Management system for information on permission to land at landing sites for unmanned aerial vehicles

Abstract

To appropriately manage landing permission information to a plurality of landing places for a plurality of unmanned aircrafts.SOLUTION: A management system 10 manages landing permission information to a plurality of landing places P1, P2.. for a plurality of unmanned aircrafts D1, D2... An aircraft information acquisition unit 101 of the management system 10 acquires airframe information about an unmanned aircraft. A landing place information acquisition unit 102 acquires landing place information about a landing place. A delivery information acquisition unit 103 acquires delivery instruction information including a combination of a landing identification number of a landing place and an airframe identification number of an unmanned aircraft for delivery. A landing propriety determination unit 104 that determines whether or not the unmanned aircraft identified by the delivery instruction information may be landed onto the landing place and permits the unmanned aircraft to land onto the landing place when the landing is allowed; but do not permit the other unmanned aircrafts to land onto the landing places.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a management system that manages landing permission information for unmanned aerial vehicles at a landing site, that is, permission information as to whether an unmanned aerial vehicle is permitted to land at a landing site. [Background technology]

[0002] The use of unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, is being considered. For example, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for parcel delivery and collection is being considered. In the parcel delivery business, an unmanned aerial vehicle carrying a parcel flies to a landing site at the delivery destination, lands, and delivers the parcel.

[0003] To assist drones in landing, systems for assisting them in landing have been considered. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for an unmanned aircraft landing management device that has a presentation control unit that displays a guidance marker at the landing point to guide the unmanned aircraft. The technology of Patent Document 1 makes it possible to guide an unmanned aerial vehicle to land appropriately at a stopping area (landing area). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-109781 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When using unmanned aerial vehicles for deliveries, etc., it is expected that multiple unmanned aerial vehicles will fly between multiple landing sites. If multiple unmanned aerial vehicles try to land at the same landing site at the same time, accidents such as collisions are more likely to occur.

[0006] Furthermore, as the number of landing sites increases and the density of landing sites increases, unmanned aircraft may be forced to approach other landing sites in order to land at the desired landing site, which may cause problems such as noise and privacy at the other landing sites.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to appropriately manage landing permission information for a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles at a plurality of landing sites. Another object of the present invention is to appropriately manage approach permission information for a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles at a plurality of landing sites. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] After careful consideration, the inventor discovered that utilizing collection and delivery instruction information from unmanned aerial vehicles in managing landing permits would enable the management of landing permit information to be carried out appropriately, and thus completed the present invention.

[0009] The present invention is a management system that manages landing permission information for a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles at a plurality of landing fields, the management system having an aircraft information acquisition unit, a landing field information acquisition unit, a collection and delivery information acquisition unit, and a landing permission determination unit, the aircraft information acquisition unit acquires aircraft information related to the unmanned aerial vehicle, including an aircraft identification number, the landing field information acquisition unit acquires landing field information related to the landing field, including a landing field identification number, the collection and delivery information acquisition unit acquires collection and delivery instruction information for luggage by the unmanned aerial vehicle, the collection and delivery instruction information including a collection and delivery instruction information for luggage, The information includes a combination of the aircraft identification number of the unmanned aircraft to be delivered and the landing field identification number of the landing field, and the landing permission determination unit determines, based on the aircraft information and the landing field information, whether the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information may land at the landing field with the landing field identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information, and if it is permitted to land, determines whether the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number is permitted to land at the landing field with the landing field identification number, and determines whether other unmanned aircraft are permitted to land at the landing field with the landing field identification number. The management system further has an aircraft route planning unit and an approach feasibility determination unit, wherein the aircraft information acquisition unit further acquires current position information of the unmanned aircraft, the landing field information acquisition unit acquires landing field position information as landing field information, the aircraft route planning unit plans a flight route for the unmanned aircraft using the current position information of the unmanned aircraft and the landing field position information, the approach feasibility determination unit acquires the distance between the flight route and a landing field different from the landing field with the landing field identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information, identifies a landing field that is determined to be close to the flight route according to predetermined determination criteria as a route approach landing field, and determines whether the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number is allowed to approach the identified route approach landing field, while determining whether to deny approach to a landing field that is not determined to be close to the flight route. A management system (first invention).

[0010] In the first invention, preferably, the management system further includes an approach possibility determination unit, which obtains distance information from the landing field having the landing field identification number specified by the collection and delivery instruction information to other landing fields, and specifies landing fields that are determined to be close in distance according to predetermined criteria as nearby landing fields, and determines whether the unmanned aerial vehicle having that aircraft identification number is permitted to approach the specified nearby landing fields, while determining whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is not permitted to approach landing fields that are not determined to be close in distance. 。

