Control system, control method, and program

Abstract

[Problem] According to the present invention, search activity for a target area by using a plurality of mobile bodies can be performed more appropriately or more efficiently. [Solution] The present invention is a control system that controls the operations of a plurality of mobile bodies each equipped with a measurement sensor capable of detecting an object to be searched for and that searches for the object to be searched for, and the control system comprises: a search target value acquisition unit that acquires search target information related to the target of the search; a search-related information acquisition unit that acquires search-related information including at least one of search condition information related to conditions of the search and search state information related to an actual value or a predicted value of the search; and a search method determination unit that determines, or determines the change of, at least one of the number, the arrangement distribution, the formation, the search movement speed, the search turning speed, the search movement path, the search movement direction, and the search straight traveling time of the plurality of mobile bodies to be used for the search, on the basis of the search target information and the search-related information.

Description

Control System, Control Method, and Program

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for controlling a moving body for monitoring a monitoring target area using a plurality of moving bodies equipped with cameras and the like. In particular, a technique for performing movement control of the moving body so as to improve the coverage rate, which is the ratio of the monitoring area that the moving body can monitor with respect to the monitoring target area, is disclosed.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018 - 92256

[0004] When attempting to put into practical use a search system that performs a search operation on a search target area using a plurality of moving bodies, it is required to meet various requirements demanded when actually operating the search system.

[0005] For example, it is required to pre-evaluate before the search operation whether sufficient search performance can be exhibited for a specific search purpose designated by the user. Also, when the search performance is insufficient, it is required to determine appropriate countermeasures such as changing the system configuration or the operation method of the moving body in order to exhibit sufficiently high search performance. Further, during the execution of the search operation, if the search results are evaluated in real time and sufficient search performance cannot be exhibited for a specific search purpose designated by the user, it is required to execute appropriate countermeasures such as changing the system configuration or the operation method of the moving body.

[0006] Also, when the search target area is an area where environmental changes such as waves, wind, and weather are large, such as in a marine area, the influence on the movement performance of the moving body and the measurement performance of measurement sensors (optical cameras, laser sensors, sonar sensors, etc.) is large. Therefore, depending on the actually searchable range in the search target area, it is required to execute appropriate countermeasures such as changing the stem configuration or the operation method of the moving body.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of at least one of the above problems, and one of its objectives is to provide a system or control method, etc., that can perform the search work of a target area more appropriately or more efficiently using multiple mobile bodies.

[0008] According to the present invention, a control system is obtained that controls the operation of a plurality of mobile bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting a target object to be searched for, and searches for the target object, comprising: a search target value acquisition unit that acquires search target information relating to the target of the search; a search related information acquisition unit that acquires search related information including at least one of search condition information relating to the conditions of the search and search state information relating to actual values ​​or predicted values ​​of the search; and a search method determination unit that determines or changes at least one of the number of mobile bodies, arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time of the plurality of mobile bodies used for the search, based on the search target information and the search related information.

[0009] According to the present invention, the search operation of a target area using multiple mobile bodies can be performed more appropriately or more efficiently.

[0010] This is an overall configuration diagram of the control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of an implementation image when the control system 1 is implemented in real space. This is a diagram showing stakeholders related to the control system 1. This is a configuration diagram showing an unmanned vessel system 1000 composed of multiple unmanned vessels. This is a conceptual diagram showing how the unmanned vessel system 1000 deployed on the sea searches for a target object 7000. This is a diagram showing the positional relationship of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 that constitute a platoon. This is a diagram showing the positional relationship of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 that constitute multiple platoons. This is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned vessel 1010. This is a conceptual diagram showing how an object in the water is detected using a sound wave sensor. This is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the overall control system 2000. This is a diagram showing an example of various information acquired by the pre-information acquisition unit 2100. This is a diagram showing an example of the determination content determined by the target object detection determination unit 2300. This is a diagram showing an example of environmental disturbance information used in the correction calculation of the disturbance effect correction unit 2530. This is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the control system 1. This is a sequence diagram showing the exchange of signals between systems within the control system 1. This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow for determining the search plan by the search plan determination unit 2200. This is a diagram showing an example of the calculation results of output items in the search plan determination process by the search plan determination unit 2200. This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow for determining the alert level by the alert level determination unit 2400. This is a diagram showing an example of the method for determining the alert level according to the detection result of the search target object 7000. This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow for determining the search state by the search state acquisition unit 2500. This is a diagram showing an example of the result of determining the search state by the search state acquisition unit 2500. This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow for determining the corresponding action of the unmanned vessel system 1000 by the corresponding action determination unit 2600. This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow for proposing and displaying a corresponding action command. This is a diagram showing an example of the display information proposed and displayed on the display unit 2710, etc. This is a diagram showing another example of the display information proposed and displayed on the display unit 2710, etc. This is a hardware configuration diagram of the integrated control system 2000.

[0011] The embodiments of the present invention are described below. The present invention has the following configuration: [Item 1] A control system for performing a search for a target object by controlling the operation of a plurality of mobile bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting the target object, comprising: a search target value acquisition unit that acquires search target information relating to the target of the search; a search related information acquisition unit that acquires search related information including at least one of search condition information relating to the conditions of the search and search state information relating to actual values ​​or predicted values ​​of the search; and a search method determination unit that determines or changes at least one of the number of mobile bodies, arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time of the plurality of mobile bodies used for the search, based on the search target information and the search related information. [Item 2] A control system according to Item 1, wherein the search condition information acquired by the search-related information acquisition unit includes information relating to at least one of the following: the location or range of the target area of ​​the search, the execution time of the search, the arrangement of the moving bodies, the search movement speed, the search turning speed, the search movement path, the search movement direction, the search straight-line travel time, the object to be searched, the measurement sensor, the assumed probability that the object to be searched is in the target area, the assumed speed of the object to be searched, and the assumed path of the object to be searched. [Item 3] A control system according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the search method determination unit determines, before the start of the search, at least one of the number of moving bodies, their arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line travel time of the plurality of moving bodies to be used for the search, based on the search target information and the search condition information included in the search-related information. [Item 4] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 3, wherein the search status information acquired by the search-related information acquisition unit includes at least one of the following information: a search rate indicating the ratio of the area moved or measured by the moving body to the target area of ​​the two-dimensional or three-dimensional search, and a detection probability indicating the probability that the moving body detects the object to be searched.[Item 5] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 4, wherein at least one of the search rate and the detection probability is calculated according to environmental information in the target area of ​​the search. [Item 6] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 5, wherein the search state information acquired by the search-related information acquisition unit includes at least one of the following information: a predicted search rate indicating the proportion of the area in which the moving body is expected to move or measure in the future relative to the two-dimensional or three-dimensional target area of ​​the search, and a predicted detection probability indicating the probability that the moving body will detect the object being searched in the future. [Item 7] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 6, wherein at least one of the predicted search rate and the predicted detection probability is calculated according to current or future environmental information in the target area. [Item 8] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 7, wherein the environmental information includes at least one of the following: optical measurement disturbance information affecting the detection of the target object by optical imaging such as solar altitude, fog, rain, snow, light intensity, wave height, sea spray; laser measurement disturbance information affecting the detection of the target object by laser sensors such as fog, rain, snow, wave height, sea spray; acoustic measurement disturbance information affecting the detection of the target object present in the sea by acoustic sensors such as seawater concentration, seawater temperature, seawater transparency; and radio wave measurement disturbance information affecting the detection of the target object by radio wave sensors such as lightning, rain, fog, wave height, sea spray. [Item 9] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 8, wherein the environmental information includes at least one of the following: ocean currents, tidal currents, wave height, current speed, wind speed, and other information on the resistance disturbance of the moving body that affects the power performance of the moving body; seaweed, drift ice, floating objects, ships, and other information on marine obstacles that hinder the movement of the moving body; and water temperature, air temperature, solar radiation, and other information on temperature disturbances that affect the temperature of the moving body.[Item 10] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 9, wherein the search target information includes target information relating to at least one of: a target overall search rate indicating a target value for the proportion of the area where the mobile body has moved or measured relative to the entire area of ​​the target area of ​​the search; a target local search rate indicating a target value for the proportion of the area where the mobile body has moved or measured relative to a local area that is part of the area of ​​the target area of ​​the search; and a target detection probability indicating a target value for the probability that the mobile body detects the object to be searched. [Item 11] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 10, wherein the search method determination unit compares the search target information with the search state information and determines that the actual value or predicted value of the search included in the search state information has not reached the target value of the search included in the search target information, and makes a decision to change at least one of the number of mobile bodies, their arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line travel time of the plurality of mobile bodies used for the search. [Item 12] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 11, wherein the search status information acquired by the search-related information acquisition unit includes at least one of the following pieces of information: an overall search rate indicating the ratio of the area the mobile body has moved or measured to the entire target area of ​​the search, and a local search rate indicating the ratio of the area the mobile body has moved or measured to a local area that is a part of the target area of ​​the search. [Item 13] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 12, wherein the overall search rate indicates the ratio of the area the mobile body has moved or measured to the entire target area within a predetermined period. [Item 14] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 13, wherein the local search rate indicates the ratio of the area the mobile body has moved or measured to a local area that is a part of the target area within a predetermined period.[Item 15] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 14, wherein the search method determination unit compares the target value of the overall search rate with the actual or predicted value of the overall search rate, and determines that the search target has not been achieved if the actual or predicted value of the overall search rate is lower than the target value of the overall search rate. [Item 16] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 15, wherein the search method determination unit determines that the search target has not been achieved if at least one of the number, area, density, or shape of local areas where the local search rate is less than or equal to a predetermined value matches a predetermined failure condition. [Item 17] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 16, wherein the search method determination unit determines that the search target has not been achieved if it receives user input information from the user indicating that the search target has not been achieved. [Item 18] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 17, wherein the search method determination unit determines that the actual value or predicted value of the search included in the search state information has not reached the target value of the search included in the search target information, and changes the search movement path of the mobile body so that it enters or passes through a local area where the local search rate is lower than a predetermined value or the local search rate is relatively low, or enters or passes through a position where the local area can be measured. [Item 19] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 18, wherein the search method determination unit determines that the actual value or predicted value of the search included in the search state information has not reached the target value of the search included in the search target information, and changes the search movement path of the mobile body so that the local search rate of a local area where the local search rate is lower than a predetermined value or the local search rate is relatively low increases, or increases the overall search rate which indicates the ratio of the area the mobile body has moved to or measured to the entire target area.[Item 20] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 19, wherein the search method determination unit determines or changes at least one of the following for the search: the number of mobile units, their arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time, according to the alert level information for each area determined according to the externally acquired information, user input information, or detection information of the object to be searched. [Item 21] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 20, wherein the control system includes a display unit that displays and outputs at least one of the following: search status information relating to actual or predicted values ​​of the search acquired by the search-related information acquisition unit; a search rate indicating the ratio of the area where the mobile unit has moved or measured to the target area of ​​the two-dimensional or three-dimensional search; a detection probability indicating the probability that the mobile unit detects the object to be searched; and information relating to the search method determined by the search method determination unit. [Item 22] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 21, further comprising an operation command unit that outputs an operation command to the mobile body in accordance with user input information relating to the search. [Item 23] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 22, further comprising an operation command unit that outputs an operation command to the mobile body in accordance with the determination result determined by the search method determination unit. [Item 24] A control system according to any one of Items 1 to 23, wherein the plurality of mobile bodies are composed of unmanned vessels that are capable of moving on the sea and are equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting the search target located in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional area including a sea area or an underwater area.[Item 25] A control method for a control system that controls the operation of a plurality of mobile bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting a target object to be searched for, wherein a computer performs: a search target value acquisition step of acquiring search target information relating to the target of the search; a search related information acquisition step of acquiring search related information including at least one of search condition information for performing the search and search state information relating to actual values ​​or predicted values ​​of the search; and a search method determination step of determining or changing at least one of the number of mobile bodies, arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, and search movement path of the plurality of mobile bodies used for the search, based on the search target information and the search related information. [Item 26] A program usable in a control system that controls the operation of multiple mobile bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting a target object to be searched, and which causes a computer to execute: a search target value acquisition command to acquire search target information relating to the target of the search; a search related information acquisition command to acquire search related information including at least one of search condition information for conducting the search and search state information relating to actual or predicted values ​​of the search; and a search method determination command to determine or change at least one of the number of mobile bodies, arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, and search movement path of the multiple mobile bodies used for the search, based on the search target information and the search related information.

