight acquisition unit calculates the predicted weight from the difference between the loading weight and the unloading weight at the time of predicting the relative height position calculated based on the comparison between the work schedule and the work progress data. The inclination acquisition unit preferably calculates the predicted inclination amount from the loading weight, the unloading weight, and the loading position at the time of predicting the relative height position calculated based on the comparison between the work schedule and the work progress data.

[0017] According to the present invention, based on the comparison between the work schedule and the work progress data, the weight of the load of the aircraft and the amount of inclination of the aircraft with respect to the reference plane at the time of predicting the relative height position can be calculated. Therefore, the predicted weight and the predicted inclination amount can be acquired without separately providing a device for directly detecting the weight of the load of the aircraft or the amount of inclination of the aircraft on the aircraft. Thereby, the entire system can be simplified and cost reduction can be achieved.

[0018] The ground support device of the present invention is a ground support device capable of communicating with the above approach path setting system, comprising a communication unit for receiving the approach path set by the approach path setting system, a position information acquisition unit for acquiring current position information, a connection part that can be connected to or approached the working entrance of the aircraft and whose height can be adjusted, and a control unit. The control unit is characterized in that it adjusts the height of the connection part based on the current position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit and the approach path.

[0019] According to the present invention, based on the approach path set by the above approach path setting system, the height of the connection part is automatically adjusted. Therefore, even if the height of the working entrance of the aircraft is displaced, the height adjustment of the connection part provided on the ground support device can be easily performed.

Effects of the Invention

[0020] Even if the height of the working entrance of the aircraft is displaced as the load on the aircraft increases or decreases, the height adjustment of the connection part provided on the ground support device can be easily performed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the approach operation control system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a plan view simply showing the facilities of Airport 1. As shown in FIG. 1, Terminal Building 2 is provided at Airport 1. A plurality of gates 3 are provided in Terminal Building 2, and the landed aircraft 100 moves to a predetermined gate 3 and stops. A boarding bridge 4 is connected to the plurality of gates 3. The boarding bridge 4 is a facility for allowing passengers and crew to board and alight from the aircraft 100 from the gate 3. When the boarding bridge 4 is unavailable, the passenger step 13e described later may be used. While the aircraft 100 is parked at Airport 1, various operations (ground support operations) such as the boarding and alighting of passengers and crew, the loading and unloading of cargo and baggage, fuel replenishment, cleaning inside and outside the aircraft, inspection of aircraft equipment, de-icing operations, power supply, etc. are carried out. Then, when the ground support operations are completed and preparations are made, the aircraft 100 departs from the runway (not shown) provided at Airport 1.

[0024] In the ground support operations, a plurality of GSEs 13 are used. GSE is an abbreviation for Ground Support Equipment and means ground support equipment. There are various types of GSEs 13. For example, there are a refueling truck 13a for refueling the aircraft 100, a belt loader 13b for loading and unloading passengers' baggage into the aircraft, a towing tractor 13c for towing the aircraft 100, a high-lift loader 13d for loading and unloading cargo into the aircraft, a passenger step 13e for directly allowing crew and passengers to board and alight from the aircraft, etc. The refueling truck 13a, the belt loader 13b, the towing tractor 13c, the high-lift loader 13d, and the passenger step 13e are work vehicles that travel within Airport 1. As shown in FIG. 1, within Airport 1, the area where ground support operations are carried out by a plurality of GSEs 13 is called the work area 102.

[0025] The ground support work for the aircraft 100 by each GSE 13 is performed through each working access opening 14 provided on the aircraft 100. The working access openings 14 include, for example, a cargo access opening (not shown) through which cargo is loaded and unloaded into and out of the aircraft, a carry-on baggage access opening 14a (see FIG. 6) through which carry-on baggage is loaded and unloaded, an embarkation and disembarkation opening 14b (see FIG. 6) through which crew members and passengers embark and disembark, a fueling port (not shown) for fueling, a power supply port (not shown) for supplying power, and the like. Then, each GSE 13 is brought close to the corresponding working access opening 14 while avoiding contact with the aircraft 100 to prevent damage to the aircraft 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the belt loader 13b is brought close to the carry-on baggage access opening 14a, and the passenger step 13e is brought close to the embarkation and disembarkation opening 14b. Each GSE 13 is provided with a connection portion 46 that can be connected to or brought close to the working access opening 14. For example, the connection portion 46b of the belt loader 13b can be connected to the carry-on baggage access opening 14a. The connection portion 46e of the passenger step 13e can be connected to or brought close to the embarkation and disembarkation opening 14b. Each connection portion 46 can be adjusted in height in the vertical direction. By bringing each GSE 13 close to the corresponding working access opening 14 and adjusting the height of the connection portion 46, the connection portion 46 and the working access opening 14 are connected. The loading and unloading of cargo and carry-on baggage from the GSE 13 into the aircraft 100 and the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers are performed through the connection portion 46 connected to the working access opening 14.

[0026] Here, the positions of the respective working entrances / exits 14 are different for each aircraft model of the aircraft 100. For this reason, the operator who operates the GSE 13 needs to remember the positions of the respective working entrances / exits 14 that are different for each aircraft model, or to confirm the position of the working entrance / exit 14 of the aircraft 100 each time an operation is performed, and then operate the GSE 13. Further, when ground support operations such as boarding and alighting of passengers, refueling, and unloading and loading of cargo are performed on the aircraft 100, the amount of sinking of the tires of the aircraft 100 changes, and the height of the working entrance / exit 14 is displaced. Each time there is a displacement in the height of the working entrance / exit 14 due to ground support operations performed by other GSEs 13, the operator who operates the GSE 13 needs to visually confirm the height position and adjust the height of the connection portion 46 of the GSE 13. Such operations of the GSE 13 are very difficult and time-consuming for the operator. Therefore, in order to solve these problems, the inventors of the present application devised an approach route setting system for easily approaching the working entrance / exit 14 of the aircraft 100 with the GSE 13. Hereinafter, the airport system 10 including this approach route setting system 24 will be described in detail.

[0027] (Airport System) As shown in FIG. 2, the airport system 10 of the present embodiment includes an air traffic control 21, a GSE control 22, a plurality of GSEs 13, and a plurality of operator terminals 15. The GSE control 22 includes a guidance route setting system 23 and an approach route setting system 24.

[0028] Each GSE13 includes a communication unit 41, a position information acquisition unit 42, a laser irradiation unit 43, a travel control unit 44, an ID acquisition unit 45, and a connection part 46. The GSE13 can communicate with the GSE control 22 via the communication unit 41 and is configured to be able to transmit and receive data with the GSE control 22. Note that the communication unit 41 may be configured to be able to communicate with other systems and terminals (other GSE13s, a guidance route setting system 23, an approach route setting system 24, an operator terminal 15, etc.). The position information acquisition unit 42 receives, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal to acquire the position information of the own vehicle. The position information of the own vehicle may be acquired using a positioning method other than GPS. The laser irradiation unit 43 is a part capable of irradiating a laser in front of the GSE13. The travel control unit 44 performs the travel control of the own vehicle based on predetermined information sent from the GSE control 22, the position information of the own vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition unit 42, etc. The ID acquisition unit 45 is configured to be able to read the operator ID displayed on the operator terminal 15 described later or the operator ID assigned to the ID card possessed by the operator. Note that the operator ID may be a barcode or an IC tag, or may be manually input by the operator. The connection part 46 can be connected to or approach the corresponding work entrance / exit 14 of the GSE13 and is a part whose height can be adjusted. The height adjustment of the connection part 46 may be automatically controlled by the GSE control 22 or may be performed by the operation of the operator. The loading and unloading of cargo, passengers, etc. into and out of the aircraft 100 by the GSE13 are performed via the connection part 46 connected to the work entrance / exit 14.

[0029] The operator terminal 15 is a terminal carried by an operator who performs ground support work for the aircraft 100. In the present embodiment, a smartphone that can identify the current location by GPS and communicate with the GSE control 22 is used. Note that any terminal may be used as the operator terminal 15 as long as the current location of the operator can be confirmed and communication with the GSE control 22 is possible (such as a Galapagos keitai, a wireless communication device, a tablet terminal, smart glasses, a wearable terminal such as a smartwatch, etc.). Further, the operator terminal 15 may be configured to be able to communicate with other systems and terminals (other operator terminals 15, GSEs 13, a route setting system 23, an approach route setting system 24, etc.).

[0030] (GSE control) Currently, when performing ground support work using the GSE 13, the operator checks the flight schedule, arranges the necessary GSE 13, and then starts the work. However, it is very time-consuming for the operator to check the flight schedule and arrange the GSE 13. In addition, the preparations before starting the work are complicated, and a lot of experience and knowledge are required of the operator, which places a heavy burden on the operator. Furthermore, if the operator makes a mistake, such as overlooking information, it will also affect the flight schedule. Therefore, the airport system 10 of the present embodiment aims to reduce the burden on the operator in the operation management of the GSE 13 at the airport 1.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the GSE controller 22 includes a communication unit 220, a schedule creation unit 221, an aircraft type information acquisition unit 222, and a current position acquisition unit 223, and can communicate with the air traffic control 21, the guidance route setting system 23, a plurality of GSEs 13, and the operator terminal 15 via the communication unit 220. The schedule creation unit 221 creates a ground support schedule by the plurality of GSEs 13 based on the flight schedule provided by the air traffic control 21, the operator-related data, and the GSE-related data. The flight schedule may be received from the airline. The aircraft type information acquisition unit 222 acquires the aircraft type information of the aircraft 100 for which ground support work is performed by the GSE 13 from the above-described flight schedule. The current position acquisition unit 223 acquires the current position of each GSE 13 from the position information acquisition unit 42 (described above) of the GSE 13.

