Control System, Control Method, and Program

Abstract

The present invention provides a control system that can perform a search operation of an object using a plurality of moving bodies more appropriately or more efficiently even in an outdoor area with relatively large external disturbances in the environment. 【Solution means】The present invention is a control system that controls a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a desired area, and includes a request information acquisition unit that acquires search request information including search request conditions, an environment information acquisition unit that acquires environment information regarding the desired area, a search performance estimation unit that estimates the search performance regarding the search by the plurality of ships based on the environment information, a search plan determination unit that performs at least one of determination regarding the feasibility of executing a search that satisfies the request conditions, generation or update of a search plan for a search that satisfies the request conditions based on the search request information and the search performance, and an information output unit that displays or notifies output of information including the determination result by the search plan determination unit, or outputs a command based on the determination result.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system, a control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, the practical application of a system for autonomously moving a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles to search for a specific object has been studied. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for optimizing the behavior of an entire group of unmanned aerial vehicles while each vehicle constituting the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles autonomously selects an action.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Here, when actually performing a search task for an object using a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, due to external disturbances in the environment of the search area, the search performance of the unmanned aerial vehicles may deteriorate, and the search task may not be executed as expected. Areas that are susceptible to such external environmental disturbances are outdoor areas. In particular, in marine areas and airspace areas, there is a problem that the influence of external environmental disturbances on the search performance of unmanned boats is significant.

[0005] Therefore, if the influence of external environmental disturbances in the search target area on the search performance cannot be grasped, the search execution cannot be appropriately aborted or the search plan cannot be changed, and the search task cannot be efficiently operated.

[0006] In addition, in order to perform exploration using a plurality of drones, drones are required to be equipped with various functions, not limited to the movement function, such as collection of measurement data, wireless communication between the drone and the outside, and self-position estimation using GNSS signals. Therefore, it is required to grasp the influence of various environmental disturbances in the target area on these various functions.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of at least any of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a system or control method or the like that can perform a search operation of an object using a plurality of moving bodies more appropriately or more efficiently even in an outdoor area with relatively large environmental disturbances.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] According to the present invention, in a control system for controlling a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area, a request information acquisition unit that acquires search request information including the request conditions for the search, an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information regarding the desired area, a search performance estimation unit that estimates at least one of the search performance regarding the search by the plurality of ships or updates the estimated value of the search performance based on the environmental information, a search plan determination unit that makes at least one of a determination regarding the feasibility of executing the search that satisfies the request conditions and generates or updates a search plan for the search that satisfies the request conditions based on the search request information and the search performance, and an information output unit that displays or outputs a notification of information including the determination result by the search plan determination unit or outputs a command based on the determination result are provided.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, even in an outdoor area with relatively large environmental disturbances, a search operation of an object using a plurality of moving bodies can be performed more appropriately or more efficiently.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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[0011] The content of the embodiment of the present invention will be listed and described below. The present invention has the following configuration. [Item 1] In a control system that controls a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area, a request information acquisition unit that acquires search request information including the search requirements of the search; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information about the desired area; a search performance estimation unit that estimates the search performance related to the search by the plurality of ships based on the environmental information or updates at least the estimated value of the search performance; a search plan determination unit that determines whether the search can be executed to meet the requirements and generates or updates a search plan for the search that meets the requirements based on the search request information and the search performance; a control system including an information output unit that displays or notifies output information including the determination result by the search plan determination unit or outputs a command based on the determination result. [Item 2] In the control system according to Item 1, the search request information acquired by the request information acquisition unit includes a control system including at least any one of object-related information capable of identifying the object, area information capable of identifying the desired area, search time information regarding the search time, and search target information regarding the search target value. [Item 3] In the control system according to Item 1 or 2, the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit includes a control system including a weather condition including at least any one of lightning, fog, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, and cloudiness. [Item 4] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 3, the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit includes a control system including at least any one of the position, altitude, azimuth, trajectory of the sun, or the position, altitude, azimuth, trajectory, lunar age of the moon, or backlight, front light, solar radiation amount, ionospheric disturbance. [Item 5] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 4, the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit includes a sea state including at least any one of wave height, wave speed, sea current speed, sea current direction, tidal current speed, and tidal current direction, or a weather state including at least any one of wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, and humidity, or a sea water state including at least any one of sea water temperature, sea water density, salinity concentration, magnesium concentration, Ph value, water depth, transparency, underwater noise, plankton concentration, and presence or absence of kelp beds. A control system including the above is provided. [Item 6] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 5, the environmental information acquisition unit receives the environmental information from the outside or the ship, or interprets the environmental information based on current or past information acquired from the outside or the ship. A control system. [Item 7] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 6, the search performance estimation unit estimates or updates an estimated value of measurement performance including at least any one of a measurable distance of the measurement sensor and a two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurable area in the desired area based on the environmental information regarding the desired area, a control system. [Item 8] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 7, the search performance estimation unit estimates or updates an estimated value of measurement performance including at least any one of a measurable distance that the measurement sensor can exhibit and a two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurable area in the desired area based on the environmental information regarding the desired area and the prior measurement performance of the measurement sensor acquired in advance, a control system. [Item 9] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 8, when the measurement sensor is a camera capable of acquiring image data including the object existing in the marine area, the search performance estimation unit estimates or updates an estimated value of measurement performance including at least any one of a measurable distance that the camera can exhibit and a two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurable area in the desired area based on the environmental information including at least any one of the position, altitude, azimuth, trajectory of the sun, or the position, altitude, azimuth, trajectory, lunar age of the moon, or backlight, front light, solar radiation amount, time zone in the desired area, a control system. [Item 10] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 9, when the measurement sensor is an optical camera capable of acquiring image data of the object existing in the sea area or an acoustic sensor capable of detecting the object existing in the sea area, The search performance estimation unit is a control system that estimates or updates an estimated value of measurement performance including at least one of a measurable distance and a two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurable area that can be exhibited by the optical camera or the acoustic sensor in the desired area based on the environmental information including at least one of seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity concentration, magnesium concentration, Ph value, presence or absence of seaweed beds, plankton concentration, water depth, transparency, and underwater noise in the sea of the desired area. [Item 11] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 10, When transmitting data information through a wireless communication network between a plurality of the ships, The search performance estimation unit is a control system that estimates or updates an estimated value of communication performance including at least one of a communicable distance, a communication speed, and a communication strength of the wireless communication network in the desired area based on the environmental information including at least one of fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, and sleet in the desired area. [Item 12] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 11, When at least one of the plurality of the ships receives data information using a satellite communication line, The search performance estimation unit is a control system that estimates or updates an estimated value of communication performance including at least one of a communicable distance, a communication speed, and a communication strength of the satellite communication line in the desired area based on a weather condition including at least one of fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, and cloudiness in the desired area or a state of the ionosphere above the desired area. [Item 13] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 12, When at least one of the plurality of the ships calculates its own position using a GNSS reception signal, The search performance estimation unit estimates or updates the estimated value of the self-position calculation performance of the ship in the desired area based on the weather condition including at least any one of fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, and cloudiness in the desired area, or the state of the ionosphere above the desired area. A control system. [Item 14] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 13, The search performance estimation unit, Based on the sea state including at least any one of the wave height, wave velocity, sea current velocity, sea current direction, tidal current velocity, and tidal current direction in the desired area, Or the meteorological state including at least any one of the wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, and humidity in the desired area, Or based on the seawater state including at least any one of the seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity concentration, magnesium concentration, Ph value, transparency, presence or absence of algal beds, plankton concentration, water depth, and transparency in the desired area, Estimate or update the estimated value of the power performance including at least any one of the maximum moving speed, maximum acceleration, maximum turning angular velocity, maximum turning speed, maximum turning angle, and follow-up possible distance of the ship in the desired area. A control system. [Item 15] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 14, The search performance estimation unit, According to at least any one of the environmental information of the desired area, the measurement performance of the measurement sensor estimated or updated based on the environmental information of the desired area, the communication performance of the ship, the self-position calculation performance, and the power performance, the exploration rate indicating the achievement of the explored area explored by the ship, Estimate or update the estimated value of either the detection probability indicating the probability of detecting the object by the ship. A control system. [Item 16] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 15, The search plan determination unit, based on the search performance estimated by the search performance estimation unit, Whether it is possible to execute the search that satisfies the required conditions, A control system that determines at least one of whether there are unexplored areas or insufficiently explored areas remaining in the desired area at the end of the limit time when the requirement conditions include information regarding the limit time of the search. [Item 17] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 16, Based on the search performance estimated by the search performance estimation unit, the search plan determination unit Generates a search plan that can satisfy at least one of the requirement conditions of the object-related information that can identify the object included in the search requirement information, the area information that can identify the desired area, the search time information regarding the time of the search, and the search target information regarding the target value of the search. [Item 18] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 17, Based on the estimated result of the search performance updated according to the environment information updated and acquired by the environment information acquisition unit, the search plan determination unit Determines at least one of whether the already generated search plan is executable, and When the search plan includes information regarding the search time, determines at least one of whether there are unexplored areas or insufficiently explored areas remaining in the desired area at the end of the search time. [Item 19] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 18, Based on the estimated result of the search performance updated according to the environment information updated and acquired by the environment information acquisition unit, the search plan determination unit updates the already generated search plan so as to satisfy the requirement conditions included in the search requirement information. [Item 20] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 19, The search plan generated or updated by the search plan determination unit includes search target information including at least one of a search rate indicating the achievement of the explored area searched by the plurality of ships and a detection probability indicating the probability of detecting the object by the ship. [Item 21] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 20, the search plan generated or updated by the search plan determination unit includes an operation plan including at least any one of the moving speeds, accelerations, turning angular velocities, turning speeds, turning angles, straight-ahead times, moving routes, and search execution time schedules of the plurality of ships. A control system. [Item 22] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 21, the search plan generated or updated by the search plan determination unit includes a system configuration plan including at least any one of the number of hulls, formation, arrangement distribution, upper limit relative distance between ships, and target relative distance of the plurality of ships. A control system. [Item 23] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 22, the search plan generated or updated by the search plan determination unit includes a measurement plan including at least any one of the type, measurement direction, and measurement timing of the measurement sensor. A control system. [Item 24] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 23, the search plan generated or updated by the search plan determination unit includes a communication plan including at least any one of the communication standard or communication path used for the wireless communication network between the plurality of ships, the communication standard or communication path of the satellite communication line used by the ship, and the transmission timing of the measurement data measured by the measurement sensor. A control system. [Item 25] In the control system according to any one of Items 1 to 24, the information output unit displays and outputs information regarding the reason for the determination regarding the executability of the search determined by the search plan determination unit. A control system. [Item 26] In a control method for controlling a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area, a computer A request information acquisition step of acquiring search request information including the request conditions of the search; An environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information regarding the desired area; A search performance estimation step of estimating the search performance regarding the search by the plurality of ships or at least updating the estimated value of the search performance based on the environmental information; A search plan determination step of determining whether the search can be executed that satisfies the request conditions, generating or updating a search plan of the search that satisfies the request conditions based on the search request information and the search performance; An information output step of displaying or notifying output of information including the determination result by the search plan determination step, or outputting a command based on the determination result; A control method for executing the above. [Item 27] In a program applicable to a control system that controls a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area, To the computer, A request information acquisition command for acquiring search request information including the request conditions of the search; An environmental information acquisition command for acquiring environmental information regarding the desired area; A search performance estimation command for estimating the search performance regarding the search by the plurality of ships or at least updating the estimated value of the search performance based on the environmental information; A search plan determination command for determining whether the search can be executed that satisfies the request conditions, generating or updating a search plan of the search that satisfies the request conditions based on the search request information and the search performance; An information output command for displaying or notifying output of information including the determination result by the search plan determination command, or outputting a command based on the determination result; A program for causing the above to be executed.