[0012] <A. First Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, the embodiments shown below are merely examples, and other known elements or alternative means can be used depending on the application, purpose, or scale.

[0013] [A. Configuration] (A-1. System Configuration) First, the overall system configuration of the control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described using Figures 1 to 3.

[0014] (A-1-1. Overview of System Configuration) Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "System 1") according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the control system 1 comprises an unmanned vessel system 1000 and a central control system 2000. The central control system 2000 is configured to communicate with an external cooperative system 5000 and an external system 6000 via an internet connection or the like, and can input and output information. The central control system 2000 can transmit control commands to the unmanned vessel system 1000 deployed at sea via a ground base station 4000 and a communication satellite 3000, and can also receive the operating status and measurement data of the unmanned vessel system 1000. Therefore, the central control system 2000 can control the operation of the unmanned vessel system 1000, which has multiple unmanned vessels 1010 equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting the target object 7000, and search for the target object 7000.

[0015] The unmanned vessel system 1000 comprises one or more unmanned vessels 1010. When the unmanned vessel system 1000 is composed of multiple unmanned vessels 1010, the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 are connected to each other by wireless communication and can form a communication network. Furthermore, the unmanned vessel 1010 has the function of detecting objects to be searched, such as ships, floating objects, and people adrift at sea, as well as objects moving underwater, such as divers and marine organisms (such as whales), using measurement sensors mounted on the vessel (sound wave sensors such as sonar, optical cameras, IR cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR, and radar sensors such as millimeter-wave sensors and microwave sensors).

[0016] The detection results and measurement data of objects detected by the unmanned vessel system 1000, as well as various information on the operational status of each unmanned vessel 1010 of the unmanned vessel system 1000, are transmitted to the central control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 and the ground base station 4000. The central control system 2000 determines operational commands for the unmanned vessel system 1000 based on the information obtained from the unmanned vessel system 1000 and pre-obtained request information. The generated operational commands and other information are transmitted to the cooperative system 5000, and intervention commands can also be obtained from the cooperative system.

[0017] (A-1-2. Example of implementation of control system 1 in real space) Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of an implementation image when control system 1 is implemented in real space. In the example shown in Figure 2, a ground base station 4000 and a central control system 2000 are provided on the ground side shown in the upper right of the diagram. In addition, a cooperative system 5000 is provided on the ground side, which includes related facilities of external cooperative organizations such as external cooperative monitoring organization facilities (including private security organizations, private rescue organizations, etc.), and further, an external system 6000 is provided, such as an AIS (Automatic Identification System) control center and AIS base station that manage information on ships navigating the ocean.

[0018] On the other hand, on the ocean side shown on the left of the diagram, the unmanned vessel system 1000, the object to be searched 7000, and part of the cooperative system 5000, including patrol boats operated by external cooperating organizations, are deployed. The unmanned vessel system 1000 also has multiple platoons (1000a, 1000b, 1000c) consisting of a master unit and multiple slave units, and each platoon can communicate directly or via the communication satellite 3000. The unmanned vessel system 1000 can also communicate with the patrol boat directly or via the communication satellite 3000, and for example, detection information regarding the object to be searched 7000 can be notified from the unmanned vessel system 1000 to the patrol boat (or research vessel). The unmanned vessel system 1000 may also be connected to an AIS base station to acquire AIS information.

[0019] In the example shown in Figure 2, the central control system 2000 is shown to be implemented in a land-based facility, but it is not limited to this. All or part of the functions implemented in the central control system 2000 shown in this embodiment can be installed on coastal field bases located in land-based coastal areas (not shown) or on manned mother ships at sea, and the operation and management of the unmanned vessel system 1000 can be performed at the coastal field bases or manned mother ships.

[0020] In the embodiment described in Figures 1 and 2 above, an example was described in which a non-terrestrial network using a geosynchronous orbit or low-earth orbit communication satellite 3000 is used as the communication network for sending and receiving information between the integrated control system 2000 and the unmanned vessel system 1000. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a non-terrestrial network using an unmanned aerial vehicle called a HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station) can also be used. In this case, for example, an unmanned aerial vehicle that circles at an altitude of about 8 to 50 km can be used. Furthermore, as the communication network for sending and receiving information between the integrated control system 2000 and the unmanned vessel 1010, it is also possible to use a communication network that directly connects the ground base station 4000 to the unmanned vessel 1010 via wireless communication, without going through the communication satellite 3000 or HAPS. Note that the ground base station 4000 is not limited to a stationary fixed base station, but may also consist of a mobile base station.

[0021] (A-1-3. Stakeholders related to Control System 1) Figure 3 is a diagram showing the stakeholders related to Control System 1. As shown in Figure 3, Control System 1 has an operator who operates the unmanned vessel system 1000 by inputting and outputting information via the user interface unit 2700 of the integrated control system 2000. If all or part of the functions implemented in the integrated control system 2000 shown in this embodiment are implemented in a coastal field base on land or a manned mother ship at sea (not shown), the operator can operate and manage the unmanned vessel system 1000 at the coastal field base or the manned mother ship.

[0022] Furthermore, the external cooperative monitoring organization facilities of the cooperative system 5000 have monitoring supervisors, and the monitoring boats have monitors, who work together to search for targets in the marine area. In addition, the cooperative system 5000 may also include private security companies and private rescue organizations. Furthermore, the AIS control center of the external system 6000 has personnel responsible for generating, operating, and managing AIS information. Moreover, the external system 6000 includes a weather information provision system that provides weather information, and the weather information provision system has personnel responsible for generating, managing, and distributing weather information.

[0023] Furthermore, the objects to be searched, 7000, by the control system 1 and the cooperative system 5000 include objects moving on the surface of the sea such as ships, floating objects, and people adrift, as well as objects moving underwater such as divers navigating the sea and marine organisms (such as whales). By communicating and coordinating with the cooperative system 5000 and the external system 6000, the control system 1 can more efficiently search for the objects to be searched, 7000.

[0024] (A-2. Unmanned Vessel System 1000) Next, the system configuration of the unmanned vessel system 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 7.

[0025] (A-2-1. Overview of the Unmanned Vehicle System 1000) Figure 4 is a configuration diagram showing the Unmanned Vehicle System 1000, which is composed of multiple unmanned vessels. As shown in Figure 4, the Unmanned Vehicle System 1000 is composed of one or more platoons (1000a, 1000b), and each platoon is composed of multiple unmanned vessels 1010. Furthermore, the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 that make up each platoon are configured to play the role of a master unit 1001 that can wirelessly communicate with the communication satellite 3000, or a slave unit 1002 that can communicate directly or indirectly with the master unit 1001. The master unit 1001 communicates with the communication satellite 3000, aggregates information collected from the multiple slave units 1002 and transmits it to the communication satellite 3000, and has the function of directly or indirectly transmitting information related to operation commands acquired from the communication satellite 3000 and information it generates itself to each slave unit 1002.

[0026] The platoon 1000a shown in Figure 4 comprises a primary connected slave unit 10021 that communicates with the master unit 1001, a secondary connected slave unit 10022 that communicates with the primary connected slave unit 10021, and a tertiary connected slave unit 10023 that communicates with the secondary connected slave unit 10022. Each slave unit (primary connected slave unit 10021, secondary connected slave unit 10022, and tertiary connected slave unit 10023) has the function of relaying information received from other master units 1001 or slave units 1002 to other master units 1001 or slave units 1002, thereby forming a communication network between the master unit 1001 and the multiple slave units 1002.

[0027] (A-2-2. Search by Unmanned Vehicle System 1000) Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram showing how the unmanned vehicle system 1000, deployed on the sea, searches for the target object 7000. As shown in Figure 5, multiple unmanned vehicles 1010 constituting a platoon are deployed on the sea, and the measurement sensors 1110 mounted on each unmanned vehicle 1010 can detect the target object 7000 that is within the measurable range on or under the sea. The measurement data and detection judgment results of the detected target object 7000 are collected by the master unit 1001 via a communication network between the unmanned vehicles 1010, transmitted from the master unit 1001 to the communication satellite 3000, and then transmitted to the central control system 2000 via the ground base station 4000 and the internet. Furthermore, each unmanned vessel 1010 is equipped with a navigation unit 1300 that allows it to navigate in any direction, and can perform the task of searching for the target object 7000 based on operation commands transmitted by the central control system 2000.

[0028] (A-2-3. Positional relationships of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 within a platoon) The following describes a platoon composed of multiple unmanned vessels 1010, using Figures 6 and 7.

[0029] (A-2-3-1. Configuration of Unmanned Vehicles 1010 Constituting a Single Platoon) Figure 6 is a diagram showing the positional relationship of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 constituting a platoon. In the example shown in Figure 6, platoon 1000a is equipped with one master unit 1001 and multiple slave units 1002. Furthermore, the master unit 1001 and the multiple slave units 1002 are connected by wireless communication shown by solid lines, thereby forming a wireless communication network at sea. The slave unit 1002 has a primary connecting slave unit 10021 that connects wirelessly to the master unit 1001, and a secondary connecting slave unit 10022 that connects wirelessly to the primary connecting slave unit 10021.

[0030] In this embodiment, the number of relay devices used to form a platoon is not limited, and it may include tertiary, quaternary, or even higher-level connecting devices. The primary connecting device 10021 shown in Figure 6 has the function of relaying information transmission and reception between the master device 1001 and the secondary connecting device 10022, thereby enabling the exchange of information between the master device 1001 and multiple secondary connecting devices 10022.

[0031] Furthermore, the number of secondary connection slave units 10022 that wirelessly connect to the primary connection slave unit 10021 is not limited to one. Multiple secondary connection slave units 10022 can be wirelessly connected to the primary connection slave unit 10021, thereby forming a tree-like communication network in which multiple unmanned vessels 1010 branch off within the platoon 1000a. In addition, since there is an upper limit to the wireless communication distance between each unmanned vessel 1010, the positions of at least one of the two unmanned vessels 1010 that communicate wirelessly with each other, for example, the master unit 1001 and the primary connection slave unit 10021, and the primary connection slave unit 10021 and the secondary connection slave unit 10022, are controlled so that the relative distance between the unmanned vessels 1010 is maintained within the communication distance (for example, about 1.5 km). Furthermore, if the relative distance between the two unmanned vessels 1010 increases and the other unmanned vessel 1010 moves outside the communication range, wireless communication between them will become impossible, and control commands from the central control system 2000 will not be able to be transmitted. Therefore, it is desirable for the two unmanned vessels 1010 that are connected to each other to perform self-position control to maintain the relative distance between them within the communication range, with a higher priority than other control functions.

