JP7558312B2 - Flight management device and flight management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flight management device and a flight management method for managing information regarding the flight of an aircraft.

Patent Document 1 discloses a system that receives input of the area in which an aircraft such as a drone will fly and the purpose of the flight, creates a flight path based on the received area and purpose, and controls the flight of the flying device according to the created flight path.

International Publication No. 2018/198313

In order to control the flight of flying objects over a wide area, the use of flying objects that communicate using specific radio waves from mobile communication networks, etc. is being considered. However, if the number of flying objects in the sky increases, the amount of communication using these radio waves will increase, which may affect communications with mobile phones and other devices on the ground. Therefore, it is being considered to limit the number of flying objects that can fly simultaneously in a specified area.

This makes it possible to reduce the impact of aircraft flights on communications. However, simply limiting the number of aircraft cannot guarantee the safe flight of aircraft. If the safety of an aircraft flight cannot be ensured, the flight of the aircraft will not be permitted, resulting in the problem that the application will be wasted.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and aims to prevent applications to fly aircraft from going to waste.

The flight management device of the first aspect of the present invention is a flight management device having a receiving unit that receives flight schedule information including a flight range indicating at least one of a flight route or a flight area along which an aircraft is scheduled to fly, a flight date and time along which the aircraft is scheduled to fly, and user information regarding a user who manages the flight of the aircraft; a determining unit that determines whether the relationship between the flight range and the flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of a first aircraft and the flight range and the flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of a second aircraft is a predetermined positional relationship that is determined to determine whether the aircraft will approach each other during flight; and a transmitting unit that transmits information including the flight range, the flight date and time, and the user information included in the flight schedule information of the first aircraft to another device different from the flight management device, on the condition that the determining unit determines that the first aircraft will not approach the second aircraft during flight.

The flight schedule information further includes wireless communication information regarding wireless communication performed by the flying object during flight, and the transmission unit may transmit, on the condition that the determination unit has determined that the first flying object will not approach the second flying object during flight, radio wave usage application information that applies for radio wave usage for the wireless communication, and that includes the flight range, the flight date and time, the user information, and the wireless communication information contained in the flight schedule information of the first flying object, to the radio wave usage application device, which is the other device.

The transmission unit may transmit, to an information terminal associated with the first flying object, information indicating at least one of whether the determination unit has determined that the first flying object will not approach the second flying object during flight and whether the radio wave usage application device has permitted the radio wave usage.

The transmission unit may transmit alternative flight schedule information generated by changing at least one of the flight range or the flight date and time of the flight schedule information to an information terminal associated with the first flying object, on condition that the determination unit determines that the first flying object will approach the second flying object during flight.

The transmission unit may transmit alternative flight plan information generated by changing at least one of the flight range or the flight date and time in the flight plan information to an information terminal associated with the first flying object, on the condition that radio wave usage is not permitted by the radio wave usage application device.

The flight schedule information further includes information indicating that the flight behavior of the aircraft meets a specified flight requirement, and the transmission unit may transmit flight application information to the other device, which is a flight application device, on condition that the determination unit determines that the first aircraft will not approach the second aircraft during flight and the flight behavior of the aircraft meets the flight requirement, the flight application information including the flight range, the flight date and time, the user information, and the flight requirements included in the flight schedule information of the first aircraft.

The receiving unit may receive the flight schedule information including additional information associated with the flight requirements, and the transmitting unit may transmit the flight application information including the additional information to the flight application device.

The transmission unit may transmit notification information including at least a portion of the flight schedule information to devices associated with a specified organization, provided that permission is granted by all devices that transmitted the information.

The transmission unit may transmit the notification information to a device associated with an organization that manages manned aircraft, on condition that permission is granted by all devices that transmitted the information and that the flight mode of the aircraft corresponds to a flight beyond visual line of sight.

The transmission unit may transmit flight information to the aircraft for flying the aircraft within the flight range on the flight date and time, provided that permission has been granted by all devices that transmitted the information.

The flight management method of the second aspect of the present invention includes the steps of receiving flight schedule information, executed by a processor of a flight management device, including a flight range indicating at least one of a flight route or a flight area along which the flying object is scheduled to fly, a flight date and time along which the flying object is scheduled to fly, and user information regarding a user who manages the flight of the flying object; determining whether the relationship between the flight range and the flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of a first flying object and the flight range and the flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of a second flying object is a predetermined positional relationship determined for determining whether the flying objects approach each other during flight; and transmitting information including the flight range, the flight date and time, and the user information included in the flight schedule information of the first flying object to another device different from the flight management device, on condition that it is determined in the determining step that the first flying object will not approach the second flying object during flight.

