Monitoring system, monitoring method, and monitoring program

Abstract

[Problem] To quickly call a dispatched machine when a search object is detected. [Solution] A monitoring system 1 comprising: a monitoring machine 110 that searches for a search object in a monitoring target region F; a search object detection unit 1400 that is mounted on the monitoring machine, the search object detection unit 1400 detecting the search object; a search object position detection unit 1500 that acquires a position related to detection of the search object when the search object detection unit detects the search object; and a dispatched-machine request unit 2422 that transmits, to the outside, a detection position of the search object or a position to which the search object is predicted to move after the elapse of a prescribed time, and a request signal requesting an action of a dispatched machine 300 at the detection position or the movement prediction position.

Description

Monitoring system, monitoring method, and monitoring program

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring system, a monitoring method, and a monitoring program.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that uses aircraft radar to detect suspicious ships, identifies potential suspicious ships based on data transmitted from the ship, and then approaches the suspected suspicious ships to acquire images. In this system, if any external characteristics of the suspicious ship are recognized from the images, this information is transmitted to an external device.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-101973

[0004] To monitor illegal activities or save lives, there is a need for technology to monitor sea areas or airspace, and to detect and respond to suspicious objects such as suspicious ships or aircraft, or search targets such as ships in distress. Specifically, while suspicious objects require arrest or warning, ships in distress require rescue. Furthermore, when a search target is discovered, multiple responses may be required, and even if the search target is discovered using appropriate equipment, it may be difficult to perform multiple responses using only that appropriate equipment.

[0005] In this regard, the system described in Patent Document 1 was unable to respond appropriately to the search object.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide a surveillance system that can quickly summon a dispatcher when a search target is detected.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a surveillance system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a surveillance device that searches for search objects in a monitored area, a search object detection unit mounted on the surveillance device that detects the search object, a search object position detection unit that acquires the position of the detected search object when the search object detection unit detects the search object, and a dispatch vehicle request unit that transmits to the outside the detected position of the search object or the predicted movement position of the search object after a predetermined time has elapsed, and a request signal that requests action by a dispatch vehicle at the detection position or the predicted movement position.

[0008] The dispatch engine request unit may transmit a request signal requesting the dispatch of a manned or unmanned aircraft or ship as a dispatch engine action.

[0009] The system may further include a sensor that acquires information about the search object, and a post-detection action determination unit that, when the search object detection unit detects the search object, determines or suggests whether or not to send the request signal based on the detection information about the search object acquired by the sensor.

[0010] When the search object detection unit detects the search object, the post-detection action determination unit may determine or suggest at least one of sending a request for deployment of the dispatch vehicle, tracking and monitoring by the surveillance device, and reporting to an external system based on the detection information of the search object obtained by the sensor.

[0011] The surveillance aircraft may be an aircraft, and when the search object detection unit detects the search object, the surveillance aircraft may obtain an approaching image of the search object by approaching the search object or by increasing the zoom amount of the camera, and the post-detection action determination unit may determine whether or not the request signal needs to be sent based on the approaching image, or may determine or suggest at least one of sending a request for the dispatch of the dispatch vehicle, tracking and monitoring by the surveillance aircraft, and reporting to an external system.

[0012] At least the post-detection action determination unit may be mounted on an operation management system capable of communicating with the surveillance aircraft, and the surveillance aircraft may notify the operation management system of information on the attributes, number or size of the search object as the detection information of the search object.

[0013] The surveillance device may be equipped with at least a camera that acquires images of the search object or a laser sensor that acquires point cloud data of the search object as the sensor, and may perform or suggest real-time transmission of data including the images or point cloud data when the search object is detected.

[0014] The post-detection action determination unit may determine or suggest an action or a candidate action of the surveillance device based on attributes of the surveillance device that detected the search object.

[0015] The post-detection action determination unit may be configured to determine or suggest that, if the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft and the detected search object is an aircraft with propulsion capabilities, the surveillance aircraft will perform a tracking flight to follow the aircraft, and, if the search object is a ship with propulsion capabilities, the surveillance aircraft will perform a tracking flight to circle above the ship.

[0016] The post-detection action determination unit may be configured to, when detecting the search object, decide or suggest that the surveillance aircraft continue the search by flying over a wide area including the periphery of the search object.

[0017] The post-detection action determination unit may decide or suggest dropping a buoy with a transmitter near the search object if the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft and the detected search object is an object without a propulsion function, or if the detected search object is a suspicious ship.

[0018] The dispatch vehicle may include a satellite, and the surveillance system may further include an acquisition data management system that analyzes video or images, and when the satellite detects the search object, it may transmit multiple satellite images taken by the satellite to the acquisition data management system in real time, and the acquisition data management system may analyze, among the multiple satellite images, satellite images that include the search object in preference to satellite images that do not include the search object.

[0019] When the post-detection action determination unit detects the search object, it may continue the real-time transmission of the satellite image by the satellite even after the search object is detected, and the acquired data management system may continue to detect the position of the search object in the satellite image after the search object is detected.

[0020] The system may further include a post-move-out arrival action command unit that determines or suggests to the user the actions of at least one of the surveillance device and the mob after the mob that accepted the request arrives, depending on the attributes of the object to be searched.

[0021] The action command unit after the arrival of the dispatch aircraft may decide or propose that, if the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft and the detected search object is a suspicious ship or suspicious aircraft, both the surveillance aircraft and the dispatch aircraft perform a tracking flight of the search object.

[0022] If the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft, the detected search object is a suspicious ship, and a ship responds as the dispatch aircraft, the action command unit after the dispatch aircraft arrives may decide or suggest that, after the dispatch aircraft arrives, the surveillance aircraft will return or fly over a wide area including the vicinity of the search object to conduct a search, and the dispatch aircraft may decide or suggest that it will conduct a pursuit flight of the search object.

[0023] If the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft, the detected search object is a ship in distress, and the dispatched aircraft is a ship or aircraft, the action command unit after the dispatched aircraft arrives may decide or suggest that, after the dispatched aircraft arrives, the surveillance aircraft will return or fly over a wide area including the vicinity of the search object to conduct a search, and the dispatched aircraft may decide or suggest that it will track or rescue the search object.

[0024] The action command unit after the arrival of the dispatch aircraft may, if the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft, the detected search object is a suspicious ship or suspicious aircraft, and the aircraft responds as the dispatch aircraft, decide or suggest that after the dispatch aircraft arrives, the surveillance aircraft will return, and the dispatch aircraft will decide or suggest that it will track the search object or fly over a wide area including the surrounding area of ​​the search object to conduct a search.

[0025] If the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft and the aircraft responds as the dispatch aircraft, the action command unit after the dispatch aircraft arrives may decide or suggest that the surveillance aircraft will fly in pursuit of the search object after the dispatch aircraft arrives, and that the dispatch aircraft will decide or suggest that it will fly a wide area including the surrounding area of ​​the search object to conduct the search.

[0026] After the arrival of the dispatch aircraft, the action command unit may cause the surveillance aircraft to conduct a tracking flight of the search object, and when causing the dispatch aircraft to conduct a search by flying over a wide area including the periphery of the search object, the search range of the dispatch aircraft may be set to be wider than the search range of the surveillance aircraft.

[0027] The action command unit after the arrival of the dispatch aircraft may decide or suggest that, if the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft and the aircraft responds as the dispatch aircraft, after the arrival of the dispatch aircraft, the surveillance aircraft will fly over a wide area including the periphery of the search object to conduct a search, and the dispatch aircraft will conduct a tracking flight of the search object.

[0028] The aircraft that performs the tracking flight may be an aircraft equipped with a tracking sensor different from that of the surveillance aircraft.

[0029] The system may further include a movement prediction unit that estimates the predicted movement position of the search object after a predetermined time has elapsed based on the position, movement direction, and movement speed of the search object, and the dispatch vehicle request unit may transmit to the outside at least the predicted movement position of the search object and a request signal that requests action by a dispatch vehicle at the detected position or the predicted movement position.

[0030] At least one of the position, the direction of movement, and the speed of movement of the search object may be estimated based on the shape of the triangular wave in the monitored area.

[0031] The recording module installed on the surveillance aircraft or the aircraft serving as the dispatcher may be configured to be detached from the body of the surveillance aircraft or the dispatcher and to float on water.

[0032] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a monitoring method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a search object detection step in which a computer detects a search object using a monitoring device that searches for the search object in a monitored area; a search object position detection step in which, when the search object is detected by the search object detection step, the position of the detected search object is obtained; and a dispatch device request step in which the detected position of the search object or the predicted position of the search object after a predetermined time has elapsed and a request signal requesting action by a dispatch device at the detected position or the predicted position of movement to the outside.

[0033] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a surveillance program according to yet another aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute a search object detection command to detect the search object using a surveillance device searching for the search object in a monitored area, a search object position detection command to obtain the position of the detected search object when the search object is detected by the search object detection command, and a dispatch vehicle request command to transmit to the outside the detected position of the search object or the predicted position of the search object after a predetermined time has elapsed, and a request signal to request action by a dispatch vehicle at the detected position or the predicted position of movement.

[0034] The computer program can be provided by being stored on various data-readable recording media, or can be provided so as to be downloadable via a network such as the Internet.

[0035] According to the present invention, when a search object is detected, a dispatch vehicle can be quickly called.