[0032] On the other hand, the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that do not communicate wirelessly with each other does not require the maintenance of the communication connection described above. However, in order to efficiently search for the target object 7000, which is the objective of the unmanned vessel system 1000, it is preferable for each unmanned vessel 1010 to maintain an appropriate distance so that the measurement ranges of the measurement sensors of each unmanned vessel 1010 do not overlap, or overlap to a moderate degree, rather than being too close together and having most of the measurement ranges of the measurement sensors overlap. Therefore, the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that do not communicate with each other is controlled with a relatively lower priority so as to maintain a preset steady-state relative distance (for example, about 1 km). This control to maintain the steady-state relative distance can be achieved by applying, for example, a control based on the Boids algorithm.

[0033] Furthermore, if the relative distance between the unmanned vessels 1010 becomes too close and there is a possibility of collision, position control is performed to increase the relative distance with a relatively high priority in order to avoid a collision and prevent damage to the unmanned vessels 1010.

[0034] As described above, the control that maintains the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that communicate with each other within the communication range, and the avoidance control that avoids collisions with other unmanned vessels approaching at close range, are executed with relatively high priority. On the other hand, the control that maintains the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that do not communicate with each other is executed with relatively low priority.

[0035] (A-2-3-2. Configuration of Unmanned Vehicles 1010 Constituting Multiple Platoons) Figure 7 is a diagram showing the positional relationship of multiple unmanned vehicles 1010 constituting multiple platoons. In the example shown in Figure 7, two platoons (1000a, 1000b) cooperate to control their positions. For example, the relative distance between the secondary connection slave unit 10022a in platoon 1000a and the secondary connection slave unit 10022b in platoon 1000b can be controlled to maintain a steady relative distance (for example, about 1 km). Furthermore, the steady relative distance can be set to a distance shorter than the communication range.

[0036] Furthermore, by positioning the two adjacent unmanned vessels (10022a and 10022b) within a distance range where the measurement ranges of their measurement sensors 1110 overlap, the area of ​​gaps that cannot be measured by the measurement sensors 1110 can be reduced. On the other hand, when searching a wider area, by positioning the two adjacent unmanned vessels (10022a and 10022b) at a distance greater than a predetermined distance so that the measurement ranges of their measurement sensors 1110 do not overlap, efficient and waste-free searching can be performed.

[0037] For example, operational status information (position, direction of movement, speed, etc.) of each unmanned vessel 1010 within each platoon is transmitted to the central control system 2000 via the master unit 1001, and the corresponding operation determination unit 2600 of the central control system 2000 generates operation commands to control the position and formation of each unmanned vessel 1010, thereby enabling appropriate control of the operation of the unmanned vessels 1010 within each platoon. As another example, operational status information of the unmanned vessels 1010 in each platoon can be shared between the master unit 1001a of platoon 1000a and the master unit 1001b of platoon 1000b via a communication satellite 3000 or the like (or by direct communication), and the master unit 1001 within each platoon generates operation commands to control the operation of the unmanned vessels 1010 within that platoon, thereby enabling appropriate control of the operation of the unmanned vessels 1010 within each platoon.

[0038] (A-2-4. Configuration of Unmanned Vehicle 1010) Figure 6 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned vehicle 1010. Although Figure 6 describes the functional block diagram of the unmanned vehicle 1010, the master unit 1001 and the slave unit 1002 of the unmanned vehicle 1010 can both implement the same functions as shown in Figure 6. The unmanned vehicle 1010 is equipped with a measurement unit 1100, a self-state determination unit 1200, a navigation unit 1300, a communication unit 1400, a determination unit 1500, and a recording unit 1600.

[0039] The measurement unit 1100 is a functional unit that uses a measurement sensor 1110 to detect search targets 7000 that exist within the measurable range on or under the sea surrounding the unmanned vessel 1010, and acquires measurement information regarding the search targets 7000. The measurement unit 1100 comprises a measurement sensor 1110 and a measurement control unit 1120.

[0040] The measurement sensor 1110 may include one (monocular) or more electro-optical sensors for acquiring image data of the sea surface, optical sensors such as optical cameras, infrared sensors (IR sensors), and stereo cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR for acquiring point cloud data, optical distance measuring sensors such as ToF sensors (Time of Flight sensors), and radar sensors for detecting millimeter waves and microwaves. By measuring the area around the unmanned vessel 1010, the measurement sensor 1110 acquires measurement data of the search targets 7000 that are within the measurable range of a two-dimensional plane on the sea surface. Furthermore, each of the above sensors can be used as a distance measuring sensor to measure the distance to the target based on the measurement data.

[0041] Furthermore, the measurement sensor 1110 may also have an acoustic wave sensor (also called an acoustic wave measurement unit) that includes a sonar that utilizes sound waves such as ultrasound, in addition to the sensors described above. The acoustic wave sensor can acquire measurement data of the search target object 7000 that is within the measurable range in the three-dimensional space underwater. It can also be used not only underwater but also in the air above the water. When the acoustic wave sensor is used in the air, it can be used as a distance measuring sensor to measure the distance to the object being measured by measuring the sound waves that are reflected back from the object after being generated. When the acoustic wave sensor is used underwater, it may be either an active sonar that generates sound waves and measures the sound waves that resonate off objects underwater, or a passive sonar that measures the sound emitted from objects underwater. The active sonar can be composed of, for example, a side-scan sonar, a multi-beam sonar, or a single-beam sonar. The acoustic wave sensor may also be composed of a USBL transceiver or an acoustic communication modem.

[0042] Furthermore, the measurement control unit 1120 controls the attitude angle of at least one of the three axes of the measurement sensor 1110 relative to the unmanned vessel 1010 by operating a sensor attitude changing device that can change the attitude of the measurement sensor 1110. Also, for example, if the measurement sensor is an optical sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the frame rate, shutter speed, etc. Also, if the measurement sensor is a laser sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of the irradiating laser. Also, if the measurement sensor is a radar sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of millimeter waves or microwaves. Also, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the measurement sensitivity of the measurement sensor to an arbitrary control amount. Also, if the measurement sensor is an optical sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can change the zoom amount and resolution of the optical sensor to an arbitrary control amount.

[0043] Next, the self-equipment status determination unit 1200 comprises a navigation status determination unit 1210, an internal status determination unit 1220, and an external status determination unit 1230, and is a functional unit that determines the navigation status, internal and external status of the unmanned vessel 1010. The navigation status determination unit 1210 determines the position (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), speed, heading, direction of movement, acceleration / deceleration, turning speed, and other state quantities related to the navigation status. The internal status determination unit 1220 determines the remaining energy and fuel levels of the battery installed on the vessel, the distance that can be traveled calculated from the remaining energy and fuel levels, temporary abnormal conditions of equipment installed on the vessel (temperature abnormalities, communication abnormalities, etc.), and equipment failure status. Furthermore, the external status determination unit 1230 determines the communication quality status, such as communication strength (dB value, etc.), communication speed, and communication delay, of wireless communication with other unmanned vessels 1010 within the unmanned vessel system 1000, or wireless communication with the integrated control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or ground base station 4000, as well as the ocean currents and tidal currents (flow velocity, flow direction), wind speed (wind speed, wind direction), wave height, and weather (rain, snow, cloudy, etc.) around the vessel.

[0044] The method for determining the position, moving speed, moving direction, and acceleration / deceleration of the own aircraft by the navigation state determination unit 1210 is not particularly limited. For example, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GPS (Global Positioning System), RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System), etc. can be used to determine the position, moving speed, and moving direction of the own aircraft at the current time. Here, the own position information includes at least two-dimensional coordinate information (e.g., latitude, longitude) in a plan view, and preferably includes three-dimensional coordinate information including altitude information. Also, the acceleration / deceleration can be calculated based on the amount of change in time of the determined moving speed.

[0045] Also, the method for measuring the heading direction of the own aircraft is, for example, to determine the heading direction of the own aircraft at the current time using a geomagnetic sensor, a GNSS compass, a SLAM technology using the seabed shape, etc. The heading direction includes at least the attitude angle (azimuth) in a plan view around the Z-axis, and preferably may be attitude information around the three axes of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. Also, the turning speed can be calculated based on the amount of change in time of the determined heading direction information.

[0046] Next, the navigation unit 1300 includes a thrust generation unit 1310, an attitude control mechanism 1320, and a navigation control unit 1330, and is a functional unit that navigates the own aircraft in an arbitrary direction according to the operation command received via the communication unit 1400. The thrust generation unit 1310 can apply any means capable of generating thrust. As an example, it can be composed of a propeller driven by using the power of an engine or an electric motor. Also, the thrust generation unit 1310 can be composed of a sail that generates thrust by receiving wind, or can be composed of a wave glider that generates thrust by receiving wave power.

[0047] The attitude control mechanism 1320 is composed of a rudder plate provided on the airframe, a propeller attitude change mechanism capable of changing the attitude angle of the propeller (mainly the yaw angle around the Z axis), etc. By changing these angles, the nose direction (yaw angle) of the own aircraft can be controlled. Further, the center-of-gravity position change mechanism that changes the position of the heavy object in the airframe by an actuator can also control the attitude angles of the roll angle around the X axis and the pitch angle around the Y axis of the airframe.

[0048] Further, the navigation control unit 1330 is a functional unit that controls the navigation operation of the own aircraft by controlling the thrust generation unit 1310 and the attitude control mechanism 1320. The navigation control unit 1330 has one or more processors such as a programmable processor (for example, a central processing unit (CPU), MPU, or DSP), and includes a processing unit capable of accessing a memory (storage unit). The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that can be executed by the processing unit to perform one or more processing steps.

[0049] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the navigation state of the own aircraft. For example, the control module adjusts the position of the own aircraft on the sea surface, the moving speed, the moving acceleration and deceleration, the nose azimuth, the turning speed, and the attitude angles around the three axes. That is, the navigation control unit 1330 controls the navigation operation of the own aircraft by causing the own aircraft to perform operations such as forward movement, backward movement, acceleration, deceleration, and turning.

[0050] Next, the communication unit 1400 includes an inter-unmanned-boat communication unit 1410 and an overall control communication unit 1420, and is a functional unit that communicates with other unmanned boats 1010 and the overall control system 2000 within the unmanned boat system 1000. The inter-unmanned-boat communication unit 1410 includes a communication antenna used for a marine wireless communication network and communicates with other unmanned boats 1010 within the unmanned boat system 1000. The overall control communication unit 1420 includes a satellite communication antenna capable of communicating with the communication satellite 6100 or a communication antenna capable of communicating with the ground base station 6200, and communicates with the overall control system 2000 via the communication satellite 6100 or the ground base station 6200. In addition, in addition to the above-described communication units, the communication unit may include an AIS antenna and a VHF antenna, and a communication unit that communicates with an external monitoring boat and an AIS base station.

[0051] Next, the determination unit 1500 is a functional unit that performs data processing such as primary processing and data compression of measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor 1110. For example, the determination unit 1500 can perform primary processing to process the raw data (measurement data) after measurement acquired by the measurement sensor 1110 and generate transmission data for wireless transmission from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the central control system 2000. Furthermore, in order to reduce the transmission load when wirelessly transmitting the transmission data from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the central control system 2000, the determination unit 1500 can perform data compression processing to compress the raw data (measurement data) after measurement and generate transmission data.

[0052] Furthermore, the determination unit 1500 can interpret the state of the object to be searched 7000 by performing primary processing on the measurement data, and can determine the presence or absence of a detected object, the size of the detected object, etc. It may also have a function to determine whether or not to transmit measurement data and data for transmission from the unmanned vessel system 1000 to the integrated control system 2000, or to select the data to be transmitted, based on the interpretation results.