[0032] The following shows the data referred to by the GSE controller 22 in the schedule creation unit 221. FIG. 8(a) shows an example of a flight schedule. The GSE controller 22 receives the flight schedule from the air traffic control 21 via the communication unit 220. At this time, the GSE controller 22 may process the received flight schedule into data as shown in FIG. 8(a). Further, it is desirable that a cargo list as shown in FIG. 8(b) is attached to the flight schedule. The cargo list is generated for each flight number in FIG. 8(a) and includes information on the cargo loaded on each aircraft 100.

[0033] FIG. 9(a) shows an example of operator-related data. The operator-related data includes the work content that the operator can be in charge of, the types of GSEs 13 that can be operated / used, the work status (attendance status) on that day, etc. Further, it is desirable that an operator ID is individually assigned to each operator.

[0034] FIG. 9(b) shows an example of GSE-related data. The GSE-related data includes the GSE ID assigned to each GSE13, the type of GSE13 (such as vehicle type or model), the model of the corresponding aircraft 100, auxiliary equipment attached to the GSE13, the operating status (information such as normal operation, maintenance, occurrence of abnormality, manned operation or unmanned operation), and the current waiting location (such as the gate number during operation). The schedule creation unit 221 preferably creates a ground support schedule based on the flight schedule, operator-related data, and GSE-related data as described above, as well as the current positions of the GSE13 and the operator.

[0035] FIG. 10 is a table showing an example of a ground support schedule. The ground support schedule includes the departure and arrival times of the aircraft 100, the runway at departure and arrival, the gate number for performing ground support work, the model of the aircraft 100, the operator in charge for each work content, the GSE ID to be used, etc. For example, regarding flight number 1, it shows that the operator with operator ID 001 is in charge of the cargo unloading work using a high-lift loader with GSE ID HL-01. In FIG. 10, PS indicates a passenger step, TT indicates a towing tractor, and BL indicates a belt loader. The ground support schedule also includes information regarding the loading weight of the cargo loaded into the aircraft 100 by each GSE13, the unloading weight of the cargo unloaded from the aircraft 100, and the loading position of the cargo in the aircraft 100. The types of data included in the ground support schedule created by the GSE control 22 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 10 and can be changed as appropriate. The ground support schedule may include, for example, the start time of work, the scheduled end time, etc.

[0036] When the GSE controller 22 creates the ground support schedule, it transmits the respective schedules to the GSE 13 and the operator terminal 15. Fig. 11 shows the ground support schedule transmitted to the operator terminal 15. In this embodiment, the ground support schedule transmitted to the operator terminal 15 of each operator contains only information related to the work assigned to that operator. Fig. 12 shows the ground support schedule transmitted to the GSE 13. In this embodiment, only information related to the work assigned to each GSE 13 is transmitted to each GSE 13. Further, since the operator ID is included in the ground support schedule in Fig. 12, the ID acquisition unit of the GSE 13 can confirm whether the operator who boarded the vehicle is the scheduled operator by having the boarding operator input the operator ID.

[0037] (Flow of operation management by GSE controller 22) Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of operation management of the GSE 13 by the airport system 10. The GSE controller 22 receives the flight schedule in advance (e.g., the previous day) from the air traffic control 21 (step S201). When the GSE controller 22 receives the flight schedule, it creates a ground support schedule based on the flight schedule (step S202). When the GSE controller 22 creates the ground support schedule, it may refer to data other than the flight schedule, operator-related data, and GSE-related data. The GSE controller 22 identifies the necessary work for each flight based on the flight schedule, operator-related data, and GSE-related data, determines the operator in charge of each work and the GSE 13 to be used, and creates a ground support schedule. When the GSE controller 22 creates the ground support schedule (step S202), it transmits at least some of the data included in the ground support schedule to the operator terminal 15 and the GSE 13 (step S203).

[0038] When the operator receives data of the ground support schedule from the GSE control 22 (step S101), the operator performs operations according to the ground support schedule. First, the operator moves to the GSE 13 determined in the ground support schedule. When creating the ground support schedule in the GSE control 22, for example, the current position acquired by the position information acquisition unit 42 of the GSE 13 can be used to optimize the moving distance of the GSE 13, such as using the GSE 13 closest to the gate 3 or the work area 102 where the work is to be performed. When arriving at the GSE 13, the operator causes the ID acquisition unit 45 to read the operator ID. If there is no problem, after the GSE 13 is automatically driven to the work location by the guidance route setting system 23, the approach route setting system 24, and the travel control unit of the GSE 13 described later, the operator performs a predetermined operation. Note that the GSE 13 may be driven manually by the operator instead of automatically.

[0039] At an appropriate timing during or after the operation, the operator transmits the operation progress data to the GSE control 22 (step S102), and the GSE 13 transmits the vehicle state data to the GSE control 22 (step S302). When the GSE control 22 receives the operation progress data and the vehicle state data (step S204), it checks the progress status of the operation and whether any abnormality has occurred from the received operation progress data and vehicle state data. Then, if necessary, it executes the recreation of the ground support schedule (hereinafter referred to as rescheduling) (step S205). The cases in which rescheduling is executed will be described in detail later. When rescheduling is performed, at least some of the data included in the recreated ground support schedule is transmitted to the operator terminal 15 and the GSE 13 (step S206).

[0040] After that, the above process is repeated. That is, when the operator receives the data of the recreated ground support schedule (step S103), the operator performs the work according to the ground support schedule and transmits the work progress data to GSE control 22 at an appropriate timing (step S104). When GSE13 receives the data of the recreated ground support schedule (step S303), it can determine whether the operator is the correct one using the operator ID. GSE13 transmits the vehicle status data to GSE control 22 at an appropriate timing (step S304). When GSE control 22 receives the work progress data and the vehicle status data (step S207), it executes a reschedule as necessary (step S208).

[0041] (Determination of necessity for rescheduling) When a predetermined time (n minutes here) has elapsed, GSE control 22 determines whether a reschedule is necessary. Whether a reschedule is necessary is determined based on the work progress data transmitted from the operator terminal 15 and the vehicle status data transmitted from GSE13. For example, if the work delay time is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that a reschedule is necessary and the reschedule is executed. Also, even if n minutes have not elapsed, if there is a change in the flight schedule (such as a change in the flight (change in landing time, departure time, cancellation), change in gate number, change in runway, change in aircraft type, etc.), an abnormality occurs in GSE13 (when the work progress data transmitted from the operator terminal 15 or the vehicle status data transmitted from GSE13 contains data indicating an abnormality in GSE13), or an abnormality occurs to the operator (when the work progress data transmitted from the operator terminal 15 contains data indicating an abnormality of the operator), the reschedule is executed immediately without determining whether a reschedule is necessary. In addition, when an abnormality occurs in GSE13 and operators, wrecker vehicles, and emergency vehicles are required to deal with it, it is preferable that GSE control 22 arranges them simultaneously. Also, when an abnormality occurs to the operator and operators or emergency vehicles are required to deal with it, it is preferable that GSE control 22 arranges them simultaneously.

[0042] As described above, in the GSE control 22 according to this embodiment, based on the flight schedule that can be obtained from the air traffic control 21 in advance, the GSE control 22 creates a ground support schedule. Therefore, it is not necessary for the operator to check the flight schedule by himself / herself and create a ground support schedule, and the burden on the operator can be reduced. Also, at least a part of the GSE 13 may be electric. In this case, the vehicle state data transmitted from the GSE 13 to the GSE control 22 may include data indicating whether the GSE 13 is charging and data regarding the remaining battery level of the GSE 13. Furthermore, by considering the charging timing of the GSE 13 when creating the ground support schedule of the GSE control 22, it is possible to operate the GSE 13 efficiently. The GSE control 11 may store the operation data of the vehicle including the vehicle state data, remaining battery level, position information, etc. of the GSE 13, and based on this data, predict the maintenance time, detect faults, and predict faults of the GSE 13. Deep learning or machine learning may be used for these predictive maintenance and fault detection. Also, by recording the position information of the GSE 13 at regular intervals and analyzing the operation route of the GSE 13 within the airport, etc., it is also possible to optimize the algorithm for creating the ground support schedule in the GSE control 22.

