Operational management system, operational management method, and program

Abstract

Provided is an operational management system, for example, that suppresses deterioration of the communication state between an aerial vehicle and a base station. The operational management system includes a plan acquisition unit, a quality data acquisition unit, a determination unit, and an output unit. The plan acquisition unit acquires, in advance, a flight plan including the flight path of a group of two or more aerial vehicles. The quality data acquisition unit acquires signal quality data relating to the signal quality of a signal received, from the base station, by each of at least two or more aerial vehicles flying separately when viewed along the traveling direction of the aerial vehicles. On the basis of the tendency of the signal quality included in the signal quality data, the determination unit determines that the flight path at a time later than the time at which the signal quality data was acquired be changed in a direction in which the signal quality becomes better. The output unit outputs information on the changed flight path.

Description

Traffic management system, traffic management method and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a traffic management system, a traffic management method, and a program.

[0002] The use of drones has progressed, and the operation of drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights is becoming more widespread. In order to monitor and control drone flights from a remote location, it is necessary to ensure stable wireless communication between the drone and a base station.

[0003] In this regard, for example, a mobile robot described in Patent Document 1 stores a radio environment map and has the functions of recognizing its own position, monitoring the radio status, searching for a recovery location when communication is interrupted, and issuing instructions for movement. The mobile robot is also configured to update the radio environment map stored in the memory unit.

[0004] For example, the aircraft described in Patent Document 2 stores information for identifying users of a communication service that communicates via a wireless base station, and receives airspace information from the wireless base station based on the information to control flight. When the aircraft determines that radio wave quality is poor, it switches to autonomous control mode or makes a decision based on statistical data from other aircraft.

[0005] JP 2008-087102 A JP 2019-133704 A

[0006] However, the signal strength of base stations along the flight path depends on weather and environmental changes. Therefore, the signal strength along the planned flight path may be worse than expected. On the other hand, if the aircraft were to move completely autonomously based on its own judgment when signal strength was poor, the system would become complicated and long.

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the object of the present disclosure is to provide an operation management system etc. that suppresses deterioration of communication conditions between an aircraft and a base station.

[0008] The traffic management system according to the present disclosure includes a plan acquisition unit, a quality data acquisition unit, a determination unit, and an output unit. The plan acquisition unit acquires in advance a flight plan including the flight paths of a group of two or more aircraft. The quality data acquisition unit acquires signal quality data related to the signal quality of signals received from base stations by at least two or more aircraft flying apart when viewed along the direction of the aircraft's flight. The determination unit determines, based on the signal quality trend contained in the signal quality data, to change the flight path for times after the time the signal quality data was acquired in a direction that improves signal quality. The output unit outputs information about the changed flight path.

[0009] In the traffic management method according to the present disclosure, a computer executes the following processes. The computer acquires in advance a flight plan including flight paths of a group of two or more air vehicles. The computer acquires signal quality data relating to the signal quality of signals received from base stations by at least two or more air vehicles that are flying apart when viewed along the direction of the air vehicles' movements. Based on the signal quality trend contained in the signal quality data, the computer determines to change the flight path for times after the time the signal quality data was acquired in a direction that improves signal quality. The computer outputs information about the changed flight path.

[0010] A program according to the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the following traffic management method. The computer acquires in advance a flight plan including flight paths for a group of two or more air vehicles. The computer acquires signal quality data relating to the signal quality of signals received from base stations by at least two or more air vehicles that are flying apart when viewed along the direction of the air vehicles' movements. The computer determines, based on the signal quality trend contained in the signal quality data, to change the flight path for times after the time the signal quality data was acquired in a direction that improves signal quality. The computer outputs information about the changed flight path.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an operation management system, an operation management method, and a program that suppress deterioration of communication conditions between an aircraft and a base station.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a traffic management system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a traffic management method according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a traffic management system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a traffic management method according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a traffic management system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a second block diagram of a traffic management system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a traffic management method according to the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a first diagram showing the movement of an aircraft in a traffic system. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a traffic management method according to the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a third diagram showing the movement of an aircraft in a traffic system. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a traffic management method according to the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a fourth diagram showing the movement of an aircraft in a traffic system. FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an aircraft including a traffic management system. FIG. 14 is a fifth diagram showing the movement of an aircraft in a traffic system. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration.

[0013] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential means for solving the problems. For clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate. In each drawing, the same elements are assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

[0014] First Embodiment A traffic management system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the traffic management system 10 according to the present disclosure. The traffic management system 10 manages the operation of an air vehicle. The traffic management system 10 is, for example, a computer or server with a communication function. The air vehicle is, for example, an unmanned aerial vehicle known as a drone or an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The air vehicle may also be known as urban air mobility (UAM).

[0015] The aircraft in the present disclosure flies under the control of an operational traffic management system 10. The aircraft is remotely controlled by a predetermined operational traffic management system. The operational traffic management system may be part of the operational traffic management system 10. Alternatively, the operational traffic management system may include the operational traffic management system 10. The operational traffic management system communicates with the aircraft via, for example, a predetermined base station installed in the area in which the aircraft flies. In other words, the aircraft flies in an area in which it can communicate with the base station. The operational traffic management system 10 manages the status of such aircraft. The operational traffic management system 10 mainly comprises a plan acquisition unit 110, a quality data acquisition unit 120, a determination unit 130, and an output unit 140.

[0016] The plan acquisition unit 110 acquires in advance a flight plan including the flight paths of a group of two or more aircraft. A group of aircraft refers to two or more aircraft flying in a state in which they can cooperate with each other. A state in which they can cooperate refers, for example, to a state in which they fly while maintaining a range in which they can directly communicate with each other. In this case, the direct wireless communication performed by the aircraft is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi. In other words, the group of aircraft fly while maintaining a distance of several tens of meters to less than 100 meters from each other. This allows the group of aircraft to perform operations that cannot be performed by a single aircraft, such as transporting a volume of cargo that cannot be carried by a single aircraft.

