Unmanned vessel control system, unmanned vessel control method, and program

Abstract

The present invention relates to a search system for detecting an object existing in the sea using a measuring sensor mounted on an unmanned vessel capable of navigating the sea, the search system comprising: an object state detecting unit that detects the presence or absence or state of the object on the basis of measurement data measured by the measuring sensor; a future operation predicting unit that predicts a future operation of the detected object; an operation command determining unit that determines an operation command for the unmanned vessel river on the basis of the predicted result of the future operation state of the object; and a command information output unit that displays and outputs the determined operation command on a display unit or transmits and outputs the determined operation command to the unmanned vessel or to the outside.

Description

Unmanned boat control system, unmanned boat control method, and program

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

[0002] Conventionally, the practical application of a system for deploying an unmanned aircraft at sea to detect the presence and position information of underwater objects has been studied. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a mobile sonobuoy that can supply its own power, minimize the influence of the thermocline (LD) and the shadow zone, and reliably transmit the presence and position information of underwater objects to the command center. In particular, an underwater monitoring method is disclosed in which a cable is lowered into the sea to enable acoustic measurement in a deep area of the sea.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016 - 88282

[0004] When searching for an object in the sea using a measurement sensor capable of detecting underwater objects such as a sonar, there is a measurable upper limit distance that can be measured by the measurement sensor. Therefore, if an object exists in a sea area outside the measurable range that is farther than the measurable upper limit distance, the object cannot be detected.

[0005] Therefore, even if an object has been discovered once, if the object escapes or moves and moves outside the measurable range of the measurement sensor, the position of the object cannot be continuously detected. Or the object cannot be redetected.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of at least one of the above problems, and one of the purposes is to provide a system or control method or the like that can more effectively continuously detect or redetect an object existing in a sea area.

[0007] According to the present invention, a search system is obtained that uses a measurement sensor mounted on an unmanned vessel capable of navigating the sea to detect objects present in the sea, comprising: an object state detection unit that detects the presence or absence or state of an object based on measurement data measured by the measurement sensor; a future motion prediction unit that predicts the future operating state of the detected object; an motion command determination unit that determines an operation command for the unmanned vessel based on the prediction result of the future operating state of the object; and a command information output unit that displays the determined operation command on a display unit or transmits it to the unmanned vessel or to the outside.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a system or control method that can more effectively and continuously detect or re-detect objects present in an underwater area.

[0009] This is an overall configuration diagram of a control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of the implementation image of the control system 1 in real space. This is a diagram showing an example of a cooperative system 5000 and an external system 6000. This is a conceptual diagram showing how an unmanned vessel system 1000 deployed on the sea searches for an object 7000. This is a configuration diagram showing an unmanned vessel system 1000 composed of multiple unmanned vessels. This is a diagram showing an example of the formation of an unmanned vessel system 1000 deployed on the sea. This is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an 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 prior information acquired by the information import unit 2100. This is a diagram showing an example of a candidate measurement sensor determined by the pre-detection action determination unit 2200. This is a diagram showing an example of a candidate unmanned vessel search method determined by the pre-detection action determination unit 2200. This is a diagram showing the state information of an object detected or estimated by the object state detection unit 2300. This figure shows an example of the relationship between the type of acoustic sensor suitable for the detection and judgment items. This figure shows the future motion prediction result of the object generated by the object motion prediction unit 2410. This is a flowchart showing an example of the control processing flow of the integrated control system 2000. This is a flowchart showing an example of the determination processing flow of the pre-detection motion command by the pre-detection motion command unit 2200. This is a flowchart showing an example of the state detection processing flow of the object 7000 by the object state detection unit 2300. This figure shows an example of the display information of the state detection result of the object 7000 by the object state detection unit 2300. This figure shows an example of the display information of the future motion prediction result of the object 7000 by the object motion prediction unit 2410. This is a flowchart showing an example of the prediction processing flow of the detection loss state of the object 7000 by the pre-loss prediction unit 2430. This figure shows an example of the display information of the detection loss state prediction result of the object 7000 by the pre-loss prediction unit 2430. This figure shows an example of multiple patterns of operation commands for the unmanned boat 1010 for continuous object detection by the detection continuation operation determination unit 2510. This figure shows an example of a position control command for the unmanned vessel 1010 for continuous object detection by the detection continuation operation determination unit 2510.This figure shows an example of a position control command for a towed sonar for continuous detection of an object by the detection continuation operation determination unit 2510. This flowchart shows an example of a prediction processing flow for the re-detection state of an object 7000 by the re-detection prediction unit 2440. This figure shows an example of a prediction result for the re-detection state of an object 7000 by the re-detection prediction unit 2440. This figure shows an example of a position control command for an unmanned vessel 1010 for object re-detection by the re-detection operation determination unit 2520. This figure shows an example of a position control command for a towed sonar for object re-detection by the re-detection operation determination unit 2520. This shows an example of the detectable range of each sonar when searching for an object in the sea using multiple unmanned vessels 1010 equipped with sonar as measurement sensors. This shows another example of the detectable range of each sonar when searching for an object in the sea using multiple unmanned vessels 1010 equipped with sonar as measurement sensors. This is a hardware configuration diagram of the integrated control system 2000.

[0010] The embodiments of the present invention are described below. The present invention has the following configuration: [Item 1] An unmanned vessel control system for controlling the operation of an unmanned vessel equipped with a measuring sensor capable of detecting an object present in the sea, comprising: an object state detection unit that detects the presence or absence or state of the object based on measurement data measured by the measuring sensor; a future operation prediction unit that predicts the future operation state of the detected object; and an operation command determination unit that determines an operation command for the unmanned vessel based on the prediction result of the future operation state of the object. [Item 2] An unmanned vessel control system according to Item 1, wherein the future operation prediction unit calculates at least one of the future predicted states of the object, such as the future movement path of the object, the destination of the object, or the position of the object at a future time, whether or not it is moving, the speed of movement, the direction of movement, the turning radius, the turning speed, the acceleration, the deceleration, the relative distance or relative bearing between the object and the unmanned vessel. [Item 3] An unmanned boat control system according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the future operation prediction unit generates loss prediction information that includes at least one of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional loss prediction position, loss prediction direction, loss prediction speed, and loss prediction time, which are predicted to occur in the future when a detection loss state in which the presence of the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor is predicted to occur, based on information regarding an underwater measurement area that can be measured by the measurement sensor. [Item 4] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 3, wherein the future operation prediction unit generates a loss prediction probability that indicates the probability of the detection loss of the object occurring at the loss prediction position or loss prediction time included in the loss prediction information. [Item 5] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 4, wherein the future motion prediction unit generates re-detection prediction information that includes at least one of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional re-detection prediction position, re-detection prediction direction, re-detection prediction speed, and re-detection prediction time in which a re-detection state occurs in the future in which the object is re-detected by the measurement sensor after a detection loss state occurs in which the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor.[Item 6] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 5, wherein the future motion prediction unit generates a re-detection prediction probability indicating the probability that the object will be re-detected at the re-detection prediction position or re-detection prediction time included in the re-detection prediction information. [Item 7] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 6, further comprising a command information output unit that displays and outputs to a display unit the detection result regarding the presence or absence or state of the object detected by the object state detection unit, the prediction result of the future motion state of the object predicted by the future motion prediction unit, or the motion command determined by the motion command determination unit. [Item 8] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 7, further comprising a user input receiving unit that receives a correction command regarding the content of the motion command determined by the motion command determination unit, or the detection result regarding the presence or absence or state of the object detected by the object state detection unit, the prediction result of the future motion state of the object predicted by the future motion prediction unit. [Item 9] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 8, wherein the object state detection unit detects or estimates at least one of the object's position, group formation, type, shape, size, orientation, material, whether it is moving or not, direction of movement, speed of movement, turning radius, turning speed, acceleration, deceleration, movement history path, relative distance between the object and the unmanned boat, or relative direction, and the future operation prediction unit predicts the future operation state of the object based on the detection results regarding the state of the object detected or estimated by the object state detection unit. [Item 10] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 9, wherein the object state detection unit determines that the object is in a detection loss state when the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor, and records detection loss information including at least one of the object's position, direction of movement, speed, and the time the detection loss state occurred.[Item 11] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 10, wherein the object state detection unit determines that the object is in a re-detection state when the object is detected again after it has been detected at least once by the measurement sensor and can no longer be detected, and records re-detection information including at least one of the object's position, direction of movement, speed, and the time when the re-detection state was reached. [Item 12] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 11, wherein when the future motion prediction unit predicts and calculates at least one of the object's future movement path, destination, or future position at a future time, the motion command determination unit generates an unmanned boat position control command to move the unmanned boat to at least one of the following: the vicinity of the position on the sea surface along the movement path, the vicinity of the position on the sea surface along the path to the destination, or the position on the sea surface around the future position. [Item 13] An unmanned vessel control system according to any one of Items 1 to 12, wherein when the future motion prediction unit predicts and calculates at least one of the future movement path, destination, or future position of the object at a future time, the motion command determination unit generates a sonar position control command to move the towed sonar connected to the unmanned vessel by cable to the vicinity of the three-dimensional position in the sea along the movement path, the vicinity of the three-dimensional position in the sea along the path to the destination, and the three-dimensional position in the sea around the future position. [Item 14] An unmanned vessel control system according to any one of Items 1 to 13, wherein when the object state detection unit detects a detection loss state in which the measurement sensor can no longer detect the object, or when the future motion prediction unit predicts that the detection loss state will occur in the future, the motion command determination unit generates an unmanned vessel position control command to move the unmanned vessel to the vicinity of the position on the sea surface of the location where the detection loss state was detected or predicted for the object.[Item 15] An unmanned vessel control system according to any one of Items 1 to 14, wherein when the object state detection unit detects a detection loss state in which the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor, or when the future operation prediction unit predicts that the detection loss state will occur in the future, the operation command determination unit generates a sonar position control command to move the towed sonar connected to the unmanned vessel by cable to the vicinity of the three-dimensional underwater position of the location where the detection loss state was detected or predicted. [Item 16] An unmanned vessel control system according to any one of Items 1 to 15, wherein when the object state detection unit detects a detection loss state in which the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor, or when the future operation prediction unit predicts that the detection loss state will occur in the future, the operation command determination unit moves the unmanned vessel to the vicinity of the position on the sea surface where the detection loss state was detected or predicted for the object, measures acoustic information using the sonar which is the measurement sensor while the output of the thrust generation unit of the unmanned vessel is stopped or reduced, and generates an operation control command to restart or increase the output of the thrust generation unit after the measurement by the sonar is completed. [Item 17] An unmanned vessel control system according to any one of Items 1 to 16, wherein when the object state detection unit detects a detection loss state in which the presence of the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor, or when the future operation prediction unit predicts that the detection loss state will occur in the future, the operation command determination unit generates a movement request command to move to a position on the sea surface or a three-dimensional position in the sea around the location where the detection loss state of the object was detected or predicted, and the command information output unit transmits the movement request command to the outside.[Item 18] An unmanned vessel control system according to any one of Items 1 to 17, wherein the future motion prediction unit predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which the object is detected again after it has been detected at least once and then lost detection, the motion command determination unit generates an unmanned vessel position control command to move the unmanned vessel to the vicinity of the sea surface position of the predicted re-detection location of the object in which the re-detection state is predicted to occur. [Item 19] An unmanned vessel control system according to any one of Items 1 to 18, wherein the future motion prediction unit predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which the object is detected again after it has been detected at least once and then lost detection, the motion command determination unit generates a sonar position control command to move a towed sonar connected to the unmanned vessel by a cable to the vicinity of the three-dimensional underwater position of the predicted re-detection location of the object in which the re-detection state is predicted to occur. [Item 20] An unmanned vessel control system according to any one of Items 1 to 19, wherein the future motion prediction unit predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which the object will be detected again after it has been detected at least once and then lost detection, the motion command determination unit moves the unmanned vessel to the vicinity of the predicted re-detection position of the object on the sea surface where the re-detection state is predicted to occur, measures acoustic information using the sonar, which is a measuring sensor, while the output of the thrust generating unit of the unmanned vessel is stopped or reduced, and generates a motion control command to restart or increase the output of the thrust generating unit after the measurement by the sonar is completed. [Item 21] An unmanned vessel control system according to any one of Items 1 to 20, wherein the future motion prediction unit predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which an object that has been detected at least once can no longer be detected, and the object is detected again, the command information output unit outputs to the outside a movement request command to move to a position on the sea surface or a three-dimensional position in the sea around the re-detection prediction position where the re-detection state is predicted to occur, or the result of the future motion prediction unit's prediction of the occurrence of the re-detection state.[Item 22] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 21, wherein the object state detection unit performs a primary detection process for the presence or absence or state of the object based on acoustic measurement data measured by the first sonar, which is the measurement sensor, and simultaneously with or after the primary detection process, performs a secondary detection process for the presence or absence or state of the object using a second sonar of a different type than the first sonar, and determines the state of the object according to the results of the primary detection process and the secondary detection process. [Item 23] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 22, wherein the primary detection process is performed based on first acoustic measurement data measured by the first sonar mounted on one or more first unmanned boats, and the secondary detection process is performed based on second acoustic measurement data measured by the second sonar mounted on one or more second unmanned boats. [Item 24] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 23, wherein the primary detection process is performed based on first acoustic measurement data measured by the first sonar mounted on the first unmanned boat, and the secondary detection process is performed based on second acoustic measurement data measured by the second sonar mounted on the first unmanned boat. [Item 25] An unmanned boat control system according to any one of Items 1 to 24, wherein the first sonar and the second sonar consist of at least one of a passive sonar, an active sonar, a multibeam sonar, a singlebeam sonar, an acoustic modem, an acoustic transponder, a side-scan sonar, a sub-bottom profiler, and a towed sonar. [Item 26] An unmanned vessel control system according to any one of Items 1 to 25, wherein the object state detection unit performs the secondary detection process after the primary detection process, wherein the primary detection process detects the position of the object, and the secondary detection process detects at least one of the object's type, material, shape, orientation, size, movement speed, or position information more detailed than the position detected by the primary detection process.[Item 27] ​​An unmanned vessel control method for controlling the operation of an unmanned vessel equipped with a measuring sensor capable of detecting an object present in the sea, wherein a computer performs the following steps: an object state detection step of detecting the presence or absence or state of the object based on measurement data measured by the measuring sensor; a future operation prediction step of predicting the future operation state of the detected object; an operation command determination step of determining an operation command for the unmanned vessel based on the prediction result of the future operation state of the object; and a command information output step of displaying the determined operation command on a display unit or transmitting it to the unmanned vessel or to the outside. [Item 28] A program usable in an unmanned vessel control system that controls the operation of an unmanned vessel equipped with a measuring sensor capable of detecting objects present in the sea, the program causing a computer to execute: an object state detection command that detects the presence or absence or state of the object based on measurement data measured by the measuring sensor; a future operation prediction command that predicts the future operation state of the detected object; an operation command determination command that determines an operation command for the unmanned vessel based on the prediction result of the future operation state of the object; and a command information output command that displays the determined operation command on a display unit or transmits it to the unmanned vessel or to the outside.

