Mobile body control device, mobile body control method, and mobile body control system

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a mobile body control device, a mobile body control method, and a mobile body control system with which it is possible to suitably share control tasks for a plurality of mobile bodies among a plurality of controllers. A mobile body control device 100 comprises: a workload calculation unit 105 which calculates a workload of control tasks of a plurality of aircraft 30-1 to 30-m per flight phase included in flight plans 102 of the plurality of aircraft 30-1 to 30-m; a control task assignment unit 106 which assigns the control tasks of the plurality of aircraft 30-1 to 30-m to a plurality of controllers 10-1 to 10-n on the basis of the workload per flight phase and responsible party information 104 of the plurality of controllers 10-1 to 10-n; and an assignment information output unit 107 which outputs a control task assigned to each of the controllers 10-1 to 10-n to terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n of the controllers 10-1 to 10-n.

Description

Mobile object control device, mobile object control method, and mobile object control system

[0001] The present invention relates to a mobile object control device, a mobile object control method, and a mobile object control system for controlling a plurality of mobile objects.

[0002] Prior art documents disclosing a flight support device, a flight support program, and a flight support system capable of supporting a flight in cooperation with a pilot include Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 states, "The flight support device includes a flight support unit that displays a reference flight profile, which is a reference flight profile, and the flight profile indicates flight parameters at multiple points included in a route from a departure point to a destination, creates a modified flight profile by modifying the reference flight profile according to flight conditions input by a user, and displays the created modified flight profile together with the reference flight profile."

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-065316

[0004] The flight support device described in Patent Document 1 is intended for piloted aircraft and does not consider application to aircraft such as drones that fly under remote control or automatic piloting. Furthermore, in an operational configuration in which multiple controllers control multiple drones, one controller may be responsible for controlling two or more drones simultaneously. Here, the workload of drone control tasks varies depending on the drone's control mode (automatic or manual control) and flight conditions (weather conditions, etc.). Therefore, in the above-mentioned operational configuration, even if each controller is assigned control tasks for the same number of drones, significant workload imbalances may occur among controllers depending on the drone's control mode and flight conditions. As a result, there is a risk of disruption to the operation of aircraft for which a controller with an excessive workload is responsible.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a mobile object control device, a mobile object control method, and a mobile object control system that are capable of appropriately allocating the control tasks of multiple mobile objects to multiple controllers.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a mobile object control device that manages a plurality of mobile objects, comprising a movement plan acquisition unit that acquires movement plans for the plurality of mobile objects, a staff information acquisition unit that acquires information on a plurality of controllers as staff information, a workload calculation unit that calculates the workload of each control task for the plurality of mobile objects for each movement phase included in the movement plan, a control task allocation unit that allocates each control task for the plurality of mobile objects to the plurality of controllers based on the workload for each movement phase and the staff information, and an allocation information output unit that outputs the control tasks allocated to each controller to a terminal device carried by each controller.

[0007] The present invention also provides a mobile object control system comprising a plurality of mobile objects, terminal devices owned by a plurality of controllers, and a mobile object control device for controlling the plurality of mobile objects, the mobile object control device comprising a movement plan acquisition unit for acquiring movement plans for the plurality of mobile objects, a staff information acquisition unit for acquiring information on the plurality of controllers as staff information, a workload calculation unit for calculating the workload of each control task for the plurality of mobile objects for each movement phase included in the movement plan, a control task allocation unit for assigning each control task for the plurality of mobile objects to the plurality of controllers based on the workload for each movement phase and the staff information, and an allocation information output unit for outputting to the terminal device each control task assigned to each controller.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention provides a mobile object control method for managing multiple mobile objects using a computer, comprising a first step of acquiring movement plans for the multiple mobile objects, a second step of acquiring information on multiple controllers as person-in-charge information, a third step of calculating the workload of each control task for the multiple mobile objects for each movement phase included in the movement plan, a fourth step of assigning each control task for the multiple mobile objects to the multiple controllers based on the workload for each movement phase and the person-in-charge information, and a fifth step of outputting the control tasks assigned to each controller to a terminal device possessed by each controller.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately allocate the control tasks for a plurality of mobile objects to a plurality of controllers.

