Information processing device

Abstract

In the present invention, an acquisition unit (11) acquires data indicating the results of detecting the shape of a multiple dwelling unit including a target dwelling which is the destination of a drone (10). The acquisition unit (11) also acquires shape information related to the shape of the multiple dwelling unit including the target dwelling which is the destination of the drone (10), and location information related to the location of the target dwelling in the multiple dwelling unit. A determination unit (13) compares detection results, which are the detected shape of a multiple dwelling unit at which the drone (10) has arrived on the basis of the position of the drone, and the shape information acquired by the acquisition unit (11), and determines whether the multiple dwelling unit at which the drone (10) has arrived is the multiple dwelling unit including the target dwelling which is the destination of the drone (10). If it is determined that the multiple dwelling unit at which the drone (10) has arrived on the basis of the position of the drone is the multiple dwelling unit including the target dwelling, an identification unit (14) identifies the position of the target dwelling in the multiple dwelling unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for identifying a target household that is the destination of a flying object in an apartment building.

Background Art

[0002] With the spread of unmanned flying objects called drones, various mechanisms for using drones for delivering packages have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, it is described that an unmanned aircraft measures the reception signal strength of a beacon signal from a beacon device arranged on the veranda of a household that is a delivery destination or a collection destination in an apartment building such as a condominium or an apartment, and moves and lands in the direction where the strength is maximum.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the mechanism of Patent Document 1, dedicated equipment such as a beacon device must be provided at the destination of the drone. However, for example, when using a drone for delivering packages, it is difficult to always install this type of dedicated equipment in all households that can be the destination.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to identify a target household that is the destination of a flying object without providing equipment such as a beacon device at the destination of the flying object.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention provides an information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires shape information relating to the shape of a multi-unit housing complex including a target dwelling unit which is the destination of an aircraft, and position information relating to the location of the target dwelling unit in the multi-unit housing complex; a determination unit that compares a detection result, which detects the shape of the multi-unit housing complex reached based on the position of the aircraft, with the shape information acquired by the acquisition unit, to determine whether or not the multi-unit housing complex includes the target dwelling unit; and, if it is determined that the multi-unit housing complex includes the target dwelling unit, a determination unit that identifies the location of the target dwelling unit in the multi-unit housing complex based on the position information acquired by the acquisition unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to identify the target dwelling unit of an aircraft without having to install equipment such as a beacon device at the aircraft's destination. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of drone management system 1 related to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the drone 10 according to the same embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 50 according to the same embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of Drone 10. [Figure 5] This is a plan view illustrating the shape of an apartment building that includes the target dwelling unit, which is the destination of the drone 10 according to the same embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a side view illustrating the shape of an apartment building, including the target dwelling unit which is the destination of the drone 10 according to the same embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a side view illustrating the shape of an apartment building, including the target dwelling unit that is the destination of drone 10. [Figure 8]This is a side view illustrating the shape of the apartment building, including the target dwelling unit that is the destination of drone 10. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure performed by drone 10. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] composition Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a drone management system 1 according to one embodiment of the information processing system of the present invention. The drone management system 1 comprises a drone 10 for transporting packages to a destination, a user terminal 30 used by a user residing in the dwelling that is the destination of the drone 10, a wireless communication network 40, and a server device 50 connected to the wireless communication network 40. In Figure 1, one drone 10, one user terminal 30, one wireless communication network 40, and one server device 50 are shown, but there may be multiple instances of each.

[0010] Drone 10 is an unmanned aerial vehicle that flies through the air. Drone 10 transports cargo by carrying it, flying it to its destination, and landing at that destination.

[0011] The user terminal 30 is, for example, a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer, a communication-enabled computer. In this embodiment, the user terminal 30 is a smartphone and functions as a communication terminal for the user receiving the package to receive various notifications from the server device 50 via the wireless communication network 40 and to access the server device 50.

[0012] The wireless communication network 40 may be, for example, equipment compliant with a fourth-generation mobile communication system or equipment compliant with a fifth-generation mobile communication system. The drone 10, the user terminal 30, and the server device 50 communicate via the wireless communication network 40.

