Monitoring system, monitoring method, and monitoring program

Abstract

[Problem] To quickly recover data from a monitoring device. [Solution] This monitoring system 1 comprises: a monitoring device 110 for searching for a search target in a monitoring target region F; a search target detection unit 1400, which is mounted on the monitoring device, for detecting the search target; and a data recovery position determination unit 2442 that determines or suggests a data recovery position for recovering acquired data accumulated in the monitoring device by landing or wireless communication when the monitoring device has detected the search target.

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] Technologies for monitoring sea areas or airspace are known to monitor illegal activities or contribute to the rescue of lives. When a surveillance aircraft detects a suspicious object, such as a suspicious ship or aircraft, or a search object, such as a ship in distress, it is necessary to quickly retrieve information about the search object acquired by the surveillance aircraft in order to promptly take appropriate action based on the analysis results of the search object. When retrieving large amounts of data, such as images or videos, in sea areas or airspace, communication speeds may be slow due to equipment issues, making them impractical. In addition, because communication conditions are affected by the environment, etc., there is a risk that communication will take a long time depending on the situation.

[0005] In this regard, the system described in Patent Document 1 is unable to quickly input acquired information into the analysis device.

[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 collect data from surveillance devices.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a surveillance system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a surveillance aircraft that searches for a search object in a monitored area, a search object detection unit mounted on the surveillance aircraft that detects the search object, and a data collection location determination unit that, when the surveillance aircraft detects the search object, determines or proposes a data collection location for retrieving acquired data stored in the surveillance aircraft by landing or wireless communication.

[0008] The system may further include a mobile base equipped with equipment for collecting the acquired data, and a mobile base command unit that moves the mobile base to the data collection location determined by the data collection location determination unit or determined by a user in response to a suggestion from the data collection location determination unit.

[0009] The data collection location determination unit may determine or suggest a location as the data collection location based on the location of the monitoring device and the location of the mobile base, where the travel times required for the monitoring device and the mobile base are approximately equal.

[0010] The data collection location determination unit may determine or suggest, when the monitoring device transmits the acquired data via wireless communication, an area where either the communication strength or communication speed of the wireless communication is greater than a predetermined condition as the data collection location.

[0011] The mobile base may be connected via wireless communication to an analysis unit that analyzes the acquired data, and the data collection location determination unit may determine or suggest an area where either the communication strength or communication speed of the wireless communication connecting the mobile base and the analysis unit is greater than a predetermined threshold as the data collection location.

[0012] The system may further include a travel time estimation unit that estimates the travel time of the monitoring device and the mobile base to the data collection location, and a data transmission time estimation unit that estimates a first data transmission time from the monitoring device to the mobile base at the data collection location, and the data collection location determination unit may determine or suggest the data collection location that minimizes the sum of the travel time and the first data transmission time.

[0013] The mobile base may be connected via wireless communication to an analysis unit that analyzes the acquired data, the data transmission time estimation unit may predict a second data transmission time from the mobile base to the analysis unit, and the data collection position determination unit may determine or suggest the data collection position that will result in the shortest sum of the travel time, the first data transmission time, and the second data transmission time.

[0014] The system may further include a data collection method determination unit that determines or suggests, as a collection mode for transmitting the acquired data from the surveillance aircraft to the base, whether to collect the acquired data by having the surveillance aircraft land at the base, or to transmit the acquired data from the surveillance aircraft to the base via wireless transmission, and the travel time estimation unit may calculate the travel time by adding the landing time required for the surveillance aircraft to land at the base to the time it takes for the surveillance aircraft to travel to the data collection position, and the data collection method determination unit may determine or suggest the collection mode that results in the shortest sum of the travel time and the first data transmission time.

[0015] The system may further include a base station equipped with equipment for collecting the acquired data, and a candidate collection mode extraction unit that extracts multiple candidate locations from pre-set candidates for the data collection location, and the data collection location determination unit may extract from the candidate locations a candidate location where at least one of the communication strength or communication speed of the wireless communication from the monitoring device to the base is greater than a predetermined second threshold, and determine or propose the candidate location as the data collection location.

[0016] The base may be a fixed base, connected via wireless communication to an analysis unit that analyzes the acquired data, and further equipped with a second data transmission time estimation unit that estimates a third data transmission time from the base to the analysis unit, and the data collection position determination unit may determine or propose the data collection position that will have the shortest third data transmission time among the candidate positions.

[0017] The data collection location determination unit may further include a third data transmission time estimation unit that estimates a travel time of the monitoring device to the data collection location and a fourth data transmission time from the monitoring device to the base at the data collection location, and the data collection location determination unit may determine or propose the data collection location where the sum of the travel time and the fourth data transmission time is shortest among the candidate locations.

[0018] The data collection position determination unit may determine or propose the data collection position where the sum of the travel time, the third data transmission time, and the fourth data transmission time is shortest among the candidate positions.

[0019] When deciding to land the surveillance aircraft at the data collection location, the data collection location determination unit may refer to the landing plan, takeoff plan, or flight plan of another aircraft at the data collection location, and determine or propose a location as the data collection location where the surveillance aircraft will wait for the other aircraft for a relatively short time.

[0020] The system may further include a surveillance aircraft command unit that controls the landing of the surveillance aircraft, and the surveillance aircraft command unit may acquire landing permission information and, upon acquisition of the landing permission information, cause the surveillance aircraft to land at the data collection location.

[0021] The system may further include a mobile base equipped with equipment for collecting the acquired data, and the surveillance aircraft command unit may acquire arrival information indicating that the mobile base has arrived at the data collection location, and may land the surveillance aircraft at the data collection location upon acquiring the arrival and landing permission information.

[0022] The surveillance aircraft may further include a surveillance aircraft command unit that controls the landing of the surveillance aircraft, and when the surveillance aircraft command unit detects that the acquired data has been collected, it may return to the position of the search object recorded in the surveillance aircraft or to the position where the search for the search object was interrupted, and perform a tracking flight of the search object, or a search flight at the position of the search object or the position where the search for the search object was interrupted.

[0023] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a monitoring method according to another aspect of the present invention comprises a computer that executes a search object detection step in which a monitoring aircraft searches for a search object in a monitored area and detects the search object, and a data collection location determination step in which, when the monitoring aircraft detects the search object, the computer determines or proposes a data collection location for collecting acquired data stored in the monitoring aircraft by landing or wireless communication.

[0024] 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 by a surveillance aircraft searching for the search object in a surveillance area, and a data collection location determination command to determine or propose a data collection location for collecting acquired data stored in the surveillance aircraft by landing or wireless communication when the surveillance aircraft detects the search object.

[0025] 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.

[0026] According to the present invention, data can be collected from the surveillance device quickly.

[0027] 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing how a monitoring aircraft communicating with the monitoring system monitors sea areas and airspace. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of communication modes between the monitoring system and a dispatch aircraft communicating with the monitoring system. (a) A schematic perspective view of an aircraft that is an example of the monitoring 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 monitoring system. FIG. 3 is a candidate table showing examples of candidate data collection locations extracted by a collection mode candidate extraction unit equipped in the monitoring system. FIG. 4 is a required time table showing an example of a correspondence between data collection modes and a breakdown of required times to be estimated, referenced by a required time estimation unit equipped in the monitoring system. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a first example of a processing flow performed when the monitoring system detects a search target. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a first example of a communication state between a monitoring aircraft and a base system that cooperate with the monitoring system, and each of the communication modes. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a second example of a communication state between a monitoring aircraft and a base system that cooperate with the monitoring system, and each of the communication modes. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a second example of a processing flow performed when the monitoring system detects a search target. 10A and 10B are flowcharts showing a third example of the flow of processing performed when the monitoring system detects a search target, and a fourth example of the flow of processing performed when the monitoring system detects a search target.

