Judgment system and judgment method

Abstract

To provide a determination system and a determination method that can increase safety of a drone during flight.SOLUTION: A determination system according to the present disclosure includes: a field information acquisition unit that acquires registration information about a target field selected from a storage unit in which positional information about a plurality of fields has been registered in advance; an installation information acquisition unit that acquires setting information including an installation position and an installation orientation for installing a flying body in the target field; and a comparison and matching unit that compares measurement information including a measurement position and a measurement orientation respectively acquired by location positioning and orientation measurement of the flying body with the flying body arranged at a predetermined position in a predetermined orientation in the target field and the setting information, thereby determining whether the flying body is installed at an appropriate position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a determination system and a determination method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, regarding unmanned aircraft and drones, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a flight area is defined by measuring the position coordinates of the endpoints of a flight area in advance using a surveying instrument or the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [[ID=2,3]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure has been made in view of at least one of the above three problems, and its object is to provide a determination system and a determination method capable of enhancing the safety during the flight of a drone.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to this disclosure, a determination system is provided comprising: a field information acquisition unit that acquires registration information of a target field selected from a storage unit in which the location information of multiple fields is pre-registered; an installation information acquisition unit that acquires setting information including the installation position and installation direction for installing an aircraft in the target field; and a comparison and matching unit that determines whether the aircraft is installed in an appropriate location by comparing measurement information including the measurement position and measurement direction acquired by positioning and direction measurement of the aircraft, respectively, at a predetermined position in the target field with the setting information.

[0007] Furthermore, the present disclosure provides a determination method comprising: a field information acquisition step of acquiring registration information of a target field selected from a storage unit in which the location information of multiple fields is pre-registered; an installation information acquisition step of acquiring setting information including the installation position and installation direction for installing an aircraft in the target field; and a comparison and matching step of determining whether the aircraft is installed in an appropriate position by comparing measurement information including the measurement position and measurement direction acquired by positioning and direction measurement of the aircraft, respectively, at a predetermined position in the target field and comparing it with the setting information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] This disclosure provides a determination system and method that can enhance the safety of drone flights. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the system configuration according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This figure shows another example configuration of a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] This figure shows another example configuration of a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] This figure shows another example configuration of a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] This figure shows a functional block of a drone according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] This figure shows the functional block of a control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] This figure shows the functional blocks of a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] A flowchart illustrating the operation flow of a system according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the display of multiple fields shown by a display unit according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of the display of the target field, installation location, and installation orientation shown by the display unit according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 11] A flowchart illustrating the measurement flow of a system according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 12] This flowchart shows the comparison and matching flow of a system according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of the display of the matching result shown by the display unit according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of comparison and verification between registration information and measurement information according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 15] This figure shows another example of the comparison and matching of registration information and measurement information according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 16] This figure shows another example of the comparison and matching of registration information and measurement information according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 17] This flowchart shows another example of the measurement flow of a system according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 18] This flowchart illustrates another example of the comparison and matching flow of a system according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 19] This figure shows an example of comparison and verification between registration information and measurement information according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 20]It is a diagram showing an example of comparison and verification between registered information and measurement information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 21] It is a diagram showing an example of comparison and verification between registered information and measurement information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 22] It is a flowchart diagram showing another example of the measurement flow of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 23] It is a flowchart diagram showing another example of the comparison and verification flow of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 24] It is a diagram showing an example of comparison and verification between registered information and measurement information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 25] It is a diagram showing an example of comparison and verification between registered information and measurement information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 26] It is a diagram showing an example of a target field displayed on a display unit and flight geofence according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 27] It is a diagram showing an example of an error included in registered information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Further, the embodiments shown below are merely examples, and other known elements or alternative means can be adopted according to the use, purpose, scale, etc.

[0011] Figure 1 shows an overview of the overall configuration of System 1, which uses a drone as an example of a mobile device as one embodiment of the present invention. System 1 may include a drone 100 with a shooting function, a control device 200 for the operator to operate the drone 100, and a server 300 (e.g., a cloud server) connected to the control device 200 via a network 400 such as an internet connection. The drone 100 is capable of receiving satellite signals from satellites 500 and can estimate its own position using GNSS based on the received satellite signals. Furthermore, the system may include a base station 600 that provides information on reference points of fixed stations used for relative positioning such as RTK (Real Time Kinematic), and by connecting the base station to the drone and control device wirelessly, it becomes possible to measure the drone's position with higher accuracy. Here, when performing RTK measurement using a virtual reference point method with VRS (Virtual Reference Station), the base station 600 can be omitted, or the accuracy of estimating the position coordinates of the base station and the drone can be further improved.

[0012] Here, the control device 200 includes a display unit 210 that displays drone status information acquired from the drone and server to the operator, and an input unit 220 into which the operator inputs flight direction, takeoff / landing commands, etc. when controlling the drone. The display unit 210 and the input unit 220 are connected to each other via wired or wireless communication. Furthermore, at least one of the display unit 210 and the input unit 220 has a communication function that enables wireless communication with the drone using Wi-Fi, 2.4GHz, or 5.6~5.8GHz frequency bands. In addition, at least one of the display unit 210 and the input unit 220 has a wireless communication function that enables communication with the server via an internet connection using communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution). In the configuration example shown in Figure 1, the drone communicates with the server via the control device 200, so this system configuration is suitable when the drone and the control device are within a distance where direct wireless communication is possible (for example, visual flight by the operator), but it is not limited to this.

[0013] Figures 2 to 4 show modified configurations of this system. In the example of System 2 shown in Figure 2, the drone, control unit, server, and base station are all connected to each other via a network 400 such as an internet connection, enabling them to communicate with one another. Here, unlike the configuration example shown in Figure 1, the drone communicates wirelessly with the internet connection 400 directly using a communication method such as LTE without going through the control unit. Therefore, the drone, control unit, and base station do not need to communicate wirelessly directly; they only need to be able to connect to the internet connection at remote locations. For this reason, this system configuration is suitable when the drone and control unit are located at remote locations (for example, when the operator remotely controls the drone), but it is not limited to this case.

[0014] Next, in the example of System 3 shown in Figure 3, the drone, control unit, base station, and server are connected to each other via a network 400 such as an internet connection, enabling them to communicate with one another. The drone and base station are also connected to the internet connection via satellite communication through a satellite 500. Furthermore, in the example of System 4 shown in Figure 4, multiple servers are connected to a single drone via multiple internet connections, demonstrating system redundancy. In this case, even if a server or internet connection fails, the system can continue to operate thanks to the redundant servers and internet connections, thereby improving system reliability. It should be noted that in Figures 3 and 4, the drone and control unit can be operated even from a remote location, making this configuration suitable for remote control. However, it is not limited to this, and can also be applied to visual flight where the operator manually controls the drone while viewing it.

[0015] <Drone Configuration> In this specification, "drone" refers to any flying object having multiple rotors and the ability to autonomously control its attitude, regardless of its power source (electricity, prime mover, etc.), control method (wireless or wired, fully autonomous or partially manual, etc.), and whether it is manned or unmanned. Drones may also be referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), flying objects, multicopters, RPAS (remote piloted aircraft systems), or UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems). In this specification, "geofence" refers to a virtual boundary line, and in particular, a fence marking the boundary between a flight-permitted area and a no-fly-zone where mobile objects such as drones are permitted to fly or move. Therefore, if a mobile object such as a drone comes into contact with a geofence, its flight or movement will be restricted to prevent it from flying outside the flight-permitted area.