[0013] The server device 50 stores flight plan information such as the flight date and time, flight path, and flight altitude of the drone 10, and remotely controls the drone 10 according to this flight plan information. Remote control by the server device 50 is mainly performed in the section between the drone 10's departure and arrival point, called the base, and the drone 10's destination. The section between the destination and the drone 10's landing position is flown under the autonomous control of the drone 10 itself. The dwelling unit corresponding to the drone 10's destination (hereinafter referred to as the target dwelling unit) is one of several dwelling units in a multi-unit dwelling such as an apartment building or condominium. Since each dwelling unit in such a multi-unit dwelling has the same address from prefecture to street number, and their appearances are often almost identical, how to identify the target dwelling unit that is the drone's destination from within the multi-unit dwelling is an important issue.

[0014] Therefore, in this embodiment, the shape of the apartment building reached by the drone 10 is detected, and the location of the target dwelling unit is determined using the detection result, the shape of the apartment building including the target dwelling unit which has been prepared in advance, and information regarding the location of the target dwelling unit in the apartment building.

[0015] In this embodiment, as described above, the section between the drone's launch and landing site and the airspace above the destination is controlled remotely by the server device 50, and the section between the airspace above the destination and the drone's landing position is achieved by autonomous flight by the drone itself. However, this is not the only example. For example, the drone 10 may fly autonomously for the entire section between the launch and landing site and the landing position at the destination without relying on remote control by the server device 50, or it may fly according to the remote control of the server device 50 for the entire section between the launch and landing site and the landing position at the destination.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the drone 10. Physically, the drone 10 is configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a positioning device 1007, a sensor 1008, a flight drive mechanism 1009, and a bus connecting these. In the following description, the term "device" can be read as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the drone 10 may be configured to include one or more of each device shown in the figure, or may be configured without including some devices.

[0017] Each function in the drone 10 is realized by causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations by loading a predetermined software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, controlling communication by the communication device 1004, controlling at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 1002 and the storage 1003, and controlling the positioning device 1007, the sensor 1008, and the flight drive mechanism 1009.

[0018] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer by operating an operating system, for example. The processor 1001 may be composed of a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic device, a register, etc. Also, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, etc. may be realized by the processor 1001.

[0019] The processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, data, etc., from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes accordingly. The program used is one that causes the computer to execute at least a part of the operations described later. Functional blocks of the drone 10 may be stored in the memory 1002 and implemented by control programs running on the processor 1001. Various processes may be executed by one processor 1001, but may also be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The program may also be transmitted to the drone 10 via the wireless communication network 40.

[0020] Memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: ROM, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM, etc. Memory 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. Memory 1002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc., for carrying out the method according to this embodiment.

[0021] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disc, a digital multipurpose disc, a Blu-ray® disc), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device. Storage 1003 stores various programs and data sets.

[0022] The processor 1001, memory 1002, and storage 1003 described above function as an example of the information processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0023] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmitting / receiving device) for communicating between computers via the wireless communication network 40, and is also referred to as a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc. The communication device 1004 is configured to include high-frequency switches, duplexers, filters, frequency synthesizers, etc., in order to realize frequency division duplexing and time division duplexing. The transmitting and receiving antennas, amplifier section, transmitting and receiving section, transmission path interface, etc., may be implemented by the communication device 1004. The transmitting and receiving section may be implemented in a physically or logically separated manner, with a transmitting section and a receiving section.

[0024] The input device 1005 is an input device that receives input from an external source, and includes, for example, keys, switches, and microphones. The output device 1006 is an output device that outputs to an external source, and includes, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or a speaker. The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be configured as an integrated unit.

[0025] The positioning device 1007 is hardware that measures the position of the drone 10, and is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) device. Based on the positioning determined by the positioning device 1007, the drone 10 flies from the launch site to the airspace above the destination.

[0026] Sensor 1008 includes various sensors such as a distance measuring sensor that functions as an altitude measuring means and a landing position confirmation means for the drone 10, a gyro sensor and an orientation sensor that function as attitude measuring means for the drone 10, and an image sensor that functions as a detection means. Note that the devices that function as altitude measuring means, situation confirmation means, attitude measuring means, and detection means are not limited to the examples of sensors described above. For example, the detection means is not limited to an image sensor, but could be a Lidar (light detection and ranging) device, for example. In short, any technology capable of remotely sensing the shape characteristics of a multi-unit dwelling, including multiple dwelling units, can be used.

