Field work automation support system and field work automation support program

Abstract

To provide a system or a program capable of more efficiently calculating a flight route of a flying object using data in which radio wave intensity and a signal to noise ratio are associated with three-dimensional position information.SOLUTION: A field operation automation support system 1 includes an airspace polyhedron classification processing unit 12 and a flight route calculation unit 13. Using polyhedral space information obtained by dividing an airspace by a plurality of polyhedrons and three-dimensional communication quality information in which radio wave intensity of a desired signal or a signal-to-noise ratio that is a ratio of the radio wave intensity of the desired signal and the radio wave intensity other than the desired signal are associated, and based on the three-dimensional communication quality information included in each of the polyhedrons, the airspace polyhedron classification processing unit classifies each of polyhedrons into at least two classes, a flight possible area and a flight impossible area of a flight body. The flight route calculation unit calculates a flight route passing through only the polyhedron classified as the flight possible area based on departure point information and arrival point information of the flight body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a field work automation support system and a field work automation support program for calculating a flight route of an aircraft. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (so-called drones), which fly autonomously or by remote control or visual control, has been increasing. Currently, drones are most commonly used for aerial photography (which covers a wide range of purposes, from simple landscape photography to surveying, inspection, and surveillance), but their transport capabilities are also being increasingly utilized in various fields, such as logistics. As the commercial use of drones progresses, it is expected that wireless networks will be widely used for remotely controlling drones and transmitting various data. A realistic option for this wireless network would be to use the mobile phone network, which already has a comprehensive infrastructure in place. As such, it is expected that mobile phone networks will be used to remotely control drones and send and receive various data, but the current situation is that the radio wave conditions along drone flight routes (in the sky) are not well understood. To address this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle, a three-dimensional communication quality information generation system, and a method for acquiring three-dimensional communication quality information for three-dimensionally measuring radio wave conditions in the sky. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-125110 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the technology of Patent Document 1, the signal-to-noise ratio and the like are acquired in association with three-dimensional position information, so that the radio wave conditions (state of radio wave interference) in the sky can be obtained three-dimensionally. There is a need for a more efficient method of calculating the flight route of an unmanned aerial vehicle using data obtained in this way.

[0005] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a system or program that enables more efficient calculation of the flight route of an aircraft using data in which radio wave strength or signal-to-noise ratio is associated with three-dimensional position information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (Configuration 1) A field work automation support system for calculating a flight route for an aircraft, comprising: an airspace polyhedron classification processing unit that uses polyhedron airspace information that divides an airspace into areas using a plurality of polyhedrons; three-dimensional communication quality information that associates the radio wave strength of a desired signal or a signal-to-noise ratio, which is the ratio of the radio wave strength of the desired signal to the radio wave strength of signals other than the desired signal, with three-dimensional position information; and a flight route calculation unit that calculates a flight route that passes only through polyhedrons classified as flyable areas based on departure point information and arrival point information for the aircraft.

[0007] (Configuration 2) The field work automation support system according to configuration 1, characterized in that the airspace polyhedron classification processing unit classifies the polyhedron corresponding to a no-fly area as an unflyable area based on no-fly area information.

[0008] (Configuration 3) The field work automation support system described in configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that the airspace polyhedron classification processing unit classifies the polyhedron that falls within civilian airspace outside the flight permission area as a no-fly area based on flight permission area information.

[0009] (Configuration 4) A field work automation support system described in any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that the airspace polyhedron classification processing unit classifies the polyhedron that falls into a license-required area for which license information has not been obtained as a no-fly area based on license-required area information.

[0010] (Configuration 5) A field work automation support system described in any of configurations 1 to 4, characterized in that the flight route calculation unit associates time information when an aircraft is present within each of the polyhedrons corresponding to the calculated flight route with each of the polyhedrons, and the airspace polyhedron classification processing unit classifies the corresponding polyhedron as an unflyable area during a time period when a predetermined number of aircraft are present within each of the polyhedrons.