[0028] 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.

[0029] <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.

[0030] The surveillance system 1 executes various processes in response to the detection of a search target 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] (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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] As shown in Figure 2, the base 200 may be a fixed base 200a that is fixedly installed on the ground, or a vehicle-type base 200b that is mobile on the ground. Furthermore, the base 200 may be an aircraft carrier that is mobile on the sea, i.e., a ship-type base 200c (see Figure 3). Furthermore, the base 200 may be an aircraft on which the surveillance aircraft 110 can take off and land. Furthermore, the base system 2000 may include multiple bases 200.

[0037] Returning to Figure 1, the base system 2000 mainly includes an aircraft flight operation system 2100, an acquired data management system 2200, a communication infrastructure management system 2300, and an aircraft flight management system 2400.

[0038] 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 that includes the movement route and movement speed of the surveillance aircraft 110. 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.

[0039] The acquired data management system 2200 is a system that manages acquired data including videos or images. The acquired data management system 2200 determines how to process the huge amount of acquired data for each piece of acquired data, and transmits processing commands via the communication infrastructure management system 2300 to the aircraft control system 1000, the spatial information data utilization system 4000, the facility and equipment management system 4100, the reservation system 4200, or the like.

[0040] The spatial information data utilization system 4000 is a system that analyzes acquired data, such as images or videos acquired by the surveillance device 110. In other words, the spatial information data utilization system 4000 is an example of an analysis unit in the claims. The spatial information data utilization system 4000 has a function of performing integration processing with map data and other information and publishing the integrated information. The spatial information data utilization system 4000 is logically configured, for example, using cloud computing and is connected to the surveillance system 1 via wireless communication. The spatial information data utilization system 4000 may also be configured by a workstation. The processing command from the acquired data management system 2200 is, for example, a command to transmit specific data to another system 1000, 4000, etc., a command to store specific data, or a command to analyze specific data.

[0041] The facility and equipment management system 4100 is a system that performs maintenance management of equipment such as the base 200 or the surveillance aircraft 110. The flight operation management system 2400, which will be described later, references the management status of the equipment via the facility and equipment management system 4100 and creates a data collection plan taking the management status of the equipment into consideration. The facility and equipment management system 4100 also performs necessary maintenance management of the equipment, etc., based on the data collection plan created by the flight operation management system 2400. The equipment to be maintained and managed includes, for example, information on the data receiver at the base 200, the number of recording media in stock to be replaced when the surveillance aircraft 110 lands, the number of batteries in stock or the charge status, etc., but is not limited to the above, and any other appropriate equipment information may be stored.

[0042] The reservation system 4200 is a system that manages reservations for the base 200, and more specifically, manages reservations of resources for various tasks at the base 200. Resources include all resources necessary for data collection, such as receiver equipment, landing areas, or the number of workers used for data collection. The reservation system 4200 may also store information on the time periods during which resources are occupied or the times when resources are released according to reservations. The flight operations management system 2400, which will be described later, creates a data collection plan taking into account the reservation status of the base 200, etc. The reservation system 4200 also updates the reservation information for the base 200 based on the data collection plan generated by the flight operations management system 2400.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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 realized by being implemented in a different base system 2000 connected to each other by a communication network NW. Furthermore, each functional unit of the traffic management system 2400 may be logically realized by cloud computing.

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the communication mode of each component that communicates with the monitoring system 1. As shown in FIG. 3, bases 200, such as a fixed base 200a, a vehicle-type base 200b, and a ship-type base 200c, are wirelessly connected to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 via a network NW. The spatial information data utilization system 4000 and the fixed base 200a are connected to the network NW via a wired connection. The mobile bases 200b and 200c are also connected to the network NW wirelessly. The location from which the monitoring device 110 or the base 200 transmits acquired data to the spatial information data utilization system 4000, i.e., the data collection location, is determined by the operation management system 2400, which will be described in detail later. The monitoring device 110 or the base 200 transmits the acquired data at the data collection location, and the spatial information data utilization system 4000 receives the data.

[0051] The monitoring device 110 is wirelessly connected to the base 200. The monitoring device 110 and the network NW are also wirelessly connected to the artificial satellite 300.

[0052] 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. Each wireless communication may constitute a dedicated wireless communication network, or may utilize an existing wireless infrastructure.

[0053] (A-1-3. Surveillance Aircraft 110) (A-1-3-1. Overview of Surveillance Aircraft 110) The surveillance aircraft 110 is, for example, a manned or unmanned aircraft 111, particularly an unmanned aircraft. 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 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.

[0054] Furthermore, a ground-mounted radar 114 that is placed on the ground may be used as the surveillance device 110. The ground-mounted radar 114 includes a wide-area surveillance radar (not shown) that monitors the side or upper areas, for example, and detects search targets from the ground.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] (A-1-3-2. 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.

[0058] 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.

[0059] 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.

[0060] (A-1-4. Aircraft Control System 1000) (A-1-4-1. 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.

[0061] 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, airspace radio status monitoring unit 1650, data recording unit 1700, and communication unit 1800.

[0062] (A-1-4-2. 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.

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] Aircraft control unit 1100 may control the orientation and zoom amount of object detection sensor 1300. Aircraft control unit 1100 may control either or both of the pitch angle with respect to the horizontal and the yaw angle with respect to a predetermined reference direction regarding the orientation of object detection sensor 1300. Based on the monitoring mode, aircraft control unit 1100 generates instructions for monitoring device 110 and object detection sensor 1300 so that images are captured at the position, height, direction, and zoom amount set in the monitoring mode, and transmits the instructions to monitoring device 110.

[0067] (A-1-4-3. 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.

[0068] (A-1-4-4. 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 LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or a microphone. The object detection sensor 1300 may also be an IR camera in addition to a visible light camera. That is, the sensing data acquired by the object detection sensor 1300 may include, for example, an image, an IR image, point cloud data, position data, or audio data.

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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.

[0071] (A-1-4-5. 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 by analyzing sensing data obtained by, for example, a camera or the like serving as the object detection sensor 1300. The search object detection unit 1400 may detect, for example, attributes of the search object. The attributes are, for example, 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.

[0072] (A-1-4-6. 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.

[0073] (A-1-4-7. 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.

[0074] (A-1-4-8. Airspace Radio Status Monitoring Unit 1650) The airspace radio status monitoring unit 1650 is a functional unit that monitors the communication strength and communication speed of wireless communication for each airspace based on the wireless communication performance of the communication unit 1800. The monitoring aircraft 110 moves through the airspace within the monitored area F in accordance with the monitoring work. The airspace radio status monitoring unit 1650 measures the position coordinates of the monitoring aircraft 110 and the communication strength or communication speed of the wireless communication at those position coordinates at regular intervals or at regular distance intervals. The airspace radio status monitoring unit 1650 records the position coordinates, the communication strength or communication speed of the wireless communication, and the measurement time in association with each other on a recording medium inside the monitoring aircraft 110 via the data recording unit 1700. The airspace radio status monitoring unit 1650 may also acquire the wireless communication status and transmit it to the flight management system 2400 at an appropriate timing or in real time.