[0036] 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a surveillance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing how a surveillance aircraft communicating with the surveillance system monitors sea areas and airspace. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of communication modes between the surveillance system and a deployment aircraft communicating with the surveillance system. (a) A schematic perspective view of an aircraft that is an example of the surveillance aircraft, and (b) A functional configuration diagram of an aircraft control system equipped in the aircraft. FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of an operation management system equipped in the surveillance system. FIG. 3 is a table showing an example of a correspondence between attributes of a search object and post-detection actions. FIG. 4 is a table showing examples of post-arrival actions according to the attributes of the search object and the type of deployment aircraft. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow performed when the surveillance system detects a search object. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow of post-detection actions performed when the surveillance system detects a search object. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle as the surveillance aircraft and a satellite as the deployment aircraft. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle as the surveillance aircraft and a manned aircraft as the deployment aircraft.

[0037] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. Furthermore, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and other known elements or alternative means may be adopted depending on the application, purpose, scale, etc.

[0038] <A. One embodiment> [A-1. Configuration] (A-1-1. Overview) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a monitoring system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "aviation data sensing system 1" or "system 1") according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] The surveillance system 1 executes various processes in response to search objects detected by the surveillance device 110 in a surveillance area F (FIG. 2). The surveillance area F is a three-dimensional area to be photographed by the surveillance device 110, and may refer to areas on the water, underwater, and in the air, for example. The surveillance area F may also include land. The surveillance device 110 may be located within the surveillance area F, or may photograph from outside the surveillance area F.

[0040] Search objects include, for example, suspicious ships, suspicious aircraft, ships in distress, shipwrecked persons, or drifting objects. Suspicious ships include, for example, ships violating territory, enemy ships, spy ships, smuggling ships, or illegal fishing ships. Suspicious aircraft include enemy aircraft. Suspicious ships and suspicious aircraft also include aircraft engaged in illegal activities such as illegal immigration, poaching, or smuggling. Ships in distress include, for example, disaster-stricken ships, stranded ships, capsized ships, unmanned ships, and drifting ships. Drifting objects include, for example, the hull of a ship, a crashed aircraft, fishing nets or wood, or fragments thereof, a glacier, heavy oil, or mines. Note that search objects are not limited to these, and objects specified according to various purposes may be search objects.

[0041] 2, the surveillance device 110 is a device that captures an image of at least a surveillance range F110 of a surveillance target area F and searches for a search target. Details of the surveillance device 110 will be described later.

[0042] (A-1-2. Surveillance System 1) As shown in Figure 1, the surveillance system 1 (aviation data sensing system 1) mainly comprises an aircraft control system 1000 that manages the flight and photography of the surveillance aircraft 110, a base system 2000, and an airspace / sea area surveillance and control system 3000.

[0043] The aircraft control system 1000 is a system mounted on the surveillance aircraft 110. The aircraft control system 1000 controls each part of the surveillance aircraft 110, causes the surveillance aircraft 110 to operate along a predetermined route and perform surveillance.

[0044] The base system 2000 is a system configured at the base 200. The base system 2000 transmits and receives data to and from the monitoring device 110, analyzes the data acquired by the monitoring device 110, and formulates an operation plan for the monitoring device 110 based on the analysis results, etc., and transmits the plan to the monitoring device 110.

[0045] Base 200 may be fixed equipment 200a that is fixedly installed on the ground or the like, or may be a mobile vehicle-type device 200b. Base system 2000 may include multiple bases 200.

[0046] The base system 2000 mainly has the following functionalities: an aircraft flight operation system 2100 , an acquired data management system 2200 , a communication infrastructure management system 2300 , and an flight management system 2400 .

[0047] The aircraft operation system 2100 is a system that generates missions for the surveillance aircraft 110 and controls the movement of the surveillance aircraft 110. The mission is, for example, a movement plan including the movement route and movement speed of the surveillance aircraft 110, and the movement route is, for example, generated in an airspace at an altitude of 150 m or less to avoid interference with passenger aircraft, etc. The aircraft operation system 2100 transmits control signals to the surveillance aircraft 110 via the communication infrastructure management system 2300 to operate the surveillance aircraft 110 automatically.

[0048] The acquired data management system 2200 is a system that analyzes acquired data including video or images. The acquired data management system 2200 determines how to process the massive amount of acquired data for each piece of acquired data, and transmits processing commands to the aircraft control system 1000, the spatial information data utilization system 4000, or the like via the communication infrastructure management system 2300. The spatial information data utilization system 4000 is a system that has the function of analyzing sensing data from, for example, the surveillance device 110, integrating the data with map data and other information, and publishing the integrated information. The processing commands from the acquired data management system 2200 are, for example, commands to transmit specific data to another system 1000, 4000, or the like, commands to store specific data, or commands to analyze specific data.

[0049] The communication infrastructure management system 2300 is a system that manages communication means for transmitting and receiving data between the base system 2000 and the aircraft control system 1000. The communication infrastructure management system 2300 transmits, for example, information generated by the aircraft flight operating system 2100 and the acquired data management system 2200 to the aircraft control system 1000. The communication infrastructure management system 2300 also monitors the communication speed as well as the availability of communication via the existing infrastructure, determines the speed and urgency of the data transmission, and then determines the type of data transmission process and executes the data transmission and reception. The transmission process may be, for example, parallel transmission or switched transmission. Furthermore, if the communication infrastructure management system 2300 determines that data should be transmitted by physically transporting the memory by a person, it may display this information on an appropriate display unit and request the administrator to physically transport the memory.

[0050] The flight management system 2400 is a system that makes decisions and gives instructions regarding the operation of the surveillance aircraft 110. The flight management system 2400 prepares plans for operations of the surveillance aircraft 110, including, for example, measurements and flights, and transmits the plans to the aircraft control system 1000 via the communication infrastructure management system 2300. The flight management system 2400 may also determine the priorities of operations that require processing and transmit the priorities to the aircraft control system 1000. The flight management system 2400 may prepare plans for multiple surveillance aircraft 110 and transmit information about the plans to each of the aircraft control systems 1000.

[0051] Furthermore, the flight operation management system 2400 receives control requests due to the environment or the operation of other aircraft, for example, from the airspace / sea area surveillance control system 3000, and adjusts the operation plan of the surveillance aircraft 110. Furthermore, when the surveillance aircraft 110 detects a search target, the flight operation management system 2400 requests the airspace / sea area surveillance control system 3000 to dispatch a search vehicle. Each functional configuration of the flight operation management system 2400 will be described later.

[0052] The configuration of the base system 2000 may be realized as a single device, or may be realized by a plurality of devices (e.g., the monitoring device 110, the traffic management system 2400) partially or entirely connected by a communication network NW. Furthermore, each functional unit of the traffic management system 2400 may be implemented in a different base system 2000 connected to each other by a communication network NW.

[0053] The airspace / sea area monitoring and control system 3000 is a system that monitors at least the airspace and sea area of ​​the monitoring target area F. The airspace / sea area monitoring and control system 3000 acquires information from an existing ship control system 5000 or air traffic control system 6000 that is disposed outside the monitoring system 1. The air traffic control system 6000 may be, for example, a drone traffic management system (UTM), an air traffic management subsystem (UASSP), or an air traffic management system (ATM). That is, the airspace / sea area monitoring and control system 3000 measures or acquires information about the environment and other aircraft in the monitoring target area F and transmits the information to the traffic management system 2400. If there is a problem with the work plan of the monitoring aircraft 110 based on the information from the airspace / sea area monitoring and control system 3000, the traffic management system 2400 changes the work plan.

[0054] In addition, the airspace / sea area surveillance and control system 3000 requests the ship control system 5000 or the air traffic control system 6000 to dispatch an aircraft based on a request for dispatching an aircraft received from the operation management system 2400.

[0055] In this embodiment, one flight management system 2400 controls multiple aircraft control systems 1000. However, multiple flight management systems 2400 may be connected to one surveillance aircraft 110 via multiple communication networks NW, i.e., the system may be made redundant. In this case, even if an abnormality occurs in one flight management system 2400 or the communication network, the operation of the system 1, and therefore the surveillance and search object processing by the surveillance aircraft 110, can be continued by the other redundant flight management systems 2400 and communication networks NW, thereby improving the reliability of the system 1.

[0056] 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a communication mode of each component that communicates with the monitoring system 1. As shown in FIG. 3, bases 200, such as fixed equipment 200a and vehicle-type device 200b, are connected to a spatial information data utilization system 4000 via a network NW. The spatial information data utilization system 4000 and fixed equipment 200a are connected to the network NW by wire. Furthermore, the vehicle-type device 200b is connected to the network NW wirelessly.

[0057] The monitoring device 110 is wirelessly connected to the base 200. The base 200 is also wirelessly connected to the dispatch vehicle 300.

[0058] 1 may be connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network such as the Internet or a communication method such as LTE. Furthermore, each component may be connected to a communication network by satellite communication via an artificial satellite.

[0059] (A-1-3. Dispatch vehicle 300) The dispatch vehicle 300 is an aircraft that takes action at a predetermined point in the monitored area F in response to a dispatch request from the monitoring system 1. The dispatch vehicle 300 is, for example, a manned or unmanned aircraft or ship. The dispatch vehicle 300 may have the same configuration as the monitoring aircraft 110.

