control device

Abstract

A movable range calculation unit (12) calculates a movable range of a opening / closing door, which is provided to a destination of a drone (10). Specifically, the movable range calculation unit (12) detects the appearance or the shape of the door by using an analysis method such as pattern matching or feature amount recognition for image data acquired by an acquisition unit (11), recognizes door information regarding the door from the detection result, and calculates the movable range of the door. A setting unit (13) sets a range including the movable range calculated by the movable range calculation unit (12) as an entry prohibition region where the drone (10) is prohibited from entering.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for delivering packages to a destination by air vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] With the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles known as drones, various systems for using drones to deliver packages have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a system in which a landing pad is provided in a landing zone at the drone's delivery destination, and the drone is guided to the landing pad using a visual support device, an optical support device, or a wireless support device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6622291 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The system described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it requires the installation of dedicated facilities called landing pads at all destinations to which packages are delivered.

[0005] Therefore, it would be convenient if, for example, an empty space in front of an entrance or doorway could be recognized and packages could be delivered to that space.

[0006] However, when luggage is placed in these spaces, there is a risk that the luggage may come into contact with the door at the entrance or entrance when it is opened.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned background, and aims to prevent an aircraft or a package delivered by the aircraft from coming into contact with a door installed at the destination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides a control device characterized by comprising a movable range calculation unit that calculates the movable range when a door installed at the destination of an aircraft opens and closes, and a setting unit that sets a range including the calculated movable range as a no-entry range that prohibits the aircraft from entering. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the flying object or the package delivered by the flying object from coming into contact with a door at the destination. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drone control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the drone 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server device 50 according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the drone 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a movable range when the door is a sliding door. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a movable range when the door opens inward. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a movable range when the door opens outward and to the right. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a movable range when the door opens outward and to the left. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a movable range when the door opens outward on both sides. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between a door's movable range and a drone's no-entry area. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure performed by the drone 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 12]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of door information stored in a server device 50 in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] [composition] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drone control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drone control system 1 includes a drone 10 that flies through the air and delivers packages to a destination, a user terminal 30 used by the user to whom the package is addressed, a wireless communication network 40, and a server device 50 connected to the wireless communication network 40. The wireless communication network 40 is a system that realizes wireless communication and may be, for example, equipment that complies with a fourth-generation mobile communication system or a fifth-generation mobile communication system. Note that while FIG. 1 illustrates one each of the drone 10, user terminal 30, wireless communication network 40, and server device 50, there may be multiple of each of these.

[0012] The drone 10 is an unmanned aerial vehicle that flies through the air. The drone 10 flies from a takeoff and landing point, such as a base or a base, to a destination carrying a load, and lands at the destination to deliver the load to the destination.

[0013] The user terminal 30 is a communication-enabled computer such as a smartphone, a tablet, or a personal computer. In this embodiment, the user terminal 30 is a smartphone, and functions as a communication terminal that enables a user receiving a package to access the server device 50 via the wireless communication network 40.

[0014] The server device 50 stores flight plan information related to the flight date and time, flight path, and flight altitude of the drone 10, as well as cargo information related to cargo delivered by the drone 10, and remotely controls the drone 10 in accordance with the flight plan information. Remote control by the server device 50 is mainly performed between the aforementioned takeoff and landing point and the airspace above the drone 10's destination, or between multiple destinations of the drone 10. The section between the airspace above the destination and the landing position of the drone 10 is flown under autonomous control by the drone itself. Specifically, the drone 10 determines the landing position at the destination, lands at that landing position, performs an unloading operation to detach the cargo, and then rises again to the airspace above the destination. The drone 10 is then remotely controlled by the server device 50 to fly to the takeoff and landing point or the next destination.

[0015] In this embodiment, as described above, the section above the takeoff and landing point and the destination of the drone 10 is controlled by remote control by the server device 50, and the section between the destination and the landing position of the drone 10 is realized by autonomous flight by the drone itself, but this is not limited to this example. For example, the drone 10 may fly autonomously over the entire section between the takeoff and landing point and the landing position of the destination without relying on remote control by the server device 50, or may fly under remote control by the server device 50 over the entire section between the takeoff and landing point and the landing position of the destination.