The present invention has the effect of preventing applications to fly aircraft from going to waste.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a flight management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a flight management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining flight schedule information. 1 is a schematic diagram of a screen for an information terminal to accept input of flight schedule information. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a positional relationship determined for determining whether flying objects approach each other during flight. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining radio wave usage application information. A schematic diagram for explaining flight application information. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining notification information and flight information. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a flight management method performed by the flight management device.

[Overview of Flight Management System S]
1 is a schematic diagram of a flight management system S according to this embodiment. The flight management system S includes a flight management device 1, an information terminal 2, an aircraft 3, a radio wave usage application device 4, a flight application device 5, and an organization device 6. The flight management system S may include a plurality of information terminals 2 and a plurality of aircraft 3.

The flight management device 1, the radio wave usage application device 4, the flight application device 5, and the group device 6 are each a single device or multiple devices. In addition, the flight management device 1, the radio wave usage application device 4, the flight application device 5, and the group device 6 may each be one or multiple virtual servers operating on a cloud, which is a collection of computer resources. The flight management system S may also include other terminals, devices, etc.

The flight management device 1 is a computer that manages information related to the flight of the flying object 3. The flight management device 1 receives flight schedule information for the flying object 3 from the information terminal 2, and transmits specified information to the radio wave usage application device 4, the flight application device 5, and the group device 6 based on the received flight schedule information. The flight management device 1 may also transmit flight information for flying the flying object 3 to the flying object 3.

The information terminal 2 is a computer used by a user to input flight schedule information for the aircraft 3. The flight schedule information includes, for example, the flight range in which the aircraft 3 is scheduled to fly, the flight date and time in which the aircraft 3 is scheduled to fly, wireless communication information regarding wireless communication performed by the aircraft 3 during flight, and flight requirement information indicating that the flight mode of the aircraft 3 meets specified flight requirements. The specified flight requirements are, for example, flight in a no-fly zone, flight at night, flight beyond visual line of sight, etc.

The information terminal 2 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. The user is, for example, a person who pilots, manages, or owns the flying object 3. The information terminal 2 has a display unit such as a liquid crystal display for displaying information received from the flight management device 1, and an operation unit such as a touch panel for accepting operations by the user. The information terminal 2 transmits and receives information to and from the flight management device 1 via wireless communication or wired communication.

The flying object 3 is a device that flies within a flight range specified by the user. The flying object 3 flies within the flight range autonomously, or flies within the flight range in response to operation by the user on the information terminal 2. The flying object 3 is, for example, an unmanned flying device such as a drone. The flying object 3 transmits and receives information to and from the flight management device 1 via wireless communication.

The radio wave usage application device 4 is a computer that accepts applications for radio wave usage for wireless communication performed by the flying object 3 while in flight. The radio wave usage application device 4 receives application information for applying for radio wave usage from the flight management device 1, and transmits to the flight management device 1 a decision result on whether or not to permit radio wave usage based on the received application information. The radio wave usage application device 4 transmits and receives information to and from the flight management device 1 by wireless communication or wired communication.

The flight application device 5 is a computer that accepts applications for the flying object 3 to fly in a flight mode that meets specified flight requirements. The flight application device 5 receives application information for an application for a flight under specified flight requirements from the flight management device 1, and transmits to the flight management device 1 a decision result on whether or not to permit the flight based on the received application information. The flight application device 5 transmits and receives information to the flight management device 1 via wireless communication or wired communication.

The flight management system S is not limited to the radio wave usage application device 4 and the flight application device 5, and may include other devices as destinations for application information regarding the flight of the flying object 3.

The group device 6 is a computer associated with a specific group for displaying notification information related to the flight of the flying object 3. The group is, for example, a manned aircraft group that manages manned aircraft such as helicopters. The group device 6 has a display unit such as a liquid crystal display for displaying information received from the flight management device 1. The group device 6 transmits and receives information to and from the flight management device 1 via wireless communication or wired communication.

The following provides an overview of the processing executed by the flight management system S according to this embodiment. Based on user operation, the information terminal 2 accepts input of flight schedule information including flight range, flight date and time, wireless communication information, and flight requirement information, and transmits it to the flight management device 1. The flight management device 1 receives flight schedule information for multiple flying objects 3 from one or more information terminals 2, and stores it in the memory unit.

The flight management device 1 determines whether the first flying object 3a will approach the second flying object 3b during flight based on the relationship between the flight range and flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of the first flying object 3a among the multiple flying objects 3 and the flight range and flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of the second flying object 3b among the multiple flying objects 3.