[0027] The flight drive mechanism 1009 includes hardware such as motors and propellers for the drone 10 to fly.

[0028] Each device, such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be configured for each device. The drone 10 may also be composed of hardware such as a microprocessor, GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and some or all of each functional block may be realized by this hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.

[0029] Figure 3 shows the hardware configuration of the server device 50. The hardware configuration of the server device 50 may include one or more of the devices shown in Figure 3, or it may be configured without some of the devices. Alternatively, multiple devices with different enclosures may be connected to each other to constitute the server device 50.

[0030] The server device 50 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 5001, memory 5002, storage 5003, communication device 5004, and a bus connecting these components. Each function of the server device 50 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 5001 and memory 5002, which allows the processor 5001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 5004, and control at least one of the reading and writing of data in the memory 5002 and storage 5003. Each of these devices operates on power supplied from a power source not shown.

[0031] The processor 5001 controls the entire computer, for example, by running an operating system. The processor 5001 may consist of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control units, arithmetic units, registers, etc. Alternatively, a baseband signal processing unit or a call processing unit may be implemented by the processor 5001.

[0032] The processor 5001 reads programs (program code), software modules, data, etc., from at least one of the storage 5003 and the communication device 5004 into the memory 5002 and performs various processes accordingly. The program used is one that causes the computer to perform at least a part of the operations described later. Functional blocks of the drone 10 may be stored in the memory 5002 and implemented by control programs running on the processor 5001. Various processes may be performed by one processor 5001, but may also be performed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 5001. The processor 5001 may be implemented by one or more chips.

[0033] The memory 5002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, RAM, etc. The memory 5002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. The memory 5002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc., for carrying out the method according to this embodiment.

[0034] The storage 5003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disc, a digital multipurpose disc, a Blu-ray® disc), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The storage 5003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device.

[0035] Storage 5003 stores programs and data sets for executing various processes as described later. The data set stored in storage 5003 includes shape information relating to the shape of the apartment building, including the target dwelling unit that is the destination of the drone 10. This shape information represents the external shape of the apartment building as it can be observed from outside. The data format of this shape information is not particularly limited, but it may be expressed as 3D data following methods such as BIM (Building Information Modeling), CIM (Construction Information Modeling), or CAD (Computer-Assisted / Aided Drafting). The data set stored in storage 5003 also includes location information relating to the location of the target dwelling unit within the apartment building, including the target dwelling unit that is the destination of the drone 10. This location information is data for identifying the location of the target dwelling unit from outside the apartment building. The data format of this location information is not particularly limited, but it may be expressed in a way such as specifying the location of the target dwelling unit in the shape information following the aforementioned methods such as BIM, CIM, or CAD.

[0036] The communication device 5004 is hardware (transceiver / receiver device) for communicating between computers via the wireless communication network 40, and is also called a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc.

[0037] Each device, such as the processor 5001 and memory 5002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be used for each device.

[0038] The server device 50 may include hardware such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor, ASIC, PLD, FPGA, etc., and some or all of each functional block may be realized by such hardware. For example, the processor 5001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.

[0039] Figure 4 illustrates the functional configuration of the drone 10, particularly the configuration for the drone to locate and land on a target dwelling. As shown in Figure 4, the drone 10 implements the following functions: acquisition unit 11, storage unit 12, judgment unit 13, identification unit 14, extraction unit 15, and landing control unit 16.

[0040] The acquisition unit 11 acquires various data from the positioning device 1007, sensor 1008, or server device 50, etc. For example, the acquisition unit 11 acquires data indicating the detection result of the sensor 1008 detecting the shape of the apartment building, which includes the target dwelling unit that is the destination of the drone 10. The acquisition unit 11 also acquires shape information regarding the shape of the apartment building, which includes the target dwelling unit that is the destination of the drone 10, and location information regarding the location of the target dwelling unit within the apartment building, from the server device 50 via the wireless communication network 40.

[0041] The storage unit 12 stores the data acquired by the acquisition unit 11, as well as programs and data sets for executing various processes as described later.