[0011] Also, First Invention In the above, preferably, the landing field information acquisition unit further acquires the usage status of the landing field with the landing field identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information, and if the landing field is in use by another unmanned aerial vehicle, the landing permission determination unit determines that the unmanned aerial vehicle with the aircraft identification number is not permitted to land at the landing field with the landing field identification number ( Second Invention ). Also, in the first invention, preferably, the management system further includes a landing information acquisition unit, and the landing information acquisition unit acquires landing information that an unmanned aerial vehicle with an aircraft identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information has landed at a landing field with a landing field identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information, and based on the landing information, the landing permission determination unit revokes landing permission for the unmanned aerial vehicle with the aircraft identification number at the landing field with the landing field identification number ( Third Invention ).Also, First Invention In the above, preferably, the management system further includes a landing information acquisition unit, and the landing information acquisition unit acquires landing information that an unmanned aerial vehicle with an aircraft identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information has landed at a landing field with a landing field identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information, and based on the landing information, the approach permission determination unit cancels the approach permission for the unmanned aerial vehicle with the aircraft identification number ( Fourth Invention ). [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the management system (first invention) of the present invention, landing permission information for a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles at a plurality of landing sites can be appropriately managed. Second InventionAccording to the method, multiple unmanned aerial vehicles are prevented from attempting to land at the same landing site, and landing permission information can be managed more appropriately. Third Invention According to the company, this will prevent unmanned aerial vehicles that have completed deliveries from occupying a specific landing site for a long period of time, and will enable more appropriate management of landing permission information.

[0013] moreover, According to the first invention, It is also possible to obtain the effect of appropriately managing information on permission for a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles to approach a plurality of landing sites. Fourth Invention According to this, it is possible to prevent approach permission from being continuously issued to an unmanned aerial vehicle that has completed a delivery, and to manage approach permission information more appropriately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a conceptual diagram of a management system for landing clearance information. [Figure 2] This is a table showing an image of landing permission information in which each unmanned aerial vehicle is given permission / denial to land at each landing site. [Figure 3] 10 is a table showing an image of approach permission information in which each unmanned aerial vehicle is given permission / denial to approach each landing site. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a management system for landing clearance information. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the operation of the landing feasibility determination unit of the management system. [Figure 6] 10 is a table showing an image of landing permission / denial resulting from the operation of the landing permission / denial determination unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of an approach possibility determination unit of the management system. [Figure 8] 10 is a table showing an image of access permission / denial resulting from the operation of the access permission / denial determination unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of an aircraft route planning unit and an approach feasibility determination unit of the management system. [Figure 10] 10 is a table showing another example of access permission / denial resulting from the operation of the access permission / denial determination unit. [Figure 11] 10 is a flow chart showing the operation of the landing information acquisition unit, landing feasibility determination unit, and approach feasibility determination unit of the management system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will be described using an example of delivery work by an unmanned aerial vehicle. The present invention is not limited to the individual embodiments shown below, and can be implemented by modifying the form.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a management system for landing clearance information. The management system 10 of the first embodiment communicates with multiple unmanned aerial vehicles D1, D2, etc. and multiple landing fields P1, P2, etc. to manage landing clearance information for the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles at the multiple landing fields. In FIG. 1, information communication is indicated by white arrows. Communication may be wireless or wired. Communication may also be performed via an information network. Furthermore, communication between the management system 10 and the unmanned aerial vehicles or landing fields does not necessarily have to be direct; for example, the unmanned aerial vehicles may communicate indirectly with the management system 10 via the landing fields.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a table showing an example of landing permission information indicating whether each unmanned aerial vehicle (D1, D2, etc.) is permitted to land at each landing field (P1, P2, etc.). The management system 10 manages landing permission information, indicating which unmanned aerial vehicle is permitted to land at which landing field (P1, P2, etc.). The columns in the table correspond to the individual unmanned aerial vehicles (D1, D2, etc.), and the rows in the table correspond to the individual landing fields (P1, P2, etc.). At each intersection of a row and a column in the table, PO indicates that landing is permitted, and X indicates that landing is not permitted. FIG. 2 shows a state in which unmanned aerial vehicle (D1) is permitted to land only at landing field (P4), unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) is permitted to land only at landing field (P2), and the other unmanned aerial vehicles are not permitted to land at any landing field.

[0018] Each unmanned aerial vehicle D1, D2, ... is controlled to be allowed to land at a landing field for which landing permission has been granted, and is controlled not to land at a landing field for which landing permission has been denied. For example, when unmanned aerial vehicle D1 attempts to land at landing field P1, unmanned aerial vehicle D1 or landing field P1 inquires of the management system 10 whether or not it is permitted to land, and if the management system 10 returns landing permission information indicating that unmanned aerial vehicle D1 is not permitted to land at landing field P1, unmanned aerial vehicle D1 is controlled not to land at landing field P1. Alternatively, when unmanned aerial vehicle D2 attempts to land at landing field P2, unmanned aerial vehicle D2 or landing field P2 inquires of the management system 10 whether or not it is permitted to land, and if the management system 10 returns landing permission information indicating that unmanned aerial vehicle D2 is permitted to land at landing field P2, unmanned aerial vehicle D2 is controlled to land at landing field P2.

[0019] Furthermore, although not essential, the management system 10 may further manage access permission information for a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles to a plurality of landing sites.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a table showing an example of approach permission information in which each unmanned aerial vehicle D1, D2, etc. is granted permission to approach each landing field P1, P2, etc. In this case, the management system 10 manages the approach permission information, which indicates which unmanned aerial vehicle is permitted / denied access to which landing field. The columns in the table correspond to individual unmanned aerial vehicles, and the rows in the table correspond to individual landing fields. At each intersection of a row and a column in the table, CO indicates that access is permitted, and XX indicates that access is not permitted. FIG. 3 shows a state in which unmanned aerial vehicle D1 is permitted to approach only landing fields P3 and P4, unmanned aerial vehicle D2 is permitted to approach only landing fields P1, P2, and P3, and other unmanned aerial vehicles are not permitted to approach any landing fields.