[0012] <A. First Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Further, the embodiments shown below are merely examples, and other known elements and alternative means can be adopted according to the use, purpose, scale, etc.

[0013] [A. Configuration] (A-1. System Configuration) First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the overall system configuration of a control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0014] (A-1-1. Outline of System Configuration) FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "system 1") according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the control system 1 includes an unmanned boat system 1000 and a general control system 2000. Further, the general control system 2000 is configured to be able to communicate with an external cooperation system 5000 and an external system 6000 via an Internet line or the like, and can perform input / output of information. The general control system 2000 can transmit a control command to the unmanned boat system 1000 deployed at sea via a communication satellite 3000 and a ground base station 4000, and can receive the operation status and measurement data of the unmanned boat system 1000. Therefore, the general control system 2000 can control the operation of the unmanned boat system 1000 having a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting a search target 7000, and search for the target 7000 in a predetermined area. Here, the predetermined area is an arbitrary area that can be set by the user or set in advance.

[0015] The unmanned boat system 1000 includes one or more unmanned boats 1010. When the unmanned boat system 1000 is composed of multiple unmanned boats 1010, the multiple unmanned boats 1010 can be connected to each other by wireless communication to form a communication network. In addition, the unmanned boat 1010 is equipped with measurement sensors mounted on itself (such as acoustic sensors like sonar, optical cameras, IR cameras, laser sensors like LiDAR, radar sensors like millimeter-wave sensors and microwave sensors, etc.), and has the function of detecting moving objects on the sea such as ships, drift objects, drifters, marine buoys, etc. that are the target objects 7000, as well as underwater moving objects such as divers navigating in the sea and marine organisms (such as whales). It can also perform inspection and measurement of offshore structures such as offshore wind power facilities.

[0016] The detection determination results, measurement data of the target objects detected by the unmanned boat system 1000, and various information on the operation status of each unmanned boat 1010 of the unmanned boat system 1000 are transmitted to the overall control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 and the ground base station 4000. The overall control system 2000 determines operation commands for the unmanned boat system 1000 based on the acquired information from the unmanned boat system 1000 and the required information acquired in advance. Information such as the generated operation commands is transmitted to the cooperation system 5000, and it is also possible to obtain intervention commands from the cooperation system.

[0017] (A-1-2. Implementation Example of Control System 1 in the Real Space) Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the implementation image when implementing the control system 1 in the real space. In the example shown in Figure 2, on the ground side shown in the upper right of the drawing, there are provided the ground base station 4000 and the overall control system 2000. Also, on the ground side, there is provided a cooperation system 5000 including related facilities of external cooperation organizations such as external cooperation and monitoring organization facilities (including private security organizations, private rescue organizations, etc.), and further, there are provided external systems 6000 such as an AIS (Automatic Identification System) control center and an AIS base station that manage information on ships navigating on the ocean.

[0018] On the other hand, on the ocean side shown on the left side of the drawing, a part of the unmanned boat system 1000, the object 7000, and the cooperation system 5000 such as a monitoring ship operated by an external cooperation organization are deployed. The unmanned boat system 1000 has a plurality of groups (1000a, 1000b, 1000c) composed of a master machine and a plurality of slave machines, and can communicate directly or via the communication satellite 3000 between each group. The unmanned boat system 1000 can also communicate with the monitoring ship directly or via the communication satellite 3000. For example, detection information regarding the object 7000 can be notified from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the monitoring ship (or survey ship). The unmanned boat system 1000 may be communicably connected to an AIS base station to acquire AIS information.

[0019] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the overall control system 2000 is shown as being installed in a ground-side facility. However, it is not limited to this. All or part of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in this embodiment can be installed on a coastal on-site base provided in a ground-side coastal area not shown or a manned mother ship on the sea side, etc., and it is also possible to operate and manage the unmanned boat system 1000 at the coastal on-site base or the manned mother ship.

[0020] As the configuration of the embodiment described in FIGS. 1 and 2 above, an example of using a non-terrestrial network (Non-Terrestrial Network) using a communication satellite 3000 in a geosynchronous orbit or a low earth orbit as a communication network for transmitting and receiving information between the overall control system 2000 and the unmanned boat system 1000 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a non-terrestrial network using an unmanned aerial vehicle called a HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station) can also be used. In this case, for example, an unmanned aerial vehicle that orbits at an altitude of about 8 to 50 km can be used. Further, as a communication network for transmitting and receiving information between the overall control system 2000 and the unmanned boat 1010, it is also possible to use a communication network that directly connects the ground base station 4000 and the unmanned boat 1010 by wireless communication without passing through the communication satellite 3000 or HAPS. Note that the ground base station 4000 is not limited to a fixed immovable base station and may be composed of a movable mobile base station.

[0021] (A-1-3. Stakeholders related to Control System 1) FIG. 3 is a diagram showing stakeholders related to Control System 1. As shown in FIG. 3, in Control System 1, there is an operator who operates the unmanned boat system 1000 by inputting and outputting information via the user interface unit 2700 of the overall control system 2000. Note that when all or part of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in this embodiment are implemented in a ground-side coastal site base or a manned mother ship on the sea side that is not shown in the figure, the operator can operate and manage the unmanned boat system 1000 at the coastal site base or the manned mother ship.

[0022] In addition, there is a monitoring responsible person in the external cooperation monitoring organization facility of the cooperation system 5000, and a monitor on the monitoring ship. They cooperate with each other to search for the object 7000 in the ocean area. In addition, the cooperation system 5000 may also include private security companies and private rescue organizations. In the AIS control center of the external system 6000, there are persons in charge of generating, operating, and managing AIS information. Furthermore, the external system 6000 includes a weather information providing system that provides weather information in the area including the search target area, and there are persons in charge of generating, managing, and distributing weather information in the weather information providing system.

[0023] In addition, as the object 7000 to be searched by the control system 1 and the cooperation system 5000, there are marine moving objects such as ships, drifting objects, drifters, and offshore buoys, as well as underwater moving objects such as divers navigating underwater and marine organisms (such as whales). The control system 1 can more efficiently conduct the search for the object 7000 by communicating and cooperating with the cooperation system 5000 and the external system 6000. In addition, offshore structures such as offshore wind power generation facilities can also be included as objects for inspection and measurement.

[0024] (A-2. Unmanned Boat System 1000) Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the system configuration of the unmanned boat system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0025] (A-2-1. Overview of Unmanned Boat System 1000) FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing an unmanned boat system 1000 composed of a plurality of unmanned boats. As shown in FIG. 4, the unmanned boat system 1000 is composed of one or more groups (1000a, 1000b), and each group is composed of a plurality of unmanned boats 1010. In addition, the plurality of unmanned boats 1010 constituting each group are configured to serve as a master unit 1001 capable of wireless communication with the communication satellite 3000, or a slave unit 1002 capable of directly or indirectly communicating with the master unit 1001. The master unit 1001 is communicatively connected to the communication satellite 3000, aggregates the information collected from the plurality of slave units 1002 and transmits it to the communication satellite 3000, and has a function of directly or indirectly transmitting the information regarding the operation command obtained from the communication satellite 3000 and the information generated by itself to each slave unit 1002.

[0026] The group 1000a shown in FIG. 4 includes a primary connection slave unit 10021 communicatively connected to the master unit 1001, a secondary connection slave unit 10022 communicatively connected to the primary connection slave unit 10021, and a tertiary connection slave unit 10023 communicatively connected to the secondary connection slave unit 10022. Each slave unit (primary connection slave unit 10021, secondary connection slave unit 10022, tertiary connection slave unit 10023) has a function of relaying the information received from other master units 1001 or slave units 1002 to other master units 1001 and slave units 1002, thereby constituting a communication network among the master unit 1001 and the plurality of slave units 1002.

[0027] (A-2-2. State of Exploration by Unmanned Boat System 1000) FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the state in which the unmanned boat system 1000 deployed on the sea explores the object 7000. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 constituting a group are deployed on the sea, and the measurement sensor 1110 mounted on each unmanned boat 1010 can detect the object 7000 existing within the measurable range on the sea or in the sea. Measurement data of the detected object 7000, detection determination results, etc. are aggregated to the master unit 1001 via the communication network between the unmanned boats 1010, transmitted from the master unit 1001 to the communication satellite 3000, and transmitted to the overall control system 2000 via the ground base station 4000 and the Internet line. Further, each unmanned boat 1010 is provided with a navigation unit 1300 capable of navigating the unmanned boat 1010 in an arbitrary direction, and can execute the task of exploring the object 7000 based on the operation command transmitted by the overall control system 2000.

[0028] (A-2-3. Configuration of Unmanned Boat 1010) FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned boat 1010. In FIG. 6, the functional block diagram of the unmanned boat 1010 is described, but the master unit 1001 and the slave unit 1002 of the unmanned boat 1010 can all implement functions similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 6. The unmanned boat 1010 includes a measurement unit 1100, a self-state determination unit 1200, a navigation unit 1300, a communication unit 1400, a determination unit 1500, and a recording unit 1600.

[0029] The measurement unit 1100 is a functional unit that detects the object 7000 existing within the measurable range on the sea or in the sea around the unmanned boat 1010 by the measurement sensor 1110 and acquires measurement information regarding the object 7000. The measurement unit 1100 includes the measurement sensor 1110 and the measurement control unit 1120.

[0030] The measurement sensor 1110 may include one (monocular) or a plurality of electro-optical sensors (Electro-Optical sensors) that acquire image data on the sea or in the sea, optical cameras, infrared sensors (IR sensors), optical sensors such as stereo cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR that acquire point cloud data, optical ranging sensors such as ToF sensors (Time of Flight sensors), and radar sensors that detect millimeter waves and microwaves. The measurement sensor 1110 acquires measurement data of the object 7000 existing within the measurable range of the two-dimensional plane on the sea by measuring the periphery of the unmanned boat 1010. Further, each of the above sensors can be used as a ranging sensor that measures the distance to the object based on the measurement data.

[0031] In addition to the above sensors, the measurement sensor 1110 may have an acoustic sensor (also referred to as an acoustic measurement unit) that uses sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. The acoustic sensor can acquire measurement data of the object 7000 existing within the measurable range of the three-dimensional space in the water. Further, it can be used not only in water but also in the air above the water. When the acoustic sensor is used in the air, it can be used as a ranging sensor that measures the distance to the object to be measured by measuring the sound wave that is reflected by the object and returns after the generated sound wave hits the object. When the acoustic sensor is used in water, the acoustic sensor may be either an active sonar that generates a sound wave and measures the sound wave that resonates with an object in the water or a passive sonar that measures the sound generated from an object in the water. The active sonar can be composed of, for example, a side scan sonar, a multi-beam sonar, or a single-beam sonar. Further, the acoustic sensor may be composed of a USBL transceiver, an acoustic communication modem, or the like.

[0032] In addition, the measurement control unit 1120 operates a sensor attitude change device capable of changing the attitude of the measurement sensor 1110 to control at least one of the attitude angles of the measurement sensor 1110 around the three axes with respect to the unmanned boat 1010. Also, for example, when the measurement sensor is an optical sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the frame rate, shutter speed, and the like. When the measurement sensor is a laser sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of the irradiated laser. When the measurement sensor is a radar sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of millimeter waves or microwaves. Further, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the measurement sensitivity of the measurement sensor to an arbitrary control amount. When the measurement sensor is an optical sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can change the zoom amount and resolution of the optical sensor to an arbitrary control amount.