[0060] The dispatch vehicle 300 may be an aircraft equipped with a tracking sensor different from that of the surveillance aircraft 110. For example, the surveillance aircraft 110 may be equipped with a lightweight or power-saving sensor for the purpose of long-term operation, while the dispatch vehicle 300 may be equipped with a relatively heavy or power-consuming sensor. This configuration allows the dispatch vehicle 300 to track a search target in a manner different from that of the surveillance aircraft 110. For example, the dispatch vehicle 300 may be equipped with an IR sensor. This configuration makes it easy to detect people or fires. The dispatch vehicle 300 may also be equipped with a night-vision camera. This configuration enables nighttime surveillance.

[0061] The dispatch vehicle 300 is equipped with various pieces of equipment depending on the purpose of the dispatch. When the dispatch vehicle 300 sails to a predetermined location for the purpose of rescue or relief, it may be equipped with speakers or relief supplies. Relief supplies include, for example, water, a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, or a life jacket. Furthermore, when the dispatch vehicle 300 sails to warn of or apprehend a suspicious object, it may be equipped with speakers or weapons. The monitoring system 1 may notify the dispatch vehicle 300 of desired equipment when requesting deployment, and the dispatch vehicle 300 equipped with the desired equipment may sail to the desired location.

[0062] Furthermore, the dispatch vehicle 300 may be an artificial satellite. The artificial satellite 310 (see FIG. 11 ) serving as the dispatch vehicle 300 may adjust its photographing position in response to a request from the operation management system 2400 so that the position where the monitoring device 110 detected the search object is included in the monitoring range F110. Furthermore, in response to a request from the operation management system 2400, an artificial satellite 310 whose monitoring range F110 includes the position where the search object was detected may be selected, and the selected artificial satellite 310 may start transmitting photographed data in response to the request for dispatch.

[0063] 11 , for example, when an aircraft 111 detects a search object, it transmits the attributes and location of the search object to a base 200. The base 200 transmits a dispatch request based on at least the attributes to an airspace / sea area surveillance control system 3000. In response to a signal from the airspace / sea area surveillance control system 3000, a dispatch vehicle 300 flies toward the location of the search object.

[0064] (A-1-4. Surveillance aircraft 110) (A-1-4-1. Overview of the surveillance aircraft 110) As shown in FIG. 3 , the surveillance aircraft 110 is, for example, an aircraft 111, a ship 112, an artificial satellite 113, or a ground-mounted radar 114. The aircraft 111 is, for example, an unmanned aerial vehicle. The aircraft 111 is equipped with a detection sensor (see object detection sensor 1300 in FIG. 4( b)) whose detection area is, for example, an area to the side, in front, or above the aircraft 111, and detects suspicious aircraft S100 and the like. Furthermore, the detection sensor of the aircraft 111 may have a detection area below the aircraft 111, and may detect a suspicious ship S200, a drifting ship, a drifter, a drifting object, or the like that is present in the sea below the aircraft 111.

[0065] The ship 112 photographs a monitoring area F while moving on water, for example, on the ocean. The ship 112 is equipped with a wide-area surveillance radar (not shown) that monitors the side or upper areas, and detects search targets from the ocean. The wide-area surveillance radar can be configured using any known appropriate technology.

[0066] The artificial satellite 113 photographs the monitoring area F while moving around the Earth.

[0067] The ground-mounted radar 114 is a device mounted on the ground. The ground-mounted radar 114 includes, for example, a wide-area surveillance radar (not shown) whose surveillance area is to the side or above, and detects search targets from the ground. The ground-mounted radar 114 may also be mounted on a ship or a mobile object on land, and the surveillance aircraft 110 may include the ground-mounted radar 114 mounted on a ship or on land.

[0068] The moving monitoring device 110 monitors the monitoring target area F while changing the monitoring range F110 as it moves. The monitoring device 110 may also monitor the monitoring target area F by changing the monitoring range F110 by changing the orientation of the sensor.

[0069] Furthermore, the surveillance device 110 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may include various configurations that are mounted on land or a ship and search for a search target.

[0070] A single system 1 includes a plurality of surveillance aircraft 110, and the system 1 can fly a plurality of surveillance aircraft 110 simultaneously over a single surveillance area F, or use them for surveillance, thereby photographing the surveillance area F. Note that in this embodiment, the surveillance aircraft 110 has been described as being included in the system 1, but the surveillance system 1 is not limited to a configuration in which the surveillance aircraft 110 itself is included in the system 1, as long as it is configured to send at least control commands to the surveillance aircraft 110.

[0071] (A-1-4-2. Aircraft 111) Figure 4(a) is a perspective view showing an example of an aircraft 111, which is an example of a surveillance aircraft 110. In this specification, the term "aircraft" refers to any flying object that has the function of autonomously controlling its attitude, regardless of the power means (electric power, prime mover, etc.), the control method (wireless or wired, and whether fully autonomous flight or partially manual flight, etc.), and whether it is manned or unmanned. Furthermore, an aircraft may also be referred to as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), flying object, multicopter, RPAS (Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems), UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems), etc.

[0072] The aircraft 111 primarily comprises an airframe 111a, main wings 111b, and a tail 111c as mechanical components for flight. The aircraft 111 is not limited to the illustrated configuration, and any suitable configuration may be adopted. For example, the aircraft 111 may be a fixed-wing aircraft, a rotary-wing aircraft, or a vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL) equipped with fixed wings and rotary wings. Furthermore, if the aircraft is equipped with rotary wings, a propeller guard (not shown) may be provided to prevent the rotary wings from interfering with obstacles.

[0073] The airframe 111a is provided with, for example, an object detection sensor 1300 below or in front of the airframe 111a. The airframe 111a may be provided with a plurality of object detection sensors 1300. The monitoring device 110 may also have an alarm device, such as a warning light and a speaker, that issues a warning to people around the monitoring device 110.

[0074] (A-1-5. Aircraft Control System 1000) (A-1-5-1. Functional Blocks of the Aircraft Control System 1000) Fig. 4(b) is a functional configuration diagram of the aircraft control system 1000 of this embodiment. The aircraft control system 1000 is mounted on the surveillance aircraft 110 and manages or controls the flight and photography of the surveillance aircraft 110.

[0075] The aircraft control system 1000 is equipped with an arithmetic unit such as a CPU for executing information processing, and storage devices such as RAM and ROM, and as a software configuration, it mainly comprises the following functional blocks: aircraft control unit 1100, self-positioning unit 1200, object detection sensor 1300, search object detection unit 1400, search object position detection unit 1500, search object movement prediction unit 1600, data recording unit 1700, communication unit 1800, and separation unit 1900.

[0076] (A-1-5-2. Aircraft Control Unit 1100) The aircraft control unit 1100 is a mechanism and functional unit that operates the surveillance aircraft 110. If the surveillance aircraft 110 is an aircraft 111, the aircraft control unit 1100 generates thrust in the aircraft for lifting the aircraft 111 and moving it in a desired direction. If the surveillance aircraft 110 is a ship 112, the aircraft control unit 1100 generates thrust in the aircraft for moving the ship 112 in a desired direction over the sea. If the surveillance aircraft 110 is a satellite 113, the aircraft control unit 1100 may control the position of the satellite 113.

[0077] The aircraft control unit 1100 onboard the aircraft 111 includes a processing unit, also referred to as a flight controller. The processing unit may include 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. The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that the processing unit can execute to perform one or more steps.

[0078] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the state of the surveillance aircraft 110. For example, if the surveillance aircraft 110 is an aircraft 111, the control module adjusts the spatial arrangement, attitude angle, angular velocity, angular acceleration, angular jerk rate, and / or acceleration of the surveillance aircraft 110, which has six degrees of freedom (translational motion x, y, and z, and rotational motion θx, θy, and θz). That is, the aircraft control unit 1100 controls the surveillance aircraft 110 to perform various operations such as takeoff, forward movement, turning, and landing, and controls the attitude angle control and flight operations of the surveillance aircraft 110 from takeoff to flight and landing.

[0079] The aircraft control unit 1100 can control the flight of the surveillance aircraft 110 based on, for example, an autonomous flight program acquired from the aircraft flight operating system 2100. The aircraft control unit 1100 can also control the flight of the surveillance aircraft 110 by controlling the motors based on various information such as the monitored area F, flight permitted / prohibited areas, information on the corresponding flight geofences, map information including two-dimensional or three-dimensional map data, current position information of the surveillance aircraft 110, attitude information (heading information), speed information, and acceleration information, and any combination of these.

[0080] The aircraft control unit 1100 may control the orientation and zoom amount of the object detection sensor 1300. The aircraft control unit 1100 may control either or both of the pitch angle relative to the horizontal and the yaw angle relative to a predetermined reference direction regarding the orientation of the object detection sensor 1300. Based on the monitoring mode, the aircraft control unit 1100 generates and transmits instructions for the monitoring device 110 and the object detection sensor 1300 so that an image is captured at the position, height, direction, and zoom amount set in the monitoring mode. For example, when the search object detection unit 1400 detects a search object, the aircraft control unit 1100 may move the monitoring device 110 closer to the search object or increase the zoom amount of the camera serving as the object detection sensor 1300 to capture an image of the approaching search object.