[0042] The determination unit 13 compares the detection result of the shape of the apartment building reached by the drone 10, based on the drone's position, with the shape information acquired by the acquisition unit 11, to determine whether the apartment building reached by the drone 10 is an apartment building that includes the target dwelling unit which is the drone's destination. More specifically, the determination unit 13 compares the detection result of the shape of the apartment building detected by the sensor 1008 from above the apartment building reached by the drone 10 with the shape information acquired by the acquisition unit 11, to determine whether the apartment building is an apartment building that includes the target dwelling unit which is the drone's destination.

[0043] Here, Figure 5 is a plan view illustrating the shape of an apartment complex containing the target dwelling unit that is the destination of the drone 10, as seen from above. In this example, there are three apartment complexes G1, G2, and G3 (residential buildings) within site A, which corresponds to the same address. Since the shapes of each apartment complex G1 to G3 when viewed from above are different, the determination unit 13 can determine which apartment complex contains the target dwelling unit that is the destination of the drone 10 by comparing the shape information previously acquired from the server device 50 with the shapes of each apartment complex G1 to G3 when viewed from above (in this case, the detection result by the sensor 1008).

[0044] When detecting the shape of an apartment building, the drone 10 does not need to attempt detection with the sensor 1008 from a certain height so as to detect the entire shape of an apartment building at once. For example, it may fly horizontally above the apartment building and detect its shape with the sensor 1008 over a certain period of time. This applies not only when detecting the shape of the apartment building from above, but also when detecting it from the side.

[0045] Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 5, the determination unit 13 can determine whether or not a multi-unit dwelling contains a target unit, not only when there are multiple multi-unit dwellings on the same site corresponding to the same address, but also when there is only one multi-unit dwelling on the same site corresponding to the same address, by comparing the shape information obtained from the server device 50 with the shape of the multi-unit dwelling detected from above. In addition, there are cases where the shapes of multiple multi-unit dwellings on the same site corresponding to the same address are almost the same, but their sizes differ. In this case, the shape information obtained from the server device 50 includes information about the size of the multi-unit dwelling, and the determination unit 13 can determine whether or not a multi-unit dwelling contains a target unit by comparing this shape information with the size of the multi-unit dwelling detected from above. Alternatively, the shape information obtained from the server device 50 may include information about the relationship between the shape of the multi-unit dwelling and its orientation, and the determination unit 13 can determine whether or not a multi-unit dwelling contains a target unit by comparing this shape information with the relationship between the shape and orientation of the multi-unit dwelling detected from above. For example, if an apartment building has a shape where its longest side runs north-south when viewed from above, the determination unit 13 can make the above determination more easily and reliably by using the relationship between the shape and orientation when the apartment building is detected from above.

[0046] Returning to the explanation of Figure 4, if the identification unit 14 determines, based on the position of the drone 10, that the apartment building it has reached is an apartment building that includes the target apartment unit, it identifies the location of the target apartment unit in that apartment building based on the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 11.

[0047] Here, Figure 6 is a side view illustrating the shape of an apartment building, including the target apartment unit which is the destination of the drone 10, when observed from the side. In Figure 6, one of the apartment units g included in the apartment building G is the target apartment unit gp (hatched area in the figure) which corresponds to the destination of the drone 10. Based on the position information acquired by the acquisition unit 11, the identification unit 14 identifies the location of the target apartment unit by counting each apartment unit in the horizontal and vertical directions, treating each apartment unit as one unit. Since the shape information described above includes information about the shape of each apartment unit, the identification unit 14 can count each apartment unit by identifying each apartment unit in the detection result in which the shape of the group is detected based on this shape information.

[0048] In this case, the identification unit 14 identifies the location of the target dwelling unit based on a location in the apartment building where there is no continuity between dwelling units. A location in the apartment building where there is no continuity between dwelling units is, for example, a location corresponding to the top or bottom end, or the left or right end of the apartment building. Furthermore, in this case, the identification unit 14 identifies the location of the target dwelling unit based on a location that reduces the amount or load of processing required to identify the target dwelling unit. For example, if the target dwelling unit is located near a certain end of the apartment building, the location of the target dwelling unit is identified based on that end.

