Location Management System

Abstract

To acquire position information concerning not only ground support equipment (GSE) including a position confirmation device but also a GSE without including a position confirmation device.SOLUTION: A position management system 10 includes: image acquisition sections 42 each of which photographs an image; position information acquisition sections 43 each of which acquire present position information of a GSE4; and a control section 36. The control section 36 allows the position information acquisition section 43 to acquire the present position information of the GSE4 included in the image photographed by the image acquisition section 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a position management system for acquiring and managing the position information of ground support equipment at an airport.

Background Art

[0002] Airports are equipped with ground support equipment for performing ground support work on aircraft. The ground support equipment is called GSE (Ground Support Equipment), and there are various types of GSE, such as boarding bridges, high-lift loaders, belt loaders, towing tractors, refueling trucks, airport power supply vehicles, passenger steps, dollies, etc. A dolly is a GSE that does not have a power mechanism to be towed by a towing tractor.

[0003] Each GSE moves within the airport when performing ground support work. At this time, in order to grasp the work progress and driving status of each GSE, it is required to appropriately acquire and manage the position information of each GSE. Conventionally, the position information of GSE has been obtained by visual confirmation by workers or by communication between workers using radios, telephones, etc. However, there is a risk of deviation in visual position confirmation, and the burden on workers is large in position confirmation by communication between workers using radio or the like.

[0004] Also, it is conceivable to use GPS (Global Positioning System) to acquire the position information of GSE. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a position management system including one dolly equipped with a master unit having GPS and a plurality of dollies equipped with slave units for transmitting the identification information of the dollies to the master unit. In this position management system, the master unit transmits the position information detected by GPS and the identification information about the plurality of dollies to a management server. Thereby, the positions of all the dollies in the airport are managed in the management server.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, due to reasons such as high cost, it is currently only possible to install devices with GPS on only some of the GSEs operating at the airport. Then, it is not possible to obtain the position information of all GSEs within the airport by GPS.

[0007] Also, when obtaining the position information of a GSE having a power mechanism, the power for operating so-called position confirmation devices such as a master unit or slave units installed on the GSE can be supplied from a battery or the like built into the GSE. However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for a position confirmation device installed on a GSE having no power mechanism such as a dolly, power cannot be supplied from the GSE side. For this reason, a battery for supplying power to a position confirmation device such as a master unit or slave units must be separately mounted on the GSE. The battery mounted on the GSE needs to be replaced regularly, which is troublesome for the operator. In particular, as in Patent Document 1, when a master unit or slave units are installed on each dolly, it is very troublesome because it is necessary to replace the battery of each dolly.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a position management system capable of obtaining the position information not only of a GSE provided with a position confirmation device but also of a ground support device not provided with a device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The position management system of the present invention is a position management system for managing the positions of a plurality of ground support devices that perform ground support work at an airport, and includes an image acquisition unit capable of taking images, a position information acquisition unit that acquires current position information of the ground support device, and a control unit. The control unit determines at least one of the ground support devices included in the image taken by the image acquisition unit as an acquisition target device that is a target for acquiring the current position information, and causes the current position information of the acquisition target device to be acquired by a position information acquisition unit provided in a ground support device other than the acquisition target device or in a facility of the airport.

[0010] According to the present invention, the current position information of an acquisition target device, which is a ground support device included in a taken image, is acquired by a position information acquisition unit provided in a ground support device other than the acquisition target device or in a facility of the airport. Therefore, regardless of whether or not a device for position management is mounted on the acquisition target device, the current position information of the acquisition target device can be indirectly acquired by the position information acquisition unit. Thereby, it is possible to acquire position information even for a ground support device provided without a position confirmation device such as a master device having GPS or a slave device capable of communicating with the master device.

[0011] In the present invention, the position management system further includes a route setting unit that sets a travel route from a travel start position to a work position of the plurality of ground support devices, and a notification unit that notifies an operator. When the current position information indicates that the acquisition target device has deviated from the travel route, the control unit preferably causes the notification unit to notify an abnormality.