[0075] (A-1-4-9. Data Recording Unit 1700) The data recording unit 1700 is a functional unit that records data obtained by the search operation by the monitoring device 110 on a recording medium inside the monitoring device 110. The data recording unit 1700 records sensing data such as position coordinates obtained by the self-positioning unit 1200 and image data obtained by the object detection sensor 1300. The data recording unit 1700 also records the communication status of wireless communication obtained by the airspace wireless status monitoring unit 1650. The communication status of wireless communication is, for example, the communication strength or communication speed of wireless communication. The recording medium may include, for example, a separable medium such as an SD card or RAM.

[0076] (A-1-4-10. 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).

[0077] The communication unit 1800 transmits, for example, information that a search object has been detected, acquired by the search object detection unit 1400, information on 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, to the flight management system 2400, etc. The communication unit 1800 also transmits information on the communication status of wireless communication, acquired by the airspace radio status monitoring unit 1650, to the flight management system 2400. Furthermore, the communication unit 1800 receives, from the flight management system 2400, an instruction to acquire detailed information on the search object, etc.

[0078] 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. Note that this data is smaller in size than the data analyzed by the spatial information data utilization system 4000, and is, for example, low-resolution data. When the surveillance device 110 detects a search object, it returns to the base 200 or moves to a position with good communication with the satellite, thereby transmitting a large amount of acquired data that cannot be transmitted in real-time transmission to the spatial information data utilization system 4000.

[0079] (A-1-5. Flight operation management system 2400) (A-1-5-1. Overview of flight operation management system 2400) The flight operation management system 2400 is a system that mainly determines the collection mode in which the spatial information data utilization system 4000 directly or indirectly collects the acquired data acquired by the surveillance device 110, and transmits commands to related components. In particular, the flight operation management system 2400 determines, as the collection mode, the data collection location where the acquired data will be collected, whether or not to use a base 200 that relays data transmission from the surveillance device 110 to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 at the data collection location, and the type of base 200, and the transmission method for transmitting data from the surveillance device 110 at the data collection location to the base 200 or the spatial information data utilization system 4000, etc.

[0080] In this embodiment, the operation management system 2400 has been described as being included in the base system 2000 located at one of the bases 200, but it may also be configured to be included in the surveillance device 110 or the spatial information data utilization system 4000.

[0081] 5 is a functional configuration diagram of the flight traffic management system 2400 of this embodiment. The flight 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 flight traffic management system 2400 may include an input / output unit (not shown) for inputting or outputting various information (image output, audio output).

[0082] 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 communication / position status acquisition unit 2410, a potential recovery mode extraction unit 2420, a required time estimation unit 2430, a recovery command unit 2440, an instruction notification control unit 2450, a communication unit 2460, and a memory unit 2470.

[0083] (A-1-5-2. Communication and location status acquisition unit 2410) The communication and location status acquisition unit 2410 is a functional unit that acquires the location information and communication status of the monitoring device 110 and the base 200 when the monitoring device 110 detects a search target. The communication and location status acquisition unit 2410 mainly includes a location information acquisition unit 2411 and a communication status acquisition unit 2412.

[0084] (A-1-5-2-1. Location Information Acquisition Unit 2411) The location information acquisition unit 2411 is a functional unit that acquires location information of the monitoring device 110 and the base 200.

[0085] The location information acquisition unit 2411 mainly includes an aircraft location acquisition unit 2411a, a base location acquisition unit 2411b, and a mobile base location acquisition unit 2411c.

[0086] The aircraft position acquisition unit 2411a acquires the position information of the surveillance aircraft 110 at the time when the search object is detected. Note that the aircraft position acquisition unit 2411a may also acquire the position information of the surveillance aircraft 110 at the time when it is decided to return to retrieve data.

[0087] The base location acquisition unit 2411b acquires the location information of the fixed base 200a.

[0088] The mobile base location acquisition unit 2411c acquires the location information of the mobile bases 200b, 200c at the time when the search object is detected. The mobile base location acquisition unit 2411c may also acquire the location information of the mobile bases 200b, 200c at the time when the monitoring device 110 decides to return to retrieve data. The mobile base location acquisition unit 2411c may particularly refer to information on the availability of each mobile base 200b, 200c to acquire the location information of the mobile bases 200b, 200c that are available for deployment.

[0089] (A-1-5-2-2. Communication Status Acquisition Unit 2412) The communication status acquisition unit 2412 is a functional unit that acquires the communication status between the monitoring device 110 and the base 200 and other components.

[0090] The communication status acquisition unit 2412 mainly includes an airspace communication status acquisition unit 2412a, a ground wireless communication status acquisition unit 2412b, and a base communication status acquisition unit 2412c.

[0091] The airspace communication status acquisition unit 2412a acquires the wireless communication status in each airspace, i.e., for example, communication strength or communication speed. The airspace communication status acquisition unit 2412a acquires information acquired by the airspace wireless status monitoring unit 1650 included in the aircraft control system 1000 as the wireless communication status in each airspace. In other words, the wireless communication status in the airspace is obtained, for example, along the flight path of the surveillance aircraft 110. Note that the airspace communication status acquisition unit 2412a may also acquire the wireless communication status in the airspace from a component other than the surveillance aircraft 110.

[0092] The airspace communication status acquisition unit 2412a acquires the wireless communication status of each airspace in association with the position coordinates of the airspace for which the wireless communication status was acquired, and stores the acquired status in the storage unit 2470. The wireless communication status in each airspace is referenced in estimating the data transmission time (first data transmission time or fourth data transmission time) when transmitting data via wireless communication from the monitoring aircraft 110 to the base 200. The airspace communication status acquisition unit 2412a may also acquire the acquired wireless communication status in association with the time of acquisition.

[0093] The ground wireless communication status acquisition unit 2412b acquires the wireless communication status when data is transmitted from the mobile bases 200b and 200c to the spatial information data utilization system 4000. That is, the ground wireless communication status is obtained, for example, along the trajectory of movement of the mobile bases 200b and 200c. The mobile base 200 transmits data to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 via the Internet, for example, using a wireless communication infrastructure. Note that the ground wireless communication status acquisition unit 2412b may also acquire the wireless communication status from the ground to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 from a configuration other than the mobile bases 200b and 200c.

[0094] The terrestrial wireless communication status acquisition unit 2412b acquires the wireless communication status of each area in association with the position coordinates of the area for which the wireless communication status was acquired, and stores the acquired status in the storage unit 2470. The ship-type base 200c may acquire the position coordinates using, for example, a triangular wave. This wireless communication status is referenced in estimating the data transmission time (second data transmission time) from the mobile bases 200b, 200c to the spatial information data utilization system 4000.

[0095] The base communication status acquisition unit 2412c acquires the communication status of the fixed base 200a when data is transmitted from the fixed base 200a to the spatial information data utilization system 4000. The fixed base 200a transmits data to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 via, for example, the Internet. Note that the base communication status acquisition unit 2412c may acquire the wireless communication status from the ground to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 from a configuration other than the fixed base 200a.