The flight management device 1 transmits radio wave usage application information to the radio wave usage application device 4 to apply for radio wave usage for the first flying object 3a, on the condition that it is determined that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight. The radio wave usage application device 4 transmits to the flight management device 1 the result of the determination as to whether or not to permit radio wave usage, based on the radio wave usage application information received from the flight management device 1.

Furthermore, the flight management device 1 transmits flight application information to the flight application device 5 to apply for a flight under specified flight requirements, on the condition that it is determined that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight. The flight application device 5 transmits to the flight management device 1 the result of the determination as to whether or not to permit a flight under the specified flight requirements, based on the flight application information received from the flight management device 1.

Furthermore, the flight management device 1 transmits notification information including at least a portion of the flight schedule information to the group device 6, on the condition that approval has been granted by all devices that have transmitted the application information. The group device 6 displays the notification information received from the flight management device 1 on the display unit.

With this configuration, the flight management system S transmits application information to each device to which the application is made, on the condition that it is determined based on the flight schedule information that the first flying body 3a will not approach the second flying body 3b during flight. Therefore, the flight management system S can reduce the number of cases in which it is discovered that the flying body 3 cannot fly after an application has been made, and can prevent applications to fly the flying body 3 from going to waste.

[Configuration of Flight Management System S]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the flight management system S according to this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the arrows indicate main data flows, and data flows other than those shown in FIG. 2 may exist. In FIG. 2, each block indicates a functional configuration, not a hardware (device) configuration. Therefore, the blocks shown in FIG. 2 may be implemented in a single device, or may be implemented separately in multiple devices. Data may be exchanged between blocks via any means, such as a data bus, a network, or a portable storage medium.

The flight management device 1 has a memory unit 11 and a control unit 12. The memory unit 11 is a storage medium including a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, etc. The memory unit 11 pre-stores programs to be executed by the control unit 12. The memory unit 11 may be provided outside the flight management device 1, in which case data may be exchanged between the memory unit 11 and the control unit 12 via a network.

The control unit 12 has a receiving unit 121, a determining unit 122, a generating unit 123, and a transmitting unit 124. The control unit 12 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and functions as the receiving unit 121, the determining unit 122, the generating unit 123, and the transmitting unit 124 by executing a program stored in the memory unit 11.

The configuration for the flight management system S to execute the processing according to this embodiment is described below. The information terminal 2 accepts input of flight schedule information based on an operation by a user. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the flight schedule information.

The flight plan information includes, for example, the flight range in which the aircraft 3 is planned to fly, the altitude and speed in which the aircraft 3 is planned to fly, and the flight date and time in which the aircraft 3 is planned to fly. The flight range indicates at least one of the flight route, which is the path in which the aircraft 3 is planned to fly, and the flight area, which is the area in which the aircraft 3 is planned to fly. The flight date and time is represented, for example, by the scheduled start date and time and the scheduled end date and time of the flight.

Furthermore, the flight schedule information includes, for example, user information about the user flying the aircraft 3, aircraft information about the aircraft of the aircraft 3, and wireless communication information about wireless communication performed by the aircraft 3 while in flight. The user information includes, for example, identification information such as a user ID (Identification) for identifying the user. The aircraft information includes, for example, identification information such as a serial number or aircraft ID for identifying the aircraft 3, and the model of the aircraft 3. The wireless communication information includes, for example, the frequency of radio waves used by the aircraft 3 for wireless communication, the type of line used by the aircraft 3 for wireless communication, and identification information for identifying the communication device equipped in the aircraft 3.

Furthermore, the flight schedule information includes, for example, flight requirement information indicating that the flight mode of the aircraft 3 meets a specified flight requirement. The specified flight requirement is, for example, flight in no-fly airspace such as around airports, emergency airspace, at altitudes of 150 meters or more, in densely populated areas, around national facilities, around foreign embassies, around defense-related facilities, and around nuclear power plants. The specified flight requirement may also be any of the following: (1) flight at night, (2) flight beyond visual line of sight, (3) flight close to buildings, people, or vehicles, (4) flight at event sites, (5) flight involving the transportation of hazardous materials, and (6) flight involving the dropping of objects.

Furthermore, the flight schedule information may include additional information associated with the flight requirements to which the flight behavior of the aircraft 3 falls. The additional information is additional information required to apply for a flight under the flight requirements to which the flight behavior of the aircraft 3 falls. For example, if the flight behavior of the aircraft 3 falls under the flight requirements for flight in a prohibited airspace, the additional information includes the name of the facility that is the subject of the prohibited airspace. For example, if the flight behavior of the aircraft 3 falls under the flight requirements for flight at an event venue, the additional information includes the address of the event venue, the name of the event, and the date and time of the event. For example, information indicating the relationship between the flight requirements and the additional information is pre-stored in the flight management device 1 or the information terminal 2, and the information terminal 2 accepts the input of the additional information according to the input flight requirements.