[0081] (A-1-5-3. Self-positioning unit 1200) The self-positioning unit 1200 receives signals from artificial satellites and measures the position (absolute position) of the aircraft based on the signals. The self-positioning unit 1200 measures its current position using, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or a Global Positioning System (GPS), although this is not particularly limited. As a method for measuring its position, for example, a Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) can also be used. The position information includes at least two-dimensional coordinate information (e.g., latitude and longitude) in a planar view, and preferably includes three-dimensional coordinate information including altitude information.

[0082] (A-1-5-4. Object detection sensor 1300) The object detection sensor 1300 is a sensor that acquires information about a search object in the monitoring range F110. The object detection sensor 1300 is, for example, a camera that acquires an image of the search object, but may also be a sensor such as a laser sensor (for example, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)) that acquires point cloud data. Furthermore, the object detection sensor 1300 may be an IR camera in addition to a visible light camera.

[0083] The object detection sensor 1300 can adjust its orientation (the attitude of the object detection sensor 1300 relative to the body 111a of the surveillance device 110) using a sensor actuator (not shown). The object detection sensor 1300 may have an automatic control function for parameters such as exposure, contrast, or ISO. The holder of the object detection sensor 1300 may have a so-called gimbal control mechanism that suppresses the transmission of shaking or vibration of the body to the object detection sensor 1300. The body control unit 1100 controls the object detection sensor 1300 and the holder to adjust the camera's shooting range, etc.

[0084] The image data acquired by the object detection sensor 1300 is transmitted to the operation management system 2400, etc. The image data may also be stored in the data recording unit 1700 of the surveillance device 110 itself.

[0085] (A-1-5-5. Search object detection unit 1400) The search object detection unit 1400 is a functional unit that detects search objects based on information obtained by the object detection sensor 1300. The search object detection unit 1400 detects search objects, for example, by performing image analysis on images obtained by a camera serving as the object detection sensor 1300. The search object detection unit 1400 may detect attributes of the search object, for example. The attributes are information about the type of search object, and include information about whether the search object has a propulsion function, whether the search object is a suspicious aircraft or ship, or whether the search object is a ship in distress or a person in distress.

[0086] (A-1-5-6. Search object position detection unit 1500) The search object position detection unit 1500 is a functional unit that acquires the position of the detected search object when the search object detection unit 1400 detects the search object. The position of the detected search object may be the position coordinates of the surveillance device 110 at the time the search object is detected. Furthermore, the position of the detected search object may be the position coordinates of the search object estimated by analyzing the surveillance range F110 of the surveillance device 110 at the time the search object is detected.

[0087] (A-1-5-7. Search object movement prediction unit 1600) The search object movement prediction unit 1600 is a functional unit that estimates the predicted movement position of the search object after a predetermined time has elapsed. The search object movement prediction unit 1600, for example, refers to information obtained by the object detection sensor 1300 and calculates the position, movement direction, and movement speed of the search object. For example, the search object movement prediction unit 1600 may estimate at least one of the position, movement direction, and movement speed of the search object based on the shape of a triangular wave in the monitored area F. The search object movement prediction unit 1600 estimates the predicted movement position based on the obtained position, movement direction, and movement speed of the search object. Note that the aircraft control system 1000 may estimate past positions, i.e., position history, instead of or in addition to estimating the predicted movement position. For example, the aircraft control system 1000 estimates the past position of the search object based on the position, movement direction, and movement speed of the search object.

[0088] (A-1-5-8. Data Recording Unit 1700) Data recording unit 1700 is a functional unit that records data obtained by the search operation by monitoring device 110 onto a recording medium inside monitoring device 110. Data recording unit 1700 records sensing data such as position coordinates obtained by self-positioning unit 1200 and image data obtained by object detection sensor 1300. The recording medium may include, for example, a separable medium such as an SD card or RAM.

[0089] (A-1-5-9. Communication Unit 1800) The communication unit 1800 is capable of radio wave communication via the communication network NW and includes, for example, a radio wave communication module. The communication unit 1800 is capable of communication with the monitoring device 110 and the like via the communication network NW. The communication unit 1800 has a communication function for wirelessly communicating with the monitoring device 110 using, for example, Wi-Fi, 2.4 GHz, or a frequency band of 5.6 to 5.8 GHz. The communication unit 1800 also has a wireless communication function for communicating with the flight management system 2400 via the communication network NW using a communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution). The communication unit 1800 transmits, for example, to the flight management system 2400, information indicating that a search object has been detected, acquired by the search object detection unit 1400, the position, attributes, number, and size of the search object, and information on the predicted position after a predetermined time has elapsed, predicted by the search object movement prediction unit 1600, and the like. In addition, the communication unit 1800 receives instructions from the operation management system 2400 to obtain detailed information about the object being searched for.

[0090] The communication unit 1800 may perform real-time transmission to, for example, the operation management system 2400. For example, when the search object detection unit 1400 detects a search object, the communication unit 1800 may perform real-time transmission of data including an image acquired by the object detection sensor 1300.

[0091] (A-1-5-10. Separation unit 1900) The separation unit 1900 is a part that can be separated from the surveillance aircraft 110 and operate independently, and has the shape of a so-called buoy. The separation unit 1900 is physically separated from the surveillance aircraft 110 based on a command from the buoy drop command unit 2424c (see FIG. 5) of the flight management system 2400. Note that the separation unit 1900 may also be separated from the surveillance aircraft 110 in response to a command from an appropriate component of the aircraft control system 1000. When the surveillance aircraft 110 is an aircraft 111, the separation unit 1900 is separated from the aircraft 111 while the aircraft 111 is in flight, for example, and dropped into the sea.

[0092] The separator 1900 mainly includes a positioning unit 1910 , a data recording unit 1920 , and a communication unit 1930 .

[0093] The position measurement unit 1910 is a functional unit that measures the position coordinates of the separation unit 1900. The position measurement unit 1910 may acquire the position coordinates of the separation unit 1900 using an appropriate technology such as GNSS.

[0094] The data recording unit 1920 is a recording module that records the position coordinates of the separation unit 1900 measured by the position measurement unit 1910. The data recording unit 1920 may also record at least a portion of the data acquired by the surveillance device 110 before the separation unit 1900 was separated. With this configuration, even if the surveillance device 110 crashes or is recovered by a suspicious person, information about the suspicious person can be obtained by collecting the data from the separation unit 1900. The data recording unit 1920 is physically protected to prevent damage to the captured image data stored therein.

[0095] The communication unit 1930 is a functional unit that transmits information stored in the separation unit 1900 to the operation management system 2400, etc. The communication unit 1930 transmits, for example, the position coordinates of the separation unit 1900 to the operation management system 2400. With this configuration, even if the surveillance device 110 detects the search object and then leaves the area, the position of the search object can be transmitted to the operation management system 2400. Furthermore, with a configuration that can acquire position information, the separation unit 1900 can be easily found when it is retrieved. This configuration is also useful for determining the position of a search object that is cooperative with the separation unit 1900, such as a drifting ship or a drifter.

[0096] The separation unit 1900 is configured to float on water. With this configuration, there is little risk of the separation unit 1900 being lost even when it is dropped into the sea. Furthermore, in a configuration in which the separation unit 1900 is dropped onto a drifter, it can help prevent the drifter from sinking. The components around the data storage unit 1920 may be configured to have a higher buoyancy than the other components. The buoyancy may be adjusted by an appropriate configuration such as a ballast mechanism or the deployment of a life jacket. Note that, not limited to when the separation unit 1900 is separated and dropped into the sea, the monitoring device itself may be configured to float on water by an appropriate configuration such as a ballast mechanism or the deployment of a life jacket, and the positioning unit 1910 and the communication unit 1930 may transmit position information to the operation management system 2400, etc.

[0097] The configuration of the surveillance device 110 described so far can also be appropriately adopted for the dispatcher 300. That is, the dispatcher 300 may have the same configuration as the surveillance device 110. In particular, the dispatcher 300 may have a detachable part that can be separated from the aircraft body and configured to float on water.

[0098] (A-1-6. Traffic Management System 2400) (A-1-6-1. Overview of Traffic Management System 2400) Fig. 5 is a functional configuration diagram of the traffic management system 2400 of this embodiment. The traffic management system 2400 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing. The traffic management system 2400 may include an input / output unit (not shown) for inputting or outputting various types of information (image output, audio output).

[0099] The operation management system 2400 is equipped with an arithmetic unit such as a CPU for executing information processing, and storage devices such as RAM and ROM, and as a software configuration, it mainly comprises the following functional blocks: a search object determination unit 2410, a post-detection action command unit 2420, a post-engine arrival action command unit 2430, a communication unit 2440, and a memory unit 2450.

[0100] (A-1-6-2. Search object determination unit 2410) The search object determination unit 2410 is a functional unit that analyzes images or videos acquired by the surveillance device 110 and determines the attributes and position of the search object. The search object determination unit 2410 mainly includes a search object determination unit 2411, a search object position determination unit 2412, and a detailed information acquisition command unit 2413.

[0101] (A-1-6-2-1. Search Object Determination Unit 2411) The search object determination unit 2411 is a functional unit that determines the attributes of a detected search object based on information acquired by the surveillance device 110. The attributes of the search object may be, for example, information on whether the detected search object is a ship or an aircraft. The attributes of the search object may also include information on whether the detected search object is an object with a propulsion function. An object with a propulsion function is, for example, a ship or an aircraft. An object without a propulsion function is, for example, a drifting object, including a drifting ship. The attributes of the search object may also include information on whether the detected search object is suspicious. Furthermore, the search object determination unit 2411 may also determine whether the detected search object falls into one of the following types of attributes: an enemy type (hostile), an illegal type (illegal), a civilian type (civilian aircraft or person), or an object type (object).