[0011] (Configuration 6) The field work automation support system according to configuration 1, wherein the flight route calculation unit sets a flight route outside the no-fly area based on the no-fly area information.

[0012] (Configuration 7) The field work automation support system described in configuration 1 or 6, characterized in that the flight route calculation unit sets the flight route outside the area corresponding to civilian airspace outside the flight permission area based on the flight permission area information.

[0013] (Configuration 8) The field work automation support system according to any one of configurations 1, 6, or 7, characterized in that the flight route calculation unit sets the flight route outside the license-required area where license information has not been obtained, based on the license-required area information.

[0014] (Configuration 9) A field work automation support system described in any one of configurations 1, 6 to 8, characterized in that the flight route calculation unit associates time information when an aircraft is present within each of the polyhedrons corresponding to the calculated flight route with each of the polyhedrons, and if there is a time period when a predetermined number of aircraft are present within each of the polyhedrons, excludes the corresponding polyhedron from the targets for setting the flight route during that time period.

[0015] (Configuration 10) 10. The field work automation support system according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, wherein the polyhedron is a cube.

[0016] (Configuration 11) 11. The field work automation support system according to configuration 10, wherein a designation of the size of the cube is accepted and the polyhedral airspace information is generated in accordance with the designation.

[0017] (Configuration 12) 12. The field work automation support system according to any one of configurations 1 to 11, further comprising an imaging processing unit that arranges, on a three-dimensional map, display objects corresponding to the polyhedrons, the display forms of which differ depending on the classification.

[0018] (Configuration 13) The field work automation support system according to configuration 12, characterized in that the display method of the display object corresponding to each of the polyhedrons on the flight route is distinguished from the display objects corresponding to other of the polyhedrons.

[0019] (Configuration 14) A field work automation support program characterized by having a system for calculating the flight route of an aircraft use polyhedron airspace information that divides the airspace into areas using a plurality of polyhedrons, and three-dimensional communication quality information that corresponds to the radio wave strength of a desired signal or a signal-to-noise ratio, which is the ratio of the radio wave strength of the desired signal to the radio wave strength of signals other than the desired signal, and three-dimensional position information, to classify each of the polyhedrons into at least two classes, namely, flyable areas and non-flyable areas, based on the three-dimensional communication quality information contained in each of the polyhedrons, and to calculate a flight route that passes only through polyhedrons classified as flyable areas based on departure point information and arrival point information of the aircraft. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the field work automation support system of the present invention, it is possible to more efficiently calculate the flight route of an aircraft using data in which radio wave intensity or signal-to-noise ratio is associated with three-dimensional position information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a field work automation support system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a flowchart showing an outline of the processing operation of the field work automation support system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart showing an outline of the processing operation of the field work automation support system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart showing an outline of the processing operation of the field work automation support system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the field work automation support system according to the first embodiment; [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing an outline of the processing operation of the field work automation support system according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely examples of how the present invention can be realized, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0023] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a field work automation support system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The field work automation support system 1 of this embodiment is a system for calculating a flight route of an aircraft, A calculation unit 11 that controls each unit and performs various calculation processes, etc. an airspace polyhedron classification processing unit 12 that uses polyhedron airspace information that divides the airspace into areas using a plurality of polyhedrons, three-dimensional communication quality information that associates the radio wave strength of a desired signal or the signal-to-noise ratio, which is the ratio of the radio wave strength of the desired signal to the radio wave strength of signals other than the desired signal, with three-dimensional position information, and classifies each of the polyhedrons into at least two classes, that is, flyable areas and non-flyable areas for aircraft, based on the three-dimensional communication quality information contained in each polyhedron, or, if there is a time period when a predetermined number of aircraft are present within each polyhedron, classifies the corresponding polyhedron as a non-flyable area during that time period; a flight route calculation unit 13 that calculates a flight route that passes only through polyhedrons classified as flyable areas based on departure point information and arrival point information of the aircraft, and associates time information of the aircraft's presence within each polyhedron corresponding to the calculated flight route with each polyhedron; an imaging processing unit 14 that arranges, on a three-dimensional map, display objects corresponding to the respective polyhedrons and having different display forms according to the classification; an input / output unit 15 which is an interface for transmitting and receiving various information to and from other devices; a storage unit 16 for storing and holding various types of information; Equipped with.