[0021] Each unmanned aerial vehicle D1, D2, ... is controlled to be allowed to approach a landing field for which it has been given permission to approach, and is controlled not to approach a landing field for which it has been denied permission to approach. For example, when unmanned aerial vehicle D1 attempts to approach landing field P1, it inquires of the management system 10 as to whether the approach is permitted, and if the management system 10 returns approach permission information stating that the unmanned aerial vehicle D1 is not permitted to approach landing field P1, it is controlled not to approach landing field P1. Alternatively, when unmanned aerial vehicle D2 attempts to approach landing field P2, it inquires of the management system 10 as to whether the approach is permitted, and if the management system 10 returns landing permission information stating that the unmanned aerial vehicle D2 is permitted to approach landing field P2, it is controlled to be allowed to approach landing field P2.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the landing clearance information management system 10. As shown in FIG. The landing permission information management system 10 of this embodiment includes an aircraft information acquisition unit 101, a landing field information acquisition unit 102, a collection and delivery information acquisition unit 103, and a landing permission determination unit 104. Although not essential, the management system 10 may further include a landing clearance information storage unit 107 and a landing clearance information transmission unit 108. Although not essential, the management system 10 may further include an approach feasibility determination unit 105 and an aircraft route planning unit 106. Although not essential, the management system 10 may further include a landing information acquisition unit 109. In FIG. 4, each of these functional units is shown enclosed in a square, and the information handled in relation to each functional unit is shown enclosed in parentheses <>.

[0023] Each functional unit shown in FIG. 4 is realized by software and hardware constituting the management system. Although FIG. 4 depicts each functional unit as being independent from one another, components of each functional unit may be shared between different functional units. Each functional unit may be called as needed and configured to exchange required information. While FIGS. 1 and 4 illustrate an example in which the management system 10, unmanned aerial vehicles D1, D2, and landing sites P1, P2, are independent and communicate with each other, this is not required. For example, components of the management system may be implemented in the unmanned aerial vehicles and landing sites, such as the landing feasibility determination unit of the management system being implemented by hardware and software implemented in landing site P2. Furthermore, the management system 10 may be implemented by multiple pieces of hardware connected via an information network.

[0024] In addition to the above-described functional units, the management system 10 may have other functional units required for the management system to function. Examples of the other functional units include a power supply unit, an emergency power supply unit, a memory unit, a backup unit, an external information network connection unit, a command reception unit, and an operation status display unit.

[0025] The operation of each functional unit and the flow of information processing in the management system will be described below. The aircraft information acquisition unit 101 acquires aircraft information about the unmanned aerial vehicle, including the aircraft identification number. The aircraft information may include, in addition to the aircraft identification number, the model, size, weight, maximum weight, noise level, whether or not autonomous operation is possible and the method, whether or not guided operation is possible and the method, current position, and possible flight distance / time. The aircraft information links information about individual unmanned aerial vehicles with the aircraft identification number.

[0026] Here, the aircraft identification number is an identification number assigned to identify each unmanned aerial vehicle. The aircraft identification number may consist of only numbers, but may also consist of a combination of numbers and letters or symbols to make it easier to distinguish from other identification numbers and to identify the model. In this embodiment, aircraft identification numbers are assigned to each individual aircraft as D1, D2, D3, D4, etc.

[0027] Such aircraft information may be registered in a database in advance, and information that needs to be updated, such as the current location and remaining flight time, may be updated as needed, so that the aircraft information acquisition unit 101 can obtain the latest aircraft information for the unmanned aircraft corresponding to the aircraft identification number by querying the database. Alternatively, the aircraft information acquisition unit 101 may acquire aircraft information by querying each unmanned aircraft, or by the unmanned aircraft notifying the aircraft information acquisition unit 101 of the aircraft information.

[0028] The landing field information acquisition unit 102 acquires landing field information about a landing field, including a landing field identification number. In addition to the landing field identification number, the landing field information may include the type, location, size, allowable weight of the unmanned aircraft, whether or not guided operation is possible and the method, a recommended landing route, a recommended takeoff route, current usage status, reservation status, landing field identification numbers of other nearby landing fields, weather (wind, rain, fog), etc. The landing field information links information about an individual landing field with the landing field identification number.

[0029] Here, the landing field identification number refers to an identification number assigned to identify each individual landing field. The landing field identification number may consist of only numbers, but may also consist of a combination of numbers and letters or symbols to make it easier to distinguish from other identification numbers and to determine the type of landing field. In this embodiment, landing field identification numbers are assigned to each individual landing field, such as P1, P2, P3, P4, etc.

[0030] Such landing field information may be registered in a database in advance, and information that needs to be updated, such as current usage status, reservation status, weather, etc., may be updated as needed, so that the landing field information acquisition unit 102 can obtain the latest landing field information for the landing field corresponding to the landing field identification number by inquiring about the database. Alternatively, the landing field information acquisition unit 102 may obtain landing field information by inquiring about each landing field, or by the landing field notifying the landing field information acquisition unit 102 of the information.