[0053] Next, the recording unit 1600 comprises a measurement data recording unit 1610, a self-operated machine status recording unit 1620, and a judgment information recording unit 1630. The measurement data recording unit 1610 records the measurement data measured by the measurement unit 1100. The self-operated machine status recording unit 1620 records various status information about the self-operated machine determined by the self-operated machine status determination unit 1200. The judgment information recording unit 1630 records various judgment information determined by the determination unit 1500.

[0054] (A-2-5. Detection of underwater objects using acoustic sensors) In this embodiment, various types of sensors can be used as measurement sensors, such as optical cameras, IR cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR, radar sensors such as millimeter-wave sensors and microwave sensors, and acoustic sensors such as sonar, and objects on or underwater can be detected. Below, as an example, a method for detecting underwater objects using an acoustic sensor such as sonar will be described. Figure 9 is a conceptual diagram showing how an underwater object is detected using an acoustic sensor. In the example shown in Figure 9, a side-scan sonar is used to detect marine life such as whales and underwater divers, and a USBL transceiver and acoustic communication modem are used to detect the position of underwater divers with whom mutual communication is possible.

[0055] When using side-scan sonar, the surface material, size, and position of an underwater object can be determined based on sound wave intensity information obtained from sound waves emitted from the unmanned vessel 1010 that are reflected back by underwater objects.

[0056] Furthermore, when detecting the position of an underwater diver or other person capable of mutual communication using a USBL transceiver or acoustic communication modem, the USBL transceiver transmits an acoustic signal (call), and the USBL transceiver receives an acoustic signal (response) transmitted in response from an acoustic positioning transponder mounted on the diver, thereby detecting the relative position of the diver to the unmanned vessel 1010. In addition, the absolute position coordinates of the diver can be calculated based on the self-position coordinates calculated by the navigation state determination unit 1210 inside the unmanned vessel 1010, and data including the diver's absolute position coordinates can be transmitted from the acoustic communication modem to the diver.

[0057] (A-3. Configuration of the Integrated Control System 2000) Next, the functions and contents of the integrated control system 2000 will be explained using Figure 10. Figure 10 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the integrated control system 2000. As shown in Figure 10, the integrated control system 2000 includes a pre-information acquisition unit 2100, a search plan determination unit 2200, an object detection determination unit 2300, a warning level determination unit 2400, a search status acquisition unit 2500, a corresponding action determination unit 2600, a user interface unit 2700, and an action command unit 2800.

[0058] (A-3-1. Pre-information acquisition unit 2100) The pre-information acquisition unit 2100 is a functional unit that acquires information to be processed or used in each functional unit within the integrated control system 2000 from the unmanned vessel system 1000, the cooperative system 5000, or the external system 6000, etc. The pre-information acquisition unit 2100 includes a search condition acquisition unit 2110 and a search target value acquisition unit 2120.

[0059] The search condition acquisition unit 2110 is a functional unit that acquires search condition information regarding various conditions when searching for the target object 7000 using the unmanned vessel system 1000. The search condition acquisition unit 2110 acquires information such as the target object 7000 and the target area to be searched, the time to perform the search, and the conditions of the unmanned vessel and measurement sensors used for the search. Furthermore, the search condition acquisition unit 2110 can include assumed information about the target object 7000 that will be used when calculating the search rate and search performance through simulation, as described later.

[0060] The Search Target Value Acquisition Unit 2120 is a functional unit that acquires search target information related to the search target when searching for the object 7000 using the unmanned vessel system 1000. The Search Target Value Acquisition Unit 2120 is a functional unit that acquires target values ​​related to the search rate (also called the coverage rate), which indicates the ratio of the area that has been moved or measured by the unmanned vessel 1010 to the target area of ​​the search, and the detection probability (also called the target discovery probability, detection rate, or encounter rate), which indicates the probability that the unmanned vessel 1010 will detect the object 7000.

[0061] The following describes the various types of information acquired by the pre-information acquisition unit 2100, using Figure 11 as an example. Figure 11 shows an example of the various types of information acquired by the pre-information acquisition unit 2100.

[0062] As shown in Figure 11, the search condition information acquired by the search condition acquisition unit 2110 includes the object to be searched, the search area, the search time, the placement and movement conditions of the unmanned vessel, information on the measurement sensors used for the search, and assumed information about the object to be searched 7000.

[0063] The search condition information includes details about the objects to be searched, such as objects on or under the sea that will be detected during the search, including ships, floating buoys, and divers. The search area information includes the location and extent of the two-dimensional or three-dimensional area where the search will take place. For example, the search area may include information indicating the location and extent of a two-dimensional surface area or a three-dimensional underwater area.

[0064] Information regarding the search time includes the date, time, and time period during which the search will be performed, for example, information indicating the start and end times of the search. Next, information regarding the placement of the unmanned vessels includes, for example, random placement of multiple unmanned vessels, uniform placement, or density-changing placement where the density of unmanned vessels is varied depending on the area.

[0065] Next, information regarding the unmanned vessel's movement conditions includes its speed, turning speed, direction of movement, path, and straight-line travel time. Information regarding the measurement sensors includes the type of sensor (optical sensor, LiDAR sensor, sonar sensor, etc.) and its measurable range (measurable distance, measurable angle, etc.).

[0066] Next, the assumed information for the object to be searched includes the probability of existence, which is the probability that object 7000 is located within the search area. Furthermore, the assumed information for the object to be searched includes assumed information about the object's behavior, such as its assumed speed, assumed path, and assumed straight-line travel time.

[0067] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11, the search target information acquired by the search target value acquisition unit 2120 includes the target search rate and the target search performance. The target search rate may include the overall area target search rate, which is a target value relating to the proportion of the area where the unmanned vessel 1010 has moved or measured relative to the entire search target area, or the local area target search rate, which is a target value relating to the proportion of the area where the unmanned vessel 1010 has moved or measured relative to a local area within the search target area.

[0068] Furthermore, the target search performance includes the target detection probability (also called the target discovery probability, detection rate, or encounter rate), which is a target value related to the detection probability that indicates the probability that the unmanned vessel 1010 will detect the target object 7000.

[0069] (A-3-2. Search Plan Determination Unit 2200) The search plan determination unit 2200 is a functional unit that determines at least one of the following for the number of unmanned craft 1010 to be used for the search, their arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time, based on the search condition information obtained by the search condition acquisition unit 2110 and the search target information obtained by the search target value acquisition unit 2120 (in particular, the determination is made before the start of the search). The search plan determination unit 2200 comprises a calculation condition determination unit 2210, a system configuration determination unit 2220, and an operation plan determination unit 2230.

[0070] The calculation condition determination unit 2210 is a functional unit that determines various conditions to be calculated by the system configuration determination unit 2220. For example, the calculation condition determination unit 2210 determines the calculation model used for calculations to determine the system configuration, and determines the input items and output items for the calculation model. For example, the calculation condition determination unit 2210 can determine input items such as target detection probability, search execution time, unmanned craft movement speed, unmanned craft placement, unmanned craft movement direction, unmanned craft straight-line movement time, and assumed trajectory of the object to be searched, and determine output items such as the number of unmanned craft.

[0071] The system configuration determination unit 2220 calculates output items (for example, the number of unmanned vessels) based on the determined calculation model and various information from the input items. If the calculated output items, such as the number of unmanned vessels, are within an acceptable range, the system configuration determination unit 2220 determines the calculated number of vessels as the required system configuration. On the other hand, if the calculated output items, such as the number of unmanned vessels, are outside an acceptable range (for example, if the calculated number of vessels is greater than the number of vessels owned), the system configuration determination unit 2220 can change the input items, such as the search condition information and search target information, and recalculate the output items. In addition to the system configuration such as the number of unmanned vessels, the system configuration determination unit 2220 can also determine the placement and operation methods of the unmanned vessels.

[0072] The motion plan determination unit 2230 can determine the motion plan for the unmanned vessel 1010 based on the determination result by the system configuration determination unit 2220.

[0073] (A-3-3. Object Detection and Determination Unit 2300) The object detection and determination unit 2300 is a functional unit that determines the appearance and dynamic state of the object to be searched 7000 based on measurement data acquired by the measurement unit 1100 of the unmanned vessel system 1000, or the interpretation results interpreted by the determination unit 1500 of the unmanned vessel 1010. The object detection and determination unit 2300 comprises an appearance determination unit 2310 and a dynamic state determination unit 2320.

[0074] The appearance determination unit 2310 is a functional unit that makes determinations regarding the appearance of the detected object 7000. The dynamic state determination unit 2320 is a functional unit that makes determinations regarding the dynamic state of the object 7000. The determinations made by the appearance determination unit 2310 and the dynamic state determination unit 2320 will be explained below with reference to Figure 12.

[0075] Figure 12 shows an example of the determination content made by the object detection and determination unit 2300. As shown in Figure 12, the appearance information of the search target object 7000 determined by the appearance determination unit 2310 can include the type of search target object 7000 (ship, floating buoy, diver, etc.), size, length, number, orientation (heading direction), identification information (ship name, ship number, etc.), AIS registration information, and hull material. The hull material can be determined by the reflection intensity of measurement data measured by the acoustic sensor, and the determination result of the hull material can be used to determine the type of search target object 7000 (shipwreck, marine life, diver, etc.).

[0076] Furthermore, the dynamic state of the object being searched 7000, as determined by the dynamic state determination unit 2320, may include the position coordinates, movement speed, course direction, course trajectory, turning speed, turning angle, turning radius, maximum speed, and maximum acceleration of the object being searched 7000. However, it is difficult to actually measure the maximum speed and maximum acceleration. Therefore, they may be estimated and calculated using the size and type of the vessel, or measured values ​​of acceleration and speed.

[0077] Furthermore, the object detection and determination unit 2300 may also have a function to update in real time the assumed information such as the probability of existence of the object to be searched, assumed speed, assumed path, and assumed straight-line travel time of the object to be searched, which is acquired by the search condition acquisition unit 2110, based on the information about the object to be searched 7000 determined by the appearance determination unit 2310 and the dynamic state determination unit 2320.

[0078] (A-3-4. Alert Level Determination Unit 2400) The Alert Level Determination Unit 2400 is a functional unit that determines the alert level in the search for the object to be searched 7000. The Alert Level Determination Unit 2400 can determine the alert level for each area, for example, depending on the area and time of the search, or conditions such as weather deterioration (weather deterioration that causes a reduction in the measurable range, etc.) and sea conditions obtained from the weather information provision system of the external system 6000.

[0079] As another example, if a target object 7000 is detected, the alert level determination unit 2400 can determine the alert level for each area based on the detection result of the detected target object 7000 (detection flag), the type, number, size, length, movement speed, and direction of movement of the target object 7000. As yet another example, the alert level can be determined for each area based on the duration for which the detection probability calculated based on the detection result of the target object 7000 is below a predetermined value, the change in the probability of the presence of the target object 7000, and the change in the assumed speed of the target object 7000.

[0080] Furthermore, as another example, if information regarding the alert level is received from a user via the user input reception unit 2720 described later, the alert level can be determined for each area based on the user input information.

[0081] (A-3-5. Search Status Acquisition Unit 2500) The search status acquisition unit 2500 is a functional unit that determines the search status regarding the actual or predicted values ​​of the search for object 7000. The search status acquisition unit 2500 comprises a current search status calculation unit 2510, a search performance prediction calculation unit 2520, and a disturbance effect correction unit 2530.

[0082] The current search status calculation unit 2510 is a functional unit that calculates the current search status, and calculates at least one of the following: a search rate, which is the ratio of the area that has been moved or measured by the unmanned vessel 1010 to the target area of ​​a two-dimensional or three-dimensional search; and a detection probability, which is the probability that the unmanned vessel 1010 will detect the object 7000 being searched for.