[0024] The "three-dimensional communication quality information" is information that associates information related to communication quality with three-dimensional position information, and for example, information obtained by the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is stored in the storage unit 16. Note that the three-dimensional communication quality information may not be stored in the storage unit of this system, but may be stored in an external storage device, or may be stored in another system and obtained via a network (in either case, the information is obtained via the input / output unit 15).

[0025] A "polyhedron" can be any space-filling solid, and can be a single type of polyhedron, such as a cube, rectangular prism, triangular prism, or truncated octahedron, or a combination of multiple types of polyhedrons, such as a combination of a regular tetrahedron and a regular octahedron. In this embodiment, a cube (not strictly a cube, but an approximation, referred to as a cube) is used as the "polyhedron," and a coding system similar to the regional mesh code (JIS X 0410) is used to further divide the 50m mesh code into ten latitude and longitude units to define meshes (cubes) of 5m units (also 5m altitude), thereby defining "polyhedron airspace information." That is, the "polyhedron airspace information" is defined by a code that is an extension of the regional mesh code (JIS X 0410) (a coding system similar to the regional mesh code but with an increased number of digits; hereinafter referred to as "basic mesh ID" in this specification). The "basic mesh ID" is a code that can uniquely determine the position of a 5m square cube (its three-dimensional position can be identified based on the basic mesh ID).

[0026] 1, the components are shown separated by function, such as the airspace polyhedron classification processing unit 12, flight route calculation unit 13, and imaging processing unit 14, but this does not necessarily indicate that these components are separated into hardware, and for example, the calculation unit 11 may be configured using a well-known device such as a CPU, and each component (each function described below) may be implemented as software. Of course, each component may be configured as hardware, and for example, a dedicated hardware may be configured using an FPGA, ASIC, or the like to function as all or part of the processing described below.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of the processing operation of the field work automation support system 1 of this embodiment. The field work automation support system 1 of this embodiment is a system that calculates a flight route that passes through locations with good radio wave conditions in response to input of departure point information and arrival point information of an aircraft (including manned aircraft) such as an unmanned aircraft (a so-called drone). The field work automation support system 1 of this embodiment is configured as a server, and receives a request from a user terminal (not shown) via a network or the like, and calculates and presents the flight route.

[0028] In step 201, in response to a request from the user terminal, a screen is sent requesting input of necessary information, and based on the user's input, information on the departure point, arrival point, flight date and time, and mesh size information is obtained. Mesh size information refers to the size of the cube (mesh granularity) as the aforementioned "polyhedron," and in this embodiment, the minimum size is 5m, which is the basic mesh, and can be selected from 10m, 25m, and 50m.

[0029] In the next step 202, meshing processing is performed. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an outline of the processing operations of the meshing process executed in step 202.

[0030] In step 301, it is determined whether or not this is a basic mesh (5 m) based on the "mesh size information" obtained in step 202 of FIG. If the specified mesh size is not a basic mesh (i.e., if it is 10m, 25m, or 50m), a process is performed to generate a temporary mesh ID for the mesh of the specified size (step 301: No → step 302). Like the basic mesh ID, the "temporary mesh ID" is generated as an extended code of the regional mesh code (JIS X 0410) (a code system similar to the regional mesh code but with an increased number of digits). This allows "accepting the specification of the cube size and generating polyhedral airspace information accordingly." The temporary meshes include the basic meshes; for example, a 10m temporary mesh contains eight basic meshes, and a 25m temporary mesh contains 125 basic meshes. As mentioned above, this is a code system similar to the regional mesh code, and the three-dimensional location can be identified based on the temporary mesh ID. In other words, the basic meshes included in the temporary mesh can be identified from the temporary mesh ID and the basic mesh ID (the temporary mesh ID and the basic mesh ID are mutually associated). If the specified mesh size is the basic mesh (that is, 5 m), step 302 is skipped.