[0012] According to the present invention, an operator can grasp whether or not a ground support device provided without a position confirmation device is appropriately moving along a travel route.

[0013] In the position management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of ground support devices include at least one first ground support device in which the image acquisition unit and the position information acquisition unit are installed.

[0014] When the image acquisition unit and the position information acquisition unit are fixed at an arbitrary position, it is impossible to acquire the current position information of the ground support device located at a position that is a blind spot from the fixed position. Also, when the visibility at the airport is poor due to bad weather or the like, if the distance between the image acquisition unit and the position information acquisition unit fixed at an arbitrary position and the ground support device is far, there is a possibility that the current position information of the ground support device cannot be acquired correctly. According to the present invention, an image acquisition unit and a position information acquisition unit are installed in the first ground support device that travels within the airport. Therefore, by moving the first ground support device to a position where the ground support device does not become a blind spot, the current position information of the ground support device can be surely acquired. Also, when the visibility at the airport is poor, by approaching the first ground support device to the ground support device for which the current position information is to be acquired, the current position information of the ground support device can be surely acquired.

[0015] In the position management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the position information acquisition unit acquires the current position information by irradiating the ground support device with a laser.

[0016] Since the laser is light with high straightness, it is difficult to disperse even at night in the dark, during strong sunlight during the day, or in bad weather such as heavy rain or thick fog. Therefore, according to the present invention, compared with the case of acquiring the current position information using normal light or ultrasonic waves, or the case of calculating the current position information from a camera image by a stereo camera or the like, the current position information of the ground support device can be detected with high accuracy.

[0017] In the position management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the image acquisition unit is capable of photographing an aerial view image of the airport including the ground support device.

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to photograph a wide area within an airport. Therefore, as an aerial view image, a plurality of ground support devices within the airport can be photographed collectively. As a result, the position management of the plurality of ground support devices within the airport can be performed collectively, and the management becomes easier compared to the case where the position management is performed separately for each ground support device.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] It is possible to obtain position information not only for GSEs provided with position confirmation devices but also for ground support devices not provided with position confirmation devices.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the position management system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] First, the facilities of Airport 1 where the location management system 10 of the present embodiment is operated will be described below. 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 4E is connected to the plurality of gates 3. The boarding bridge 4E is a facility for allowing passengers and crew to board and alight from the aircraft 100 from the gate 3. When the boarding bridge 4E is not available, the passenger step 4F described later may be used. While the aircraft 100 is parked at Airport 1, various operations (ground support operations) such as boarding and alighting of passengers and crew, loading and unloading of cargo and baggage, refueling, cleaning inside and outside the aircraft, inspection of airframe equipment, de-icing work, power supply, etc. are carried out. Then, when the ground support operation is completed and preparations are made, the aircraft 100 departs from the runway (not shown) provided at Airport 1.

[0023] In the ground support operation, a plurality of GSEs 4 are used. GSE is an abbreviation for Ground Support Equipment and means ground support equipment. There are various types of GSEs 4. For example, there is a refueling truck 4A for refueling the aircraft 100, a belt loader 4B for loading and unloading passengers' baggage into the aircraft, a towing tractor 4C for towing the aircraft 100 and the dolly 4G described later, a high-lift loader 4D for loading and unloading cargo into the aircraft, the above-described boarding bridge 4E, a passenger step 4F for directly boarding and alighting passengers and crew into the aircraft, a dolly 4G for loading containers and pallets, etc. The towing tractor 4C, for example, towes the aircraft 100 stopped in the work area 101 (described later) to the runway when the aircraft 100 departs. Also, the towing tractor 4C towes one or more dollies 4G. The dolly 4G is a GSE without a power mechanism. The refueling truck 4A, belt loader 4B, towing tractor 4C, high-lift loader 4D, passenger step 4F, and dolly 4G are work vehicles that travel within Airport 1.