[0016] As shown in Figure 5, the drone 100 in this example includes a measurement unit 110, a flight function unit 120, and an image acquisition unit 130. Note that the functional blocks shown in the example are for reference only and can be modified as appropriate. The drone 100 is equipped with a computing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for performing information processing, and a storage device such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0017] The measurement unit 110 includes a position measurement unit 111 for measuring the aircraft's position (absolute position) and an orientation measurement unit 112 for measuring the direction of the aircraft's nose (heading direction). The position measurement unit is not particularly limited, but for example, it measures its current position using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GPS (Global Positioning System), etc. As a method for measuring its own position, for example, RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System) can also be used. The position information includes at least two-dimensional coordinate information in a planar view (e.g., latitude, longitude), and preferably three-dimensional coordinate information including altitude information. The position measurement unit receives signals from satellites such as GPS satellites and performs positioning (location determination) based on them. The orientation measurement unit consists of, for example, a geomagnetic sensor that measures the direction of the drone's nose (heading direction) by measuring the geomagnetic field, or a compass, GNSS compass, etc. The measurement unit may also include various sensors (IMU, 6-axis GYRO) that acquire information such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, acceleration, angular velocity, and speed (GNSS Doppler, GPS Doppler, etc.).

[0018] The flight function unit 120 includes a thrust generating unit 121 for generating thrust in the aircraft to lift off and move in a desired direction, and a flight control unit 122 for controlling the aircraft's attitude angle and flight movements from takeoff through flight and landing.

[0019] The thrust generating unit comprises a rotor and a motor and battery, or an engine, which serve as the power source for rotating the rotor. The rotor may also be fitted with a propeller guard to prevent interference with obstacles. The number of rotors constituting the thrust generating unit is not particularly limited, but it can, for example, consist of one, two, four, six, or eight rotors. The rotor may consist of a single propeller or multiple propellers arranged coaxially. The number and shape of the blades of each propeller are not particularly limited.

[0020] The flight control unit has a processing unit, also called a flight controller. The processing unit may have one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), MPU, or DSP). The processing unit has access to memory (storage). The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that the processing unit can execute to perform one or more steps. The memory may include a separable medium such as an SD card or random access memory (RAM), or an external storage device. Various data acquired from cameras and sensors may be directly transmitted to and stored in memory. For example, still images or video data captured by camera 131 can be recorded in the internal memory or external memory.

[0021] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the state of the drone 100. For example, the control module has 6 degrees of freedom (translational motion x, y, and z, and rotational motion θ). x , θ y and θ z The control module controls the thrust generating unit of the drone 100 to adjust the spatial arrangement, attitude angle, angular velocity, angular acceleration, angular jerk, and / or acceleration of the drone 100, which has a camera holder. The control module can control one or more of the camera holder and sensors. The flight control unit can control the flight of the drone 100 based on control signals from the control device 200 or based on a preset autonomous flight program. The flight control unit can also control the flight of the drone 100 by controlling the thrust generating unit based on various information such as the field area to be photographed, the corresponding flight geofence information, map information including 2D or 3D map data, the current position information of the drone 100, attitude information (heading direction information), speed information, and acceleration information, and any combination thereof.

[0022] The image acquisition unit 130 comprises a camera 131 (imaging device) and a camera holding unit 132. The camera 131 can acquire at least one of still images and videos (and, if necessary, acquire audio via a microphone) and transmit the data to the drone 100's own memory unit, control device 200, server 300, etc. The camera holding unit 132 holds the camera 131 to the aircraft. The camera holding unit 132 may or may not be able to change at least one of the position and attitude (direction) of the camera 131 relative to the aircraft. The camera holding unit 132 may have a mechanism to suppress the transmission of shaking and vibration of the aircraft to the camera 131.

[0023] <Configuration of the control system> The control device 200 includes a display unit 210 and an input unit 220, as shown in Figure 6, for example. The control device 200 also includes a processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for performing information processing, and storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0024] The display unit 210 may consist of a touch panel or LCD monitor integrated into the control device, or it may consist of a display device such as an LCD monitor, tablet terminal, or smartphone connected to the control device by wire or wireless connection. The display unit can display images related to various information such as multiple fields, target fields, target field areas for shooting, corresponding flight geofences, map information, the current position information of the drone 100, attitude information (direction information), speed information, and acceleration information, the drone's battery level, and the drone's placement position when surveying the target field area.

[0025] The input unit 220 accepts various inputs from users such as pilots, or inputs based on signals transmitted from the drone 100 or server 300. In this example, the input unit 220 includes a pilot input unit 221, a field shape input unit 228, a measurement point input unit 223, a measurement execution input unit 224, a remeasurement requirement input unit 225, a field area correction input unit 226, and a geofence correction input unit 227.

[0026] The control input unit 221 accepts input operations to instruct the three-dimensional flight movements of the drone 100, including takeoff, landing, ascent, descent, turning, forward, backward, and left and right movement. The control input unit 221 is composed of a control stick that is tilted forward, backward, left, and right, push buttons located up, down, left, and right (including directional buttons, etc.), or a rotary dial, touch panel, etc., but is not particularly limited. The control input unit 221 may have a takeoff button and a landing button to instruct automatic takeoff and landing, or it may have a flight start button to instruct the drone to automatically fly to a predetermined position and hover there, a home button to perform a return operation to the starting position, a mode switch button to switch flight modes, an emergency stop button to stop the propellers in an emergency, an emergency landing button to perform a soft landing in an emergency, and a hovering button to make the drone hover in place and remain stationary in the air in an emergency.

[0027] The field selection reception unit 222 accepts the selection of a target field for shooting, etc., from among multiple fields. For example, the field selection reception unit 222 accepts a field selected and entered by the user as the target field from among the options (image, text, etc.) that represent multiple fields displayed on the touch panel of the control device 200. Note that it is not limited to the user manually selecting and entering the target field; the server 300 may also select the target field from among multiple fields.

[0028] The measurement point input unit 223 (installation point input unit) is an input unit for the user to pre-specify the position and direction of the drone to be installed in the field before installing it to measure the target field using the drone's measurement unit. For example, the user specifies the position and direction of the drone to be installed on the target field displayed on the display unit 210.

[0029] The measurement execution input unit 224 allows the user to input measurement instructions when performing a measurement of the target field using the drone's measurement unit, with the drone positioned on the field according to the measurement position (installation position) and aircraft direction (installation orientation) specified by the user. Here, if there is only one measurement position, both the measurement position and the aircraft direction must be specified, but if there are two or more measurement positions, only the position information is required, and the aircraft direction information is not necessary. When a measurement instruction is input by the measurement execution input unit 224, the drone's measurement unit measures the drone's position and aircraft direction, and the measurement results are transmitted to the server. Here, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the position coordinates of a predetermined position in the field are obtained using the drone's measurement unit, but instead of a drone, a surveying instrument having the same positioning (and orientation) function as the measurement unit may be used, and the measurement may be performed using the surveying instrument with the surveying instrument positioned on the field according to the measurement position and aircraft direction specified by the user.

[0030] The remeasurement requirement input unit 225 receives input indicating whether or not a remeasurement is necessary, for example, if it is found that the position or direction of the target field that was previously registered is incorrect. The remeasurement requirement input unit 225 may receive input regarding the need for remeasurement from a user such as the pilot, or it may receive such input from a signal transmitted from the drone 100 or the server 300.

[0031] The field area modification input unit 226 accepts input regarding the modification content when modifying the shape, position, direction, etc., of a target field that has been registered once. The field area modification input unit 226 may accept input regarding the modification content by a user such as the pilot, or it may accept such input by a signal transmitted from the drone 100 or server 300. As an example of a user such as the pilot accepting a modification of the target field estimated by the field area modification input unit 226, the position, shape, and direction of the field area estimated as a result of field measurement by the drone are displayed on the display unit 210 of the control device 200 along with surrounding map information, and the user such as the pilot can check the displayed field area and, if necessary, modify at least one of the position, shape, or direction of the field area using the field area modification input unit 226.