[0031] The loop process following step 302 (or step 301) is a process in which the processes of steps 303 to 305 are performed for all temporary meshes (basic meshes when 5m is specified) within the area. In this embodiment, the area “within the area” is defined as a rectangular area in plan view with the departure point and arrival point as the vertices of the diagonal, and is a rectangular area with an elevation up to the highest point in the three-dimensional communication quality information within the area (see Figure 5(b)). In the loop processing, steps 303 to 305 are performed for each temporary mesh (or basic mesh) in the area in order.

[0032] In step 303 of the loop processing, it is determined whether or not three-dimensional communication quality information exists in the target temporary mesh (or basic mesh). As mentioned above, the three-dimensional position can be identified based on the temporary mesh ID (or basic mesh ID), and by comparing it with three-dimensional communication quality information containing position information, it is determined whether or not three-dimensional communication quality information exists in the corresponding mesh. If three-dimensional communication quality information exists, classification is performed based on a predetermined threshold (predetermined threshold), and the classification information is stored in association with a temporary mesh ID (or basic mesh ID) (data is added to a table (not shown, hereinafter simply referred to as "table") in the storage unit 16) (step 303: Yes → step 304). Classifications are made into at least two categories (flyable areas and non-flyable areas) based on whether or not the area has the minimum necessary radio wave conditions for stable transmission and reception of control signals for remotely controlling drones. Further subdivision of the flyable areas can be more useful. For example, it could be necessary to define the levels required for stable transmission and reception of audio and images, or the levels required for stable transmission and reception of video at each image quality level (SD, HD, Full HD, 4K, 480p, 720p, 1080p, etc.). If there are multiple pieces of 3D communication quality information within the target temporary mesh (or basic mesh), the communication quality of the corresponding mesh is determined and classified based on a predetermined calculation formula (for example, taking the average value of multiple pieces of data or using the minimum value of multiple pieces of data). If there is no three-dimensional communication quality information in the target temporary mesh (or basic mesh), a flag indicating that there is no three-dimensional communication quality information is stored in association with the temporary mesh ID (or basic mesh ID) (step 303: No → step 305). Note that in this embodiment, meshes that do not have three-dimensional communication quality information are treated as non-flyable areas, for example.

[0033] Once the processing of steps 303 to 305 (classification based on communication quality information) has been performed for all temporary meshes (or basic meshes) within the area, the loop processing ends, and the meshing processing ends.

[0034] After the meshing process (step 202 in FIG. 2) is completed, the flight route calculation process (step 203) is performed. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of the processing operations of the flight route calculation processing executed in step 203.

[0035] In step 401, a meshing process (step 202 in FIG. 2: process in FIG. 3) is used to search for a flight route from the departure point to the arrival point as the shortest route among routes that pass only through temporary meshes (or basic meshes) that are classified as flyable. This process may involve, for example, treating a structure consisting of only temporary meshes (or basic meshes) that are classified as flyable as an undirected graph, and using various algorithms for solving the shortest path problem in that graph. Any algorithm may be used as appropriate, and a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0036] In the route search in step 401, a route search is performed taking into consideration the relationship with the flight routes of other aircraft. Specifically, when calculating the flight route, the time period during which the aircraft will be present within each temporary mesh (or basic mesh) on the flight route (the time period during which it will pass through) is calculated based on the flight date and time information initially input and the route length of the calculated flight route, etc., and a determination is made as to whether the relevant temporary mesh (or basic mesh) during that time period overlaps with the flight route of another aircraft.If this condition is not met, the route is determined to be unusable and a new route search is performed. In this embodiment, each basic mesh ID is associated with information about the time period during which the aircraft will pass and stored in a table by the processing of steps 404 and 405 described below, and an entry-prohibited flag indicating the time period during which entry is prohibited is stored in the table based on this information. Therefore, during the time period indicated by the entry-prohibited flag, the relevant basic mesh and temporary meshes including this basic mesh are treated as being classified as not flyable, so that the temporary meshes (or basic meshes) in the route do not overlap with the flight routes of other aircraft.