[0017] When operating an aircraft, the traffic management system 10 acquires a flight plan for the aircraft in advance. For example, the manager or owner of the aircraft creates a flight plan before operating the aircraft and submits the flight plan to an administrator who has jurisdiction over the planned flight route included in the created flight plan. The administrator who has jurisdiction over the planned flight route is, for example, a local government or a land manager who manages the land on the planned flight route. The plan acquisition unit 110 acquires the flight plan disclosed in this manner.

[0018] The quality data acquisition unit 120 acquires signal quality data relating to the signal quality of signals received from a base station by each of two or more aircraft included in a group of aircraft. Preferably, the two or more aircraft are flying at a distance from each other when viewed along the direction of the aircraft's travel. This makes it easier for the quality data acquisition unit 120 to grasp the trend in signal quality of radio waves arriving at the aircraft from the base station in a plane perpendicular to the direction of travel.

[0019] The signal quality data acquired by the quality data acquisition unit 120 may include position information of each aircraft, allowing the traffic management system 10 to grasp the positions of the aircraft and the signal quality at each position.

[0020] Based on the signal quality trend included in the signal quality data, the determination unit 130 determines to change the flight path at a time after the time the signal quality data was acquired in a direction that improves signal quality. In this case, the determination unit 130, for example, determines in which direction the signal strength is relatively strong in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel as the signal quality trend. The determination unit 130 further determines to change the flight path of the group of flying objects in a direction where the signal strength is relatively strong. Note that in this disclosure, signal strength refers to radio wave strength in wireless communication. Signal strength may be referred to as received signal strength or RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator).

[0021] The output unit 140 outputs information about the changed flight path. The flight path information output by the output unit 140 may be output directly to the aircraft, for example. In this case, the output unit 140 outputs information for instructing the aircraft to change the flight path. The flight path information output by the output unit 140 may be output to an operation system that operates the aircraft, for example. In this case, the output unit 140 outputs information for instructing the operation system to change the flight path.

[0022] Next, the processing executed by the traffic management system 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a flowchart of the traffic management method according to the present disclosure. In the traffic management method according to the present disclosure, the traffic management system 10 executes the following processing.

[0023] First, the plan acquisition unit 110 acquires in advance a flight plan including flight paths of a group of two or more flying objects (step S11). The plan acquisition unit 110 supplies information about the acquired flight plan to the output unit 140.

[0024] Next, the quality data acquisition unit 120 acquires signal quality data relating to the signal quality of signals received from base stations by at least two or more flying vehicles that are flying apart when viewed along the direction of travel of the flying vehicles (step S12). The quality data acquisition unit 120 supplies the acquired signal quality data to the determination unit 130.

[0025] Next, the determination unit 130 receives the flight plan and the signal quality data and determines, based on the received information, that the flight path after the time when the signal quality data was acquired should be changed in a direction that improves signal quality (step S13). At this time, the determination unit 130 makes this determination based on the signal quality trend contained in the signal quality data. The determination unit 130 supplies information related to the determination to the output unit 140.

[0026] Next, the output unit 140 outputs information about the flight route changed by the determination unit 130 (step S14). After the output unit 140 outputs the information about the changed flight route, the traffic management system 10 ends the series of processes.

[0027] The configuration of the traffic management system 10 and the traffic management method have been described above. The traffic management system 10 may include a processor and a storage device as components not shown. The storage device included in the traffic management system 10 includes a storage device including a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory or an SSD. In this case, the storage device included in the traffic management system 10 stores a computer program (hereinafter simply referred to as a program) for executing the image processing method described above. The processor also loads the computer program from the storage device into a buffer memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and executes the program.

[0028] Each component of the traffic management system 10 may be realized by dedicated hardware. Furthermore, some or all of the components may be realized by general-purpose or dedicated circuits, processors, etc., or a combination of these. These may be configured by a single chip, or by multiple chips connected via a bus. Some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of the above-mentioned circuits, etc., and programs. Furthermore, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), etc. may be used as a processor. Furthermore, the processing performed by the traffic management system 10 may be provided as software as a service (SaaS). The description of the components described herein may also be applied to other devices or systems described below in this disclosure.

[0029] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a traffic management system, a traffic management method, and a program that suppress deterioration of the communication state between the flying object and the base station.

[0030] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an operation system 1 according to the present disclosure. The operation system 1 mainly includes an operation control system 100, an aircraft 200, a base station 300, and an aircraft management device 400.

[0031] 3 shows two aircraft 200 (aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B). Aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B are a group of aircraft flying separately from each other. However, when referring to aircraft 200, this includes cases where the aircraft 200 is a collective term for aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B.

[0032] The Traffic Management System 100 is communicatively connected to the base station 300 via the network N1. The Traffic Management System 100 is also communicatively connected to the flying object 200 via the base station 300. The Traffic Management System 100 is also communicatively connected to the flying object management device 400 via the network N1. The Traffic Management System 100 acquires a flight plan from the flying object management device 400. The Traffic Management System 100 also acquires signal quality data from the flying object 200 via the base station 300. At this time, the signal quality data supplied by the flying object 200 to the Traffic Management System 100 is data related to the quality of radio waves arriving at the flying object 200 from the base station 300. The Traffic Management System 100 outputs information related to a change in flight path to at least one of the flying object management device 400 and the flying object 200.

[0033] The flying object 200 is an flying object managed by the administrator of the flying object management device 400. The flying object 200 flies while emitting an identification signal. The identification signal includes, for example, authentication information, time information, and location information. The authentication information includes information indicating that the flying object 200 is an authenticated flying object. The authentication information may include, for example, an authentication number issued by a predetermined authorization organization such as a local government, or a unique identifier linked to the information processing device 20. The time information is a timestamp that is updated each time an identification signal is emitted. The location information includes, for example, information regarding latitude, longitude, and altitude. The location information may also include information indicating the speed of movement.