[0032] The geofence modification input unit 227 accepts input regarding the modification content when modifying the shape, position, direction, etc., of a geofence that has been registered once. The geofence modification input unit 227 may accept input regarding the modification content through input from a user such as a pilot, or it may accept such input through a signal transmitted from the drone 100 or the server 300.

[0033] The field shape input unit 228 receives shape information of the target field, such as a sports court area. The field shape input unit 228 can receive field shape information input from, for example, the touch panel of the control device 200, or field shape information transmitted from the drone 100 or server 300. The shape of the target field is not particularly limited and can be a rectangle, square, other polygon, circle, ellipse, etc. The field shape information may include the shape of the outer frame of the field and information on the positions and shapes of various lines (half line, penalty line, etc.) and points (center point, penalty kick position, etc.) provided inside and outside the field. For example, if the target field is a soccer field, the field shape information may include information on the two-dimensional shape or three-dimensional shape, such as the length of the four sides of a rectangular field (end line (goal line), side line (touch line)), the intersection angle, aspect ratio, the position of the half line (center line), the radius of the center circle, the position of the center point (center spot), the position of the penalty area, the position of the intersection of the side line and the half line, the position and size of the soccer goal. Furthermore, soccer fields are standardized according to official standards, international standards, and standards used in the World Cup and the Olympics, and their shape and size are predetermined. These standardized field shapes, as well as unique sizes for practice fields and other purposes, and field shapes with aspect ratios (including shapes with a constant aspect ratio but different sizes, and field shapes with unique lengths for the length or width), can be divided into multiple patterns and pre-stored in the memory unit of server 300 or similar.

[0034] <Server Configuration> The server 300 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or personal computer, or it may be logically implemented through cloud computing. The server 300 includes, for example, a computing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for performing information processing, and storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), and thus provides software resources such as a field information acquisition unit 310, a coordinate diagnosis unit 312, an installation information acquisition unit 320, a position and orientation recognition unit 330, a comparison and verification unit 340, a verification result notification unit 350, and a storage unit 360 (see Figure 7). The server 300 also includes a transmitting and receiving unit for communicating with the drone 100 and the control device 200, and an input / output unit for inputting and outputting (image output, audio output) the various types of information mentioned above.

[0035] The field information acquisition unit 310 acquires registered information of the selected target field from the storage unit 360, which has pre-registered location information of one or more fields. Based on the information of multiple court shape patterns pre-recorded in the storage unit 360, the field information acquisition unit 310 transmits the field selection to the control device 200 and identifies the location of the target field based on the user's field specification input via the control device 200 (including information received by the field selection reception unit 222). The target field can be, for example, the field in which the user intends to take photographs or perform work using a drone. The field information acquisition unit 310 may also be configured to automatically determine the target field based on pre-set conditions. In this application, a field means a predetermined area defined on the ground surface by lines, and includes the area inside the lines (inside the court), or a predetermined range (for example, a range of several meters) inside and outside the lines (outside the court).

[0036] The field information acquisition unit 310 includes, for example, a coordinate acquisition unit 311. The coordinate acquisition unit 311 identifies the position coordinates of each point constituting the selected target field by acquiring coordinate information (three-dimensional coordinates or two-dimensional coordinates on the horizontal plane) of the selected target field from the storage unit 360. The field information acquisition unit 310 can also identify the orientation of the lines constituting the selected target field, the shape of the target field, etc., by acquiring registered information of the selected target field from the storage unit 360, which has pre-registered shape information of multiple fields. In other words, the field information acquisition unit 310 can also acquire field-related information other than coordinate information from the storage unit.

[0037] The coordinate diagnosis unit 312 diagnoses (determines) whether there are any errors in the registered field coordinate information by, for example, the shape of each field registered in the memory unit and the registered coordinate information of the four corners of each field. That is, if the shape formed by connecting the registered coordinates of the four corners of the field does not match the shape information of the field, the coordinate diagnosis unit 312 determines that there is an error in the registered field coordinate information. If it determines that there is an error in the registered field coordinate information, it can, for example, prohibit the aircraft from taking off, notify the user that there is a misregistration, instruct a re-survey (position measurement), automatically correct the coordinate information by estimating the correct coordinates, or correct the coordinate information based on user input via the control device. The coordinate diagnosis unit 312 can detect errors in the registered information of a target field by comparing at least one of the shape information and measurement information of the target field with the registered information.

[0038] Figure 27 illustrates a method for determining if there is an error in the coordinate information of a registered field. When performing coordinate positioning using satellite signals such as GPS, it is rare, but sometimes an incorrect position coordinate (a coordinate that is tens of meters or more away from the correct position) is calculated as the positioning result. In such cases, as shown in the example in Figure 27, among the four registered coordinates A, B, C, and D, registered coordinate D will be registered as an incorrect coordinate from the actual positioning position. In such cases, the erroneous registration can be determined by the following method.

[0039] (1) If the distance between the registered coordinates at the four corners of the field deviates from a predetermined range: Since the size of a soccer field is approximately 90-120m in length and 45-90m in width, the longest distance between coordinates will be 150m or less, which is the diagonal distance. For this reason, for example, a predetermined threshold can be set for distances between coordinates that are longer than 150m, and if there are distances between coordinates that are longer than this threshold, it can be determined that there is an error in registration. In the example shown in Figure 27, the distance between AD and the distance between CD are both shorter than the above threshold. (2) When the ratio of the long side to the short side of the field deviates from the predetermined range: For fields such as soccer fields, the ratio of the long side to the short side is predetermined to be within a predetermined range (for example, [long side / short side] is approximately 1.5 to 1.2 times). Therefore, if the above ratio deviates from the predetermined range (for example, if [long side / short side] is greater than a predetermined threshold greater than 1.5 times), it can be determined that there is an error in registration. (3) When the angles of the field corners deviate from a predetermined range including 90 degrees: Since many sports fields, such as soccer courts, are rectangles with each corner having an angle of 90 degrees, if the angles of each corner are outside a predetermined angle range that takes error into account (for example, 85 degrees to 95 degrees), it can be determined that there is a misregistration. In the example shown in Figure 27, the angle between vertex C and vertex A is greater than 95 degrees, and the angle of vertex D is less than 85 degrees. (4) When the difference in length between opposing sides (both sidelines, both goal lines) deviates from the predetermined range: In an actual court, sides AD and BC form the sidelines and are of the same length, and sides AB and CD form the goal lines and are of the same length. However, the registered coordinates shown in Figure 27 do not satisfy this relationship. Therefore, if the difference in length between opposing sides exceeds the error range (for example, ±2m), it can be determined that there is a registration error. (5) When the distance between the centroid of the area enclosed by registered coordinates AD and each registered coordinate deviates from the predetermined range: Since many sports fields, such as soccer courts, are rectangular, the distance from the centroid to each vertex (registered coordinate) is approximately the same. However, in the example shown in Figure 27, the distance from the centroid to registered coordinate D is significantly longer than the predetermined distance, so it can be determined that there is a registration error. (6) When the difference in the height coordinates of each point deviates from the prescribed range: Generally, since competition courts are set up on flat ground and not on slopes, if a particular registered coordinate differs in height from other registered coordinates, it can be determined that there is a misregistration.