The flight schedule information is not limited to the specific information shown here, but may include other information regarding the flight of the aircraft 3.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a screen through which the information terminal 2 accepts input of flight schedule information. The information terminal 2 accepts, for example, the designation of a flight area A, which is the area in which the aircraft 3 is planned to fly on a map displayed on the screen. The information terminal 2 then accepts the designation of a flight route R, which is the path along which the aircraft 3 is planned to fly within the designated flight area A. The information terminal 2 may accept the designation of a three-dimensional flight route R including a position and an altitude. The information terminal 2 accepts the designated flight area A and flight route R as the flight range. The information terminal 2 may also accept only one of the flight area A or the flight route R as the flight range.

In addition, the information terminal 2 accepts input of the identification information of the flying object 3 (aircraft in FIG. 4), the flying speed of the flying object 3, the flying altitude of the flying object 3, the flight date and time of the flying object 3 (period in FIG. 4), wireless communication information (frequencies used in FIG. 4) regarding wireless communication performed by the flying object 3 during flight, flight requirement information indicating that the flight behavior of the flying object 3 meets a specified flight requirement, and additional information (target facility in FIG. 4) associated with the flight requirement to which the flight behavior of the flying object 3 falls. In addition, the information terminal 2 may automatically determine the speed and wireless communication information associated with the identification information of the flying object 3 that has been input, depending on the identification information.

The information terminal 2 may accept input of only a portion of the information shown on the screen illustrated in FIG. 4, or may accept input of other information. The information terminal 2 transmits flight schedule information including each piece of information input on the screen illustrated in FIG. 4 to the flight management device 1.

In the flight management device 1, the receiving unit 121 receives flight schedule information of multiple flying bodies 3 from one or more information terminals 2 and stores it in the memory unit 11. The determining unit 122 determines whether the multiple flying bodies 3 approach each other during flight based on the flight schedule information of the multiple flying bodies 3. Multiple flying bodies 3 approaching each other during flight includes, for example, one flying body 3 coming within a predetermined distance of another flying body 3 during flight, wind or vibrations generated by one flying body 3 during flight affecting another flying body 3, one flying body 3 colliding with another flying body 3 during flight, etc.

The determination unit 122, for example, determines whether the relationship between the flight range and flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of the first flying body 3a and the flight range and flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of the second flying body 3b is a predetermined positional relationship determined to determine whether the flying bodies 3 approach each other during flight. The first flying body 3a is the flying body 3 that is the subject of an application to fly, among the multiple flying bodies 3. The second flying body 3b is, for example, the flying body 3 of the multiple flying bodies 3 whose flight schedule information is stored in the storage unit 11 before the flight schedule information of the first flying body 3a is stored in the storage unit 11. The second flying body 3b may be, for example, one or more flying bodies 3 different from the first flying body 3a, among the multiple flying bodies 3, for which a flight date and time are set that at least partially overlap with the flight date and time of the first flying body 3a.

5(a) and 5(b) are schematic diagrams for explaining the positional relationship determined to determine whether flying bodies 3 approach each other during flight. In the example of FIG. 5(a), the determination unit 122 determines that the first flying body 3a will approach the second flying body 3b during flight if it indicates that at least a part of a cylindrical three-dimensional area whose axis is the flight route R of the first flying body 3a and a cylindrical three-dimensional area whose axis is the flight route R of the second flying body 3b overlap, and determines that the first flying body 3a will not approach the second flying body 3b during flight if this is not the case.

In the example of FIG. 5(b), if the determination unit 122 indicates that at least a portion of a cubic three-dimensional area having the flight area A of the first flying body 3a as one side and a cubic three-dimensional area having the flight area A of the second flying body 3b as one side overlap, the determination unit 122 determines that the first flying body 3a will approach the second flying body 3b during flight, and if not, the determination unit 122 determines that the first flying body 3a will not approach the second flying body 3b during flight.

The determination unit 122 may determine whether the flying objects 3 approach each other during flight based on other criteria, not limited to the specific examples illustrated in Figs. 5(a) and 5(b). For example, the determination unit 122 may determine whether the flying objects 3 approach each other during flight based on whether at least a portion of the cylindrical three-dimensional area illustrated in Fig. 5(a) and the cubic three-dimensional area illustrated in Fig. 5(b) overlap.