[0034] Furthermore, in relation to communication with the base station 300, the aircraft 200 outputs data (signal quality data) relating to the signal quality of radio waves arriving from the base station 300. The aircraft 200 may output the signal quality data together with the above-mentioned identification signal. The aircraft 200 may output the signal quality data in response to a request from the traffic management system 100, for example.

[0035] The base station 300 is a relay device that is communicatively connected to the network N1 and that performs wireless communication with the flying object 200. The base station 300 performs communication with the flying object 200 in accordance with wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi, LTE (Long Term Evolution), or so-called 5G (5th Generation).

[0036] The air vehicle management device 400 is a terminal for remotely controlling the air vehicle 200. The air vehicle management device 400 is, for example, a computer or a server. The air vehicle management device 400 may be a smartphone or a tablet computer. The air vehicle management device 400 has a memory unit 410, and the memory unit 410 stores a flight plan 411.

[0037] Next, the traffic management system 100 will be further described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the traffic management system 100 according to the present disclosure. The traffic management system 100 mainly includes a plan acquisition unit 110, a quality data acquisition unit 120, a determination unit 130, an output unit 140, an instruction unit 150, a weather data acquisition unit 160, and a storage unit 170.

[0038] The plan acquisition unit 110 of the traffic management system 100 acquires the flight plan 411 from the flying object management device 400. The traffic management system 100 stores the received flight plan 411 in the storage unit 170 as the flight plan 171.

[0039] The quality data acquisition unit 120 of the traffic management system 100 acquires signal quality data from each of the flying bodies 200A and 200B. At this time, the flying bodies 200A and 200B fly along their flight paths at positions separated by a threshold distance or more in the left and right directions relative to their direction of travel. This allows the traffic management system 10 to optimally acquire trends in signal quality.

[0040] Based on the signal quality data, the determination unit 130 of the traffic management system 100 estimates a position where the signal strength acquired by the flying object after changing its flight path will be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. For example, the determination unit 130 acquires the position of each flying object 200 and the signal strength at that position from the signal quality data acquired from the flying object 200.

[0041] The signal strength may be, for example, radio wave strength. The signal strength may be an index including radio wave strength and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The determination unit 130 may calculate the location where the signal strength is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold based on this information. The determination unit 130 may use a predetermined trained model when estimating the location where the signal strength is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold. In this case, the trained model may estimate the location where the signal strength is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, taking into account, for example, area information regarding the signal quality of the radio waves emitted by the base station 300. This allows the traffic management system 10 to effectively suppress deterioration of the communication status between the aircraft and the base station. The determination unit 130 may also estimate the location where the signal strength is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, taking into account weather data acquired by the weather data acquisition unit 160 (described later).

[0042] The output unit 140 outputs information related to the determination by the determination unit 130, i.e., information on the changed flight path, to the flying object 200 and the flying object management device 400. This causes the flying object 200 to change its flight path. The flying object 200 may change its flight path in accordance with information received from the traffic management system 100, or may change its flight path in response to an instruction to change its flight path from the flying object management device 400.

[0043] If the flying body 200A and the flying body 200B are not separated by more than a threshold distance when viewed along the direction of travel, the instruction unit 150 instructs them to move away from each other by more than the threshold distance.

[0044] The weather data acquisition unit 160 acquires weather data for the flight route. More specifically, the weather data acquisition unit 160 acquires weather data by communicating with a weather information service terminal (not shown) that provides weather information for the area including the flight route via the network N1. Alternatively, the weather data acquisition unit 160 may directly acquire data from a predetermined anemometer or the like. The weather data may include data related to wind direction, wind speed, and sunlight.

[0045] In this case, the determination unit 130 may determine to change the flight path taking into account meteorological data. That is, the determination unit 130 may estimate a position within a safe operational area where the signal strength is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. This allows the traffic management system 10 to prevent a deterioration in the communication status between the aircraft 200 and a base station while suppressing a decrease in the operational safety of the aircraft 200.

[0046] The memory unit 170 is a storage device including a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The memory unit 170 stores at least a flight plan 171. The memory unit 170 supplies the flight plan 171 to the determination unit 130, for example. Note that the determination unit 130 may update the flight plan 171 when it determines to change the flight path of the flying object 200. In this case, the output unit 140 may notify the flying object management device 400 of the flight plan including the changed flight path.

[0047] Next, the processing executed by the traffic management system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the traffic management method according to the present disclosure. In the traffic management method according to the present disclosure, the traffic management system 100 executes the following processing.

[0048] First, the plan acquisition unit 110 acquires in advance a flight plan including the flight paths of the group of flying bodies 200A and 200B from the flying body management device 400 (step S21). The plan acquisition unit 110 supplies the acquired flight plan information to the flight plan 171.

[0049] Next, the quality data acquisition unit 120 acquires signal quality data relating to the signal quality of the signals received from the base station 300 by the flying bodies 200A and 200B, which are flying apart when viewed along the direction of travel of the flying bodies (step S22). The quality data acquisition unit 120 supplies the acquired signal quality data to the determination unit 130.

[0050] Next, the determination unit 130 determines whether the signal strength is equal to or greater than a threshold based on the received signal quality data (step S23). If the determination unit 130 determines that the signal strength is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S23: YES), the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S26. If the determination unit 130 does not determine that the signal strength is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S23: NO), the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S24.

[0051] In step S24, the determination unit 130 determines from the flight plan 171 and the signal quality data that the flight route after the time when the signal quality data was acquired should be changed in a direction that improves the signal quality (step S24).