[0010] Schematic diagram of a mobile object control system in the first embodiment. Functional block diagram of a mobile object control device in the first embodiment. Hardware configuration diagram of a mobile object control device in the first embodiment. Diagram showing an example of workload for each flight phase. State transition diagram of an aircraft. State transition diagram when an aircraft under the control of a controller is transferred to the control of another controller. State transition diagram including the ground parking state of the aircraft. State transition diagram when one controller is in charge of each control task for two aircraft. Diagram showing an example of changes in the workload of two controllers in charge of each control task for three aircraft. Diagram showing an example of changes in the workload of two controllers in charge of each control task for eight aircraft. Diagram showing an example of changes in the workload of two controllers in charge of each control task for two aircraft when the mobile object control device does not assign each control task based on a flight plan. Diagram showing an example of changes in the workload of two controllers in charge of each control task for two aircraft when the mobile object control device assigns each control task based on a flight plan. Diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a terminal device when a newly assigned control task is not announced. Figure showing an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device when the newly assigned control task is approved. Figure showing an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device when the newly assigned control task is rejected. Figure showing an example of a mobile control device applied to a hierarchical structure in which five controllers, each capable of controlling up to four aircraft, are arranged in the same row. Figure showing an example of a mobile control device applied to a hierarchical structure in which five controllers are arranged as assistants under one controller who is a supervisor. FIG. 1 shows an example of a mobile control system applied to a hierarchical structure in which one controller is assigned as an assistant and one controller is assigned as a backup assistant. FIG. 1 shows an example of a mobile control system applied to a hierarchical structure in which five controllers, each capable of handling control of up to five aircraft, are assigned as assistants under one controller who is a supervisor. FIG. 2 shows an example of a mobile control system applied to a hierarchical structure in which five controllers are assigned as assistants under each of multiple supervisory controllers.Figure showing an example of a change in wind speed as an evaluation index indicating the possibility of an aircraft switching from autopilot to manual control. Figure showing an example of a change in three-dimensional acceleration, yaw rate, roll rate, and pitch rate as evaluation indexes indicating the possibility of an aircraft switching from autopilot to manual control in the fourth embodiment. Figure showing an example of a change in the amount of deviation (distance, angle) from the planned flight course as an evaluation index indicating the possibility of an aircraft switching from autopilot to manual control in the fourth embodiment. Figure showing an example of a change in distance to an obstacle (another aircraft, building, moving object, person, etc.) as an evaluation index indicating the possibility of an aircraft switching from autopilot to manual control in the fourth embodiment.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, devices or elements having the same action or function are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a mobile object control system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The mobile object control system 1 includes a plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m, which are mobile objects to be managed, a plurality of terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n, and a mobile object control device 100. The flying objects 30-1 to 30-m are configured as drones or the like that fly by remote control or automatic piloting. The mobile object control device 100 is configured as a PC or a server computer or the like. The terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n are configured as PCs or the like.

[0013] The mobile object control device 100 is capable of wireless communication with the flying objects 30-1 to 30-m, and is capable of wired or wireless communication with the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n. The controllers 10-1 to 10-n perform control tasks for the flying objects 30-1 to 30-m via the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n. Control includes remotely operating the flying objects 30-1 to 30-m, monitoring the flying objects 30-1 to 30-m, and transmitting control instructions to the flying objects 30-1 to 30-m. The mobile object control device 100 has a function of assigning each control task for the flying objects 30-1 to 30-m to the controllers 10-1 to 10-n.

[0014] 2 is a functional block diagram of the mobile object control device 100. The mobile object control device 100 includes a flight plan acquisition unit 101, a person in charge information acquisition unit 103, a workload calculation unit 105, a control task allocation unit 106, and an allocation information output unit 107.

[0015] The flight plan acquisition unit 101 acquires a flight plan 102, which is a movement plan for the multiple aircraft 30-1 to 30-m, from the multiple aircraft 30-1 to 30-m or a database (not shown). The flight plan 102 may include information such as the ID of the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m and the type of the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m (dimensions, weight, distinction between fixed-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft, and thrust-vectoring (tilt rotor) aircraft) in addition to the position along the planned movement route at each moment and the planned arrival time at that position.

[0016] The person in charge information acquisition unit 103 acquires information on the controllers 10-1 to 10-n in charge of controlling the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m as person in charge information 104. The person in charge information 104 may include information such as whether or not the person has qualifications for each aircraft type (fixed wing / rotor wing, size), training time, flight time, and recent manual flight experience.

[0017] The workload calculation unit 105 calculates the load (workload) of each control task for the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m for each flight phase (takeoff, cruising, landing), which is the movement phase of the aircraft. The control task allocation unit 106 allocates each control task for the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m to the controllers 10-1 to 10-n based on the workload calculated by the workload calculation unit 105 and the person in charge information 104 acquired by the person in charge information acquisition unit 103. Specifically, each control task is allocated to each controller 10-1 to 10-n so that the total workload of the control tasks respectively handled by each controller 10-1 to 10-n is equalized among the controllers 10-1 to 10-n. Furthermore, when assigning control tasks for the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m to the controllers 10-1 to 10-n, the control task allocation unit 106 may take into consideration the presence or absence of qualifications for each aircraft type included in the personnel information 104 and the type information for the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m included in the flight plan 102. Furthermore, if there are multiple controllers available to assign a certain control task, the control task may be assigned preferentially to a controller with the most flight time on that aircraft type. Furthermore, in order to maintain the skills of controllers who are qualified to pilot that aircraft type, the control task may be assigned preferentially to a controller who has been flying that aircraft type for a long time. Furthermore, when the control task allocation unit 106 receives an assignment approval signal from the terminal device of the controller to whom the new control task was assigned, the control task allocation unit 106 maintains the assignment, and when it receives an assignment rejection signal, the control task allocation unit 106 changes the assignment destination to another controller.

[0018] The allocation information output unit 107 outputs information (allocation information) that enables each controller 10-1 to 10-n to distinguish between the aircraft for which it is responsible for control and other aircraft, to the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n owned by the controllers 10-1 to 10-n, respectively.