[0033] Next, the own-ship state determination unit 1200 includes a navigation state determination unit 1210, an internal state determination unit 1220, and an external state determination unit 1230, and is a functional unit that determines the navigation state, internal and external states of the unmanned boat 1010. The navigation state determination unit 1210 determines state quantities related to the position (two-dimensional or three-dimensional) of the own-ship, moving speed, bow azimuth, moving direction, moving acceleration / deceleration, turning speed, and other navigation states. The internal state determination unit 1220 determines the remaining energy amount and remaining fuel amount of the battery mounted on the own-ship, the movable distance that can be calculated based on the remaining energy amount and remaining fuel amount, temporary abnormal states (such as temperature abnormality, communication abnormality, etc.) of the devices mounted on the own-ship, and the failure states of the devices.

[0034] In addition, the external state determination unit 1230 can determine the communication quality status such as the communication strength (dB value, etc.), communication speed, and communication delay of wireless communication with other unmanned boats 1010 within the unmanned boat system 1000, or wireless communication with the unified control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or the ground base station 4000, or the sea state around the own ship (wave height, wave speed, sea current speed, sea current direction, tidal current speed, tidal current direction), weather state (wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity), weather condition (fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, cloudiness, etc.), seawater state (seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity concentration, magnesium concentration, Ph value, presence or absence of seaweed beds, etc., plankton concentration, water depth, transparency, underwater noise), sun-related information (sun position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory), backlight, front light, solar radiation amount), and other states (moon position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory, moon age), ionospheric disturbance (solar flare, etc.)).

[0035] The method for determining the position, moving speed, moving direction, and acceleration / deceleration of the own ship by the navigation state determination unit 1210 is not particularly limited. For example, the position, moving speed, and moving direction of the own ship at the current time can be determined using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GPS (Global Positioning System), RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System), etc. Here, the own position information includes at least two-dimensional coordinate information (e.g., latitude, longitude) in a plan view, and preferably includes three-dimensional coordinate information including altitude information. In addition, the acceleration / deceleration can be calculated based on the time change amount of the determined moving speed.

[0036] In addition, the method for measuring the heading direction of the own ship determines the heading direction of the own ship at the current time using, for example, a geomagnetic sensor, a GNSS compass, a SLAM technology using the seabed shape, etc. The heading direction includes at least the attitude angle (azimuth) in a plan view around the Z axis, and preferably may be attitude information around the three axes of the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis. In addition, the turning speed can be calculated based on the time change amount of the determined heading direction information.

[0037] Next, the navigation unit 1300 includes a thrust generation unit 1310, an attitude control mechanism 1320, and a navigation control unit 1330, and is a functional unit that navigates the own aircraft in an arbitrary direction according to the operation command received via the communication unit 1400. The thrust generation unit 1310 can apply any means capable of generating thrust. As an example, it can be composed of a propeller driven by utilizing the power of an engine or an electric motor. Also, the thrust generation unit 1310 can be composed of a sail that generates thrust by receiving wind, or can be composed of a wave glider that generates thrust by receiving wave power.

[0038] The attitude control mechanism 1320 is composed of a rudder plate provided on the airframe, a propeller attitude change mechanism capable of changing the attitude angle of the propeller (mainly the yaw angle around the Z axis), etc. By changing these angles, the heading direction (yaw angle) of the own aircraft can be controlled. Also, by a center-of-gravity position change mechanism that changes the position of a weight object in the airframe with an actuator, the attitude angles of the roll angle around the X axis and the pitch angle around the Y axis of the airframe can also be controlled.

[0039] Also, the navigation control unit 1330 is a functional unit that controls the navigation operation of the own aircraft by controlling the thrust generation unit 1310 and the attitude control mechanism 1320. The navigation control unit 1330 has one or more processors such as a programmable processor (for example, a central processing unit (CPU), MPU, or DSP), and includes a processing unit that can access a memory (storage unit). The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that are executable by the processing unit to perform one or more processing steps.

[0040] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the navigation state of the own aircraft. For example, the control module adjusts the position of the own aircraft on the sea surface, the moving speed, the moving acceleration and deceleration, the heading direction, the turning speed, and the attitude angles around the three axes. That is, the navigation control unit 1330 controls the navigation operation of the own aircraft by causing the own aircraft to perform operations such as forward movement, backward movement, acceleration, deceleration, and turning.

[0041] Next, the communication unit 1400 includes an inter-unmanned-boat communication unit 1410 and a centralized control communication unit 1420, and is a functional unit that communicates with other unmanned boats 1010 and the centralized control system 2000 within the unmanned boat system 1000. The inter-unmanned-boat communication unit 1410 is equipped with a communication antenna for use in a maritime wireless communication network and communicates with other unmanned boats 1010 within the unmanned boat system 1000. The centralized control communication unit 1420 is equipped with a satellite communication antenna capable of communicating with the communication satellite 3000 or a communication antenna capable of communicating with the ground base station 4000, and communicates with the centralized control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or the ground base station 4000. In addition to the above-described communication units, the communication unit may be equipped with an AIS antenna and a VHF antenna, and may also be equipped with a communication unit that communicates with an external monitoring boat or an AIS base station.

[0042] Next, the determination unit 1500 is a functional unit that performs data processing such as primary processing and data compression of the measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor 1110. The determination unit 1500 can perform, for example, data processing on the raw data (measurement data) after measurement acquired by the measurement sensor 1110, and perform primary processing to generate transmission data to be wirelessly transmitted from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the centralized control system 2000. Further, the determination unit 1500 can perform data compression processing to compress the raw data (measurement data) after measurement and generate transmission data so that the transmission load when wirelessly transmitting the transmission data from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the centralized control system 2000 is reduced.

[0043] Furthermore, the determination unit 1500 can interpret the state of the object 7000 by performing primary processing on the measurement data, and can interpret the presence or absence of a detected object, the size of the detected object, etc. Also, depending on the interpretation result, it may have a function of determining whether to transmit measurement data or transmission data from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the centralized control system 2000, or selecting the data to be transmitted.

[0044] Next, the recording unit 1600 includes a measurement data recording unit 1610, a own-ship state recording unit 1620, and a determination information recording unit 1630. The measurement data recording unit 1610 records the measurement data measured by the measurement unit 1100. The own-ship state recording unit 1620 records various state information regarding the own ship determined by the own-ship state determination unit 1200. Also, the determination information recording unit 1630 records various determination information determined by the determination unit 1500.

[0045] (A-3. Configuration of the overall control system 2000) Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the functions of the overall control system 2000 and their contents will be described. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the overall control system 2000. As shown in FIG. 7, the overall control system 2000 includes an information import unit 2100, a disturbance influence pre-determination unit 2200, a search plan determination unit 2300, a disturbance influence update determination unit 2400, a search plan update unit 2500, an information output unit 2600, and a user input reception unit 2700.

[0046] (A-3-1. Information import unit 2100) The information import unit 2100 is a functional unit that acquires information processed or used in each functional unit within the overall control system 2000 from an external system 6000, an unmanned boat system 1000, a cooperation system 5000, etc. The pre-information acquisition unit 2100 includes a request information acquisition unit 2110, an unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2120, and an environmental information acquisition unit 2130.

[0047] The request information acquisition unit 2110 is a functional unit that acquires search request information including the request conditions for searching for the object 7000 using the unmanned boat system 1000. The unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2120 is a functional unit that acquires the performance information of the unmanned boat 1010 constituting the unmanned boat system 1000 and other information regarding the unmanned boat 1010.

[0048] Using FIG. 8, an example of the information acquired by the request information acquisition unit 2110 and the unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2120 will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the request information and the unmanned boat related information acquired by the request information acquisition unit 2110 and the unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2120. As shown in FIG. 8, the request information acquired by the request information acquisition unit 2110 includes information regarding the object to be searched, the target area, the search time, the search target value, etc. related to the search conditions. Note that the information regarding the area can include, in addition to the target area, information regarding the prohibited entry area (for example, the position of the navigation route, the permitted passage time zone, traffic congestion prediction information, etc.) and information regarding the communicable area (for example, the position of the communicable area with the terrestrial communication station, etc.). Note that the information regarding the prohibited entry area can be obtained from AIS information acquired from the external system 6000, etc.

[0049] The object to be searched is information that can identify the object 7000, and can include, for example, ships, marine buoys, divers, etc. In addition to this, it can include other marine moving objects such as floating objects, drifters, etc., and other underwater moving objects such as marine organisms (such as whales). Also, the target area is information that can identify the position and range of the area to be searched, and can include a marine area or an underwater area. Here, the information of the object to be searched may include the type determination condition for specifying the type of the above-mentioned object 7000.

[0050] Also, the search time is information that can identify the time when the search operation is executed, and is information including date and time, time, or time zone. Also, the search target value can include the target value of the search rate (also referred to as the coverage rate or the monitoring density distribution) indicating the ratio of the area that has been moved or measured by the unmanned boat 1010 with respect to the target area to be searched, or the target value of the detection probability (also referred to as the target discovery probability, the detection rate, the encounter rate) indicating the probability that the unmanned boat 1010 detects the object 7000.

[0051] Next, the unmanned boat related information acquired by the unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2120 includes the power performance, measurement performance, communication performance, self-position estimation performance, other performance of the unmanned boat 1010, or the state information of the unmanned boat 1010.

[0052] The power performance includes performance information regarding the power of the unmanned boat 1010, such as the maximum moving speed, maximum acceleration, maximum turning angular velocity, and sustainable distance. In addition, the measurement performance includes the type of the measurement sensor 1110, the measurable area (including the sea area and the underwater area), and the measurable distance.

[0053] The communication performance can include the communication distance, communication speed, communication strength with the unmanned boat 1010 that is the communication partner in the wireless communication network formed among a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 within the unmanned boat system 1000, or the communication distance, communication speed, and communication strength of the satellite communication link using the communication satellite 3000.

[0054] The self-position estimation performance is information indicating the performance of self-position estimation determined by the navigation state determination unit 1210 of the unmanned boat 1010 using the GNSS signal, and can include, for example, the reception strength of the GNSS signal. Here, the self-position estimation performance can be defined by at least either the calculation accuracy capable of calculating the self-position more accurately or the ratio at which a mis-calculation occurs that calculates an obviously incorrect self-position.

[0055] In addition, the other performance can include the number of the unmanned boats 1010 available for searching for the object 7000, the remaining amount of the battery (such as SoC) mounted on the unmanned boat 1010, or the power generation amount of the power generation unit mounted on the unmanned boat 1010.

[0056] In addition, the state information of the unmanned boat 1010 can include the abnormal state (temporary abnormality such as temperature abnormality) and the failure state (irreversible failure such as component breakage) of the unmanned boat 1010.

[0057] Next, the environmental information acquisition unit 2130 is a functional unit that acquires environmental information regarding the target area. Also, the environmental information acquisition unit 2130 can acquire environmental information from the external system 6000 or the unmanned boat system 1000 either in advance or in real time, or interpret environmental information based on current or past information acquired from the external system 6000 or the unmanned boat system 1000. The environmental information acquisition unit 2130 acquires various environmental information regarding the target area where the target object 7000 is to be searched and its surrounding areas. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2130. As shown in FIG. 9, the environmental information includes externally provided environmental information provided by the external system 6000 and unmanned boat acquired environmental information acquired from the unmanned boat system 1000.

[0058] The externally provided environmental information includes sea state, weather state, climate state, seawater state, sun-related state, and other states. The sea state includes state information regarding the sea state such as high waves, wave speed, sea current speed, sea current direction, tidal current speed, and tidal current direction. The weather state includes state information regarding the weather such as wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, and humidity. The climate state includes state information regarding the climate such as fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, and cloudiness.