[0024] Hereinafter, an area that includes the aircraft 100 and where ground support work is performed by a plurality of GSEs 4 is referred to as a work area 101. The plurality of GSEs 4 are waiting at a predetermined waiting location 102. Note that each GSE 4 may wait at a maintenance area or a parking area (not shown) instead of the waiting location 102, or may directly move from another work area to the work area 101.

[0025] Here, when performing ground support work using a plurality of GSEs 4, it is required to appropriately manage the positions of the respective GSEs 4 within the airport 1 in order to grasp the work progress and driving status of each GSE 4. Conventionally, the position management of each GSE 4 has been performed by visually confirming the position by an operator or by communication between operators using a radio or a telephone. However, there is a possibility of deviation in the visual position confirmation by the operator, and the burden on the operator is large in the position management by communication between operators using a radio or the like.

[0026] Also, it is conceivable to use a position management system for GSE 4 that utilizes GPS (Global Positioning System). However, for reasons such as high cost, it is only possible to install a device having GPS in only a part of the GSEs 4 operating at the airport 1. Further, when mounting a position management device on a GSE 4 that does not have a power mechanism such as a dolly 4G, it is necessary to separately mount a battery on the dolly 4G. The battery mounted on the GSE 4 needs to be replaced regularly, which is troublesome for the operator.

[0027] Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the inventors of the present application devised a position management system that can perform position management of GSE 4s that are not provided with a position management device. Hereinafter, this position management system 10 will be described in detail.

[0028] (Position Management System 10) The position management system 10 of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 2. The position management system 10 includes an air traffic control 21, a GSE control 22, a plurality of GSEs 4, and an operator terminal 15. The air traffic control 21 holds the flight schedule of the aircraft 100. The flight schedule includes information such as the aircraft type of the aircraft 100 for which ground support work is to be performed by the GSE 4. Note that the acquisition source of the flight schedule may be an airline, and it is not necessarily required to be acquired from the air traffic control 21.

[0029] The GSE control 22 has a schedule creation unit 31, a route setting unit 32, an image processing unit 33, a notification unit 34, a communication unit 35, and a control unit 36. The GSE control 22 can communicate with the air traffic control 21 and a plurality of GSEs 4 via the communication unit 35.

[0030] The schedule creation unit 31 creates a work schedule for the plurality of GSEs 4 based on the flight schedule provided by the air traffic control 21. The work schedule includes the departure and arrival times of the aircraft 100, the runway at departure and arrival, the gate number for ground support work, the aircraft type information of the aircraft 100, the work positions of the GSEs 4, the responsible operators for each work content, etc.

[0031] The route setting unit 32 sets the travel route from the travel start position of each GSE 4 to the work position based on the work schedule created by the schedule creation unit 31. The travel start position of the GSE 4 is, for example, the waiting area 102, a maintenance area or a parking area (not shown), any work area 101, etc.

[0032] The created work schedule and travel route are transmitted to each GSE 4 and the operator terminal 15 via the communication unit 35. Each GSE 4 moves within the airport 1 along the travel route transmitted from the GSE control 22, and when it reaches the work position, it performs ground support work on the stopped aircraft 100.

[0033] The image processing unit 33 executes predetermined processing on the images taken by an image acquisition unit 42 described later. The processing executed by the image processing unit 33 will be described in detail later.

[0034] The notification unit 34 notifies an operator of an abnormality when the GSE4 deviates from the travel route. The notification unit 34 notifies, for example, by displaying on a display or by emitting a sound. Note that the notification unit 34 may notify an operator of an abnormality when there is an object (such as a container) that should not be in that location. Further, the notification unit 34 may notify an operator of normality when the GSE4 is traveling appropriately along the travel route. Note that not only the operator but also the overall manager of the work or an airline may be notified of the operation status of the GSE4.