[0019] 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the mobile object control device 100. The mobile object control device 100 is connected to flying objects 30-1 to 30-m and terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n via a network 200. For this reason, the mobile object control device 100 can be configured as a computer server, also known as a cloud or an in-house system.

[0020] The mobile object control device 100 has a processing device 121 , a communication device 122 , a main memory device 123 and a sub-memory device 124 , which are connected to each other via a communication path 125 .

[0021] The processing device 121 is composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes calculations in accordance with a flight management program 126 stored in a secondary storage device 124 (described later).

[0022] The communication device 122 has an interface function with other devices. The communication device 122 receives information input by the controllers 10-1 to 10-n to the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n and outputs content to be displayed on the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n. The communication device 122 also communicates with the air vehicles 30-1 to 30-m via the network 200 or directly. More specifically, the communication device 122 receives flight status information (including flight path and flight attitude) from the air vehicles 30-1 to 30-m and outputs control signals to the air vehicles 30-1 to 30-m in accordance with the calculations of the processing device 121.

[0023] The main memory device 123 stores the flight management program 126 stored in the secondary memory device 124 and information used for processing by the processing device 121 .

[0024] The secondary storage device 124 is configured as a so-called storage and stores the flight management program 126, the flight plan 102, and the person in charge information 104. It is desirable that the secondary storage device 124 also stores the above-mentioned other information, such as flight-related information. The secondary storage device 124 may be configured as various storage media, such as an external hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), or memory card, or may be configured as a device independent of the mobile object control device 100 (for example, a file server).

[0025] The flight management program 126 is composed of a flight plan acquisition module 127, a person in charge information acquisition module 128, and a workload calculation module 129 for each of its functions. Each of these modules may be composed of an individual program or a combination of multiple programs. Furthermore, the mobile object control device 100 may be composed of multiple devices for each of its functions.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of workloads for each flight phase (takeoff, cruise, landing). The workloads are defined in advance to satisfy magnitude relationships such as landing > takeoff > cruise, bad weather > good weather, and manual control (remote control) > autopilot (monitoring). The autopilot workload may be set according to the probability of switching from autopilot to manual control under certain conditions, taking into account conditions such as whether the aircraft is near an air route or an airport. This probability can be calculated based on past flight performance. This allows for detailed setting of the autopilot workload.

[0027] Figure 5 is a state transition diagram of the flying vehicles 30-1 to 30-m. To simplify the explanation, Figure 5 shows only the parts related to the control operations of three controllers (hereinafter referred to as X to Z). The state transitions of the flying vehicles 30-1 to 30-m are performed by the control operation allocation unit 106.

[0028] An aircraft under the responsibility of X is in either an autopilot flight state S1x monitored by X or a manual pilot flight state S2x manually piloted by X. Transition from autopilot flight state S1x to manual pilot flight state S2x, or from manual pilot flight state S2x to autopilot flight state S1x, is based on the judgment of X. When the workload of X increases, the aircraft in the autopilot flight state S1x under the responsibility of X will transition to an autopilot flight state S1y under the responsibility of Y if approval is obtained from Y, or to an autopilot flight state S1z under the responsibility of Z if approval is obtained from Z.

[0029] An aircraft under the responsibility of Y is either in an autopilot flight state S1y monitored by Y or in a manually piloted flight state S2y manually piloted by Y. Transition from the autopilot flight state S1y to a manually piloted flight state S2y, or from the manually piloted flight state S2y to an autopilot flight state S1y, is based on the judgment of Y. When the workload of Y increases, an aircraft in the autopilot flight state S1y under the responsibility of Y will transition to an autopilot flight state S1x under the responsibility of X if approval is obtained from X, or to an autopilot flight state S1z under the responsibility of Z if approval is obtained from Z.

[0030] An aircraft under the responsibility of Z is in either an autopilot flight state S1z monitored by Z or a manual pilot flight state S2z manually piloted by Z. Transition from the autopilot flight state S1z to the manual pilot flight state S2z, or from the manual pilot flight state S2z to the autopilot flight state S1z, is based on the judgment of Z. When the workload of Z increases, an aircraft in the autopilot flight state S1z under the responsibility of Z will transition to an autopilot flight state S1x under the responsibility of X if approval is obtained from X, or to an autopilot flight state S1z under the responsibility of Z if approval is obtained from Z.

[0031] The reason why transition to another controller's control is permitted only in the automatic flight states S1x to S1z and not in the manual flight states S2x to S2z is to prevent the loss of control at the moment of handover.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a state transition diagram when an aircraft under the control of a certain controller (hereinafter, A) is transferred to the control of another controller (hereinafter, X to Z). When A's workload increases, a notice is output to a terminal device owned by X that the control duties of the aircraft will be assigned to X. This causes the aircraft to transition to a notice state S11x. If X's approval is obtained in the notice state S11x, the aircraft transitions to an autopilot flight state (not shown) under the control of X. If X's approval is not obtained in the notice state S11x, a notice is output to a terminal device owned by Y that the control duties of the aircraft will be assigned to Y. This causes the aircraft to transition to a notice state S11y. If Y's approval is obtained in the notice state S11y, the aircraft transitions to an autopilot flight state (not shown) under the control of Y.