[0016] Considering the effort required for a user to collect a package delivered to a destination, it is desirable to deliver the package to a location as close as possible to a door at the entrance or entrance of the destination. However, if the package is delivered to a location close to the door, there is a possibility that the door may come into contact with the drone 10 flying for delivery or the delivered package when the door is opened.

[0017] Therefore, in this embodiment, a certain range including the movable range of a door installed at the destination of the drone 10 when the door opens and closes is set as a no-entry range that prohibits the drone 10 from entering. Then, a location outside the no-entry range and relatively close to the door is set as a location to place the luggage, thereby avoiding the above-mentioned contact between the door and the drone 10 or the luggage.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the drone 10. The drone 10 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a positioning device 1007, a sensor 1008, a flight drive mechanism 1009, a cargo loading mechanism 1010, and a bus connecting these. In the following description, the term "device" can be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, or the like. The hardware configuration of the drone 10 may be configured to include one or more of the devices illustrated in the figure, or may be configured without including some of the devices.

[0019] Each function of the drone 10 is realized by loading specified software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication via the communication device 1004, control at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003, and control the positioning device 1007, sensor 1008, flight drive mechanism 1009, and cargo loading mechanism 1010.

[0020] The processor 1001, for example, runs an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 1001 may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control unit, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Furthermore, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, etc. may be realized by the processor 1001.

[0021] The processor 1001 reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes in accordance with these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described below. The functional blocks of the drone 10 may be implemented by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001. Various processes may be executed by one processor 1001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may be transmitted to the drone 10 via the wireless communication network 40.

[0022] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured by, for example, at least one of a ROM, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), a RAM, etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 can store an executable program (program code), a software module, etc. for implementing the method according to this embodiment.

[0023] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device. Storage 1003 stores various programs and data groups.

[0024] The above processor 1001, memory 1002, and storage 1003 function as an example of a control device of the present invention.

[0025] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via the wireless communication network 40, and is also referred to as, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module. The communication device 1004 includes a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc. to realize frequency division duplexing and time division duplexing. The transmission / reception antenna, an amplifier unit, a transmission / reception unit, a transmission path interface, etc. may be realized by the communication device 1004. The transmission / reception unit may be implemented as a transmission unit and a reception unit that are physically or logically separated.

[0026] The input device 1005 is an input device that receives input from the outside, and includes, for example, keys, switches, a microphone, etc. The output device 1006 is an output device that outputs to the outside, and includes, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display, a speaker, etc. Note that the input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device.

[0027] The positioning device 1007 is hardware, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) device, that measures the position of the drone 10. The drone 10 flies from the departure and arrival point to the sky above the destination based on the positioning measured by the positioning device 1007.

[0028] The sensor 1008 includes a distance sensor that functions as an altitude measurement means for the drone 10 and a means for checking the landing position status, a gyro sensor and a direction sensor that function as an attitude measurement means for the drone 10, an image sensor that functions as an imaging means, and the like.

[0029] The flight drive mechanism 1009 is a mechanism that enables the drone 10 to fly, and includes hardware such as motors, shafts, gears, and propellers.

[0030] The cargo loading mechanism 1010 is a mechanism for the drone 10 to load and detach cargo, and includes hardware such as a motor, a winch, wires, gears, a locking mechanism, and a hanging mechanism.

[0031] Each device, such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be used between each device. The drone 10 may also be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0032] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of server device 50. The hardware configuration of server device 50 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in Fig. 3, or may be configured to exclude some of the devices. Furthermore, server device 50 may be configured by communicating with multiple devices each having a different housing.

[0033] The server device 50 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 5001, a memory 5002, a storage 5003, a communication device 5004, and a bus connecting these devices. Each function of the server device 50 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 5001 and the memory 5002, causing the processor 5001 to perform calculations, control communication via the communication device 5004, and control at least one of reading and writing data from and to the memory 5002 and the storage 5003. Each of these devices operates using power supplied from a power source (not shown). In the following description, the term "device" can be interpreted as a circuit, device, unit, etc.