[0043] (Guided Route Setting System) As described above, the GSE control 22 includes a guidance route setting system 23. Hereinafter, the guidance route setting system 23 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the guidance route setting system 23 includes a communication unit 230, a work position determination unit 231, a current position acquisition unit 232, a route setting unit 233, and a reservation area setting unit 234. The guidance route setting system 23 can communicate with other functional units of the GSE control 22, a plurality of GSEs 13, and the operator terminals 15 via the communication unit 230. The work position determination unit 231 determines the work positions of the respective GSEs 13 within the work area 102 based on the stop position and aircraft type information of the aircraft 100. Note that a plane grid G as shown in FIG. 7 is assigned to the work area 102 in advance, and the stop position of the aircraft 100 is determined from the airport map information, aircraft type information, etc. sent from the GSE control 22 on the plane grid G. The current position acquisition unit 232 acquires the current positions of the respective GSEs 13 from the position information acquisition units 42 of the respective GSEs 13. The route setting unit 233 sets a guidance route from the current position of each GSE 13 to the work position. The reservation area setting unit 234 sets at any time a reservation area in which other GSEs 13 cannot enter at least in front of the traveling direction of each GSE 13. Hereinafter, a description will be given of what specific processing is performed by the guidance route setting system 23.

[0044] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a series of processes when moving the GSE 13 to the work position. First, as shown in FIG. 7, the work position determination unit 231 of the guidance route setting system 23 sets the plane grid G in the work area 102 (step S1001, plane grid setting step). When setting the plane grid G, the stop position of the aircraft 100 is obtained from the airport map information sent from the GSE control 22, the aircraft type information of the aircraft 100, etc. Then, a lattice-shaped plane grid G is set in the work area 102 including the aircraft 100 stopped at the gate 3. The size and fineness of the cells of the plane grid G may be changed according to, for example, the size of the aircraft 100. Also, the plane grid G may be set fixedly in advance.

[0045] Subsequently, the work position determination unit 231 of the guidance route setting system 23 determines the work positions of the respective GSEs 13 (step S1002, work position determination step). FIG. 15 illustrates, as an example of work positions, the work position P1 of the refueling vehicle 13a and the work position P2 of the high-lift loader 13d. The work positions P1 and P2 are set in units of squares of the planar grid G based on the stop position and aircraft type information of the aircraft 100 and the like. Further, the current position acquisition unit 232 of the guidance route setting system 23 acquires the current positions of the respective GSEs 13 performing ground support work (step S1003, current position acquisition step).

[0046] Next, the route setting unit 233 of the guidance route setting system 23 sets a guidance route from the current position of each GSE 13 performing ground support work to the work position, and transmits it to each GSE 13 (step S1004, route setting step). FIG. 16 illustrates, as an example of a guidance route, the guidance route R1 of the refueling vehicle 13a and the guidance route R2 of the high-lift loader 13d. The guidance routes R1 and R2 are basically set to pass through the traffic route 103 (see FIG. 16) set around the work area 102 outside the set area of the planar grid G. Also, within the set area of the planar grid G, the guidance routes R1 and R2 are set in units of squares (see the hatching in FIG. 16).

[0047] Each GSE 13 that has received the guidance route of its own vehicle starts traveling along the set guidance route (step S2001). At this time, if all the GSEs 13 start moving simultaneously, the GSEs 13 may interfere with each other. Therefore, it is preferable for the route setting unit 233 to also determine the order in which each GSE 13 is moved when setting the guidance route for each GSE 13. For example, if the refueling vehicle 13a is moved first and the movement of the high-lift loader 13d is started at the timing when the refueling vehicle 13a enters the planar grid G, interference between the refueling vehicle 13a and the high-lift loader 13d can be prevented.

[0048] While each GSE13 is traveling on the traffic lane 103, it can realize automatic driving by a general method by recognizing a white line or the like indicating the driving lane. However, there are no white lines or markers indicating the driving lane in the work area 102, and the guidance route changes every time depending on the stop position and type of the aircraft 100. Therefore, it is difficult to adopt a general automatic driving method. Thus, when each GSE13 enters the work area 102, that is, within the set area of the plane grid G, it performs automatic driving as follows.

[0049] When each GSE13 receives information regarding the guidance route from the guidance route setting system 23, it also receives the coordinate information of the plane grid G at the same time. When the travel control unit 44 of each GSE13 travels within the set area of the plane grid G, it acquires the current position of its own vehicle at any time and grasps which cell of the plane grid G it is in. Then, while confirming the cell to proceed to next, it travels along the guidance route.

[0050] To avoid collisions between GSE13s within the set area of the plane grid G, the reservation area setting unit 234 of the guidance route setting system 23 sets, in unit of cells, a reservation area where other GSE13s cannot enter at least in front of the traveling direction of each GSE13, and transmits it to all GSE13s (step S1005). In FIG. 17, as an example of the reservation area, the reservation area S1 of the refueling vehicle 13a and the reservation area S2 of the high-lift loader 13d are illustrated by hatching. The reservation areas S1 and S2 are also set on the side and rear in the traveling direction, but the reservation area only needs to be set at least in front of the traveling direction. The reservation area setting unit 234 updates the reservation area at any time according to the travel of each GSE13, and transmits the updated reservation area to all GSE13s each time.

[0051] When each GSE13's travel control unit 44 is traveling within the set area of the planar grid G, it checks whether the reserved area of its own vehicle overlaps with the reserved areas of other GSE13s (step S2002). If the reserved areas do not overlap (NO in step S2002), it continues to travel along the guidance route (step S2003). On the other hand, if the reserved areas overlap (YES in step S2002), it stops temporarily (step S2004) and waits until the overlap of the reserved areas with other GSE13s is resolved. Here, it is preferable to determine in advance which GSE13 should be given priority to travel when the reserved areas overlap. For example, the route setting unit 233 may determine the priority order, or the one with a higher traveling speed may be made to travel first. In addition, when the reserved areas overlap, the guidance route may be re-set instead of stopping temporarily.

[0052] A supplementary explanation is given regarding the priority order of each GSE13. The route setting unit 233 may determine the order in which each GSE13 is moved to the working position by assigning a priority order to each GSE13. For example, the priority order of a GSE13 that needs to move to the next working area 102 immediately may be set high, or from the relationship between the road width, the size of the vehicle, the arrangement of other GSE13s, the working procedure, etc., a GSE13 that needs to head to the working position first may have its priority order set high, so that it can head to the working position prior to other GSE13s. Also, when performing joint work by multiple types of GSE13s (for example, using a high-lift loader or a container loader and a towing tractor towing a cargo dolly for loading and unloading cargo from an aircraft), even if one of the GSE13s has arrived at the working position first, the work may not be able to start until the GSE13s performing the joint work have all arrived. Therefore, it is preferable to set a high priority order for the GSE13s performing the joint work.

[0053] Furthermore, unless the GSE13 that was previously working at the work position exits the work position, if the GSE13 scheduled to work next cannot arrive at the work position (for example, if the next scheduled passenger step cannot approach the aircraft's passenger boarding gate unless the container loader exits the work position), it is advisable to set a higher priority for the GSE13 that was previously at the work position so that it can exit promptly. In addition, GSE13 that needs to move from a distant work area 102 to the next work area 102 may also be set with a higher priority.

[0054] Also, the priority may be set by the worker who is scheduled to board the GSE13 or the worker who is already on board. For example, a GSE13 with a worker on board who is like a work supervisor for tasks such as loading cargo onto an aircraft and whose work cannot start unless the worker is at the work position may be set with a higher priority. By allocating priorities in this way, in the event that the GSE control 22 changes the schedules of the GSE13 and the workers due to flight schedule changes or delays, it can prevent situations where GSE13s deadlock or become congested along the guidance route of the GSE13, making it impossible for the GSE13 to operate according to the schedule.

[0055] Each GSE13 checks whether it has arrived at the work position (step S2005). If it has arrived at the work position (YES in step S2005), it stops traveling and starts ground support work. On the other hand, if it has not arrived (NO in step S2005), it continues traveling to the work position while repeating steps S2002 - S2005.

[0056] As described above, according to the guidance route setting system 23 of the present embodiment, based on the stop position and aircraft type information of the aircraft 100, the work position of the GSE13 is determined and the guidance route to the work position is automatically set. Therefore, the GSE13 can be accurately and quickly moved to the work position, enabling smooth ground support work to be carried out.

[0057] The guidance route setting system 23 of this embodiment can communicate with the GSE control 22. Therefore, upon receiving a flight schedule change from the air traffic control 21, the GSE control 22 schedules the GSE 13 and the workers each time there are changes such as runway or gate 3 (work area 102), aircraft type change, schedule delay, or work content change. This enables a prompt response to the ever-changing situation within the airport. Also, although the schedule of the GSE 13 changes moment by moment, since the guidance route setting system 23 of this embodiment can communicate with the GSE control 22, the guidance route of the GSE 13 can be reexamined according to the situation based on the schedule created and reexamined by the GSE control 22. Also, when examining the guidance route of the GSE 13, the guidance route setting system 23 side may also consider where to let the workers board and alight.