[0033] If approval from Y is not obtained in the advance notice state S11y, a notice to the effect that control of the aircraft under the control of A will be assigned to Z is output to the terminal device of Z. This causes the aircraft to transition from the advance notice state S11y to the advance notice state S11z. If approval from Z is obtained in the advance notice state S11z, the aircraft transitions to an autopilot flight state (not shown) under the control of Z.

[0034] It is desirable to select the controller to be notified in order of the smallest total workload. In this embodiment, the controllers other than A are notified in order, but it is also possible to notify all controllers other than A simultaneously, and transition to an autopilot flight state (not shown) under the control of the controller who first obtains approval. If approval is not obtained from any controller, transition to an autopilot flight state (not shown) under the control of the controller with the highest priority (smallest total workload) may be made without approval.

[0035] FIG. 7 is a state transition diagram that includes the ground parking state S0 of an aircraft. When an aircraft in parking state S0 is ready for takeoff, and the workload of one of the controllers (here, X) is appropriate (not excessive), and X's approval is obtained, the aircraft takes off and transitions to an autopilot flight state S1x under X's control. An aircraft in autopilot flight state S1x or manual flight state S2x under X's control transitions to parking state S0 by landing and moving to a predetermined parking location. Note that if the parking location and the takeoff and landing location are different, the state of moving between the parking location and the takeoff and landing location is included in the autopilot flight state S1x or manual flight state S2x. Since maintaining the parking state S0 does not pose a safety problem, if approval from any controller is not obtained, the aircraft remains in the parking location and parking state S0 is maintained, thereby preventing the controller's workload from becoming excessive.

[0036] 8 is a state transition diagram for a case in which one controller (hereinafter, X) is in charge of controlling two flying vehicles 30-1 and 30-2. If the flying vehicle 30-1, which is in an autopilot flight state S1x-1 under the control of X, needs to transition to a manual flight state S2x-1 due to bad weather or the like, it is expected that X's workload will become excessive. Therefore, the mobile object control device 100 transitions the flying vehicle 30-2, which is in an autopilot flight state S1x-2 under the control of X, to an autopilot flight state (not shown) under the control of Y, with the approval of another controller (hereinafter, Y).

[0037] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of changes in the workloads of two controllers (hereinafter, X and Y) who are in charge of controlling the three aircraft 30-1 to 30-3. Currently, X is in charge of controlling the aircraft 30-1 and 30-2, and Y is in charge of controlling the aircraft 30-3. If the aircraft 30-1 under X's control must be switched to manual control due to bad weather or the like, it is expected that X's workload will become excessive compared to Y's workload. Therefore, the mobile aircraft control device 100 rebalances the workloads of X and Y by transferring the aircraft 30-2 under X's control to Y's control with Y's approval.

[0038] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of changes in the workloads of two controllers (hereinafter, X and Y) who are in charge of controlling eight aircraft 30-1 to 30-8. It is assumed that all of the aircraft 30-1 to 30-8 are flying under autopilot. Currently, X is in charge of controlling aircraft 30-1 to 30-3, and Y is in charge of controlling aircraft 30-4 to 30-8, and the workloads of X and Y are roughly balanced. If aircraft 30-8, which has been cruising in bad weather, is forced to land in bad weather, the workload of Y will increase, which is expected to disrupt the balance of the workloads of X and Y. Therefore, the mobile aircraft control device 100 rebalances the workloads of X and Y by assigning the control task of aircraft 30-7 (monitoring cruising in good weather) to X.

[0039] Next, a method for allocating control tasks for the flying vehicles 30-1 to 30-m to the controllers 10-1 to 10-n based on the time-series changes in workload in each flight phase in the flight plan 102 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0040] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of changes in the workloads of two controllers (hereinafter, X and Y) who are in charge of the control tasks for two aircraft when the mobile aircraft control device 100 does not assign the control tasks based on the flight plan 102. In the example shown in FIG. 11, X is in charge of the control tasks for aircraft 30-1 and 30-2, and Y is in charge of the control tasks for aircraft 30-3 and 30-4. Y's workload increases when aircraft 30-3 and 30-4 land simultaneously under good weather conditions and becomes zero after aircraft 30-3 and 30-4 land. Therefore, there is a large difference in the workloads of X and Y during and after the landing of aircraft 30-3 and 30-4. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the mobile aircraft control device 100 assigns the control tasks for aircraft 30-2 and 30-4 to X, and the control tasks for aircraft 30-1 and 30-3 to Y. This makes it possible to equalize the workloads of X and Y compared to the example shown in FIG.