[0059] Also, the seawater state includes information regarding the state of seawater including seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity concentration, magnesium concentration, pH value, presence or absence of seaweed beds, etc., plankton concentration, water depth, transparency, underwater noise, etc. The sun-related state includes state information related to the sun including sun position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory), backlight, front light, solar radiation amount, etc. The other states are states other than the above-mentioned various environmental states, and include, for example, state information such as moon position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory, moon age), ionospheric disturbance (caused by solar flares), etc.

[0060] Next, the unmanned boat measurement information includes, for example, information on the target position and the current position of the unmanned boat 1010. The environmental information acquisition unit 2130 can calculate the difference between the target position and the current position, and perform estimation calculations on the magnitude and direction of external forces such as ocean currents and winds acting on the unmanned boat 1010, such as ocean currents. In addition, the unmanned boat measurement information can include measurement image information captured by an optical camera or the like. The environmental information acquisition unit 2130 can interpret the wave height, weather, sun-related conditions, etc. described above by performing image processing on this measurement image information. Note that the unmanned boat measurement information can be obtained, for example, by instructing an unmanned boat 1010 (such as an unmanned boat not participating in the exploration work) deployed near the desired area where the unmanned boat measurement information is to be obtained to move to the desired area to obtain the unmanned boat measurement information.

[0061] (A-3-2. Disturbance Influence Determination Unit 2200) The disturbance influence determination unit 2200 is a functional unit that estimates the influence on the unmanned boat 1010 and estimates the exploration performance regarding the exploration by a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 based on the environmental information and the like acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2130. When the environmental information acquisition unit 2130 updates and acquires the environmental information, the influence on the unmanned boat 1010 can be updated and estimated, and the estimated value of the exploration performance regarding the exploration by a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 can be updated. The disturbance influence pre-determination unit 2200 includes a system influence estimation unit 2210, an exploration performance estimation unit 2220, and an exploration performance update estimation unit 2230.

[0062] The system influence estimation unit 2210 estimates the performance of the unmanned boat system 1000 affected by the environmental disturbance based on the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2130, based on the information on the environmental disturbance that affects various performances of the unmanned boat system 1000. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence relationship information between the unmanned boat performance and the environmental disturbance used in the system influence estimation process by the system influence estimation unit 2210.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 10, the correspondence information includes, as environmental disturbances that affect the power performance (maximum moving speed, maximum acceleration, maximum turning angular velocity, endurance distance, etc.) of the unmanned boat 1010, sea state (wave height, wave speed, sea current speed, sea current direction, tidal current speed, tidal current direction), weather conditions (wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, humidity), and underwater conditions (seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity concentration, magnesium concentration, pH value, transparency, presence or absence of algal beds, etc.).

[0064] In addition, the correspondence information includes, as environmental disturbances that affect the optical measurement performance of various cameras mounted on the unmanned boat 1010, information such as solar position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory), backlight, frontlight, solar irradiance, lunar position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory, lunar age), and time zone (nighttime). Furthermore, as environmental disturbances that affect the underwater measurement performance of various cameras and acoustic sensors mounted on the unmanned boat 1010, underwater conditions (seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity concentration, magnesium concentration, pH value, presence or absence of algal beds, plankton concentration, water depth, transparency, underwater noise, etc.) are included.

[0065] In addition, the correspondence information includes, as environmental disturbances that affect the radio wave communication performance used for wireless communication, weather (fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, cloudiness, etc.), ionospheric disturbance (caused by solar flares), etc.

[0066] In addition, the correspondence information includes, as environmental disturbances that affect the power performance (such as battery performance) of the unmanned boat 1010, weather conditions (especially air temperature), underwater conditions (especially seawater temperature), etc. Also, as environmental disturbances that affect the GNSS signal reception performance of the unmanned boat 1010, ionospheric disturbance (caused by solar flares), etc. are included.

[0067] In addition, as environmental disturbances that affect the search performance such as the search rate and detection probability of the search by the unmanned boat system 1000, the various environmental disturbances described above are included.

[0068] The exploration performance estimation unit 2220 is a functional unit that estimates various exploration performances such as measurement performance, communication performance, power performance, power supply performance, GNSS signal reception performance (self-position estimation performance), exploration rate, etc. regarding exploration by a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 based on environmental information about the area where the exploration is carried out. The exploration performance estimation unit 2220 may have a function of determining whether there is a performance degradation or performance improvement in the various performances of the above-mentioned unmanned boat 1010 based on environmental information about the area where the exploration is carried out.

[0069] First, an example of the method for estimating the measurement performance will be described. The exploration performance estimation unit 2220 can estimate the measurement performance including at least one of the measurable distance of the measurement sensor 1110 and the two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurable area in the exploration area based on, for example, environmental information about the exploration area. When estimating the measurement performance in this way, the exploration performance estimation unit 2220 can estimate at least one of the measurable distance and the two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurable area, which is the measurement performance that the measurement sensor can exhibit in the exploration area, based on, for example, environmental information about the exploration area (for example, various environmental disturbance information described as environmental disturbances affecting the measurement performance in FIG. 10) and the pre-measurement performance of the measurement sensor previously obtained by the unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2120 (for example, the specifications of the measurement sensor in normal times).

[0070] Here, when a camera capable of acquiring image data including the object 7000 existing in the marine area is applied as the measurement sensor 1110, the search performance estimation unit 2220 is based on the environmental information including at least any one of the position, altitude, azimuth, trajectory of the sun, or the position, altitude, azimuth, trajectory, lunar age of the moon, or backlight, front light, solar radiation amount, time zone in the area where the search is to be performed. It is possible to estimate at least any one of the measurable distance and the two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurable area, which is the measurement performance that the camera can exhibit in the search area. Since the position of the sun or the moon is low, and it may be difficult to perform marine measurement by the camera due to backlight or the like, the measurable distance and the measurable area are corrected in consideration of such a situation. In addition, when the measurement performance deteriorates due to the position of the sun or the moon, it is possible to perform the search more efficiently by generating a search plan for changing the measurement direction.

[0071] Further, when an optical camera capable of acquiring image data of the object 7000 existing in the underwater area or an acoustic sensor capable of detecting the object 7000 existing in the underwater area is applied as the measurement sensor 1110, the search performance estimation unit 2220 is based on the environmental information including at least any one of the seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity concentration, magnesium concentration, Ph value, presence or absence of kelp beds, plankton concentration, water depth, transparency, underwater noise in the underwater area of the search area. It is possible to estimate at least any one of the measurable distance and the two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurable area, which is the measurement performance that the optical camera or the acoustic sensor can exhibit in the search area.

[0072] Next, an example of the method for estimating the communication performance will be described. When transmitting data information through a wireless communication network among a plurality of unmanned boats 1010, the search performance estimation unit 2220 is based on the environmental information including at least any one of fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet in the area where the search is to be performed. It is possible to estimate the communication performance including at least any one of the communication distance, communication speed, and communication strength of the wireless communication network in the search area. This is because water droplets, moisture, or thunder in the air affect radio waves and the communication performance changes.

[0073] Next, an example of a method for estimating communication performance will be described. When at least one of the plurality of unmanned boats 1010 receives data information using a satellite communication line via a communication satellite 3000 or the like, the search performance estimation unit 2220 determines the fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, or cloudiness in the area where the search is to be conducted. Based on the weather condition including at least one of them, or the state of the ionosphere over the area where the search is to be conducted, it is possible to estimate the communication performance including at least one of the communication range, communication speed, and communication strength of the satellite communication line in the area where the search is to be conducted. This is because, as described above, water droplets, moisture, or thunder in the air affect radio waves and change the communication performance.

[0074] Next, an example of a method for estimating the self-position estimation performance using GNSS received signals will be described. When at least one of the plurality of unmanned boats 1010 calculates its own position using the GNSS received signals received from artificial satellites, the search performance estimation unit 2220 determines the fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, or cloudiness in the area where the search is to be conducted. Based on the weather condition including at least one of them, or the state of the ionosphere (e.g., ionospheric disturbance state, etc.) over the area where the search is to be conducted, it is possible to estimate the self-position calculation performance of the unmanned boat 1010 in the area where the search is to be conducted. This is because, as described above, water droplets, moisture, thunder, or ionospheric disturbance in the air affect radio waves and change the radio wave reception performance.

[0075] Next, an example of a method for estimating the power performance of the unmanned boat 1010 will be described. The exploration performance estimation unit 2220 estimates the power performance including at least any one of the maximum moving speed, maximum acceleration, maximum turning angular velocity, maximum turning speed, maximum turning angle, and follow-up possible distance of the unmanned boat 1010 in the exploration area based on the sea state including at least any one of the wave height, wave speed, sea current speed, sea current direction, tidal current speed, and tidal current direction in the exploration area, or the weather state including at least any one of the wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, and humidity in the exploration area, or the sea water state including at least any one of the sea water temperature, sea water density, salinity concentration, magnesium concentration, Ph value, transparency, presence or absence of seaweed beds, plankton concentration, water depth, and transparency in the exploration area. The above-described sea state, weather state, and sea water state are the causes of the increase or decrease of external forces and resistance to the unmanned boat 1010, and the power performance changes accordingly.

[0076] For example, when moving in the direction opposite to the flow direction of external disturbances such as waves, sea currents, tidal currents, and winds, the power performance of the unmanned boat 1010 is affected according to the speed of these external disturbance flows and the power performance decreases. Conversely, when moving in the same direction as the flow direction of external disturbances such as waves, sea currents, tidal currents, and winds, the power performance of the unmanned boat 1010 is affected according to the speed of these external disturbance flows and the power performance improves. Thus, for external disturbances with a flow, the power performance is estimated according to the flow direction and speed.

[0077] In addition, the exploration performance estimation unit 2220 estimates either the exploration rate indicating the achievement of the explored area explored by the unmanned boat 1010 or the detection probability indicating the probability of detecting the object 7000 by the unmanned boat 1010 according to at least any one of the environmental information of the exploration area, the measurement performance of the measurement sensor 1110 estimated based on the environmental information, the communication performance of the unmanned boat 1010, the self-position calculation performance, and the power performance.

[0078] Here, when the measurement performance deteriorates, the searchable area decreases. Also, when the communication performance deteriorates, the upper limit relative distance between the unmanned boats becomes shorter, and the unmanned boats cannot be deployed widely, resulting in a decrease in the searchable area. Further, when the self-position calculation performance deteriorates, the position of the unmanned boat cannot be controlled as per the search plan, increasing inefficient operations and reducing the search performance. Also, when the power performance deteriorates, the position of the unmanned boat cannot be controlled as per the search plan, increasing inefficient operations and reducing the search performance. Thus, when the measurement performance, communication performance, self-position calculation performance, and power performance of the unmanned boat 1010 deteriorate, it is desirable to estimate the search rate and detection probability according to these various performances because the search rate and detection probability decrease.

[0079] Also, although not shown in FIG. 10, the above-described power performance and communication performance deteriorate due to the remaining energy amount of the unmanned boat 1010. Therefore, when the power supply performance (power supply capacity) deteriorates due to the influence of the environmental disturbance weather conditions (temperature) and seawater conditions (seawater temperature), resulting in a decrease in the remaining energy amount, or when the remaining energy amount decreases due to energy consumption, the search performance estimation unit 2220 can estimate the power performance and communication performance according to the remaining energy amount.