[0011] <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.

[0012] [A. Configuration] (A-1. Overall 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 4.

[0013] (A-1-1. Overview of the overall 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 integrated control system 2000 can remotely control, autonomously navigate, or automatically navigate the unmanned vessel system 1000, which has multiple unmanned vessels 1010 (also called "unmanned ships") that are capable of navigating and moving on the sea and equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting the target object 7000, and can search for the target object 7000 in a predetermined area (first area) on or under the sea using the measurement sensors. Here, the predetermined area is any area that can be set or pre-set by the user.

[0014] 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. In addition, the unmanned vessel 1010 has the function of detecting underwater moving objects such as divers navigating the sea or 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 depth sounding LiDAR, underwater optical communication sensors, etc.).

[0015] The detection results and measurement data of the objects 7000 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 the request information obtained in advance. The generated operational commands and other information are transmitted to the user terminal device 8000 and displayed to the user. Furthermore, intervention commands related to operational commands can be obtained from the user via the user terminal device 8000.

[0016] (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 of control system 1 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. Also on the ground side, a cooperative system 5000 connected to the central control system 2000 by a network, an external system 6000, and a user terminal device 8000 are provided.

[0017] On the other hand, on the ocean side shown on the left of the diagram, the unmanned vessel system 1000 is deployed to search for objects 7000 present in the ocean. The unmanned vessel system 1000 also has multiple groups (1000a, 1000b, 1000c) consisting of a master unit and multiple slave units, and each group can communicate directly or via the communication satellite 3000.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] (A-1-3. Overview of Cooperative System 500dc0 and External System 6000) Figure 3 shows an example of cooperative system 5000 and external system 6000. As shown in Figure 3, control system 1, which has an unmanned vessel system 1000 and a central control system 2000, is connected to cooperative system 5000 and external system 6000, respectively, via a network.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3, the cooperative system 5000 includes multiple heterogeneous systems capable of acquiring information about the object being searched 7000. For example, the cooperative system 5000 may include a maritime surveillance system 5100 capable of acquiring optical images, laser measurement data, radar measurement data, and other measurement data that can be measured from a ship, including the object 7000 located at sea, using measuring devices mounted on ships or floating buoys.

[0022] Furthermore, the cooperative system 5000 may include an underwater monitoring system 5200 capable of acquiring measurement information (such as acoustic measurement information) about objects 7000 present in the sea using measuring devices mounted on submersibles that can move underwater, underwater floating buoys installed underwater, drop buoys dropped onto or into the sea from aircraft or ships, or seabed buoys installed on the seabed. The cooperative system 5000 may also include a ship operation monitoring system 5300 (e.g., an AIS system) that acquires identification information and operational status information of ships navigating in the ocean area.

[0023] External system 6000 is a system that includes an environmental information provision system that provides weather information (such as wind, rain, snow, clouds, fog, and wave height) for the area where the unmanned vessel system 1000 is deployed and its surrounding areas. External system 6000 may also be an MDA system that provides oceanographic information such as ocean currents and tidal current velocity, direction, and position, in addition to weather information. External system 6000 may further include information on the altitude and position of the sun and the altitude and position of the moon.

[0024] The external system 6000 may also include an information provision system that provides information such as navigation route information (route position, traffic permit information for each time period, traffic congestion forecast information, etc.) in the area including the area to be searched, and communication infrastructure information such as areas that can be connected to a communication network.

[0025] (A-1-4. Searching for Object 7000) Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram showing how the unmanned vessel system 1000 deployed on the sea searches for object 7000. As shown in Figure 4, multiple unmanned vessels 1010 constituting a group are deployed on the sea, and the measurement sensors 1110 mounted on each unmanned vessel 1010 can detect object 7000 that are within the measurable range in the sea.

[0026] Measurement data and detection judgment results of the detected objects 7000 are collected by the master unit 1001 via a communication network between the unmanned vessels 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. In addition, 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 objects 7000 based on operation commands transmitted by the central control system 2000.

[0027] (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 5 to 8.

[0028] (A-2-1. Overview of the Unmanned Vessel System 1000) Figure 5 is a configuration diagram showing the Unmanned Vessel System 1000, which is composed of multiple unmanned vessels. As shown in Figure 5, the Unmanned Vessel System 1000 is composed of one or more groups (1000a, 1000b), and each group consists of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 that can communicate with each other. Furthermore, the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 that make up each group 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.

[0029] Group 1000a, shown in Figure 5, 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.

[0030] Figure 5 shows a group configuration having a master unit 1001 and a slave unit 1002, but it is not limited to this configuration. A group 1000 of unmanned vessels 1010 can consist of multiple unmanned vessels 1010 connected to each other by a network that enables wireless communication directly or indirectly.

[0031] (A-2-2. Configuration of the Unmanned Vehicles 1010 Constituting a Group) Figure 6 shows an example of the formation of the unmanned vehicle system 1000 deployed on the sea. In the example shown in Figure 6, when multiple unmanned vehicles 1010 are made to perform a search according to the search plan, the formation of a group composed of multiple unmanned vehicles 1010 and the communication connection relationships are shown.

[0032] Group 1000a, shown in Figure 6, comprises one master unit 1001 and multiple slave units 1002. Furthermore, the master unit 1001 and the multiple slave units 1002 are connected via wireless communication, as shown by the solid lines, thereby forming a wireless communication network at sea. Each slave unit 1002 includes a primary connected slave unit 10021 that wirelessly connects to the master unit 1001, and a secondary connected slave unit 10022 that wirelessly connects to the primary connected slave unit 10021.

[0033] In this embodiment, the number of relays by the slave units 1002 when forming a group is not limited, and it may include third-level, fourth-level, or higher-level connected slave units. The primary connected slave unit 10021 shown in Figure 6 has the function of relaying the transmission and reception of information between the master unit 1001 and the secondary connected slave units 10022, thereby enabling the exchange of information between the master unit 1001 and multiple secondary connected slave units 10022.

[0034] 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 group 1000a. In addition, since there is an upper limit to the wireless communication distance between each unmanned vessel 1010, the position 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, is controlled so that the relative distance between the unmanned vessels 1010 is maintained within the range of the communication upper limit relative distance included in the monitoring plan as shown in Figure 11.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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 aforementioned communication connection. 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, regarding the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that do not communicate with each other, the position of at least one of the unmanned vessels 1010 is controlled with a relatively lower priority so as to maintain a preset steady-state relative distance. This control to maintain the steady-state relative distance can be achieved, for example, by applying a control based on the Boids algorithm.

[0037] Furthermore, if the relative distance between the unmanned vessels 1010 becomes too close and there is a possibility of collision, position control can be 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.

[0038] As described above, control to maintain the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that communicate with each other within the communication range, and avoidance control to avoid collisions with other unmanned vessels approaching at close range are executed with relatively high priority, while control to maintain the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that do not communicate with each other is executed with relatively low priority.

[0039] (A-2-3. Configuration of Unmanned Vehicle 1010) Figure 7 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned vehicle 1010. Although Figure 7 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 7. 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, a recording unit 1600, and a separation state control unit 1700.

[0040] The measurement unit 1100 is a functional unit that detects objects 7000 that are within the measurable range in the sea using the measurement sensor 1110 and acquires measurement information about the objects 7000. The measurement unit 1100 comprises a measurement sensor 1110 and a measurement control unit 1120.

[0041] The measurement sensor 1110 may include one (monocular) or more electro-optical sensors for acquiring underwater image data, an optical camera, an infrared sensor (IR sensor), a laser sensor such as a depth sounder LiDAR for acquiring point cloud data (e.g., a green laser sensor, a blue laser sensor, etc.), an underwater optical communication sensor, and a sonar that utilizes sound waves such as ultrasound (also called a sound wave measurement unit). The measurement sensor 1110 can acquire measurement data of 7000 objects within the measurable range of the three-dimensional space underwater. It may also have the function of acquiring measurement data of 7000 objects in the air above the water, not just underwater.

[0042] Furthermore, when using a sound wave sensor underwater, the sound wave sensor may be either an active sonar that generates sound waves and measures the sound waves that reflect 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 sound wave sensor may also be composed of a USBL transceiver or an acoustic communication modem.

[0043] 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.