The generation unit 123 generates radio wave usage application information that applies for radio wave usage for wireless communication performed by the first flying object 3a while in flight. The generation unit 123 may generate the radio wave usage application information on the condition that the determination unit 122 has determined that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b while in flight, or may generate the radio wave usage application information regardless of whether the determination unit 122 has determined that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b while in flight.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining radio wave usage application information. The radio wave usage application information includes at least a portion of the flight schedule information, and includes, for example, the flight range, flight date and time, user information, and wireless communication information included in the flight schedule information of the first flying object 3a. The radio wave usage application information is not limited to the specific information shown here, and may include other information related to the flight of the flying object 3.

The transmitting unit 124 transmits the radio wave usage application information generated by the generating unit 123 to the radio wave usage application device 4 on the condition that the determining unit 122 has determined that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight. This enables the flight management device 1 to reduce the situation in which it is determined that the flying object 3 cannot fly after a radio wave usage application has been made to the radio wave usage application device 4, and to prevent the radio wave usage application from going to waste.

The radio wave usage application device 4 receives the radio wave usage application information transmitted by the flight management device 1. The radio wave usage application device 4 determines whether or not to permit radio wave usage according to a predetermined criterion, for example, based on the radio wave usage application information received from the flight management device 1. In addition, the radio wave usage application device 4 may display the radio wave usage application information received from the flight management device 1 on a display unit, and accept input from the user of the radio wave usage application device 4 as to whether or not to permit radio wave usage.

The radio wave usage application device 4 transmits the result of the determination as to whether or not radio wave usage is permitted to the flight management device 1. In the flight management device 1, the receiver 121 receives the determination result transmitted by the radio wave usage application device 4.

In addition, when the flight schedule information includes flight requirement information indicating that the flight mode of the first flying object 3a meets a specified flight requirement, the generation unit 123 generates flight application information to apply for a flight under the flight requirement. The generation unit 123 may generate the flight application information on the condition that the determination unit 122 has determined that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight, or may generate the flight application information regardless of whether the determination unit 122 has determined that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining flight application information. The flight application information includes at least a portion of the flight schedule information, and includes, for example, the flight range, altitude, speed, flight date and time, user information, aircraft information, and flight requirement information included in the flight schedule information of the first flying object 3a. The flight application information may further include additional information associated with the flight requirements to which the flight mode of the flying object 3 applies. The flight application information is not limited to the specific information shown here, and may include other information related to the flight of the flying object 3.

The transmission unit 124 transmits the flight application information generated by the generation unit 123 to the flight application device 5 on the condition that the determination unit 122 determines that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight and the flight schedule information includes flight requirement information indicating that the flight mode of the first flying object 3a meets specified flight requirements. This enables the flight management device 1 to reduce the situation in which it is discovered that the flying object 3 is unable to fly after a flight application has been made to the flight application device 5, and to prevent the flight application from going to waste.

The flight application device 5 receives the flight application information sent by the flight management device 1. The flight application device 5 determines whether or not to permit the flight according to predetermined criteria, for example, based on the flight application information received from the flight management device 1. In addition, the flight application device 5 may display the flight application information received from the flight management device 1 on a display unit, and accept input from the user of the flight application device 5 as to whether or not to permit the flight.

The flight application device 5 transmits the result of the determination as to whether or not to permit the flight to the flight management device 1. In the flight management device 1, the receiving unit 121 receives the result of the determination transmitted by the flight application device 5.

The flight management device 1 may make applications to the radio wave usage application device 4 and the flight application device 5 in parallel, or may make an application to the flight application device 5 and then make an application to the radio wave usage application device 4. When making applications to the radio wave usage application device 4 and the flight application device 5 in parallel, the transmission unit 124 transmits radio wave usage application information to the radio wave usage application device 4 and also transmits flight application information to the flight application device 5, on the condition that the determination unit 122 has determined that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight. The reception unit 121 receives the determination results transmitted by the radio wave usage application device 4 and the flight application device 5, respectively.

The transmitting unit 124 transmits information for canceling the radio wave usage application information or flight application information to the other of the radio wave usage application device 4 or the flight application device 5, on the condition that the determination result received by the receiving unit 121 indicates that radio wave usage or flight has not been permitted by either the radio wave usage application device 4 or the flight application device 5. This allows the flight management device 1 to automatically cancel the application when the application has not been permitted by either the radio wave usage application device 4 or the flight application device 5, thereby reducing the effort required by the user to cancel the application.

When submitting an application to the radio wave usage application device 4 after submitting an application to the flight application device 5, the transmission unit 124 transmits the flight application information to the flight application device 5 before transmitting the radio wave usage application information to the radio wave usage application device 4, on the condition that the determination unit 122 determines that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight. The reception unit 121 receives the determination result transmitted by the flight application device 5.