[0058] Also, there is no limitation on where physically the functional units 230 to 234 of the guidance route setting system 23 are provided, and at least a part of the functional units 230 to 234 may be incorporated into the GSE control 22 or the GSE 13. For example, the entire guidance route setting system 23 may be configured to form a part of the GSE control 22. Further, the function of the reservation area setting unit 234 may be provided to the travel control unit 44 of the GSE 13. In this case, the reservation area set in each GSE 13 may be transmitted to other GSE 13s via the guidance route setting system 23, or may be directly transmitted and received between GSE 13s.

[0059] Also, it is advisable to set the reserved areas as the areas overlapping with the aircraft 100 and the boarding bridge 4. However, this does not apply when the GSE 13 can travel under the wings of the aircraft 100 or under the boarding bridge 4. In this case, the guidance route setting system 23 may grasp the height information of each GSE 13 (in the case of a GSE with a variable height such as a passenger step, a belt loader, a high-lift loader, etc., the current height information), the height information of the boarding bridge 4, and the height information of the wings of the aircraft 100, etc., and determine whether each GSE 13 can travel under the wings of the aircraft 100 or under the boarding bridge 4. Also, when there are fuel inlets or power inlets under the wings or fuselage of the aircraft 100, the fuel truck or the airport power supply vehicle may be made to be able to travel under the aircraft 100 as needed.

[0060] Also, for a GSE 13 that towes one to several dollies, such as a towing tractor for transporting cargo, the operation of the towed dolly may be monitored by a laser sensor or the like at the rear of the vehicle, and even if the operation of the dolly is reflected in the plane grid G, a reserved area may be set for the dolly as well.

[0061] Also, in the above embodiment, the information on the reserved areas is shared by all the GSEs 13. However, the information may be shared only with the GSEs 13 within a predetermined distance from the GSE 13 for which the reserved area is set, or the information may be shared only with the GSEs 13 within the same work area 102.

[0062] (Approach Route Setting System) As described above, the GSE control 22 includes an approach path setting system 24. The approach path setting system 24 will be described below. As shown in FIG. 2, the approach path setting system 24 includes a communication unit 240, an entrance / exit position prediction unit 241, an entrance / exit position detection unit 242, an approach path setting unit 243, a current position acquisition unit 244, a weight acquisition unit 245, an inclination acquisition unit 246, a simulation unit 247, a schedule acquisition unit 248, and a work progress data acquisition unit 249. The approach path setting system 24 can communicate with other functional units of the GSE control 22, the guide path setting system 23, a plurality of GSEs 13, and the operator terminal 15 via the communication unit 240.

[0063] Based on the aircraft type information acquired by the aircraft type information acquisition unit 222 of the GSE control 22, the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 predicts the relative position of the work entrance / exit 14 corresponding to each GSE 13 with respect to the GSE 13. More specifically, the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 predicts the vertical relative height position of the work entrance / exit 14 with respect to the height of the connection portion 46 (see FIG. 6) of each GSE 13 based on the position information of the reference height, which is the height of the work entrance / exit 14 when the weight of the load on the aircraft 100 is the predetermined reference weight, and is the information included in the aircraft type information. Note that the "load" includes not only cargo and baggage but also things loaded inside the aircraft 100 such as water, fuel, crew, and passengers. Also, in the present embodiment, the "predetermined reference weight" may be, for example, 0 or the weight of the load on the aircraft 100 immediately before landing at the airport 1. The value of the predetermined reference weight is set in advance. Further, the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 predicts the horizontal relative position of the work entrance / exit 14 with respect to the current position of each GSE 13 based on the plane position information of the work entrance / exit 14 in the plane when the aircraft 100 is viewed in plan view, which is the information included in the aircraft type information.

[0064] The entrance / exit position detection unit 242 detects the accurate relative horizontal position of the work entrance / exit 14 with respect to the current position of the GSE 13 by irradiating the work entrance / exit 14 with a laser by the laser irradiation unit 43 (described above) of the GSE 13. More specifically, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 refers to the relative height position and the relative horizontal position predicted by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241, and irradiates a laser to a position near the work entrance / exit 14 of the aircraft 100 by the laser irradiation unit 43. Then, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 varies the irradiation direction of the laser along the horizontal direction by the laser irradiation unit 43, and detects the unevenness of the aircraft 100 by the opened work entrance / exit 14, thereby detecting the accurate relative horizontal position of the work entrance / exit 14.

[0065] The approach path setting unit 243 sets an approach path for approaching the connection part 46 to the work entrance / exit 14 by height adjustment based on the relative height position of the work entrance / exit 14 predicted by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241. Further, the approach path setting unit 243 sets an approach path for approaching the connection part 46 to the work entrance / exit 14 by moving the GSE 13 from a predetermined position based on the relative horizontal position of the work entrance / exit 14 detected by the entrance / exit position detection unit 242. The current position acquisition unit 244 acquires the current position of each GSE 13 from the position information acquisition unit 42 of each GSE 13.

[0066] The schedule acquisition unit 248 acquires a work schedule of each GSE 13, which includes information on the loading weight of the load carried into the aircraft 100 by each GSE 13, the unloading weight of the load unloaded from the aircraft 100, and the loading position of the load in the aircraft 100. The ground support schedule is set based on, for example, the amount of fuel scheduled for replenishment, the amount of water supply and drainage, the seat reservation status of passengers, the weight of passengers' carry-on luggage and cargo, the loading position, and the timing of unloading and loading. The schedule acquisition unit 248 may acquire the work schedule, for example, by receiving the ground support schedule created by the above-described schedule creation unit 221, or may create the work schedule independently of the schedule creation unit 221.

[0067] The operation progress data acquisition unit 249 acquires operation progress data regarding the progress status of the work schedule by each GSE 13. The operation progress data acquisition unit 249 acquires the operation progress data, for example, by communicating with the position information acquisition unit 42, the connection part 46, and the operator terminal 15 of each GSE 13. Further, the operation progress data acquisition unit 249 may acquire the operation progress data based on the passing status of the passengers through the gate 3. Furthermore, when a reading device (not shown) for reading the ID attached to the load is attached to the GSE 13 when loading and unloading are performed into and out of the aircraft 100, the operation progress data acquisition unit 249 may acquire the operation progress data regarding the operation progress status based on the ID information read by the reading device. Furthermore, when a flow meter (not shown) is provided in the GSE 13 that performs refueling, water supply, and drainage, the operation progress data acquisition unit 249 may acquire the operation progress data regarding the operation progress status based on the amount of fuel, water supply, and drainage measured by the flow meter.

[0068] The weight acquisition unit 245 acquires the predicted weight, which is the weight of the load of the aircraft 100 at the time of predicting the relative height position by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241. In the present embodiment, the weight acquisition unit 245 calculates the loading weight and the unloading weight of the load at the time of predicting the relative height position by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 based on the comparison between the work schedule and the operation progress data. Then, the weight acquisition unit 245 calculates the predicted weight from the difference between the calculated loading weight and unloading weight of the load.

[0069] The inclination acquisition unit 246 acquires a predicted inclination amount, which is the amount of inclination of the aircraft 100 with respect to the reference plane at the time of predicting the relative height position by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241. The reference plane may be, for example, a horizontal plane or a plane parallel to the inclined plane of the airport 1 where the aircraft 100 lands. The reference plane is set in advance. In the present embodiment, the inclination acquisition unit 246 calculates the loading weight and unloading weight of the load and the loading position of the load in the aircraft 100 at the time of predicting the relative height position by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 based on the comparison between the work schedule and the work progress data. Then, the predicted inclination amount is calculated from the calculated loading weight, unloading weight, and loading position of the load. More specifically described, the inclination acquisition unit 246 calculates the center of gravity position of the aircraft 100 where the moment becomes 0 from the loading weight, unloading weight, and loading position of the load at the time of predicting the relative height position. Then, the inclination acquisition unit 246 calculates the predicted inclination amount, which is the amount of inclination of the working entrance / exit 14 with respect to the reference plane, with reference to the center of gravity position of the aircraft 100 at the time of predicting the relative height position.

[0070] The simulation unit 247 executes a simulation of the approaching operation of approaching the GSE 13 and the connecting portion 46 of the GSE 13 to the working entrance / exit 14 along the approaching route set by the approaching route setting unit 243. The simulation by the simulation unit 247 is executed in advance before the approaching operation of the GSE 13 is actually performed.

[0071] An example of a specific method of the simulation by the simulation unit 247 will be described below. The 3D data of the aircraft 100 and the 3D data of the GSE 13 are input to the simulation unit 247 in advance. When the approaching route is set by the approaching route setting unit 243, the simulation unit 247 reproduces the positional relationship between the aircraft 100 and the GSE 13 on the system. Then, the simulation unit 247 executes a simulation of the approaching operation of approaching the 3D data of the GSE 13 to the 3D data of the aircraft 100 on the system.

[0072] Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, a description will be given of specifically what processes are performed by the airport system 10 including the approach route setting system 24. FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing a series of processes when the GSE 13 approaches the working entrance / exit 14 of the aircraft 100. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a series of processes when the relative height position of the working entrance / exit 14 is predicted in step S17 described later. First, as described above, the schedule creation unit 221 of the GSE control 22 creates a ground support schedule for the GSE 13 based on the flight schedule transmitted in advance (e.g., the previous day) from the air traffic control 21 (step S11). The ground support schedule includes, for example, operator-related data (see FIG. 9(a)), GSE-related data (see FIG. 9(b)), the GSE 13 to be used, the responsible operator, the operation schedule of the GSE 13, the work schedule of the responsible operator, and the like.