[0037] If a flight route is obtained by the route search in step 401 (step 402: Yes), the process proceeds to a loop in which the processing of steps 403 to 405 is performed in order for all temporary meshes (or basic meshes) on the flight route.

[0038] In step 403, the time information (including the year, month, and date) that the aircraft will pass is associated with the relevant basic mesh ID and stored in a table. The "relevant basic mesh" refers to all basic meshes included in the relevant temporary mesh (one of the temporary meshes that make up the flight route) when processing as a temporary mesh (when a mesh size of 10 m or more is selected), and refers to the relevant basic mesh (one of the basic meshes that make up the flight route) when processing as a basic mesh (when a mesh size of 5 m is selected). Even when processing as a temporary mesh, if a basic mesh that the aircraft will pass through on the flight route can be identified, the time information that the aircraft will pass may be associated with only that basic mesh. In addition to the time information of the aircraft passing, aircraft information (such as the aircraft's identification ID) may also be stored in association with the information in the table.

[0039] The subsequent processing of steps 404 and 405 is processing for setting an entry prohibition flag in accordance with a predetermined condition. In step 404, by referencing the table, it is determined whether or not a predetermined number of flying objects are present in the relevant time period for the basic mesh ID associated with the passage time information in step 403. In other words, it is determined whether or not a predetermined number of flying objects are present at the same time within a 5m cube of the basic mesh. The "predetermined number" may be 1, or is appropriately determined and set in advance. If it is determined that there will be a predetermined number or more of flying objects in the basic mesh at the same time, an entry-prohibited flag containing information about the time period during which entry is prohibited is stored in a table in association with the basic mesh ID (step 403: Yes → step 404). Note that the "time to be considered as an entry load" may be the time during which there are a predetermined number or more of flying objects, or may be set to be longer than the time during which there are a predetermined number or more of flying objects, with a predetermined margin added.

[0040] When the loop processing of steps 403 to 405 is completed, a return value is set to indicate that the flight route has been calculated (step 406), and the flight route calculation processing ends.

[0041] On the other hand, if the flight route from the departure point to the arrival point cannot be calculated in the processing of step 401 (step 402: No), the process proceeds to step 407. In step 407, the user is asked whether or not to reset the target area for route search, and if so, to set the range of that area (an input screen is sent to the user terminal). As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the target area for route search is a rectangular area (see Figure 5(b)) based on a diagonal line with the departure point and arrival point at both ends. However, if a route cannot be calculated in this area, it may be possible to find a route by expanding the target area (there may be a detour route), so the user is asked whether to conduct a re-search with an expanded target area and to set that target area. If the area has been reset, the range information of the reset area is used as a return value (step 407: Yes → step 408) and the flight route calculation process is terminated, and if the area has not been reset, the return value is a message that the flight route cannot be calculated (step 407: No → step 409) and the flight route calculation process is terminated. Note that instead of requiring the user to reset the target area for route search, the target area may be reset automatically based on a preset setting, for example.

[0042] After the flight route calculation process (step 203 in FIG. 2) is completed, the return value of the flight route calculation process is determined (step 204). If range information of the reset area is obtained as a return value, the process from step 202 onwards described above is repeated based on that area to search again for a flight route. If the return value indicates that the flight route cannot be calculated, a screen indicating that the flight route cannot be calculated is sent to the user terminal (step 206).