[0080] Next, the search performance update estimation unit 2230 is a functional unit that updates the estimation result of the search performance based on the update information of the environmental information when the update information of the environmental information is acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2130. When the update information of the environmental information is acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2130, the search performance update estimation unit 2230 can update the estimated values of various search performances such as the measurement performance, communication performance, power performance, power supply performance, GNSS signal reception performance (self-position estimation performance), search rate, and detection probability related to the search by the unmanned boat 1010 estimated by the above-described search performance estimation unit 2220 in real time.

[0081] (A-3-3. Search Plan Determination Unit 2300) The exploration plan determination unit 2300 is a functional unit that performs at least one of the determination of whether to execute an exploration that satisfies the required conditions included in the exploration request information, the generation or update of an exploration plan for an exploration that satisfies the required conditions, based on the exploration request information acquired by the request information acquisition unit 2110 and the exploration performance estimated by the exploration performance estimation unit 2220. The exploration plan determination unit 2300 includes a requirement fulfillment determination unit 2310, an exploration plan draft generation unit 2320, a requirement fulfillment update determination unit 2330, an exploration plan change draft generation unit 2340, an exploration plan confirmation unit 2350, and an exploration execution command unit 2360.

[0082] The requirement fulfillment determination unit 2310 is a functional unit that determines whether to execute an exploration that satisfies the required conditions included in the exploration request information. The requirement fulfillment determination unit 2310 can determine, for example, based on the exploration performance estimated by the exploration performance estimation unit 2220, whether it is possible to execute an exploration that satisfies the required conditions. Also, when the required conditions include information regarding the time limit for the exploration, the requirement fulfillment determination unit 2310 can determine whether there are unexplored areas where exploration has not yet been carried out in the area where exploration will be performed at the end of the time limit, or whether there are insufficient exploration areas where exploration has been carried out but the exploration content such as the exploration range and exploration time is insufficient.

[0083] For example, the requirement fulfillment determination unit 2310 compares the flow velocity and direction of the sea current or tidal current, which is the current environmental information (or the average value of past environmental information) of the area where the exploration is to be carried out, with the power specifications of the unmanned boat acquired by the unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2120. If the maximum speed of the unmanned boat is lower than the flow velocity of the sea current or tidal current, it can be determined that the requirements of the exploration cannot be achieved because the unmanned boat cannot move in the direction against the sea current or tidal current or stop at a predetermined position.

[0084] The search plan proposal generation unit 2320 is a functional unit that generates a search plan for a search that meets the requirement conditions included in the search request information. The requirement fulfillment determination unit 2310 can generate, for example, a search plan that can satisfy at least one of the requirement conditions of object-related information that can identify the object 7000 included in the search request information, area information that can identify the area where the search is to be performed, search time information regarding the search time, and search target information regarding the search target value, based on the search performance estimated by the search performance estimation unit 2220.

[0085] In addition, the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 can generate a search plan that can be implemented in the current own-ship state according to the current own-ship state such as the remaining battery level of the current unmanned boat 1010.

[0086] Also, when update information of the environmental information is acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2130 and the search performance estimation unit 2220 estimates the search performance according to the updated acquired environmental information, the requirement fulfillment update determination unit 2330 can determine whether the search plan already generated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 can be executed based on the newly updated and estimated search performance. Further, when the search plan includes information regarding the search time, the requirement fulfillment update determination unit 2330 can determine whether there are still unexplored locations in the area where the search is to be performed at the end of the search time, or whether there are insufficient search locations where the search has been performed but the search content such as the search range and search time is insufficient.

[0087] In addition, the requirement fulfillment update determination unit 2330 can compare the power performance such as the energy amount and moving speed required for the execution of the search plan generated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 with the remaining battery level of the current unmanned boat 1010 and the updated and estimated power performance of the current unmanned boat 1010 to determine whether the search plan can be executed. Also, the requirement fulfillment update determination unit 2330 may determine the areas where the search is impossible for each area based on the acquired environmental information and the estimated values of various performances of the unmanned boat 1010.

[0088] Also, when the environment information acquisition unit 2130 acquires update information of the environment information and the search performance estimation unit 2220 estimates the search performance according to the updated acquired environment information, the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 can update the already generated search plan so as to satisfy the requirement conditions included in the search request information based on the search performance estimated by the search performance update estimation unit 2230 according to the environment information updated and acquired by the environment information acquisition unit 2130.

[0089] The content of the search plan generated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or updated by the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 will be described below. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the search plan generated or updated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340.

[0090] In the example shown in FIG. 11, the search plan generated or updated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 includes items related to the search target, items related to the operation plan, plans related to the system configuration of the group, plans related to measurement, plans related to communication, and the like.

[0091] The search plan generated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or updated by the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, search target information including at least any one of a search rate indicating the achievement of the searched area searched by a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 and a detection probability indicating the probability of detecting the object 7000 by the unmanned boat 1010.

[0092] In addition, the search plan generated by the search plan generation unit 2320 or updated by the search plan change generation unit 2340 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, an operation plan including at least any one of the moving speed, acceleration, turning angular velocity, turning speed, turning angle, straight - running time, moving path, and search execution time schedule of a plurality of unmanned boats 1010. For example, the search plan generation unit 2320 or the search plan change generation unit 2340 estimates the power performance based on the information on the sea current and wind speed and direction for each time included in the acquired environmental information, and uses the flow of the sea current and wind to generate an operation plan including a moving path, moving speed, and search execution time schedule (such as changing the day - night action shift) that can save power consumption.

[0093] Also, as another example, based on the search rate for each area updated by the search performance update estimation unit 2230 based on the newly acquired environmental information, the search plan change generation unit 2340 can update the moving path so as to preferentially pass through an area with a relatively low search rate or its surrounding area.

[0094] Furthermore, as another example, the search plan change generation unit 2340 calculates the amount of energy required to execute the search plan based on the weather information and the like included in the acquired environmental information, and can generate an operation plan including a moving path, moving speed, and search execution time schedule (such as changing the day - night action shift) that can be executed with the remaining battery level of the current unmanned boat 1010.

[0095] Furthermore, as another example, the search plan generation unit 2320 or the search plan change generation unit 2340 identifies an area with a large amount of solar radiation or a high seawater temperature grasped from the environmental information, and when the aircraft is in a high - temperature state, generates or updates the moving path to avoid the above - mentioned area, and when the battery mounted on the aircraft is in a low - temperature state, generates or updates the moving path to pass through the above - mentioned area.

[0096] Further, the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 can adopt a system configuration plan in which the movement route of the unmanned boat 1010 is modified so as to postpone the search of areas where bad weather such as rainfall, snowfall, or fog is occurring. Also, when the unmanned boat 1010 is equipped with a solar panel for battery charging, conversely, the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 can use the movement route that preferentially moves to search areas where rainfall is occurring, so that the solar panel can be washed by the rain.

[0097] In addition, the search plan generated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or updated by the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, a system configuration plan including at least any one of the number of hulls, formation, arrangement distribution, upper limit relative distance between ships, and target relative distance of a plurality of unmanned boats 1010. Further, the system configuration plan may include unmanned boat designation information that can identify the unmanned boat 1010 assigned to the search operation in addition to the above-described information. For example, based on the acquired environmental information, the target area included in the search conditions, the search target value, etc., the amount of energy required for the search operation is predicted, and the unmanned boat 1010 having a remaining battery level equal to or higher than the predicted required power amount is identified, whereby the unmanned boat designation information can be generated.

[0098] In addition, the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 identifies the unmanned boat 1010 with fast surrounding wind, tidal current, or ocean current speed based on the newly acquired environmental information, and since it is expected that the search rate will decrease around the unmanned boat 1010, the arrangement distribution can also be changed so that the hull density around the unmanned boat 1010 increases.

[0099] Further, the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 can adopt a system configuration plan in which the arrangement distribution is modified so as to postpone the search of areas where bad weather such as rainfall, snowfall, or fog is occurring.

[0100] In addition, when the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 determines that the communication performance has deteriorated in an area where bad weather such as rainfall, snowfall, or fog is occurring, it can set a system configuration plan to shorten the upper limit relative distance of communication between the unmanned boats or increase the number of aircraft in the area where bad weather is occurring to suppress a decrease in search performance.

[0101] In addition, the search plan generated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or updated by the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, a measurement plan including at least one of the type, measurement direction, and measurement timing of the measurement sensor 1110. Note that the measurement timing is a plan regarding the timing of measurement execution, including, for example, whether to perform measurement when the unmanned boat 1010 is moving or when it is stationary.

[0102] In addition, when the wave height around the unmanned boat 1010 is high based on the acquired environmental information, a measurement plan can be set in which the measurement execution timing is determined to perform shooting at the wave's apex based on the wave period.

[0103] In addition, the search plan generated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or updated by the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, a communication plan including at least one of the communication standard or communication path used for the wireless communication network between the plurality of unmanned boats 1010, the communication standard or communication path of the satellite communication line used by the unmanned boat 1010, and the transmission timing of the measurement data measured by the measurement sensor.

[0104] In addition, when the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 determines, based on the acquired environmental information, that ionospheric disturbances have occurred due to solar flares or the like, it can set a communication plan to change the communication path between the unmanned boat system 1000 and the overall control system 2000 from satellite communication via the communication satellite 3000 to another communication path (such as a communication path for direct wireless communication from the unmanned boat 1010 to the ground base station 4000).

[0105] Although not shown in FIG. 11, the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 may have a function of generating or updating the aircraft management plan of the unmanned boat 1010. In this case, for example, when the unmanned boat 1010 is equipped with a solar panel for battery charging, the daily solar radiation amount and the power generation amount of the solar panel based on the solar radiation amount are predicted according to the acquired environmental information, and the shortage of the battery charge amount is predicted, so that an aircraft management plan for aircraft recovery, replacement, or aircraft recovery and battery charging can be generated or updated.

[0106] The search plan determination unit 2350 has a function of determining the search plan generated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or updated by the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340. For example, the search plan generated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or updated by the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 is proposed and displayed or notified to the user via the display output unit 2410 or the cooperation system 5000 described later, and when the approval input from the user is received, the search plan is determined. Further, when a correction input is received from the user, the search plan can be corrected and determined according to the content of the correction input.

[0107] The search execution command unit 2360 is a functional unit that generates a command signal based on the search plan determined by the search plan determination unit 2330 and causes the command output unit 2420 described later to transmit the command signal to the unmanned boat system 1000.

[0108] (A-3-4. Information output unit 2400) The information output unit 2400 has a function of displaying and outputting or notifying and outputting information including the determination result determined by the search plan determination unit 2300, and a function of transmitting the command signal generated by the search execution command unit 2360 based on the determination result to the unmanned boat system 1000. The information output unit 2400 includes a display output unit 2410 and a command output unit 2420.

[0109] The display output unit 2410 is a functional unit that performs display output or notification output of information including the determination result determined by the search plan determination unit 2300. For example, it is possible to perform display output of the determination result regarding the executability of the search determined by the request achievement determination unit 2310 of the search plan determination unit 2300 and information regarding the reason for the determination. Here, when the request conditions include information regarding the search time limit, if the display output unit 2410 determines that there are still unexplored locations in the area where the search is to be performed at the end of the time limit by the request achievement determination unit 2310, or there are insufficiently explored locations where the search has been performed but the search content such as the search range and search time is insufficient, it is possible to perform display output of information regarding the unexplored locations and insufficiently explored locations in map format. Alternatively, the display output unit 2410 can perform display output of the determination result regarding the executability of the search determined by the request achievement determination unit 2310, such as being unable to achieve the search target such as the target search rate included in the request conditions, and information regarding the reason for the determination.