[0052] Next, the output unit 140 outputs information about the flight path changed by the determination unit 130 to the flying object 200 and the flying object management device 400 (step S25). After the output unit 140 outputs the information about the changed flight path, the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S26.

[0053] In step S26, the DSM 100 determines whether or not to end the series of processes (step S26). The series of processes may be ended, for example, when the administrator of the DSM 100 performs a process to stop the DSM 100. If the DSM 100 does not determine that the series of processes should be ended (step S26: NO), the DSM 100 returns to step S22 and continues processing. On the other hand, if the DSM 100 determines that the series of processes should be ended (step S26: YES), the DSM 100 ends processing.

[0054] Next, an example of the movement of the flying object 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the movement of the flying object 200 in the flight operation system 1. Fig. 6 shows the position of the flying object 200 at time T11 and time T12.

[0055] For convenience in explaining the positional relationships of the components, FIG. 6 is illustrated using a right-handed Cartesian coordinate system. In the Cartesian coordinate system, the Y axis is parallel to the direction of travel of the flying object 200, with the positive side of the Y axis being the direction of travel of the flying object 200. The X axis is perpendicular to the direction of travel and is the left-right direction relative to the direction of travel of the flying object 200. In this case, the positive X axis direction is to the right of the direction of travel, and the negative X axis direction is to the left of the direction of travel. The Z axis is the vertical direction. The positive Z axis direction is upward, and the negative Z axis direction is downward.

[0056] At time T11, aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B are flying in the positive direction of the Y axis along their planned flight paths. At time T11, aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B each transmit signal quality data to base station 300. The signal strength of aircraft 200A at time T11 is stronger than the signal strength of aircraft 200B. In other words, the signal strength of aircraft 200B at time T11 is weaker than the signal strength of aircraft 200A. Furthermore, the signal strength of aircraft 200B is less than the threshold value.

[0057] In this situation, flying object 200 receives an instruction to change its flight path. Specifically, flying object 200A and flying object 200B receive an instruction to shift left in their direction of travel from flying object management device 400. In response to the instruction to change the flight path, flying object 200 shifts its flight path to the left from the planned flight path.

[0058] At time T12, which is after time T11, the aircraft 200 is flying a route that is shifted to the left from the planned flight route. The changed flight route is parallel to the planned flight route. On the changed flight route, the signal quality of the aircraft 200 is better than before the change. In other words, the signal strength of the aircraft 200B is stronger than the signal strength before the change in flight route.

[0059] The above describes a case where the flying object 200 changes its flight path. By performing such a movement, the flying object 200 improves communication conditions with the base station 300 and flies a path shifted from the planned flight path. Note that the shift amount when the flying object 200 changes its flight path, i.e., the distance it deviates from the planned flight path, may be set in advance, for example. The shift amount may be set according to signal quality data acquired by the flying object 200. A limit value may also be set for the shift amount. In this case, the flying object 200 will not deviate from the planned flight path by more than the set shift amount, even if the signal strength is below a threshold.

[0060] The quality data acquisition unit 120 further acquires signal quality data from the flying object 200 after the flight path change. The determination unit 130 may determine, based on the signal quality data acquired from the flying object 200 flying along the flight path at the time after the flight path change, to update the flight path at the time after the flight path change so that it approaches the planned flight path. This allows the traffic management system 100 to suppress deviation of the flying object's flight path while suppressing deterioration of the communication status between the flying object 200 and the base station 300.

[0061] The above describes the traffic management system 1 and the traffic management system 100. The traffic management system 100 may be included in the base station 300. In this case, for example, the traffic management system 100 may be one of a distributed server called MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing). The traffic management system 100 may also be integrated with the air vehicle management device 400.

[0062] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a traffic management system, a traffic management method, and a program that suppress deterioration of the communication state between the flying object and the base station.

[0063] <Third Embodiment> Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment. In the flight operation system 1 according to the third embodiment, the flight management system 100 determines whether to change the flight path of a following flight object by using signal quality data acquired from a preceding flight object.

[0064] The determination unit 130 of the traffic management system 100 determines to change the flight path of the flying object 200 in a direction that improves signal quality. The determination unit 130 also determines to change the flight path of the flying object 200 and determines to change the path of a following flying object that is scheduled to fly an equivalent flight path after the flying object 200.

[0065] The traffic management method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of the traffic management method according to the present disclosure. Note that the flowchart shown in Fig. 7 differs from the flowchart shown in Fig. 5 in the processing between step S25 and step S26.

[0066] In step S25, the output unit 140 outputs information about the flight path changed by the determination unit 130 to the flying object 200 and the flying object management device 400 (step S25). After the output unit 140 outputs the information about the changed flight path, the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S31.

[0067] In step S31, the quality data acquisition unit 120 again acquires signal quality data regarding signal quality from each of the flying bodies 200A and 200B whose flight paths have been changed (step S31).

[0068] Next, the determination unit 130 determines whether the signal strength is equal to or greater than the threshold based on the received signal quality data after the flight route change (step S32). If the determination unit 130 determines that the signal strength is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S32: YES), the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S33. If the determination unit 130 does not determine that the signal strength is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S32: NO), the traffic management system 100 returns to step S24.

[0069] In step S33, the determination unit 130 determines to change the route of the following flying object that is scheduled to fly the same flight path after the flying object 200. To do so, the output unit 140 outputs route change information to the following flying object (step S33). The route change information includes position information and time information of the flying object 200. The following flying object receives the route change information output by the flying object 200 and determines whether to change its own route. After step S33, the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S26.

[0070] Next, an example of the movement of the flying object 200 and the following flying object according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a second diagram showing the movement of the flying object 200 and the following flying object in the flight operation system 1. Fig. 8 shows the position of the flying object 200 at times T21 and T22, and the following flying object at times T23 and T24. Fig. 8 differs from Fig. 6 in that it includes a following flying object.