[0035] The communication unit 35 can communicate with the air traffic control 21, the communication unit 45 of the GSE4, and the operator terminal 15. The control unit 36 controls the notification operation of the notification unit 34, the position information acquisition unit 43 described later, etc. based on the processing of the image processing unit 33. The control of the control unit 36 will be described in detail later.

[0036] The plurality of GSE4s are classified into a first GSE4a and a second GSE4b. The first GSE4a includes a current position reception unit 41, an image acquisition unit 42, a position information acquisition unit 43, a travel control unit 44, and a communication unit 45. The second GSE4b has a travel control unit 44 and a communication unit 45, but does not have a current position reception unit 41, an image acquisition unit 42, and a position information acquisition unit 43. In the present embodiment, one or more of the plurality of GSE4s are classified as the first GSE4a, and the other GSE4s are classified as the second GSE4b. Note that in the case of a GSE4 that does not have a power mechanism, such as a passenger step 4F of a type towed by a dolly 4G or a towing tractor 4C, the GSE4 does not have a travel control unit 44.

[0037] The current position reception unit 41 acquires the position information of the own vehicle by receiving, for example, a GPS signal. The position information of the own vehicle may be acquired using a positioning method other than GPS (such as GNSS).

[0038] The image acquisition unit 42 is, for example, a camera attached to the first GSE 4a and capable of capturing an image in front of the first GSE 4a. The position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the current position information of other GSEs 4 other than the host vehicle, specifically, the current position information of the GSE 4 included in the image captured by the image acquisition unit 42. In the present embodiment, the stereo camera attached to the first GSE 4a corresponds to the image acquisition unit 42 and the position information acquisition unit 43. The position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the relative position of the GSE 4 included in the image captured by the stereo camera with respect to the host vehicle. In the present embodiment, the image acquisition unit 42 installed in the first GSE 4a can capture an image including the first GSE 4a and the second GSE 4b other than the host vehicle. Further, the position information acquisition unit 43 installed in the first GSE 4a acquires the current position information of the first GSE 4a and the second GSE 4b included in the captured image. In other words, the image acquisition unit 42 and the position information acquisition unit 43 are provided in the first GSE 4a other than the GSE 4 (the acquisition target device of the present invention) that is the acquisition target of the current position information.

[0039] The travel control unit 44 performs travel control of the host vehicle based on the travel route sent from the route setting unit 32 via the communication unit 45 and the position information of the host vehicle acquired by the current position receiving unit 41.

[0040] 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 specify the current location by GPS and can 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 smart watch). The operator can input the ID of the GSE 4 that the operator operates, the ID of the cargo carried by the GSE 4, the model of the aircraft 100, etc. into the operator terminal 15. Further, the operator may receive his / her own schedule etc. from the GSE control 22.

[0041] (Flow of position management of GSE) Next, the process of position management of each GSE4 by the position management system 10 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3.

[0042] First, the GSE controller 22 receives a flight schedule from the air traffic control 21 in advance (e.g., the previous day) (step S11). FIG. 4(a) is a table showing an example of the data included in the flight schedule, and FIG. 4(b) is a table showing an example of the list of cargos. Note that the cargo in FIG. 4 refers to the goods stored in the container and is different from the passengers' carry-on luggage. The types of data included in the flight schedule transmitted from the air traffic control 21 to the GSE controller 22 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 4 and can be changed as appropriate.

[0043] When the schedule creation unit 31 of the GSE controller 22 receives the flight schedule, it creates a work schedule based on the flight schedule (step S12). FIG. 5 is a table showing an example of the data included in the work schedule. For example, regarding flight number 1, it shows that the operator with operator ID 001 is responsible for the cargo unloading work using the high-lift loader with GSE ID HL-01. Note that in FIG. 5, PS represents the passenger step, TT represents the towing tractor, and BL represents the belt loader. The types of data included in the work schedule created by the GSE controller 22 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 5, and can be changed as appropriate, such as adding the work start time and work end time.