[0096] The base communication status acquisition unit 2412c acquires the wireless communication status of each fixed base 200a in association with the identification information of the fixed base 200a and stores the acquired status in the storage unit 2470. The base communication status acquisition unit 2412c may acquire the wireless communication status of each fixed base 200a in association with the position coordinates of the fixed base 200a. Furthermore, the base communication status acquisition unit 2412c may acquire the wireless communication status of the fixed base 200a at the time of receiving a request from the recovery mode candidate extraction unit 2420. Furthermore, the base communication status acquisition unit 2412c may acquire the wireless communication status of each fixed base 200a in response to the detection of a search target by the monitoring device 110. This wireless communication status is referenced in estimating the data transmission time (third data transmission time) from the fixed base 200a to the spatial information data utilization system 4000.

[0097] (A-1-5-3. Collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420) The collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420 is a functional unit that extracts candidates for data collection modes. The collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420 extracts multiple candidate locations from pre-set candidates for data collection locations. Candidate table FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a candidate table T101 that shows examples of collection mode candidates extracted by the collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420. Collection modes are broadly divided into data collection methods and data collection locations where acquired data is collected from the monitoring device 110.

[0098] The data collection method includes, for example, the type of base 200 that collects the data and the data transmission method. Three types of bases 200 are assumed: a fixed base 200a, a vehicle-type base 200b, and a ship-type base 200c. Two types of transmission methods from the surveillance aircraft 110 to the base 200 are assumed: a method in which the surveillance aircraft 110 lands and collects the data, and a method in which the surveillance aircraft 110 transmits the data wirelessly while the surveillance aircraft 110 is flying. When the surveillance aircraft 110 collects the data by landing, for example, the storage medium of the surveillance aircraft 110 is physically removed by an operator and inserted into the flight management system 2400 to collect the data. When the surveillance aircraft 110 collects the data by landing, the battery may be replaced at the same time as the storage medium is collected. When the surveillance aircraft 110 collects the data by wireless communication, the surveillance aircraft 110 does not land, but transmits the acquired data while flying in a specified airspace, for example.

[0099] Furthermore, the data collection method is assumed to be a mode in which the acquired data is transmitted directly from the monitoring device 110 to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 by satellite transmission, without going through the base 200. Therefore, the collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420 extracts candidate collection methods by multiplying a total of seven types of collection modes by multiple candidate locations, respectively.

[0100] The candidate table T101 stores one or more candidate locations for possible data collection locations for each collection method. In collection modes (No. 1 and No. 2) in which the collection site is the fixed site 200a, the location at which acquired data is collected from the monitoring device 110 to the fixed site 200a is the location of the fixed site 200a. The collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420 may extract the fixed site 200a closest to the monitoring device 110 as the candidate location.

[0101] In a case where the base station 200 is mobile or where the acquired data is transmitted directly from the monitoring device 110 via satellite transmission, multiple data collection locations are possible because the base station 200 and the monitoring device 110 are moving. Therefore, the collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420 extracts candidates for the data collection location.

[0102] In a mode in which the base 200 performing data collection is a vehicle-type base 200b, the collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420 extracts multiple data collection locations from land locations. In a mode in which the base 200 performing data collection is a vessel-type base 200c or a mode in which data collection is performed by satellite transmission, the collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420 extracts multiple data collection locations from sea locations.

[0103] The potential recovery mode extraction unit 2420 may extract, as a candidate position, a position where the travel times of the mobile bases 200b, 200c and the surveillance device 110 are equal. Alternatively, of the mobile bases 200b, 200c, the base 200b, 200c closest to the surveillance device 110 may be extracted, and then a position where the travel times are equal may be extracted as a candidate position. If the position at the vehicle-type base 200b where the travel times of the surveillance device 110 are equal is on the ocean, the potential recovery mode extraction unit 2420 may extract a position on the coastline as a candidate position. In particular, when the surveillance device 110 monitors the ocean and the vehicle-type base 200b collects the acquired data, data collection on the coast is preferable. Multiple locations near the coast that are suitable for takeoff and landing may be selected in advance when the surveillance target area F is determined and stored in the memory unit 2470. The potential recovery mode extraction unit 2420 may extract candidate positions from among the locations selected in advance. The landing site may be selected to have a different size or shape depending on the type of surveillance aircraft 110, i.e., whether it is a rotary-wing aircraft or a VTOL aircraft, etc. Note that a VTOL aircraft is suitable for landing on a coast.

[0104] Furthermore, the potential recovery mode extraction unit 2420 may extract candidate locations by referring to the communication status in the airspace or on the ground acquired by the communication status acquisition unit 2412 .

[0105] More specifically, the potential recovery mode extraction unit 2420 extracts multiple locations extracted using different indices as candidate locations. For example, the potential recovery mode extraction unit 2420 extracts the location with the shortest travel time as candidate location A (land location A, sea location a), the location with the best airspace wireless communication status as candidate location B (land location B, sea location b), the location with the best ground communication status as candidate location C (land location C, sea location c), and the location with the travel distance or travel time, airspace communication status, and ground communication status all being at least a predetermined level as candidate location D (land location D, sea location d). Candidate location A may be, for example, a location where the travel distance or travel time between the surveillance device 110 and the mobile bases 200b and 200c is approximately equal.

[0106] (A-1-5-4. Required time estimation unit 2430) The required time estimation unit 2430 is a functional unit that estimates the amount of time required from the time when the surveillance device 110 detects a search target until the spatial information data utilization system 4000 acquires the acquired data stored in the surveillance device 110. The required time estimation unit 2430 mainly includes a travel time estimation unit 2431, a data transmission time estimation unit 2432, and a total required time estimation unit 2433.

[0107] (A-1-5-4-1. Travel time estimation unit 2431) The travel time estimation unit 2431 is a functional unit that estimates the travel time of the surveillance aircraft 110 and the mobile bases 200b and 200c to the data collection positions. The travel time estimation unit 2431 estimates the travel time of the surveillance aircraft 110, the vehicle-based base 200b, and the vessel-based base 200c to the data collection positions. The travel time estimation unit 2431 may estimate the predicted travel time by taking into account the degree of congestion in the airspace that can be determined from the flight plans of other aircraft. Furthermore, the travel time estimation unit 2431 may estimate the predicted travel time by taking into account the road conditions on the ground through which the mobile bases 200b and 200c will travel and the degree of congestion at sea.

[0108] Furthermore, when landing, the travel time estimation unit 2431 estimates the time required for the surveillance aircraft 110 to land. In this case, the travel time estimation unit 2431 may estimate the predicted landing time by taking into consideration the degree of congestion of the runway at the base, which is known from the flight plans of other aircraft and the landing plan of the base.

[0109] (A-1-5-4-2. Data Transmission Time Estimation Unit 2432) The data transmission time estimation unit 2432 is a functional unit that estimates the data transmission time for acquired data from the monitoring device 110 to the spatial information data utilization system 4000. The data transmission time includes a first data transmission time from the monitoring device 110 at the data collection location to the mobile bases 200b and 200c, a second data transmission time from the mobile bases 200b and 200c to the spatial information data utilization system 4000, a third data transmission time from the fixed base 200a to the spatial information data utilization system 4000, and a fourth data transmission time from the monitoring device 110 at the data collection location to the fixed base 200a. In other words, the data transmission time estimation unit 2432 estimates the data transmission time for each transmission method. The data transmission time estimation unit 2432 is an example of the data transmission time estimation unit, second data transmission time estimation unit, and third data transmission time estimation unit set forth in the claims.