[0049] In the example in Figure 6, the target dwelling unit gp is located on the 4th floor of the 6-story apartment building G. Therefore, the position that minimizes the processing load or complexity when identifying the target dwelling unit g by counting each dwelling unit g as one unit corresponds to the top of the apartment building G (i.e., the rooftop). Also, in this apartment building G, the target dwelling unit gp is located near the left end as viewed from the drawing. Therefore, the position that minimizes the processing load or complexity when identifying the target dwelling unit g by counting each dwelling unit g as one unit corresponds to the left end of the apartment building G as viewed from the drawing. In such a case, the drone 10 first moves from the top of the apartment building G toward its left end (arrow r1 in the figure). If the sensor 1008 detects that it has reached the left end, it continues to lower its altitude and move vertically downward (downward as viewed from the drawing) (arrow r2 in the figure), counting each dwelling unit g. At this time, the identification unit 14 can grasp the external shape of each dwelling unit from the shape information described above, and counts each dwelling unit g based on the grasped shape. Then, after counting two dwelling units from the top edge of the apartment building, when the drone 10 reaches an altitude corresponding to the position of the third dwelling unit, it continues to move horizontally (to the right in the diagram) while maintaining the same altitude (arrow r3 in the diagram), counting each dwelling unit g. At this time as well, the identification unit 14 can grasp the external shape of each dwelling unit from the shape information mentioned above, and counts each dwelling unit g based on the grasped shape. Then, after counting one dwelling unit from the left edge of the apartment building, when the drone 10 reaches a position corresponding to the position of the second dwelling unit, the identification unit 14 identifies the dwelling unit at that position as the target dwelling unit.

[0050] In parallel with the identification process by the identification unit 14, the determination unit 13 may compare the detection result obtained by the sensor 1008 detecting the shape of the apartment building from the side of the apartment building reached by the drone 10 with the shape information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 to determine whether or not the apartment building is an apartment building that includes the target dwelling unit which is the destination of the drone 10. That is, the determination unit 13 may more reliably determine whether or not the apartment building is an apartment building that includes the target dwelling unit which is the destination of the drone 10 by comparing the shape that can be observed from above the apartment building and the shape that can be observed from the side of the apartment building with pre-prepared shape information.

[0051] In addition, Figure 7 may be an example of a side view illustrating the shape of an apartment building, including the target dwelling unit that is the destination of the drone 10, when observed from the side. In the example in Figure 7, the target dwelling unit gp (hatched area in the figure) is located on the 4th floor of a 6-story apartment building G, but there are no other dwelling units vertically above the target dwelling unit gp, making it the top floor. In this case, in order to reduce the amount of processing or load when identifying the target dwelling unit gp by counting each dwelling unit g as one unit, the drone 10 first moves from the top of the apartment building G toward its left edge (arrow r1 in the figure), and if the sensor 1008 detects that the number of floors in the apartment building has changed from the 4th floor to the 6th floor, it continues to lower its altitude and move vertically downward (downward in the direction of the drawing) (arrow r2 in the figure), counting each dwelling unit g. Then, after counting two dwelling units from the top of the 6th floor of the apartment building, when the drone 10 reaches an altitude corresponding to the location of the third dwelling unit, it moves horizontally (to the right in the diagram) while maintaining the same altitude (arrow r3 in the diagram). When the drone 10 reaches a position corresponding to the location of the first dwelling unit, the identification unit 14 identifies that the dwelling unit at that location is the target dwelling unit.

[0052] In apartment buildings, locations where there is no continuity between dwelling units are not limited to the top or bottom edge, or the left or right edge of the building, but may also include locations with distinctive shapes, equipment, or designs on the exterior of the building.

[0053] For example, Figure 8 may be a side view illustrating the shape of an apartment building, including the target dwelling unit that is the destination of the drone 10, when observed from the side. In the example of Figure 8, similar to the example of Figure 6, the target dwelling unit gp (hatched area in the figure) is located on the 4th floor of the 6-story apartment building G, but the difference from Figure 6 is that a distinctive structure H is provided between the dwelling units. In this case, in order to reduce the amount of processing or load when identifying the target dwelling unit gp by counting each dwelling unit g as one unit, the drone 10 first moves from above the apartment building G toward its left edge (arrow r1 in the figure), and if the sensor 1008 detects that there is a structure H, it continues to lower its altitude and move vertically downward (downward in the direction of the drawing) (arrow r2 in the figure), counting each dwelling unit g. Then, after counting two dwelling units from the top of the 6th floor of the apartment building, when the drone 10 reaches an altitude corresponding to the location of the third dwelling unit, it moves horizontally (to the right in the diagram) while maintaining the same altitude (arrow r3 in the diagram). When the drone 10 reaches a position corresponding to the location of the first dwelling unit, the identification unit 14 identifies that the dwelling unit at that location is the target dwelling unit. In this way, the amount of processing or load when identifying the target dwelling unit gp is reduced compared to the example in Figure 6.