[0031] The collection and delivery information acquisition unit 103 acquires collection and delivery instruction information for a package by an unmanned aerial vehicle. The collection and delivery instruction information includes a combination of the aircraft identification number of the unmanned aerial vehicle that is to collect or deliver the package and the landing field identification number of the landing field. For example, if unmanned aerial vehicle D2 is going to make a delivery to landing field P2, the collection and delivery instruction information includes a combination of the aircraft identification number "D2" and the landing field identification number "P2". The collection and delivery instruction information may also include information such as whether it is a delivery or a collection, and the scheduled landing time.

[0032] The management system 10 acquires individual aircraft information and landing field information corresponding to the aircraft identification number (e.g., D2) and landing field identification number (e.g., P2) acquired by the collection and delivery information acquisition unit 103 through the aircraft information acquisition unit 101 and the landing field information acquisition unit 102, and uses this information for processing by other functional units described below.

[0033] The landing permission determination unit 104 determines, based on the acquired aircraft information and landing field information, whether the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number (e.g., D2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information may land at the landing field with the landing field identification number (e.g., P2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information. This step is a step for determining whether to grant landing permission for the combination of the aircraft and landing field in the collection and delivery instruction information.

[0034] In the step of determining whether to grant landing permission for the combination of aircraft and landing site in the collection and delivery instruction information, the procedure and criteria for determining whether to land by the landing permission determination unit 104 are not particularly limited, but may be as follows. For example, the current usage status of the landing field (P2) may be checked, and if the landing field is being used by another aircraft (for example, aircraft identification number D4), a decision may be made to "deny landing," and if the landing field is not being used, a decision may be made to "permit landing."

[0035] Alternatively, for example, the size and maximum weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle with the aircraft identification number (e.g., D2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information may be extracted from the aircraft information, and the size and allowable weight of the landing field with the landing field identification number (e.g., P2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information may be extracted from the landing field information, and these sizes and weights may be compared to determine whether the unmanned aerial vehicle D2 is permitted to land at the landing field P2.

[0036] FIG. 5 shows an example of the flow of the landing permission determination in the landing permission determination unit 104. In the example of FIG. 5, first, the usage status of the landing field is confirmed, and if the landing field (P2) is in use, a "landing denial" determination is made. If the landing field (P2) is not in use, the process proceeds to the next step, where the size and weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) are compared with the size and allowable weight of the landing field (P2), and it is checked whether the unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) is large enough to fit into the landing field (P2) and whether the unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) exceeds the allowable weight of the landing field (P2), and a determination is made as to whether the unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) is allowed to land at the landing field (P2). This part corresponds to the step of determining landing permission for the combination of aircraft and landing field in the collection and delivery instruction information.

[0037] Then, after a landing permission / denial decision is made for the combination of aircraft and landing site in the collection and delivery instruction information, if landing is permitted, the landing permission decision unit 104 decides to grant the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number (D2) permission to land at the landing site with the landing site identification number (P2), and decides to deny other unmanned aircraft permission to land at the landing site with the landing site identification number (P2). In other words, a decision is made to deny landing permission, i.e., to prohibit landing, at the landing site with the landing site identification number (P2) for unmanned aircraft with aircraft identification numbers (D1, D3, D4, etc.) different from the aircraft identification number (D2 in this example) of the unmanned aircraft that has been granted landing permission. In the example of Figure 5, a decision to deny landing permission for unmanned aircraft with different aircraft identification numbers is made in the latter part of the processing.

[0038] As a result, the landing permission / prohibition determination unit 104 will generate landing permission / prohibition information for each unmanned aerial vehicle D1, D2, ... at the landing field with the landing field identification number (e.g., P2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information, as shown in Figure 6.

[0039] On the other hand, if the landing permission determination unit 104 determines that an unmanned aircraft with an aircraft identification number (e.g., D2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information is not permitted to land at a landing field with a landing field identification number (e.g., P2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information, information is generated that prohibits the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number (D2) from landing at the landing field with the landing field identification number (P2), and no particular information is generated regarding landing permission / denial for other unmanned aircraft.

[0040] Although not required, the management system 10 may have a landing permission information storage unit 107. The landing permission information storage unit 107 stores, updates, and maintains information regarding "landing permission / denial" for each landing field P1, P2, ... for each unmanned aerial vehicle D1, D2, ... as illustrated in FIG. 2. Each unmanned aerial vehicle and each landing field can find out whether landing is permitted or not by accessing the landing permission information storage unit 107. The landing permission information storage unit 107 may be open to access so that systems external to the management system 10 can refer to the information.

[0041] If the management system 10 has the landing permission information storage unit 107, the landing permission determination unit 104 may use the generated landing permission / denial information (for example, the information shown in FIG. 6) to update the landing permission information (for example, the information matrix shown in FIG. 6) regarding "landing permission / denial" managed by the landing permission information storage unit 107. The landing permission information storage unit 107 may use hardware such as an independent memory or disk drive device, or may be distributed and implemented in multiple hardware included in the management system (for example, memories implemented in unmanned aerial vehicles and landing sites, etc.).

[0042] Furthermore, although not essential, the management system 10 may include a landing permission information transmission unit 108. The landing permission information transmission unit 108 may transmit the landing permission / denial information generated by the landing permission determination unit 104 and the information stored in the landing permission information storage unit 107 to individual unmanned aerial vehicles, individual landing sites, or one of them.