[0044] Next, the own-ship state determination unit 1200 includes a navigation state determination unit 1210, an internal state determination unit 1220, and an external state determination unit 1230, and is a functional unit that determines the navigation state, internal and external states of the unmanned boat 1010. The navigation state determination unit 1210 determines state quantities related to the position (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), moving speed, heading direction, moving direction, acceleration / deceleration of movement, turning speed, and other navigation states of the own-ship. The internal state determination unit 1220 determines the remaining energy of the battery mounted on the own-ship, the remaining fuel, the movable distance calculable based on the remaining energy and remaining fuel, temporary abnormal states (such as temperature abnormality, communication abnormality, etc.) of the devices mounted on the own-ship, and the failure states of the devices.

[0045] In addition, the external state determination unit 1230 can determine the communication quality states such as the communication strength (dB value, etc.), communication speed, and communication delay of the wireless communication with other unmanned boats 1010 within the unmanned boat system 1000 or the wireless communication with the overall control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or the ground base station 4000, or the sea state around the own-ship (wave height, wave speed, sea current speed, sea current direction, tidal current speed, tidal current direction), weather state (wind speed, wind direction, air pressure, air temperature, humidity), weather condition (fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, cloudiness, etc.), seawater state (seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity concentration, Ph value, presence or absence of algal beds, etc.), sun-related information (sun position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory), backlight, front light, solar radiation amount), and other states (moon position (altitude, azimuth, trajectory, moon age), ionospheric disturbance (such as solar flare)).

[0046] The method for determining the position, moving speed, moving direction, and acceleration / deceleration of the own-ship by the navigation state determination unit 1210 is not particularly limited. For example, the position, moving speed, and moving direction of the own-ship at the current time can be determined using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GPS (Global Positioning System), RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System), etc.

[0047] In addition, as another example of the method for determining the position, moving speed, moving direction, and acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle by the navigation state determination unit 1210, for example, when the seafloor shape can be detected by the measurement sensor 1110, based on the pre-recorded seafloor shape and the seafloor shape detected by the measurement sensor 1110, using the SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) technology, the position, moving speed, and moving direction of the own vehicle at the current time can be determined.

[0048] 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 the determined moving speed over time.

[0049] In addition, the method for measuring the heading direction of the own vehicle is, for example, using a geomagnetic sensor, a GNSS compass, the SLAM technology using the seafloor shape, etc. to determine the heading direction of the own vehicle at the current time. The heading direction includes at least the attitude angle (azimuth) in a plan view around the Z axis, and preferably may be the 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 the determined heading direction information over time.

[0050] 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 vehicle 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.

[0051] The attitude control mechanism 1320 consists of a rudder plate on the aircraft and a propeller attitude change mechanism that can change the attitude angle of the propeller (mainly the yaw angle around the Z axis). By changing these angles, the aircraft's nose direction (yaw angle) can be controlled. In addition, the attitude angles of the aircraft's roll angle around the X axis and pitch angle around the Y axis can also be controlled by a center of gravity position change mechanism that changes the position of heavy objects inside the aircraft using actuators.

[0052] Furthermore, the navigation control unit 1330 is a functional unit that controls the aircraft's navigation operation 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 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), MPU, or DSP), and includes a processing unit that can access memory (storage unit). The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that the processing unit can execute to perform one or more processing steps.

[0053] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the aircraft's navigation state. For example, the control module adjusts the aircraft's position on the sea surface, speed, acceleration / deceleration, heading, turning speed, and attitude angles around the three axes. In other words, the navigation control unit 1330 controls the aircraft's navigation by causing it to perform various actions such as moving forward, backward, accelerating, decelerating, and turning.

[0054] Next, the communication unit 1400 comprises an inter-unmanned vessel communication unit 1410 and a central control communication unit 1420, and is a functional unit that communicates with other unmanned vessels 1010 within the unmanned vessel system 1000 and the central control system 2000. The inter-unmanned vessel communication unit 1410 is equipped with a communication antenna used for the maritime wireless communication network and communicates with other unmanned vessels 1010 within the unmanned vessel system 1000. The central control communication unit 1420 is equipped with a satellite communication antenna capable of communicating with the communication satellite 3000, or a communication antenna capable of communicating with the ground base station 4000, and communicates with the central control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or the ground base station 4000. In addition to the above-mentioned communication units, the communication unit may also include a communication unit equipped with an AIS antenna or a VHF antenna that communicates with external surveillance vessels or AIS base stations.

[0055] 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.

[0056] Furthermore, the determination unit 1500 can interpret the state of the object 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, and so on. 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] Next, the separation state control unit 1700 is a functional unit that switches between a state in which the towed sonar is separated from the unmanned vessel 1010 while maintaining the state in which the towed sonar and the unmanned vessel 1010 are connected by a cable, and a state in which the towed sonar is stored on the unmanned vessel 1010. The separation state control unit 1700 comprises a cable winding unit 1710 and a winding control unit 1720.

[0059] The cable winding unit 1710 consists of a cable reel and has the function of changing the length of the cable extending outward from the body of the unmanned vessel 1010 by rotating the reel with a motor or the like. The winding control unit 1720 can adjust the distance between the towed sonar and the aircraft by controlling the amount of rotation of the reel by the motor of the cable winding unit 1710.

[0060] (A-2-4. Object Detection Using Acoustic Sensors) Figure 8 is a conceptual diagram showing how to detect objects underwater using acoustic sensors. The example shown in Figure 8 illustrates how to detect marine life such as whales and underwater divers using side-scan sonar, and how to detect the location of underwater divers who can communicate with each other using USBL transceivers and acoustic communication modems.

[0061] When using side-scan sonar, it is possible to determine the surface material, size, and location of an underwater object based on sound wave intensity and shadow information obtained from sound waves reflected from the object.

[0062] 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 diver's relative position 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.

[0063] (A-3. Explanation of the Integrated Control System 2000) Next, the functions and contents of the Integrated Control System 2000 will be explained using Figure 9. Figure 9 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the Integrated Control System 2000. As shown in Figure 9, the Integrated Control System 2000 includes an information import unit 2100, a pre-detection operation command unit 2200, an object state detection unit 2300, a future operation prediction unit 2400, a post-detection operation command determination unit 2500, a user input reception unit 2600, and a command information output unit 2700.

[0064] (A-3-1. Information Import Unit 2100) The Information Import Unit 2100 is a functional unit that imports information to be processed or used in each functional unit within the Integrated Control System 2000 from the Unmanned Vehicle System 1000, the Cooperative System 5000, the External System 6000, or the User Terminal Device 8000. The Information Import Unit 2100 includes an Object Judgment Information Acquisition Unit 2110, an Environmental Information Acquisition Unit 2120, an Unmanned Vehicle Capability Information Acquisition Unit 2130, a Search Request Condition Acquisition Unit 2140, a Measurement Data Acquisition Unit 2150, and an Intervention Information Acquisition Unit 2160. Figure 10 shows an example of prior information acquired by the Information Import Unit 2100.

[0065] The object determination information acquisition unit 2110 is a functional unit that acquires in advance the criteria for object detection and state determination performed by the object state detection unit 2300. As shown in Figure 10, the object determination information acquisition unit 2110 can acquire, for example, reference values ​​such as sound wave intensity from sonar sound wave measurement data, type of detected object, and size, as criteria for the primary detection determination of object 7000 by the primary detection determination unit 2310 of the object state detection unit 2300.

[0066] The environmental information acquisition unit 2120 is a functional unit that acquires environmental information for the marine area where the unmanned vessel 1010 is deployed or its surrounding area from an external system 6000, such as a weather information provision system. As shown in Figure 10, the environmental information acquisition unit 2120 can acquire, for example, weather information, oceanographic information, weather information, seawater conditions, solar conditions, and other environmental condition information.

[0067] Although not shown in Figure 10, the environmental information acquisition unit 2120 may also have the function of acquiring navigation information of ships in the ocean area where the unmanned vessel 1010 is deployed or in the surrounding area from the AIS control center included in the ship operation monitoring system 5300 of the cooperative system 5000. Alternatively, it may acquire navigation information of ships from other VHF data exchange systems included in the external system 6000.

[0068] The unmanned vessel capability information acquisition unit 2130 is a functional unit that acquires information regarding various performance aspects of the unmanned vessel 1010 in advance. As shown in Figure 10, the unmanned vessel capability information acquisition unit 2130 can acquire information from the unmanned vessel 1010, such as its power performance, measurement performance, communication performance, self-position estimation performance, other performance aspects, and equipment status such as abnormalities or malfunctions.

[0069] The Search Request Condition Acquisition Unit 2140 is a functional unit that receives various information regarding the request conditions for searching for the target object 7000. As shown in Figure 10, the Search Request Condition Acquisition Unit 2140 includes, for example, the target object to be searched (marine organisms, divers, etc.), the search area, restricted areas, communication areas, search time, and search target values. For example, the Search Request Condition Acquisition Unit 2140 can acquire the request conditions for conducting a search from the cooperative system 5000 or the user input reception unit 2600, which will be described later.

[0070] The measurement data acquisition unit 2150 is a functional unit that acquires judgment results determined by the judgment unit 1500 of the unmanned vessel 1010, as well as measurement data measured by the unmanned vessel 1010, via communication satellites 3000, HAPS, ground base stations 4000, etc.

[0071] The intervention information acquisition unit 2160 is a functional unit that receives intervention command information from the cooperative system 5000, the user terminal device 8000, and the user input reception unit 2600, which will be described later.

[0072] (A-3-2. Pre-detection operation command unit 2200) The pre-detection operation command unit 2200 is a functional unit that determines operation commands such as search operations before detecting the target object 7000. The pre-detection operation command unit 2200 comprises an unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2210 and a pre-detection operation determination unit 2220.

[0073] The unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2210 is a functional unit that estimates the performance that the unmanned vessel 1010 can actually demonstrate, based on environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2120 and various performance information of the unmanned vessel 1010 acquired by the unmanned vessel capability information acquisition unit 2130. For example, the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2210 can determine the degree to which the acquired environmental information has an impact on the performance of the unmanned vessel 1010, correct various performance information of the unmanned vessel 1010 as shown in Figure 10, and estimate the performance that the unmanned vessel 1010 can actually demonstrate.

[0074] For example, ocean conditions, weather, seawater, and solar conditions affect the performance of optical sensors, such as the measurable distance. Furthermore, weather conditions such as air temperature and seawater temperature alter the temperature of the unmanned vessel's equipment, which in turn affects the vessel's power, measurement, and communication performance. Ocean conditions such as wave height and ocean currents, as well as weather conditions such as wind speed, also affect the vessel's power performance. Ionospheric disturbances (such as solar flares) and weather conditions also affect the self-positioning performance using GNSS carrier waves and the communication performance. Additionally, a decrease in battery energy levels affects the vessel's power, measurement, and communication performance.

[0075] Based on the various environmental information described above, it is possible to estimate in real time whether or not the performance of the unmanned vessel has deteriorated or improved, and to what extent.

[0076] The pre-detection action determination unit 2220 is a functional unit that determines an action plan, such as a search operation, before detecting the target object 7000, based on the corrected performance information of the unmanned vessel 1010 estimated by the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2210, and determines an action command to execute the action plan. The pre-detection action determination unit 2220 determines the type of measurement sensor to be used for the search and the measurement method, and determines the search operation plan for the unmanned vessel 1010. The determination results determined by the pre-detection action determination unit 2220 will be explained using Figures 11 and 12.

[0077] Figure 11 shows an example of a candidate measurement sensor determined by the pre-detection operation determination unit 2220. As shown in Figure 11, the candidate measurement sensor determined by the pre-detection operation determination unit 2220 can determine the type of measurement sensor and the measurement method using the measurement sensor. The measurement sensor includes acoustic sensors such as sonar, optical sensors, and laser sensors.