[0040] The installation information acquisition unit 320 acquires setting information including the installation position and installation direction (bow direction) of the aircraft in the target field. The installation position (e.g., three-dimensional coordinates or two-dimensional coordinates on the horizontal plane) and installation direction can be the position and nose direction of the aircraft when the aircraft takes off in the target field (or when measuring the position and direction of the aircraft). The installation position and installation direction may be uniquely set in advance for each field and stored in the memory unit, or they may be a position and direction specified by the user via the control device 200, etc. When the user makes a selection, for example, based on information on multiple patterns of installation positions and installation directions recorded in advance in the memory unit 360, the control device 200 may be sent a selection of candidate installation positions and installation directions from multiple patterns, and the installation position and installation direction may be determined according to the position and direction specified by the user via the control device 200. Alternatively, the control device 200 may accept any position and direction specified by the user by tapping, sliding, etc. on the target field image displayed on the touch panel of the control device 200 as the installation position and installation direction. Here, the installation position described above is a position set in correspondence with the target field. For example, as shown in Figure 10, it can be set to a position inside the court defined by the lines (Pattern 1), a position on the line (Pattern 2), a position outside the court near the line (Pattern 3), or a corner position (Pattern 3). Furthermore, the installation direction described above may be the heading of the aircraft (global heading of east, west, north, and south), or it may be set as the orientation of the aircraft relative to the selected target court (for example, the direction of the nose). When defined as the orientation of the aircraft relative to the target court, the installation direction can be set, for example, as in Patterns 2 and 3 of Figure 10, such as "the direction of the nose pointing towards the center spot of the target court."

[0041] The position and direction recognition unit 330 comprises a position recognition unit 331, a direction recognition unit 332, and an image acquisition unit 333. The position recognition unit 331 recognizes the current position of the drone by acquiring information on the measured position measured by the drone's position measurement unit 111, for example. The direction recognition unit 332 recognizes the current direction of the drone by acquiring information on the measured direction measured by the drone's direction measurement unit 112, for example. The image acquisition unit 333 acquires images taken by the drone's camera 131.

[0042] The position and orientation recognition unit 330 acquires information on the position and orientation of the drone measured when the drone is installed at the installation point and in the direction specified by the installation information acquisition unit 320. Specifically, based on user input via the measurement execution input unit 224 of the control device 200, it acquires information on the position and heading of the drone measured by the drone's measurement unit when the drone is installed at the specified measurement position and in the direction of its heading (or, the drone's position and heading may be estimated based on lines, goals, corner flags, etc., shown in the image acquired by the drone's camera, or the position and heading may be estimated using both the measurement information from the measurement unit and the estimation results from the camera image). Furthermore, even if a user inputs a measurement execution command from the measurement execution input unit 224, if the information such as acceleration and velocity acquired by the measurement unit mounted on the drone is not stable at nearly zero, or if the ground distance sensor (TOF sensor, IR sensor, etc.) does not consistently detect the ground contact distance, the system may determine that the drone is not placed on the ground and, without acquiring measurement information for the drone's position and orientation, provide a notification function on the display unit 210 prompting the user to confirm the drone's placement.

[0043] The comparison and matching unit 340 includes a position coordinate estimation unit 341, an orientation estimation unit 342, a matching unit 343, and a flight restriction unit 344. The position coordinate estimation unit 341 estimates the drone's installation position coordinates (for example, the coordinates of a specific point among the four corners of a soccer field) based on the registered coordinate information of the target field acquired by the coordinate acquisition unit 311 (for example, the registered coordinates of the four corners of a soccer field) and information on the drone's installation position relative to the selected field (for example, a specific point among the four corners of a soccer field). The orientation estimation unit 342 estimates the drone's installation orientation based on the registered coordinate information of the target field acquired by the coordinate acquisition unit 311 and information on the drone's installation orientation relative to the selected field (and, if necessary, information on the installation position).

[0044] The matching unit 343 can determine whether the drone is actually installed at the planned installation location by comparing (matching) the installation location coordinates estimated by the position coordinate estimation unit 341 with the measured location coordinates measured by the drone's position measurement unit 111. If the estimated installation location coordinates and the measured location coordinates match, or if the difference (position deviation) between them is less than or equal to a preset threshold (for example, if the straight-line distance between each location coordinate is 30 cm or less), the matching unit 343 determines that the drone is actually installed at the planned installation location. If the threshold is exceeded, it determines that the drone is incorrectly installed at a location different from the planned installation location. The matching unit 343 can also determine whether the drone is actually installed in the planned installation direction by comparing (matching) the installation direction estimated by the direction estimation unit 342 with the measured direction measured by the drone's direction measurement unit 112. The matching unit 343 determines that the drone is actually installed in the intended installation direction if the estimated installation direction matches the measured installation direction, or if the difference in angle between them (the deviation in direction) is less than or equal to a preset threshold (for example, if the difference in accuracy is 10 degrees or less). If the threshold is exceeded, it determines that the drone is incorrectly installed in a direction different from the intended installation direction. If the matching unit 343 determines that the drone is installed in the appropriate installation position and direction, it permits the drone to take off. If it determines that the drone is not installed in the appropriate installation position and direction, it prohibits the drone from taking off. If the matching unit 343 determines that the drone is not installed in the appropriate installation position and direction, the flight restriction unit 344 transmits a signal to at least one of the control device 200 and the drone 100 instructing that the drone's flight be restricted.

[0045] The matching result notification unit 350 notifies the user by transmitting information regarding the determination result of the matching unit 343 to an information processing terminal used by the user, such as the control device 200. Specifically, the matching result notification unit 350 can transmit information such as whether the drone's installation position (measured position coordinates) is deviating from the planned installation position coordinates, the distance of the deviation, and the direction of the deviation, and control the display unit of the control device 200 to display this information. The matching result notification unit 350 can also notify the user whether the drone's installation position (measured position coordinates) matches the planned installation position coordinates, or whether the deviation between these positions is below a threshold. In the example described above, an example was explained in which the installation direction estimated by the matching unit is compared with the measured installation direction, but instead of comparing the installation direction, the estimated value of the aircraft's heading direction relative to the target field may be compared with the measured value.

[0046] The memory unit 360 stores various types of information. The memory unit 360 can store information transmitted from the drone 100 and the control device 200, information obtained as a result of information processing at the server 300, and information input via the input / output unit of the server 300. The memory unit 360 can store information about multiple fields and geofences in advance. The memory unit 360 stores location information for multiple fields that have been registered in advance. The location information of a field includes coordinate information for at least one point related to the field. For example, if the field is a soccer field, it may include two-dimensional coordinate positions such as the four corners of the rectangular field, the center point (center spot), the intersection points of two lines such as the intersection of the sideline and the half line, the four corners of the penalty area, and positions near each of the above positions, or three-dimensional coordinate information including height. The field's location coordinates may be survey information obtained by surveying the location coordinates of each point in the field in advance using a surveying instrument, or they may be survey information obtained by cameras or laser sensors mounted on aircraft or satellites. The memory unit 360 may include information on the orientation of the lines constituting each field, as well as information on the shape of the field.

[0047] Here, the multiple fields registered in the memory unit 360 may include multiple fields whose areas overlap, as shown in Figure 9. In practice courts, for example, full courts and half courts (approximately half the size of a full court) are sometimes used depending on the practice content and match format, so it is desirable to be able to select the target field according to the court shape being used. In the example shown in Figure 9, field 3, which is a full court, and fields 1 and 2, which are half courts set inside field 3, are registered. In this way, when selecting a target field from multiple fields whose areas overlap (such as a full court and a half court), a threshold determination of the straight-line distance between the position of the target field selected by the user and the drone's positioning position alone cannot detect a misselection where the user has selected a field they did not intend. Therefore, as shown in Figure 10, a function to specify the drone's placement position relative to the target field is important for detecting field misselection.

[0048] The server 300 may further include a field shape designation unit 370, a measurement point designation unit 380, an area measurement unit 390, and an area determination unit 1400 for surveying the area (position coordinates) of the target field and registering the flight geofence corresponding to the target field.