[0043] As long as the landing permission / denial information generated by the landing permission determination unit 104 is appropriately transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle or the landing site, the landing permission information storage unit 107 and the landing permission information transmission unit 108 are not essential, and the landing permission / denial information may be transmitted by other functional units or methods. Furthermore, functions equivalent to the landing permission information storage unit 107 and the landing permission information transmission unit 108 may be included in the landing permission determination unit 104.

[0044] Furthermore, as will be described below, the management system 10 may be configured to determine whether or not individual unmanned aerial vehicles are permitted to approach individual landing sites, and to manage approach permission information. In this case, the management system 10 may further include an approach permission determining unit 105, although this is not essential.

[0045] When a decision is made to grant landing permission for a combination of an unmanned aircraft and a landing field (e.g., D2 and P2) identified by the collection and delivery instruction information, the approach permission determination unit 105 may, although not required, obtain distance information from the landing field with the landing field identification number (e.g., P2) identified by the collection and delivery instruction information to other landing fields (e.g., P1, P3, P4, ...), and identify landing fields that are determined to be close in distance according to predetermined determination criteria as nearby landing fields, and may be configured to make a decision to grant "approach permission" to the unmanned aircraft with the identification number identified by the collection and delivery instruction information (e.g., D2) at the identified nearby landing fields, while making a decision to deny approach to landing fields that are not determined to be close.

[0046] FIG. 7 shows an example of the processing flow in the approach possibility determination unit 105 in this case. In the example of Figure 7, the collection and delivery instruction information provides a combination of aircraft identification number D2 and landing field identification number P2, and the unmanned aircraft with aircraft identification number D2 is scheduled and permitted to land at the landing field with landing field identification number P2.

[0047] The approach possibility determination unit 105 first acquires landing field information from the landing field information acquisition unit 102, and acquires distance information from a landing field with a landing field identification number (e.g., P2) specified by the collection and delivery instruction information to other landing fields (e.g., P1, P3, P4, ...). The distance information may be the distance between the landing fields themselves, or an index that ranks the distance between the landing fields in stages. For example, it may be an index that ranks the distance between the landing fields in five stages: 10 m or less, more than 10 m and less than 30 m, more than 30 m and less than 50 m, more than 50 m and less than 100 m, and more than 100 m.

[0048] These distances and indices between landing fields may be calculated in the approach feasibility determination unit 105 using the position information of the landing fields included in the landing field information, but the distance information between landing fields may also be calculated in advance and stored as information accompanying the landing field information, and the distance information between landing fields may be passed from the landing field information acquisition unit 102 to the approach feasibility determination unit 105. Note that the distance information may be the horizontal distance when the landing fields are viewed from above, or may be the spatial distance between the landing fields connected in three dimensions by a straight line. In the embodiment of Figure 7, the spatial distance (L1, L3, L4, ··, Ln, ··) from the landing field with the landing field identification number (e.g., P2) identified by the collection and delivery instruction information to other landing fields (P1, P3, P4, ··, Pn, ··) is obtained as distance information.

[0049] Next, based on the distance information to other landing fields, landing fields that are determined to be close in distance according to a predetermined criterion are identified as nearby landing fields. For example, a distance L0 (e.g., 30 m) may be set as a criterion, and the distance between landing fields may be compared with this reference distance L0 to determine whether the landing fields are close to each other, and such landing fields may be identified as nearby landing fields. In this case, the reference distance used as the criterion may differ for each individual landing field, and the landing field information may include information on the reference distance L0 to be used for determining the proximity of each landing field. Furthermore, the reference distance L0 may be determined in association with the size, power, noise level, etc. of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0050] In addition, when distance information to other landing sites is obtained using a ranked index, it may be possible to determine whether landing sites are close to each other by defining criteria for determining the rank of proximity. For example, landing sites with a distance rank of 10 m or less and landing sites with a distance rank of more than 10 m but less than 30 m may be identified as nearby landing sites.

[0051] The approach permission determination unit 105 determines whether an unmanned aerial vehicle with an aircraft identification number (e.g., D2) specified by the collection and delivery instruction information is permitted to approach a landing field with a landing field identification number (e.g., P2) specified by the collection and delivery instruction information, by matching it with landing permission. That is, if a landing permission determination has been made, the approach is permitted, and if a landing permission is not permitted, the approach is not permitted. Furthermore, the approach permission determination unit 105 determines whether or not to permit approach to the identified nearby landing field. That is, a determination is made to permit approach of the unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) to nearby landing fields that are close to the landing field (P2) where the unmanned aerial vehicle is to land. On the other hand, a determination is made to deny approach of the unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) to landing fields that are not determined to be close to the landing field (P2) where the unmanned aerial vehicle is to land.

[0052] In the example of Figure 7, the distances between landing fields (L1, L3, L4, ...) are compared with a reference distance L0 (for example, L0 = 30 m), and landing fields that are determined to be close (P1, P3 in this example) are identified as nearby landing fields, and a decision is made to allow unmanned aerial vehicle D2 to approach. On the other hand, a decision is made to deny unmanned aerial vehicle D2 access to landing fields that are determined to be far away (P4, P5, ... in this example). Then, the approach permission decision unit 105 generates information on whether approach is permitted (CO) or not permitted (XX) to each landing field for a specific unmanned aerial vehicle, as shown in Figure 8, and this information is overwritten and reflected in the approach permission information as shown in Figure 3.