[0034] The processor 5001 controls the entire computer by running, for example, an operating system. The processor 5001 may be configured by a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control unit, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Furthermore, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, etc. may be realized by the processor 5001.

[0035] The processor 5001 reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 5003 and the communication device 5004 into the memory 5002, and executes various processes in accordance with these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described below. The functional blocks of the server device 50 may be realized by a control program stored in the memory 5002 and running on the processor 5001. The various processes may be executed by one processor 5001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 5001. The processor 5001 may be implemented by one or more chips.

[0036] The memory 5002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured by, for example, at least one of a ROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a RAM, etc. The memory 5002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 5002 can store an executable program (program code), a software module, etc. for implementing the method according to this embodiment.

[0037] Storage 5003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 5003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device. Storage 5003 stores at least programs and data groups for executing various processes as described below.

[0038] The communication device 5004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for performing communication between computers via the wireless communication network 40, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module.

[0039] Each device, such as the processor 5001 and the memory 5002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0040] The server device 50 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, an ASIC, a PLD, an FPGA, etc., and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 5001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0041] In addition, the hardware configuration of the user terminal 30 is similar to that of the server device 50, and also includes input devices and output devices similar to those of the drone 10 as a user interface.

[0042] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the drone 10. In the drone 10, the functions of an acquisition unit 11, a movement range calculation unit 12, a setting unit 13, and a flight control unit 14 are realized.

[0043] The acquisition unit 11 acquires various types of data from the positioning device 1007, the sensor 1008, the server device 50, or the like. For example, the acquisition unit 11 acquires instructions related to remote control of the drone 10 from the server device 50 via the wireless communication network 40. The acquisition unit 11 also acquires data from the sensor 1008 for setting a no-entry area when the drone 10 delivers a package at a destination, and for determining a landing position. Specifically, this data is image data of a space including a door installed at the destination, captured by an image sensor included in the sensor 1008.

[0044] The movable range calculation unit 12 calculates the movable range when opening and closing a door provided at the destination of the drone 10. Specifically, the movable range calculation unit 12 detects the appearance or shape of the door using an analysis method such as pattern matching or feature recognition for the image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11, recognizes door information related to the door from the detection result, and calculates the movable range of the door.

[0045] The door information here includes information about the door position, door size, or door opening / closing mechanism. The door position is the position of the door in three-dimensional space. The door size is the length of each side of the door in three-dimensional space. The door position and door size can be determined by calculating coordinate values ​​in three-dimensional space.

[0046] The door opening / closing mechanism refers to the type of mechanism, such as whether the door is a sliding door or a swing door, whether it is an inward-opening, outward-opening, or adjustable swing door if it is a swing door, and whether it is a right-opening, left-opening, or double-opening door if it is an outward-opening door. Such door opening / closing mechanisms can be identified by analyzing whether the shape of the door handle corresponds to a sliding door or a swing door, whether the shape of the door handle corresponds to an outward-opening or inward-opening door, whether the position of the door handle corresponds to a right-opening, left-opening, or double-opening door, whether the hinge along one side of the door can be observed from outside the building (i.e., if it can be observed, it is an outward-opening door), and whether the position of the hinge corresponds to a right-opening, left-opening, or double-opening door.

[0047] The setting unit 13 sets a range including the movable range calculated by the movable range calculation unit 12 as a no-entry range into which the drone 10 is prohibited from entering.

[0048] 5 to 9 are diagrams illustrating the range of movement of each door for each door opening / closing structure. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the range of movement when the door is a sliding door, and is a plan view of a space including door D and wall W observed from above. In FIG. 5, even if the closed door D is opened in the direction of arrow O to the position of door D', the range of movement of door D is linear, so there is an extremely small possibility that the door D will come into contact with a drone 10 flying near door D or a package placed in front of door D. Therefore, in this case, no particular no-entry area is set for the drone 10.