[0043] On the other hand, if the return value indicates that the flight route has been calculated, the display objects (cube displays in this embodiment) corresponding to the cubes of the temporary mesh (or basic mesh) and having different display forms (color-coded in this embodiment) depending on the classification are placed on a three-dimensional map (the three-dimensional map is displayed on the user terminal) (step 205). FIG. 5 shows an example of a display screen displayed by this process. FIG. 5(a) is an example in which only cubes corresponding to each temporary mesh (or basic mesh) on the calculated flight route are drawn from the departure point to the arrival point. Figure 5(b) shows an example in which, in addition to the flight route, all cubes corresponding to each temporary mesh (or basic mesh) within the searched area are drawn. Each cube is displayed in a different color according to the mesh class, and meshes for which no 3D communication quality information existed (Figure 3: steps 303 to 305) are displayed transparently. Furthermore, each cube on the flight route is not "color-coded according to class," but is displayed in a color that indicates that it is a cube on the route (the display method of the display objects corresponding to each polyhedron on the flight route is distinguished from that of the display objects corresponding to other polyhedrons). The three-dimensional map itself does not need to be owned by the field work automation support system 1; the cube described above can be displayed on a three-dimensional map provided on another site (of course, the field work automation support system 1 may also be equipped with three-dimensional map information).

[0044] As described above, according to the field work automation support system 1 of this embodiment, data in which radio wave strength and signal-to-noise ratio are associated with three-dimensional position information is converted based on polyhedral airspace information in which the airspace is divided into areas using multiple polyhedrons, and flight routes are calculated and displayed based on this, which allows flight route calculation to be performed more efficiently and also provides excellent usability. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the flight route is calculated so that the number of flying objects does not enter the same mesh (polyhedron) more than a predetermined number at the same time, which makes it possible to calculate a safer flight route. Note that, for example, in cases where the flying objects themselves are equipped with a function to prevent collisions with each other, it is not necessarily necessary to "prevent the number of flying objects from entering the same mesh (polyhedron) more than a predetermined number at the same time."

[0045] <Embodiment 2> In the second embodiment, the field work automation support system 1 of the first embodiment is further configured to calculate a flight route based on no-fly area information, flight permitted area information, and permission-required area information. The outline of the configuration of the field work automation support system of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the airspace polyhedron classification processing unit of this embodiment is as follows: Based on the no-fly area information, the polyhedrons that fall within the no-fly area are classified as non-flyable areas. Based on the flight permission area information, classify the polyhedron that falls within the civilian airspace outside the flight permission area as a non-flyable area; Based on the license-required area information, classify the polyhedron corresponding to the license-required area for which license information has not been obtained as a no-fly area; Each of the above is also carried out. Other configurations of the field work automation support system of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted here. Furthermore, the processing operation is basically the same as in embodiment 1 except that the meshing process of FIG. 6 is executed instead of the meshing process of FIG. 3, and therefore, a description of the same processing content will be omitted here.

[0046] In the meshing process (FIG. 6) of this embodiment, steps 606 to 612 are additionally performed in a loop process for classifying each temporary mesh (or basic mesh) in the target area. Although not shown in Fig. 6, the processes of steps 301 and 302 in Fig. 3 are also executed before the loop process. That is, the processes of steps 301 to 305 in Fig. 3 are also executed in the same way in the second embodiment, but the details of these processes are the same as in the first embodiment, so the explanation here will be omitted.

[0047] In step 606, it is determined whether the relevant temporary mesh (or basic mesh) is a no-fly area, and if it is, the process proceeds to step 607, where a no-fly flag is associated with the temporary mesh ID (or basic mesh ID) and stored in a table (equivalent to classifying it as an area where no flight is permitted). No-fly areas are areas designated as no-fly zones, such as the airspace above the National Diet Building or nuclear power plants, and flight routes are not to be set in these areas. Information on no-fly areas may be stored in the field work automation support system, or may be obtained by referencing information on other sites as needed.