[0110] When estimating the data transmission time, if the acquisition history of the wireless communication states of points close to each other is stored in the memory unit 2750, the data transmission time estimation unit 2432 may estimate the data transmission time by referring to the wireless communication state whose acquisition time is closest to the estimation time.

[0111] (A-1-5-4-3. Total required time estimation unit 2433) The total required time estimation unit 2433 is a functional unit that estimates the total required time for data transmission from the detection point of the search object to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 for each recovery mode. The total required time estimation unit 2433 estimates the total required time by adding up the travel time estimated by the travel time estimation unit 2431 and the data transmission time estimated by the data transmission time estimation unit 2432. Required time table FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a required time table T102 that shows an example of the data recovery mode and a breakdown of the required time to be estimated. The required time estimation unit 2430 refers to the required time table T102, extracts the required time to be estimated, and then estimates the total required time by summing up the required time to be estimated.

[0112] (A-1-5-5. Collection command unit 2440) The collection command unit 2440 is a functional unit that determines the collection mode of the acquired data and transmits the control commands required for collection to the monitoring device 110 and the base 200. For example, the collection command unit 2440 references the collection mode candidates extracted by the collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420 and the required time for each collection mode estimated by the required time estimation unit 2430, and determines to perform collection using the collection method that will minimize the required time. With this configuration, the collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420 limits the candidate modes, thereby reducing the calculation processing load.

[0113] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to a configuration in which a recovery mode is determined from candidates extracted by the recovery mode candidate extraction unit 2420, but may also include a configuration in which the recovery command unit 2440 determines the optimal data recovery location from an almost infinite number of candidate data recovery locations that can be selected.

[0114] The collection command unit 2440 mainly includes a data collection method determination unit 2441 , a data collection location determination unit 2442 , a surveillance device command unit 2443 , and a mobile base command unit 2444 .

[0115] (A-1-5-5-1. Data collection method determination unit 2441) The data collection method determination unit 2441 is a functional unit that determines or suggests to the user a data collection method for retrieving the acquired data acquired by the surveillance device 110 to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 when the surveillance device 110 detects a search target. As a collection method, the data collection method determination unit 2441 determines or suggests whether or not to use a base 200 for collection and the type of base 200. Furthermore, the data collection method determination unit 2441 determines or suggests as a collection method whether to have the acquired data collected at the base 200 by wireless transmission, to collect the data by having the surveillance device 110 land at the base 200, or to collect the data by satellite transmission without going through the base 200.

[0116] (A-1-5-5-2. Data collection location determination unit 2442) The data collection location determination unit 2442 is a functional unit that determines or suggests to the user a data collection location for collecting acquired data stored in the surveillance aircraft 110. The data collection location includes the concepts of both a location where the acquired data is collected after the surveillance aircraft 110 lands, and a location where the acquired data is collected via wireless communication between the surveillance aircraft 110 and the base 200.

[0117] The data collection location determination unit 2442 may determine or suggest the fixed base 200a that is closest to the monitoring device 110 as the data collection location.

[0118] Based on the location of the monitoring device 110 and the locations of the mobile bases 200b and 200c, the data collection location determination unit 2442 determines or suggests a location as the data collection location where the travel times required for the monitoring device 110 and the mobile bases 200b and 200c are approximately equal. In other words, the data collection location determination unit may determine or suggest a location as the data collection location where the travel time for the monitoring device 110 to travel to the data collection location and the travel time for the mobile bases 200b and 200c to travel to the data collection location are shortest. The locations of the search object, the location of the monitoring device 110, and the locations of the mobile bases 200b and 200c vary, and with this configuration, it is possible to select the optimal data collection location according to the locations of the monitoring device 110 and the mobile bases 200b and 200c at the time the search object is detected.

[0119] When the monitoring device 110 transmits acquired data via wireless communication, the data collection location determination unit 2442 may determine or suggest an area where either the wireless communication strength or the communication speed is greater than a predetermined condition as the data collection location. This configuration allows data collection to be performed while maintaining a secure wireless communication state. Furthermore, data collection can be performed at a sufficient communication speed, allowing data collection to be achieved in a short transmission time.

[0120] The data collection location determination unit 2442 determines or proposes, as a data collection location, an area where either the communication strength or communication speed of the wireless communication connecting the mobile bases 200b, 200c and the spatial information data utilization system 4000 is greater than a predetermined condition. With this configuration, it is possible to secure the communication status of the wireless communication and execute data collection.

[0121] The data collection position determination unit 2442 determines or proposes a data collection position that minimizes the sum of the travel time and the first data transmission time. The data collection position determination unit 2442 may also determine or propose a data collection position that minimizes the sum of the travel time, the first data transmission time, and the second data transmission time. With the above-described configuration, the data collection position can be determined taking the travel time and the data transmission time into consideration, thereby achieving rapid data collection.

[0122] The data collection location determination unit 2442 may extract, from the candidate locations, candidate locations where at least one of the communication strength or communication speed of the wireless communication from the monitoring device to the base 200 is greater than a predetermined second threshold, and determine or propose the candidate location as the data collection location. With this configuration, good communication conditions can be ensured and quick data collection can be achieved.

[0123] The data collection location determination unit 2442 may determine or propose a data collection location where either the communication strength or communication speed of the wireless or wired communication connecting the fixed base 200a and the spatial information data utilization system 4000 is greater than a predetermined condition and where the third data transmission time is the shortest among the candidate locations. Also, the data collection location determination unit 2442 may determine or propose a data collection location where the sum of the travel time and the fourth data transmission time is the shortest among the candidate locations. Furthermore, the data collection location determination unit 2442 may determine or propose a data collection location where the sum of the travel time, the third data transmission time, and the fourth data transmission time is the shortest among the candidate locations.

[0124] The data collection location determination unit 2442 may determine or suggest a data collection location based on information on the equipment management status managed by the facility equipment management system 4100. That is, for example, the data collection location determination unit 2442 may determine or suggest a base 200 with a sufficient equipment management status as a data collection location. Furthermore, the data collection location determination unit 2442 may exclude a base 200 with an insufficient equipment management status from the candidate data collection locations. With this configuration, data collection from the monitoring device 110 can be more reliably performed.

[0125] When determining or proposing that the surveillance aircraft 110 land at the data collection location, the data collection location determination unit 2442 may refer to the landing plan, takeoff plan, or flight plan of other aircraft at the data collection location to determine or propose a location where the surveillance aircraft 110 will wait for other aircraft for a relatively short time as the data collection location. In this case, the data collection location determination unit 2442 may refer to information from the reservation system 4200, for example. For example, even if the airspace at the data collection location has good wireless communication conditions, if there are multiple other aircraft in the airspace or if another aircraft has landed at the data collection location, the surveillance aircraft 110 may have to wait, which may result in a long time required for data collection. In this regard, a configuration that takes waiting time into consideration when determining or proposing a data collection location can shorten the waiting time and thereby achieve rapid data collection.