[0041] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 21 displayed on the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n. On the screen 21, the flight paths of the aircraft 30-1 to 30-4 are indicated by lines, and the current positions and flight directions of the aircraft 30-1 to 30-4 are indicated by triangles. The aircraft 30-1 and 30-2 under the control of the controller who owns the terminal device are highlighted, while the aircraft 30-3 and 30-4 outside the controller's control are not highlighted. Information such as altitude, speed, direction, and SoC is also displayed for the aircraft 30-1 and 30-2 under the controller's control. Where lines indicating flight paths intersect, the lower flight path is displayed as a hidden line below the higher flight path so that the elevation of each flight path can be seen. Furthermore, the positional relationship of the two aircraft at their closest approach is indicated by a line, along with the time and altitude difference at the closest approach. If necessary, it also displays an FPV (First Person View) from a camera attached to the flying vehicle 30, a TPV (Third Person View) from a camera installed at a ground facility, etc., and a PFD (Primary Flight Display) image consisting of an attitude indicator (level indicator), airspeed indicator, altimeter, heading indicator, etc. Also displayed are the IDs of the flying vehicles 30-1 and 30-2 currently under their control, as well as a manual control switch button 22 for switching the flying vehicles 30-1 and 30-2 to manual control and an auto-control switch button 23 for switching the flying vehicles 30-1 and 30-2 to auto-control.

[0042] 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 21 displayed on the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n when a newly assigned control task is announced. Below the IDs of the currently assigned flying objects 30-1 and 30-2, the ID of the newly assigned flying object 30-4, the time remaining until the assignment is taken over, an approval button 24 for approving the assignment of flying object 30-4, and a rejection button 25 for rejecting the assignment of flying object 30-4 are displayed. When the approval button 24 is pressed, an assignment approval signal (shown in FIG. 2) is output from the terminal device to the mobile object control device 100, and as shown in FIG. 15, the ID of flying object 30-4 is displayed as the ID of the flying object 30 under its assignment, and a triangle indicating the current position and flight direction of flying object 30-4 and a line indicating the flight path are highlighted. On the other hand, when the reject button 25 is pressed, an allocation approval signal (shown in Figure 2) is output from the terminal device to the mobile control device 100, and as shown in Figure 16, the ID of the flying object 30-4 is not displayed as the ID of the flying object 30 under its control, and the triangle indicating the current position and flight direction of the flying object 30-4 and the line indicating the flight path continue to be displayed in an unhighlighted state.

[0043] 17 to 21 are diagrams showing application examples of the mobile object control device 100 for each hierarchical structure of the controllers 10-1 to 10-n.

[0044] 17, five controllers, each capable of controlling up to four flying objects, are arranged in the same row. The mobile object control device 100 dynamically assigns each control task for the flying objects 30-1 to 30-m so as to equalize the workload of the controllers and so that each controller is not responsible for more than four flying objects.

[0045] In the example shown in Figure 18, five controllers are assigned as assistants under one supervisory controller. In a conventional operation mode in which the mobile object control device 100 is not applied, the supervisor is responsible for allocating each control task for the flying objects 30-1 to 30-m, which places a heavy burden on the supervisor. On the other hand, when the mobile object control device 100 is applied, the mobile object control device 100 allocates each control task, which reduces the supervisor's burden. This allows the supervisor more time to consider other tasks to ensure safety.

[0046] In the example shown in Fig. 19, five controllers are assigned as assistants and one controller is assigned as a backup assistant under one supervisory controller. In this example, the backup assistants allow for a greater leeway in the workload of controllers than in the hierarchical structure shown in Fig. 18, allowing for the allocation of each control task.

[0047] In the example shown in Fig. 20, five assistant controllers, each capable of controlling up to five aircraft, are assigned under one supervisory controller. In this example, each assistant controller can be responsible for controlling up to five aircraft, allowing for more flexible allocation of control tasks than in the hierarchical structure shown in Fig. 20.

[0048] In the example shown in FIG. 21 , five controllers are assigned as assistants under each of multiple controllers who act as supervisors. Each supervisor and the five assistants assigned to them form a group. In this hierarchical structure, assistants can be shared among groups depending on the burden of each group. In a conventional operation mode that does not employ the mobile object control device 100, the supervisor must not only assign control tasks to assistants but also share assistants among groups, which increases the burden on the supervisor. On the other hand, when the mobile object control device 100 is employed, the mobile object control device 100 assigns each control task without distinguishing between groups, thereby freeing each supervisor from the tasks of assigning control tasks to assistants and sharing assistants among groups.

[0049] (Summary) In the first embodiment, a mobile object control device that manages a plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m includes a flight plan acquisition unit 101 that acquires a flight plan 102 for the plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m, a person in charge information acquisition unit 103 that acquires information on a plurality of controllers 10-1 to 10-n in charge of each control task for the plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m as person in charge information 104, and a person in charge information acquisition unit 104 that acquires information on a plurality of controllers 10-1 to 10-n in charge of each control task for the plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m for each flight phase included in the flight plan 102. The system is equipped with a workload calculation unit 105 that calculates the workload, a control task allocation unit 106 that allocates each control task of a plurality of flying bodies 30-1 to 30-m to a plurality of controllers 10-1 to 10-n based on the workload for each flight phase and person in charge information 104, and an allocation information output unit 107 that outputs the control tasks allocated to each of the controllers 10-1 to 10-n to terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n owned by each of the controllers 10-1 to 10-n.