[0073] Subsequently, the aircraft type information acquisition unit 222 acquires the aircraft type information of the aircraft 100 for which ground support work is to be performed in the above flight schedule (step S12). The aircraft type information includes, for example, the position information of each working entrance / exit 14 in the aircraft 100, the stop position information of the aircraft 100 at the airport 1, the position information of the reference height which is the height of each working entrance / exit 14 when the weight of the cargo carried by the aircraft 100 is the predetermined reference weight, and the like. The guidance route setting system 23 and the approach route setting system 24 receive the aircraft type information acquired by the aircraft type information acquisition unit 222 via the communication unit 230 and the communication unit 240. That is, in the present embodiment, the communication unit 230 of the guidance route setting system 23 serves as the aircraft type information acquisition unit, and the communication unit 240 serves as the aircraft type information acquisition unit in the approach route setting system 24 of the present invention. Note that the guidance route setting system 23 or the approach route setting system 24 may separately have an aircraft type information acquisition unit for directly acquiring the aircraft type information.

[0074] Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the guidance route setting system 23 sets a planar grid G in a work area 102 which is an area within the airport 1 where ground support work is performed by a plurality of GSEs 13 and includes the aircraft 100 (step S13). When setting the planar grid G, the map information of the airport 1 stored in the GSE control 22 and the aircraft type information of the aircraft 100 are referred to. Then, a grid-shaped planar grid G is set in the work area 102 including the aircraft 100 stopped at the predetermined gate 3. At this time, on the planar grid G, a low-speed area E1 which is an area around the aircraft 100 and where the GSE 13 travels at a low speed, an area closer to the aircraft 100 than the low-speed area E1 among the areas around the aircraft 100, and where the GSE 13 travels at a speed lower than the traveling speed of the low-speed area E1, a very-low-speed area E2, and an area closer to the aircraft 100 than the very-low-speed area E2 among the areas around the aircraft 100, and where the GSE 13 travels at a speed lower than the traveling speed of the very-low-speed area E2, a super-very-low-speed area E3, are defined in advance. According to this configuration, when the traveling control unit 44 causes the GSE 13 to travel based on the planar grid G, the GSE 13 can be made to travel at a lower speed as it approaches the aircraft 100. As a result, it becomes possible to perform traveling control safely when the GSE 13 approaches the aircraft 100, and ultimately, this leads to avoiding contact between the GSE 13 and the aircraft 100.

[0075] The low-speed area E1, the very low-speed area E2, the ultra-low-speed area E3, and the speed limits of each area are set, for example, in accordance with the ISAGO (IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations) standard recommended by IATA (International Air Transport Association). Specifically, the low-speed area E1 is the area from a position 4 m away from the aircraft 100 to a position 8 m away. The very low-speed area E2 is the area from a position 2 m away from the aircraft 100 to a position 4 m away. The ultra-low-speed area E3 is the area up to a position 2 m away from the aircraft 100. The maximum speed limit of the low-speed area E1 is 5 km / h, the maximum speed limit of the very low-speed area E2 is 2 km / h, and the maximum speed limit of the ultra-low-speed area E3 is 0.7 km / h. In FIG. 7, the ultra-low-speed area E3 is the shaded portion closest to the aircraft 100 among the areas around the aircraft 100, the very low-speed area E2 is the shaded portion outside the ultra-low-speed area E3, and the low-speed area E1 is the shaded portion outside the very low-speed area E2. The size of the planar grid G and the fineness of the cells may be changed, for example, according to the size of the aircraft 100 and the ranges of the low-speed area E1, the very low-speed area E2, and the ultra-low-speed area E3. Also, the planar grid G may be set fixedly in advance.

[0076] Subsequently, the current position acquisition unit 244 of the approach path setting system 24 communicates with the position information acquisition units 42 of the respective GSEs 13 that have acquired the position information of the host vehicle obtained by receiving the GPS signal, thereby acquiring the current positions of the respective GSEs 13 (step S14). In the following flow, the acquisition of the current positions of the respective GSEs 13 is performed at any time. Note that the current position acquisition unit 244 may not be included in the approach path setting system 24. In this case, the approach path setting system 24 acquires the current positions of the respective GSEs 13 acquired by the current position acquisition unit 223 of the GSE control 22 or the current position acquisition unit 233 of the guidance path setting system 23 by receiving them via the communication unit 240. That is, in this case, in the approach path setting system 24, the communication unit 240 functions as the current position acquisition unit.

[0077] The route setting unit 233 of the guidance route setting system 23 sets a guidance route for each GSE 13 to approach the work entrance / exit 14 corresponding to the GSE 13 based on the stop position information of the aircraft 100 and the position information of each work entrance / exit 14 included in the aircraft type information acquired by the aircraft type information acquisition unit 222 of the GSE control 22 and the current position of the GSE 13 acquired by the current position acquisition unit 232, and transmits it to each GSE 13 (step S15). In this embodiment, when the GSE 13 approaches the work entrance / exit 14 corresponding to the GSE 13 to a predetermined position where a predetermined value is reached, the GSE 13 temporarily stops. In this embodiment, the predetermined position is the position of the boundary between the very low speed area E2 and the ultra-low speed area E3 where the distance between the GSE 13 and the corresponding work entrance / exit 14 is 2 m.

[0078] Each GSE 13 that has received the guidance route of its own vehicle starts running along the guidance route transmitted from the route setting unit 233 (step S31). At this time, each GSE 13 starts running in order according to the operation schedule of each GSE 13 included in the ground support schedule created in step S11.

[0079] The travel control unit 44 of each GSE 13 guides each GSE 13 to a predetermined position along the guidance route. Until the GSE 13 reaches the work area 102, the travel control unit 44 can realize automatic driving by a general method by recognizing white lines, markers, etc. indicating the travel lane (not shown) of the GSE 13 in the airport 1. However, there are no white lines or markers indicating the travel lane in the work area 102, and the positions of other GSEs 13 and equipment that can become obstacles, the stop position of the aircraft 100, and the guidance route change each time depending on the aircraft type, so it is difficult to adopt a general automatic driving method. Therefore, when each GSE 13 enters the work area 102, that is, the area where the plane grid G is set, automatic driving is performed as follows.

[0080] When each GSE13 receives information regarding the guidance route from the route setting unit 233, it also receives the coordinate information of the planar grid G at the same time. When the travel control unit 44 of each GSE13 travels within the set area of the planar grid G, it acquires the current position of its own vehicle at any time and determines which cell of the planar grid G it is in. Then, it travels along the guidance route while checking the cell to proceed to next. Note that the coordinate information of the planar grid G does not necessarily have to be received at the above timing and may be received in advance.

[0081] When the travel control unit 44 of each GSE13 reaches the low-speed area E1 set on the planar grid G with the current position of its own vehicle (step S32: YES), it controls the travel so that the travel speed of its own vehicle becomes 5 km / h or less, which is the maximum speed limit of the low-speed area E1 (step S33). When the travel control unit 44 of each GSE13 has not reached the low-speed area E1 set on the planar grid G with the current position of its own vehicle (step S32: NO), it travels its own vehicle at an arbitrary speed until it reaches the low-speed area E1.

[0082] When the travel control unit 44 of each GSE13 reaches the very low-speed area E2 set on the planar grid G with the current position of its own vehicle (step S34: YES), it controls the travel so that the travel speed of its own vehicle becomes 2 km / h or less, which is the maximum speed limit of the very low-speed area E2 (step S35). When the travel control unit 44 of each GSE13 has not reached the very low-speed area E2 set on the planar grid G with the current position of its own vehicle (step S34: NO), it travels its own vehicle at a speed of 5 km / h or less until it reaches the very low-speed area E2.

[0083] Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4, when the travel control unit 44 of each GSE13 reaches the ultra-low speed area E3 set on the plane grid G (step S36: YES), it temporarily stops the travel of the vehicle and transmits a signal requesting the opening of the work entrance / exit 14 to the GSE control 22 (step S37). As described above, the GSE13 of the present embodiment is controlled to temporarily stop when it travels to the position when it reaches the ultra-low speed area E3 (a predetermined position where the distance between each GSE13 and the corresponding work entrance / exit 14 is 2 m). When the current position of the vehicle has not reached the ultra-low speed area E3 set on the plane grid G (step S36: NO), the travel control unit 44 of each GSE13 travels the vehicle at a speed of 2 km / h or less until it reaches the ultra-low speed area E3. In the present embodiment, the ultra-low speed area E3 is set as the area up to the position 2 m away from the aircraft 100, but there is no limitation on the distance to the work entrance / exit 14 or the aircraft 100, and it may be changed according to the type of the aircraft 100 and each GSE13.