[0044] Next, the route setting unit 32 sets the travel route from the travel start position to the work position of each GSE 4 that performs ground support work based on the work schedule (step S13). FIG. 6 illustrates, as an example of the travel route, the travel route R1 of the refueling vehicle 4A and the travel route R2 of the high-lift loader 4D. As shown in FIG. 6, a grid-like plane grid G is set in advance on the map data of the work area 101. The size and fineness of the plane grid G may be changed according to, for example, the size of the aircraft 100. Alternatively, the plane grid G may be set fixedly in advance. The travel routes R1 and R2 are set in units of squares (see the hatching in FIG. 6) within the set area of the plane grid G.

[0045] The GSE controller 22 transmits the created work schedule and travel route to each GSE 4 including the first GSE 4a and the second GSE 4b and the operator terminal 15 (step S14). Each GSE 4 that has received the work schedule and travel route starts traveling along the set travel route (step S21). At this time, each GSE 4 starts traveling in order according to the operation schedule of each GSE 4 included in the work schedule created in step S12. Each GSE 4 may perform automatic driving or may be manually operated by an operator.

[0046] The image acquisition unit 42 provided in the first GSE 4a among the GSEs 4 captures a forward image and transmits the image data of the captured image to the GSE controller 22 (step S22). Note that steps S22 and S23 described below are operations performed only by the first GSE 4a among the GSEs 4. The image acquisition unit 42 may capture images continuously or may capture images at regular intervals. Also, the timing at which the image acquisition unit 42 starts capturing images may be immediately after the first GSE 4a starts traveling or may be after the first GSE 4a reaches the work area 101. The image acquisition unit 42 transmits the captured image to the GSE controller 22 at any time.

[0047] The image processing unit 33 of the GSE control 22 determines whether one or more GSEs 4 are included in the received image by an object detection algorithm or the like (step S15). As a determination method, methods such as machine learning or deep learning may be used. When it is determined that the received image does not include the GSE 4 (S15: NO), the image continuously received from the image acquisition unit 42 is received until it is determined that the GSE 4 is included in the image.

[0048] When it is determined that the received image includes the GSE 4 (S15: YES), the image processing unit 33 determines one or more GSEs 4 included in the image as acquisition target devices for which current position information is to be acquired, and detects the types of the GSE 4s that are the acquisition target devices (step S16). Note that the GSE 4s that are the acquisition target devices include the first GSE 4a and the second GSE 4b. Then, the control unit 36 transmits a control signal for acquiring the current position information of the GSE 4 included in the image to the first GSE 4a (step S17).

[0049] When the first GSE4a receives a control signal from the GSE controller 22, the position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the current position information of the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired, and transmits it to the GSE controller 22 (step S23). A specific method for the position information acquisition unit 43 to acquire the current position information of the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired, will be described below. First, the position information of the host vehicle of the first GSE4a is acquired by the current position reception unit 41 and set at the corresponding position on the plane grid G (see FIG. 7). Subsequently, the position information acquisition unit 43 of the first GSE4a, which is a stereo camera, acquires the relative position of the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired, with respect to the current position of the host vehicle. More specifically, the relative position of the device to be acquired is calculated based on the recognition result in the image processing unit 33 and the distance detection function of the stereo camera, by the direction (angle) of the device to be acquired as seen from the host vehicle and the distance to the device to be acquired. Then, the position information acquisition unit 43 acquires, as the current position information, the current position on the plane grid G of the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired, from the current position information of the host vehicle and the information on the relative position of the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired, with respect to the host vehicle (see the hatching in FIG. 7). In the present embodiment, the position information acquisition unit 43 may acquire the current position information of the GSE4 in a state where the first GSE4a has stopped, or may continuously acquire the current position information of the GSE4 while the first GSE4a is moving.

[0050] Note that the control unit 36 may also acquire the current position on the plane grid G of the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired, from the current position information of the first GSE4a where the position information acquisition unit 43 is installed and the information on the relative position of the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired, with respect to the host vehicle. In this case, after the position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the information on the relative position of the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired, with respect to the host vehicle, it transmits the information to the GSE controller 22. And in this case, the information on the relative position of the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired, with respect to the host vehicle corresponds to the current position information of the present invention acquired by the position information acquisition unit 43.