[0050] In the first embodiment, in a mobile object control system 1 including a plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m, terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n owned by a plurality of controllers 10-1 to 10-n, and a mobile object control device 100 that manages the plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m, the mobile object control device 100 includes a flight plan acquisition unit 101 that acquires flight plans 102 for the plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m, and a person in charge information acquisition unit 103 that acquires information on the plurality of controllers 10-1 to 10-n as person in charge information 104. The system is equipped with a workload calculation unit 105 that calculates the workload of each control task for multiple aircraft 30-1 to 30-m for each flight phase included in the flight plan 102, a control task allocation unit 106 that allocates each control task for multiple aircraft 30-1 to 30-m to multiple controllers 10-1 to 10-n based on the workload for each flight phase and person in charge information 104, and an allocation information output unit 107 that outputs the control tasks allocated to each controller to terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n.

[0051] In addition, in the first embodiment, a mobile object control method for managing a plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m using a computer 100 includes the following steps: a first step of acquiring a flight plan 102 for the plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m; a second step of acquiring information on a plurality of controllers 10-1 to 10-n as person-in-charge information 104; a third step of calculating the workload of each control task for the plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m for each flight phase included in the flight plan 102; a fourth step of assigning each control task for the plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m to a plurality of controllers 10-1 to 10-n based on the workload for each flight phase and the person-in-charge information 104; and a fifth step of outputting the control tasks assigned to each of the controllers 10-1 to 10-n to terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n owned by each of the controllers 10-1 to 10-n.

[0052] According to the first embodiment configured as described above, it is possible to appropriately allocate the control tasks of the multiple flying bodies 30-1 to 30-m to the multiple controllers 10-1 to 10-n.

[0053] Furthermore, the control task allocation unit 106 in the first embodiment allocates each control task for the multiple flying vehicles 30-1 to 30-m to the multiple controllers 10-1 to 10-n so as to equalize the total workload of the control tasks allocated to each of the multiple controllers 10-1 to 10-n. This makes it possible to prevent the burden of each control task for the multiple flying vehicles 30-1 to 30-m from being concentrated on a certain number of controllers.

[0054] In the first embodiment, each control task for the multiple aircraft 30-1 to 30-m includes a remote piloting task and a monitoring task, and the workload of the remote piloting task is set to a value greater than the workload of the monitoring task, and the workload of the monitoring task is set according to the probability that the multiple aircraft 30-1 to 30-m will switch from automatic piloting to manual piloting. This makes it possible to appropriately calculate the workload of each control task for the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m.

[0055] In the first embodiment, the probability that the multiple aircraft 30-1 to 30-m will switch from autopilot to manual piloting is calculated based on the past flight performance of the multiple aircraft 30-1 to 30-m, which makes it possible to more appropriately calculate the workload of the autopilot operations of the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m.

[0056] In addition, the assignment information output unit 107 in the first embodiment outputs information to the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n for distinguishing between the aircraft to which each controller is assigned and other aircraft, thereby enabling the controllers 10-1 to 10-n to distinguish between the aircraft they are responsible for and other aircraft.

[0057] In the first embodiment, the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n display the aircraft to which each controller is assigned in a different manner from other aircraft, thereby enabling the controllers 10-1 to 10-n to easily distinguish between the aircraft they are responsible for and other aircraft.

[0058] Furthermore, when the control task allocation unit 106 decides to change the allocation of the control tasks for one of the plurality of air vehicles 30-1 to 30-m from a first controller among the plurality of controllers 10-1 to 10-n to a second controller, the allocation information output unit 107 in the first embodiment outputs in advance to a terminal device possessed by the second controller the identification information of the one air vehicle and the time when the second controller will take over the control tasks for the one air vehicle. This allows the controllers 10-1 to 10-n to know that they have been newly assigned the control tasks for the air vehicle before taking over the control tasks.

[0059] The second embodiment of the present invention will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0060] 26 is a functional block diagram of the mobile object control system 100 in the second embodiment. In addition to the functional units of the mobile object control system 100 in the first embodiment (shown in FIG. 2), the mobile object control system 100 in this embodiment includes manual control units 108-1 to 108-m, auto-pilot units 109-1 to 109-m, and air vehicle control units 110-1 to 110-m.

[0061] The manual control units 108-1 to 108-m convert manual control signals input from the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n into manual control signals for the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m and output them. The automatic control units 109-1 to 109-m generate and output automatic control signals for the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m based on the flight plan 102 and information acquired from the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m.

[0062] When the manual control switching signal input from the terminal device 20-1 is ON, the flying object control unit 110-1 outputs the manual control signal input from the manual control units 108-1 to 108-m to the flying objects 30-1 to 30-m. This allows the controllers 10-1 to 10-n to manually control the flying objects 30-1 to 30-m through the operation of the terminal devices 20-1 to 20-n.

[0063] When the manual control switching signal input from the terminal device 20-1 is OFF, the aircraft control unit 110-1 outputs the automatic control signal input from the autopilot units 109-1 to 109-m to the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m, thereby enabling the aircraft 30-1 to 30-m to be automatically controlled.

[0064] According to the second embodiment configured as described above, it is possible to integrate the mobile object control device 100 and the device that controls the multiple flying objects 30-1 to 30-m.