[0049] The field shape specification unit 370 transmits a selection of coat shapes to the control device 200 based on information of multiple coat shape patterns pre-recorded in the memory unit, and identifies the shape of the target field based on the user's specified coat shape input via the field shape input unit 228.

[0050] The measurement point designation unit 380 transmits a selection of candidate measurement points to the control device 200 according to the shape of the field to be photographed. Candidate measurement point options include, for example, if the field to be photographed is a rectangular court, the four corners of the court, the point where the half-line and sideline intersect, the center point, etc. In addition to measurement points, options for the aircraft's heading may also be transmitted to the control device 200. The measurement point designation unit specifies the measurement points and headings based on the input information selected by the user from the options for measurement points and headings presented via the measurement point input unit 223 of the control device 200. Alternatively, the measurement point designation unit may pre-specify the measurement points and headings uniquely according to the field shape specified by the field shape designation unit.

[0051] The area measurement unit 390 includes the following functional units: a measurement result confirmation unit 391 for confirming the measurement results, an area estimation unit 392 for estimating the position and orientation of the field area to be photographed, and a measurement suitability determination unit 393 for determining whether the measurement results of the field area are appropriate or not.

[0052] The measurement result confirmation unit 391 acquires information on the position and orientation of the drone measured when the drone is positioned at the measurement point and in the measurement direction specified by the measurement point designation unit. The measurement point may be a single location specified by the user, or it may be one of the four vertices of the field area. Specifically, based on user input via the measurement execution input unit 224 of the control device 200, the unit acquires information on the position and heading of the drone measured by the drone's measurement unit when the drone is positioned at the specified measurement position and in the direction of its nose (or, the drone's position and heading may be estimated based on lines, goals, corner flags, etc., shown in the image acquired by the drone's camera, or the position and heading may be estimated using both the measurement information from the measurement unit and the estimation results from the camera image). Furthermore, even if a user inputs a measurement execution command from the measurement execution input unit 224, if the information such as acceleration and velocity acquired by the measurement unit mounted on the drone is not stable at nearly zero, or if the ground distance sensor (TOF sensor, IR sensor, etc.) does not consistently detect the ground contact distance, the system may determine that the drone is not placed on the ground and, without acquiring measurement information for the drone's position and orientation, provide a notification function on the display unit 210 prompting the user to confirm the drone's placement.

[0053] The area estimation unit 392 estimates the position and direction of the field area, or the position and direction of the corresponding flight geofence, based on the field shape specified in the field shape specification unit, the measurement point and direction information specified in the measurement point specification unit, and the drone's position and heading information acquired by the area measurement unit.

[0054] The measurement suitability determination unit 393 has the function of determining whether the measurement point and heading specified in the measurement point specification unit match the actual position and heading of the drone, based on the field shape specified in the field shape specification unit, the information of the measurement point and heading specified in the measurement point specification unit, and the information of the drone's position and heading acquired by the measurement result confirmation unit. If the above determination is inconsistent, there is a high possibility that the measurement result is inappropriate, and the unit notifies the user to remeasure along with the determination result.

[0055] The area determination unit 1400 includes a display control unit 1401 that displays the estimated area of ​​at least one of the target field and the geofence on the display unit 210 of the control device, and an area correction unit 1402 that, when it receives a correction input from the user for the displayed estimated area, corrects the estimated area according to the correction input and stores the corrected estimated area in the storage unit 360. Figure 26 shows an example of the target field (solid line) and the flight geofence (dotted line) displayed on the display unit 210. For example, the flight geofence may be set to the outer edge of an area wider than the area of ​​the target field in the horizontal plane, or it may be set to the outer edge of a long, narrow area along the sideline (or goal line). Also, if there is an obstacle inside or near the flight area set by the flight geofence, the user can correct the geofence via the area correction unit 1402.

[0056] Figure 8 shows an example of the operation flow when determining whether an aircraft can take off using this system. The user selects a target field from multiple pre-registered field information by inputting via the field selection reception unit 222 of the control device 200 (S101). For example, as shown in Figure 9, the user can specify a target field by selecting one of the options for the current target field (soccer field in this example) from the options of multiple fields displayed on the display unit of the control device 200 and inputting the selection via the field selection reception unit 222 (tap operation, etc.). The information of the multiple fields displayed on the display unit of the control device 200 may include information such as the name of the field, address, spectator capacity, identification information pre-set for each field, field shape, position coordinates (for example, 3D position coordinates of the four corners of the soccer field), area, volume, images of the exterior and interior, and past usage history data. When a target field is selected, the coordinate diagnosis unit 312 diagnoses whether there are any errors in the position coordinates of the selected target field.

[0057] Next, the user specifies the position (installation location) and heading (installation direction) of the drone in the target field (S102). For example, the user can specify a corner as the installation location (measurement point) by tapping one of the intersection points of the center line and side line of a soccer field displayed on the screen of the control device 200. Alternatively, the user can specify the installation direction by displaying a selection of directions along any line of the soccer field and having the user select one of these options by tapping, or by using a direction-recognizable operation such as a slide or flick. In the latter case, the user can input the direction numerically, and in that case, the user can input an angle from a reference line, such as specifying the direction within the range of 0° to less than 360°, with a straight line extending to the right of the side line from the specified installation location as the reference line (0°). Alternatively, as shown in Figure 10, multiple options (patterns 1, 2, and 3) for the installation location and heading may be presented in advance along with a soccer field, allowing the user to specify the installation location and direction by tapping one of them. Furthermore, the drone's installation location and heading may be automatically and uniquely set for each selected field (target field). In this case, the set location and heading are pre-registered in the memory for each field. Alternatively, only one of the drone's installation location or heading may be automatically and uniquely set for each selected field (target field), with the user specifying the other using the method described above.

[0058] Then, the user places the drone in the real target field so that it matches the installation position and orientation specified in S102, and measures and recognizes its position and orientation (S103). For example, by placing the drone 100 on the ground at a corner (measurement point) of a real soccer field and inputting a command to execute the measurement via the measurement execution input unit 224, the measurement can be performed using the drone. The process in S103 involves, for example, measuring the position with the drone's position measurement unit 111 (S201), measuring the orientation with the orientation measurement unit 112 (S202), and acquiring image information by taking pictures with the camera 131 if necessary (S203). Note that the process of measuring the orientation with the orientation measurement unit 112 (S202) may be performed multiple times at the same location by changing the drone's installation orientation. This improves the accuracy of the orientation.

[0059] Next, as shown in Figure 8, a comparison and verification of the registered information and the measured information is performed (S104). By comparing and verifying the installation location and orientation information specified in S102 with the location and orientation information measured and recognized in S103, it is determined whether the drone is installed in the appropriate location and orientation. The process in S104 is performed, for example, in the flow shown in Figure 12. Based on the registered coordinate information of the selected field and the information on the drone's installation location and orientation relative to the selected field, the installation location coordinates and orientation of the drone are estimated (S301). The installation location estimated in S301 is compared with the measured location of the drone (S302). In S302, if the comparison results of the location information match (Yes in S303), the process in S304 is performed; if they do not match (No in S303), it is determined that the drone is not installed in the appropriate location, and the drone's takeoff is prohibited (S307). In S304, the installation orientation estimated in S301 is compared with the measured orientation of the drone. In S304, if the location information comparison results match (Yes in S305), it is determined that the drone is positioned in the appropriate location and orientation, and permission is granted for the drone to take off (S306). In S304, if the location information comparison results do not match (No in S305), it is determined that the drone is not positioned in the appropriate location and orientation, and the drone's takeoff is prohibited (or the pilot is notified that they do not match) (S307).