[0049] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the range of movement when the door opens inward, and is a plan view of a space including door D and wall W as viewed from above. In Fig. 6, even if the closed door D is opened in the direction of arrow O to the position of door D', the range of movement of door D is inside the building, so there is an extremely small possibility that the door D will come into contact with a drone 10 flying near door D or with luggage placed in front of door D. Therefore, in this case, no particular no-entry area is set for the drone 10.

[0050] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the movable range when the door opens outward and to the right, and is a plan view of a space including the door D and wall W as viewed from above. In FIG. 7, when the closed door D is opened in the direction of arrow O to the position of door D', the movable range of the door D is the inside of a semicircular movable range line A whose center is the position of the hinge H of the door D and whose radius is the horizontal length of the door. Within this movable range, there is a possibility that the door D may come into contact with a drone 10 flying near the door D or with luggage placed in front of the door D. Therefore, the area including the movable range of the door is set as a no-entry area for the drone 10.

[0051] At this time, as shown in FIG. 10 , the inside of a no-entry line B, which is a certain margin M away from the semicircular movement range line A, is set as the no-entry range for the drone 10. For example, if the drone 10 flies or places a package just outside the movement range of a door, it is possible that a user who opens the door and comes out of the building may come into contact with the drone 10 or the package due to the momentum, so it is desirable to provide such a margin M. The setting unit 13 sets a position within a predetermined distance (e.g., several tens of centimeters) from the outer edge of the no-entry range (no-entry line B) as the location where the package to be delivered by the drone 10 will be placed. This is because, considering the effort required for the user to retrieve the package, a location outside the movement range of the door and as close as possible to the door is an appropriate location for placing the package.

[0052] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the movable range of a door that opens outward and to the left, and is a plan view of a space including door D and wall W observed from above. In FIG. 8, when closed door D is opened in the direction of arrow O to position D', the movable range of door D is the inside of a semicircular movable range line A centered on the position of hinge H of door D and with the horizontal length of the door as its radius. Within this movable range, there is a possibility that door D may come into contact with a drone 10 flying near door D or with luggage placed in front of door D. Therefore, a range including the movable range of the door is set as a no-entry area for the drone 10. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the inside of a no-entry line B separated by a certain margin M from semicircular movable range line A is set as a no-entry area for the drone 10.

[0053] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the movable range of a door that opens outward on both sides, and is a plan view of a space including door D and wall W observed from above. In FIG. 9, when each closed door D is opened in the direction of arrow O to the position of each door D', the movable range of door D is the inside of two semicircular movable range lines A, which are centered at the position of hinge H of each door D and have a radius equal to the horizontal length of the door. Within this movable range, there is a possibility that each door D may come into contact with a drone 10 flying near each door D or with luggage placed in front of that door D. Therefore, a range including the movable range of each door is set as a no-entry range for the drone 10. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the inside of no-entry line B, which is separated from the semicircular movable range line A by a certain margin M, is set as the no-entry range for the drone 10.

[0054] Note that the movable range calculation unit 12 detects the appearance or shape of the door from the image data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 and recognizes door information related to the door (especially door information related to the opening / closing mechanism) from the detection results, so the recognition accuracy of the door information may be low. Therefore, when the recognition accuracy of the door information is lower than the threshold value or is unrecognizable, the movable range calculation unit 12 calculates the movable range by assuming that the target door corresponds to all opening / closing mechanisms. In this way, regardless of the door opening / closing mechanism, it is possible to calculate at least a range that could potentially be the movable range of the door.

[0055] Returning to the explanation of Figure 4, the flight control unit 14 controls the flight drive mechanism 1009 to land the drone 10 at the luggage storage location set by the setting unit 13, and after landing, controls the luggage loading mechanism 1010 to detach the luggage from the drone 10, that is, to perform so-called unloading.

[0056] [Operation] Next, the processing performed by the drone 10 during flight will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 11. In Fig. 11, the drone 10 starts flying from the takeoff and landing point toward the destination, and performs flight control in accordance with remote control by the server device 50 (step S01). Under the control of the server device 50, the drone 10 flies to the sky above the destination address specified when the package delivery request was made.