[0078] Acoustic sensors also include passive sonars that measure sound in water, active sonars that emit sound waves into the water and measure the sound waves reflected by objects, and acoustic modems and acoustic transponders that can send and receive acoustic signals. Active sonars also include multi-beam sonars that can measure a measurement area as a surface by measuring reflected waves from multiple points at once, and single-beam sonars that can measure a line of a measurement area by measuring the reflected waves of a single sound wave beam.

[0079] Optical sensors also include electro-optical sensors, optical cameras, infrared (IR) sensors, and underwater optical communication sensors. Laser sensors include laser sensors such as depth sounding LiDARs that acquire point cloud data (e.g., green laser sensors, blue laser sensors, etc.).

[0080] Next, measurement methods using measurement sensors include methods using acoustic sensors, optical sensors, and laser sensors. Methods using acoustic sensors include side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, and towed sonar. The side-scan sonar method emits sound wave pulses simultaneously from the port and starboard sides, diagonally downwards from the unmanned vessel. Alternatively, it can emit sound wave pulses directly downwards from the unmanned vessel. The towed sonar method measures sound waves using a sonar installed on a cable extended outside the unmanned vessel.

[0081] Figure 12 shows an example of a candidate unmanned vessel search method determined by the pre-detection action determination unit 2220. As shown in Figure 12, the candidate unmanned vessel search methods determined by the pre-detection action determination unit 2220 include patrol search method, anchored search method, semi-anchored method, and patrol-anchored combined search method.

[0082] The patrol search methods include predetermined formation patrol, in which multiple unmanned vessels 1010 patrol and search while maintaining a predetermined formation in a group; individual patrol, in which each unmanned vessel 1010 patrols and searches individually; and column-shaped patrol, in which multiple unmanned vessels 1010 patrol and search while forming a column.

[0083] The anchoring search methods include a predetermined formation arrangement in which multiple unmanned vessels 1010 are used as a group to perform anchoring searches in a predetermined formation; an individual arrangement in which each unmanned vessel 1010 is positioned individually to perform anchoring searches; and a column arrangement in which multiple unmanned vessels 1010 are used in a column formation to perform anchoring searches.

[0084] The semi-anchoring method is a search method in which the vessel does not completely stop but moves within approximately the same location or its surrounding area. The patrol-anchoring combined search method is a search method that combines the patrol search method and the anchoring search method described above.

[0085] Furthermore, the pre-detection operation determination unit 2220 can determine not only the search method for the unmanned vessel 1010 shown in Figure 12, but also the number of unmanned vessels to be used for the search, their deployment positions, formation, speed, acceleration, or patrol route. In this case, the number of unmanned vessels, deployment positions, formation, speed, acceleration, or patrol route are determined based on the corrected performance information of the unmanned vessel 1010 estimated by the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2210.

[0086] Furthermore, when the pre-detection action determination unit 2220 determines the target search rate as the target value for the search by the unmanned vessel 1010, it can adjust the number of aircraft and their placement positions so as to achieve the target search rate.

[0087] (A-3-3. Object State Detection Unit 2300) The object state detection unit 2300 is a functional unit that detects the presence or absence or state of the object 7000 based on measurement data measured by the measurement sensor 1110 of the unmanned vessel 1010. If measurement data of the object 7000 is continuously acquired, the object state detection unit 2300 can continuously determine or estimate the state of the object based on the acquired measurement data. The object state detection unit 2300 comprises a primary detection determination unit 2310, a secondary detection determination unit 2320, a current state determination unit 2330, and a lost state determination unit 2340. Figure 13 is a diagram showing the state information of the object detected or estimated by the object state detection unit 2300.

[0088] Figure 13 shows the state information of an object detected or estimated by the object state detection unit 2300. As shown in Figure 13, the object state detection unit 2300 can detect or estimate information regarding the static state, object characteristics, dynamic state, past history, and mobility performance of the object 7000.

[0089] The static state may include the position coordinates of object 7000, the group formation, the relative distance between object 7000 and unmanned vessel 1010, and the relative bearing. Object features may include the type, shape, size, orientation, and material of object 7000. The dynamic state may include whether object 7000 is moving or stationary, its direction of movement, speed, turning radius, turning speed, acceleration, and deceleration. The past history may include historical information such as the object 7000's past movement paths.

[0090] Furthermore, the mobility performance may include information related to the maximum movement speed, maximum turning speed, minimum turning radius, maximum acceleration, maximum deceleration, movable distance, and other mobility performance information. In addition, the object state detection unit 2300 may have a function to determine spatial movement states including movement, standby, surfacing, submersion, surface standby, surface movement, etc., and creation execution states including normal movement, standby, patrol, escape, pursuit, concealment, recovery, attack, abnormality, etc., in addition to the object state information shown in Figure 13.

[0091] The primary detection determination unit 2310 is a functional unit that performs primary detection of the object 7000 based on measurement data acquired according to the type of measurement sensor and measurement method determined by the pre-detection operation determination unit 2220. The primary detection determination unit 2310 can detect at least some of the various state information of the object 7000 shown in Figure 13, and can at least detect the position coordinates of the object 7000, for example.

[0092] The secondary detection and determination unit 2320 is a functional unit that performs secondary detection of the object 7000 based on measurement data acquired by a measurement sensor of a different type than the measurement sensor used for primary detection and determination by the primary detection and determination unit 2310. When using sonar as the measurement sensor to acquire acoustic measurement data, the sonar used for primary detection and determination and the sonar used for secondary detection and determination can be of different types.

[0093] Furthermore, when performing a primary detection determination based on primary acoustic measurement data measured by a first measurement sensor (e.g., a first sonar) mounted on one or more first unmanned vessels, a secondary detection determination can be performed based on second acoustic measurement data measured by a second measurement sensor (e.g., a second sonar) mounted on one or more second unmanned vessels different from the first unmanned vessel. In other words, the measurement data used for primary and secondary detection determinations can be acquired by different unmanned vessels.

[0094] Alternatively, in the opposite direction to the method described above, measurement data used for primary and secondary detection determination can also be obtained from the first and second sonars mounted on the same unmanned vessel.

[0095] As described above, if the sonar used for primary detection determination and the sonar used for secondary detection determination are of different types, then sonars with different sensor types and sensor measurement methods, as shown in Figure 11, can be selected. For example, the first and second sonars can consist of at least one of the following: passive sonar, active sonar, multi-beam sonar, single-beam sonar, acoustic modem, acoustic transponder, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, or towed sonar.

[0096] Furthermore, while the primary detection determination by the primary detection determination unit 2310 and the secondary detection determination by the secondary detection determination unit 2320 can be performed simultaneously, it is also possible to perform the secondary detection determination by the secondary detection determination unit 2320 after the primary detection determination. In this way, when the secondary detection determination is performed after the primary detection determination, for example, the position of the object 7000 can be detected by the primary detection determination, and the type, material, shape, orientation, size, movement speed, or more detailed position information than the position detected by the primary detection determination can be determined by the secondary detection determination.

[0097] In this case, if a secondary detection determination is performed after the primary detection determination, the secondary detection determination unit 2320 may have a function to select the type of measurement sensor and measurement method to be used for the secondary detection determination by the secondary detection determination unit 2320. In this case, the type of measurement sensor and measurement method suitable for detecting detection items that were not detected by the primary detection determination can be selected as the type of measurement sensor and measurement method to be used for the secondary detection determination.

[0098] Figure 14 shows an example of the relationship between the type of acoustic sensor suitable for the detection and judgment items. In the example shown in Figure 14, the judgment items are the material of the object, type determination by sound signature matching, shape and orientation determination, speed determination, and position determination. The figure shows the relationship between the type of acoustic sensor, usage method, and operation of the unmanned vessel during measurement that are considered suitable for these judgment items.

[0099] The secondary detection determination unit 2320 can determine the type of measurement sensor, measurement method, or unmanned vessel operation during measurement that is suitable for detecting detection items that were not detected by the primary detection determination, based on pre-recorded information as shown in Figure 14.

[0100] As described above, an example of using primary and secondary detection determination to determine the state of an object is to use multiple unmanned vessels, for instance, to perform measurements simultaneously using a side-scan sonar system on one vessel and a sub-bottom profiler system on another, thereby determining the surface shape and material.

[0101] Another example is that multiple unmanned vessels can be used to perform measurements simultaneously, using a single-beam sonar on one vessel and a multi-beam sonar on another, to determine distance and surface shape.

[0102] Another example is the use of multiple unmanned vessels, where one vessel uses a single-beam sonar and another uses a multi-beam sonar, allowing for simultaneous measurements and enabling both wide-area distance measurement and high-precision distance measurement over a narrow area.

[0103] The current state determination unit 2330 is a functional unit that determines the current state of the object 7000, which includes at least one of the various states shown in Figure 13, based on the results of the primary detection determination by the primary detection determination unit 2310 and the results of the secondary detection determination by the secondary detection determination unit 2320. The current state determination unit 2330 can determine the current state of the object 7000 by, for example, comparing the results of the primary detection determination by the primary detection determination unit 2310 and the results of the secondary detection determination by the secondary detection determination unit 2320. On the other hand, the current state of the object 7000 may be determined by combining the state information obtained from each detection determination without comparing the results of the primary and secondary detection determinations.

[0104] The current state determination unit 2330 may also have a function to estimate the content of state items that could not be detected in both the primary detection determination by the primary detection determination unit 2310 and the secondary detection determination by the secondary detection determination unit 2320, based on the content of the primary detection determination by the primary detection determination unit 2310 and the secondary detection determination by the secondary detection determination unit 2320.

[0105] For example, when the current state determination unit 2330 estimates the current position, it can estimate the position coordinates of the object 7000 by using a movement vector obtained by integrating the detected past position and the detected velocity. Furthermore, when estimating the movement trajectory up to the present, it can estimate it using a curve approximated by multiple straight lines connecting previously measured positions. It can also estimate the movement trajectory by integrating the previously detected velocity.

[0106] The current state determination unit 2330 can detect an object 7000 for the first time, but if it detects an object 7000 again after it has been unable to detect an object 7000 that has been detected at least once in the past, it determines that this is a re-detection state. In such cases, it determines re-detection information including at least one of the object's position, direction of movement, speed, and the time the re-detection state occurred, and records the determination result.

[0107] The lost state determination unit 2340 is a functional unit that determines that the object 7000 is in a detection-lost state when the measurement sensor mounted on the unmanned vessel 1010 can no longer detect the object 7000. The lost state determination unit 2340 can determine and record detection-lost information, for example, which includes at least one of the position, direction of movement, speed, and duration of the detection-lost state of the object 7000 at the time the detection-lost state occurred.

[0108] (A-3-4. Future Operation Prediction Unit 2400) The future operation prediction unit 2400 is a functional unit that predicts the future operation state of the object 7000 based on the detection results regarding the state of the object 7000 detected or estimated by the object state detection unit 2300. If multiple objects 7000 are detected, the future operation prediction is performed for the group of multiple objects 7000. The future operation prediction unit 2400 also has the function of predicting the future search state by the unmanned vessel 1010. The future operation prediction unit 2400 comprises an object operation prediction unit 2410, an unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2420, a loss pre-prediction unit 2430, and a re-detection prediction unit 2440.

[0109] The object motion prediction unit 2410 predicts and calculates the future operating state of the object 7000. Figure 15 shows the future motion prediction results of the object generated by the object motion prediction unit 2410. As shown in Figure 15, the object motion prediction unit 2410 can predict and calculate the future motion, static state at a future time, and dynamic state at a future time. The future motion prediction includes, for example, the predicted path and predicted destination. The static state at a future time includes the position coordinates of the object 7000 at a future time, the group formation, and the relative distance and relative bearing between the object 7000 and the unmanned vessel 1010. The dynamic state at a future time includes whether or not it is moving (moving state / stationary state), movement speed, movement direction, turning radius, turning speed, acceleration, deceleration, etc. If multiple objects 7000 are detected, the unit can predict and calculate each of the prediction items shown in Figure 15 for a group composed of multiple objects 7000.