[0053] Furthermore, when the management system 10 includes the approach possibility determination unit 105, the management system may further include an aircraft route planning unit 106, although this is not essential.

[0054] In this case, the aircraft information acquisition unit 101 further acquires the current location information of the unmanned aircraft, the landing field information acquisition unit 102 acquires the location information of the landing field as the landing field information, and the aircraft route planning unit 106 plans the flight route of the unmanned aircraft using the current location information of the unmanned aircraft and the location information of the landing field.

[0055] The specific method for planning the flight path in the aircraft path planning unit 106 is not particularly limited. The flight path may be planned, for example, by forming a straight line connecting the current position of the unmanned aircraft and the position of the landing field when viewed from above. Alternatively, flight paths for landing and takeoff may be determined in advance at each landing field, and the overall flight path may be planned to include these flight paths. It is also preferable to utilize information on obstacles such as the ground, sea surface, towers, high-rise buildings, and power lines, as well as information on restricted areas such as airports, in planning the flight path.

[0056] When the flight path of the unmanned aircraft is planned by the aircraft path planning unit 106, the approach feasibility determination unit 105 obtains the distances (LL1, LL3, LL4, LLn, ) between the flight path and landing fields (P1, P3, P4, . . . , Pn, . . . ) that are different from the landing field with the landing field identification number (e.g., P2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information. The distances can be obtained by arithmetic calculation or numerical simulation, which finds the closest distance between each landing field and the flight path obtained as a single three-dimensional path.

[0057] Then, the aircraft route planning unit 106 identifies a landing field that is determined to be close to the flight path as a route-approaching landing field according to a predetermined determination criterion. In the example of Fig. 9, the reference approach distance for determining closeness is set to LL0 (e.g., 30 m), and the distances (LL1, LL3, LL4, LLn, LL) between each landing field (P1, P3, P4, , Pn, ) and the flight path are compared with the reference distance LL0, and landing fields that are determined to be close (P3 and P5 in this example) are identified as route-approaching landing fields.

[0058] The aircraft route planning unit 106 then determines whether the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number (D2) is permitted to approach the identified route approach landing field, while determining whether it is not permitted to approach any landing field that is not determined to be close to the flight route. In the example of Figure 9, a decision is made to permit unmanned aerial vehicle D2 to approach landing fields (P3, P5) that are determined to be route-approach landing fields. On the other hand, a decision is made to deny unmanned aerial vehicle D2 access to landing fields that are determined to be far away (in this example, P1, P4, P6, ...). Then, the approach permission determination unit 105 generates information on whether approach is permitted (CO) or not permitted (XX) to each landing field for a specific unmanned aerial vehicle (D2), as shown in Figure 10, and this information is overwritten and reflected in the approach permission information as shown in Figure 3.

[0059] The operation and effect of the landing clearance information management system of the above embodiment will be described. The landing permission information management system of the above embodiment manages landing permission information for multiple unmanned aircraft at multiple landing sites. According to the landing permission information management system of the above embodiment, landing permission information for multiple unmanned aircraft at multiple landing sites can be appropriately managed. That is, the landing permission determination unit 104 determines whether or not landing is permitted for the combination of unmanned aircraft (D2) and landing site (P2) identified based on the collection and delivery instruction information, and other unmanned aircraft (D1, D3, D4, etc.) are not permitted to land at the corresponding landing site. This allows efficient, centralized management of landing permission information for multiple unmanned aircraft at multiple landing sites. Furthermore, by preventing multiple unmanned aircraft from being granted landing permission at a specific landing site, it is expected that accidents such as collisions between unmanned aircraft over a landing site can be reduced.

[0060] In particular, as described in the management system of the above embodiment, if the management system further obtains the usage status of the landing field (P2) identified in the collection and delivery instruction information, and if the landing field is in use by another unmanned aerial vehicle (e.g., D4), the landing permission determination unit 104 determines that the unmanned aerial vehicle D2 is not permitted to land at the landing field (P2), this more reliably prevents multiple unmanned aerial vehicles from being granted permission to land at a specific landing field.

[0061] Furthermore, if the management system has an approach permission determination unit 105 that identifies nearby landing fields close to the landing field (P2) where the unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) is attempting to land, and the approach permission determination unit 105 grants the unmanned aerial vehicle access permission to those nearby landing fields and denies access to landing fields that are not close, it will be possible to grant access permission only to other landing fields that the unmanned aerial vehicle needs to approach when attempting to land at the landing field (P2), and by granting access permission necessary for the unmanned aerial vehicle to land smoothly while denies access to landing fields that it does not need to approach, it will be possible to reduce the occurrence of noise and privacy problems. In other words, it is possible to appropriately manage access permission information for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles to multiple landing fields.

[0062] Furthermore, if the management system has an aircraft route planning unit 106 and the approach permission determination unit 105 identifies route approach landing sites that are close to the flight route planned for the unmanned aircraft (D2), and grants the unmanned aircraft access permission to such route approach landing sites and denies access to landing sites that are not close to the flight route, it is possible to grant access permission only to other landing sites that need to be approached along the flight route of the unmanned aircraft, and while granting access permission necessary for the smooth flight of the unmanned aircraft, it is possible to deny access to landing sites that do not need to be approached, making it less likely to cause noise problems or privacy issues. In other words, it is possible to appropriately manage access permission information for multiple unmanned aircraft to multiple landing sites.