[0060] Here, in S104, the accuracy of the takeoff permission determination may be improved by comparing and matching the registered information with the image information acquired in S203. In other words, when using the camera image taken in S203 as shown in Figure 11, it is matched with an image template (registered information pre-registered in the memory unit) of the field lines or goal that will be photographed from the set position and orientation of the drone. If the image information and registered information match as a result of the matching, takeoff is permitted; if they do not match, takeoff is prohibited (or the pilot is notified that they do not match).

[0061] Then, as shown in Figure 8, the matching result from S104 is transmitted from the server 300 to the control device 200 and notified to the user (S105). By checking the matching result notification displayed on the control device 200's display, the user can confirm whether the drone is set to the appropriate position and orientation.

[0062] In the example described above, the diagnosis of incorrect registration of position coordinates included in the field registration information, performed by the coordinate diagnosis unit 312, was shown to be performed in S101. However, the diagnosis of incorrect registration can be performed at any time after the target field has been selected, and does not necessarily have to be performed in S101. In other words, the diagnosis of incorrect registration by the coordinate diagnosis unit 312 can be performed before S101 (before selecting the target field), at any of S101, S102, S103, or S104, and the diagnosis results, information regarding coordinate correction, and instructions for re-surveying can be notified to the user in S105. One example of performing the diagnosis of incorrect registration before S101, that is, before selecting the target field, is when information of one or more fields is imported into the determination system of the present invention from another system, in which case the diagnosis of incorrect registration can be performed on the imported field information.

[0063] Figure 13 shows an example of a verification result notification displayed on the display unit of the control device 200. In the example in Figure 13, the information of the specified installation position and direction, and the information of the measured position and direction are displayed together on the image of the target field. In addition, the direction from the measured position to the set position is displayed as a vector (arrow), and the distance traveled is displayed numerically. Furthermore, as verification result information, text information indicating that the registered information and the measured information do not match ("!Error! The drone's position or direction does not match. Please install the drone at the specified position and direction.") is displayed. After checking the display in Figure 13, the user can correct the drone's installation position and execute the process in S103 of Figure 8 again. The display content in Figure 13 may also be notified to the user by voice. Moreover, the method is not limited to the above, but errors may also be notified to the user by flashing, lighting, or changing the color of the display unit or light-emitting part of the control device 200, or by flashing, lighting, or changing the color of a light-emitting part installed on the aircraft, or by voice notification from a speaker installed on the aircraft.

[0064] As shown in Figure 13, if the registered information and the measurement information do not match, several possible scenarios can be considered.

[0065] For example, one possible scenario, as shown in Figure 14, is when the field area registration information (field location coordinates) is correct, but the drone's placement relative to the field is incorrect. In this case, the drone's positioning location (corner point) is misaligned with the registered placement location displayed on the screen (intersection of the center line and side line), and the drone is actually incorrectly placed at a corner point in the field.

[0066] Another possible scenario, as shown in Figure 15, is that the registered coordinates of the field area (or the selected target field) are incorrect, while the drone's placement relative to the target field is correct. In this case, it is necessary to reset the field's registered coordinates (or re-select the target field). In this scenario, the drone's positioning location (corner point) is misaligned with the registered placement location displayed on the screen (intersection of the center line and side line), while the drone is actually properly positioned at the correct location in the field (intersection of the center line and side line).

[0067] A third pattern, as shown in Figure 16, is that the registered coordinates (orientation) of the field area are incorrect, while the drone's installation position relative to the field is correct. In this case, the registered coordinates of the field need to be reset. In this case, the drone's positioning orientation is misaligned with the registered installation orientation displayed on the display unit, and in reality, the drone is properly installed in the correct position on the field (the intersection of the center line and side line) with the correct orientation. Note that in the example in Figure 16, the installation position and the measurement position coincide.

[0068] The determination system 1 of this embodiment includes: a field information acquisition unit that acquires registration information of a target field selected from a storage unit in which the location information of multiple fields is pre-registered; an installation information acquisition unit that acquires setting information including the installation position and installation direction for installing the aircraft in the target field; and a comparison and verification unit that determines whether the aircraft is installed in an appropriate location by comparing measurement information including the measurement position and measurement direction acquired by positioning and direction measurement of the aircraft, respectively, after placing the aircraft in a predetermined orientation at a predetermined location in the target field, with the setting information. With this configuration, the drone can be installed in an appropriate location and taken off, thereby increasing safety during flight.

[0069] Figure 17 shows the processing flow of another example of this system (second embodiment). In this example, as the processing in S103 shown in Figure 8, the position is measured by the drone's position measuring unit 111 (S401), the direction is measured by the direction measuring unit 112 (S402), and the field shape information registered in the storage unit is obtained from the storage unit (S403), as shown in Figure 17. Note that the processing of measuring the direction by the direction measuring unit 112 (S402) may be performed multiple times by changing the drone's installation direction. This improves the accuracy of the direction.

[0070] In this example, as shown in Figure 8, the process in S104 involves estimating the position coordinates of the field where the drone is installed based on the drone's position coordinates, orientation information, and field shape information measured by the measurement unit, as shown in Figure 18 (S501). The field's position coordinates estimated in S501 are compared with the position coordinates of the pre-registered target field (S502). If the comparison results of the position information match in S502 (Yes in S503), the drone's takeoff is permitted (S504). The process in S502 is performed, and if they do not match (No in S503), the drone's takeoff is prohibited (S505).

[0071] Figure 19 shows an example where the registered coordinates of the field area are correct, but the drone's placement position relative to the field is incorrect. When the field's position coordinates estimated in S501 do not match the pre-registered target field's position coordinates, it can be determined that the drone's placement position is incorrect (and consequently, the estimated field area is also incorrect).

[0072] Figure 20 shows an example where the registered coordinates of the field area (or the selected target field) are incorrect, but the drone's placement relative to the target field is correct. When comparing the field's location coordinates estimated in S501 with the pre-registered target field's location coordinates, they do not match, but the actual drone is placed in the correct location within the field area (and as a result, the estimated field area is also correct). In such cases, it can be determined that the registered coordinates of the field area (or the selection of the target field) are incorrect.

[0073] Figure 21 shows an example where the registered coordinates (orientation) of the field area are incorrect, but the drone's installation position and orientation relative to the field are correct. When comparing the field's estimated position coordinates in S501 with the pre-registered target field's position coordinates, they do not match, but if the actual drone is installed in the correct position within the field area (and therefore the estimated field area is also correct), it can be determined that the registered coordinates of the field area are incorrect.

[0074] Figure 22 shows the processing flow of another example of this system (third embodiment). In this example, as the processing in S103 shown in Figure 8 (recognition and measurement of the coat), as shown in Figure 22, the drone is taken off from the installation position, ascends vertically, and hovers above the installation position (S601), and the position is measured by the drone's position measurement unit 111 (S602). Image information is also acquired by taking pictures of the field from above using the drone's camera 131 (S603). In addition, the direction may be measured by the direction measurement unit 112 in S602. Hereinafter, the geomagnetic sensor, which is an example of the drone's direction measurement unit 112, is affected by metal members on the ground surface and metal underground (pipes, power lines), causing the direction measurement to be distorted, so the direction of the aircraft cannot be measured correctly at positions close to the ground surface or underground metal. Therefore, by performing direction measurement using a geomagnetic sensor at a position several meters above the ground, the reliability of direction measurement can be improved, making it effective to perform direction measurement while hovering in the air after takeoff. This improves the accuracy of comparison and matching in S104. When photographing the field in S602, as shown in Figure 24, the aircraft may be kept stationary in a hovering state at hovering position 1, which is vertically above the takeoff position, and photographed, or it may be moved to a position where the entire field is within the camera's field of view, such as hovering position 2, which is at a higher altitude than hovering position 1 and horizontally away from the field, and photographed. Alternatively, at hovering position 1 or hovering position 2, photographs may be taken while yaw rotating in a hovering state in order to photograph the entire field.