[0102] The search object determination unit 2411 may determine the search object using an appropriate image recognition technology. The search object determination unit 2411 may also determine whether the detected search object is suspicious by referring to a whitelist or blacklist stored in advance in the storage unit 2450 or an appropriate device, for example.

[0103] (A-1-6-2-2. Search object position determination unit 2412) The search object position determination unit 2412 is a functional unit that determines the position of the search object. The search object position determination unit 2412 determines whether the position of the search object can be identified based on data obtained by the self-positioning unit 1200 of the monitoring device 110. The search object position determination unit 2412 also acquires the position coordinates of the search object based on this data. When the monitoring device 110 has only measured the position coordinates of its own position, the search object position determination unit 2412 may perform processing to estimate the position coordinates of the search object based on the position coordinates of the monitoring device 110 itself and information on the orientation of the object detection sensor 1300, etc.

[0104] (A-1-6-2-3. Detailed information acquisition command unit 2413) When the search object determination unit 2411 or the search object position determination unit 2412 cannot determine the attributes or position of the search object from the information acquired from the surveillance device 110, the detailed information acquisition command unit 2413 sends a command to acquire detailed information to the surveillance device 110. Upon receiving the command, the surveillance device 110 takes a photograph, for example, by getting closer to the search object or by increasing the zoom amount.

[0105] (A-1-6-3. Post-detection action command unit 2420) The post-detection action command unit 2420 is a functional unit that, when the surveillance device 110 detects a search object, determines the action to be taken by each component including the surveillance device 110 or determines a proposed action, and executes processing according to the action or executes processing according to the proposed action approved by the user.

[0106] The post-detection action command unit 2420 mainly includes a post-detection action determination unit 2421 , a dispatch vehicle request unit 2422 , a reporting unit 2423 , and a surveillance aircraft command unit 2424 .

[0107] (A-1-6-3-1. Post-detection action determination unit 2421) Correspondence relationship between search object and post-detection action FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a post-detection action table T101 that stores the correspondence relationship between the attributes of a detected search object and a post-detection action. The post-detection action determination unit 2421 may determine or suggest to the user the type of post-detection action based on the detection information of the search object acquired by the object detection sensor 1300. When proposing a post-detection action to the user, the action to be executed is approved or selected by the user from the proposed actions. The detection information includes, for example, information on the attributes, number, or size of the search object. When the aircraft control unit 1100 acquires an approaching image of the search object in response to the detection of the search object, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 may determine or suggest the type of post-detection action based on the approaching image.

[0108] The post-detection action may be, for example, at least one of sending a request signal from the dispatch vehicle 300, tracking and monitoring by the monitoring device 110, and reporting to an external system. When the search object detection unit 1400 detects a search object, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 may determine whether or not to send a request signal based on detection information of the search object acquired by the object detection sensor 1300. The post-detection action may also include a process of setting the monitoring mode of the monitoring device 110, real-time transmission of captured data from the monitoring device 110 to the acquired data management system 2200, and dropping the separation unit 1900. Multiple post-detection actions may be specified for the detection of one search object.

[0109] The post-detection action determination unit 2421 may change the type of dispatch vehicle 300 to be requested to deploy depending on the attributes of the surveillance device 110 that detected the search object or the attributes of the detected search object. For example, if the detected search object is an enemy type, an illegal type, or a civilian type, the unit immediately determines the action to be taken, and causes the dispatch vehicle request unit 2422, the reporting unit 2423, or the surveillance device command unit 2424 to execute the action.

[0110] If the detected search object is an object type, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 determines whether or not an action is required based on the type, number, and size of the object. For example, if the detected search object is a mine, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 determines to execute an action regardless of the size and number of the object. On the other hand, if an object other than a mine, such as debris, a glacier, or heavy oil, is detected, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 may determine to execute an action if the size or number of the object is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and may determine not to execute an action if the size or number of the object is less than a predetermined value. Note that the post-detection action determination unit 2421 may automatically determine whether or not an action is required after determining whether or not an action is required, or may notify the user of the result of the action requirement determination and determine whether or not an action is required based on an input signal input by the user.

[0111] The contents of the post-detection action table T101 shown in FIG. 6 will now be described. Note that this post-detection action table T101 is merely an example, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 may automatically execute an action after determining the content of the action based on the post-detection action table shown in FIG. 6 , or may notify the user of the determination result of the action content and determine the action to be executed based on an input signal from the user. For example, if a suspicious ship or suspicious aircraft is detected as a search target, a report is issued requesting that any type of vehicle be dispatched. Furthermore, real-time transmission of image data from the surveillance aircraft 110 to the acquired data management system 2200 is performed. In the example of FIG. 6 , the detachment unit 1900 is not dropped on the suspicious ship. This is because the suspicious ship moves and its location cannot be tracked by the detachment unit 1900. The detachment unit 1900 may also be dropped when a suspicious ship is discovered. If a suspicious ship attacks the surveillance aircraft 110, there is a risk that the data stored in the surveillance aircraft 110 will be lost, but with this configuration, the risk of data loss due to an attack can be reduced by separating and dropping the separation unit 1900 including the data recording unit 1920. Because the suspicious aircraft is flying, it is impossible to capture its position using the separation unit 1900, so the separation unit 1900 is not dropped.

[0112] When a ship in distress or a person in distress is detected as a search target, a report is sent and a request is made to a manned aircraft or ship to rescue the person. Whether an aircraft or a ship is more appropriate may be determined by an appropriate administrator based on the urgency of the situation, the number of people to be rescued, the arrival time of a ship that can be dispatched, etc. Even in this case, real-time transmission of photographed data from the monitoring device 110 to the acquired data management system 2200 is performed. To capture the location of the ship in distress or the person in distress, a detachment unit 1900 is dropped near the ship in distress or the person in distress.

[0113] If a drifting object is detected as a search target, a dispatch request and real-time transmission are not necessary. However, if a drifting object exceeding a predetermined size or number is found, a report or the dropping of the separation unit 1900 may be performed.

[0114] As described above, a configuration in which an action is determined based on the detection information of a search object makes it possible to effectively execute an action according to the attributes of the search object.

[0115] The post-detection action determination unit 2421 may determine a post-detection action of the surveillance aircraft 110 based on the attributes of the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object. The post-detection action is, for example, a process of setting a surveillance mode for the surveillance aircraft 110. The surveillance aircraft 110 executes an action based on, for example, the set surveillance mode. The surveillance modes include, for example, a tracking mode in which the surveillance aircraft 110 tracks the search object, a second tracking mode in which the surveillance aircraft flies in circles above the search object, a periphery search mode in which the surveillance aircraft flies over a wide area including the periphery of the search object and continues searching, and a return mode in which the acquired raw data related to the search object is returned to and passed on.

[0116] For example, if the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft 111 and the detected search object is an aircraft with propulsion capabilities, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 may decide or suggest that the surveillance aircraft 110 operate in a first tracking mode in which it performs a tracking flight to track the aircraft, and if the search object is a ship with propulsion capabilities, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 may decide or suggest that the surveillance aircraft 110 operate in a second tracking mode in which it flies in circles above the ship.

[0117] In addition, when a search object is detected, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 may decide or suggest that the surveillance aircraft 110 operate in a peripheral search mode in which it flies over a wide area including the periphery of the search object to continue the search.

[0118] If the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft 111 and the detected search object is an object without propulsion capabilities, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 may decide or suggest dropping the separation unit 1900 near the search object.

[0119] When the post-detection action determination unit 2421 detects a search object, it may decide or propose to transmit multiple satellite images taken by a satellite 310 (see Figure 11), which is another example of the dispatch vehicle 300, to the acquisition data management system 2200 in real time.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 11 , when the dispatch vehicle 300 is a satellite 310, when the aircraft 111 serving as the surveillance aircraft 110 detects a suspicious vessel S200 as a search target, it notifies the satellite 310, which monitors a surveillance area F110 including the detected location of the search target. The satellite 310 transmits satellite images including the search target to the base 200 in real time. The acquired data management system 2200 provided at the base 200 prioritizes analysis of satellite images including the search target over satellite images not including the search target among multiple satellite images. This configuration allows for efficient analysis of the search target by narrowing down the sea area to be image analyzed. Furthermore, the acquired data management system 2200 prioritizes calculation of the current location of the search target and attribute analysis of the search target over other processes.

[0121] Furthermore, when the post-detection action determination unit 2421 detects a search target, it may continue real-time transmission of satellite images by the artificial satellite 310 even after the search target is detected, and the acquired data management system 2200 may continue detecting the position of the search target in the satellite images after the search target is detected. With this configuration, it is possible to continue tracking the search target regardless of the working status of the surveillance device 110.

[0122] In addition, the operation management system 2400 may, upon receiving a report from a management authority such as a fishing vessel or the Japan Coast Guard, direct the monitoring aircraft 110 to the area in accordance with the location information included in the report. In addition, in response to a report from a management authority such as a fishing vessel or the Japan Coast Guard, the operation management system 2400 may, upon receiving a report from a management authority such as a fishing vessel or the Japan Coast Guard, extract the monitoring aircraft 110 monitoring the area included in the report, cause the monitoring aircraft 110 to transmit information about the area, and, based on this information, have the search object determination unit 2410 determine the attributes and location information of the search object.