[0065] The third embodiment of the present invention will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0066] FIG. 23 is a configuration diagram of a mobile object control system 1 in a third embodiment. The mobile object control system 1 in this embodiment includes a plurality of running objects 31-1 to 31-m instead of the plurality of flying objects 30-1 to 30-m (shown in FIG. 1) in the first embodiment. The running objects 31-1 to 31-m are composed of autonomous vehicles or self-propelled robots that run by remote control or automatic piloting. The other configurations of the mobile object control system 1 are the same as those of the first embodiment, except that the flight / takeoff / landing in the first embodiment are changed to running / leaving / landing. Although not shown in the figure, if the mobile object to be managed is a ship that moves on water by remote control or automatic piloting, the running / leaving / landing will be changed to sailing / leaving port / returning port.

[0067] According to the third embodiment configured as described above, it is possible to appropriately allocate the control tasks of the multiple traveling vehicles 31-1 to 31-m or the multiple ships to the multiple controllers 10-1 to 10-n.

[0068] The fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0069] When an aircraft switches from autopilot to manual control, the workload of the controller in charge of controlling that aircraft increases, disrupting the balance of workload among controllers 10-1 to 10-n and increasing the likelihood that the aircraft's control duties will be assigned to another controller. Therefore, in this embodiment, an evaluation index indicating the likelihood that aircraft 30-1 to 30-m will switch from autopilot to manual control is monitored, and when the evaluation index for a certain aircraft exceeds a preset threshold, other controllers are notified in advance that they may be assigned the aircraft's control duties.

[0070] FIG. 22 illustrates an example of changes in wind speed as an evaluation index. Wind speed may be measured using an anemometer or calculated from the difference between the airspeed and ground speed of an aircraft. When the control task allocation unit 106 determines that the wind speed at the flight location of an aircraft controlled by a certain controller (hereinafter, X) exceeds a threshold (hereinafter, advance notification threshold) set slightly lower than the threshold (hereinafter, manual operation threshold) at which manual operation is required, the allocation information output unit 107 outputs, for example, information about the aircraft and a notification (hereinafter, advance notification) indicating that control tasks for the aircraft may be assigned to a terminal device of another controller (hereinafter, Y) with the smallest workload. If the wind speed subsequently exceeds the manual operation threshold, the control task allocation unit 106 switches the assignment of control tasks for the aircraft from X to Y.

[0071] FIG. 23 illustrates an example of changes in three-dimensional acceleration, yaw rate, roll rate, and pitch rate as evaluation indices. Because the three-dimensional acceleration, yaw rate, roll rate, and pitch rate are affected by wind speed, they can be used as evaluation indices indicating the likelihood of an aircraft switching from automatic control to manual control. The three-dimensional acceleration, yaw rate, roll rate, and pitch rate can be directly measured by sensors installed on the aircraft for flight control. When the control task allocation unit 106 determines that the three-dimensional acceleration, yaw rate, roll rate, and pitch rate of an aircraft controlled by a certain controller (hereinafter, X) exceed the advance notification threshold, the allocation information output unit 107 outputs an advance notification to, for example, the terminal device of the controller (hereinafter, Y) with the smallest workload. Thereafter, when the three-dimensional acceleration, yaw rate, roll rate, and pitch rate exceed the manual control threshold, the control task allocation unit 106 switches the assignment of the aircraft's control tasks from X to Y.

[0072] FIG. 24 illustrates an example of a change in the deviation (distance, angle) from the planned route as an evaluation index. The deviation (distance, angle) from the planned route is also an evaluation index that indicates the influence of wind speed and can be directly measured using a positioning system such as a GPS installed on the aircraft for flight control. When the control task allocation unit 106 determines that the deviation (distance, angle) from the planned route of an aircraft controlled by a certain controller (hereinafter, X) exceeds the advance notification threshold, the allocation information output unit 107 outputs an advance notification to, for example, a terminal device owned by a controller (hereinafter, Y) with the smallest workload. If the deviation (distance, angle) of the aircraft subsequently exceeds the manual control threshold, the control task allocation unit 106 switches the assignment of the aircraft's control tasks from X to Y.

[0073] 25 is a diagram showing an example of changes in the distance to an obstacle (another flying object, a building, a moving object, a person, etc.), which is an evaluation index. When the control task allocation unit 106 determines that the distance between an obstacle and an flying object for which a certain controller (hereinafter, X) is in charge of control operations exceeds the advance notification threshold, the allocation information output unit 107 outputs an advance notification to, for example, a terminal device owned by a controller (hereinafter, Y) with the smallest workload. Thereafter, when the distance between the flying object and the obstacle exceeds the manual control threshold, the control task allocation unit 106 switches the allocation destination of the control operations for the flying object from X to Y.

[0074] In addition, when the mobile object to be managed is a traveling object 31-1 to 31-m (shown in FIG. 27) or a ship, the wind speed, three-dimensional acceleration, yaw rate, roll rate, pitch rate, deviation from the planned route (distance, angle), and distance to an obstacle (another mobile object, building, mobile object, person, etc.) can be used as the evaluation index. In addition, when the mobile object to be managed is a traveling object 31-1 to 31-m (shown in FIG. 27), the degree of congestion at the traveling point can be used as the evaluation index.