[0083] Here, the current search state calculation unit 2510 can calculate actual values ​​such as the search rate and detection probability by using the latest assumed information such as the probability of existence, assumed speed, assumed path, and assumed straight-line travel time of the search target object 7000, which has been updated in real time by the object detection determination unit 2300. Alternatively, actual values ​​such as the search rate and detection probability may be calculated using assumed information of the search target object 7000 input from the user via the user interface unit 2700, which will be described later.

[0084] Here, the search rate calculated by the current search status calculation unit 2510 may include an overall search rate, which represents the proportion of the area that the unmanned vessel 1010 has moved to or measured relative to the entire area to be searched. In this case, the overall search rate can be calculated as a value that represents the proportion of the area that the unmanned vessel 1010 has moved to or measured within a predetermined period relative to the entire area to be searched.

[0085] #Claim 12# #Claim 14# Furthermore, the search rate calculated by the current search status calculation unit 2510 may include a local search rate that indicates the ratio of the area that the unmanned vessel 1010 has moved to or measured to a local area that is part of the area to be searched. In this case, the local search rate can be calculated as a value that indicates the ratio of the area that the unmanned vessel 1010 has moved to or measured within a predetermined period to the local area of ​​the area to be searched.

[0086] The search performance prediction calculation unit 2520 is a functional unit that predicts and calculates future search conditions, and predicts and calculates at least one of the following: a predicted search rate, which is the proportion of the area that the unmanned vessel 1010 is expected to move to or measure in the future relative to the target area of ​​a two-dimensional or three-dimensional search; and a predicted detection probability, which is the probability that the unmanned vessel 1010 will detect the search target object 7000 in the future.

[0087] The disturbance effect correction unit 2530 is a functional unit that performs calculations to correct the search rate and detection probability calculated by the current search status calculation unit 2510, taking into account the degree to which disturbances such as weather affect the search rate and detection probability, in accordance with environmental disturbance information such as weather in the target area under search. Furthermore, the disturbance effect correction unit 2530 can also perform calculations to correct the predicted search rate and predicted detection probability calculated by the search performance prediction calculation unit 2520, taking into account the degree to which disturbances such as weather affect the predicted search rate and predicted detection probability, in accordance with environmental disturbance information such as weather in the target area under search.

[0088] The environmental disturbance information considered in the calculations of the disturbance effect correction unit 2530 includes measurement performance disturbances that affect the measurement performance of the measurement sensor 1110 and power performance disturbances that affect the power performance of the unmanned vessel 1010. The environmental disturbance information considered in the calculations of the disturbance effect correction unit 2530 will be explained below with reference to Figure 13.

[0089] Figure 13 shows an example of environmental disturbance information used in the correction calculation of the disturbance effect correction unit 2530. As shown in Figure 13, the measurement performance disturbance includes optical measurement disturbance information that affects the detection of the target object 7000 by optical imaging, laser measurement disturbance information that affects the detection of the target object 7000 by laser sensors, acoustic measurement disturbance information that affects the detection of the target object 7000 located in the sea by acoustic sensors, and radio wave measurement disturbance information that affects the detection of the target object 7000 by radio wave sensors.

[0090] Optical measurement disturbance information includes, for example, solar altitude, fog, rain, snow, light intensity, wave height, sea spray, and other environmental disturbances that affect the acquisition of optical images. Here, during sunset and sunrise when the solar altitude is low, backlighting occurs when measuring with optical sensors, which reduces the performance of optical image acquisition by optical sensors and affects the search rate and detection probability. Therefore, it is desirable to consider this as an environmental disturbance that affects the acquisition of optical images and to take it into account when correcting for the effects of disturbances. Laser measurement disturbance information includes, for example, fog, rain, snow, wave height, sea spray, and other environmental disturbances that affect laser measurements. Acoustic measurement disturbance information includes, for example, seawater concentration, seawater temperature, seawater transparency, and other environmental disturbances that affect underwater acoustic measurements. Radio wave measurement disturbance information includes, for example, lightning strikes, rain, fog, wave height, sea spray, and other environmental disturbances that affect radio wave measurements.

[0091] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 13, power performance disturbances include information on moving object resistance disturbances that create resistance for the unmanned vessel 1010, information on marine obstacles that hinder the movement of the unmanned vessel 1010, and temperature disturbance information that affects the operation of the navigation unit 1300 of the unmanned vessel 1010.

[0092] The information on moving object resistance disturbances includes ocean currents, tidal currents, wave height, current speed, wind speed, and other environmental disturbances that create resistance to the unmanned vessel 1010 and affect its propulsion performance. The information on marine obstacles includes seaweed, drift ice, floating debris, ships, and other obstacles that hinder the movement of the unmanned vessel 1010, and the information on temperature disturbances includes water temperature, air temperature, solar radiation, and other environmental disturbances that affect the temperature of the unmanned vessel 1010 and affect the operation of the navigation unit 1300.

[0093] (A-3-6. Corresponding Action Determination Unit 2600) The Corresponding Action Determination Unit 2600 is a functional unit that determines changes to at least one of the following: the number of unmanned vessels 1010 used for the search, their deployment distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time. The Corresponding Action Determination Unit 2600 comprises a search target achievement action determination unit 2610, a warning level corresponding action determination unit 2620, a detection result corresponding action determination unit 2630, and an action command generation unit 2640.

[0094] The search target achievement action determination unit 2610 compares the search target information with the search status information calculated by the search status acquisition unit 2500 and, if it determines that the actual or predicted value of the search included in the search status information is not reached compared to the target value of the search included in the search target information, it makes a decision to change at least one of the following: the number of unmanned vessels 1010 used for the search, their deployment distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time.

[0095] Here, the search goal achievement action determination unit 2610 can determine whether the search goal has not been achieved by the following method. For example, by comparing the target value of the overall search rate with the actual or predicted value of the overall search rate, if the actual or predicted value of the overall search rate is lower than the target value of the overall search rate, it can be determined that the search goal has not been achieved.

[0096] Furthermore, the search target achievement action determination unit 2610 can determine that the search target has not been achieved if, for example, at least one of the number, area, density, or shape of local areas where the local search rate falls below a predetermined value matches a predetermined failure condition.

[0097] Furthermore, the search target achievement action determination unit 2610 can also determine areas where the search target has not been achieved if it determines that the search target has not been achieved. There are several methods for determining areas where the search target has not been achieved. For example, areas where the actual value of the local search rate in each local area obtained by dividing the search target area into a mesh can be determined as areas where the search target has not been achieved.

[0098] As another example, if there are multiple adjacent local areas where the actual local search rate does not meet the search target value, and the area of ​​these multiple adjacent local areas exceeds a predetermined value, these multiple local areas can be determined as areas where the target has not been met. Furthermore, as yet another example, even if multiple local areas where the actual local search rate does not meet the search target value are not adjacent, if they exist within a predetermined distance range, these multiple local areas clustered within the predetermined range can be determined as areas where the target has not been met. In this way, by determining areas where the target has not been met, the risk of overlooking search targets 7000 that remain within these areas can be reduced.

[0099] Furthermore, as another example, if there are multiple adjacent local areas where the actual local search rate does not meet the search target value, and the shape of these multiple adjacent local areas forms a line shape, then these multiple local areas can be determined as areas where the target has not been met. By determining these areas where the target has not been met, the risk of the search target object 7000 passing through the search target area via these areas can be reduced.

[0100] If there are multiple adjacent local areas where the actual local search rate does not meet the search target value, and the shape of these adjacent local areas forms a circle or an ellipse, then these multiple local areas can be determined to be areas where the target has not been reached. By determining these areas where the target has not been reached, the risk of overlooking a search target 7000 that is circling within a circular or elliptical area where the target has not been reached can be reduced.

[0101] Furthermore, the search goal achievement action determination unit 2610 can determine that the search goal has not been achieved if it receives user input information from the user indicating that the search goal has not been achieved, for example, via the user input reception unit 2720, which will be described later.

[0102] Furthermore, if the search target achievement action determination unit 2610 determines that the search target has not been achieved, it can change the search movement path as an example of changing the search movement path, for example, by entering or passing through the aforementioned target unachieved area, or a local area where the local search rate is lower than a predetermined value, or a local area where the local search rate is relatively low, or by entering or passing through a position where the local area can be measured.

[0103] Furthermore, if it is determined that the search objective has not been achieved, another example of changing the search route is to change the search route of the unmanned vessel 1010 so as to increase the local search rate in the aforementioned areas where the objective has not been achieved, or in local areas where the local search rate is lower than a predetermined value or the local search rate is relatively low, or so as to increase the overall search rate, which is the ratio of the area to which the unmanned vessel 1010 has moved or measured relative to the entire area to be searched.

[0104] The alert level response action determination unit 2620 is a functional unit that determines a response action according to the alert level for each area determined by the alert level determination unit 2400. Here, the response action may include at least one of the following: the number of unmanned craft 1010 used for the search, their deployment distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time.

[0105] As another example, the alert level response action determination unit 2620 can quantitatively acquire information on sea conditions (ocean currents, tidal currents, high waves, etc.) and weather conditions in areas where search activities are not possible due to these conditions. When it determines that conditions have become suitable for search activities, such as when ocean currents have weakened or the weather has improved, it can adjust the deployment distribution, formation, and search movement routes of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 to concentrate multiple unmanned vessels 1010 or platoons in that area and prioritize search activities in that area.

[0106] As another example, when the unmanned vessel system 1000 targets a three-dimensional underwater space as the search area, the alert level response action determination unit 2620 can change the formation of the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 into a column formation consisting of multiple rows, and set the movement path so that each row patrols in opposing directions, thereby reducing the gaps in the underwater target area that may be missed during the search. Alternatively, the alert level response action determination unit 2620 may also arrange the formation of the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 into a triangular or hexagonal shape, and have them anchored or patrolling.

[0107] As another example, when the unmanned vessel system 1000 is used to explore the three-dimensional underwater space in a strait area, the gaps in the underwater area that may be missed during exploration can be reduced by arranging multiple unmanned vessels 1010 at predetermined intervals (for example, intervals of about 1 km).

[0108] The detection result response action determination unit 2630 is a functional unit that determines the corresponding action according to the detection result of the search target object 7000 determined by the object detection determination unit 2300.

[0109] The operation command generation unit 2640 is a functional unit that generates operation commands for the unmanned vessel system 1000 based on the corresponding actions determined by the search target achievement action determination unit 2610, the alert level response action determination unit 2620, and the detection result response action determination unit 2630, respectively.

[0110] (A-3-7. User Interface Unit 2700) The user interface unit 2700 is a functional unit that displays and outputs acquired information, judgment results, or decision information from each functional unit within the integrated control system 2000, and accepts input information from the user. The user interface unit 2700 comprises a display unit 2710 and a user input receiving unit 2720. The user interface unit 2700 may be a portable mobile terminal such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or notebook PC.

[0111] The display unit 2710 can display and output information such as information acquired by the pre-information acquisition unit 2100, calculation conditions determined by the search plan determination unit 2200, system configuration, operation plan, and other determined information, the detection result of the search target object 7000 by the object detection determination unit 2300, the alert level determination result by the alert level determination unit 2400, the calculation results of the current search status and future search performance prediction calculated by the search status acquisition unit 2500, the search rate showing the ratio of the area where the unmanned vessel 1010 has moved or measured to the target area of ​​the two-dimensional or three-dimensional search, the detection probability showing the probability that the unmanned vessel 1010 will detect the search target object 7000, and the content of the change operation determined by the corresponding operation determination unit 2600.

[0112] When the display unit 2710 displays the current search status and the calculation results of the future search performance prediction calculated by the search status acquisition unit 2500, it can display the current search status and the future search performance prediction on a two-dimensional plane on the sea or on a map of the three-dimensional space underwater.