[0126] Furthermore, the data collection location determination unit 2442 may transmit information about the base 200 determined as the data collection location to the facility equipment management system 4100 and the reservation system 4200. When this information is received, the facility equipment management system 4100 may transmit information to the base 200 from which the monitoring device 110 is scheduled to collect data, indicating that maintenance management of the necessary equipment will be performed. This configuration ensures that preparations at the base 200 are completed before the monitoring device 110 arrives at the base 200. Furthermore, the reservation system 4200 updates the usage schedule for the base 200. This configuration allows other monitoring devices 110 to determine or propose data collection locations by referring to the latest base usage schedule.

[0127] With the above-described configuration, it is possible to efficiently calculate the collection mode that allows the most rapid collection of acquired data. Furthermore, since communication conditions change depending on the state of satellites and geomagnetic fields, the collection mode can be changed in consideration of the communication conditions, allowing for flexible data collection according to the situation.

[0128] (A-1-5-5-3. Surveillance aircraft command unit 2443) The surveillance aircraft command unit 2443 is a functional unit that controls the landing of the surveillance aircraft 110. The surveillance aircraft command unit 2443 acquires landing permission information, and upon acquisition of the landing permission information, causes the surveillance aircraft 110 to land at the data collection position. The landing permission information is input, for example, at the mobile bases 200b, 200c serving as the data collection positions. The landing permission information may also be input by an appropriate commander at a position other than the mobile bases 200b, 200c. Furthermore, the landing permission information may also be input by an operator traveling with the mobile bases 200b, 200c before the mobile bases 200b, 200c reach the data collection positions. For example, this operator inputs the landing permission information from a position slightly before the data collection positions in anticipation of the mobile bases 200b, 200c reaching the data collection positions.

[0129] The surveillance aircraft command unit 2443 may acquire arrival information indicating that the mobile bases 200b, 200c have arrived at the data collection location, and may land the surveillance aircraft 110 at the data collection location upon acquiring the arrival information and landing permission information. If the arrival information or landing permission information is not acquired, the surveillance aircraft 110 determines that the ground is not ready for landing, and performs hovering standby in the sky or fixed-wing circular flight standby. Note that if the surveillance aircraft 110 is an eVTOL aircraft, it may perform hovering standby if the remaining battery charge is greater than a predetermined amount, or may perform circular flight standby if the remaining battery charge is less than the predetermined amount. Note that while the surveillance aircraft 110 is at the data collection location, it is preferable that another surveillance aircraft 110 or another surveillance device such as a ground-mounted radar 114 continue monitoring the detected search object and determine its movement location.

[0130] When the surveillance aircraft command unit 2443 detects that the acquired data has been collected, it may return the surveillance aircraft 110 to the position of the search object recorded in the surveillance aircraft 110 or to the position where the search for the search object was interrupted, and may resume tracking flight of the search object. The surveillance aircraft command unit 2443 may also execute a search flight by the surveillance aircraft 110 at the position of the search object or the position where the search for the search object was interrupted. Furthermore, while the surveillance aircraft 110 is at the data collection position, if the position of the search object can be determined by another surveillance aircraft or another surveillance device, the surveillance aircraft command unit 2443 may navigate the surveillance aircraft 110 to the position of the search object determined by the surveillance device.

[0131] (A-1-5-5-4. Mobile base command unit 2444) The mobile base command unit 2444 is a functional unit that transmits a control command to the mobile base 200b or 200c in accordance with the data collection mode determined by the data collection position determination unit 2442. The mobile base command unit 2444 moves the mobile base 200b or 200c to the data collection position determined by the data collection position determination unit 2442.

[0132] Furthermore, the mobile base command unit 2444 transmits a control command related to the collection of the acquired data to the mobile base 200b or 200c according to the determined data collection mode. The mobile base command unit 2444 may, for example, establish wireless communication between the monitoring device 110 and the mobile bases 200b and 200c, and cause the mobile bases 200b and 200c to acquire the acquired data from the monitoring device 110.

[0133] (A-1-5-6. Instruction Notification Control Unit 2450) The instruction notification control unit 2450 is a functional unit that notifies the worker of the determined recovery mode and instructs the worker on the work to be done. For example, when the monitoring device 110 is to transmit data upon landing, the instruction notification control unit 2450 may notify the worker at the mobile base 200b, 200c of an instruction to physically remove the recording medium from the monitoring device 110. Furthermore, when the monitoring device 110 is to transmit data upon landing, the data transmission may be performed by connecting the monitoring device 110 to a specific device via a wired connection, and the instruction notification control unit 2450 may notify the worker of an instruction to execute the wired connection. Furthermore, the instruction notification control unit 2450 may notify the worker of an instruction to prepare a replacement recording medium or battery to be inserted into the monitoring device 110.

[0134] (A-1-5-7. Communication unit 2460) The communication unit 2460 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.

[0135] (A-1-5-8. Storage Unit 2470) The storage unit 2470 is a functional unit, such as a database, that stores information related to the control of the monitoring device 110 and the base 200. The storage unit 2470 stores, for example, a candidate table T101 (see FIG. 6). The storage unit 2470 also stores a required time table T102 (see FIG. 7). The candidate table T101 and the required time table T102 may be recorded in a rewritable manner. The storage unit 2470 may also store the location information and communication status acquired by the communication and location status acquisition unit 2410.

[0136] (A-1-6. Flowchart) (A-1-6-1. Processing Executed When a Search Object is Detected) Using Figure 8, an example of the flow of processing executed when a search object is detected will be described. First, the aircraft control unit 1100 of the aircraft control system 1000 causes the monitoring device 110 to monitor the monitoring target area F (step S101). When a search object is detected by the search object detection unit 1400 (step S102), the position of the search object detected by the search object position detection unit 1500 and the information acquired by the object detection sensor 1300 are transmitted to the operation management system 2400, and the process proceeds to step S102.

[0137] Next, the communication and location status acquisition unit 2410 of the operation management system 2400 acquires communication status and location information (step S103). Next, the collection mode candidate extraction unit 2420 extracts multiple collection mode candidates (step S104). Next, the required time estimation unit 2430 estimates the required time for each collection mode (step S105).

[0138] Next, the collection command unit 2440 determines a collection mode to be executed from among candidate collection modes for the acquired data, and executes collection of the acquired data (step S107). Next, the spatial information data utilization system 4000 that received the acquired data analyzes the acquired data (step S108).

[0139] Conceptual diagram showing communication status An example of the communication status and location information acquired in step S103 will be described using Figures 9 and 10. In Figure 9, fixed bases 200a-1 and 200a-2, a mobile base 200b, and a ship-based base 200c exist on the ground plane L100. The communication status of the ground plane L100 is periodically acquired by the base communication status acquisition unit 2412c in the area where the fixed base 200a is located. Furthermore, in areas of the ground plane L100 where the fixed base 200a is not located, the wireless communication status acquired by the ground wireless communication status acquisition unit 2412b is referenced along the trajectories of the mobile bases 200b and 200c. Furthermore, the wireless communication status of the airspace L200 defined above the ground plane L100 is referenced by the wireless communication status acquired by the airspace communication status acquisition unit 2412a.