[0084] Upon receiving the signal requesting the opening of the work entrance / exit 14, the GSE control 22 transmits a notification to the operator terminal 15 held by the operator in charge of opening and closing the work entrance / exit 14 so as to open the work entrance / exit 14 corresponding to the GSE13 that transmitted the signal (step S16). This notification may be transmitted to the operator terminal 15 in advance before or at the start of the work. Then, based on the position information of the reference height included in the aircraft type information acquired by the aircraft type information acquisition unit 222, the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 of the approach path setting system 24 predicts the vertical relative height position of the work entrance / exit 14 with respect to the height of the connection portion 46 of the GSE13 (step S17).

[0085] Here, a series of processes executed by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241, the weight acquisition unit 245, and the inclination acquisition unit 246 when predicting the relative height position of the work entrance / exit 14 in step S17 will be described below with reference to FIG. 5.

[0086] The entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 first predicts the relative height position of the working entrance / exit 14 based on the position information of the reference height included in the aircraft type information (step S171). The weight acquisition unit 245 acquires the predicted weight, which is the weight of the load on the aircraft 100 at the time of predicting the relative height position of the working entrance / exit 14 by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 (step S271). Then, the weight acquisition unit 245 transmits the acquired predicted weight to the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 (step S272). Also, the inclination acquisition unit 246 acquires the predicted inclination amount, which is the amount of inclination of the aircraft 100 with respect to the reference plane at the time of predicting the relative height position of the working entrance / exit 14 by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 (step S371). Then, the inclination acquisition unit 246 transmits the acquired predicted inclination amount to the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 (step S372).

[0087] The entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 receives the predicted weight transmitted from the weight acquisition unit 245 (step S172) and receives the predicted inclination amount transmitted from the inclination acquisition unit 246 (step S173). Then, the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 calculates the amount of tire sinkage of the aircraft 100 based on the comparison between the reference weight included in the aircraft type information and the predicted weight, and based on the predicted inclination amount, and corrects the predicted value of the relative height position (step S174). Through the above series of processes, the relative height position of the working entrance / exit 14 is predicted.

[0088] Subsequently, the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 predicts the horizontal relative position of the working entrance / exit 14 in the horizontal direction with respect to the current position of the GSE 13 based on the current position of each GSE 13 acquired by the current position acquisition unit 244, the stop position information of the aircraft 100 included in the aircraft type information acquired by the aircraft type information acquisition unit 222, and the planar position information of the working entrance / exit 14 (step S18). The approach route setting system 24 acquires the aircraft type information acquired by the aircraft type information acquisition unit 222 of the GSE control 22 via the communication unit 240. In the present embodiment, the plane in the plan view of the aircraft 100 is, for example, a plane parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 7. Further, the planar position information of the working entrance / exit 14 may be, for example, the coordinate information of the working entrance / exit 14 in the entire airport 1, or the relative coordinate information of the working entrance / exit 14 with respect to the aircraft 100.

[0089] The entrance / exit position detection unit 242 of the approach path setting system 24 refers to the relative height position and relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 predicted by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241, and causes the laser irradiation unit 43 of each GSE 13 to irradiate a laser beam toward the position near the working entrance / exit 14 of the aircraft 100. Then, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 varies the irradiation direction of the laser beam along the horizontal direction by the laser irradiation unit 43, and detects the unevenness of the aircraft 100 due to the opened working entrance / exit 14, thereby detecting the accurate relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 (step S19). For example, FIG. 18 shows a state in which the laser irradiation unit 43 of the passenger step 13e (GSE 13) irradiates a laser beam toward the boarding / gate 14b (working entrance / exit 14). First, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 of the approach path setting system 24 refers to the relative height position and relative horizontal position of the boarding / gate 14b predicted by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 with respect to the passenger step 13e, and causes the laser irradiation unit 43 of the passenger step 13e to irradiate a laser beam toward the position near the boarding / gate 14b. Then, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 varies the irradiation direction of the laser beam along the horizontal direction (solid arrow in FIG. 18) by the laser irradiation unit 43 of the passenger step 13e (the irradiated laser beam is the dashed arrow in FIG. 18), and detects the unevenness of the aircraft 100 due to the opened boarding / gate 14b, thereby detecting the accurate relative horizontal position of the boarding / gate 14b with respect to the passenger step 13e.

[0090] Next, the approach path setting unit 243 of the approach path setting system 24 sets a vertical approach path for approaching the connection portion 46 of the GSE 13 to the working entrance / exit 14 by height adjustment based on the relative height position of the working entrance / exit 14 predicted by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 (step S20). Further, the approach path setting unit 243 sets a horizontal approach path for approaching the connection portion 46 to the working entrance / exit 14 by moving each GSE 13 from a predetermined position based on the current position of the GSE 13 and the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 detected by the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 (step S20).

[0091] Subsequently, the simulation unit 247 executes a simulation of the approaching operation to approach the GSE 13 and the connection part 46 to the work entrance / exit 14 along the approaching path set by the approaching path setting unit 243 (step S21). When it is determined that there is a possibility that the GSE 13 traveling along the approaching path may contact the aircraft 100 by the simulation by the simulation unit 247 (S22: YES), the process returns to step S17. Note that when returning to step S17, only the necessary steps among steps S17 to S19 may be performed according to the result of the simulation. Specifically, if only the relative height position is deviated as a result of the simulation, only step S17 may be performed. Also, if only the relative horizontal position is deviated as a result of the simulation, only steps S18 and S19 may be performed. When it is determined that there is no possibility that the GSE 13 traveling along the approaching path may contact the aircraft 100 by the simulation (S22: NO), the approaching path is transmitted to each GSE 13 (step S23).

[0092] The travel control unit 44 of each GSE 13 that has received the approaching path of its own vehicle approaches the GSE 13 to the corresponding work entrance / exit 14 along the approaching path transmitted from the approaching path setting unit 243 (step S38). At this time, the travel control unit 44 controls the travel so that the travel speed of its own vehicle becomes 0.7 km / h or less, which is the maximum limit speed of the ultra-low speed area E3. As described above, a series of processes for approaching the GSE 13 to the work entrance / exit 14 of the aircraft 100 are completed by utilizing the airport system 10 including the approaching path setting system 24.

[0093] (Effect) As described above, in the airport system 10 including the approach path setting system 24 of the present embodiment, the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 corrects the predicted value of the relative height position based on the predetermined reference weight included in the aircraft type information and the predicted weight acquired by the weight acquisition unit 245. Therefore, even if the height of the working entrance / exit 14 is displaced as the load of the aircraft 100 increases or decreases, an accurate approach path for approaching the connection part 46 to the working entrance / exit 14 by height adjustment can be set corresponding to the displacement. Thereby, even if the height of the working entrance / exit of the aircraft 100 is displaced, the height of the connection part 46 provided on the GSE 13 can be easily adjusted.

[0094] In the present embodiment, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 detects the relative horizontal position in the horizontal direction of the working entrance / exit 14 with respect to the current position of the GSE 13. According to this, the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 different for each aircraft type is detected by the entrance / exit position detection unit 242. Then, the connection part 46 can be brought close to the working entrance / exit 14 by moving the GSE 13 along the approach path set based on the detected relative horizontal position. Thereby, the GSE 13 can be easily brought close to the working entrance / exit 14.

[0095] In the present embodiment, the simulation unit 247 executes in advance a simulation of the approach operation of bringing the GSE 13 and the connection part 46 close to the working entrance / exit 14 along the approach path before the approach operation of the GSE 13 is actually performed. And when it is determined by the simulation that there is a possibility of contact between the GSE 13 and the aircraft 100, the approach path setting unit 243 executes the setting of the approach path again. For this reason, an approach path for bringing the GSE 13 close to the working entrance / exit 14 while more surely avoiding contact with the aircraft 100 can be set. Therefore, even when work delays or equipment troubles occur after the approach path is set, or when there is an error in the approach path due to a mistake in the aircraft type information or the like, contact between the GSE 13 and the aircraft 100 can be prevented.

[0096] In this embodiment, the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 corrects the predicted value of the relative height position by using the predicted tilt amount acquired by the tilt acquisition unit 246. Therefore, even if the aircraft 100 inclines with respect to the reference plane due to an increase or decrease in the load on the aircraft 100, an accurate approach path for approaching the working entrance / exit 14 by adjusting the height of the connection part 46 can be set corresponding to the inclination. Thereby, even if the height of the working entrance / exit 14 of the aircraft 100 is displaced, the height of the connection part 46 provided on the GSE 13 can be adjusted more easily.

[0097] In this embodiment, the weight acquisition unit 245 calculates the predicted weight from the difference between the loading weight and the unloading weight of the load at the time of predicting the relative height position calculated based on the comparison between the work schedule and the work progress data. Further, the tilt acquisition unit 246 calculates the predicted tilt amount from the loading weight, the unloading weight, and the loading position of the load at the time of predicting the relative height position calculated based on the comparison between the work schedule and the work progress data. Therefore, the predicted weight and the predicted tilt amount can be acquired without separately providing the aircraft 100 with a device for directly detecting the weight of the load on the aircraft 100 and the tilt amount of the aircraft 100. Thereby, the entire system can be simplified and cost reduction can be achieved.