[0075] In this example, as shown in Figure 8, the process in S104 involves estimating the field's position coordinates based on the drone's position coordinates and orientation information measured by the measurement unit, and the field image captured by the camera, as shown in Figure 23 (S701). The field's position coordinates estimated in S701 are compared with the pre-registered target field's position coordinates (S702). If the position information comparison results match in S702 (Yes in S703), the drone's flight is permitted (S704). The process in S502 is performed, and if they do not match (No in S703), the drone's flight is prohibited (S705). If flight is prohibited in S705, the drone will either automatically land at the takeoff point (installation location), hover in place, or switch the control mode from automatic flight mode to manual flight mode, thus preventing the drone from starting flight over the target field. Furthermore, if the drone is prohibited from flying and lands, the user will be notified via the control device of instructions to remeasure the position coordinates of the target field or to change the drone's installation location.

[0076] Here, the method of Example 3, which estimates the coordinates of the field from the field image taken during hovering and compares it with the registered court coordinates, can be combined with the methods of Examples 1 and 2 to enhance safety. Specifically, the method of Example 1 or 2 is used to determine takeoff clearance before takeoff, and after takeoff clearance is granted, the aircraft takes off from the takeoff position into the air, and the method of Example 3 is used to determine flight clearance.

[0077] Figure 24 shows an example where the selected field is incorrect, but the drone's position relative to the field is correct. When the field's position coordinates estimated by S701 do not match those of the pre-registered target field, but the captured field image indicates that the drone is hovering in the correct position, it can be determined that the selected field is incorrect in this way.

[0078] Figure 25 shows an example where the selected field is correct, but the drone's orientation relative to the field is incorrect. When the field's position coordinates estimated by S701 do not match the position coordinates of the pre-registered target field, and the captured field image indicates that the drone is hovering in an inappropriate orientation, it can be determined that the drone's orientation was incorrect in this way.

[0079] In this system 1, a function may be provided to register information about the position coordinates of the field to be flown in advance in the memory unit. The method of registering the position coordinates of the field in the memory unit is not particularly limited, but the position coordinates of each position, such as the four corners of the field, may be acquired using the drone's measurement unit and stored in the memory unit, or the position coordinates may be acquired in the same way using a surveying instrument and stored in the memory unit.

[0080] Furthermore, this system 1 may have a function to register field shape information in the storage unit in advance. The method for registering the field shape in the storage unit is not particularly limited, but the shape of the field to be photographed may be identified based on the user's specified coat shape input via the field shape input unit 228.

[0081] Furthermore, System 1 has means for determining the target field for takeoff, and can control the system to prohibit takeoff or notify the user if it detects an incorrect registration of the target field's coordinates or a failure to measure (insufficient measurement). In this case, an incorrect registration of the target field's coordinates may be determined if the distance from other points in the same field is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (a pre-set threshold), or based on a comparison with a pre-registered court shape. In addition, if an incorrect registration of the target field's coordinates is detected, a notification prompting correction of the registered coordinates (correction announcement) may be output.

[0082] Furthermore, in this system 1, it is possible to compare the measured field area coordinates with a pre-set field shape and, if there is a deviation from the constraints of the field shape (if a pre-set threshold is exceeded), detect the possibility of a measurement error or omission in the coordinates, and control the system to prohibit takeoff or notify the user accordingly. In addition, if it is detected that there is a measurement error or an omission in the measurement points (measurement locations), the system may be controlled to suggest re-measurement by notifying the user, etc.

[0083] Preferred embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, but the technical scope of this disclosure is not limited to such examples. In the embodiments described above, an example of a drone being used to aerial photograph a sports court was described as an example of a mobile body, but the applications of the present invention are not limited to drones, and can also be applied to, for example, a camera system that can move above a court fixed by wires. Furthermore, the target field for area setting may be a field other than the field in which aerial photography is performed, such as a field in which work is performed by a mobile body, such as lawn mowing. It is clear to any person with ordinary skill in the art of this disclosure that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and these will naturally also be understood to be within the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0084] The apparatus described herein may be implemented as a single device, or it may be implemented as a group of devices (e.g., a cloud server, a drone, a control device) that are partially or entirely connected by a network. For example, each functional unit of the server 300 (field shape command unit, measurement point specification unit, measurement result confirmation unit, area estimation unit, measurement suitability determination unit, estimated area display unit) and the storage unit may be implemented in different servers, drones, and control devices that are connected to each other by a network.

[0085] The series of processes performed by the apparatus described herein may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. Computer programs for implementing each function of the server 300 according to this embodiment can be created and implemented on a PC or the like. Furthermore, a computer-readable recording medium containing such a computer program can also be provided. Examples of recording media include magnetic disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, and flash memory. Alternatively, the computer program may be distributed without using a recording medium, for example, via a network.

[0086] Furthermore, the processes described using flowcharts in this specification do not necessarily have to be executed in the order shown. Some processing steps may be executed in parallel. Additional processing steps may be adopted, and some processing steps may be omitted.

[0087] Furthermore, the effects described herein are merely descriptive or illustrative and not limiting. In other words, the technology relating to this disclosure may produce other effects that will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description herein, in addition to or in lieu of the effects described herein.