[0110] In addition, the display output unit 2410 can perform display output of the determination result regarding the executability of the search determined by the request achievement update determination unit 2330 and information regarding the reason for the determination. Furthermore, the display output unit 2410 can also display proposal information and the like regarding the search plan generated or updated by the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 or the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340.

[0111] In addition to the above-mentioned various information, the display output unit 2410 can also display the latest environmental information, unmanned boat acquisition information, and the position of the unmanned boat on the map acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2130. Also, it is possible to display various performances estimated for each unmanned boat in association with the unmanned boat displayed on the map. Further, when the latest environmental information and unmanned boat acquisition information are acquired, it may have a function of notifying the user to that effect.

[0112] The command output unit 2420 can transmit the command signal generated by the search execution command unit 2360 to the unmanned boat system 1000. The command signal transmitted by the designated output unit 2420 may be transmitted to the unmanned boat system 1000 by satellite communication via the communication satellite 3000, or may be directly transmitted from the ground base station to the unmanned boat system 1000 without passing through the communication satellite 3000.

[0113] (A-3-5. User Input Reception Unit 2500) The user input reception unit 2500 is a functional unit that receives input information from the user. For example, the user input reception unit 2500 may have a function of receiving answer inputs such as approval and correction from the user for various proposed information displayed on the display output unit 2410. The user input reception unit 2500 can also perform reception via operation buttons provided on the display screen of the display output unit 2410. The display output unit 2410 and the user input reception unit 2500 may be portable mobile terminals such as smartphones, tablet terminals, and notebook PCs.

[0114] (A-4. Control Flow of Control System 1) Next, the control flow of the entire control system 1 will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the control system 1. Steps 101 to 104 shown in FIG. 12 are pre-preparation processes before executing the search, and steps 106 to 108 are processes performed during the search.

[0115] First, the request information acquisition unit 2110 and the unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2120 of the information import unit 2100 acquire pre-information and unmanned boat information (step 101).

[0116] Next, the environment information acquisition unit 2130 of the information import unit 2100 acquires environment information (step 102).

[0117] Next, the search performance estimation unit 2220 of the disturbance influence determination unit 2200 estimates the search performance regarding the search using the unmanned boat 1010 or the unmanned boat system 1000 based on the environmental information and the unmanned boat information (step 103).

[0118] Next, the request fulfillment determination unit 2310 of the search plan determination unit 2300 determines whether it is possible to execute a search that satisfies the request conditions based on the request information and the search performance, and the search plan proposal generation unit 2320 generates a search plan for a search that satisfies the request conditions based on the request information and the search performance (step 104).

[0119] Next, the search execution command unit 2360 generates a command signal based on the search plan, and the command output unit 2420 transmits the command signal to the unmanned boat system 1000 to cause the unmanned boat system 1000 to execute the search (step 105).

[0120] Next, the search performance update estimation unit 2230 updates the estimated value of the search performance according to the newly acquired environmental information (step 106).

[0121] Next, the request fulfillment update determination unit 2330 determines whether it is possible to execute a search that satisfies the request conditions based on the request information and the updated search performance, and the search plan change proposal generation unit 2340 updates the search plan for a search that satisfies the request conditions based on the request information and the updated search performance (step 107).

[0122] Next, the search execution command unit 2360 generates a command signal based on the updated search plan, and the command output unit 2420 transmits the command signal to the unmanned boat system 1000 to cause the unmanned boat system 1000 to execute the search (step 108).

[0123] (A-5. Control Sequence in Control System 1) Next, the control sequence between each system in the control system 1 will be described. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing the exchange of signals between the systems in the control system 1.

[0124] First, weather information and the like are transmitted from the external system 6000 to the overall control system 2000.

[0125] Next, a search plan is generated by the search plan determination unit 2300 of the overall control system 2000, and the generated search plan is proposed and displayed to the cooperation system 5000 and the like, and the search plan is determined. Based on the determined search plan, a search command is generated, and the command signal of the search command is transmitted to each group of the unmanned boat system 1000.

[0126] Next, information regarding the environmental information and operating state obtained by the unmanned boat 1010 is transmitted from each group of the unmanned boat system 1000 to the overall control system 2000. Also, the latest weather information and the like are transmitted from the external system 6000 to the overall control system 2000.

[0127] Next, the search plan determination unit 2300 of the overall control system 2000 updates the search plan according to the received environmental information, weather information, etc., and the updated search plan after the update is proposed and displayed to the cooperation system 5000 and the like, and the updated search plan is determined.

[0128] Next, an updated search command is generated based on the determined updated search plan, and the command signal of the updated search command is transmitted to each group of the unmanned boat system 1000.

[0129] (A-6. Estimation of Search Performance) Next, a method for estimating the search performance of the unmanned boat system 1000 by the disturbance influence determination unit 2200 will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of an estimation processing flow of search performance according to environmental information by the disturbance influence determination unit 2200. In particular, FIG. 14 shows the detailed processing of step 103 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 12.

[0130] First, the system impact estimation unit 2210 determines environmental disturbances that affect the performance related to the exploration of the unmanned boat 1010 (step 201). For example, by acquiring the correspondence relationship information between the unmanned boat performance and environmental disturbances as shown in FIG. 10, the environmental state that affects the performance related to the exploration can be determined.

[0131] Next, according to the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2130, the system impact estimation unit 2210 determines whether there is an impact on the unmanned boat performance (step 202). In this step, for example, whether each environmental disturbance shown in FIG. 10 is within a predetermined range or deviates from the predetermined range can be used to determine whether there is an impact on the unmanned boat performance.

[0132] Next, the exploration performance estimation unit 2220 estimates various performances of the unmanned boat 1010 (step 203). In this step, for example, when it is determined in step 202 that there is an impact on the unmanned boat performance, various corresponding performances can be estimated according to the state quantity of the environmental disturbance.

[0133] (A-7. Determination of Achievability of Requirement Conditions and Method for Determining Exploration Plan) Next, the method for determining the achievability of requirement conditions and the exploration plan will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow for determining the achievability of requirement conditions and determining the exploration plan by the exploration plan determination unit 2300. In particular, FIG. 15 shows the detailed processing of step 104 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 12.

[0134] First, based on the exploration performance estimated by the exploration performance estimation unit 2220, the requirement achievement determination unit 2310 determines whether an exploration that satisfies the requirement conditions included in the requirement information is executable (step 301).

[0135] Next, according to the determination result of whether a search that satisfies the request conditions included in the request information can be executed in step 301, the next transition processing step is determined (step 302). In this step, if it is determined that a search that satisfies the request conditions can be executed, the process is transitioned to step 305. On the other hand, if it is determined that a search that satisfies the request conditions cannot be executed, the process is transitioned to step 303.

[0136] Next, if it is determined in step 302 that a search that satisfies the request conditions cannot be executed, the user is notified that a search that satisfies the request conditions cannot be executed (step 303). The notification in this step may be displayed and output to the user of the overall control system 2000 via the display output unit 2410 of the information output unit 2400, or may be displayed and output to the user of the cooperation system 5000. Note that the means of notification is not limited to display output, and the user may be notified by means other than display such as voice. In this step, if it is determined that the execution of the search is impossible for some areas, the information on the areas where the execution of the search is determined to be impossible can be displayed. Or, it may be notified that the search has been interrupted due to the determination that the execution of the search is impossible.

[0137] Next, a proposal for changing the request conditions is displayed and output to the user, and a change instruction is received from the user (step 304). In this step, for example, a proposal for changing the request conditions can be displayed and output by the display output unit 2410, and a change instruction can be received from the user by the user input reception unit 2500. As another example, a proposal for changing the request conditions can be transmitted to the cooperation system 5000, and a change instruction from the user can be received from the cooperation system 5000. In this step, for example, the number of unmanned boats 1010 to be added to enable the execution of the search can be proposed and displayed. As yet another example, it is also possible to propose to cancel the execution of the search and receive approval from the user to cancel the execution of the search.

[0138] Next, based on the exploration performance of the unmanned boat system 1000 and the required conditions, etc., the exploration plan generation unit 2320 generates an exploration plan that satisfies the required conditions (step 305). When a change in the required conditions is received in step 304, in this step, an exploration plan that satisfies the changed required conditions is generated. For example, by comparing the current environmental information (or the average value of past environmental information) of the area to be explored, i.e., the flow velocity and direction of the ocean current or tidal current, with the power specifications of the unmanned boat acquired by the unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2120, an area where exploration is impossible to execute is determined, and an exploration plan can be generated that includes the number of unmanned boat hulls for which exploration can be executed in that area.

[0139] Next, the information of the exploration plan generated in step 305 is displayed and output to the user (step 306). In this step, for example, the exploration plan is displayed and output by the display output unit 2410, and user input (such as approval, rejection, change, etc.) regarding the exploration plan can be received from the user by the user input reception unit 2500. As another example, the exploration plan can be transmitted to the cooperation system 5000, and a change command from the user can be received from the cooperation system 5000.

[0140] Next, the exploration plan determination unit 2350 determines the exploration plan according to the user input information received in step 306 (step 307). For example, when the received user input information is "approved", it is determined according to the content of the displayed exploration plan, and when the received user input information is "changed", it is determined according to the content of the exploration plan after the change.

[0141] Next, the exploration execution command unit 2360 generates a specified signal based on the determined exploration plan and transmits the command signal to the unmanned boat system 1000 (step 308).

[0142] (A-8. State of exploration execution according to the exploration plan) Next, with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18, the state of exploration execution according to the exploration plan will be described.

[0143] (Configuration of the unmanned boat 1010 that constitutes the group A-8-1.) FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the positional relationship on the sea surface of a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 that constitute a group. In the example shown in FIG. 16, when causing a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 to execute exploration according to an exploration plan, the arrangement relationship and communication connection relationship of the group constituted by the plurality of unmanned boats 1010 are shown.

[0144] The group 1000a shown in FIG. 16 includes one master unit 1001 and a plurality of slave units 1002. In addition, between the master unit 1001 and the plurality of slave units 1002, a wireless communication network on the sea is configured by connecting them by wireless communication indicated by a solid line. The slave unit 1002 has a primary connection slave unit 10021 that is wirelessly communication-connected to the master unit 1001 and a secondary connection slave unit 10022 that is wirelessly communication-connected to the primary connection slave unit 10021.

[0145] In this embodiment, the number of relays by the slave unit 1002 when forming a group is not limited, and a tertiary connection slave unit, a quaternary connection slave unit, or more connection slave units may be provided. The primary connection slave unit 10021 shown in FIG. 16 has a function of relaying the transmission and reception of information between the master unit 1001 and the secondary connection slave unit 10022, so that information can be transferred between the master unit 1001 and the plurality of secondary connection slave units 10022.

[0146] Also, the number of secondary connector units 10022 wirelessly communication-connected to the primary connector unit 10021 is not limited to one, and by wirelessly communication-connecting a plurality of secondary connector units 10022 to the primary connector unit 10021, a tree-structured communication network in which a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 branch within the group 1000a can be configured. Further, since there is an upper limit to the communicable distance within which wireless communication is possible between each unmanned boat 1010, for two unmanned boats 1010 capable of wireless communication with each other, for example, the master unit 1001 and the primary connector unit 10021, and the primary connector unit 10021 and the secondary connector unit 10022, the position of at least one of the unmanned boats 1010 is controlled so that the relative distance between the unmanned boats 1010 is maintained within the range of the communication upper limit relative distance as shown in the monitoring plan in FIG. 11 (for example, about 1.5 km). In the unlikely event that the relative distance between the unmanned boats 1010 becomes large and the communication partner unmanned boat 1010 moves outside the range of the communicable distance, wireless communication between them becomes impossible and control commands from the overall control system 2000 cannot be transmitted. Therefore, it is desirable for the two unmanned boats 1010 communicatively connected to each other to perform self-position control for maintaining the relative distance to the communication partner within the range of the communicable distance with a higher priority than other controls.