[0140] On the ground surface L100, there are areas A100 where the communication conditions from the surveillance device 110 to the base 200 are good and areas A110 where the communication conditions are poor. In the airspace L200, there are areas A200 where the communication conditions from the base 200 to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 are good and areas A210 where the communication conditions are poor. In the figure, the fixed base 200a-1 and the ship-based base 200c are included in area A100, and the communication conditions on the ground are poor. On the other hand, it can be seen that areas A200 where the communication conditions are good and areas A210 where the communication conditions are poor are scattered throughout the airspace L200.

[0141] In FIG. 10, areas A100 with good communication conditions and areas A200 with poor communication conditions are scattered on the ground surface L100, while in the airspace L200, all of the measured areas are areas A200 with good communication conditions.

[0142] The communication conditions of the public line, i.e., the communication strength and communication speed, differ between the airspace and the ground. The communication conditions on the ground vary depending on the conditions on the ground. The communication conditions in the airspace also vary depending on the conditions on the ground. For example, the communication conditions may be poor in mountainous areas or valleys, while the communication conditions may be relatively good in locations close to communication stations. Furthermore, since the base 200 has dedicated wireless equipment, the communication conditions tend to be good in the direct communication area with the dedicated wireless equipment and poor in other areas. Furthermore, the communication conditions also change depending on the time of day.

[0143] In the above-described situation, the communication status acquisition unit 2412 grasps the wireless communication status at multiple locations and multiple points in time, the data transmission time estimation unit 2432 estimates the data transmission time, and the recovery command unit 2440 transmits the acquired data with a relatively short data transmission time, thereby enabling efficient data transmission in accordance with the wireless communication status.

[0144] (A-1-6-2. Processing for estimating the time required for landing and data collection) Next, the processing for estimating the time required for landing at the fixed base 200a and data collection will be described with reference to Fig. 11. This mode corresponds to collection mode No. 1 in the candidate table T101 of Fig. 6.

[0145] First, the data collection method determination unit 2441 and the data collection location determination unit 2442 acquire the type of data transmission base, the data collection location, and the collection mode (step S201). Next, the required time estimation unit 2430 estimates the travel time from the surveillance aircraft 110 to the fixed base 200a (step S202). Next, the landing plan of other aircraft at the fixed base 200a is acquired (step S203). Next, the time required for landing at the fixed base 200a is estimated (step S204).

[0146] After step S201, the process proceeds to step S212 in parallel with step S202. In step S212, the base communication status acquisition unit 2412c acquires the communication status of the fixed base 200a on the ground.

[0147] Next, the base communication status acquisition unit 2412c estimates the data transmission time for transmitting data from the fixed base 200a to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 (step S213). Note that if the acquired data analysis unit is disposed in the fixed base 200a, step S213 is omitted and the process proceeds to step S220.

[0148] Next, the required time estimation unit 2430 estimates the total required time obtained in steps S202 to S204 and steps S212 to S213 (step S220).

[0149] (A-1-6-3. Process for estimating the time required for data collection via wireless transmission) The process for estimating the time required for data collection via wireless transmission from the mobile bases 200b and 200c will be described with reference to Fig. 12. This mode corresponds to collection mode No. 4 in the candidate table T101 of Fig. 6.

[0150] First, the data collection method determination unit 2441 and the data collection location determination unit 2442 acquire the type of data transmission location, the data collection location, and the collection method (step S301). Next, the travel time estimation unit 2431 estimates the travel time from the monitoring device 110 to the mobile locations 200b and 200c (step S302). Next, the travel time estimation unit 2431 acquires the travel time required for the mobile locations 200b and 200c to reach the data collection locations (step S303). Next, the travel time estimation unit 2431 compares the monitoring device travel time to the data collection location of the monitoring device 110 with the base travel time to the data collection locations of the mobile locations 200b and 200c, and adopts the longer time as the travel time to the data collection locations (step S304).

[0151] After step S301, the process proceeds to step S312 in parallel with step S302. In step S312, the airspace communication status acquisition unit 2412a acquires the communication status of the airspace at the candidate position for data collection.

[0152] Next, the airspace communication status acquisition unit 2412a estimates a data transmission time for data transmission from the surveillance device 110 to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 (step S313). The ground wireless communication status acquisition unit 2412b acquires the ground communication status at the data collection location (step S314). Next, a second data transmission time for data transmission from the mobile bases 200b and 200c to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 is estimated (step S315).

[0153] If the analysis unit for the acquired data is located in the mobile bases 200b and 200c, step S315 is omitted and the process proceeds to step S320.

[0154] Next, the required time estimation unit 2430 estimates the total required time obtained in steps S302 to S304 and steps S312 to S315 (step S320).

[0155] (A-1-6-4. Processing by the Collection Command Unit) Using FIG. 13 , an example of the flow of processing by the monitoring device 110 and the base 200 to collect data in response to the collection command unit 2440 will be described. First, the data collection method determination unit 2441 and the data collection location determination unit 2442 select the data transmission mode that provides the shortest estimated total required time (step S401). Next, the monitoring device command unit 2443 sends a movement instruction to the monitoring device 110 to the data collection location (step S402). Next, the monitoring device command unit 2443 sends a data transmission instruction to the monitoring device 110 using the selected data transmission method (step S403). Note that steps S402 and S403 may be performed in reverse order or simultaneously, but the mode in which the movement instruction is sent first is preferable because it allows the device to start moving more quickly. In addition, instead of a configuration in which the data collection method determination unit 2441 and the data collection position determination unit 2442 determine the data transmission mode, a configuration in which the data collection method determination unit 2441 and the data collection position determination unit 2442 propose a data transmission mode to the user, and the transmission mode is determined when the user inputs approval or selection.

[0156] It is determined whether the determined data transmission method is transmission using the mobile bases 200b and 200c (step S404), and if the mobile bases 200b and 200c are not used (N in step S404), the process ends.

[0157] If the determined data transmission method is transmission using the mobile bases 200b and 200c (N in step S404), the mobile base command unit 2444 transmits an instruction to the mobile bases 200b and 200c to move to the data collection location (step S405). It is determined whether the mobile bases 200b and 200c have arrived at the data collection location (step S406), and upon arrival at the data collection location, the process proceeds to step S407. The data collection location may be above the mobile bases 200b and 200c, above the mobile bases 200b and 200c, or in the vicinity of the mobile bases 200b and 200c. In this case, an additional surveillance aircraft may be provided for the mobile bases 200b and 200c. Furthermore, if the data collection location is not on the mobile bases 200b and 200c, the location of the monitoring device 110 may be shown to the workers at the mobile bases 200b and 200c, and instructions may be given to rush to the monitoring device 110.

[0158] In step S407, it is determined whether the determined data transmission method is landing or not, and if it is data transmission by landing (Y in step S407), the process proceeds to step S408, whereas if it is data transmission by wireless transmission (N in step S407), the process proceeds to step S410.

[0159] In step S408, the surveillance aircraft 110 waits for a landing permission signal from the mobile bases 200b and 200c. While waiting for the landing permission signal, the surveillance aircraft 110 may hover or circle in the sky. For example, if the remaining battery charge of the surveillance aircraft 110 is sufficient, i.e., above a predetermined level, the surveillance aircraft 110 may hover, and if the remaining battery charge is not sufficient, the surveillance aircraft 110 may circle.