[0123] (A-1-6-3-2. Dispatch vehicle request unit 2422) The dispatch vehicle request unit 2422 is a functional unit that transmits a request signal to the outside, requesting the dispatch of the dispatch vehicle 300, along with the detected position of the search object or the predicted position of the search object after a predetermined time has passed. In this embodiment, the outside refers to the airspace and sea area surveillance and control system 3000. A configuration that transmits information on the detected position or predicted position together with the request signal allows the dispatch vehicle 300 to quickly arrive at the position of the search object.

[0124] The dispatch motor requesting unit 2422 transmits a request signal requesting the dispatch of a manned or unmanned aircraft or vessel as an action of the dispatch motor 300. The dispatch motor requesting unit 2422 also transmits to the airspace and sea area surveillance and control system 3000 at least the predicted movement position of the search object and a request signal requesting action of the dispatch motor 300 at the detected position or the predicted movement position.

[0125] This configuration makes it possible to effectively execute multiple actions on a search object that cannot be performed by a single surveillance device 110. Furthermore, even when surveillance device 110 needs to return to hand over acquired data or when surveillance device 110 needs to return to charge due to low battery power, dispatch vehicle 300 can take over and perform the action, allowing appropriate continuation of the action on the search object.

[0126] In addition, the dispatch vehicle request unit 2422 may transmit a request signal for the dispatch vehicle 300 to the airspace / sea area surveillance and control system 3000 in response to a report from a fishing boat or a management authority such as the Japan Coast Guard.

[0127] (A-1-6-3-3. Reporting unit 2423) The reporting unit 2423 is a functional unit that reports to an external system. The reporting unit 2423 reports to authorities, such as the Japan Coast Guard. When transmitting a report signal, the reporting unit 2423 transmits information on the attributes and location of the detected search objects to the authorities' system. The reporting unit 2423 may also transmit information on the number and size of the detected search objects to the system.

[0128] (A-1-6-3-4. Surveillance aircraft command unit 2424) The surveillance aircraft command unit 2424 transmits a command to the aircraft control system 1000 or the surveillance aircraft 110 to cause the surveillance aircraft 110 to perform the action determined by the post-detection action determination unit 2421.

[0129] The monitor command unit 2424 mainly includes a monitor mode command unit 2424a, a data transmission command unit 2424b, and a buoy dropping command unit 2424c. The monitor mode command unit 2424a is a functional unit that transmits information related to the monitor mode of the monitor 110.

[0130] The data transmission command unit 2424b is a functional unit that commands the execution of so-called real-time transmission, which is wireless communication of acquired raw data related to the search object in real time.

[0131] The buoy drop command unit 2424c is a functional unit that commands the separation unit 1900 to separate from the surveillance aircraft 110 and drop the buoy around the search target. The separation unit 1900 determines the position of the search target using the position measurement unit 1910. The determined position information is stored in the data recording unit 1920. In addition, the communication unit 1930 transmits the position to the operation management system 2400.

[0132] (A-1-6-4. Post-mobile arrival action command unit 2430) The post-mobile arrival action command unit 2430 is a functional unit that determines or suggests to the user the action of at least one of the surveillance aircraft 110 and the surveillance aircraft 300 after the arrival of the surveillance aircraft 300 that accepted the request. The post-mobile arrival action command unit 2430 mainly includes a post-arrival action determination unit 2431, a surveillance aircraft command unit 2432, and a surveillance aircraft command unit 2433.

[0133] (A-1-6-4-1. Post-Arrival Action Determination Unit 2431) The post-arrival action determination unit 2431 is a functional unit that determines the post-mobile arrival action of the monitoring device 110 and the dispatch device 300 or the post-mobile arrival action to be proposed to the user, depending on the attributes of the detected search object and the type of dispatch device 300 that responded to the dispatch request. When the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 acquires information about the dispatch device 300 that responded to the dispatch request, it references the post-mobile arrival action table T102 (see FIG. 7 ) stored in the memory unit 2450 and determines the post-mobile arrival action of the monitoring device 110 and the dispatch device 300, depending on the attributes of the detected search object and the type of dispatch device that responded to the dispatch request. Furthermore, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 determines the post-mobile arrival action of the monitoring device 110 and the dispatch device 300 or the post-mobile arrival action to be proposed to the user, depending on the attributes of the monitoring device 110 that detected the search object. The post-arrival action is, for example, a process of setting the monitoring mode of the monitoring device 110 and the dispatch vehicle 300. Here, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may determine the content of the action to be taken by the monitoring device and the dispatch vehicle based on the post-arrival action table shown in Fig. 7, and then determine the result of the determination of the action content, or may notify the user of the result of the determination of the action content and determine the action based on an input signal input by the user.

[0134] The post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may determine the post-arrival action of the dispatch vehicle 300 at the time of arrival or after arrival of the dispatch vehicle 300, or may determine the post-arrival action of the dispatch vehicle when information on the type of dispatch vehicle 300 responding to the dispatch request is acquired. Furthermore, for example, in cases where the operation of the monitoring device 110 is determined regardless of the type of dispatch vehicle 300, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may determine the action to be taken by the monitoring device 110 before acquiring the type of dispatch vehicle 300.

[0135] ●Correspondence between search object and action taken after arrival of dispatch vehicle As shown in Figure 7, the dispatch vehicle arrival action table T102 is a table that stores the correspondence between the detected search object, the type of dispatch vehicle 300, and the action taken after arrival of dispatch vehicle by the monitoring device 110 and the dispatch vehicle 300 after the dispatch vehicle 300 arrives.

[0136] If the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft 111 and the detected search object is a suspicious ship S200 or a suspicious aircraft S100, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may decide or propose to perform a tracking flight of the search object by both the surveillance aircraft 110 and the dispatched aircraft 300. With this configuration, tracking flight can be performed in a redundant system by the surveillance aircraft 110 and the dispatched aircraft 300, so that tracking can continue even if either one crashes.

[0137] When the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is the aircraft 111, the detected search object is the suspicious vessel S200, and a vessel is requested as the dispatch vehicle 300, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may determine or suggest that, after the arrival of the dispatch vehicle 300, the surveillance aircraft 110 return or fly over a wide area including the periphery of the search object to conduct a search, and the dispatch vehicle 300 may determine or suggest that it track the search object. Note that the periphery search mode may be permitted to be executed only by the aircraft 111, and may be prohibited from being executed in the periphery search mode by the vessel 112. As described above, when the surveillance device 110 performs a perimeter search and the dispatch device 300 performs tracking, it is sufficient for the surveillance device 110 to be equipped only with sensors specialized for perimeter search (e.g., a camera, radar, or LiDAR), and for the dispatch device 300 to be equipped with sensors specialized for tracking (e.g., an IR sensor (which easily detects people or fires) or a night vision camera (which allows tracking at night)), so each piece of equipment can be made lighter and fewer in number.

[0138] If the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft 111, the detected search object is a ship in distress, and a ship or aircraft is requested as the dispatch vehicle 300, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may decide or suggest that after the arrival of the dispatch vehicle 300, the surveillance aircraft 110 will return or fly over a wide area including the vicinity of the search object to conduct a search, and the dispatch vehicle 300 may decide or suggest that it will track or rescue the search object.

[0139] When the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft 111, the detected search object is a suspicious ship S200 or a suspicious aircraft S100, and an aircraft is requested as the dispatch aircraft 300, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may decide or suggest that the surveillance aircraft 110 return after the dispatch aircraft 300 arrives, and that the dispatch aircraft 300 track the search object or fly over a wide area including the surrounding area of ​​the search object to conduct the search.

[0140] If the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft and requests an aircraft as the dispatch aircraft 300, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may decide or suggest that after the arrival of the dispatch aircraft 300, the surveillance aircraft 110 will fly in pursuit of the search object, and the dispatch aircraft 300 may decide or suggest that the search object will be carried out by flying over a wide area including the vicinity of the search object.

[0141] If the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft 111, the detected search object is a suspicious ship S200, and a ship responds as the dispatch vehicle 300, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may decide or suggest that after the arrival of the dispatch vehicle 300, the surveillance aircraft 110 will return or fly over a wide area including the vicinity of the search object to conduct a search, and the dispatch vehicle 300 may decide or suggest that it will track the search object.

[0142] If the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft 111, the detected search object is a ship in distress, and a ship or aircraft responds as the dispatch vehicle 300, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may decide or suggest that after the arrival of the dispatch vehicle 300, the surveillance aircraft 110 will return or fly over a wide area including the vicinity of the search object to conduct a search, and the dispatch vehicle 300 may decide or suggest that it will track or rescue the search object.

[0143] If the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft, the detected search object is a suspicious ship S200 or a suspicious aircraft S100, and the aircraft responds as the dispatch aircraft 300, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may decide or suggest that the surveillance aircraft 110 return after the dispatch aircraft 300 arrives, and that the dispatch aircraft 300 track the search object or fly over a wide area including the surrounding area of ​​the search object to conduct the search.