[0110] The unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2420 is a functional unit that estimates the performance that the unmanned vessel 1010 can actually demonstrate, based on environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2120 and various performance information of the unmanned vessel 1010 acquired by the unmanned vessel capability information acquisition unit 2130. For example, the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2420 can determine the degree to which the acquired environmental information has an impact on the performance of the unmanned vessel 1010, correct the various performance information of the unmanned vessel 1010 as shown in Figure 10, and estimate the performance that the unmanned vessel 1010 can actually demonstrate.

[0111] For example, ocean conditions, weather, seawater, and solar conditions affect the performance of optical sensors, such as the measurable distance. Furthermore, weather conditions such as air temperature and seawater temperature alter the temperature of the unmanned vessel's equipment, which in turn affects the vessel's power, measurement, and communication performance. Ocean conditions such as wave height and ocean currents, as well as weather conditions such as wind speed, also affect the vessel's power performance. Ionospheric disturbances (such as solar flares) and weather conditions also affect the self-positioning performance using GNSS carrier waves and the communication performance. Additionally, a decrease in battery energy levels affects the vessel's power, measurement, and communication performance.

[0112] Based on the various environmental information described above, it is possible to estimate in real time whether or not the performance of the unmanned vessel has deteriorated or improved, and to what extent.

[0113] The Lost Prediction Unit 2430 is a functional unit that predicts in advance the occurrence of a detection loss state in the future, where the presence of an object 7000 can no longer be detected after it has been detected by the measurement sensor 1110. If multiple objects 7000 are detected, the unit can make predictions regarding the detection loss state for a group composed of multiple objects 7000. For example, the Lost Prediction Unit 2430 estimates the underwater measurement area measurable by the measurement sensor 1110 based on the estimation results of the measurement performance of the measurement sensor 1110 (such as sonar) estimated by the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2420. Based on the information regarding the underwater measurement area, the unit can generate loss prediction information that includes at least one of the following: a two-dimensional or three-dimensional loss prediction location, loss prediction direction, loss prediction speed, and loss prediction time, where a detection loss state is predicted to occur in the future.

[0114] Furthermore, the pre-loss prediction unit 2430 may also have a function to generate a loss prediction probability indicating the probability that the object 7000 will be lost at the loss prediction location or loss prediction time included in the generated loss prediction information.

[0115] The re-detection prediction unit 2440 is a functional unit that predicts in advance that a re-detection state will occur in the future, in which the object 7000 is re-detected by the measurement sensor 1110 after the detection loss state described above has occurred. In addition, if multiple objects 7000 are detected, the unit can make predictions regarding the re-detection state for a group composed of multiple objects 7000.

[0116] For example, the re-detection prediction unit 2440 estimates the underwater measurement area measurable by the measurement sensor 1110 (such as sonar) based on the estimation results of the measurement performance of the measurement sensor 1110 (such as sonar) estimated by the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2420, and generates re-detection prediction information that includes at least one of the two-dimensional or three-dimensional re-detection prediction position, re-detection prediction direction, re-detection prediction speed, and re-detection prediction time in which a re-detection state will occur in the future, based on the information regarding the underwater measurement area.

[0117] Furthermore, the re-detection prediction unit 2440 can also generate re-detection prediction information that includes at least one of the following: a two-dimensional or three-dimensional re-detection prediction position, a re-detection prediction direction, a re-detection prediction speed, and a re-detection prediction time, depending on information regarding the seabed topography and surrounding objects. In this case, for example, if the seabed ahead of the object 7000's direction of travel is shallow, the movement path of the object 7000 is predicted to be diagonally upward along the seabed, and it is expected that it will approach the unmanned vessel 1010 and its measurement range again.

[0118] Furthermore, the re-detection prediction unit 2440 may have a function to generate a re-detection prediction probability indicating the probability that the object 7000 will be re-detected at the re-detection prediction position or re-detection prediction time included in the generated re-detection prediction information. In addition, the generated information may not be limited to the re-detection prediction probability, but may also have a function to calculate the probability of re-entering the underwater measurement area, the probability of the unmanned vessel 1010 encountering the object 7000, and so on.

[0119] (A-3-5. Post-Detection Action Command Determination Unit 2500) The post-detection action command determination unit 2500 is a functional unit that determines an action command for the unmanned vessel 1010 based on the prediction result of the future operation state of the object 7000 by the future operation prediction unit 2400. The post-detection action command determination unit 2500 may also have the function of determining an action command for the unmanned vessel 1010 based on the detection result by the object state detection unit 2300, not limited to the prediction result by the future operation prediction unit 2400. The post-detection action command determination unit 2500 comprises a detection continuation action determination unit 2510 and a re-detection action determination unit 2520.

[0120] The detection continuation operation determination unit 2510 is a functional unit that, when the object state detection unit 2300 detects the object 7000, determines an operation command to continue detecting the object 7000 using the measurement sensor 1110 of the unmanned vessel 1010, according to the prediction result from the future operation prediction unit 2400.

[0121] The detection continuation operation determination unit 2510 can, for example, generate an unmanned vessel position control command to move the unmanned vessel 1010 to at least one of the following locations on the sea surface: along the predicted future movement path of the object 7000, along the predicted future movement path of the object 7000, along the predicted future movement path of the object 7000, or around the future position of the object 7000 at a future time, if the future movement prediction unit 2400 predicts and calculates at least one of these. By generating such an unmanned vessel position control command, the unmanned vessel 1010 can be deployed near the predicted location of the object 7000, thereby enabling continuous detection of the object 7000.

[0122] In the example described above, an example of controlling the position of the unmanned vessel 1010 was explained. However, when using a towed sonar as a measurement sensor, the object 7000 can be continuously detected by controlling the position of the towed sonar. In this case, the detection continuation operation determination unit 2510 can, for example, when the future operation prediction unit 2400 predicts and calculates at least one of the future movement path, destination, or future position of the object 7000, generate a sonar position control command to move the towed sonar, which is connected to the unmanned vessel 1010 by cable, to a three-dimensional position in the sea around the predicted three-dimensional position of the object 7000 along its predicted future movement path, the predicted three-dimensional position of the object 7000 along its predicted future destination, or the future position of the object 7000 at a future time. By generating such a sonar position control command, the towed sonar can be deployed near the predicted underwater position of the object 7000, thus enabling continuous detection of the object 7000.

[0123] Next, the re-detection operation determination unit 2520 is a functional unit that determines an operation command to re-detect the object 7000 after the detection loss state occurs using the measurement sensor 1110 of the unmanned vessel 1010, according to the detection result from the object state detection unit 2300 and the prediction result from the future operation prediction unit 2400, when the loss state determination unit 2340 detects the occurrence of a detection loss state or when the loss prediction unit 2430 predicts the occurrence of a detection loss state.

[0124] The re-detection operation determination unit 2520 can generate an unmanned vessel position control command to move the unmanned vessel 1010 to the vicinity of the location on the sea surface where the object 7000 was lost, when the lost state determination unit 2340 detects the occurrence of a detected lost state, or when the loss prediction unit 2430 predicts the occurrence of a detected lost state. By generating such an unmanned vessel position control command, the unmanned vessel 1010 can be deployed near the location where the detected lost state occurred, thereby increasing the probability of re-detection of the object 7000.

[0125] The re-detection operation determination unit 2520, when it detects the occurrence of a detected lost state by the lost state determination unit 2340, or when it predicts the occurrence of a detected lost state in advance by the lost state prediction unit 2430, can move the unmanned vessel to the vicinity of the location on the sea surface where the object 7000 was lost. Furthermore, it can stop or reduce the output of the thrust generation unit 1310 of the unmanned vessel 1010, measure acoustic information using the sonar measurement sensor 1110, and generate an operation control command to restart or increase the output of the thrust generation unit 1310 after the sonar measurement is completed. By generating such an operation control command, acoustic measurement data can be collected while reducing the acoustic noise generated from the thrust generation unit 1310, thereby improving the search performance by acoustic measurement and increasing the probability of re-detecting the object 7000.

[0126] Furthermore, when detecting object 7000 based on the acoustic data measured as described above, object 7000 can be detected more accurately by collecting normal underwater noise data in the same area in advance and comparing the measured acoustic data with the previously collected noise data. Normal noise data may be measured in advance by the unmanned vessel 1010, or noise data may be acquired from an external system.

[0127] In the example described above, an example of controlling the position of the unmanned vessel 1010 was explained. However, when using a towed sonar as a measurement sensor, the probability of re-detecting the object 7000 can be increased by controlling the position of the towed sonar. In this case, the re-detection operation determination unit 2520 can generate a sonar position control command to move the towed sonar, which is connected to the unmanned vessel 1010 by cable, to the vicinity of the three-dimensional position in the sea where the object 7000 was lost, when the lost state determination unit 2340 detects the occurrence of a detection loss state, or when the loss prediction unit 2430 predicts the occurrence of a detection loss state. By generating such a sonar position control command, the towed sonar can be deployed near the location where the detection loss occurred in the sea, thereby increasing the probability of re-detecting the object 7000.

[0128] In the example described above, an example of controlling the position of the unmanned vessel 1010 and the towed sonar was explained, but it is also possible to request search cooperation from an external cooperative system 5000 other than the unmanned vessel system 1000. In this case, if the re-detection operation determination unit 2520 detects the occurrence of a detected lost state by the lost state determination unit 2340, or if the occurrence of a detected lost state is predicted in advance by the lost state prediction unit 2430, it generates a movement request command to move the object 7000 that has been detected or predicted to be lost to a position on the sea surface or a three-dimensional position in the sea around the location where the lost state occurred, and the command information output unit 2700, which will be described later, can transmit the movement request command to the external cooperative system 5000.

[0129] Next, we will describe the operation command when the re-detection prediction unit 2440 predicts in advance the occurrence of a re-detection state of the object 7000. In this case, if the re-detection prediction unit 2440 predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which the object 7000 is detected again after it has been detected at least once, the re-detection operation determination unit 2520 can generate an unmanned vessel position control command to move the unmanned vessel 1010 to the vicinity of the predicted re-detection position of the object 7000 on the sea surface where the re-detection state is predicted to occur. By generating such an unmanned vessel position control command, the unmanned vessel 1010 can be deployed near the position where re-detection is expected, thereby increasing the probability of re-detection of the object 7000.

[0130] The re-detection operation determination unit 2520, when the re-detection prediction unit 2440 predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which the object 7000, which has been detected at least once, will be detected again after it has become undetectable, can generate an operation control command to move the unmanned vessel 1010 to the vicinity of the predicted re-detection position of the object 7000 on the sea surface, and further, to stop or reduce the output of the thrust generation unit 1310 of the unmanned vessel 1010 while measuring acoustic information with the sonar, which is the measurement sensor 1110, and to restart or increase the output of the thrust generation unit 1310 after the sonar measurement is completed. By generating such an operation control command, acoustic measurement data can be collected while reducing the acoustic noise generated from the thrust generation unit 1310, thereby improving the search performance by acoustic measurement and increasing the probability of re-detection of the object 7000.

[0131] As another example, if the re-detection operation determination unit 2520 predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which an object 7000 that has been detected at least once becomes undetectable again, the re-detection operation determination unit 2520 can generate a sonar position control command to move the towed sonar connected to the unmanned vessel 1010 by cable to the vicinity of the three-dimensional position in the sea where the predicted re-detection position of the object 7000 is predicted. By generating such a sonar position control command, the towed sonar can be deployed near the predicted location where the re-detection state will occur in the sea, thereby increasing the probability of re-detection of the object 7000.