[0051] Further, the control unit 36 may calculate the relative position of the GSE 4 which is the acquisition target device. In this case, after the position information acquisition unit 43 acquires information regarding the direction (angle) of the acquisition target device as viewed from the host vehicle by the distance detection function of the stereo camera, the information is transmitted to the GSE control 22. In this case, the information regarding the direction (angle) of the acquisition target device as viewed from the host vehicle corresponds to the current position information of the present invention acquired by the position information acquisition unit 43.

[0052] That is, the position information acquisition unit 43 of the present invention may have a configuration including an arithmetic function for acquiring the current position of the GSE 4 which is the acquisition target device, or may acquire only the current position information as the information used for acquiring the current position of the GSE 4 which is the acquisition target device. In the latter case, the control unit 36 includes an arithmetic function for acquiring the current position of the GSE 4 which is the acquisition target device.

[0053] Subsequently, the control unit 36 of the GSE control 22 compares the current position information of the GSE 4 which is the acquisition target device with the travel route of the GSE 4 to determine whether the GSE 4 which is the acquisition target device is moving along the travel route (step S18). The comparison between the current position information and the travel route is performed, for example, by comparing the positions on the plane grid G. When it is determined that the GSE 4 which is the acquisition target device is moving along the travel route (S18: YES), the control unit 36 determines whether all the ground support operations by each GSE 4 have been completed (step S20). When it is determined that not all the ground support operations by each GSE 4 have been completed (S20: NO), the process returns to step S15 and the position management is continued. When it is determined that all the ground support operations by each GSE 4 have been completed (S20: YES), the position management of each GSE 4 by the position management system 10 ends.

[0054] When it is determined that the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired, has not moved along the travel route (S18: NO), the control unit 36 causes the notification unit 34 to notify an abnormality (step S19). Situations where it is determined that the GSE4 has not moved along the travel route include, for example, when the GSE4 that should originally be in that location is not present in that location, or when the GSE4 that should not originally be in that location is present in that location. Then, the process proceeds to step S20.

[0055] (Effect) As described above, in the position management system 10 of the present embodiment, the current position information of the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired and is included in the image captured by the image acquisition unit 42, is acquired by the position information acquisition unit 43 provided in the GSE4 other than the device to be acquired. Therefore, regardless of whether or not a device for position management is mounted on the GSE4 that is the device to be acquired, the current position information of the device to be acquired can be indirectly acquired by the position information acquisition unit 43. Thereby, it is possible to acquire the position information of the GSE4 for which a device for position confirmation such as a master unit having GPS or a slave unit capable of communicating with the master unit is not provided.

[0056] Also, in the present embodiment, when the current position information of the GSE4 included in the image indicates that the GSE4, which is the device to be acquired, has deviated from the travel route, the notification unit 34 notifies an abnormality. According to this, for the GSE4 for which a device for position confirmation is not provided, an operator can grasp whether or not the GSE4 is appropriately moving along the travel route.

[0057] In addition, in the present embodiment, the plurality of GSE4s include at least one first GSE4a in which the image acquisition unit 42 and the position information acquisition unit 43 are installed. When the image acquisition unit 42 and the position information acquisition unit 43 are fixed at arbitrary positions, it is not possible to acquire the current position information of the GSE4 located at a position that is a blind spot from the fixed position. Further, when the visibility inside the airport 1 is poor due to bad weather or the like, if the distance between the image acquisition unit 42 and the position information acquisition unit 43 fixed at arbitrary positions and the GSE4 is far, there is a possibility that the current position information of the GSE4 cannot be acquired correctly. According to the present embodiment, the image acquisition unit 42 and the position information acquisition unit 43 are installed in the first GSE4a traveling inside the airport 1. Therefore, by moving the first GSE4a to a position where the GSE4 does not become a blind spot, the current position information of the GSE4 can be surely acquired. Further, when the visibility inside the airport 1 is poor, the current position information of the GSE4 can be surely acquired by approaching the first GSE4a to the GSE4 for which the current position information is to be acquired.