[0071] At time T21, aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B are flying in the positive direction of the Y axis along the planned flight path. Aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B each transmit signal quality data to base station 300. The signal strength of aircraft 200B at time T21 is weaker than the signal strength of aircraft 200A, and the signal strength of aircraft 200B is below a threshold. Aircraft 200 receives an instruction to change its flight path. Therefore, in response to the instruction to change the flight path, aircraft 200 shifts its flight path to the left of the planned flight path.

[0072] At time T12, which is after time T11, the aircraft 200 is flying a route that is shifted to the left from the planned flight route. On the changed flight route, the signal quality of the aircraft 200 is better than before the change. That is, the signal strength of the aircraft 200B is stronger than the signal strength before the change in flight route. The aircraft 200 supplies signal quality data to the traffic management system 100 via the base station 300.

[0073] At time T23, which is after time T22, the following air vehicle receives the route change information. In response to the route change information, the following air vehicle follows the flight route of air vehicle 200. That is, the following air vehicle shifts to the left from the planned flight route. At time T24, which is after time T23, the following air vehicle is flying the route that air vehicle 200 was flying at time T22.

[0074] The above describes the third embodiment. With this operation, the traffic management system 100 can suppress deterioration of communication conditions between a base station and multiple aircraft, including a trailing aircraft. Note that the trailing aircraft may be one or more, and may be a group of multiple aircraft in formation. For example, when multiple aircraft are flying in formation, the traffic management system 10 can suppress deterioration of communication conditions for the entire formation by acquiring signal quality data from the two leading aircraft.

[0075] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a traffic management system, a traffic management method, and a program that suppress deterioration of the communication state between the flying object and the base station.

[0076] <Fourth Embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. This embodiment differs from the above-described embodiments in that the flying object 200 is caused to move upward or downward.

[0077] In the traffic management system 100 according to this embodiment, the plan acquisition unit 110 acquires a flight plan including information regarding the permitted flight area of ​​the air vehicle 200. The determination unit 130 determines whether to change the flight path upward or downward within the permitted flight area based on the permitted flight area of ​​the air vehicle 200. Furthermore, the determination unit 130 determines whether to change the flight path to the left or right of the direction of travel when the signal strength acquired from the air vehicle 200 after changing the flight path upward or downward is less than a threshold.

[0078] The determination unit 130 may determine whether to ascend or descend the aircraft 200 depending on the location or terrain over which the aircraft 200 is flying. That is, in this case, the traffic management system 100 may store map information of the flight path. For example, if there are no objects blocking radio waves around the aircraft 200, the determination unit 130 determines to descend the aircraft 200. Also, for example, if there are many buildings blocking radio waves around the aircraft 200, the determination unit 130 determines to ascend the aircraft 200.

[0079] By ascending or descending the flying object 200 in this manner, there is a possibility that the signal quality of the flying object 200 will improve. Furthermore, by ascending or descending the flying object 200 within the range of the flight area, the traffic management system 100 may be able to prevent the flying object 200 from deviating from the flight path and suppress deterioration of the communication state.

[0080] The traffic management method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart of the traffic management method according to the present disclosure. Note that the flowchart shown in Fig. 9 differs from the flowchart shown in Fig. 5 in the processing between step S23 and step S26.

[0081] Although the following flowchart describes the case where the flying object 200 is caused to descend, the traffic management system 100 may also cause the flying object 200 to ascend.

[0082] If the determination unit 130 does not determine that the signal strength is equal to or greater than the threshold in step S23 (step S23: NO), the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S41.

[0083] In step S41, the determination unit 130 of the traffic management system 100 determines whether or not the flying object 200 can be descended (step S41). If the determination unit 130 determines that the flying object 200 can be descended (step S41: YES), the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S42. If the determination unit 130 does not determine that the flying object 200 can be descended (step S41: NO), the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S44.

[0084] In step S42, the Traffic Management System 100 outputs information for the flying object 200 to descend (step S42). Next, the Traffic Management System 100 acquires signal quality data from the descended flying object 200 and determines whether the acquired signal strength is equal to or greater than a threshold (step S43). If the determination unit 130 determines that the signal strength acquired from the descended flying object 200 is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S43: YES), the Traffic Management System 100 proceeds to step S26. If the determination unit 130 does not determine that the signal strength acquired from the descended flying object 200 is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S43: NO), the Traffic Management System 100 proceeds to step S44.

[0085] In step S44, the determination unit 130 determines whether to change the flight path based on the signal quality data acquired from the descending flying object 200 (step S44). Next, the output unit 140 outputs information about the changed flight path. In this case, the output unit 140 outputs information about the flight path moving horizontally (step S45). Next, the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S26.

[0086] Next, an example of the movement of the flying object 200 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a third diagram showing the movement of the flying object 200 in the flight operation system 1. Fig. 10 shows the position of the flying object 200 at each of times T31, T32, and T33.

[0087] At time T31, aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B are flying in the positive direction of the Y axis along the planned flight path. Aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B each transmit signal quality data to base station 300. At time T31, the signal strength of aircraft 200B is weaker than the signal strength of aircraft 200A, and the signal strength of aircraft 200B is below the threshold. Here, aircraft 200 receives an instruction to descend. Therefore, aircraft 200 lowers its altitude while remaining along the planned flight path.

[0088] At time T32, after time T31, the flying object 200 supplies signal quality data at the descended position to the traffic management system 100. Assume that the signal strength of the flying object 200B at time T32 is below the threshold. In this case, the flying object 200 receives an instruction to change its flight path in the left-right direction. In this case, the flying object 200 receives an instruction to shift its flight path to the left. Therefore, the flying object 200 shifts its flight path to the left of the planned flight path while maintaining its altitude.