[0057] When the drone 10 reaches the sky above the destination, it searches for a door installed at the destination by gradually descending and performing image recognition on image data captured by, for example, an image sensor. Then, when the drone 10 reaches in front of the door (step S02; YES), the movement range calculation unit 12 analyzes the image data captured by the image sensor using an analysis method such as pattern matching or feature recognition (step S03).

[0058] Then, the movable range calculation unit 12 detects the appearance or shape of the door included in the image data, recognizes door information related to the door from the detection result, and calculates the movable range of the door (step S04). At this time, as described above, if the recognition accuracy of the door information is lower than the threshold value or if recognition is impossible, the movable range calculation unit 12 calculates the movable range by assuming that the target door corresponds to all opening and closing mechanisms.

[0059] Next, the setting unit 13 sets a range including the movable range calculated by the movable range calculation unit 12 as a no-entry range into which the drone 10 is prohibited from entering (step S05). Furthermore, the setting unit 13 sets a position within a predetermined distance from the outer edge of the no-entry range as a place to place the package to be delivered by the drone 10.

[0060] The flight control unit 14 controls the flight drive mechanism 1009 and the luggage loading mechanism 1010 to land the drone 10 at the set storage location (step S06) and unload the luggage by detaching it from the drone 10 (step S07). At this time, the flight control unit 14 performs flight control so that the door and the drone 10 do not come into contact while the drone 10 is flying or landing to place the luggage. In other words, the flight control unit 14 controls the drone 10 so that the drone 10 or at least a part of the luggage does not enter the no-entry zone while the drone 10 is flying or landing to place the luggage. Once unloading is complete, the drone 10 proceeds to processing for returning to the departure and arrival location (or moving to the next destination) (step S08).

[0061] According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to prevent the drone 10 or the package delivered by the drone 10 from coming into contact with a door installed at the destination.

[0062] [Variations] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiment may be modified as follows. Furthermore, two or more of the following modifications may be combined and implemented. [Variation 1] In the above-described embodiment, the movable range calculation unit 12 recognizes door information related to the door from the result of detecting the appearance or shape of the door based on image data captured by the image sensor, and calculates the movable range of the door. The data for detecting the appearance or shape of the door is not limited to image data, and data obtained by various detection technologies, such as Lidar (Light Detection And Ranging), can also be used.

[0063] [Variation 2] In the above-described embodiment, the movable range calculation unit 12 recognizes door information related to a door from the results of detecting the appearance or shape of the door based on image data captured by an image sensor. However, the method of identifying door information is not limited to the example of the above-described embodiment. For example, a wireless device may be installed at a predetermined position of a door installed at the destination, and the wireless device may transmit door information related to the door, which the drone 10 may receive and acquire. In this case, the position of the door may be estimated from the received electric field strength when the drone 10 receives the wireless signal. For example, wireless technology called UWB (Ultra Wide Band) makes it possible to determine with relatively high accuracy the position of the wireless device transmitting the wireless signal relative to the wireless device receiving the wireless signal. In this way, the movable range calculation unit 12 may calculate the movable range of the door based on door information related to the door provided wirelessly at the destination. This makes it possible to obtain more accurate door information (especially door information related to the opening and closing mechanism) than when door information is obtained from the appearance or shape of the door.

[0064] [Variation 3] Alternatively, door information may be stored in advance in association with the destination or door identification information, and the door information may be identified by referring to the stored contents. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating door information stored by the server device 50. The server device 50 reads door information corresponding to the destination of the drone 10 or the ID of the door at that destination and transmits it to the drone 10 via the wireless communication network 40, whereby the drone 10 acquires the door information and calculates the door's movable range. In this way, the movable range calculation unit 12 may calculate the door's movable range based on information about the door stored in association with the destination or door identification information. This makes it possible to obtain more accurate door information (especially door information related to the opening and closing mechanism) than when door information is obtained from the door's appearance or shape.

[0065] [Variation 4] The control of the drone 10 may be realized by so-called edge computing (control by the drone), cloud computing (control by a server device), or a combination of both (control by the drone and the server device) as described in the embodiment. Therefore, the control device of the present invention may be provided in the server device 50 disclosed in the embodiment.