The transmitting unit 124 transmits radio wave usage application information to the radio wave usage application device 4 on the condition that the flight application device 5 has granted flight permission in the determination result received by the receiving unit 121. The receiving unit 121 receives the determination result transmitted by the radio wave usage application device 4. This allows the flight management device 1 to make a radio wave usage application to the radio wave usage application device 4 on the condition that the flight application device 5 has granted permission for the application, thereby preventing the radio wave usage application from going to waste.

The transmitting unit 124 may transmit predetermined application information including at least a portion of the flight schedule information to other devices in addition to the radio wave usage application device 4 and the flight application device 5. In this case, the receiving unit 121 receives a determination result from each of the one or more devices that transmitted the application information.

The generation unit 123 also generates notification information to notify a specific organization of the flight schedule of the first flying object 3a. FIG. 8(a) is a schematic diagram for explaining the notification information. The notification information includes at least a portion of the flight schedule information, and includes, for example, the flight range, altitude, speed, flight date and time, user information, and aircraft information included in the flight schedule information of the first flying object 3a. The notification information is not limited to the specific information shown here, and may include other information related to the flight of the flying object 3.

The transmission unit 124 transmits the notification information generated by the generation unit 123 to the group device 6 associated with a specific group on the condition that the application has been approved by all devices (radio wave application device 4 and flight application device 5 in this embodiment), including the radio wave usage application device 4 that transmitted the application information. If the transmission unit 124 also transmits application information to devices other than the radio wave usage application device 4 and flight application device 5, the notification information is transmitted on the condition that the application has been approved in the judgment results of all devices. This allows the flight management device 1 to notify the group device 6 on the condition that the application has been approved by all devices that transmitted the application information, thereby preventing the notification from going to waste.

The transmission unit 124 preferably transmits the notification information to the organization device 6 associated with the organization that manages the manned aircraft, on the condition that permission is granted by all devices including the radio wave usage application device 4 that transmitted the application information, and the flight schedule information includes flight requirement information indicating that the flight mode of the first flying object 3a corresponds to a flight beyond visual line of sight. This reduces the effort required by the user to notify the manned aircraft organization that manages manned aircraft such as helicopters, which is required to do so in advance, especially when the flying object 3 is to fly beyond visual line of sight.

The generation unit 123 also generates flight information for flying the first flying object 3a within the flight range on the flight date and time. FIG. 8(b) is a schematic diagram for explaining the flight information. The flight information includes information necessary for flying the first flying object 3a, and includes, for example, the flight range, altitude, speed, and flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of the first flying object 3a. The flight information is not limited to the specific information shown here, and may include other information related to the flight of the flying object 3.

The transmission unit 124 transmits the flight information generated by the generation unit 123 to the first flying object 3a on the condition that it has been approved by all devices, including the radio wave usage application device 4 that transmitted the application information (the radio wave usage application device 4 and the flight application device 5 in this embodiment). If the transmission unit 124 has also transmitted flight information to devices other than the radio wave usage application device 4 and the flight application device 5, it transmits the flight information on the condition that it has been approved in the judgment results of all devices. In this way, the flight management device 1 transmits flight information to the flying object 3 on the condition that the application has been approved by all devices that transmitted the application information, so that the flight information is not wasted.

The transmission unit 124 transmits result information indicating at least one of the following to the information terminal 2 associated with the first flying object 3a: whether or not the determination unit 122 has determined that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight; whether or not radio wave usage has been permitted by the radio wave usage application device 4; and whether or not flight has been permitted by the flight application device 5. This allows the flight management device 1 to inform the user flying the first flying object 3a of whether or not the first flying object 3a can fly in accordance with the specified flight schedule information.

[Flight management method flow]
9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the flight management method executed by the flight management device 1. The information terminal 2 accepts input of flight schedule information based on an operation by a user, and transmits the information to the flight management device 1. In the flight management device 1, the receiving unit 121 receives flight schedule information of multiple flying objects 3 from one or multiple information terminals 2, and stores the information in the memory unit 11 (S11).

The determination unit 122 determines whether the multiple flying bodies 3 will approach each other during flight based on the flight schedule information of the multiple flying bodies 3 (S12). The determination unit 122 determines, for example, whether the relationship between the flight range and flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of the first flying body 3a and the flight range and flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of the second flying body 3b is a predetermined positional relationship determined for determining whether the flying bodies 3 will approach each other during flight.