[0089] The above describes the fourth embodiment. With the above-described configuration, the traffic management system 100 can suppress deviation of the flight route of the flying object while suppressing deterioration of the communication state between the flying object and the base station. In other words, this embodiment can provide a traffic management system, a traffic management method, and a program that suppress deterioration of the communication state between the flying object and the base station.

[0090] <Fifth Embodiment> Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. The fifth embodiment includes a process to be performed when a plurality of flying objects are not sufficiently separated from each other.

[0091] The quality data acquisition unit 120 acquires signal quality data from a plurality of flying objects flying along a flight path at positions separated by a threshold distance or more in the left and right directions relative to the direction of travel.

[0092] The traffic management system 100 has an instruction unit 150. When the plurality of flying objects related to the signal quality data are not separated by a threshold distance or more when viewed along the direction of travel, the instruction unit 150 instructs the flying objects to move away from each other by a threshold distance or more.

[0093] The process according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart of the traffic management method according to the present disclosure. The flowchart in Fig. 11 differs from the flowchart shown in Fig. 5 in the process between step S23 and step S24.

[0094] If the determination unit 130 does not determine that the signal strength is equal to or greater than the threshold in step S23 (step S23: NO), the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S51.

[0095] In step S51, the determination unit 130 of the traffic management system 100 calculates the distance between the air vehicles 200A and 200B from the position information of the air vehicles 200 included in the signal quality data. The determination unit 130 determines whether the distance between the air vehicles is less than a threshold (step S51). If the determination unit 130 does not determine that the distance between the air vehicles is less than the threshold (step S51: NO), the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S24. If the determination unit 130 determines that the distance between the air vehicles is less than the threshold (step S51: YES), the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S52.

[0096] In step S52, the instruction unit 150 instructs the flying objects 200 to move away from each other by a threshold value or more, in accordance with the determination by the determination unit 130 (step S52). Specifically, for example, the instruction unit 150 may output information to the flying object management device 400 to instruct the flying objects 200 to move away from each other. In this case, the flying object management device 400 controls the position of the flying object 200 in accordance with the information received from the instruction unit 150. After step S52, the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S53.

[0097] In step S53, the traffic management system 100 acquires signal quality data from each of the flying bodies 200A and 200B that have secured a distance equal to or greater than the threshold, and determines whether the acquired signal strength is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S53). If the determination unit 130 determines that the signal strength acquired from the flying body 200 is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S53: YES), the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S26. If the determination unit 130 does not determine that the signal strength acquired from the flying body 200 is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S53: NO), the traffic management system 100 proceeds to step S24.

[0098] Next, an example of the movement of the flying object 200 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a fourth diagram showing the movement of the flying object 200 in the flight operation system 1. Fig. 12 shows the position of the flying object 200 at each of times T41, T42, and T43.

[0099] At time T41, flying body 200A and flying body 200B are flying in the positive direction of the Y axis along the planned flight path. At this time, the distance between flying body 200A and flying body 200B is D41. Flying body 200A and flying body 200B each transmit signal quality data to base station 300. As described above, the signal quality data includes location information. Flying body 200A and flying body 200B are instructed to move away from each other. Therefore, flying body 200 moves while flying so that the distance between them is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0100] At time T42, after time T41, the flying object 200, whose mutual distance is equal to or greater than the threshold, reaches distance D42, again supplies signal quality data to base station 300. At this time, the signal strength of flying object 200B is weaker than that of flying object 200A, and is also less than the threshold. Next, flying object 200 receives an instruction to shift its flight path to the left. Therefore, flying object 200 shifts its flight path to the left of the planned flight path while maintaining the mutual distance. At time T43, after time T42, the signal strength of flying object 200 is equal to or greater than the threshold.

[0101] The fifth embodiment has been described above. With the above-described configuration, the traffic management system 100 can appropriately acquire the trend of signal quality. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a traffic management system, a traffic management method, and a program that suppress deterioration of the communication state between the aircraft and the base station.

[0102] Sixth Embodiment Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. This embodiment differs from the above-described embodiments in that the flying object 200 includes some or all of the functions of the traffic management system.

[0103] An air vehicle 200 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a block diagram of an air vehicle including a traffic management system. The air vehicle 200 mainly includes a position information acquisition unit 201, a communication unit 202, a camera 203, an air vehicle control unit 204, a drive unit 205, a memory unit 210, and a traffic management system 220.

[0104] The position information acquisition unit 201 acquires position information of the flying object 200 using, for example, a position information acquisition system that uses GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) or Wi-Fi radio waves. The communication unit 202 has a function for performing wireless communication with the base station 300. That is, the communication unit 202 may include, for example, an antenna, a modulation circuit, a demodulation circuit, etc. The camera 203 includes an objective lens, an imaging element, etc., and generates image data.

[0105] The aircraft control unit 204 includes a computing device such as a CPU or MCU, and controls each component of the aircraft 200. That is, for example, the aircraft control unit 204 exchanges information with the base station 300 via the communication unit 202, and issues instructions to each component of the aircraft 200 in response to the information. The drive unit 205 includes a motor for rotating the propellers that are the means of movement of the aircraft 200. The memory unit 210 includes non-volatile memory such as a flash memory or an SSD, and stores identification information 211 including authentication data for the aircraft 200. The memory unit 210 may store part or all of the flight plan for the aircraft 200.

[0106] Air vehicle 200 has the above-described configuration and moves while periodically transmitting an identification signal stored in memory unit 206. Air vehicle 200 transmits the identification signal, for example, every few hundred milliseconds. Air vehicle 200 transmits this signal using a method that complies with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi standard, for example. Air vehicle 200 continues to transmit this identification signal while moving.