[0160] When the surveillance aircraft command unit 2443 receives a landing permission signal from the mobile bases 200b and 200c (Y in step S408), it lands the surveillance aircraft 110 at the data collection location (step S409). Here, the data acquired by the surveillance aircraft 110 is collected by replacing the data recording unit 1700 of the surveillance aircraft 110 upon landing. Furthermore, if the mobile bases 200b and 200c have a replacement battery, the battery of the surveillance aircraft 110 is replaced. Alternatively, if the mobile bases 200b and 200c have a spare surveillance aircraft (unmanned aerial vehicle) and an abnormality or malfunction is detected in the surveillance aircraft 110, the surveillance aircraft 110 can be replaced. Next, the acquired data is transmitted to the spatial information data utilization system 4000 (step S410). Once transmission of the acquired data is complete, the surveillance aircraft 110 resumes flight and tracks the detected search object or performs a search flight around the search object (step S411).

[0161] [A-2. Effects of this embodiment] According to this embodiment, data can be quickly collected from the surveillance device.

[0162] 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.

[0163] The series of processes described in connection with the above embodiment may be realized using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. A computer program for realizing 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.

[0164] 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.

[0165] 1 Aviation data sensing system (monitoring system) 1000 Aircraft control system 1200 Self-positioning unit 1300 Object detection sensor 1400 Search object detection unit 1500 Search object position detection unit 1650 Airspace radio status monitoring unit 110 Monitoring 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 Communication and position status acquisition unit 2420 Recovery mode candidate extraction unit 2430 Required time estimation unit 2440 Recovery command unit 3000 Airspace and sea area monitoring and control system 4000 Spatial information data utilization system 5000 Ship control system 6000 Air traffic control system 100 Aircraft (moving body) F Surveillance area F110 Surveillance range S200 Suspicious vessel (search target)

Claims

1. A surveillance system comprising: a surveillance aircraft that searches for a search object in a surveillance area; a search object detection unit mounted on said surveillance aircraft that detects said search object; and a data collection position determination unit that, when said surveillance aircraft detects said search object, determines or proposes a data collection position for collecting acquired data stored in said surveillance aircraft by landing or wireless communication.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising: a mobile base equipped with equipment for collecting the acquired data; and a mobile base command unit that moves the mobile base to the data collection location determined by the data collection location determination unit or determined by a user in response to a suggestion from the data collection location determination unit.

3. The monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the data collection location determination unit determines or suggests as the data collection location a location where the travel times required for the monitoring aircraft and the mobile base are approximately equal based on the location of the monitoring aircraft and the location of the mobile base.

4. A monitoring system as described in claim 2, wherein the data collection location determination unit determines or suggests, when the monitoring device transmits the acquired data via the wireless communication, an area in which either the communication strength or communication speed of the wireless communication is greater than a predetermined condition as the data collection location.

5. A monitoring system as described in claim 2, wherein the mobile base is connected via wireless communication to an analysis unit that analyzes the acquired data, and the data collection location determination unit determines or suggests as the data collection location an area where either the communication strength or communication speed of the wireless communication connecting the mobile base and the analysis unit is greater than a predetermined threshold.

6. A monitoring system as described in claim 2, further comprising a travel time estimation unit which estimates a travel time for the monitoring device and the mobile base to the data collection location, and a data transmission time estimation unit which estimates a first data transmission time from the monitoring device to the mobile base at the data collection location, wherein the data collection location determination unit determines or suggests the data collection location at which the sum of the travel time and the first data transmission time is shortest.

7. The monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the mobile base is connected via wireless communication to an analysis unit that analyzes the acquired data, the data transmission time estimation unit predicts a second data transmission time from the mobile base to the analysis unit, and the data collection position determination unit determines or suggests the data collection position that minimizes the sum of the travel time, the first data transmission time, and the second data transmission time.

8. A surveillance system as described in claim 6, further comprising a data collection method determination unit which determines or suggests, as a collection mode for transmitting the acquired data from the surveillance aircraft to the base, whether to collect the acquired data by having the surveillance aircraft land at the base, or to transmit the acquired data from the surveillance aircraft to the base by wireless transmission, wherein the travel time estimation unit calculates the travel time by adding the landing time required for the surveillance aircraft to land at the base to the time it takes for the surveillance aircraft to travel to the data collection position, and the data collection method determination unit determines or suggests the collection mode which results in the shortest sum of the travel time and the first data transmission time.

9. A monitoring system as described in claim 1, further comprising: a base equipped with equipment for collecting the acquired data; and a candidate collection mode extraction unit which extracts a plurality of candidate locations from the data collection location candidates set in advance, wherein the data collection location determination unit extracts from the candidate locations a candidate location where at least one of the communication strength or communication speed of the wireless communication from the monitoring device to the base is greater than a predetermined second threshold, and determines or proposes the candidate location as the data collection location.

10. The monitoring system of claim 9, wherein the base is a fixed base, is connected via wireless communication to an analysis unit that analyzes the acquired data, and further comprises a second data transmission time estimation unit that estimates a third data transmission time from the base to the analysis unit, and the data collection position determination unit determines or suggests the data collection position where at least the third data transmission time is shortest among the candidate positions.

11. The monitoring system of claim 10, further comprising a third data transmission time estimation unit that estimates a travel time of the monitoring device to the data collection location and a fourth data transmission time from the monitoring device to the base at the data collection location, and the data collection location determination unit determines or suggests the data collection location where the sum of the travel time and the fourth data transmission time is shortest among the candidate locations.

12. The monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein the data collection position determination unit determines or proposes the data collection position where the sum of the travel time, the third data transmission time, and the fourth data transmission time is shortest among the candidate positions.

13. A surveillance system as described in claim 1, wherein when the data collection position determination unit decides to land the surveillance aircraft at the data collection position, it refers to the landing plan, takeoff plan or flight plan of another aircraft at the data collection position and determines or proposes a position at the data collection position where the surveillance aircraft will wait for the other aircraft for a relatively short waiting time.

14. The surveillance system according to claim 1, further comprising a surveillance aircraft command unit that controls the landing of the surveillance aircraft, the surveillance aircraft command unit acquiring landing permission information and causing the surveillance aircraft to land at the data collection location upon acquiring the landing permission information.

15. A surveillance system as described in claim 14, further comprising a mobile base equipped with equipment for collecting the acquired data, wherein the surveillance aircraft command unit acquires arrival information indicating that the mobile base has arrived at the data collection location, and lands the surveillance aircraft at the data collection location upon acquisition of the arrival and landing permission information.

16. A surveillance system as described in claim 1, further comprising a surveillance aircraft command unit that controls the landing of the surveillance aircraft, which, upon detecting that the acquired data has been retrieved, returns to the position of the search object recorded in the surveillance aircraft or to the position where the search for the search object was interrupted, and performs a tracking flight of the search object, or a search flight at the position of the search object or the position where the search for the search object was interrupted.

17. A surveillance method in which a computer executes a search object detection step of detecting the search object by a surveillance aircraft searching for the search object in a surveillance area, and a data collection position determination step of determining or proposing a data collection position for collecting acquired data stored in the surveillance aircraft by landing or wireless communication when the surveillance aircraft detects the search object.

18. A surveillance program that causes a computer to execute a search object detection command to detect a search object by a surveillance aircraft searching for a search object in a surveillance area, and a data collection position determination command to determine or propose a data collection position for collecting acquired data stored in the surveillance aircraft by landing or wireless communication when the surveillance aircraft detects the search object.

Images