When the determination unit 122 determines that the first flying object 3a will approach the second flying object 3b during flight (NO in S13), the flight management device 1 proceeds to step S20. When the determination unit 122 determines that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight (YES in S13), the transmission unit 124 transmits the radio wave usage application information generated by the generation unit 123, which applies for radio wave usage for wireless communication performed by the first flying object 3a during flight, to the radio wave usage application device 4 (S14). The reception unit 121 receives the determination result transmitted by the radio wave usage application device 4.

If the flight schedule information does not include flight requirement information indicating that the flight behavior of the first flying object 3a meets the specified flight requirements (NO in S15), the flight management device 1 proceeds to step S17. If the flight schedule information includes flight requirement information indicating that the flight behavior of the first flying object 3a meets the specified flight requirements (YES in S15), the transmission unit 124 transmits the flight application information generated by the generation unit 123 to apply for a flight under the flight requirements to the flight application device 5 (S16). The reception unit 121 receives the determination result transmitted by the flight application device 5.

The flight management device 1 may simultaneously perform the application to the radio wave usage application device 4 in step S14 and the application to the flight application device 5 in steps S15 to S16. In addition, the flight management device 1 may perform the application to the radio wave usage application device 4 in step S14 after performing the application to the flight application device 5 in steps S15 to S16.

If the request is not approved by at least some of the devices (the radio wave usage application device 4 and the flight application device 5 in this embodiment) including the radio wave usage application device 4 that sent the request information (NO in S17), the flight management device 1 proceeds to step S20. If the request is approved by all of the devices including the radio wave usage application device 4 that sent the request information (YES in S17), the transmission unit 124 transmits notification information generated by the generation unit 123 to the group device 6 associated with the specified group, notifying the group device 6 of the flight schedule of the first flying object 3a (S18). The transmission unit 124 also transmits flight information generated by the generation unit 123 to the first flying object 3a for flying the first flying object 3a within the flight range on the flight date and time (S19).

The transmission unit 124 transmits result information indicating at least one of whether the determination unit 122 has determined that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight, whether radio wave usage has been permitted by the radio wave usage application device 4, and whether flight has been permitted by the flight application device 5 to the information terminal 2 associated with the first flying object 3a (S20).

[Effects of the embodiment]
In the flight management system S according to this embodiment, on the condition that it is determined based on the flight schedule information that the first flying body 3a will not approach the second flying body 3b during flight, the flight management device 1 transmits application information for flying the first flying body 3a to each device including the radio wave usage application device 4. Therefore, the flight management system S can reduce the situation in which it is found that the flying body 3 cannot fly after the application has been made, and can prevent the application for flying the flying body 3 from going to waste.

[Modification]
In this modification, when it is determined that a plurality of flying objects 3 approach each other during flight, the flight management device 1 transmits an alternative flight plan to the information terminal 2. Below, the differences from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described.

The generating unit 123 generates alternative flight plan information by changing at least one of the flight range or flight date and time in the flight plan information of the first flying object 3a, on the condition that the determining unit 122 has determined that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight. The generating unit 123 may also generate alternative flight plan information on the condition that the determination result received by the receiving unit 121 indicates that radio wave usage has not been permitted by the radio wave usage application device 4.

The generation unit 123 may, for example, change the altitude of the flight range of the first flying body 3a to prevent the changed flight range of the first flying body 3a from approaching the flight range of the second flying body 3b. The generation unit 123 may also, for example, change the flight date and time of the first flying body 3a to prevent the changed flight date and time of the first flying body 3a from overlapping with the flight date and time of the second flying body 3b. The generation unit 123 is not limited to the specific method shown here and may generate alternative flight schedule information using other methods.

The transmission unit 124 transmits the alternative flight plan information generated by the generation unit 123 to the information terminal 2 associated with the first flying object 3a, on the condition that the determination unit 122 determines that the first flying object 3a will not approach the second flying object 3b during flight. The information terminal 2 displays the alternative flight plan information received from the flight management device 1 on the display unit.

As a result, even if the flight plan information inputted into the information terminal 2 does not allow the flying vehicle 3 to fly, the flight management device 1 allows the user to change the flight plan information to make it easier to fly the flying vehicle 3.

Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation and infrastructure."

Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by distributing or integrating functionally or physically in any unit. In addition, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment resulting from the combination also has the effect of the original embodiment.

The processor of the flight management device 1 is responsible for each step (process) included in the flight management method shown in FIG. 9. That is, the processor of the flight management device 1 executes a program for executing the flight management method shown in FIG. 9, thereby executing the flight management method shown in FIG. 9. Some of the steps included in the flight management method shown in FIG. 9 may be omitted, the order of the steps may be changed, and multiple steps may be performed in parallel.