[0113] The user input receiving unit 2720 is a functional unit that receives user input for each piece of information displayed by the display unit 2710, or other user input. User input information can also be received via operation buttons provided on the display screen of the display unit 2710.

[0114] The user input receiving unit 2720 can receive user input, including approval, rejection, and modification, regarding the operation command information generated by the operation command generation unit 2640 and displayed on the display unit 2710.

[0115] Furthermore, the user input receiving unit 2720 may also have a function to switch the operation of the designated unmanned vessel 1010 from autonomous operation to manual operation by the user, and to receive operation input to directly control the operation of the unmanned vessel 1010 in real time.

[0116] (A-3-8. Operation Command Unit 2800) The operation command unit 2800 is a functional unit that confirms the operation plan determined by the operation plan determination unit 2230 of the search plan determination unit 2200 and the operation command determined by the operation command generation unit 2640 of the corresponding operation determination unit 2600, and transmits the command signal to the unmanned vessel system 1000. The operation command unit 2800 comprises an operation confirmation unit 2810 and a command output unit 2820.

[0117] The operation confirmation unit 2810 is a functional unit that confirms operation commands based on user input, including user approval, rejection, and modification, of operation command information received by the user input receiving unit 2720. Furthermore, if the operation confirmation unit 2810 receives user input, including user approval, rejection, and modification, of operation command information from the cooperative system 5000, it can also confirm the operation command based on said user input information.

[0118] The command output unit 2820 is a functional unit that transmits the operation command signal confirmed by the operation confirmation unit 2810 to the unmanned vessel system 1000.

[0119] (A-3. Configuration of the Integrated Control System 2000) Next, the functions and contents of the integrated control system 2000 will be explained using Figure 10. Figure 10 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the integrated control system 2000. As shown in Figure 10, the integrated control system 2000 includes a pre-information acquisition unit 2100, a search plan determination unit 2200, an object detection determination unit 2300, a warning level determination unit 2400, a search status acquisition unit 2500, a corresponding action determination unit 2600, a user interface unit 2700, and an action command unit 2800.

[0120] (A-4. Control Flow of Control System 1) Next, the control flow of the entire control system 1 will be explained. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the control system 1. Steps 101 to 102 shown in Figure 14 are preparatory processes before the search is executed, and steps 103 to 107 are processes performed while the search is being executed.

[0121] First, the pre-information acquisition unit 2100 acquires pre-information (step 101).

[0122] Next, the exploration plan determination unit 2200 determines the system configuration of the unmanned vessel system 1000 (step 102).

[0123] Next, the object detection and determination unit 2300 determines the appearance and dynamic state of the object to be searched 7000 based on the measurement data acquired by the measurement unit 1100 of the unmanned vessel system 1000, or the interpretation results interpreted by the determination unit 1500 of the unmanned vessel 1010 (step 103).

[0124] Next, the alert level determination unit 2400 determines the alert level for the search target object 7000 (step 104).

[0125] Next, the search status acquisition unit 2500 determines the search status regarding the actual or predicted values ​​of the search target object 7000 (step 105).

[0126] Next, the corresponding action determination unit 2600 determines a change to the corresponding action, which includes at least one of the following: the number of unmanned craft 1010s used for the search, their arrangement and distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time (step 106).

[0127] Next, the user interface unit 2700 proposes a corresponding operation, and the operation command unit 2800 outputs a command for the confirmed corresponding operation (step 107).

[0128] (A-5. Control Sequence within Control System 1) Next, the control sequence between each system within Control System 1 will be explained. Figure 15 is a sequence diagram showing the signal exchange between systems within Control System 1.

[0129] First, preliminary information is transmitted from the cooperative system 5000 to the central control system 2000.

[0130] Next, the search plan determination unit 2200 of the central control system 2000 determines the system configuration and operation plan of the unmanned vessel system 1000, and a search control command generated according to the determination result is transmitted to the master unit 1001 of the unmanned vessel system 1000. The master unit 1001 then relays the received search control command to the slave unit 1002.

[0131] Next, the slave unit 1002, which performed a search in accordance with the search control command, detects the object to be searched 7000, and transmits the detection result from the slave unit 1002 to the master unit 1001. The master unit 1001 then transmits the detection result to the central control system 2000.

[0132] Next, the corresponding action determination unit 2600 of the central control system 2000 determines candidate corresponding actions according to the detection result of the object to be searched 7000 and transmits information on the candidate corresponding actions to the cooperative system 5000. The cooperative system 5000 obtains user input for the candidate corresponding actions and transmits the user input information to the central control system 2000.

[0133] Next, the central control system 2000 determines the corresponding operation according to the user input information and transmits the corresponding operation command (for example, a command to change the search operation) to the master unit 1001 of the unmanned vessel system 1000. The master unit 1001 then relays the received corresponding operation command to the slave unit 1002.

[0134] (A-6. Search Plan Determination Process) Next, the search plan determination process by the search plan determination unit 2200 will be explained using Figures 16 and 17.

[0135] (A-6-1. Search Plan Determination Process Flow) Figure 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the search plan determination process flow by the search plan determination unit 2200. In particular, Figure 16 shows the details of step 102 of the flowchart shown in Figure 14.

[0136] First, the calculation condition determination unit 2210 determines the input items to be input into the calculation model for calculating the system configuration, etc., and the output items to be calculated by the calculation model (step 201). In this step, for example, the search condition information acquired by the search condition acquisition unit 2110 and the search target information acquired by the search target value acquisition unit 2120 can be determined as input items. In addition, at least one of the following can be determined as output items: the number of unmanned craft 1010 used for the search, their deployment distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time.

[0137] Next, the system configuration determination unit 2220 calculates the information to be determined as output items using a calculation model based on the information of the input items (step 202).

[0138] Next, the system configuration determination unit 2220 determines the next processing step to proceed to, depending on whether the information of the outputted calculation item is within an acceptable range (step 203). In this step, for example, if the number of unmanned vessels 1010 is calculated as an output item, the next processing step to proceed to is determined by whether the calculated number of vehicles is within the range of the number of vehicles that can be procured. In this step, if it is determined that the information of the calculated output item is not within an acceptable range, the process proceeds to step 204. On the other hand, if it is determined that the information of the calculated output item is within an acceptable range, the process proceeds to step 205.

[0139] Next, if it is determined that the information of the output items calculated in step 203 is not within an acceptable range, the system modifies at least one of the search conditions and search target values ​​obtained by the pre-information acquisition unit 2100 (step 204). In this step, the system configuration determination unit 2220 can make the changes automatically, but the system may also accept input from the user to change the search conditions or search target values ​​via the user interface unit 2700.

[0140] Next, if it is determined that the information of the output items calculated in step 203 is within an acceptable range, the system configuration determination unit 2220 determines the system configuration, etc. (step 205). The determination of the system configuration, etc. in this step includes, for example, the determination of parameters including at least one of the following: the number of unmanned craft 1010s used for the search, their arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time.

[0141] Next, based on the system configuration determined in step 205, the operation plan determination unit 2230 determines the search plan (step 206).

[0142] (A-6-2. Example of calculation of output items for the search plan) Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example of the calculation results of output items in the search plan determination process by the search plan determination unit 2200. In particular, Figure 17 shows an example of the results of calculating multiple parameters related to the search using a calculation model.

[0143] The example shown in Figure 17 includes, as parameters related to the search, the detection probability of the target object, the number of unmanned vessels 1010, the time constraints for the search, the distribution of unmanned vessels 1010, the speed of the unmanned vessels 1010, the movement path of the unmanned vessels 1010, the straight-line movement time of the unmanned vessels 1010, and the movement path of the target object 7000. Note that the example shown in Figure 17 is just one example, and the search rate of the target object can be used instead of the detection probability of the target object 7000.

[0144] For example, the calculation condition determination unit 2210 can determine the detection probability, time constraint, distribution, speed, movement path, straight-line travel time, and the path of the object to be searched as input items. In this case, the values ​​of each item obtained by the search condition acquisition unit 2110 are input to the time constraint, distribution, speed, movement path, straight-line travel time, and the path of the object to be searched. In addition, for the detection probability, the value must be greater than or equal to the target value of the detection probability obtained by the search target value acquisition unit 2120, which is input as a calculation condition for the number of aircraft, which is an output item. Based on this input information, the number of aircraft that can satisfy the conditions of each input item can be calculated.

[0145] The output items in the search plan determination process by the search plan determination unit 2200 are not limited to the number of aircraft, but can also be other parameters. For example, detection probability, number of aircraft, time constraint, movement path, straight-line travel time, and the path of the object to be searched can be determined as input items. In this case, the values ​​of each item obtained by the search condition acquisition unit 2110 are input to the detection probability, number of aircraft, time constraint, movement path, straight-line travel time, and the path of the object to be searched. In addition, for the detection probability, the value must be greater than or equal to the target value of the detection probability obtained by the search target value acquisition unit 2120, which is input as a calculation condition for the number of aircraft, which is an output item. Based on this input information, the deployment distribution and movement speed of the unmanned craft 1010 that can satisfy the conditions of each input item can be calculated.

[0146] Furthermore, as another example, in the search plan determination process by the search plan determination unit 2200, the detection probability can be used as an output item, and the number of aircraft, time constraints, distribution, speed, movement path, straight-line travel time, and the path of the object to be searched can be used as input items. In this case, the values ​​of each item acquired by the search condition acquisition unit 2110 are input to the number of aircraft, time constraints, distribution, speed, movement path, straight-line travel time, and the path of the object to be searched. Based on this input information, the detection probability that satisfies the conditions of each input item can be calculated. The search plan determination unit 2200 compares the detection probability calculated as an output item with the target value of the detection probability acquired by the search target value acquisition unit 2120. If the calculated detection probability is lower than the target value of the detection probability, the unit can change one of the input items or the target value of the detection probability to determine the parameters related to the search that can satisfy the search target value.

[0147] (A-7. Method for Determining Alert Levels) Next, the method for determining alert levels by the alert level determination unit 2400 will be explained using Figures 18 and 19.

[0148] (A-7-1. Alert Level Determination Processing Flow) Figure 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the alert level determination processing flow by the alert level determination unit 2400. In particular, Figure 18 shows the details of the processing in step 104 of Figure 14.

[0149] First, the alert level is calculated based on the area, time of day, weather, etc. (Step 301). In this step, for example, the alert level can be calculated based on pre-set correspondence information between the area, time of day, and alert level. In addition, if the weather is bad and the weather conditions affect the detection of the target object, the alert level may be increased in the calculation.

[0150] Next, the object detection and determination unit 2300 determines the next processing step to proceed to, depending on whether or not it has detected the object to be searched 7000 (step 302). In this step, if the object to be searched 7000 is detected, the process proceeds to step 303; on the other hand, if the object to be searched 7000 is not detected, the process proceeds to step 304.

[0151] Next, if the target object 7000 is detected in step 302, the alert level is calculated according to the detection result of the detected target object 7000 (step 303). The method for calculating the alert level in this step will be explained in detail using Figure 19, which will be described later.

[0152] Next, the calculated alert level is displayed on the display unit 2710 or the like, and input information regarding the alert level is received from the user via the user input reception unit 2720 or the like (step 304).

[0153] Next, the alert level is determined considering the user input information (step 305).

[0154] (A-7-2. Method for Determining Alert Levels Based on Detection Results of Objects 7000) Figure 19 shows an example of a method for determining alert levels based on detection results of objects 7000. In the example shown in Figure 19, the information regarding the detection results of objects 7000 includes the presence or absence of a detection flag for the object, the type of object 7000, the number and size of the objects, the movement speed of the objects, the direction of the objects, the time period during which the objects were detected, the detection location of the objects, the duration of the encounter rate with the objects being below a predetermined value, the increase in the probability of the objects being present, and the increase in the assumed speed of the objects.