[0147] On the other hand, there is no need to maintain the relative distance with other unmanned boats 1010 that do not wirelessly communicate with each other. On the other hand, in order to efficiently search for the search target 7000, which is the purpose of the activity of the unmanned boat system 1000, it is more desirable that the measurement ranges of the measurement sensors of each unmanned boat 1010 do not overlap or moderately overlap, rather than the state where each unmanned boat 1010 gets too close and most of the measurement ranges of the measurement sensors overlap. Therefore, regarding the relative distance between each unmanned boat 1010 that is not communicatively connected to each other, the position of at least one of the unmanned boats 1010 is controlled with a relatively low priority so as to maintain a preset normal relative distance (for example, about 1 km). The control for maintaining this normal relative distance can apply, for example, control based on the Boids algorithm.

[0148] Furthermore, when the relative distance between the unmanned boats 1010 is approaching too close and there is a possibility of collision, in order to avoid the collision and prevent damage to the unmanned boats 1010, position control can be executed to increase the relative distance with a relatively high priority.

[0149] As described above, the control to maintain the relative distance between the unmanned boats 1010 that communicate with each other within the range of the communication possible distance, and the avoidance control to avoid collision with other unmanned boats approaching at a short distance are executed with a relatively high priority. On the other hand, the relative distance between the unmanned boats 1010 that do not communicate with each other can be controlled to maintain the normal relative distance with a relatively low priority.

[0150] (A-8-2. An example of a search method using multiple groups) FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a search method using multiple groups. The example shown in FIG. 17 shows an example in which a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 are deployed based on the search plan described in FIG. 11. As described in the search plan shown in FIG. 11, an example is shown in which the unmanned boats 1010 are arranged within the search target area so that the number of groups is four and the arrangement distribution is uniform.

[0151] In the search plan shown in FIG. 11, since the movement path is random and the upper limit relative distance between unmanned boats for communication is set to 1.5 km, each unmanned boat 1010 shown in FIG. 17 moves along a random movement path within the range where the distribution within the search target area is uniform and the relative distance from the wireless communication partner does not exceed the upper limit distance (1.5 km).

[0152] (A-8-3. Another example of a search method using multiple groups) FIG. 18 is a diagram showing another example of a search method using multiple groups. The example shown in FIG. 18 is a case where the search is performed using a relatively small number of unmanned boats 1010 with respect to the search target area, and shows the state of the search operation by each group when the unmanned boats 1010 move in groups where the relative distance from the wireless communication partner does not exceed the upper limit distance (1.5 km).

[0153] As shown in FIG. 18, a search method of moving around in a search target area in a group unit is useful when the number of available unmanned boats 1010 is relatively small with respect to the area of the search target area, and it is difficult to uniformly arrange a plurality of unmanned boats 1010 throughout the search target area due to the constraint that the relative distance to a wireless communication partner is the upper limit distance (1.5 km).

[0154] (A-9. Estimated value update process of search performance) Next, a processing method for updating the estimated value of search performance according to new environmental information obtained during the execution of the search will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of an estimated value update process flow of search performance according to newly obtained environmental information by the search performance update estimation unit 2230 and the like. In particular, FIG. 19 shows the detailed process of step 106 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 12.

[0155] First, the environmental information acquisition unit 2130 newly acquires updated environmental information from the external system 6000 (step 401).

[0156] Next, the environmental information acquisition unit 2130 acquires unmanned boat measurement information newly measured by the unmanned boat 1010 (step 402).

[0157] Next, the environmental information acquisition unit 2130 interprets the unmanned boat measurement information and updates the estimated value of the environmental information (step 403).

[0158] Next, the system influence estimation unit 2210 determines environmental disturbances that affect the performance of the search of the unmanned boat 1010 (step 404). For example, by acquiring correspondence relationship information between unmanned boat performance and environmental disturbances as shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to determine an environmental state that affects the performance related to the search.

[0159] Next, according to the environmental information newly acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2130, the system impact estimation unit 2210 determines whether there is an impact on the performance of the unmanned boat (step 405). In this step, for example, it is possible to determine whether there is an impact on the performance of the unmanned boat based on whether each environmental disturbance shown in FIG. 10 is within a predetermined range or deviates from the predetermined range.

[0160] Next, according to the newly acquired environmental information, the search performance update estimation unit 2230 updates the estimated values of various performances of the unmanned boat 1010 (step 406). In this step, for example, the estimated values of various performances of the unmanned boat 1010 already estimated by the search performance estimation unit 2220 can be updated according to the newly acquired environmental information.

[0161] (A-10. Determination of Feasibility of Search Execution and Method of Updating Search Plan According to Updated Search Performance) Next, a processing method for determining the feasibility of executing a search that satisfies the search conditions and updating the search plan according to the search performance updated during the execution of the search will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow for determining whether the required conditions can be achieved and updating the search plan based on the updated search performance by the search plan determination unit 2300. In particular, FIG. 20 shows the detailed processing of step 107 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 12.

[0162] First, the requirement achievement feasibility update determination unit 2330 determines whether the search plan can be completed based on the updated search performance (step 501).

[0163] Next, according to the determination result of whether the search plan can be completed in step 501, the next transition processing step is determined (step 502). In this step, if it is determined that the search plan can be completed, the process is transferred to step 511, while if it is determined that the search plan cannot be completed, the process is transferred to step 503.

[0164] Next, the requirement achievement possibility update determination unit 2330 determines whether or not it is possible to generate a search plan that satisfies the requirement conditions based on the updated search performance (step 503).

[0165] Next, the next processing step to transition to is determined based on the result of the determination in step 503 as to whether or not a search plan satisfying the required conditions can be generated (step 504). In this step, if it is determined that a search plan satisfying the required conditions can be generated, the processing transitions to step 507, whereas if it is determined that a search plan satisfying the required conditions cannot be generated, the processing transitions to step 505.

[0166] Next, if it is determined in step 504 that a search plan satisfying the required conditions cannot be generated, the determination result that a search plan satisfying the required conditions cannot be generated is notified to the user (step 505). The notification in this step may be displayed and output to the user of the integrated control system 2000 via the display output unit 2410 of the information output unit 2400, or may be displayed and output to the user of the collaborative system 5000. Note that the means of notification is not limited to display and may be a means other than a display, such as audio. Alternatively, the user may be notified that the search has been interrupted due to the determination that the search cannot be executed.

[0167] Next, a proposed change to the requirement conditions is displayed and output to the user, and a change command is received from the user (step 506). In this step, for example, the proposed change to the requirement conditions can be displayed and output by the display output unit 2410, and the change command can be received from the user by the user input receiving unit 2500. As another example, a proposed change to the requirement conditions can be sent to the collaborative system 5000, and the change command from the user can be received from the collaborative system 5000. As yet another example, it is possible to propose stopping the search execution, and receive approval for stopping the search execution from the user.

[0168] Next, the search plan is updated by the search plan modification proposal generating unit 2340 (step 507). If a modification of the requirement conditions is accepted in step 506, in this step the search plan is updated so as to satisfy the modified requirement conditions.

[0169] Next, the information on the search plan updated in step 507 is displayed and output to the user (step 508). In this step, for example, the updated search plan is displayed and output by the display output unit 2410, and the user input reception unit 2500 of the user interface unit 2700 can receive user input (for example, approval, rejection, change, etc.) for the updated search plan from the user. As another example, the updated search plan can be transmitted to the cooperation system 5000, and a change command from the user can be received from the cooperation system 5000.

[0170] Next, the search plan determination unit 2350 determines the updated search plan according to the user input information received in step 508 (step 509). For example, when the received user input information is "approval", it is determined according to the content of the displayed and output updated search plan, and when the received user input information is "change", it is determined according to the content of the search plan after being changed.

[0171] Next, the search execution command unit 2360 generates a specified signal based on the determined search plan and transmits the command signal to the unmanned boat system 1000 (step 510).

[0172] (A-11. Hardware Configuration) FIG. 21 is a hardware configuration diagram of the overall control system 2000. Here, the overall control system 2000 in the present invention is an information processing device such as a server device or a PC. As shown in the figure, the overall control system 2000 includes an input device 100, an output device 200, a processing device 300, a main memory device 400, an auxiliary storage device 500, a communication device 600, and a bus 700 that electrically connects these devices.

[0173] The input device 100 can constitute the user input reception unit 2720 of the user interface unit 2700 and is a device for the user to input information and instructions to the overall control system 2000. Specifically, the input device 100 is, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, or a voice input device such as a microphone.

[0174] The output device 200 is a device that outputs various types of information generated by the overall control system 2000, and can constitute the display output unit 2410 of the user interface unit 2700. Specifically, the output device 200 can constitute the display output unit 2410 with a display device for eyewear, AR, VR, etc., and can also be a printer or a speaker.

[0175] The processing device 300 is, for example, a device that performs arithmetic processing. Specifically, the processing device 300 is, for example, a CPU, a microprocessor, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other semiconductor devices capable of performing arithmetic operations.

[0176] The main memory device 400 is a memory device including a RAM and a ROM that perform reading and temporary writing without requiring a waiting time depending on an access pattern, etc., at any time for a storage element at an arbitrary address during processing. For example, in a program or application program executed by the processing device 300 and various other processes, temporary writing and reading are performed in the RAM. Also, the ROM is a non-volatile memory in which recorded information is not lost even when the power supply of the device is lost. The auxiliary storage device 500 is a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory that can store digital information.

[0177] The communication device 600 is a device that performs information communication, wirelessly or by wire, between the overall control system 2000 and the outside.

[0178] The above-described embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not for limiting and interpreting the present invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be changed and improved without departing from its gist, and equivalents of the present invention are included in the present invention.