[0054] In the above explanation, the identification unit 14 identified the location of the target dwelling unit by counting each dwelling unit in the apartment building as one unit in the horizontal and vertical directions, based on the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. However, instead of this method of counting each dwelling unit, a distance-based method may be used. For example, the identification unit 14 may identify the location of the target dwelling unit by determining that the location of the target dwelling unit is Xm vertically downward from the top of the apartment building and Ym downward to the right from the left end of the apartment building. In other words, the identification unit 14 may identify the location of the target dwelling unit by using the distance detected in the apartment building in the horizontal and vertical directions, based on the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 11.

[0055] Returning to the explanation of Figure 4, once the target dwelling unit, which is the destination of the drone 10, is identified, the extraction unit 15 extracts the landing position at that dwelling unit based on the image captured by the sensor 1008 (in this case, an image sensor), using so-called image pattern matching technology. The landing position here refers to various shapes and facilities that the drone 10 can reach from the outside, such as balconies, entrances, and bay windows, and are likely to be present in typical dwelling units.

[0056] Then, the landing control unit 16 controls the flight drive mechanism 1009 to land the drone 10 at the landing position extracted by the extraction unit 15.

[0057] operation Next, the flight process of the drone 10 will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 9. In Figure 9, the drone 10 begins flying from the launch / landing site toward the destination (step S01). Thereafter, the drone 10 flies to a location corresponding to the destination address specified when the package delivery request was made, under the control of the server device 50 based on the position measured by the positioning device 1007.

[0058] When the drone 10 reaches the airspace above the location corresponding to the destination (step S02; YES), the determination unit 13 performs a determination process (step S03). In other words, the determination unit 13 compares the detection result of the shape of the apartment building that the drone 10 has reached, based on the drone's position, with the shape information acquired by the acquisition unit 11, to determine whether the apartment building that the drone 10 has reached is the apartment building that includes the target dwelling unit which is the drone 10's destination.

[0059] If it is determined that the apartment building reached by the drone 10 is an apartment building containing the target dwelling unit, the identification unit 14 performs identification processing (step S04). In other words, the identification unit 14 identifies the location of the target dwelling unit in that apartment building based on the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. In parallel with this identification processing by the identification unit 14, the determination unit 13 may compare the detection result obtained by the sensor 1008 detecting the shape of the apartment building from the side of the apartment building reached by the drone 10 with the shape information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 to determine whether or not the apartment building is an apartment building containing the target dwelling unit that is the destination of the drone 10.

[0060] Once the location of the target dwelling unit in the apartment building is identified by the identification unit 14, the extraction unit 15 performs an extraction process (step S05). In other words, the extraction unit 15 extracts the landing position at the target dwelling unit based on the image of the target dwelling unit captured by the sensor 1008.

[0061] Then, the landing control unit 16 controls the aircraft drive mechanism 1009 to land the drone 10 at the landing position extracted by the extraction unit 15 (step S06). If the landing is successful, the drone 10 notifies the server device 50, and the server device 50 notifies the user terminal 30.

[0062] According to the embodiments described above, it is possible to land the drone 10 at various target dwelling units designated as destinations, even without providing dedicated landing facilities for the drone 10 at the destination.

[0063] Variation The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The embodiments described above may be modified as follows. Furthermore, two or more of the following modifications may be combined and implemented. Variation 1 The extraction unit 15, which extracts landing locations, may extract different landing locations depending on whether or not there are people in the target dwelling unit. For example, if there are people in the target dwelling unit, the landing location could be the entrance, from the perspective of ease of access for the user, and if there are no people in the target dwelling unit, the landing location could be the balcony, from the perspective of security for the luggage. Whether or not there are people in the target dwelling unit can be determined by methods such as the server device 50 notifying the user terminal 30 when the drone 10 reaches the apartment building, and determining that the user is at home if they respond to this notification using the user terminal 30, and determining that they are absent if there is no such response, or by comparing the location of the user terminal 30 with the location of the target dwelling unit. Furthermore, if there are people in the target dwelling unit, the server device 50 notifies the user terminal 30 when the drone 10 reaches the apartment building. When the user responds to this notification and opens a window in the target dwelling unit, the extraction unit 15 extracts a landing location, which is the room after passing through that window. If there are no people in the target dwelling unit, the system can extract a landing location, such as the balcony, from a security standpoint. In these cases, the memory unit 12 of the drone 10 stores the correspondence between whether or not there are people in the target dwelling unit and the landing location, and the extraction unit 15 extracts the landing location based on this stored information. This modified version makes it possible to land the drone 10 at an appropriate landing location depending on whether or not there are people in the target dwelling unit.