[0155] The example shown in Figure 19 illustrates how to calculate the alert level for each of the detection results described above. For example, if the detection result for the target object 7000 shows that the object has a detection flag, the alert level is increased compared to when there is no detection flag. Alternatively, the alert level is calculated based on the type of the detected target object 7000 (the type can be determined according to the material of the outer shell of the target object 7000, etc.) and the pre-set correspondence information between the type and the alert level.

[0156] Alternatively, the alert level may be increased depending on the number and size of detected objects, with a higher number or size increasing the alert level. Alternatively, the alert level may be increased depending on the speed of movement of detected objects, with a higher speed increasing the alert level. Alternatively, the alert level may be increased depending on the direction of movement of detected objects, if the direction of movement is towards an important facility.

[0157] Alternatively, the alert level is calculated based on the time period in which the target object 7000 was detected and the pre-set response information. Alternatively, the alert level is calculated based on the detection location in which the target object 7000 was detected and the pre-set response information. Alternatively, the alert level is reduced if the measurement time is long, depending on the length of time during which the encounter rate is below a predetermined value.

[0158] Alternatively, if the probability of the target object being present is increased based on the detection results, the alert level will be raised. Alternatively, if the expected speed of the target object is increased based on the detection results, the alert level will be raised.

[0159] (A-8. Method for Determining the Search State) Next, the method for determining the search state and the determination results will be explained using Figures 20 and 21.

[0160] (A-8-1. Search State Determination Processing Flow) Figure 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the search state determination processing flow by the search state acquisition unit 2500. Steps 401 and 402 in Figure 20 show the calculation of the current search state, steps 403 and 404 show the correction of the current search state based on disturbance information, steps 405 and 406 show the prediction of the future search state, and step 407 shows the prediction correction of the future search state based on disturbance information.

[0161] First, the current exploration status calculation unit 2510 calculates the current exploration performance value (step 401). In this step, for example, the exploration rate is calculated, which indicates the proportion of the area that has been moved or measured by the unmanned vessel 1010 to the target area of ​​a two-dimensional or three-dimensional exploration.

[0162] Next, the current search status calculation unit 2510 calculates an estimated value of the current search performance (step 402). In this step, for example, the detection probability, which indicates the probability that the unmanned vessel 1010 will detect the object 7000, is calculated.

[0163] Next, the disturbance effect correction unit 2530 acquires environmental disturbance information (step 403). In this step, information such as measurement performance disturbances and power performance disturbances, as shown in Figure 13, is acquired.

[0164] Next, the disturbance effect correction unit 2530 corrects the actual search values ​​and estimated search performance values ​​based on environmental disturbance information (step 404). By performing corrections based on environmental disturbance information in this step, the actual search values ​​and estimated search performance values ​​can be calculated more accurately.

[0165] Next, the search performance prediction calculation unit 2520 predicts and calculates future search performance values ​​(step 405). In this step, for example, the predicted search rate is calculated, which represents the proportion of the area that the unmanned vessel 1010 is expected to move to or measure in the future relative to the target area of ​​a two-dimensional or three-dimensional search.

[0166] Next, the search performance prediction calculation unit 2520 predicts and calculates an estimated value for future search performance (step 406). In this step, for example, the predicted detection probability, which indicates the probability that the unmanned vessel 1010 will detect the target object 7000 in the future, is calculated.

[0167] Next, the disturbance effect correction unit 2530 corrects the future predicted values ​​of the actual search values ​​and estimated search performance based on environmental disturbance information (step 407). By performing corrections based on environmental disturbance information in this step, the future predicted values ​​of the actual search values ​​and estimated search performance can be calculated more accurately.

[0168] (A-8-2. Results of Determination of Search Status) Figure 21 is a diagram showing an example of the results of determination of the search status by the search status acquisition unit 2500. Figure 21 is a diagram showing an example of the results of determination of the local search rate, which shows the ratio of the area to which the unmanned vessel 1010 has moved or measured relative to a local area of ​​a part of the target area of ​​the search.

[0169] In the example shown in Figure 21, the local search rate for each local area divided into a mesh is indicated by the intensity of the color. Local areas with a high local search rate are displayed in a dark color, while local areas with a low local search rate are displayed in a light color. This figure shows an example of showing the distribution of local search rates for each local area on a map representing a two-dimensional area on the sea. However, when representing the local search rate for each local area in a three-dimensional area underwater, the distribution of local search rates for each local area can be shown on a three-dimensional map.

[0170] (A-9. Process for Determining the Response Action) Next, the process for determining the response action will be explained using Figure 22. Figure 22 is a flowchart showing an example of the process flow for determining the response action of the unmanned vessel system 1000 by the response action determination unit 2600. In particular, Figure 22 shows the detailed processing content of step 106 of the flowchart shown in Figure 14. Steps 501 to 503 in Figure 22 show the process for determining the response action according to the target achievement status, steps 504 to 505 show the process for determining the response action according to the alert level, and steps 506 to 507 show the process for determining the response action according to the detection result of the search target object 7000.

[0171] First, the search target achievement action determination unit 2610 compares and determines the actual value of the search state calculated by the search state acquisition unit 2500 with the search target value acquired by the search target value acquisition unit 2120 (step 501). In this step, for example, the actual value of the overall search rate for the entire target area or the local search rate for a local area within the target area can be compared with the search target value.

[0172] Next, based on the comparison judgment result from step 501, areas where the actual value of the search state does not meet the search target value are determined to be areas where the target has not been achieved (step 502). In this step, for example, areas where the actual value of the local search rate in each local area obtained by dividing the target area of ​​the search into a mesh shape does not meet the search target value can be determined to be areas where the target has not been achieved.

[0173] Next, the content of the corresponding action is determined according to the result of the determination of the untargeted area in step 502 (step 503). In this step, it is also possible to determine whether or not changes are necessary to the system configuration or operation plan within each platoon that constitutes the unmanned vessel system 1000, or to determine whether or not changes are necessary to the system configuration (number of platoons, etc.) or operation plan (platoon movement plan, etc.) at the platoon level.

[0174] Next, the alert level response action determination unit 2620 determines whether a response action is necessary according to the alert level determined by the alert level determination unit 2400 (step 504). In this step, it is also possible to determine whether changes are necessary to the system configuration or operation plan within each platoon that constitutes the unmanned vessel system 1000, or to determine whether changes are necessary to the system configuration (number of platoons, etc.) or operation plan (platoon movement plan, etc.) at the platoon level.

[0175] Next, if it is determined that a response action is necessary based on the alert level in step 504, the content of the response action corresponding to the alert level is determined (step 505).

[0176] Next, the detection result response action determination unit 2630 determines whether a corresponding action is necessary according to the detection result of the object to be searched 7000 (step 506). In this step, it is also possible to determine whether changes are necessary to the system configuration or operation plan within each platoon that constitutes the unmanned vessel system 1000, or to determine whether changes are necessary to the system configuration (number of platoons, etc.) or operation plan (platoon movement plan, etc.) on a platoon basis.

[0177] Next, the detection result response action determination unit 2630 determines the content of the response action according to the detection result of the object to be searched 7000 (step 507). In this step, it is also possible to determine the changes in the system configuration and operation plan within each platoon that constitutes the unmanned vessel system 1000, or to determine the changes in the system configuration (number of platoons, etc.) and operation plan (platoon movement plan, etc.) on a platoon basis.

[0178] Next, the operation command generation unit 2640 generates a corresponding operation command based on the corresponding operation determined in the above step (step 508). The corresponding operation command generated in this step includes the system configuration and operation plan for each unit of unmanned vessels 1010 or platoon that constitute the unmanned vessel system 1000, and includes, for example, at least one of the following: the number of unmanned vessels 1010 or platoons, the arrangement distribution of unmanned vessels 1010 or platoons, the formation of the platoons, the search movement speed of the unmanned vessels 1010 or platoons, the search turning speed of the unmanned vessels 1010, the search movement path of the unmanned vessels 1010 or platoons, the search movement direction of the unmanned vessels 1010 or platoons, and the search straight-line travel time of the unmanned vessels 1010 or platoons.

[0179] Furthermore, the corresponding action command generated in step 508 may also include a command specifying the role to be assigned to the unmanned vessel 1010 or the platoon, in addition to the above.

[0180] (A-10. Proposal and Execution of Corresponding Actions) Next, the process of proposing corresponding actions to the user and the process of executing corresponding actions will be explained using Figures 23 to 25.

[0181] (A-10-1. Proposed Display and Execution Flow of Corresponding Action) Figure 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the proposed display and execution flow of a corresponding action command. In particular, Figure 23 shows the detailed processing content of step 107 of the flowchart shown in Figure 14.

[0182] First, the display unit 2710 or the display unit within the cooperative system 5000 proposes and displays candidate commands for the corresponding operations (step 601).

[0183] Next, the user input for the corresponding operation command candidate is received from the user input receiving unit 2720 or the cooperative system 5000 (step 602).

[0184] Next, the operation confirmation unit 2810 confirms the corresponding operation based on the user input information (step 603).

[0185] Next, the command output unit 2820 outputs a command for the confirmed corresponding operation (step 604).

[0186] (A-10-2. Example of suggested response display) Next, an example of suggested response display will be explained using Figures 24 and 25. Figure 24 is a diagram showing an example of display information suggested on the display unit 2710, etc. The example shown in Figure 24 shows a suggested response screen in the case where the detection probability, which is the actual value of the search, does not reach the target detection probability.

[0187] As shown in Figure 24, the top of the display screen shows a message indicating that the detection probability, which is the actual value of the search, has not reached the target detection probability. Furthermore, the target detection probability (90%) and the actual detection probability (86%) are displayed. In addition, the lower left of the screen displays the actual search rate for each local area, which is a mesh-like division of the target search area, in map format.

[0188] Furthermore, the lower right corner of the screen displays items related to the current system configuration and search method of the Unmanned Vehicle System 1000 (number of vehicles, distribution, speed, straight-line travel time, direction of travel, etc.), along with the current values ​​for each item and the proposed values ​​for changes. In this diagram, proposed changes include increasing the number of vehicles from 100 to 250 and changing the distribution from random to uniform. Additionally, the display screen shows edit input buttons for the user to change the values ​​for each item, as well as corresponding action approval buttons to approve the displayed proposed values.

[0189] Next, Figure 25 shows another example of the display information proposed to be displayed on the display unit 2710, etc. As shown in Figure 25, a message indicating that the alert level has risen is displayed at the top of the display screen, and it is also displayed that the type of detected search target object 7000 is a ship, and that the alert level after the rise is level 4. In addition, the distribution of alert levels for each local area, which is a mesh-like division of the search target area, is displayed in map format at the bottom left of the screen.

[0190] Furthermore, the lower right corner of the screen displays items related to the current system configuration and search method of the Unmanned Vehicle System 1000 (number of vehicles, distribution, speed, straight-line travel time, direction of travel, etc.), along with the current values ​​for each item and the proposed values ​​for changes. In this diagram, proposed changes include changing the distribution from random to variable (changing for each area) and changing the number of vehicles from 100 to 200. In addition, the display screen shows correction input buttons for the user to input changes to the values ​​for each item, as well as corresponding action approval buttons for approving the displayed proposed changes.

[0191] (A-11. Hardware Configuration) Figure 26 is a hardware configuration diagram of the integrated control system 2000. Here, the integrated control system 2000 in the present invention is an information processing device such as a server or a PC. As shown in the figure, the integrated control system 2000 includes an input device 100, an output device 200, a processing device 300, a main memory 400, an auxiliary memory 500, a communication device 600, and a bus 700 that electrically connects each of these devices.