[0048] In step 608, it is determined whether the relevant temporary mesh (or basic mesh) is an area (flight permission area) where flight permission has been obtained on private land, etc. If it is an area where flight permission has not been obtained on private land, etc., the process proceeds to step 609, where the temporary mesh ID (or basic mesh ID) is associated with a flight permission not permitted flag and stored in a table (equivalent to classifying it as a no-flight area). In civilian airspace, if permission to fly in that airspace has not been obtained, the area will not be set as a flight route. Information regarding permitted flight areas may be stored in the field work automation support system, or information on other sites may be referenced as needed.

[0049] In step 610, it is determined whether the relevant temporary mesh (or basic mesh) is an area requiring permission or authorization. If it is an area requiring permission or authorization, the process proceeds to step 611 to determine whether permission information is available. If there is no permission information, the process proceeds to step 612 to associate the temporary mesh ID (or basic mesh ID) with a no-flight permission flag and store it in a table (this is equivalent to classifying it as an area where flight is not permitted). A license-required area is an area, such as an airspace above a densely populated area, where permission from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism must be obtained in advance before flying an aircraft, and such areas cannot be set as flight routes without permission. Information regarding license-required areas may be stored in the field work automation support system, or information on other sites may be referenced as needed. The determination of permission in step 611 may be performed by displaying a screen on the user terminal in the processing of step 611 requesting the user to confirm permission, by having the user enter the information initially (in the processing of step 201 in FIG. 2), or by using a system that can search for and confirm the relevant information, if one exists.

[0050] After the above-mentioned meshing process has classified each temporary mesh (or basic mesh) within the target area, in step 401 (Figure 4) of the flight route calculation process, a route search is performed that passes only through temporary meshes (or basic meshes) that are classified as flyable, as described in embodiment 1. Therefore, processing will be carried out so that flight routes are not set in no-fly areas, private areas where flying is not permitted, and areas requiring permission where permission has not been obtained.

[0051] As described above, according to the field work automation support system of this embodiment, processing is performed to prevent flight routes from being set in no-fly areas, areas where flight is not permitted on private land, and areas requiring permission where permission has not been obtained, making it possible to select a more practical flight route.

[0052] In the embodiment, the ability to select the mesh size is useful because it allows the granularity to be varied depending on the situation (for example, when flying long distances in mountainous areas, etc., high precision in route selection is not required, and the mesh can be made larger), but the present invention is not limited to this, and the mesh size may be constant. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the smallest mesh is the basic mesh, and the others are temporary meshes. This means that the basic mesh is always held as data (always held in a table), while the temporary meshes only have data temporarily during that processing. Although the embodiment has been described as processing like this, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to hold information for each size of mesh as constant data (by defining a mesh ID for each size of mesh, and corresponding information to this in a table or the like and always holding it).

[0053] In the embodiment, the meshing process is executed as needed, but the present invention is not limited to this. The meshing process may be executed in advance (for example, as a batch process), the results may be stored, and the stored results may be used. Note that the processing of steps 610 to 612 relating to the permission-required areas in the meshing process of Fig. 6 cannot be executed as a pre-processing, and therefore, when using this function, this processing part must be executed as needed. Furthermore, as mentioned above, if data for each mesh size is always stored, the meshing process may be performed in advance for each mesh, the results may be stored, and these may be used.

[0054] In the embodiment, the "three-dimensional communication quality information" only refers to information measured by a drone (obtained using the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1), so it can be said that it is physically guaranteed that drones can fly in locations where such information is available. In contrast to this, for example, in cases where the "three-dimensional communication quality information" may contain data other than that measured by the drone, and meshing processing is performed based on this, a mesh may be created in which the drone cannot physically fly, in which case the flight route may be calculated using topographical information, etc. This process can be performed based on the same concept as the no-fly area process described above (just replace the no-fly area information with topographic information). The topographic information can be the same as the information contained in the 3D map.