[0064] The extraction unit 15 may extract different landing positions depending on the shape information or location information described above. For example, if it is determined from the shape of the apartment building that there is no balcony, the system may extract the entrance, which is accessible to the user, as the landing position. If it is determined from the shape of the apartment building that there is a balcony, the system may extract the balcony as the landing position from the perspective of security for luggage. Alternatively, if the target apartment is on the first floor, the system may extract the balcony as the landing position from a security standpoint, and if the target apartment is on the second floor or higher, the system may extract the entrance, which is easily accessible to the user, as the landing position. In these cases, the memory unit 12 of the drone 10 stores the correspondence between the characteristics of the apartment building or target apartment identified from the shape information or location information and the landing position, and the extraction unit 15 extracts the landing position based on this stored information. This modified version makes it possible to land the drone 10 at an appropriate landing position depending on the characteristics of the apartment building or target apartment.

[0065] Variation 2 Drone landing control may be implemented using so-called edge computing (control by the drone), cloud computing (control by a server device), or a combination of both (control by both the drone and the server device), as described in the embodiments. Therefore, the control device of the present invention may be provided in the server device 50.

[0066] Variation 3 The embodiments described above illustrate an example where a cargo transporter (drone 10) lands at its destination. However, the present invention can also be applied to the landing of a cargo transporter, for example, when the transporter lands at its destination without carrying cargo, receives and holds the cargo at the landing site, and then takes off for the next destination. Furthermore, the purpose or use of the transporter is not limited to cargo transport as exemplified in the embodiments, but may be anything, such as measuring or photographing an object. In other words, the present invention can be applied to the landing of a cargo transporter regardless of its purpose or use. Moreover, the transporter is not limited to what is called a drone; it may be any shape or structure of a transporter.

[0067] Variation 4 In the above embodiment, the image sensor provided as an imaging means by the sensor 1008 of the drone 10 was used for detecting the shape and landing position. The method for detecting the shape and landing position is not limited to the example of the embodiment, but any method capable of sensing the position, shape, or size of an object can be used, such as a technology called LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) or a technology called SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).

[0068] Other forms of torture The block diagram used in the description of the above embodiment shows functional units. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of hardware and / or software. Furthermore, the means of realizing each functional block are not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized by one device that is physically and / or logically coupled, or by two or more physically and / or logically separated devices that are directly and / or indirectly (e.g., wired and / or wirelessly) connected, and realized by multiple such devices. For example, the functions of the user terminals 30 to 32 exemplified in the embodiment may be provided by a single computer. In short, each function exemplified in Figure 4 may be provided by any of the devices that constitute the drone management system 1 as an information processing system. For example, if the server device 50 can directly control the drone 10, the server device 50 may have a function corresponding to a processing unit and directly restrict the flight of the drone 10.

[0069] Each aspect / embodiment described herein may be applied to systems utilizing LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G, 5G, FRA (Future Radio Access), W-CDMA®, GSM®, CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth®, and other appropriate systems, and / or next-generation systems extended based thereon.

[0070] The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described herein may be reordered, provided they are consistent. For example, the methods described herein present various step elements in an exemplary order and are not limited to that specific order. Each aspect / embodiment described herein may be used individually, in combination, or switched between during execution. Furthermore, notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be implicit (e.g., by not notifying the predetermined information).

[0071] The information or parameters described herein may be expressed as absolute values, relative values ​​from a given value, or as corresponding other information.

[0072] As used herein, the terms “determining” and “determining” may encompass a wide variety of actions. “Determining” may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, database or other data form), and ascertaining. “Determining” may also include, for example, receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, and accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after some action.