[0132] In the example described above, an example of controlling the position of the unmanned vessel 1010 and the towed sonar was explained, but it is also possible to request search cooperation from an external cooperative system 5000 other than the unmanned vessel system 1000. In this case, if the re-detection operation determination unit 2520 predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which the object 7000, which has been detected at least once, will be detected again after it has become undetectable, it can send a movement request command to move to a position on the sea surface or a three-dimensional position in the sea around the location where the re-detection state of the object 7000 is predicted to occur, or the prediction result of the re-detection state by the re-detection prediction unit 2440 to the external cooperative system 5000 etc. via the command information output unit 2700 described later.

[0133] In this case, if the unmanned vessel 1010 determines that the predicted re-detection location is either impossible to move to or impossible to measure, it may send a movement request command or the predicted re-detection status to an external coordinating system 5000 or the like.

[0134] The re-detection operation determination unit 2520 may, in addition to the operation commands described above, determine movement commands for multiple unmanned vessels 1010 according to the movement predicted path of the object by the object movement prediction unit 2410 when the lost state determination unit 2340 determines that the object 7000 has been detected and lost. In this case, for example, a movement command to move multiple unmanned vessels 1010 to an area to the right or left from the lost position can be determined as an operation command.

[0135] Furthermore, taking into account the direction and speed of movement of the object 7000 when it is lost, the object motion prediction unit 2410 can predict the future movement state of the object 7000, and based on the prediction result, it can determine an action command including the target position of the unmanned vessel and whether or not to continue moving.

[0136] (A-3-6. User Input Reception Unit 2600) The user input reception unit 2600 can receive various types of information from the user. For example, the user input reception unit 2600 can receive detection results regarding the presence or absence or state of the object 7000 detected by the object state detection unit 2300, prediction results of the future operating state of the object 7000 predicted by the future operation prediction unit 2400, or correction commands regarding the content of operation commands determined by the pre-detection operation command unit 2200 or the post-detection operation command determination unit 2500.

[0137] The user input receiving unit 2600 can accept not only correction commands for the various types of information described above, but also approval inputs or rejection inputs for judgment information and operation commands generated by each functional unit of the integrated control system 2000. The user input receiving unit 2600 may also be a portable mobile device such as a smartphone, tablet, or notebook PC. Furthermore, user input information can also be received via operation buttons provided on the display screen of the display output unit 2710, which will be described later.

[0138] (A-3-7. Command Information Output Unit 2700) The command information output unit 2700 is a functional unit that notifies or displays information acquired or generated by the above-mentioned functional units within the integrated control system 2000 to the user, outputs commands to the unmanned vessel 1010, or transmits the information to an external cooperative system. The command information output unit 2700 comprises a display output unit 2710, a command transmission unit 2720, and an information transmission unit 2730.

[0139] The display output unit 2710 is a functional unit that displays and outputs various information acquired or generated by the aforementioned functional units within the integrated control system 2000, namely, various information acquired by the information import unit 2100, operation command information generated by the pre-detection operation command unit 2200, detection results detected by the object state detection unit 2300, prediction results predicted and calculated by the future operation prediction unit 2400, and operation command information generated by the post-detection operation command determination unit 2500. Furthermore, when notifying the user, the display output unit 2710 can not only display the information but also notify the user by sound, light emission, or vibration.

[0140] Furthermore, when transmitting various information to the cooperative system 5000, user terminal device 8000, or other external systems using the information transmission unit 2730 described later, information such as the contact details, means of contact, and location of the information recipient may be displayed on the display output unit 2710.

[0141] The command transmission unit 2720 is a functional unit that transmits operation command information generated by the pre-detection operation command unit 2200 or operation command information generated by the post-detection operation command determination unit 2500 to the unmanned vessel 1010. The information transmission unit 2730 is a functional unit that transmits information acquired or generated by the above-mentioned functional units within the integrated control system 2000 to an external cooperative system 5000 or the like.

[0142] The functions implemented in the unmanned vessel 1010 and the integrated control system 2000, as described so far using Figures 7 and 9, are merely one embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this implementation example. In other words, some of the functions implemented in the unmanned vessel 1010 shown in Figure 7 (mainly the functions of the determination unit 1500) can be implemented in the integrated control system 2000. On the other hand, some of the functions implemented in the integrated control system 2000 shown in Figure 9 (mainly at least one of the information import unit 2100 and the object state detection unit 2300) can also be implemented in the unmanned vessel 1010.

[0143] (A-4. Control Processing Flow of the Integrated Control System 2000) Next, the control processing flow of the Integrated Control System 2000 will be explained using Figure 16. Figure 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the control processing flow of the Integrated Control System 2000.

[0144] First, the information import unit 2100 acquires preliminary information (step 101). In this step, various types of information are acquired, for example, as shown in Figure 10.

[0145] Next, the pre-detection operation command unit 2200 determines the pre-detection operation (i.e., the search operation) of the unmanned vessel system 1000 (step 102). Details of this step will be described later.

[0146] Next, the operation command determined by the pre-detection operation command unit 2200 is transmitted to the unmanned vessel system by the command transmission unit 2720, and the unmanned vessel system performs a search for the target object 7000 (step 103).

[0147] Next, the search is performed according to step 103, and the primary detection determination unit 2310 determines the next processing step to transition to depending on whether or not the target object 7000 has been detected (step 104). In this step, if the target object 7000 is detected, the process transitions to step 105; on the other hand, if the target object 7000 is not detected, the process transitions to step 103.

[0148] Next, if the object 7000 is detected in step 104, the object state detection unit 2300 performs a current state determination and a lost state determination of the object (step 105). Details of this step will be described later.

[0149] Next, the object motion prediction unit 2410 predicts the future motion of the detected object 7000 (step 106).

[0150] Next, the loss prediction unit 2430 predicts the occurrence of a future detection loss state (step 107). Details of this step will be described later.

[0151] Next, the detection continuation operation determination unit 2510 determines an operation command to continue detecting the object 7000 using the measurement sensor 1110 of the unmanned vessel 1010 (step 108). Details of this step will be described later.

[0152] Next, based on the monitoring operation performed in response to the monitoring operation command in step 108, the next processing step to be transitioned to is determined (step 109) depending on whether or not a detection loss state has been detected, in which the measurement sensor mounted on the unmanned vessel 1010 can no longer detect the target object 7000. In this step, if the occurrence of a detection loss state is detected, the process transitions to step 110; on the other hand, if the occurrence of a detection loss state is not detected, the process transitions to step 108.

[0153] Next, if a detection loss state is detected in step 109, the re-detection prediction unit 2440 predicts the occurrence of a future re-detection state (step 110). Details of this step will be described later.

[0154] Next, the post-detection action command determination unit 2500 determines an action command to detect the object 7000 again using the measurement sensor 1110 of the unmanned vessel 1010 (step 111).

[0155] (A-5. Flowchart for determining the search operation) Next, the process for determining the pre-detection operation of the object 7000, as determined by the pre-detection operation command unit 2200, will be explained using Figure 17. Figure 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the process for determining the pre-detection operation command by the pre-detection operation command unit 2200. In particular, Figure 17 shows the detailed processing of step 102 in the flowchart shown in Figure 16.

[0156] First, the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2210 performs an estimation of the unmanned vessel's performance in response to environmental disturbances (step 201). In this step, the degree of influence on various performance aspects of the unmanned vessel is determined based on the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2120 (for example, the environmental information shown in Figure 10), and the unmanned vessel performance information acquired by the unmanned vessel capability information acquisition unit 2130 (for example, the unmanned vessel performance information shown in Figure 10) is corrected to estimate the performance that the unmanned vessel 1010 can actually achieve.

[0157] Next, the pre-detection operation determination unit 2220 determines the type of measurement sensor and measurement method to be used for searching for the target object (step 202). In this step, for example, the type of measurement sensor and measurement method that can satisfy the search request conditions are determined according to the search request conditions acquired by the search request condition acquisition unit 2140 and the performance of the unmanned vessel estimated by the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2210. As an example, any type and measurement method can be determined from the sensor types and measurement methods shown in Figure 11.

[0158] Next, the pre-detection action determination unit 2220 determines the pre-detection action of the unmanned vessel 1010 (step 203). In this step, for example, the action of the unmanned vessel that can satisfy the search request conditions is determined according to the search request conditions acquired by the search request condition acquisition unit 2140 and the performance of the unmanned vessel estimated by the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2210. As an example, any search method can be determined from the search methods shown in Figure 12, etc.

[0159] (A-6. Detection status determination of object 7000) The method for detecting the status of object 7000 detected by the object status detection unit 2300 will be explained below with reference to Figures 18 and 19.

[0160] (A-6-1. Processing Flow for Determining the Detection State of Object 7000) Figure 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow for detecting the state of object 7000 by the object state detection unit 2300. In particular, Figure 18 shows the detailed processing of step 105 of the flowchart shown in Figure 16.

[0161] First, the primary detection and determination unit 2310 determines the state of the object 7000 based on the primary detection data acquired from the unmanned vessel 1010 via the measurement data acquisition unit 2150 (step 301). The state information determined in this step includes, for example, at least one of the state information shown in Figure 13.

[0162] Next, the current state determination unit 2330 estimates the state of items that were not detected in the primary detection determination based on the primary detection data (step 302).

[0163] Next, the secondary detection and determination unit 2320 determines the measurement sensor and measurement method to be used for secondary detection and determination (step 303).

[0164] Next, the state of the object 7000 is determined based on the secondary detection data acquired from the unmanned vessel 1010 via the measurement data acquisition unit 2150 (step 304). The state information determined in this step includes, for example, at least one of the state information shown in Figure 13.

[0165] Next, the current state determination unit 2330 estimates the state of items that were not detected in the secondary detection determination based on the secondary detection data (step 305).

[0166] Next, the determination results from each of the above steps are displayed and output from the display output unit 2710 (step 306). In this step, the determination results from each of the above steps are also transmitted to the user terminal device 8000 and the cooperative system 5000 via the information transmission unit 2730.

[0167] (A-6-2. Detection status determination result of object 7000) Figure 19 is a diagram showing an example of the display information of the status detection result of object 7000 by the object status detection unit 2300.

[0168] In the example shown in Figure 19, a message indicating that the object 7000 has been detected in the sea is displayed as the state detection result of the object 7000. In addition, the measurement data measured by the measurement sensor 1110 is displayed in the lower left of the screen. Furthermore, in the lower right of the screen, state information about the detected object 7000 is displayed, including its position coordinates, type, material, shape, orientation, size, and movement speed.

[0169] Furthermore, buttons can be displayed on the right side of the screen that allow the user to approve or modify the judgment results made by the object state detection unit 2300. The user can approve or modify the judgment results by operating these buttons on the screen.

[0170] (A-7. Predicting the future operation of object 7000) Next, the method for predicting the future operation of object 7000 by the object operation prediction unit 2410 will be explained using Figure 20. Figure 20 is a diagram showing an example of the display information of the future operation prediction result of object 7000 by the object operation prediction unit 2410.

[0171] In the example shown in Figure 20, a message is displayed indicating that the predicted future movement of object 7000 is being shown. In addition, the detection results such as the type of marine organism that is object 7000, its current position, and direction of movement, as well as the predicted course of object 7000 (indicated by a dotted arrow) and the current position of the unmanned vessel are displayed in three-dimensional space. The three-dimensional space display may be in map format or in a display format integrated with the actual measurement image. Furthermore, for each future time point, predicted information regarding the state of object 7000 is displayed, such as the relative distance between the unmanned vessel 1010 and object 7000, relative bearing, position coordinates, group formation (if there are multiple objects 7000), movement status (moving / stationary), movement speed, and direction of movement.

[0172] Furthermore, buttons can be displayed on the left side of the screen that allow the user to approve or modify the judgment results made by the object motion prediction unit 2410. The user can approve or modify the judgment results by operating these buttons on the screen.