[0088] Furthermore, the following configurations also fall within the technical scope of this disclosure. (Item 1) A field information acquisition unit that acquires registration information of a selected target field from a storage unit in which the location information of one or more fields is pre-registered, A unit for acquiring installation information that acquires setting information including the installation position of the aircraft in the target field, A determination system comprising: a comparison and matching unit that determines whether or not the aircraft is installed at the installation location set as the setting information by comparing measurement information, including the measurement position obtained by positioning the aircraft, after placing the aircraft in the target field, with the setting information. (Item 2) The installation information acquisition unit acquires the setting information, including the installation position and the direction of the aircraft's nose relative to the target field. A determination system comprising: a comparison and matching unit that determines whether the aircraft is positioned in the designated location and in the designated direction by placing the aircraft in the designated field and comparing measurement information, including the aircraft's position and direction, obtained by positioning and azimuth measurement of the aircraft, with the designated setting information. (Item 3) The determination system according to item 1 or 2, characterized in that it includes at least one of the following: a flight restriction unit that restricts the takeoff of the squadron when the measurement information and the setting information do not match, and a comparison result notification unit that notifies the user of information regarding the comparison result. (Item 4) The determination system according to item 3, wherein the matching result notification unit, when the measurement information and the setting information do not match, displays both the measurement aircraft position and the installation position on the display unit of the control device for controlling the aircraft, or notifies the direction of movement and distance of movement from the measurement aircraft position to the installation position as a vector or numerical value. (Item 5) The determination system according to item 1, wherein the comparison and verification unit determines that the aircraft is not installed at the installation location set as the setting information when the measurement information and the setting information do not match. (Item 6) The determination system according to item 1, wherein the installation information acquisition unit determines at least one of the installation position and the installation direction in the target field based on the user's request. (Item 7) The field information acquisition unit determines the target field from among the fields registered in the storage unit based on the user's request, as described in item 1. (Item 8) The determination system according to item 1, wherein the comparison and matching unit determines, by comparing the measurement information with the setting information, that the aircraft is installed at the installation position set as the setting information, and the aircraft takes off, and the position coordinates of the target field estimated from the image of the target field taken by the aircraft in the air are compared with the registration information. (Item 9) The determination system according to item 8, wherein after the aircraft takes off, it photographs the target field while hovering at a position vertically ascended from the installation position, or photographs the target field while performing a yaw rotation at a position vertically ascended from the installation position. (Item 10) If the position coordinates of the target field estimated from the captured image do not match the registered information, the system will either land the aircraft at the installation location, hover in place, switch the control mode from autopilot to manual control, or notify the system of instructions to measure the position coordinates of the target field or to change the installation location of the aircraft. The determination system described in item 8 or 9. (Item 11) The system further includes a coordinate diagnostic unit that detects errors in the registration information of the target field by comparing the shape information of the target field with the position coordinate information included in the registration information. The determination system described in item 1, which, when it detects an error in the registration information of the target field, performs control to prohibit the aircraft from taking off, or notifies the user. (Item 12) The system further includes a coordinate diagnostic unit that detects errors in the registration information of the target field based on the position coordinate information included in the registration information. The coordinate diagnosis unit is a determination system according to item 1 that detects an error in the registration information of a target field based on at least one of the following: the distance between endpoints of the target field included in the registration information, the ratio of the lengths of the long side and short side of the target field, the angles of the corners of the target field, the lengths of the opposing sides of the target field, and the difference in the height coordinates of multiple points of the target field. (Item 13) The determination system described in item 11 or 12, which notifies the user of a suggestion to remeasure when the coordinate diagnosis unit detects an error in the registration information of the target field. (Item 14) A field information acquisition step involves acquiring registered information for a selected target field from a storage unit in which the location information of one or more fields is pre-registered. A step of acquiring installation information to acquire setting information including the installation position of the aircraft in the target field, A determination method comprising: a comparison and matching step of determining whether the aircraft is installed at the installation location set as the setting information by placing the aircraft in the target field and comparing measurement information including the measurement position obtained by positioning the aircraft with the setting information. (Item 15) A field information acquisition unit that acquires registration information of a selected target field from a storage unit in which the location information of one or more fields is pre-registered, A unit for acquiring installation information that acquires setting information including the installation position of the aircraft in the target field, A field shape acquisition unit that acquires field shape information relating to the shape of the target field, The aircraft is placed in the target field, and the position coordinates of the target field are estimated from the measurement information, including the measurement position obtained by positioning the aircraft, and the field shape information. A determination system comprising: a comparison and matching unit that determines whether the aircraft is installed at the installation location set as the setting information by comparing estimated information of the position coordinates of the target field obtained by the field information acquisition unit with the registered information of the position coordinates of the target field. (Item 16) A field information acquisition unit that acquires registration information of a selected target field from a storage unit in which the location information of one or more fields is pre-registered, A unit for acquiring installation information acquires setting information including the installation position and installation direction of the aircraft in relation to the target field. An image acquisition unit that acquires images of the target field from above by the aforementioned flying object, A determination system comprising: a comparison and matching unit that determines whether or not the aircraft is installed at the installation location set as the setting information by comparing estimated position coordinates of the target field estimated from the captured image with registered position coordinates of the target field acquired by the field information acquisition unit. (Item 17) A field information acquisition unit that acquires registration information of a selected target field from a storage unit in which the location information of one or more fields is pre-registered, The system includes a coordinate diagnostic unit that detects errors in the registration information of the target field by comparing the shape information of the target field with the position coordinate information included in the registration information, A determination system that, when it detects an error in the registration information of the target field, performs control to prohibit the aircraft from taking off, or notifies the user. (Item 18) A field information acquisition unit that acquires registration information of a selected target field from a storage unit in which the location information of one or more fields is pre-registered, The system includes a coordinate diagnostic unit that detects errors in the registration information of the target field based on the position coordinate information included in the registration information, The coordinate diagnosis unit is a determination system that detects errors in the registration information of a target field based on at least one of the following: the distance between the endpoints of the target field included in the registration information, the ratio of the lengths of the long side and the short side of the target field, the angle of the corners of the target field, the lengths of the opposite sides of the target field, the distance between the centroid and the endpoints of the target field, and the difference in the height coordinates of multiple points of the target field. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0089] 1 System 100 Drones (Mobile Devices) 200 Control devices 300 servers 400 Networks 500 satellites 600 base bureau

Claims

1. A field information acquisition unit that acquires registration information of a selected target field from a storage unit in which the location information of one or more fields is pre-registered, A unit for acquiring installation information acquires setting information including the installation position and installation direction of the aircraft in relation to the target field. The aircraft is positioned in the target field, and an image acquisition unit acquires an image of the target field captured by the aircraft. A determination system comprising: a comparison and matching unit that determines whether the aircraft is installed in the installation position set as the setting information, in the direction of the aircraft's nose, by comparing estimated information estimated based on the captured image with the setting information.

2. The determination system according to claim 1, wherein the estimated information includes information on the position and orientation of the aircraft estimated based on the captured image.

3. The determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the comparison and matching unit compares the components included in the captured image with an image template stored in the storage unit in advance.

4. The determination system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it includes at least one of the following: a flight restriction unit that restricts the takeoff of the aircraft when the estimated information and the setting information do not match, and a comparison result notification unit that notifies the user of information regarding the comparison result.

5. The determination system according to claim 4, wherein, if the estimated information and the setting information do not match, the matching result notification unit displays both the estimated aircraft position and the installation position on the display unit of the control device for controlling the aircraft, or notifies the direction of movement and distance of movement from the estimated aircraft position to the installation position as a vector or numerical value.

6. The determination system according to claim 1, wherein the installation information acquisition unit determines at least one of the installation position and the installation direction in the target field based on the user's request.

7. The determination system according to claim 1, wherein the field information acquisition unit determines the target field from among the fields registered in the storage unit based on a user's request.

8. The determination system according to claim 1, wherein the comparison and matching unit determines, by comparing the estimated information with the setting information, that the aircraft is installed at the installation position set as the setting information, and the unit takes off the aircraft, and the system compares the position coordinates of the target field estimated from the image of the target field taken by the aircraft in the air with the registration information.

9. The determination system according to claim 8, wherein after the aircraft takes off, it photographs the target field while hovering at a position vertically elevated from the installation position, or photographs the target field while performing a yaw rotation at a position vertically elevated from the installation position.

10. If the position coordinates of the target field estimated from the captured image do not match the registered information, the system will either land the aircraft at the installation location, hover in place, switch the control mode from autopilot to manual control, or notify the system of instructions to measure the position coordinates of the target field or to change the installation location of the aircraft. The determination system according to claim 8 or 9.

11. The system further includes a coordinate diagnostic unit that detects errors in the registration information of the target field by comparing the shape information of the target field with the position coordinate information included in the registration information. The determination system according to claim 1, which, when it detects an error in the registration information of the target field, performs control to prohibit the takeoff of the aircraft or notifies the user.

12. The system further includes a coordinate diagnostic unit that detects errors in the registration information of the target field based on the position coordinate information included in the registration information. The determination system according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate diagnosis unit detects an error in the registration information of the target field based on at least one of the following: the distance between endpoints of the target field included in the registration information, the ratio of the lengths of the long side and short side of the target field, the angles of the corners of the target field, the lengths of the opposing sides of the target field, and the difference in the height coordinates of multiple points of the target field.

13. The determination system according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the coordinate diagnosis unit detects an error in the registration information of the target field and notifies the user of a suggestion to remeasure.

14. A field information acquisition step involves acquiring registered information of a selected target field from a storage unit in which the location information of one or more fields is pre-registered, A step of acquiring installation information to acquire setting information including the installation position and installation direction of the aircraft in relation to the target field, Image acquisition step: Position the aircraft in the target field and acquire an image of the target field captured by the aircraft. A determination method comprising: a comparison and matching step of determining whether the aircraft is installed in the installation position set as the setting information in the direction of the aircraft's nose, by comparing estimated information estimated based on the captured image with the setting information.

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