[0073] The present invention may be provided as an information processing method or as a program. Such a program can be provided in the form of being recorded on a recording medium such as an optical disc, or it can be provided in the form of being downloaded to a computer via a network such as the Internet, installed, and made available for use.

[0074] Software, instructions, etc., may be transmitted or received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, and digital subscriber lines (DSL) and / or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, these wired and / or wireless technologies are included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0075] The information, signals, etc. described herein may be represented using any of the various different techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc., which may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0076] Any reference to elements using designations such as “first,” “second,” etc., as used herein, does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used herein as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Thus, references to first and second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed therein, or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0077] In the configuration of each of the above devices, "means" may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0078] To the extent that “including,” “comprising,” and their variations are used herein or in the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive, just as the term “equipped with.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used herein or in the claims is not intended to be exclusive OR.

[0079] Throughout this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, these articles shall be plural unless it is clearly indicated otherwise by the context.

[0080] Although the present invention has been described in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present invention can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description herein is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be restrictive in any way to the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0081] 1: Drone management system, 10: Drone, 11: Acquisition unit, 12: Memory unit, 13: Decision unit, 14: Identification unit, 15: Extraction unit, 16: Landing control unit, 30: User terminal, 40: Wireless communication network, 50: Server device, 1001: Processor, 1002: Memory, 1003: Storage, 1004: Communication device, 1005: Input device, 1006: Output device, 1007: Positioning device, 1008: Sensor, 1009: Flight drive mechanism, 50: Server device, 5001: Processor, 5002: Memory, 5003: Storage, 5004: Communication device.

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires shape information relating to the shape of a multi-unit housing complex including the target dwelling unit which is the destination of the aircraft, and location information relating to the location of the target dwelling unit within the multi-unit housing complex, A determination unit compares the detection result, which detects the shape of the apartment building reached based on the position of the aircraft, with the shape information acquired by the acquisition unit, to determine whether or not the apartment building is an apartment building that includes the target dwelling unit. If it is determined that the aforementioned apartment building includes the aforementioned target dwelling unit, the identification unit identifies the location of the aforementioned target dwelling unit in the said apartment building based on the location information acquired by the acquisition unit. Equipped with, The identification unit identifies each of the multiple dwelling units included in the apartment complex from the detection results and determines the location of the target dwelling unit based on the arrangement of the multiple dwelling units. An information processing device characterized by the following:

2. An acquisition unit that acquires shape information relating to the shape of a multi-unit housing complex including a target dwelling unit which is the destination of the aircraft, and location information relating to the location of the target dwelling unit in the multi-unit housing complex, A determination unit compares the detection result, which detects the shape of the apartment building reached based on the position of the aircraft, with the shape information acquired by the acquisition unit, to determine whether or not the apartment building is an apartment building that includes the target dwelling unit. If it is determined that the aforementioned apartment building includes the aforementioned target dwelling unit, the identification unit identifies the location of the aforementioned target dwelling unit in the said apartment building based on the location information acquired by the acquisition unit. Equipped with, The identification unit identifies the location of the target dwelling unit by counting each dwelling unit in the apartment complex as one unit in the horizontal and vertical directions, based on the location information acquired by the acquisition unit. An information processing device characterized by the following:

3. The aforementioned identifying unit identifies the location of the target dwelling unit based on a location in the aforementioned apartment complex where there is no continuity between dwelling units. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned identification unit identifies the location of the target dwelling unit based on a position that reduces the amount or load of processing required to identify the target dwelling unit. The information processing apparatus according to feature 3.

5. The system includes an extraction unit for detecting the landing position in the aforementioned target dwelling unit. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The information processing device according to claim 5, characterized in that the extraction unit detects different landing positions depending on whether or not there is a person in the target dwelling unit.

7. The information processing device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the extraction unit detects different landing positions according to the shape information or the position information.

8. The unit that makes the determination said, The detection result obtained by detecting the shape of the apartment building from above the apartment building is compared with the shape information obtained by the acquisition unit to determine whether or not the apartment building is an apartment building that includes the target dwelling unit. The detection result obtained by detecting the shape of the apartment building from the side of the apartment building and the shape information obtained by the acquisition unit are compared to determine whether or not the apartment building is an apartment building that includes the target dwelling unit. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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