S Flight management system 1 Flight management device 11 Memory unit 12 Control unit 121 Receiving unit 122 Determination unit 123 Generation unit 124 Transmitting unit 2 Information terminal 3 Flying object 3a First flying object 3b Second flying object 4 Radio wave usage application device 5 Flight application device 6 Group device

Claims (11)

A flight management device, comprising:
A receiving unit that receives flight schedule information including a flight range indicating at least one of a flight route or a flight area along which the aircraft is scheduled to fly, a flight date and time along which the aircraft is scheduled to fly, and user information regarding a user who manages the flight of the aircraft;
a determination unit that determines whether a relationship between the flight range and the flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of a first flying object and the flight range and the flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of a second flying object is a predetermined positional relationship determined for determining whether the flying objects approach each other during flight;
a transmission unit that transmits application information for making an application regarding the flight of the first aircraft , the application information including the flight range, the flight date and time, and the user information contained in the flight schedule information of the first aircraft, on the condition that the determination unit determines that the first aircraft will not approach the second aircraft during flight, to another device different from the flight management device and that accepts applications regarding the flight of the first aircraft ;
A flight management device having a The flight schedule information further includes wireless communication information regarding wireless communication performed by the aircraft during flight,
The transmission unit transmits, on the condition that the determination unit has determined that the first flying object will not approach the second flying object during flight, radio wave usage application information for applying for radio wave usage for the wireless communication , the application information including the flight range, the flight date and time, the user information, and the wireless communication information included in the flight schedule information of the first flying object, to the radio wave usage application device that accepts the application for radio wave usage , which is the other device.
2. A flight management system as defined in claim 1. The transmission unit transmits information indicating at least one of whether the determination unit has determined that the first flying object will not approach the second flying object during flight and whether the radio wave utilization application device has permitted the radio wave utilization to an information terminal associated with the first flying object.
3. A flight management system as claimed in claim 2. The transmission unit transmits, on the condition that the determination unit determines that the first flying object approaches the second flying object during flight, alternative flight schedule information generated by changing at least one of the flight range or the flight date and time of the flight schedule information to an information terminal associated with the first flying object.
A flight management system according to claim 2 or 3. The transmission unit transmits alternative flight schedule information generated by changing at least one of the flight range or the flight date and time of the flight schedule information to an information terminal associated with the first flying object, on the condition that radio wave usage is not permitted by the radio wave usage application device.
A flight management system according to any one of claims 2 to 4. The flight schedule information further includes information indicating that the flight behavior of the aircraft meets predetermined flight requirements,
The transmission unit transmits, on condition that the determination unit determines that the first flying object will not approach the second flying object during flight and the flight mode of the flying object meets the flight requirements, flight application information for applying for a flight under the flight requirements , the flight application information including the flight range, the flight date and time, the user information, and the flight requirements contained in the flight schedule information of the first flying object, to the flight application device that accepts applications for flights under the flight requirements , which is the other device.
A flight management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The receiver receives the flight schedule information including additional information associated with the flight requirements;
The transmission unit transmits the flight application information including the additional information to the flight application device.
7. A flight management system as defined in claim 6. The transmission unit transmits notification information including at least a part of the flight schedule information to a device associated with a predetermined organization on the condition that the notification information is permitted by all devices that have transmitted the application information.
A flight management system according to any one of claims 2 to 7. The transmission unit transmits the notification information to a device associated with an organization that manages manned aircraft, on the condition that the application information is permitted by all devices that have transmitted the application information and the flight mode of the aircraft corresponds to a flight beyond visual line of sight.
9. A flight management system as defined in claim 8. The transmission unit transmits flight information to the aircraft for flying the aircraft in the flight range on the flight date and time, on the condition that the application information has been approved by all devices that have transmitted the application information.
A flight management system according to any one of claims 1 to 9. A processor of the flight management system executes
Receiving flight schedule information including a flight range indicating at least one of a flight route or a flight area along which the aircraft is scheduled to fly, a flight date and time along which the aircraft is scheduled to fly, and user information regarding a user who manages the flight of the aircraft;
A step of determining whether the relationship between the flight range and the flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of the first flying object and the flight range and the flight date and time included in the flight schedule information of the second flying object is a predetermined positional relationship determined for determining whether the flying objects approach each other during flight;
transmitting application information for making an application for flight of the first aircraft, the application information including the flight range, the flight date and time, and the user information contained in the flight schedule information of the first aircraft, to another device different from the flight management device and accepting applications for flight of the first aircraft , on condition that it is determined in the determining step that the first aircraft will not approach the second aircraft during flight ;
A flight management method comprising:

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