[0058] (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.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the stereo camera attached to the first GSE 4a functions as the image acquisition unit 42 and the position information acquisition unit 43. However, the image acquisition unit 42 is a normal camera, and the position information acquisition unit 43 may be provided separately from the camera. In this case, it is preferable that the position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the current position information by irradiating the GSE 4 included in the image captured by the image acquisition unit 42 with a laser. Since the laser is light with high straightness, it is difficult to disperse even at night in the dark, during strong daylight in the daytime, in case of bad weather such as heavy rain or thick fog, etc. Therefore, compared with the case of acquiring the current position information using normal light or ultrasonic waves, etc., or the case of calculating the current position information from a camera image by a stereo camera or the like, the current position information of the GSE 4 can be detected with high accuracy. Note that the position information acquisition unit 43 may acquire the current position information of the target GSE 4 by irradiating the target GSE 4 with visible light, ultrasonic waves, or the like.

[0060] In the present invention, the image acquisition unit 42 may be capable of capturing an aerial view image of the airport 1 including the GSE 4. In this case, for example, the image acquisition unit 42 is attached to the control tower. According to this, it is possible to capture a wide range within the airport 1. Therefore, as an aerial view image, a plurality of GSE 4s within the airport 1 can be captured together. Thereby, the position management of a plurality of GSE 4s within the airport 1 can be performed collectively, and the management becomes easier compared with the case of performing position management separately for each GSE 4. Further, the image acquisition unit 42 may be installed on a drone flying within the airport 1. Further, the image acquisition unit 42 may be attached to both the first GSE 4a and the air traffic control 21 or the GSE control 22. Further, the image acquisition unit 42 may be installed in the terminal building 2 or the gate 3.

[0061] In the present invention, only the image acquisition unit 42 may be installed in the control tower, terminal building 2, gate 3, etc., and only the position information acquisition unit 43 may be installed in one or more GSEs 4. Also, only the position information acquisition unit 43 may be installed in the GSE control 22, and only the image acquisition unit 42 may be installed in one or more GSEs 4. Further, the image acquisition unit 42 may be installed in both one or more GSEs 4 and the GSE control 22, and the position information acquisition unit 43 may be installed in both one or more GSEs 4 and the GSE control 22. In any case, the position information acquisition unit 43 is provided in a GSE 4 other than the device to be acquired or in the facilities of the airport 1.

[0062] In the present invention, not all GSEs 4 may have the current position reception unit 41 that receives GPS signals. In this case, it is preferable to acquire the current position information of each GSE 4 by the image acquisition unit 42 and the position information acquisition unit 43 installed in the control tower, terminal building 2, gate 3, etc.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the schedule creation unit 31, the route setting unit 32, the image processing unit 33, the notification unit 34, the communication unit 35, and the control unit 36 are installed in the GSE control 22. However, there is no limitation on where these functional units are physically provided, and at least a part of them may be incorporated in a control other than the GSE control 22 or the GSE 13.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the image processing unit 33 determines whether or not the captured image includes a GSE 4 in step S15. However, the image processing unit 33 may determine whether or not the captured image includes a GSE 4 and an object other than the GSE 4 (for example, a container, etc.). In this case, the notification unit 34 notifies an abnormality when the object included in the image exists at an incorrect position.

[0065] In the present invention, the notification unit 34 may notify normality when the GSE 4 included in the image is appropriately moving along the travel route.

[0066] In the present invention, each travel control unit 44 of the GSE4 may perform travel control to stop the travel of each GSE4 from when an abnormality is notified by the notification unit until the abnormality is resolved.

[0067] In the present invention, the notification unit 34 may be installed in each GSE4 or may be built into the operator terminal 15.