[0066] [Variation 5] The flying object in the present invention is not limited to an unmanned flying object known as a drone, but may be an flying object of any structure or form. In addition, although the drone 10 lands at the destination and unloads the cargo, the cargo may be delivered to the destination by a method other than landing (for example, by dropping or hanging the cargo).

[0067] [Other variations] The block diagrams used in the description of the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of hardware and / or software. Furthermore, the means for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized by a single device that is physically and / or logically coupled, or may be realized by two or more physically and / or logically separated devices that are directly and / or indirectly (e.g., wired and / or wirelessly) connected to each other and these multiple devices.

[0068] Each aspect / embodiment described herein may be applied to systems utilizing LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G, 5G, FRA (Future Radio Access), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other suitable systems and / or next generation systems enhanced thereon.

[0069] The order of the processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described herein may be rearranged unless inconsistent. For example, the methods described herein present various step elements in an exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented. Each aspect / embodiment described herein may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Furthermore, notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to being explicit, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the predetermined information).

[0070] The information or parameters described in this specification may be expressed as absolute values, relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or other corresponding information.

[0071] As used herein, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judged" or "decided."

[0072] The present invention may be provided as an information processing method or as a program. Such a program may be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as an optical disk, or may be provided in a form that can be downloaded to a computer via a network such as the Internet and installed for use.

[0073] Software, instructions, etc. may be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), and / or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0074] The information, signals, etc. described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0075] As used herein, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed therein or that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

[0076] The "means" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0077] To the extent that the terms "including," "comprising," and variations thereof are used herein in the specification or claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, the term "or," as used herein in the claims, is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0078] Throughout this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, these articles are intended to include the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0079] Although the present invention has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present invention can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description in this specification is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1: drone control system, 10: drone, 11: acquisition unit, 12: movement range calculation unit, 13: setting unit, 14: flight control unit, 30: user terminal, 40: wireless communication network, 50: server device, 1001: processor, 1002: memory, 1003: storage, 1004: communication device, 1005: input device, 1006: output device, 1007: positioning device, 1008: sensor, 1009: flight drive mechanism, 1010: cargo loading mechanism, 50: server device, 5001: processor, 5002: memory, 5003: storage, 5004: communication device, D, D': door, H: hinge, W: wall, O: direction, A: movement range line, B: no entry line, M: margin.

Claims

1. a movement range calculation unit that calculates a movement range when a door of a building that is a destination to which the flying object delivers a package is opened or closed; a setting unit that, when the door opens outward, sets a range including the calculated movable range as a no-entry range that prohibits entry of the flying object, and sets a position within a predetermined distance from an outer edge of the no-entry range as a location to place the luggage, and does not set the no-entry range when the door is a sliding door or an inward-opening door; a flight control unit that controls the flying object so as to deliver the luggage to the destination and place the luggage in the set storage location; A control device comprising:

2. The movement range calculation unit recognizes information about the door from the result of detecting the appearance or shape of the door and calculates the movement range of the door.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

3. The movable range calculation unit calculates the movable range of the door based on information about the door that is provided wirelessly at the destination.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

4. The movable range calculation unit calculates the movable range of the door based on information about the door that is stored in association with the destination or identification information of the door.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

5. The information about the door includes information about the position of the door, the size of the door, or the opening / closing mechanism of the door.

5. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the control device is a control device for controlling a power supply.

6. The flight control unit controls the aircraft so that at least a part of the aircraft or the baggage does not enter the no-entry area while the aircraft is flying or landing to place the baggage.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

7. The flight control unit lands the aircraft at the set storage location, unloads the cargo by detaching it from the aircraft after landing, and controls the aircraft so that the aircraft and at least a part of the cargo do not enter the no-entry area while the aircraft is flying or landing for the unloading.

2. The control device according to claim 1.

8. When the recognition accuracy of the information about the door is lower than a threshold value or when the information about the door cannot be recognized, the movable range calculation unit calculates the movable range by assuming that the door corresponds to a plurality of predetermined opening and closing mechanisms.

3. The control device according to claim 2.

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