[0075] (Summary) In the fourth embodiment, the control task allocation unit 106 determines whether an evaluation index indicating the possibility that one of the multiple air vehicles 30-1 to 30-m will switch from automatic control to manual control has exceeded a predetermined threshold, and when the control task allocation unit 106 determines that the evaluation index has exceeded the predetermined threshold, the allocation information output unit 107 outputs a notification to a terminal device held by a controller who has not been assigned the control task of the one air vehicle, indicating that the controller may be assigned the control task of the one air vehicle.

[0076] According to the fourth embodiment configured as described above, the controllers 10-1 to 10-n can know that there is a possibility that they will be newly assigned control duties for an aircraft.

[0077] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to add part of the configuration of one embodiment to the configuration of another embodiment, or to delete part of the configuration of one embodiment or replace it with part of another embodiment.

[0078] 1...mobile object control system, 10-1 to 10-n...controller, 20-1 to 20-n...terminal device, 21...screen, 22...manual control switch button, 23...autopilot switch button, 24...approval button, 25...rejection button, 30-1 to 30-m...aircraft, 31-1 to 31-m...traveling object, 100...mobile object control device (computer), 101...flight plan acquisition unit, 102...flight plan, 103...personnel information acquisition unit, 104...personnel information, 105...workload calculation unit, 106...control task allocation unit, 107...allocation information output unit, 108-1 to 108-m...manual control unit, 1 09-1 to 109-m...Autopilot unit, 110-1 to 110-m...Aircraft control unit, 121...Processing device, 122...Communication device, 123...Main memory device, 124...Sub-memory device, 125...Communication path, 126...Flight management program, 127...Flight plan acquisition module, 128...Personnel information acquisition module, 129...Workload calculation module, 200...Network, S0...Parking status, S1x, S1x-1, S1x-2, S1y, S1z...Autopilot flight status, S2x, S2x-1, S2y, S2z...Manually piloted flight status, S11x to S11z...Preview status.

Claims

1. A mobile object control device for controlling a plurality of moving objects, comprising: a movement plan acquisition unit for acquiring movement plans for the plurality of moving objects; a person in charge information acquisition unit for acquiring information on a plurality of controllers as person in charge information; a workload calculation unit for calculating the workload of each control task for the plurality of moving objects for each movement phase included in the movement plan; a control task allocation unit for allocating each control task for the plurality of moving objects to the plurality of controllers based on the workload for each movement phase and the person in charge information; and an allocation information output unit for outputting the control tasks allocated to each controller to a terminal device owned by each controller.

2. A mobile object control device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the control task allocation unit allocates each control task of the multiple mobile objects to the multiple controllers so as to equalize the sum of the workloads of the control tasks assigned to each of the multiple controllers.

3. A mobile object control device as described in claim 1, wherein each control task for the plurality of mobile objects includes a remote control task and a monitoring task, the workload for the remote control task is set to a value greater than the workload for the monitoring task, and the workload for the monitoring task is set according to the probability that the plurality of mobile objects will switch from automatic control to manual control.

4. A mobile object control system according to claim 3, wherein the probability is calculated based on the past movement records of the plurality of mobile objects.

5. A mobile object control device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the allocation information output unit outputs to the terminal device information for distinguishing between mobile objects to which each controller is assigned and other mobile objects.

6. A mobile object control system according to claim 5, characterized in that the terminal device displays mobile objects to which each controller is assigned and other mobile objects in different ways.

7. A mobile object control device as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the control task allocation unit decides to change the allocation of control tasks for one of the plurality of mobile objects from a first controller to a second controller, the allocation information output unit outputs in advance to the terminal device held by the second controller the identification information of the one mobile object and the time at which the second controller will take over the control tasks for the one mobile object.

8. A mobile object control device as described in claim 1, wherein the control task allocation unit determines whether an evaluation index indicating the possibility that one of the plurality of mobile objects will switch from automatic control to manual control has exceeded a predetermined threshold, and the allocation information output unit, when the control task allocation unit determines that the evaluation index has exceeded the predetermined threshold, outputs a notification to the terminal device owned by a controller to whom control tasks for the one mobile object have not been assigned, that the controller may be assigned control tasks for the one mobile object.

9. A mobile object control system comprising a plurality of moving objects, terminal devices owned by a plurality of controllers, and a mobile object control device that manages the plurality of moving objects, wherein the mobile object control device comprises: a movement plan acquisition unit that acquires movement plans for the plurality of moving objects; a person in charge information acquisition unit that acquires information about the plurality of controllers as person in charge information; a workload calculation unit that calculates the workload of each control task for the plurality of moving objects for each movement phase included in the movement plan; a control task allocation unit that allocates each control task for the plurality of moving objects to the plurality of controllers based on the workload for each movement phase and the person in charge information; and an allocation information output unit that outputs to the terminal device each control task allocated to each controller.

10. A mobile object control method for managing multiple mobile objects using a computer, comprising: a first step of acquiring movement plans for the multiple mobile objects; a second step of acquiring information on multiple controllers as person-in-charge information; a third step of calculating the workload of each control task for the multiple mobile objects for each movement phase included in the movement plan; a fourth step of assigning each control task for the multiple mobile objects to the multiple controllers based on the workload for each movement phase and the person-in-charge information; and a fifth step of outputting the control tasks assigned to each controller to a terminal device possessed by each controller.

Images