[0144] When the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is the aircraft 111 and the aircraft responds as the dispatch aircraft 300, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may determine or suggest that the surveillance aircraft 110 will fly in pursuit of the search object after the arrival of the dispatch aircraft 300, and that the dispatch aircraft 300 will fly a wide area including the periphery of the search object to conduct the search. In this case, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may set the search range by the aircraft as the dispatch aircraft 300 to be wider than the search range of the surveillance aircraft 110.

[0145] The post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may determine or suggest that, when the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft 111 and the aircraft responds as the dispatched aircraft 300, the surveillance aircraft 110 will fly a wide area including the periphery of the search object to conduct a search, and the dispatched aircraft 300 will conduct a tracking flight of the search object. Furthermore, when the dispatched aircraft 300 is an aircraft equipped with a tracking sensor different from that of the surveillance aircraft 110, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may determine or suggest that the dispatched aircraft will conduct a tracking flight.

[0146] The post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may decide or suggest that the surveillance aircraft 110 return if the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft 111 and the aircraft responds as a dispatch vehicle 300. With this configuration, the data recorded in the surveillance aircraft 110 can be quickly collected and analyzed.

[0147] 12 , when the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object is an aircraft 111 and a manned aircraft responds as the deployment aircraft 300, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may lower the flight altitude of the surveillance aircraft 110 that detected the search object (for example, to an altitude of 150 m or less). This configuration allows the flight altitudes of the surveillance aircraft 110 and the deployment aircraft 300 to differ, thereby preventing airspace interference. Note that even when an unmanned aircraft responds as the deployment aircraft 300, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may lower the flight altitude of the surveillance aircraft 110, thereby causing the flight altitudes of the surveillance aircraft 110 and the deployment aircraft 300 to differ from each other.

[0148] A request for support is made to various types of dispatched aircraft. This request for support is transmitted to a system different from the monitoring system 1, for example, a ship control system 5000 or an air traffic control system 6000, and each system 5000, 6000 determines the dispatched aircraft 300 that will respond to the request for support. Therefore, the monitoring system 1 obtains the type of dispatched aircraft 300 that responded to the request for support from the ship control system 5000, the air traffic control system 6000, or the airspace / sea area surveillance and control system 3000, and determines the actions of the monitoring aircraft 110 and the dispatched aircraft 300 according to the obtained attributes of the dispatched aircraft 300. This configuration enables flexible response according to the type of dispatched aircraft 300.

[0149] 7 is merely an example, and the specific actions stored in the table are not limited to this. Also, although the dispatch aircraft post-arrival action table T102 shown in FIG. 7 stores the actions for the case where the surveillance aircraft 110 is an aircraft 111, the post-arrival action determination unit 2431 may vary the post-arrival action depending on the type of surveillance aircraft 110.

[0150] (A-1-6-4-2. Surveillance Device Command Unit 2432) The surveillance device command unit 2432 is a functional unit that transmits to the surveillance device 110 commands related to the action of the surveillance device 110 determined by the post-arrival action determination unit 2431.

[0151] (A-1-6-4-3. Dispatch vehicle command unit 2433) The dispatch vehicle command unit 2433 is a functional unit that transmits to the dispatch vehicle 300 commands related to the action of the dispatch vehicle 300 determined by the post-arrival action determination unit 2431.

[0152] (A-1-6-5. Communication unit 2440) The communication unit 2440 has a modem or the like (not shown) and is capable of communicating with the surveillance aircraft 110, the airspace / sea area surveillance and control system 3000, the spatial information data utilization system 4000, etc. via the communication network NW.

[0153] (A-1-6-6. Storage Unit 2450) The storage unit 2450 is a functional unit, such as a database, that stores information related to the control of the surveillance device 110 and the dispatch vehicle. The storage unit 2450 stores, for example, a post-detection action table T101 (see FIG. 6 ) that stores the correspondence between the attributes of the search object and the post-detection action. The storage unit 2450 also stores a dispatch vehicle post-arrival action table T102 (see FIG. 7 ) that stores the correspondence between the attributes of the search object, the type of dispatch vehicle issuing the dispatch request, and the post-arrival action taken by the surveillance device 110 and the dispatch vehicle after the dispatch vehicle arrives. The post-detection action table T101 and the dispatch vehicle post-arrival action table T102 may be rewritable.

[0154] (A-1-7. Flowchart) An example of the flow of processing executed when a search object is detected will be described using Figure 8. First, the aircraft control unit 1100 of the aircraft control system 1000 causes the monitoring device 110 to monitor the monitoring area F (step S101). When the search object detection unit 1400 detects a search object, the position of the search object detected by the search object position detection unit 1500 and information acquired by the object detection sensor 1300 are transmitted to the operation management system 2400, and the process proceeds to step S102. Next, the search object determination unit 2410 of the operation management system 2400 determines the attributes and position of the search object (step S102).

[0155] Next, the post-detection action command unit 2420 determines the action to be taken by the surveillance aircraft 110 after detecting the search object, and transmits a command regarding the action to be taken after detecting the search object to the airspace / sea area surveillance control system 3000 or the surveillance aircraft 110, etc. (step S103). The ship control system 5000, the air traffic control system 6000, or the surveillance aircraft 110, etc., which receives the command via the airspace / sea area surveillance control system 3000, executes the post-detection action in accordance with the command (step S104).

[0156] Next, the post-move-out aircraft arrival action command unit 2430 of the flight operation management system 2400 determines the action to be taken by the surveillance aircraft 110 and the mobility aircraft 300 after the arrival of the mobility aircraft 300, and transmits a command regarding the action to be taken after the arrival of the mobility aircraft to the airspace / sea area surveillance control system 3000, the mobility aircraft 300, or the surveillance aircraft 110 (step S105). Note that the determination of the action to be taken after the arrival of the mobility aircraft and the transmission of the command may be performed before the mobility aircraft 300 arrives in the designated area. After the arrival of the mobility aircraft 300, the mobility aircraft 300 or the surveillance aircraft 110 performs the action to be taken after the arrival of the mobility aircraft in accordance with the command (step S106).

[0157] Here, details of step S102 in Fig. 8 will be explained using Fig. 9. First, when the operation management system 2400 acquires the position and information of the search object acquired by the surveillance aircraft 110, the search object determination unit 2410 attempts to determine the search object (step S201). Next, the search object determination unit 2411 determines whether the attributes of the search object can be determined (step S202). If the attributes of the search object cannot be determined (N in step S202), the detailed information acquisition command unit 2413 sends a detailed information acquisition command to the surveillance aircraft 110 (step S203).

[0158] If the attributes of the search object can be determined (Y in step S202), the search object position determination unit 2412 determines whether the position of the search object can be determined, and if the position cannot be determined (N in step S204), the process proceeds to step S203. If the search object position determination unit 2412 can determine the position (Y in step S204), the process ends. Note that steps S202 and S204 may be performed in any order and may be performed simultaneously.

[0159] Next, the details of step S103 in Fig. 8 will be described using Fig. 10. First, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 determines whether a report is necessary (step S301). If a report is necessary (Y in step S301), the reporting unit 2423 reports to an appropriate device of the authorities (step S311). If a report is unnecessary (N in step S301), or after the processing of step S311 is executed, the process proceeds to step S302.

[0160] Next, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 determines whether a dispatch request is necessary (step S302), and if a dispatch request is necessary (Y in step S302), the dispatch request unit 2422 requests the airspace / sea area monitoring and control system 3000 to dispatch a vehicle (step S312). If a dispatch request is unnecessary (N in step S302), or after the processing of step S312 is executed, the process proceeds to step S303.

[0161] Next, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 determines whether the monitoring mode of the monitoring device 110 needs to be changed (step S303), and if the monitoring mode needs to be changed (Y in step S303), the monitoring mode command unit 2424a sends a command to change the monitoring mode to the monitoring device 110 (step S313). If the monitoring mode does not need to be changed (N in step S303), or after the processing of step S313 is executed, the process proceeds to step S304.

[0162] Next, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 determines whether the monitoring device 110 needs to change the data transmission method (step S304), and if a change in the transmission method is necessary (Y in step S304), the data transmission command unit 2424b sends a command to change the monitoring mode to the monitoring device 110 (step S314). If a change in the data transmission method is not necessary (N in step S304), or after the processing of step S314 is executed, the process proceeds to step S305.

[0163] Next, the post-detection action determination unit 2421 determines whether or not the separation unit 1900 needs to be dropped from the surveillance aircraft 110 (step S305). If dropping the separation unit 1900 is necessary (Y in step S305), the buoy drop command unit 2424c sends a command to the surveillance aircraft 110 to drop the separation unit 1900 (step S315). If dropping the separation unit 1900 is not necessary (N in step S305), or after executing the processing of step S315, the processing ends. Note that steps S301 to S305 may be performed in a different order or simultaneously. Note that it is preferable that the more urgent the action, the earlier it is determined.

[0164] [A-2. Effects of this embodiment] According to this embodiment, when a search object is detected, a dispatch vehicle can be quickly called.

[0165] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various configurations can be adopted based on the contents of the present specification.

[0166] The series of processes described in connection with the above embodiment may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. A computer program for implementing each function of the monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment may be created and installed on a PC or the like. A computer-readable recording medium storing such a computer program may also be provided. Examples of the recording medium include a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a flash memory. The computer program may also be distributed, for example, via a communication network NW without using a recording medium.

[0167] The flowcharts used in the above embodiments do not necessarily have to be executed in the order shown in the drawings. Some processing steps may be executed in parallel. In addition, additional processing steps may be employed, and some processing steps may be omitted.