[0063] Furthermore, by managing information on whether or not approach is permitted along with information on whether or not landing is permitted, it is possible to prevent situations where an unmanned aircraft is unable to enter the planned flight or landing path because permission to land at the desired landing site (e.g., P2) has been obtained but permission to approach a specific landing site (e.g., P3) has not been granted, thereby preventing disruptions to smooth package delivery.

[0064] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made to the invention. Other embodiments of the invention will be described below, focusing on differences from the above-described embodiment, and detailed descriptions of similarities will be omitted. Furthermore, these embodiments can be implemented by combining parts of them with each other or by substituting parts of them.

[0065] The landing clearance information management system 10 of the above-described embodiment may, but is not required to, include a landing information acquisition unit 109. An example of an operation flow in a management system including the landing information acquisition unit 109 is shown in FIG. 11. The landing information acquisition unit 109 acquires landing information indicating that an unmanned aerial vehicle with an aircraft identification number (e.g., D2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information has landed at a landing field with a landing field identification number (e.g., P2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information. The landing information may include not only information indicating that the unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) has landed at the landing field (P2), but also information indicating that the unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) has taken off after landing at the landing field (P2).

[0066] The landing permission determination unit 104 of the management system 10 revokes the landing permission for the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number (D2) at the landing field with the landing field identification number (P2) based on the landing information acquired by the landing information acquisition unit 109.

[0067] The landing permission issued while the unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) was heading to the landing field (P2) becomes no longer necessary once the unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) has landed at the landing field (P2). After landing, the landing permission is cancelled based on the landing information, making it possible to plan the landing of another unmanned aerial vehicle (e.g., D3) at the same landing field (P2), thereby making the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles and landing fields more efficient. In other words, this prevents unmanned aerial vehicles that have completed their delivery from occupying a specific landing field for a long period of time, and allows for more appropriate management of landing permission information.

[0068] From the viewpoint of increasing the efficiency of the operation of unmanned aircraft and landing sites while preventing unmanned aircraft accidents, it is preferable to cancel the landing permission for the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number (D2) at the landing site with the landing site identification number (P2) after a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes or more) has elapsed since the landing information acquisition unit 109 acquired information that the unmanned aircraft has landed, or after the landing information acquisition unit 109 acquired information that the unmanned aircraft has taken off after landing. In this way, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a landing permission for the landing site (P2) will be issued to another unmanned aircraft while the unmanned aircraft (D2) is near the landing site (P2), and the management of landing permission information becomes more preferable.

[0069] Furthermore, if the management system 10 further includes a landing information acquisition unit 109, although this is not essential, it is preferable that the landing information acquisition unit 109 acquires landing information indicating that an unmanned aerial vehicle with an aircraft identification number (e.g., D2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information has landed at a landing field with a landing field identification number (e.g., P2) specified in the collection and delivery instruction information, and that based on this landing information, the approach feasibility determination unit 105 of the management system 10 revokes the approach permission issued to the unmanned aerial vehicle with the aircraft identification number (D2).

[0070] This prevents approach permission from being continuously issued to an unmanned aerial vehicle (D2) that has finished landing for collection or delivery, and allows for more appropriate management of approach permission information while balancing smooth operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle with consideration for noise prevention and privacy. The process by the approach feasibility determination unit 105 to revoke the approach permission and deny the unmanned aircraft permission to approach is preferably performed after a predetermined time (e.g., 10 minutes) has elapsed after the landing information acquisition unit 109 acquires the landing information.

[0071] The management system 10 of the above-described embodiment is preferably capable of communicating with systems that operate and manage multiple unmanned aerial vehicles and multiple landing sites, such as control systems for unmanned aerial vehicles and landing sites, UTMs, etc., and is capable of sharing landing permission information and approach permission information with these systems. Furthermore, the management system 10 may be part (subsystem) of the control systems for unmanned aerial vehicles and landing sites or other higher-level systems.

[0072] Although not essential, it is preferable from the perspective of managing landing permission information that the management system 10 be able to exclusively or preferentially grant / deny permission for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles D1, D2, D3, etc. to land at multiple landing sites P1, P2, P3, etc. The landing permission / denial information managed by the management system 10 may be changed or overwritten by another system that controls the unmanned aerial vehicle or the landing site.

[0073] Furthermore, although not essential, it is preferable that the management system 10 that manages the landing permission information be linked to a system that creates a flight plan for the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles D1, D2, D3, ... and a system that performs flight control for each unmanned aerial vehicle D1, D2, D3, .... Linking makes it possible to reflect the landing permission information and approach permission information in the flight plan and flight control, thereby improving the efficiency and safety of the operation of the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles and landing sites.

[0074] Furthermore, delivery of packages by unmanned aerial vehicles includes, but is not limited to, delivery of parcels to homes by courier services, and can also be applied to delivery of medicines to public institutions such as hospitals, delivery of parts to vehicle breakdown or accident sites, collection of broken products, and collection of parcels from homes by courier services.

[0075] Furthermore, the landing site is not limited as long as its location can be individually identified. For example, in a building with the same address, landing sites with individual landing site identification numbers can be set up on the third floor, fifth floor, and rooftop, and permission / denial of landing and approach can be managed for these landing sites. If it were possible to determine permission / denial of landing and approach for such closely located landing sites in a coordinated manner, it would be advantageous for the efficiency of unmanned aircraft operations. Furthermore, landing and approach permission information can also be managed for mobile landing sites such as ships, railroad vehicles, and aircraft carriers.