[0107] The flight traffic management system 220 has a plan acquisition unit 110, a quality data acquisition unit 120, a determination unit 130, and an output unit 140. The plan acquisition unit 110 in this embodiment acquires at least a part of the flight plan from the aircraft management device 400. In this case, the flight plan acquired by the aircraft 200 includes a flight path at a time later than the position where the aircraft 200 is flying. The flight plan acquired by the plan acquisition unit 110 also includes information regarding the presence of other aircraft in the group of aircraft. For example, the aircraft 200A acquires information regarding the presence of the aircraft 200B.

[0108] The quality data acquisition unit 120 acquires signal quality data for a group of flying objects. In this case, for example, flying object 200A and flying object 200B share their signal quality data with each other. At this time, flying object 200A and flying object 200B may communicate directly with each other wirelessly. Furthermore, flying object 200A and flying object 200B may share the above information via flying object management device 400.

[0109] The determination unit 130 determines, based on the signal quality data, that when there is an air vehicle that has lost communication with the base station 300, to control the operation of the group of air vehicles via an air vehicle that can communicate with the base station 300. This allows the air vehicle 200 to preferably suppress deterioration of the communication state between the air vehicle 200 and the base station 300.

[0110] The output unit 140 outputs information regarding the change in flight path to other flying objects or the flying object management device 400. This allows the group of flying objects to fly along the flight path while coordinating to suppress degradation of signal quality.

[0111] 14 is a fifth diagram showing the movement of the flying object in the flight operation system. FIG. 14 shows the position of the flying object 200 at time T51 and time T52.

[0112] At time T51, aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B are flying in the positive direction of the Y axis along the planned flight path. At this time, aircraft 200A is able to communicate with base station 300. Meanwhile, aircraft 200B is unable to communicate with base station 300. Therefore, aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B share each other's status by directly communicating with each other. Furthermore, aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B have built-in determination units 130 that make determinations regarding route changes. Furthermore, output unit 140 outputs information regarding the route changes to base station 300.

[0113] At T52, aircraft 200A and aircraft 200B fly along the planned flight path while shifting to positions where the signal strength is above the threshold.

[0114] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a traffic management system, a traffic management method, and a program that suppress deterioration of the communication state between the flying object and the base station.

[0115] <Example of Hardware Configuration> Hereinafter, a case will be described in which each functional configuration in the present disclosure is realized by a combination of hardware and software.

[0116] FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a computer. The traffic management system of the present disclosure can realize the above-described functions by a computer 500 including the hardware configuration shown in the figure. The computer 500 may be a portable computer such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, or a stationary computer such as a PC. The computer 500 may be a dedicated computer designed to realize each device, or may be a general-purpose computer. The computer 500 can realize desired functions by installing a predetermined application.

[0117] The computer 500 has a bus 502, a processor 504, a memory 506, a storage device 508, an input / output interface (I / F) 510, and a network interface (I / F) 512. The bus 502 is a data transmission path for the processor 504, the memory 506, the storage device 508, the input / output interface 510, and the network interface 512 to transmit and receive data to and from each other. However, the method of connecting the processor 504 and the like to each other is not limited to bus connection.

[0118] The processor 504 is a processor such as a CPU, a GPU, an FPGA, etc. The memory 506 is a main storage device realized using a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like.

[0119] The storage device 508 is an auxiliary storage device realized using a hard disk, an SSD, a memory card, a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The storage device 508 stores programs for realizing desired functions. The processor 504 reads the programs into the memory 506 and executes them to realize the respective functional components of each device.

[0120] The input / output interface 510 is an interface for connecting the computer 500 with input / output devices. For example, the input / output interface 510 is connected to an input device such as a keyboard and an output device such as a display device.

[0121] The network interface 512 is an interface for connecting the computer 500 to a network.

[0122] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0123] Each drawing is merely an example for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing may not relate to only one particular embodiment, but may also relate to one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create, for example, an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessary to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0124] Some or all of the above embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Supplementary Note 1) A traffic management system comprising: a plan acquisition unit that acquires in advance a flight plan including flight paths of a group of two or more air vehicles; a quality data acquisition unit that acquires signal quality data related to the signal quality of signals received from base stations by at least two or more air vehicles that are flying apart when viewed along the direction of travel of the air vehicles; a determination unit that determines, based on the signal quality trend included in the signal quality data, to change the flight path after the time when the signal quality data was acquired in a direction that improves the signal quality; and an output unit that outputs information about the changed flight path. (Supplementary Note 2) The traffic management system described in Supplementary Note 1, wherein the quality data acquisition unit acquires the signal quality data from each of the air vehicles flying along the flight path at positions that are separated by more than a threshold distance in a left-right direction with respect to the direction of travel. (Supplementary Note 3) The traffic management system described in Supplementary Note 2, further comprising an instruction unit that, when the air vehicles related to the signal quality data are not separated by more than the threshold distance when viewed along the direction of travel, instructs the air vehicles to move away from each other by more than the threshold distance. (Supplementary Note 4) The traffic management system of Supplementary Note 1, wherein the quality data acquisition unit further acquires the signal quality data from the air vehicle after the change of the flight path, and the determination unit determines, based on the signal quality data acquired from the air vehicle flying along the changed flight path, to update the changed flight path so that it approaches the flight path before the change. (Supplementary Note 5) The traffic management system of Supplementary Note 1, wherein the determination unit determines to change the flight path in a direction that improves the signal quality, and determines to change the path of a following air vehicle that is scheduled to fly along the flight path after the air vehicle. (The following following air vehicle may be one or more, and may be a formation of a group of multiple air vehicles.) (Supplementary Note 6) The traffic management system of Supplementary Note 1, wherein the determination unit determines to change the flight path by estimating, based on the signal quality data, a position where the signal strength acquired by the air vehicle after the change of the flight path will be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.(Supplementary Note 7) The traffic management system of Supplementary Note 6, wherein the determination unit determines to change the flight path upward or downward within the range of the flight-permitted area based on the flight-permitted area of ​​the air vehicle, and determines to change the flight path to the left or right of the direction of travel if the signal strength acquired from the air vehicle after changing the flight path upward or downward is less than the threshold. (Supplementary Note 8) The traffic management system of Supplementary Note 1, further comprising a weather data acquisition unit that acquires weather data on the flight path, and the determination unit determines to change the flight path taking the weather data into consideration. (Supplementary Note 9) The traffic management system of Supplementary Note 1, wherein the determination unit determines, based on the signal quality data, to control the operation of a group of air vehicles via an air vehicle that can communicate with the base station when there is an air vehicle that has lost communication with the base station. (Supplementary Note 10) A traffic management method in which a computer acquires in advance a flight plan including flight paths of a group of two or more air vehicles, acquires signal quality data regarding the signal quality of signals received from a base station by each of at least two or more of the air vehicles that are flying apart when viewed along the direction of travel of the air vehicles, determines, based on the signal quality trend included in the signal quality data, to change the flight path after the time at which the signal quality data was acquired in a direction that improves the signal quality, and outputs information about the changed flight path. (Supplementary Note 11) A traffic management program that causes a computer to execute a traffic management method in which a computer acquires in advance a flight plan including flight paths of a group of two or more air vehicles, acquires signal quality data regarding the signal quality of signals received from a base station by each of at least two or more of the air vehicles that are flying apart when viewed along the direction of travel of the air vehicles, determines, based on the signal quality trend included in the signal quality data, to change the flight path after the time at which the signal quality data was acquired in a direction that improves the signal quality, and outputs information about the changed flight path.