[0179] [A-2. Effects of this Embodiment] According to the above-described embodiment, even in an outdoor area with relatively large environmental disturbances, the search operation of an object using a plurality of moving bodies can be performed more appropriately or more efficiently. As an example, even in an ocean area with large changes in environmental disturbances such as weather and sea conditions, the search operation of an object using a plurality of ships can be performed more appropriately or more efficiently.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0180] 1…Control system (system) 100…Input device 200…Output device 300…Processing device 400…Main memory device 500…Auxiliary storage device 600…Communication device 700…Bus 1000…Unmanned boat system 1001…Master machine 1002…Slave machine 10021…Primary connected slave machine 10022…Secondary connected slave machine 10023…Tertiary connected slave machine 1010…Unmanned boat 1100…Measurement unit 1110…Measurement sensor 1120…Measurement control unit 1200…Self-state determination unit 1210…Navigation state determination unit 1220…Internal state determination unit 1230…External state determination unit 1300…Navigation unit 1310…Thrust generation unit 1320…Attitude control mechanism 1330…Navigation control unit 1400…Communication unit 1410…Inter-unmanned boat communication unit 1420…Overall control communication unit 1500…Determination unit 1600…Recording unit 1610…Measurement data recording unit 1620…Self-state recording unit 1630…Determination information recording unit 2000…Overall control system 2100…Information import unit 2110…Request information acquisition unit 2120…Unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2130…Environmental information acquisition unit 2200…External disturbance influence determination unit 2210…System influence estimation unit 2220…Search performance estimation unit 2230…Search performance update estimation unit 2300…Search plan determination unit 2310…Requirement achievement determination unit 2320…Search plan proposal generation unit 2330…Requirement achievement update determination unit 2340…Search plan change proposal generation unit 2350…Search plan confirmation unit 2360…Search execution command unit 2400…Information output unit 2410…Display output unit 2420…Command output unit 2500…User input reception unit 3000…Communication satellite 4000…Ground base station 5000…Cooperative system 6000…External system 7000…Object

Claims

In a control system that controls a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area, a request information acquisition unit that acquires search request information including the request conditions for the search; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information regarding the predetermined area; a search performance estimation unit that performs at least one of estimating the search performance regarding the search by the plurality of ships or updating the estimated value of the search performance based on the environmental information; a search plan determination unit that generates or updates a search plan for the search that satisfies the request conditions based on the search request information and the search performance; an information output unit that displays or notifies output of information including the determination result by the search plan determination unit, or outputs a command based on the determination result, and the search plan generated or updated by the search plan determination unit includes a system configuration plan including at least one of the number of hulls, formation, arrangement distribution, upper limit relative distance between ships, and target relative distance of the plurality of ships. A control system. In a control system that controls a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area, a request information acquisition unit that acquires search request information including the request conditions for the search; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information regarding the predetermined area; a search performance estimation unit that performs at least one of estimating the search performance regarding the search by the plurality of ships or updating the estimated value of the search performance based on the environmental information; a search plan determination unit that generates or updates a search plan for the search that satisfies the request conditions based on the search request information and the search performance; an information output unit that displays or notifies output of information including the determination result by the search plan determination unit, or outputs a command based on the determination result, and the search plan generated or updated by the search plan determination unit includes a communication plan including at least one of a communication standard or communication path used for a wireless communication network between the plurality of ships, a communication standard or communication path of a satellite communication line used by the ship, and a transmission timing of measurement data measured by the measurement sensor. A control system. Claim 3 In the control system according to claim 1 or claim 2, the search request information acquired by the request information acquisition unit includes A control system including at least any one of object-related information capable of identifying the object, area information capable of identifying the predetermined area, search time information regarding the time of the search, and search target information regarding the target value of the search.

4. In a control system that controls a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area, A request information acquisition unit that acquires search request information including the request conditions of the search; An environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information regarding the predetermined area; Based on the environmental information, a search performance estimation unit that performs at least either estimation of the measurement performance including at least any one of the measurable distance of the measurement sensor in the predetermined area, the two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurable area, or update of the estimated value of the measurement performance; A search plan determination unit that generates or updates a search plan for the search that satisfies the request conditions based on the search request information and the measurement performance; An information output unit that displays or notifies output of information including the determination result by the search plan determination unit, or outputs a command based on the determination result; The measurement sensor is an optical camera capable of acquiring image data of the object existing in the sea area, or an acoustic sensor capable of detecting the object existing in the sea area, The search performance estimation unit estimates the measurement performance including at least any one of the measurable distance, the two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurable area, which can be exhibited by the optical camera or the acoustic sensor in the predetermined area, or updates the estimated value of the measurement performance based on the environmental information including at least any one of the seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity concentration, magnesium concentration, Ph value, presence or absence of a kelp forest, plankton concentration, water depth, transparency, and underwater noise in the sea of the predetermined area. A control system.

5. In a control system that controls the operations of a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors and controls a wireless communication network that transmits information between the plurality of ships to search for an object in a predetermined area, A request information acquisition unit that acquires search request information including the request conditions of the search; An environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information regarding the predetermined area; Based on the environmental information, a search performance estimation unit that performs at least either estimation of the communication performance between the plurality of ships used for the search by the plurality of ships or update of the estimated value of the communication performance; A search plan determination unit that generates or updates a search plan for the search that meets the required conditions based on the search request information and the communication performance; An information output unit that displays or notifies and outputs information including the determination result by the search plan determination unit, or outputs a command based on the determination result; The search performance estimation unit estimates or updates the communication performance including at least any one of the communication range, communication speed, and communication strength of the wireless communication network in the predetermined area based on the environmental information including at least any one of fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, and sleet in the predetermined area, or updates the estimated value of the communication performance. A control system.

6. In a control system that controls a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area, A request information acquisition unit that acquires search request information including the required conditions for the search; An environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information regarding the predetermined area; A search performance estimation unit that estimates or updates at least any one of the communication performance of the satellite communication line used for the search by the plurality of ships based on the environmental information, or updates the estimated value of the communication performance; A search plan determination unit that generates or updates a search plan for the search that meets the required conditions based on the search request information and the communication performance; An information output unit that displays or notifies and outputs information including the determination result by the search plan determination unit, or outputs a command based on the determination result; At least one of the plurality of ships receives data information using the satellite communication line; The search performance estimation unit estimates or updates the communication performance including at least any one of the communication range, communication speed, and communication strength of the satellite communication line in the predetermined area based on the weather condition including at least any one of fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, and cloudiness in the predetermined area, or the state of the ionosphere over the predetermined area, or updates the estimated value of the communication performance. A control system.

7. In a control system that controls a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area, A request information acquisition unit that acquires search request information including the required conditions for the search; An environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information regarding the predetermined area; A search performance estimation unit that performs at least one of estimating the calculation performance of the self-position estimation of the ship based on the GNSS reception signal used for the search by the plurality of ships or updating the estimated value of the calculation performance based on the environmental information; A search plan determination unit that generates or updates a search plan for the search that satisfies the required conditions based on the search request information and the calculation performance; An information output unit that displays or notifies and outputs information including the determination result by the search plan determination unit, or outputs a command based on the determination result; At least one of the plurality of ships calculates its own position using the GNSS reception signal; The search performance estimation unit estimates the calculation performance of the self-position estimation of the ship in the predetermined area or updates the estimated value of the calculation performance based on the weather condition including at least one of fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, and cloudiness in the predetermined area, or the state of the ionosphere over the predetermined area. A control system.

8. In a control system that controls the operations of a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors and a wireless communication network that transmits information between the plurality of ships to search for an object in a predetermined area, A request information acquisition unit that acquires search request information including the required conditions for the search; An environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information regarding the predetermined area; A search performance estimation unit that performs at least one of estimating the search performance related to the search by the plurality of ships or updating the estimated value of the search performance based on the environmental information; A search plan determination unit that determines whether the search that satisfies the required conditions can be executed based on the search request information and the search performance, and generates and updates a search plan for the search that satisfies the required conditions; An information output unit that displays or notifies and outputs information including the determination result by the search plan determination unit, or outputs a command based on the determination result; The search performance estimation unit is Based on the environmental information of the predetermined area, at least one of the inter-ship communication performance between the plurality of ships, the satellite communication performance of the satellite communication line via a communication satellite, the self-position calculation performance of the ship based on the GNSS reception signal, the maximum moving speed of the ship, the maximum acceleration, the maximum turning angular velocity, and the power performance including at least one of the maximum navigable distance is estimated as the search performance or the estimated value of the search performance is updated. A control system that estimates or updates either the search rate indicating the record of the searched area searched by the ship or the detection probability indicating the probability of detecting the object by the ship, according to at least any one of the ship-to-ship communication performance, the satellite communication performance, the self-position calculation performance, and the power performance that have been estimated or updated, or updates the estimated value of the search performance.

9. In the control system according to claim 1 or claim 2, Based on the search performance estimated by the search performance estimation unit, the search plan determination unit Determines at least either whether it is possible to execute the search that satisfies the required conditions, or when the required conditions include information regarding the time limit of the search, whether there are unexplored areas or insufficiently explored areas remaining in the predetermined area at the end of the time limit. A control system.

10. In the control system according to claim 1 or claim 2, Based on the search performance estimated by the search performance estimation unit, the search plan determination unit Generates a search plan that can satisfy at least any one of the required conditions of the object-related information that can identify the object included in the search request information, the area information that can identify the predetermined area, the search time information regarding the time of the search, and the search target information regarding the target value of the search.

11. In the control system according to claim 1 or claim 2, Based on the estimated result of the search performance updated according to the environmental information updated and acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit, the search plan determination unit Determines at least either whether the already generated search plan is executable, or when the search plan includes information regarding the search time, whether there are unexplored areas or insufficiently explored areas remaining in the predetermined area at the end of the search time. A control system.

12. In the control system according to claim 1 or claim 2, Based on the estimated result of the search performance updated according to the environmental information updated and acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit, the search plan determination unit updates the already generated search plan so as to satisfy the required conditions included in the search request information.

13. In the control system according to claim 1 or claim 2, The search plan generated or updated by the search plan determination unit includes search target information including at least one of a search rate indicating the results of searched areas searched by the plurality of ships and a detection probability indicating the probability of detecting the object by the ship. A control system.

14. In the control system according to claim 1 or claim 2, The information output unit outputs a display of information regarding the reason for the determination regarding the executability of the search determined by the search plan determination unit. A control system.

15. Controlling a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area In a control method, A computer A request information acquisition step of acquiring search request information including the request conditions of the search; An environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information regarding the predetermined area; A search performance estimation step of performing at least one of estimating the search performance regarding the search by the plurality of ships or updating the estimated value of the search performance based on the environmental information; Based on the search request information and the search performance, a search plan determination step of generating or updating a search plan for the search including at least one of the number of ship bodies, formation, arrangement distribution, upper limit relative distance between ships, and target relative distance of the plurality of ships that satisfy the request conditions; An information output step of displaying or notifying output of information including the determination result by the search plan determination step, or outputting a command based on the determination result; A control method for executing.

16. Controlling a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area In a control method, A computer A request information acquisition step of acquiring search request information including the request conditions of the search; An environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information regarding the predetermined area; A search performance estimation step of performing at least one of estimating the search performance regarding the search by the plurality of ships or updating the estimated value of the search performance based on the environmental information; A search plan determination step of generating or updating a search plan of the search, including a communication plan including at least any one of a communication standard or communication path to be used for a wireless communication network among the plurality of ships that satisfy the requirement conditions, a communication standard or communication path of a satellite communication line used by the ship, and a transmission timing of measurement data measured by the measurement sensor, based on the search requirement information and the search performance; An information output step of displaying or notifying and outputting information including a determination result by the search plan determination step, or outputting a command based on the determination result; A control method for executing the above.

17. Controlling a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area In a program available for a control system On a computer A request information acquisition command for acquiring search request information including the requirement conditions of the search; An environment information acquisition command for acquiring environment information regarding the predetermined area; A search performance estimation command for performing at least any one of estimating the search performance regarding the search by the plurality of ships or updating the estimated value of the search performance based on the environment information; A search plan determination command for generating or updating a search plan of the search including at least any one of the number of hulls, formation, arrangement distribution, upper limit relative distance between ships, and target relative distance of the plurality of ships that satisfy the requirement conditions, based on the search request information and the search performance; A program for causing the computer to execute an information output command for displaying or notifying and outputting information including a determination result by the search plan determination command, or outputting a command based on the determination result.

18. Controlling a plurality of ships equipped with measurement sensors to search for an object in a predetermined area In a program available for a control system On a computer A request information acquisition command for acquiring search request information including the requirement conditions of the search; An environment information acquisition command for acquiring environment information regarding the predetermined area; A search performance estimation command for performing at least any one of estimating the search performance regarding the search by the plurality of ships or updating the estimated value of the search performance based on the environment information; A search plan determination command for generating or updating a search plan of the search, including a communication standard or communication path to be used for a wireless communication network among a plurality of the ships that satisfy the requirement conditions, a communication standard or communication path of a satellite communication line used by the ship, and a transmission timing of measurement data measured by the measurement sensor, based on the search request information and the search performance; A program for executing an information output command for displaying or notifying output of information including a determination result by the search plan determination command, or outputting a command based on the determination result.

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