[0098] (Modification example) As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples, and various modifications are possible as long as they are within the scope described in the claims.

[0099] In the above-described embodiment, the entrance / exit position detector 242 detects the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 with respect to the GSE 13 by irradiating the laser by the laser irradiator 43. However, the detection of the working entrance / exit 14 is not limited to the method using the irradiation of the laser. For example, light having no directivity and straight-ahead property may be used, the position of the working entrance / exit 14 may be detected by an ultrasonic sensor, or the position of the working entrance / exit 14 may be detected by photographing with a camera. Further, the position of the working entrance / exit 14 may be detected by a method other than these. Further, the position of the working entrance / exit 14 or the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 with respect to the GSE 13 may be detected using both a camera and a laser. In this case, it is also possible to detect the position of the working entrance / exit 14 with the camera and utilize the laser as a distance sensor.

[0100] In the above-described embodiment, the travel control unit 44 of each GSE 13 performs automatic driving of the own vehicle so that each GSE 13 travels along the guide path and the approach path. However, each GSE 13 may be manually operated by an operator. In this case, for example, the guide path set by the path setting unit 233 and the approach path set by the approach path setting unit 243 may be transmitted to the navigation device, and the navigation device may perform navigation for the operator. The navigation device may be provided in each GSE 13 or may be another device. Further, the guide path and the approach path may be transmitted to the operator terminal, and the operator terminal may be utilized as the navigation device.

[0101] In the above embodiment, a plane grid G in which a low-speed area E1, a very low-speed area E2, and an ultra-low-speed area E3 are defined by the GSE control 22 is preset in the work area 102. Then, until the travel control unit 44 of each GSE 13 guides each GSE 13 waiting at a predetermined position to a predetermined position along the guide path, the travel speed is controlled according to the current position of the own vehicle on the plane grid G preset in the work area 102 in advance. However, the plane grid G may not be set. In this case, for example, by irradiating the aircraft 100 with a laser by the laser irradiation unit 43 of each GSE 13, the distance between each GSE 13 traveling along the guide path and the aircraft 100 is continuously detected. Then, the travel control unit 44 of each GSE 13 controls the travel speed of the own vehicle according to the distance between each GSE 13 and the aircraft 100 detected by the laser irradiation unit 43. Specifically, for example, when the distance between the GSE 13 and the aircraft 100 becomes 8 m, that is, when the GSE 13 reaches the low-speed area E1 defined by the above-mentioned ISAGO standard, the travel of the own vehicle is controlled so that the travel speed becomes 5 km / h or less. The laser irradiation unit used at this time may be the same as or different from the laser irradiation unit 43 that irradiates a laser to detect the relative horizontal position of the work entrance / exit 14 in the above embodiment. Further, the detection of the distance between each GSE 13 and the aircraft 100 by the laser irradiation unit 43 may be performed immediately after each GSE 13 starts traveling, or may be performed after each GSE 13 reaches a predetermined position (for example, the work area 102). Further, instead of using a grid like the plane grid G, a plane coordinate system may be used.

[0102] In the above-described embodiment, when the current position of the host vehicle reaches the ultra-low speed area E3 (and a predetermined position) of each GSE13, the traveling control unit 44 of the host vehicle temporarily stops the traveling of the host vehicle. However, the traveling control unit 44 of each GSE13 does not necessarily have to stop the traveling of the host vehicle when the current position of the host vehicle reaches the ultra-low speed area E3 (and a predetermined position). In this case, when the GSE13 is traveling in the ultra-low speed area E3 toward the work entrance / exit 14 at a speed of 0.7 km / h or less, steps S27 and steps S16 to S19 are performed in parallel.

[0103] In the above-described embodiment, the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 predicts the vertical relative height position of the work entrance / exit 14 with respect to the height of the connection portion 46 of the GSE13 and the horizontal relative horizontal position of the work entrance / exit 14 with respect to the GSE13. However, the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 may perform only the prediction of the relative height position. In this case, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 causes the laser irradiation unit 43 to irradiate the aircraft 100 with a laser with reference to only the relative height position predicted by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241.

[0104] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 may not be provided. In this case, the approach path setting unit 243 sets an approach path based on the relative height position and the relative horizontal position predicted by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241.

[0105] In the above-described embodiment, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 detects only the relative horizontal position of the work entrance / exit 14. However, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 may detect both the relative height position and the relative horizontal position of the work entrance / exit 14. In this case, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 irradiates a laser along both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by the laser irradiation unit 43 of each GSE13 to detect accurate positions of the relative height position and the relative horizontal position.

[0106] In the above-described embodiment, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 detects the unevenness of the aircraft 100 due to the opened working entrance / exit 14, thereby detecting the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 with respect to each GSE 13. However, the working entrance / exit 14 does not necessarily have to be opened. In this case, for example, the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 detects the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 with respect to each GSE 13 by detecting the unique color of the working entrance / exit 14 or the minute unevenness of the outer frame of the working entrance / exit 14.

[0107] In the above-described embodiment, when the relative height position and the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 are predicted by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 and the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 is detected by the entrance / exit position detection unit 242, the GSE 13 is temporarily stopped. Then, when the GSE 13 is stopped, the approach path is set by the approach path setting unit 243 and the simulation is executed by the simulation unit 247. However, the prediction of the relative height position and the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 may be performed continuously or at predetermined time intervals while each GSE 13 is running. Also, the detection of the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 by the entrance / exit position detection unit 242 may be performed continuously or at predetermined time intervals while each GSE 13 is running. In this case, the approach path set by the approach path setting unit 243 is appropriately updated to the latest version based on the current position of each running GSE 13 and the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 with respect to each GSE 13, and is transmitted to each GSE 13 every time it is updated. Also, the simulation by the simulation unit 247 is appropriately executed in response to the update of the approach path while each GSE 13 is running. In this case, when it is determined by the simulation that there is a possibility of contact between the GSE 13 and the aircraft 100, the running of the GSE 13 may be stopped.

[0108] In the above-described embodiment, the approach path setting system 24 or the airport system 10 including the approach path setting system 24 is a device for loading and unloading goods and the like to and from the working entrance / exit 14, and may further include a wheel provided on the cargo handling device of the GSE 13 that contacts the aircraft 100 with a predetermined pressure. The cargo handling device includes a connection portion 46. The wheel is rotatable and can detect an up-and-down change in the height position of the fuselage of the aircraft 100 depending on the rotation direction of the wheel. When loading and unloading goods to and from the aircraft 100 or when crew and passengers board and alight from the aircraft 100 in connection with the ground support work by the GSE 13, the weight of the fuselage of the aircraft 100 changes and the height position of the fuselage may move up and down. In such a case, during the ground support work by the GSE 13, the up-and-down movement of the fuselage of the aircraft 100 can be detected depending on the rotation direction of the wheel, and the height position of the connection portion 46 of the GSE 13 can be adjusted.

[0109] Further, the cargo handling device of the GSE 13 may be configured to move forward and backward toward the aircraft 100 so that the pressure when the wheel contacts the aircraft 100 is within a predetermined range. Specifically, when the pressure is too high, the cargo handling device is moved backward, and when the pressure is 0 or too low, the cargo handling device is moved forward.

[0110] In the above-described embodiment, the approach path setting system 24 or the airport system 10 including the approach path setting system 24 may have a bumper sensor attached to the cargo handling device of the GSE 13 for detecting contact between the cargo handling device and the aircraft 100. In this case, when the bumper sensor detects contact between the cargo handling device of the GSE 13 and the aircraft 100 while the traveling control unit 44 of each GSE 13 is approaching the working entrance / exit 14 along the approach path, the traveling of the own vehicle is stopped. Thereby, even though the approach path is a path that does not contact the aircraft 100 during the process of each GSE 13 approaching the working entrance / exit 14, if the GSE 13 and the aircraft 100 come into contact due to some operation trouble or the like, the traveling of the GSE 13 can be promptly stopped.

[0111] Also, in the above embodiment, the approach path setting system 24 or the airport system 10 including the approach path setting system 24 may have a storage unit that stores the approach positions to the corresponding working entrances 14 of each GSE 13 for each aircraft model of the aircraft 100. In this case, for the aircraft 100 of the model for which the approach control to each working entrance 14 of each GSE 13 has been performed in the past, the travel control unit 44 of each GSE 13 approaches each GSE 13 to the corresponding working entrance 14 based on the approach positions to the respective working entrances 14 of each GSE 13 for each model stored in the storage unit. Thereby, the GSE 13 can be quickly approached to the aircraft 100. The storage unit may be mounted on each GSE 13, may be included in the approach path setting system 24, or may be included in other systems (such as GSE control 22, guidance path setting system 23, or other systems) in the airport system 10.

[0112] Also, in the above embodiment, the route setting unit 233 and the reservation area setting unit 234 of the guidance path setting system 23 may be provided on the GSE 13. Further, part or all of the configuration of the approach path setting system 24 may be provided on the GSE 13. Also, there is no limitation on where the functional units 240 to 249 of the approach path setting system 24 are physically provided, and at least a part of the functional units 240 to 249 may be incorporated into a control different from the GSE control 22 or the GSE 13. In this case, the GSE control 22 and the guidance path setting system 23 also function as the approach path setting system of the present invention.