[0125] Some or all of the elements (e.g., configurations and functions) described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 9 that are dependent on Supplementary Note 1 may also be dependent on Supplementary Notes 10 and 11 in the same dependency relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 9. Some or all of the elements described in any Supplementary Note may be applied to various hardware, software, recording means for recording software, systems, and methods.

[0126] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-197599, filed November 21, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0127] 1 Operation system 10 Operation control system 100 Operation control system 110 Plan acquisition unit 120 Quality data acquisition unit 130 Determination unit 140 Output unit 150 Instruction unit 160 Weather data acquisition unit 170 Memory unit 171 Flight plan 200 Aircraft 201 Position information acquisition unit 202 Communication unit 203 Camera 204 Aircraft control unit 205 Drive unit 210 Memory unit 211 Identification information 220 Operation control system 300 Base station 400 Aircraft management device 410 Memory unit 411 Flight plan N1 Network

Claims

1. A traffic management system comprising: a plan acquisition means for acquiring in advance a flight plan including the flight paths of a group of two or more flying objects; a quality data acquisition means for acquiring signal quality data relating to the signal quality of signals received from a base station by at least two or more flying objects that are flying apart when viewed along the direction of travel of the flying objects; a determination means for determining, based on the signal quality trend contained in the signal quality data, to change the flight path after the time when the signal quality data was acquired in a direction that will improve the signal quality; and an output means for outputting information on the changed flight path.

2. The traffic management system according to claim 1, wherein the quality data acquisition means acquires the signal quality data from each of a plurality of flying vehicles flying along the flight path at a position separated by a threshold distance or more in a left-right direction relative to the direction of travel.

3. The traffic management system of claim 2, further comprising an instruction means for instructing the flying objects related to the signal quality data to move away from each other by more than the threshold distance when the flying objects are not separated by more than the threshold distance when viewed along the direction of travel.

4. The traffic management system of claim 1, wherein the quality data acquisition means further acquires the signal quality data from the flying object after the flight path has been changed, and the determination means determines, based on the signal quality data acquired from the flying object flying along the changed flight path, to update the changed flight path so as to approximate the flight path before the change.

5. The traffic management system of claim 1, wherein the determination means determines to change the flight route in a direction that improves the signal quality, and determines to change the route of a following flying object that is scheduled to fly on the flight route after the flying object.

6. A traffic management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the determination means determines the change in flight path by estimating, based on the signal quality data, a position where the signal strength acquired by the flying object after changing the flight path will be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

7. The traffic management system of claim 6, wherein the determination means determines whether to change the flight path upward or downward within the range of the permitted flight area based on the permitted flight area of ​​the aircraft, and determines whether to change the flight path to the left or right of the direction of travel if the signal strength obtained from the aircraft after changing the flight path upward or downward is less than the threshold value.

8. The traffic management system according to claim 1, further comprising a weather data acquisition means for acquiring weather data on the flight route, wherein the determination means determines whether to change the flight route by taking into account the weather data.

9. The traffic management system described in claim 1, wherein the determination means determines, based on the signal quality data, that when there is an air vehicle that has lost communication with the base station, to control the operation of a group of the air vehicles via an air vehicle that can communicate with the base station.

10. A method of operation management in which a computer acquires in advance a flight plan including flight paths of a group of two or more flying vehicles, acquires signal quality data regarding the signal quality of signals received from a base station by at least two or more of the flying vehicles that are flying apart when viewed along the direction of travel of the flying vehicles, determines, based on the signal quality trend contained in the signal quality data, to change the flight path after the time when the signal quality data was acquired in a direction that will improve the signal quality, and outputs information about the changed flight path.

11. A program that causes a computer to execute an operation management method, which comprises: acquiring in advance a flight plan including the flight paths of a group of two or more aircraft; acquiring signal quality data regarding the signal quality of signals received from a base station by at least two or more of the aircraft that are flying apart when viewed along the direction of the aircraft's movement; determining, based on the signal quality trend contained in the signal quality data, to change the flight path after the time the signal quality data was acquired in a direction that will improve the signal quality; and outputting information on the changed flight path.

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