[0068] The present invention includes a configuration in which the image acquisition unit 42 is installed on the boarding bridge 4E. In this case, the image acquisition unit 42 is preferably installed at a position where it can overlook the periphery of the aircraft 100 as widely as possible from the boarding bridge 4E. For example, it is preferably installed at the tip of the boarding bridge 4E that docks with the aircraft 100, the connection part connected to the terminal building 2 of the gate 3, the bridge part for passengers to board and alight from the aircraft 100, etc. Also, not only on the upper part of the boarding bridge 4, but a plurality of them may be installed on the side surface, lower part, etc. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the image acquisition unit 42 may be installed at the tip of the boarding bridge 4E that docks with the aircraft 100. By the image acquisition unit 42 installed on this boarding bridge 4E, the GSE4 traveling around the airplane 100 is imaged, and by calculating the relative position between the current position of the boarding bridge 4E and the GSE4 by the position information acquisition unit 43 or the control unit 36, it is possible to detect whether the GSE4 is traveling on the designated travel route or has deviated from the travel route, similar to the above-described embodiment.

[0069] Note that the boarding bridge 4E can communicate with the GSE control 22 so that it can exchange flight schedules, the travel routes of the GSE4, the images taken by the image acquisition unit 42, the current position of the boarding bridge 4E, and the operating status (such as the state of docking with the aircraft 100, or the state of waiting on the terminal building side, during docking work, etc.).

[0070] At this time, depending on the position and size of the boarding bridge 4E, it may become a blind spot for the aircraft 100, and only about half of the corresponding work area 101 can be imaged. In this case, when the boarding bridge 4E is installed in the adjacent work area 101, the image acquisition unit 42 installed on the boarding bridge 4E may image the part that becomes a blind spot. Also, when the boarding bridge 4E is not installed in the adjacent work area 101, the image acquisition unit 42 mounted on another GSE 4 may image the part that becomes a blind spot. Alternatively, the image acquisition unit 42 installed in the terminal building 2, the control tower, the gate 3, etc. may image the part that becomes a blind spot.

[0071] In addition, in the present invention, when the aircraft 100 is being pushed back, it may be confirmed from the images taken by the image acquisition units 42 mounted on the surrounding GSEs 4 whether the aircraft 100 contacts an obstacle and whether it is being transported along the specified route.

[0072] In the present invention, when the image acquisition unit 42 is attached to the first GSE 4a, the image acquisition unit 42 may be able to image the entire area around the first GSE 4a.

Explanation of Signs

[0073] 1 Airport 4 GSE 4a First GSE 10 Position Management System 32 Route Setting Unit 33 Image Processing Unit 34 Notification Unit 36 Control Unit 42 Image Acquisition Unit 43 Position Information Acquisition Unit 100 Aircraft

Claims

1. A position management system for managing the positions of a plurality of ground support devices that perform ground support work at an airport, comprising: an image acquisition unit capable of taking images; a position information acquisition unit that acquires current position information of the ground support device; and a control unit, wherein the control unit: determines at least one of the ground support devices included in the image taken by the image acquisition unit as an acquisition target device that is a target for acquiring the current position information; characterized in that the control unit causes the current position information of the acquisition target device to be acquired by a position information acquisition unit provided in a ground support device other than the acquisition target device or in an airport facility.

2. further comprising a route setting unit that sets a travel route from a travel start position to a work position of the plurality of ground support devices, and a notification unit that notifies an operator; wherein the control unit: when the current position information indicates that the acquisition target device has deviated from the travel route, causes the notification unit to notify an abnormality. The position management system according to claim 1.

3. The position management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plurality of ground support devices include at least one first ground support device in which the image acquisition unit and the position information acquisition unit are installed.

4. The position management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the position information acquisition unit acquires the current position information by irradiating the ground support device with a laser.

5. The position management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the image acquisition unit is capable of taking an aerial view image of the airport including the ground support device.

Images