[0076] Furthermore, in the explanation of the management system 10 of the above embodiment, the management system 10, the unmanned aerial vehicles D1, D2, D3, etc., and the landing sites P1, P2, P3, etc. are each independent of each other and communicate with each other, but it is not essential that the management system, the unmanned aerial vehicles, and the landing sites are each independent of each other. In other words, the management system may be configured to include part of the hardware and software provided in the unmanned aerial vehicles and the landing sites.

[0077] For example, the management system may be configured so that the landing feasibility determination unit 104 and the aircraft route planning unit 106 of the management system 10 are implemented on a computer installed in the unmanned aerial vehicle. In this case, the landing feasibility determination unit 104 and the aircraft route planning unit 106 may be provided on a computer installed in each unmanned aerial vehicle, and distributed processing may be performed to make decisions and plans regarding that aircraft.

[0078] Alternatively, for example, the management system may be configured so that the landing permission determination unit 104 is implemented on a computer provided at the landing field. Also, the management system may be configured so that the landing permission information storage unit 107 of the management system 10 is implemented on a computer provided at the landing field. The landing permission information storage unit 107 may be implemented in a distributed manner by causing each landing field to store landing permission information related to that landing field.

[0079] Each of the functional units constituting the management system, i.e., aircraft information acquisition unit 101, landing field information acquisition unit 102, collection and delivery information acquisition unit 103, landing feasibility determination unit 104, approach feasibility determination unit 105, aircraft route planning unit 106, landing clearance information storage unit 107, landing clearance information transmission unit 108, and landing information acquisition unit 109, may be implemented and operate on a single piece of hardware (computer, memory, disk drive, input / output device, etc.), but this is not essential. These functional units may be configured to enable distributed processing so that they are implemented and operate across multiple pieces of hardware connected via an information network. [Industrial Applicability]

[0080] The management system for managing landing permission information can manage landing information for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles at multiple landing sites, making it highly useful in industry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] D1,D2,... Unmanned aerial vehicle P1, P2, etc. landing sites 10 Management System 101 Aircraft Information Acquisition Department 102 Landing site information acquisition unit 103 Collection and Delivery Information Acquisition Department 104 Landing Judgment Department 105 Accessibility judgment unit 106 Aircraft Route Planning Department 107 Landing permission information storage unit 108 Landing Permission Information Transmitter 109 Landing Information Acquisition Unit

Claims

1. A management system for managing landing permission information for a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles at a plurality of landing sites, The management system includes an aircraft information acquisition unit, a landing field information acquisition unit, a collection and delivery information acquisition unit, and a landing permission determination unit, the aircraft information acquisition unit acquires aircraft information regarding the unmanned aircraft, including an aircraft identification number; the landing field information acquisition unit acquires landing field information regarding the landing field, including a landing field identification number; the collection and delivery information acquisition unit acquires package collection and delivery instruction information for the unmanned aerial vehicle, The collection and delivery instruction information includes a combination of an aircraft identification number of an unmanned aerial vehicle that is to collect and deliver the package and a landing field identification number of a landing field, The landing possibility determination unit determines, based on the aircraft information and the landing site information, whether or not it is permitted to land the unmanned aircraft having the aircraft identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information at the landing site having the landing site identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information; If it is permitted to land, the system will determine whether the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number is permitted to land at the landing site with the landing site identification number, and will determine whether other unmanned aircraft are permitted to land at the landing site with the landing site identification number. The management system further includes an aircraft route planning unit and an approach feasibility determination unit, The aircraft information acquisition unit further acquires current location information of the unmanned aircraft, the landing field information acquisition unit acquires location information of the landing field as the landing field information, The aircraft route planning unit plans a flight route for the unmanned aircraft using current position information of the unmanned aircraft and position information of the landing site, The approach possibility determination unit acquires the distance between the flight route and a landing field different from the landing field having the landing field identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information, and identifies a landing field that is determined to be close to the flight route according to a predetermined determination criterion as a route approach landing field; The system will decide whether to allow the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number to approach the specified route approach landing site, but will decide not to allow the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number to approach the landing site that is not determined to be close to the flight path. Management system.

2. The landing field information acquisition unit further acquires the usage status of the landing field having the landing field identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information, If the landing site is in use by another unmanned aerial vehicle: The landing permission determination unit determines whether or not to permit the unmanned aerial vehicle having the aircraft identification number to land at the landing site having the landing site identification number. The management system according to claim 1 .

3. The management system further includes a landing information acquisition unit, the landing information acquisition unit acquires landing information indicating that an unmanned aerial vehicle having an aircraft identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information has landed at a landing field having a landing field identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information; Based on the landing information, the landing permission determination unit revokes a landing permission for the unmanned aircraft with the aircraft identification number at the landing field with the landing field identification number. The management system according to claim 1 .

4. The management system further includes a landing information acquisition unit, the landing information acquisition unit acquires landing information indicating that an unmanned aerial vehicle having an aircraft identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information has landed at a landing field having a landing field identification number specified in the collection and delivery instruction information; Based on the landing information, the approach permission determination unit revokes the approach permission for the unmanned aerial vehicle with the aircraft identification number. The management system according to claim 1 .

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