[0055] In the embodiments, mesh ID flags are set for meshes that correspond to no-fly areas, meshes that correspond to private areas where flight is not permitted, meshes that correspond to areas requiring permission and authorization where permission has not been obtained, and meshes where a certain number of other drones are present, and these meshes are excluded from route search targets, preventing flight routes from being set in these areas. That is, each mesh itself is configured to contain information such as whether it is a no-fly area, but the present invention is not limited to this. Route search may be performed to avoid no-fly areas, etc., without each mesh itself containing information such as whether it is a no-fly area. For example, the mesh itself may not contain information such as no-fly areas, and instead, processing may be performed to exclude no-fly areas, etc. from the search area when setting the search area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1. Field work automation support system 12...Airspace polyhedron classification processing unit 13...Flight route calculation section 14...Image processing unit

Claims

1. A system for calculating a flight route of an aircraft, Polyhedron airspace information that divides airspace into zones using multiple polyhedrons; three-dimensional communication quality information in which the radio wave strength of a desired signal or a signal-to-noise ratio, which is the ratio of the radio wave strength of the desired signal to the radio wave strength of a signal other than the desired signal, is associated with three-dimensional position information; Use an airspace polyhedron classification processing unit that classifies each of the polyhedrons into at least two classes, i.e., flyable areas and non-flyable areas, based on the three-dimensional communication quality information included in each of the polyhedrons; a flight route calculation unit that calculates a flight route that passes only through polyhedrons classified as the flyable area based on departure point information and arrival point information of the flying object; Equipped with the airspace polyhedron classification processing unit further manages the polyhedrons by attaching mesh ID flags for distinguishing the polyhedrons based on no-fly area information, fly-permitted area information, and permission-required area information; At least the license-required area information is managed so that the presence or absence of a license for each of the polyhedrons managed by the ID flag is updated as needed, and the presence or absence of a license for each of the polyhedrons is referenced when calculating the flight route. A field work automation support system characterized by:

2. the flight route calculation unit associates time information of the time when the aircraft exists within each of the polyhedrons corresponding to the calculated flight route with each of the polyhedrons; The field work automation support system described in claim 1, characterized in that the airspace polyhedron classification processing unit classifies the corresponding polyhedron as an unflyable area during a time period when a predetermined number of aircraft are present within each polyhedron.

3. 2. The field work automation support system according to claim 1, wherein the flight route calculation unit sets the flight route outside the no-fly area based on the no-fly area information.

4. The field work automation support system described in claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the flight route calculation unit sets the flight route outside the area corresponding to civilian airspace outside the flight permission area based on flight permission area information.

5. A field work automation support system as described in any one of claims 1, 3 or 4, characterized in that the flight route calculation unit sets the flight route outside the license-required area where license information has not been obtained based on the license-required area information.

6. the flight route calculation unit associates time information of the time when the aircraft exists within each of the polyhedrons corresponding to the calculated flight route with each of the polyhedrons; A field work automation support system as described in any one of claims 1, 3 to 5, characterized in that if there is a time period in which a predetermined number of flying objects are present within each polyhedron, the polyhedron in question during that time period is excluded from the targets for setting flight routes.

7. A system for calculating the flight route of an aircraft Polyhedron airspace information that divides airspace into zones using multiple polyhedrons; three-dimensional communication quality information in which the radio wave strength of a desired signal or a signal-to-noise ratio, which is the ratio of the radio wave strength of the desired signal to the radio wave strength of a signal other than the desired signal, is associated with three-dimensional position information; Use classifying each of the polyhedrons into at least two areas, i.e., flyable areas and non-flyable areas, based on the three-dimensional communication quality information included in each of the polyhedrons; calculating a flight route that passes through only the polyhedrons classified as the drivable area based on departure point information and arrival point information of the aircraft; The device executes the following: The step of classifying further includes a step of managing the polyhedrons by assigning mesh ID flags for distinguishing the polyhedrons based on no-fly area information, fly-permitted area information, and license-required area information; At least the license-required area information is managed so that the presence or absence of a license for each of the polyhedrons managed by the ID flag is updated as needed, and the presence or absence of a license for each of the polyhedrons is referenced when calculating the flight route. A field work automation support program characterized by:

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