[0173] (A-8. Future prediction of the detection loss state of object 7000) The method for predicting the future detection loss state by the loss prediction unit 2430 will be explained below using Figures 21 and 22.

[0174] (A-8-1. Prediction Processing Flow for Detection Loss of Object 7000) Figure 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the prediction processing flow for the detection loss of object 7000 by the loss pre-prediction unit 2430. In particular, Figure 21 shows the detailed processing of step 107 of the flowchart shown in Figure 16.

[0175] First, the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2420 performs an estimation of the unmanned vessel's performance in response to environmental disturbances (step 401). In this step, the degree of influence on various performance aspects of the unmanned vessel is determined based on the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2120 (for example, the environmental information shown in Figure 10), and the unmanned vessel performance information acquired by the unmanned vessel capability information acquisition unit 2130 (for example, the unmanned vessel performance information shown in Figure 10) is corrected to estimate the performance that the unmanned vessel 1010 can actually achieve.

[0176] Next, the loss prediction unit 2430 predicts whether or not a detection loss state of the target object 7000 will occur in the future (step 402). In this step, the probability of a detection loss state occurring may also be calculated.

[0177] Next, the determination results from each of the above steps are displayed and output from the display output unit 2710 (step 403). In this step, the determination results from each of the above steps are also transmitted to the user terminal device 8000 and the cooperative system 5000 via the information transmission unit 2730.

[0178] (A-8-2. Prediction result of detection loss state of object 7000) Figure 22 is a diagram showing an example of the display information of the detection loss state prediction result of object 7000 by the loss pre-prediction unit 2430.

[0179] In the example shown in Figure 22, a message is displayed indicating that the future prediction result of the detection status of object 7000 is being shown. In addition, the current position, direction of movement, and predicted course (indicated by a dotted arrow) of the marine organism, which is object 7000, as well as information on the measurable area set according to the position of the unmanned vessel 1010 and the detection limit depth of the sonar mounted on the unmanned vessel, and the position where the marine organism will leave the measurable area (predicted loss position) are displayed in three dimensions. The three-dimensional space display may be shown in map format, or it may be a display format that integrates with the actual measurement image.

[0180] Furthermore, the lower right corner of the screen displays detailed information about the predicted occurrence of a detected loss state, including the location and time of the loss, as well as the direction and speed of movement of the object (7000) where the loss occurred. The loss location can be predicted by comparing the measurable area with the predicted path of the object, determining the location where the object is expected to exit the measurable area.

[0181] Furthermore, buttons can be displayed at the top of the screen that allow the user to approve or modify the judgment results made by the object motion prediction unit 2410. The user can approve or modify the judgment results by operating these buttons on the screen.

[0182] (A-9. Generation of Operation Commands for Continuous Detection) The contents of the operation commands for the continuous detection of the object 7000 by the detection continuation operation determination unit 2510 will be explained below with reference to Figures 23 to 25.

[0183] (A-9-1. Example of content of operation command for continuous detection) Figure 23 is a diagram showing an example of multiple patterns of operation commands for the unmanned boat 1010 for continuous detection of an object by the detection continuation operation determination unit 2510.

[0184] In the example shown in Figure 23, the action commands for continuous object detection include action commands related to the position control of the unmanned vessel 1010, action commands related to the position control of the towed sonar, and tracking request commands to the cooperative system 5000.

[0185] The operational commands for the position control of the unmanned vessel 1010 include, for example, commands to move to a location near the sea position along the predicted path of the object 7000, commands to move to a location near the sea position along the path to the destination of the object 7000, and commands to move to a location near the predicted position of the object 7000 at a future time.

[0186] Operational commands for the position control of a towed sonar include, for example, commands to move the towed sonar to the vicinity of a three-dimensional underwater position along the predicted movement path of the object 7000, commands to move the towed sonar to the vicinity of a three-dimensional underwater position along the path to the predicted destination, and commands to move the towed sonar to a three-dimensional underwater position near the predicted position at a future time.

[0187] Tracking requests to the Cooperative System 5000 include commands to dispatch a search engine from the Cooperative System 5000 to the vicinity of the predicted location where a detection loss has occurred.

[0188] (A-9-2. An example of a position control command for the unmanned vessel 1010 for continuous detection) Figure 24 is a diagram showing an example of a position control command for the unmanned vessel 1010 for continuous detection of an object by the detection continuation operation determination unit 2510. In particular, the example shown in Figure 24 shows an example of a movement command (solid arrow) to the vicinity of the surface position along the predicted path (dotted arrow) of the object 7000 in the sea.

[0189] In other words, a movement command is generated for the unmanned vessel 1010, indicated by the solid arrow, at a position on the sea surface along the predicted movement path of the marine organism (object 7000) in the ocean, indicated by the dotted line. By generating such a movement command for the unmanned vessel 1010, the unmanned vessel 1010 can be moved to the position on the sea surface closest to the object 7000, making it possible to continuously detect the object 7000 with measurement sensors such as sonar mounted on the unmanned vessel 1010.

[0190] (A-9-3. An example of a towed sonar position control command for continuous detection) Figure 25 is a diagram showing an example of a towed sonar position control command for continuous detection of an object by the detection continuation operation determination unit 2510. In particular, the example shown in Figure 25 shows an example of a command (solid arrow) to move the object 7000 to a three-dimensional position in the sea along the predicted path (dotted arrow) in the sea.

[0191] In other words, a movement command is generated for the towed sonar, indicated by the solid arrow, at a three-dimensional position in the ocean along the predicted movement path of the marine organism (object 7000) shown by the dotted line. By generating such a movement command, which is the target position for the towed sonar, the towed sonar can be moved to a three-dimensional position in the ocean close to the object 7000, and the object 7000 can be kept within the measurable area of ​​the towed sonar as shown in the diagram, making it possible to continuously detect the object 7000 with the towed sonar and other measurement sensors.

[0192] (A-10. Prediction of the occurrence of re-detection) The method for predicting the occurrence of re-detection of the target object 7000 by the re-detection prediction unit 2440 will be explained below with reference to Figures 26 and 27.

[0193] (A-9-1. Flowchart for Predicting the Occurrence of Re-detection State) Figure 26 is a flowchart showing an example of the flowchart for predicting the re-detection state of the object 7000 by the re-detection prediction unit 2440. In particular, Figure 26 shows the detailed processing of step 110 of the flowchart shown in Figure 16.

[0194] First, the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2420 performs an estimation of the unmanned vessel's performance in response to environmental disturbances (step 501). In this step, the degree of influence on various performance aspects of the unmanned vessel is determined based on the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 2120 (for example, the environmental information shown in Figure 10), and the unmanned vessel performance information acquired by the unmanned vessel capability information acquisition unit 2130 (for example, the unmanned vessel performance information shown in Figure 10) is corrected to estimate the performance that the unmanned vessel 1010 can actually achieve.

[0195] Next, the re-detection prediction unit 2440 predicts whether or not a re-detection state of the object 7000 will occur in the future (step 502). In this step, the probability of a re-detection state occurring may also be calculated. In this step, based on topographic information such as the surrounding seabed, the future movement path of the object 7000 can be predicted, and if it is predicted that the object will re-enter the measurable area, it can be determined that a re-detection state will occur.

[0196] Next, the determination results from each of the above steps are displayed and output from the display output unit 2710 (step 503). In this step, the determination results from each of the above steps are also transmitted to the user terminal device 8000 and the cooperative system 5000 via the information transmission unit 2730.

[0197] (A-9-2. Specific Examples of Predicting the Occurrence of Re-detection) Figure 27 is a diagram showing an example of the prediction result of the re-detection state of the target object 7000 by the re-detection prediction unit 2440. In particular, Figure 27 shows an example of the prediction result of predicting the re-detection state in a situation where detection loss occurred due to the target object 7000, a marine organism (such as a whale), moving to a location deeper than the sonar detection limit depth.

[0198] In the example shown in Figure 27, the predicted movement path of the marine organism predicted by the object motion prediction unit 2410 is shown by a dotted line. Here, the predicted movement path of the marine organism is generated taking into account information about surrounding objects such as seabed topography. Therefore, as shown in Figure 27, if the seabed ahead of the marine organism's direction of travel is shallow, a path in which the marine organism moves diagonally upward along the seabed is predicted. Based on the predicted path of the marine organism thus generated and the sonar detection limit depth (measurable range) information that takes environmental disturbances into account, estimated by the unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2420, it is possible to calculate whether a re-detection condition has occurred and the predicted location of re-detection.

[0199] (A-11. Prediction of re-detection state) The operation commands for re-detection of the object 7000 by the re-detection operation determination unit 2520 will be explained below with reference to Figures 28 and 29.

[0200] (A-11-1. An example of a position control command for the unmanned vessel 1010 for re-detection) Figure 28 is a diagram showing an example of a position control command for the unmanned vessel 1010 for object re-detection by the re-detection operation determination unit 2520. In particular, the example shown in Figure 28 shows an example of a command to move the object 7000 to the vicinity of the re-detection position at sea.

[0201] In other words, a movement command is generated for the unmanned vessel 1010, which sets its target location to the area around the sea surface above the predicted re-detection position indicated by a star in the diagram. By generating such a movement command for the unmanned vessel 1010, it is possible to have the unmanned vessel 1010 wait at the sea surface position closest to the predicted re-detection position, and immediately re-detect the object 7000 if the object enters the sonar's measurable range.

[0202] (A-11-2. An example of a towed sonar position control command for re-detection) Figure 29 is a diagram showing an example of a towed sonar position control command for object re-detection by the re-detection operation determination unit 2520. In particular, the example shown in Figure 29 shows an example of a movement command that moves the towed sonar to the vicinity of the three-dimensional position in the sea where the re-detection of object 7000 is predicted.

[0203] In other words, a movement command is generated for the towed sonar, with the target location being the underwater position around the predicted re-detection location indicated by a star in the diagram. By generating such a movement command for the unmanned vessel 1010, the towed sonar can be positioned in the sea close to the predicted re-detection location, making it possible to immediately re-detect the object 7000 when the object enters the measurable range of the towed sonar.

[0204] (A-12. Method for determining the deployment command of multiple unmanned vessels) The operation command for re-detecting the target object 7000 by the re-detection operation determination unit 2520 will be explained below with reference to Figures 30 and 31. Figure 30 shows an example of the detectable range of each sonar when multiple unmanned vessels 1010 equipped with sonar as measurement sensors are used to search for an object in the sea. Figure 31 shows another example of the detectable range of each sonar when multiple unmanned vessels 1010 equipped with sonar as measurement sensors are used to search for an object in the sea.

[0205] As shown in Figure 30, if the sonar's detectable range is, for example, X meters, then the sonar's detectable range in the sea is a hemispherical area with a radius of X meters centered on the unmanned vessel 1010. Therefore, as the relative distance between multiple unmanned vessels 1010 increases, the sonar's measurable depth becomes shallower, especially around a water depth of X meters at the intermediate position between the multiple unmanned vessels 1010, and the area where the target object 7000 cannot be detected expands.

[0206] Here, the example of unmanned vessel arrangement shown in Figure 31 has shorter spacing between the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 than the example shown in Figure 30, which helps to suppress the expansion of the area where the target object 7000 cannot be detected, even in waters around X meters deep.

[0207] Thus, when searching a target area using multiple unmanned vessels 1010, it is desirable to determine the spacing between the multiple unmanned vessels 1010, taking into account the water depth of the target area. Also, for the same reason, when the post-detection action command determination unit 2500 determines the action commands for the unmanned vessels 1010, if the depth of the position, predicted movement path, and predicted re-detection position of the monitored object 7000 is deep, it is also possible to decide to arrange the multiple unmanned vessels 1010 in a close, densely packed arrangement.