[0113] Depending on the type of the aircraft 100, the opening / closing switch position of the work entrance 14 may be high, and in some cases, an operator may not be able to climb a stepladder or the like to open and close the work entrance 14 as in normal operations. In the case of such aircraft types, the GSE 13 may be brought close to the aircraft 100 in advance, and an operator riding on the GSE 13 may climb onto the cargo handling device to open and close the work entrance 14, then move the GSE 13 away from the aircraft 100 again and approach the work entrance 14 by the approach path setting system 24. Note that the approach distance when bringing the GSE 13 close to open and close the work entrance 14 can be set as appropriate. Also, since the guidance path setting system 23 has acquired the aircraft type information of the aircraft 100 in advance from the GSE control 22, when guiding the GSE 13 to an aircraft type that requires opening and closing the work entrance 14 as described above, the GSE 13 may be guided to the opening / closing switch position of the work entrance 14.

[0114] In addition, the approach path setting system 24 may further include a determination unit that determines whether or not the GSE 13 traveling along the guidance path has reached a predetermined position where the distance between the GSE 13 and the work entrance 14 becomes a predetermined value. Then, when the determination unit determines that the GSE 13 has reached the predetermined position, the travel control unit 44 of each GSE 13 transmits a signal requesting the opening of the work entrance 14 to the GSE control 22, and the approach path setting system 24 executes the steps after step S17. According to this, the entrance position prediction unit 241 predicts the relative height position and the relative horizontal position after it is determined that the GSE 13 has reached the predetermined position. Also, the entrance position detection unit 242 detects the relative horizontal position after it is determined that the GSE 13 has reached the predetermined position. Therefore, compared with the case where the relative height position or the relative horizontal position of the work entrance 14 is predicted or detected before it is determined that the GSE 13 has reached the predetermined position, the relative height position or the relative horizontal position can be predicted or detected in a more limited range. For this reason, the prediction and detection of the relative height position and the relative horizontal position can be performed efficiently.

[0115] Furthermore, the communication unit 240 of the approach path setting system 24 may receive the coordinate information of the plane grid G set by the guidance path setting system 23, and the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 may predict the relative horizontal position of the working entrance / exit 14 based on the coordinate information of the plane grid G.

[0116] The weight acquisition unit 245 and the inclination acquisition unit 246 are not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments. The weight acquisition unit 245 may have, for example, a weight sensor capable of directly detecting the weight of the load carried on the aircraft 100. Further, the inclination acquisition unit 246 may have, for example, an inclination detection sensor capable of directly detecting the amount of inclination of the aircraft 100 with respect to the reference plane, or may be configured to acquire the amount of inclination of the aircraft 100 with respect to the reference plane from the overall image of the aircraft 100 captured by an external camera.

[0117] In the above-described embodiment, the approach path setting system 24 may be capable of acquiring the predicted thickness (wear) of the tires of the aircraft 100 and the predicted pressure of the tires at the time of prediction of the relative height position by the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241. In this case, the entrance / exit position prediction unit 241 corrects the predicted value of the relative height position of the working entrance / exit 14 based on the comparison between the predicted thickness of the tire and the reference thickness, and the comparison between the predicted pressure of the tire and the reference pressure. The reference thickness, which is a predetermined reference value of the thickness of the tire, and the reference pressure, which is a predetermined reference value of the pressure of the tire, are included in, for example, the aircraft type information. The reference thickness is, for example, the thickness of the tire at the time of tire replacement of the aircraft 100. Further, the reference pressure is, for example, the pressure at the time of tire replacement of the aircraft 100 in a predetermined region, and is set in advance.

[0118] In the above embodiment, when the loading or unloading of the cargo is continuously carried out by another GSE13 during the setting of the approach path of one GSE13, the simulation unit 247 may perform a simulation in consideration of the change in the sinking amount of the aircraft 100 during the approach operation of the one GSE13. More specifically, when the loading or unloading of the cargo is continuously carried out by another GSE13, the sinking amount of the aircraft 100 changes even during the approach operation of one GSE13. Therefore, the simulation unit 247 determines whether there is a possibility that the GSE13 and the aircraft 100 come into contact while considering the change in the sinking amount of the aircraft 100 from the start to the end of the approach operation of one GSE13.

[0119] In the present invention, the GSE13 may be such that the control unit included in the GSE13 adjusts the height of the connection part 46. In this case, for example, the communication unit 41 of the GSE13 receives the approach path set by the approach path setting system 24 of the present invention. Also, the position information acquisition unit 42 acquires the current position information of the own vehicle. Then, the control unit adjusts the height of the connection part 46 based on the current position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 42 and the approach path. The control unit may be, for example, the travel control unit 44, or may receive a remote operation signal from the air traffic control 21 or the GSE control 22 and perform the travel control of the GSE13 based on the signal.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0120] 1 Airport 10 Airport system 13 GSE 14 Working entrance / exit 15 Operator terminal 21 Air traffic control 22 GSE control 23 Guidance path setting system 24 Approach path setting system 41 Communication unit 42 Position information acquisition unit 43 Laser irradiation unit 44 Travel control unit 45 ID acquisition unit 100 Aircraft 222 Aircraft Model Information Acquisition Unit 240 Communication Unit 241 Entrance / Exit Location Prediction Unit 242 Entrance / Exit Location Detection Unit 243 Approach Route Setting Unit 244 Current Position Acquisition Unit 245 Weight Acquisition Unit 246 Inclination Acquisition Unit 247 Simulation Unit 248 Schedule Acquisition Unit 249 Work Progress Data Acquisition Unit E1 Low-Speed Area E2 Very Low-Speed Area E3 Ultra Low-Speed Area

Claims

Claim 1 An approach path setting system that can be connected to or approached and has an adjustable height with respect to a working entrance of an aircraft, and that sets an approach path for bringing a connection part provided in a ground support device closer to the working entrance, comprising: a model information acquisition unit that acquires model information of the aircraft including position information of a reference height that is the height of the working entrance when the weight of the load carried on the aircraft is a predetermined reference weight; an entrance position prediction unit that predicts a vertical relative height position of the working entrance with respect to the height of the connection part of the ground support device based on the position information of the reference height; a weight acquisition unit that acquires a predicted weight that is the weight of the load carried on the aircraft at the time of prediction of the relative height position by the entrance position prediction unit; an approach path setting unit that sets an approach path for bringing the connection part closer to the working entrance by adjusting the height based on the relative height position predicted by the entrance position prediction unit; and the entrance position prediction unit corrects a predicted value of the relative height position of the working entrance based on the reference weight and the predicted weight, characterized in that it is an approach path setting system. Claim 2 a current position acquisition unit that acquires the current position of the ground support device; and an entrance position detection unit that detects a relative horizontal position in the horizontal direction of the working entrance with respect to the current position of the ground support device, further comprising: the approach path setting unit sets an approach path for bringing the connection part closer to the working entrance by moving the ground support device based on the relative horizontal position detected by the entrance position detection unit, characterized in that it is the approach path setting system according to claim 1. Claim 3 further comprising a simulation unit that pre-executes a simulation of an approach operation for bringing the ground support device and the connection part closer to the working entrance along the approach path set by the approach path setting unit before the approach operation of the ground support device is actually performed; when it is determined by the simulation executed by the simulation unit that there is a possibility of contact between the ground support device and the aircraft, the approach path setting unit re-executes the setting of the approach path, characterized in that it is the approach path setting system according to claim 2. Claim 4 The system further includes a tilt acquisition unit that acquires a predicted tilt amount, which is an amount of tilt with respect to the reference plane of the aircraft when predicting the relative height position by the entrance / exit position prediction unit. The entrance / exit position prediction unit The approach path setting system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the predicted value of the relative height position in the vertical direction of the work entrance / exit is corrected using the predicted tilt amount.

5. A work schedule by the ground support device, the schedule acquisition unit acquiring a work schedule including information on the loading weight of the load carried into the aircraft by the ground support device, the unloading weight of the load unloaded from the aircraft, and the loading position of the load in the aircraft. The system further includes a work progress data acquisition unit that acquires work progress data regarding the progress status of the work schedule by the ground support device. The weight acquisition unit calculates the predicted weight from the difference between the loading weight and the unloading weight at the time of predicting the relative height position calculated based on the comparison between the work schedule and the work progress data. The approach path setting system according to claim 4, characterized in that the tilt acquisition unit calculates the predicted tilt amount from the loading weight, the unloading weight, and the loading position at the time of predicting the relative height position calculated based on the comparison between the work schedule and the work progress data.

6. A ground support device capable of communicating with the approach path setting system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The communication unit receiving the approach path set by the approach path setting system. The position information acquisition unit acquiring current position information. A connection part that can be connected to or approached the work entrance / exit of the aircraft and whose height can be adjusted. And a control unit. The ground support device, characterized in that the control unit adjusts the height of the connection part based on the current position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit and the approach path.

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