[0168] 1 Aviation data sensing system (surveillance system) 1000 Aircraft control system 1300 Object detection sensor 1400 Search object detection unit 1500 Search object position detection unit 1900 Separation unit 110 Surveillance aircraft 111 Aircraft 2000 Base system 2100 Aircraft operation operation system 2200 Acquired data management system 2300 Communication infrastructure management system 2400 Operation management system 2410 Search object determination unit 2420 Post-detection action command unit 2421 Post-detection action determination unit 2422 Aircraft request unit 2423 Report unit 2424 Surveillance aircraft command unit 2430 Post-aircraft arrival action command unit 2431 Post-arrival action determination unit 2432 Surveillance aircraft command unit 2433 Aircraft command unit 3000 Airspace and sea area surveillance complete system 4000 Spatial information data utilization system 5000 Ship control system 6000 Air traffic control system 110 Surveillance aircraft F Surveillance target area F110 Surveillance range S100 Suspicious aircraft (search target) S200 Suspicious ship (search target)

Claims

1. A surveillance system comprising: a surveillance device that searches for search objects in a surveillance area; a search object detection unit mounted on the surveillance device and that detects the search object; a search object position detection unit that, when the search object detection unit detects the search object, acquires a position related to the detection of the search object; and a dispatch request unit that transmits to the outside the detected position of the search object or a predicted movement position of the search object after a predetermined time has elapsed, and a request signal that requests a dispatch device to take action at the detection position or the predicted movement position.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the dispatch request unit transmits a request signal requesting the dispatch of a manned or unmanned aircraft or ship as an action of the dispatch unit.

3. The surveillance system of claim 1, further comprising: a sensor that acquires information regarding the search object; and a post-detection action determination unit that, when the search object detection unit detects the search object, determines or suggests whether or not to transmit the request signal based on the detection information of the search object acquired by the sensor.

4. The surveillance system of claim 3, wherein when the search object detection unit detects the search object, the post-detection action determination unit determines or suggests at least one of sending a request for deployment of the dispatch vehicle, tracking and monitoring by the surveillance device, and reporting to an external system based on the detection information of the search object obtained by the sensor.

5. A surveillance system as described in claim 3, wherein the surveillance aircraft is an aircraft, and when the search object detection unit detects the search object, the surveillance aircraft obtains an approaching image of the search object by approaching the search object or increasing the zoom amount of the camera, and the post-detection action determination unit determines whether or not the request signal needs to be transmitted based on the approaching image, or determines or suggests at least one of transmitting a request for deployment of the dispatch vehicle, tracking and monitoring by the surveillance aircraft, and notifying an external system.

6. A surveillance system as described in claim 3, wherein at least the post-detection action determination unit is mounted on a flight management system capable of communicating with the surveillance aircraft, and the surveillance aircraft notifies the flight management system of information on the attributes, number or size of the search object as the detection information of the search object.

7. The surveillance system of claim 3, wherein the surveillance device is equipped with at least a camera for acquiring images of the search object or a laser sensor for acquiring point cloud data of the search object as the sensor, and when the search object is detected, executes or proposes real-time transmission of data including the images or the point cloud data.

8. The surveillance system according to claim 3, wherein the post-detection action determination unit determines or proposes an action for the surveillance aircraft based on attributes of the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object.

9. The surveillance system of claim 8, wherein the post-detection action decision unit determines or suggests that, if the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft and the detected search object is an aircraft with propulsion function, the surveillance aircraft will perform a tracking flight in which it follows the aircraft, and, if the search object is a ship with propulsion function, the surveillance aircraft will perform a tracking flight in which it circles above the ship.

10. A surveillance system as described in claim 3, wherein the post-detection action decision unit, when detecting the search object, decides or suggests that the surveillance aircraft continue the search by flying a wide area including the vicinity of the search object.

11. A surveillance system as described in claim 3, wherein the post-detection action decision unit decides or suggests dropping a buoy equipped with a transmitter near the search object when the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft and the detected search object is an object without a propulsion function, or when the detected search object is a suspicious ship.

12. A surveillance system as described in claim 1, wherein the dispatch vehicle includes a satellite, the surveillance system further includes an acquisition data management system that analyzes video or images, the satellite transmits multiple satellite images taken by the satellite in real time when the search object is detected to the acquisition data management system, and the acquisition data management system analyzes, among the multiple satellite images, the satellite images that include the search object in preference to the satellite images that do not include the search object.

13. A surveillance system as described in claim 12, comprising: a sensor which acquires information regarding the search object; and a post-detection action determination unit which, when the search object detection unit detects the search object, determines or suggests whether or not to transmit the request signal based on the detection information of the search object acquired by the sensor, wherein, when the search object is detected, the post-detection action determination unit causes the real-time transmission of the satellite image by the artificial satellite to continue even after the search object is detected; and the acquired data management system continues to detect the position of the search object in the satellite image after the search object is detected.

14. The surveillance system according to claim 1, further comprising a dispatch vehicle arrival action command unit which determines or proposes actions for at least one of the surveillance aircraft and the dispatch vehicle after the arrival of the dispatch vehicle that accepted the request, depending on attributes of the search object.

15. The surveillance system of claim 14, wherein the action command unit after arrival of the dispatch aircraft decides or proposes that, when the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft and the detected search object is a suspicious ship or aircraft, both the surveillance aircraft and the dispatch aircraft perform a pursuit flight of the search object.

16. A surveillance system as described in claim 14, wherein, when the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft, the detected search object is a suspicious ship, and a ship responds as the dispatch aircraft, the action command unit after the dispatch aircraft arrives decides or suggests that the surveillance aircraft will return or fly over a wide area including the vicinity of the search object to conduct a search, and that the dispatch aircraft will decide or suggest that it will conduct a tracking flight of the search object.

17. A surveillance system as described in claim 14, wherein, when the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft, the detected search object is a ship in distress, and a ship or aircraft responds as the dispatch aircraft, after the arrival of the dispatch aircraft, the action command unit decides or suggests that the surveillance aircraft will return or fly a wide area including the vicinity of the search object to conduct a search, and that the dispatch aircraft will decide or suggest that it will conduct a pursuit flight or rescue of the search object.

18. A surveillance system as described in claim 14, wherein, if the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft, the detected search object is a suspicious ship or aircraft, and an aircraft responds as the dispatch aircraft, the action command unit after the dispatch aircraft arrives decides or suggests that the surveillance aircraft will return, and that the dispatch aircraft will decide or suggest that the dispatch aircraft will track the search object or fly over a wide area including the vicinity of the search object to conduct a search.

19. A surveillance system as described in claim 14, wherein, if the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft and the aircraft responds as the dispatch aircraft, the action command unit after the dispatch aircraft arrives determines or suggests that the surveillance aircraft will track the search object after the dispatch aircraft arrives, and that the dispatch aircraft will fly over a wide area including the vicinity of the search object to conduct the search.

20. A surveillance system as described in claim 19, wherein after the arrival of the dispatch aircraft, the action command unit causes the surveillance aircraft to conduct a tracking flight of the search object and causes the dispatch aircraft to conduct a search by flying a wide area including the vicinity of the search object, such that the search range by the dispatch aircraft is wider than the search range of the surveillance aircraft.

21. A surveillance system as described in claim 14, wherein, if the surveillance aircraft that detected the search object is an aircraft and the aircraft responds as the dispatch aircraft, after the dispatch aircraft arrives, the action command unit determines or suggests that the surveillance aircraft will fly a wide area including the vicinity of the search object to conduct a search, and that the dispatch aircraft will conduct a tracking flight of the search object.

22. A surveillance system according to claim 15, 16, 17 or 21, wherein the aircraft performing the tracking flight is an aircraft equipped with a tracking sensor different from that of the surveillance aircraft.

23. The surveillance system of claim 1, further comprising a movement prediction unit which estimates a predicted movement position of the search object after a predetermined time has elapsed based on the position, movement direction, and movement speed of the search object, and the dispatch vehicle request unit transmits to the outside at least the predicted movement position of the search object and a request signal requesting action of a dispatch vehicle at the detected position or the predicted movement position.

24. The surveillance system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the position, the direction of movement, and the speed of movement of the search object is estimated based on the shape of the triangular wave in the surveillance area.

25. The surveillance system according to claim 1, wherein a recording module mounted on the surveillance aircraft or the aircraft serving as the dispatcher is configured to be separated from the surveillance aircraft or the aircraft serving as the dispatcher and to float on water.

26. A surveillance method in which a computer executes the following steps: a search object detection step of detecting a search object using a surveillance device that searches for a search object in a monitored area; a search object position detection step of acquiring a position related to the detection of the search object when the search object is detected by the search object detection step; and a dispatch device request step of transmitting to the outside the detected position of the search object or a predicted position of the search object after a predetermined time has elapsed, and a request signal requesting action by a dispatch device at the detected position or the predicted position of movement.

27. A monitoring program that causes a computer to execute the following: a search object detection command to detect a search object by a monitoring device searching for a search object in a monitored area; a search object position detection command to obtain a position related to the detection of the search object when the search object is detected by the search object detection command; and a dispatch request command to transmit to the outside the detected position of the search object or a predicted movement position of the search object after a predetermined time has elapsed, and a request signal to request action by a dispatch device at the detection position or the predicted movement position.

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