[0208] (A-13. Hardware Configuration) Figure 32 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.

[0209] The input device 100 can constitute a user input receiving unit 2600 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.

[0210] The output device 200 is a device that outputs various information generated by the integrated control system 2000, and can constitute the display output unit 2710. Specifically, the output device 200 can constitute the display output unit 2710 with eyewear, AR, VR display devices, etc., and may also be a printer or a speaker.

[0211] 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.

[0212] 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.

[0213] The communication device 600 is a device that performs wireless or wired information communication between the integrated control system 2000 and the outside world.

[0214] 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.

[0215] [A-2. Effects of this Embodiment] The above-described embodiment provides a system or control method that can more effectively continuously detect or re-detect objects present in an underwater area. For example, by predicting the future movement of an object and determining an action command for the unmanned vessel based on the prediction result, it is possible to more effectively continuously detect or re-detect objects present in an underwater area.

[0216] 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 Intercommunication Unit 1420... Overall Control Communication Unit 1500... Judgment Unit 1600... Recording Unit 1610... Measurement Data Recording Unit 1620... Self-Vehicle Status Recording Unit 1630... Judgment Information Recording Unit 1700... Separation Status Control Unit 1710... Cable Winding Unit 1720... Winding Control Unit 2000... Overall Control System 2100... Information Import Unit 2110... Target Object Judgment Information Acquisition Unit 2120... Environmental Information Acquisition Unit 2130... Unmanned Vehicle Capability Information Acquisition Unit 2140... Search Request Condition Acquisition Unit 2150... Measurement Data Acquisition Unit 2160... Intervention Information Acquisition Unit 2200... Pre-Detection Action Command Unit 2210... Unmanned Vehicle Performance Estimation Unit 2220... Pre-Detection Action Determination Unit 2300... Target Object Status Detection Unit 2310... Primary Detection Judgment Unit 2320...Secondary detection determination unit 2330...Current state determination unit 2340...Lost state determination unit 2400...Future action prediction unit 2410...Object action prediction unit 2420...Unmanned vessel performance estimation unit 2430...Lost pre-prediction unit 2440...Re-detection prediction unit 2500...Post-detection action command determination unit 2510...Detection continuation action determination unit 2520...Re-detection action determination unit 2600...User input reception unit 2700...Command information output unit 2710...Display output unit 2720...Command transmission unit 2730...Information transmission unit3000...Communication satellite 4000...Ground base station 5000...Cooperative system 5100...Maritime surveillance system 5200...Underwater surveillance system 5300...Ship operation monitoring system 6000...External system 7000...Target object 8000...User terminal device

Claims

1. An unmanned vessel control system for controlling the operation of an unmanned vessel equipped with a measuring sensor capable of detecting an object present in the sea, comprising: an object state detection unit that detects the presence or absence or state of the object based on measurement data measured by the measuring sensor; a future operation prediction unit that predicts the future operation state of the detected object; and an operation command determination unit that determines an operation command for the unmanned vessel based on the prediction result of the future operation state of the object.

2. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein the future motion prediction unit calculates at least one of the following future predicted states of the object: the future movement path of the object, the destination of the object, or the position of the object at a future time, whether or not it is moving, the speed of movement, the direction of movement, the turning radius, the turning speed, the acceleration, the deceleration, the relative distance or relative bearing between the object and the unmanned vessel.

3. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein the future operation prediction unit generates loss prediction information that includes at least one of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional loss prediction position, loss prediction direction, loss prediction speed, and loss prediction time, in which a detection loss state in which the presence of the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor is predicted to occur in the future, based on information regarding an underwater measurement area that can be measured by the measurement sensor.

4. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 3, wherein the future motion prediction unit generates a loss prediction probability indicating the probability that the detection loss of the object will occur at the loss prediction position or loss prediction time included in the loss prediction information.

5. An unmanned boat control system according to claim 1, wherein the future motion prediction unit generates re-detection prediction information that includes at least one of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional re-detection prediction position, re-detection prediction direction, re-detection prediction speed, and re-detection prediction time in which a re-detection state occurs in the future in which the object is re-detected by the measurement sensor after a detection loss state occurs in which the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor.

6. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 5, wherein the future motion prediction unit generates a re-detection prediction probability indicating the probability that the object will be re-detected at the re-detection prediction position or the re-detection prediction time included in the re-detection prediction information.

7. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, comprising a command information output unit that displays and outputs to a display unit the detection result regarding the presence or absence or state of the object detected by the object state detection unit, the prediction result of the future operation state of the object predicted by the future operation prediction unit, or the operation command determined by the operation command determination unit.

8. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, comprising a user input receiving unit that receives a correction command relating to the detection result regarding the presence or absence or state of an object detected by the object state detection unit, or the prediction result of the future operation state of the object predicted by the future operation prediction unit, or the content of the operation command determined by the operation command determination unit.

9. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein the object state detection unit detects or estimates at least one of the object's position, group formation, type, shape, size, orientation, material, whether it is moving or not, direction of movement, speed of movement, turning radius, turning speed, acceleration, deceleration, movement history path, relative distance between the object and the unmanned vessel, or relative bearing, and the future operation prediction unit predicts the future operation state of the object based on the detection results regarding the state of the object detected or estimated by the object state detection unit.

10. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein the object state detection unit determines that the object is in a detection loss state when the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor, and records detection loss information including at least one of the position, direction of movement, speed of the object at the time the detection loss state occurred, and the time the detection loss state occurred.

11. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein the object state detection unit determines that the object is in a re-detection state when the object is detected again after it has been detected at least once by the measurement sensor and can no longer be detected, and records re-detection information including at least one of the position, direction of movement, speed of the object at the time the re-detection state was reached, and the time the re-detection state was reached.

12. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein when the future motion prediction unit predicts and calculates at least one of the future movement path, destination, or future position of the object at a future time, the motion command determination unit generates an unmanned vessel position control command to move the unmanned vessel to at least one of the following: a position on the sea surface along the movement path, a position on the sea surface along the path to the destination, or a position on the sea surface around the future position.

13. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein when the future motion prediction unit predicts and calculates at least one of the future movement path, destination, or future position of the object at a future time, the motion command determination unit generates a sonar position control command to move the towed sonar connected to the unmanned vessel by cable to the vicinity of the three-dimensional position in the sea along the movement path, the vicinity of the three-dimensional position in the sea along the path to the destination, and the vicinity of the future position in the sea.

14. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein when the object state detection unit detects a detection loss state in which the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor, or when the future operation prediction unit predicts that the detection loss state will occur in the future, the operation command determination unit generates an unmanned vessel position control command to move the unmanned vessel to the vicinity of the position on the sea surface where the detection loss state was detected or predicted for the object.

15. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein when the object state detection unit detects a detection loss state in which the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor, or when the future operation prediction unit predicts that the detection loss state will occur in the future, the operation command determination unit generates a sonar position control command to move the towed sonar connected to the unmanned vessel by cable to the vicinity of the three-dimensional underwater position of the location where the detection loss state of the object was detected or predicted.

16. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 14, wherein when the object state detection unit detects a detection loss state in which the measurement sensor can no longer detect the object, or when the future operation prediction unit predicts that the detection loss state will occur in the future, the operation command determination unit moves the unmanned vessel to the vicinity of the position on the sea surface where the detection loss state was detected or predicted for the object, measures acoustic information using the sonar which is the measurement sensor while the output of the thrust generation unit of the unmanned vessel is stopped or reduced, and generates an operation control command to restart or increase the output of the thrust generation unit after the measurement by the sonar is completed.

17. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein when the object state detection unit detects a detection loss state in which the presence of the object can no longer be detected by the measurement sensor, or when the future operation prediction unit predicts that the detection loss state will occur in the future, the operation command determination unit generates a movement request command to move to a position on the sea surface or a three-dimensional position in the sea around the location where the detection loss state of the object was detected or predicted, and the command information output unit transmits the movement request command to the outside.

18. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein the future motion prediction unit predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which an object that has been detected at least once can no longer be detected is detected again, and the motion command determination unit generates an unmanned vessel position control command to move the unmanned vessel to the vicinity of the predicted re-detection position of the object on the sea surface where the occurrence of the re-detection state is predicted.

19. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein the future motion prediction unit predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which an object that has been detected at least once can no longer be detected, and the motion command determination unit generates a sonar position control command to move the towed sonar connected to the unmanned vessel by cable to the vicinity of the three-dimensional underwater position of the predicted re-detection location of the object in which the re-detection state is predicted to occur.

20. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 18, wherein the future motion prediction unit predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which an object that has been detected at least once can no longer be detected and is then detected again, the motion command determination unit moves the unmanned vessel to the vicinity of the predicted re-detection position of the object on the sea surface where the re-detection state is predicted to occur, measures acoustic information using the sonar, which is a measuring sensor, while the output of the thrust generating unit of the unmanned vessel is stopped or reduced, and generates a motion control command to restart or increase the output of the thrust generating unit after the measurement by the sonar is completed.

21. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein the future motion prediction unit predicts that a re-detection state will occur in the future in which an object that has been detected at least once can no longer be detected, and the object is detected again, the command information output unit outputs to the outside a movement request command to move to a position on the sea surface or a three-dimensional position in the sea around the re-detection prediction position where the re-detection state is predicted to occur, or the result of the future motion prediction unit's prediction of the occurrence of the re-detection state.

22. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 1, wherein the object state detection unit performs a primary detection process for the presence or absence or state of the object based on acoustic measurement data measured by the first sonar, which is the measurement sensor, and performs a secondary detection process for the presence or absence or state of the object using a second sonar of a different type than the first sonar, simultaneously with or after the primary detection process, and determines the state of the object according to the results of the primary detection process and the secondary detection process.

23. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 22, wherein the primary detection process is performed based on first acoustic measurement data measured by the first sonar mounted on one or more first unmanned vessels, and the secondary detection process is performed based on second acoustic measurement data measured by the second sonar mounted on one or more second unmanned vessels.

24. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 22, wherein the primary detection process is performed based on first acoustic measurement data measured by the first sonar mounted on the first unmanned vessel, and the secondary detection process is performed based on second acoustic measurement data measured by the second sonar mounted on the first unmanned vessel.

25. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 22, wherein the first sonar and the second sonar are composed of at least one of a passive sonar, an active sonar, a multibeam sonar, a singlebeam sonar, an acoustic modem, an acoustic transponder, a side-scan sonar, a sub-bottom profiler, and a towed sonar.

26. An unmanned vessel control system according to claim 22, wherein, when the object state detection unit performs the secondary detection process after the primary detection process, the primary detection process detects the position of the object, and the secondary detection process detects at least one of the object's type, material, shape, orientation, size, movement speed, or position information more detailed than the position detected by the primary detection process.

27. An unmanned vessel control method for controlling the operation of an unmanned vessel equipped with a measuring sensor capable of detecting an object present in the sea, the method comprising: an object state detection step in which a computer detects the presence or absence or state of the object based on measurement data measured by the measuring sensor; a future operation prediction step in which a computer predicts the future operation state of the detected object; an operation command determination step in which an operation command for the unmanned vessel is determined based on the prediction result of the future operation state of the object; and a command information output step in which the determined operation command is displayed on a display unit or transmitted to the unmanned vessel or to the outside.

28. A program usable in an unmanned vessel control system that controls the operation of an unmanned vessel equipped with a measuring sensor capable of detecting objects present in the sea, the program causing a computer to execute: an object state detection command that detects the presence or absence or state of the object based on measurement data measured by the measuring sensor; a future operation prediction command that predicts the future operation state of the detected object; an operation command determination command that determines an operation command for the unmanned vessel based on the prediction result of the future operation state of the object; and a command information output command that displays the determined operation command on a display unit or transmits it to the unmanned vessel or to the outside.

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