[0192] The input device 100 can constitute the user input receiving unit 2720 of the user interface unit 2700, and is a device for the user to input information and instructions to the integrated control system 2000. Specifically, the input device 100 is, for example, a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, or voice input device such as a microphone.

[0193] The output device 200 is a device that outputs various information generated by the integrated control system 2000, and can constitute the display unit 2710 of the user interface unit 2700. Specifically, the output device 200 can constitute the display unit 2710 with eyewear, AR, VR display devices, etc., and may also be a printer or a speaker.

[0194] The processing unit 300 is, for example, a device that performs arithmetic processing. Specifically, the processing unit 300 is, for example, a CPU, a microprocessor, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other semiconductor devices capable of performing calculations.

[0195] The main memory 400 is a memory device including RAM and ROM that allows reading and temporary writing to memory elements at arbitrary addresses at any time during processing, without requiring waiting times dependent on access patterns. For example, RAM is temporarily written to and read from during programs, application programs, and various other processes executed by the processing unit 300. ROM is a non-volatile memory in which recorded information is not lost even if the power to the device is lost. The auxiliary storage device 500 is a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory that can store digital information.

[0196] The communication device 600 is a device that performs wireless or wired information communication between the integrated control system 2000 and the outside world.

[0197] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its scope. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

[0198] [A-2. Effects of this Embodiment] The above-described embodiment makes it possible to perform search operations on a target area more appropriately or efficiently using multiple mobile units. For example, when conducting a search using multiple unmanned vessels, the configuration and operation plan of the unmanned vessel system can be determined according to the target value of the search, or the configuration and operation plan of the unmanned vessel system can be changed according to a comparison between the current search status and the target value, thereby making the search operation more appropriate or efficient.

[0199] 1...Control system (system) 100...Input device 200...Output device 300...Processing device 400...Main memory 500...Auxiliary memory 600...Communication device 700...Bus 1000...Unmanned vessel system 1001...Master unit 1002...Slave unit 10021...Primary connected slave unit 10022...Secondary connected slave unit 10023...Tertiary connected slave unit 1010...Unmanned vessel 1100...Measurement unit 1110...Measurement sensor 1120...Measurement control unit 1200...Self-state determination unit 1210...Navigation state determination unit 1220...Internal state determination unit 1230...External state determination unit 1300...Navigation unit 1310...Thrust generation unit 1320...Attitude control mechanism 1330...Navigation control unit 1400...Communication unit 1410... Unmanned Vehicle Communication Unit 1420... Satellite Communication Unit 1500... Judgment Unit 1600... Recording Unit 1610... Measurement Data Recording Unit 1620... Self-Vehicle Status Recording Unit 1630... Judgment Information Recording Unit 2000... Integrated Control System 2100... Pre-information Acquisition Unit 2110... Search Condition Acquisition Unit 2120... Search Target Value Acquisition Unit 2200... Search Plan Determination Unit 2210... Calculation Condition Determination Unit 2220... System Configuration Determination Unit 2230... Operation Plan Determination Unit 2300... Object Detection Judgment Unit 2310... Appearance Judgment Unit 2320... Dynamic State Judgment Unit 2400... Alert Level Judgment Unit 2500... Search State Acquisition Unit 2510... Current Search State Calculation Unit 2520... Search Performance Prediction Calculation Unit 2530... Disturbance Influence Correction Unit 2600... Corresponding Operation Determination Unit 2610... Search target achievement action determination unit 2620... Alert level response action determination unit 2630... Detection result response action determination unit 2640... Action command generation unit 2700... User interface unit 2710... Display unit 2720... User input reception unit 2800... Action command unit 2810... Action confirmation unit 2820... Command output unit 3000... Communication satellite 4000... Ground base station 5000... Cooperative system 6000... External system 7000... Search target

Claims

1. A control system for searching for a target object by controlling the operation of a plurality of mobile bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting the target object, comprising: a search target value acquisition unit that acquires search target information relating to the target of the search; a search related information acquisition unit that acquires search related information including at least one of search condition information relating to the conditions of the search and search state information relating to actual values ​​or predicted values ​​of the search; and a search method determination unit that determines or changes at least one of the number of mobile bodies, arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time of the plurality of mobile bodies used for the search, based on the search target information and the search related information.

2. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the search condition information acquired by the search-related information acquisition unit includes information relating to at least one of the following: the location or range of the target area of ​​the search, the execution time of the search, the arrangement of the moving body, the search movement speed, the search turning speed, the search movement path, the search movement direction, the search straight-line travel time, the object to be searched, the measurement sensor, the assumed probability that the object to be searched is in the target area, the assumed speed of the object to be searched, and the assumed path of the object to be searched.

3. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the search method determination unit determines, before the start of the search, at least one of the number of mobile bodies to be used for the search, their arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time, based on the search target information and the search condition information included in the search related information.

4. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the search status information acquired by the search-related information acquisition unit includes at least one of the following: a search rate indicating the ratio of the area moved or measured by the moving body to the target area of ​​the two-dimensional or three-dimensional search; and a detection probability indicating the probability that the moving body detects the object to be searched.

5. A control system according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the search rate and the detection probability is calculated according to environmental information in the target area of ​​the search.

6. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the search state information acquired by the search-related information acquisition unit includes at least one of the following information: a predicted search rate indicating the proportion of the area to which the moving body is expected to move or measure in the future relative to the two-dimensional or three-dimensional target area of ​​the search; and a predicted detection probability indicating the probability that the moving body will detect the object to be searched in the future.

7. A control system according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the predictive search rate and the predictive detection probability is calculated according to current or future environmental information in the target area.

8. A control system according to claim 5 or 7, wherein the environmental information includes at least one of the following: optical measurement disturbance information affecting the detection of the target object by optical imaging, such as solar altitude, fog, rain, snow, light intensity, wave height, sea spray; laser measurement disturbance information affecting the detection of the target object by laser sensors, such as fog, rain, snow, wave height, sea spray; acoustic measurement disturbance information affecting the detection of the target object present in the sea by acoustic sensors, such as seawater concentration, seawater temperature, seawater transparency; and radio wave measurement disturbance information affecting the detection of the target object by radio wave sensors, such as lightning, rain, fog, wave height, sea spray.

9. A control system according to claim 7, wherein the environmental information includes at least one of the following: ocean currents, tidal currents, wave height, current speed, wind speed, and other information on the resistance disturbance of the moving body that affects the power performance of the moving body; seaweed, drift ice, floating objects, ships, and other information on marine obstacles that hinder the movement of the moving body; and water temperature, air temperature, solar radiation, and other information on temperature disturbances that affect the temperature of the moving body.

10. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the search target information includes target information relating to at least one of the following: a target overall search rate indicating a target value for the proportion of the area where the moving body has moved or been measured relative to the entire area of ​​the area to be searched; a target local search rate indicating a target value for the proportion of the area where the moving body has moved or been measured relative to a local area that is part of the area to be searched; and a target detection probability indicating a target value for the probability that the moving body detects the object to be searched.

11. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the search method determination unit compares the search target information with the search state information and determines that the actual value or predicted value of the search included in the search state information is less than the target value of the search included in the search target information, and makes a decision to change at least one of the number of mobile bodies used for the search, their arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time.

12. A control system according to claim 11, wherein the search status information acquired by the search-related information acquisition unit includes at least one of the following: an overall search rate indicating the ratio of the area where the moving body has moved or been measured to the entire target area of ​​the search; and a local search rate indicating the ratio of the area where the moving body has moved or been measured to a local area that is a part of the target area of ​​the search.

13. A control system according to claim 12, wherein the overall search rate represents the ratio of the area moved or measured by the moving body within a predetermined period to the entire target area.

14. A control system according to claim 12, wherein the local search rate represents the ratio of the area moved or measured by the moving body within a predetermined period to a local area that is a part of the target area.

15. A control system according to claim 12, wherein the search method determination unit compares the target value of the overall search rate with the actual or predicted value of the overall search rate, and determines that the search target has not been achieved if the actual or predicted value of the overall search rate is lower than the target value of the overall search rate.

16. A control system according to claim 12, wherein the search method determination unit determines that the search target has not been achieved when at least one of the number, area, density, or shape of local areas where the local search rate is less than or equal to a predetermined value matches a predetermined unachieved condition.

17. A control system according to claim 11, wherein the search method determination unit determines that the search target has not been achieved when it receives user input information from the user indicating that the search target has not been achieved.

18. A control system according to claim 11, wherein the search method determination unit determines that the actual value or predicted value of the search included in the search state information has not reached the target value of the search included in the search target information, and changes the search movement path of the moving body so that the local search rate, which indicates the ratio of the area the moving body has moved to or measured to a local area of ​​a part of the target area of ​​the search, is lower than a predetermined value, or so that the moving body enters or passes through a local area where the local search rate is relatively low, or so that the moving body enters or passes through a position in which the local area can be measured.

19. A control system according to claim 11, wherein the search method determination unit determines that the actual value or predicted value of the search included in the search state information has not reached the target value of the search included in the search target information, and then changes the search movement path of the moving body so that the local search rate, which indicates the ratio of the area where the moving body has moved or measured to a local area of ​​a part of the target area of ​​the search, is lower than a predetermined value, or the local search rate of a local area where the local search rate is relatively low increases, or the overall search rate, which indicates the ratio of the area where the moving body has moved or measured to the entire target area of ​​the search, increases.

20. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the search method determination unit determines or changes at least one of the following for the search: the number of mobile units, their arrangement and distribution, formation, search movement speed, search turning speed, search movement path, search movement direction, and search straight-line movement time, according to the warning level information for each area determined according to the externally acquired information, user input information, or detection information of the object to be searched.

21. A control system according to claim 1, comprising a display unit that displays and outputs at least one of the following: search status information relating to actual or predicted values ​​of the search acquired by the search-related information acquisition unit; a search rate indicating the ratio of the area where the moving body has moved or measured to the target area of ​​the two-dimensional or three-dimensional search; a detection probability indicating the probability that the moving body detects the object to be searched; and information relating to the search method determined by the search method determination unit.

22. A control system according to claim 1, comprising an operation command unit that outputs an operation command to the moving body in accordance with user input information relating to the search.

23. A control system according to claim 1, comprising an operation command unit that outputs an operation command to the moving body according to the determination result determined by the search method determination unit.

24. A control system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of mobile bodies are unmanned vessels capable of moving on the sea and equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting the search target located in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional area including a sea surface area or an underwater area.

25. A control method for a control system that controls the operation of multiple mobile bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting a target object to search for the said target object, wherein a computer performs: a search target value acquisition step of acquiring search target information relating to the target of the search; a search related information acquisition step of acquiring search related information including at least one of search condition information for performing the search and search state information relating to actual values ​​or predicted values ​​of the search; and a search method determination step of determining or changing at least one of the number of mobile bodies, arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, and search movement path of the multiple mobile bodies used for the search, based on the search target information and the search related information.

26. A program usable in a control system that controls the operation of multiple mobile bodies equipped with measuring sensors capable of detecting a target object to be searched, and which causes a computer to execute: a search target value acquisition command to acquire search target information relating to the target of the search; a search related information acquisition command to acquire search related information including at least one of search condition information for conducting the search and search state information relating to actual or predicted values ​​of the search; and a search method determination command to determine or change at least one of the number of mobile bodies, arrangement distribution, formation, search movement speed, and search movement path of the multiple mobile bodies used for the search, based on the search target information and the search related information.

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