JP7774466B2 - Traffic guidance system, aircraft control device, and program for aircraft control device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a traffic guidance system, an aircraft control device, and a program for an aircraft control device that are suitable for use in providing traffic guidance that avoids traffic obstructions caused by, for example, unexpected accidents, traffic congestion due to construction work, or disasters.

Conventionally, when driving a car, information about roadblocks such as unexpected accidents, traffic congestion due to construction work, or disasters has typically been obtained through displays on electronic display boards (electronic signs) installed on roadsides (see Patent Document 1 (JP 2002-133585 A)), or by receiving VICS (registered trademark) (Vehicle Information Communication System) information on a navigation device.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-241391

However, there is a problem in that electronic signboards are installed only in limited locations, and information about unexpected accidents, traffic congestion due to construction work, disasters, and other roadblocks can only be obtained at locations where the electronic signboards are installed. Another problem is that VICS (registered trademark) information can only be obtained by those who have dedicated devices, such as navigation systems, that have the functionality to use VICS (registered trademark) information.

This makes it difficult to obtain information about unexpected accidents, traffic congestion due to construction, disasters, and other roadblocks at the right time and in the right place, and this can lead to problems such as large traffic jams or people being caught in them because they are unable to avoid or detour from danger.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a traffic guidance system that can solve the above problems.

A traffic guidance system having one or more flying bodies capable of autonomous flight movement and that provide traffic guidance corresponding to traffic obstruction events, and an flying body control device that transmits instruction information to the flying body,
The aircraft control device includes:
a map and route information storage unit storing map information and route information of an area for which traffic guidance corresponding to the traffic obstruction event is to be notified;
a receiving means for receiving input of information about the traffic obstruction event that has occurred;
a notification information generating means for generating notification information including traffic guidance based on the information on the traffic obstruction event received by the receiving means;
an acquisition means for acquiring a location where the traffic obstruction event has occurred from the information on the traffic obstruction event received by the reception means;
a notification location selection means for selecting a notification location where the notification information should be notified to a notification target on a route where traffic is expected to be obstructed by the traffic obstruction event, based on the location of the traffic obstruction event acquired by the acquisition means and the map information and route information stored in the map and route information storage unit; and
an instruction information generating means for generating the instruction information including the notification information from the notification information generating means and information for flying the flying object to the notification location selected by the notification location selecting means ;
an instruction information transmitting means for transmitting the instruction information generated by the instruction information generating means to the flying object;
Equipped with
The flying vehicle is
a receiving means for receiving the instruction information from the aircraft control device;
a means for flying and moving to the notification location based on the instruction information received by the receiving means ;
a means for issuing a notification to the notification target at the notification location using the notification information included in the instruction information received by the receiving means;
The present invention provides a traffic guidance system comprising:

In the invention of claim 1 configured as described above, based on the input of information about a traffic obstruction caused by a sudden accident, congestion due to construction, the occurrence of a disaster, etc., the aircraft control device flies the aircraft to an appropriate notification location, and at that notification location, the aircraft issues a traffic guidance notification in response to the traffic obstruction. This makes it easier to avoid danger caused by the traffic obstruction and alleviates congestion.

With the traffic guidance system of this invention, the aircraft control device flies the aircraft to an appropriate notification location based on the received traffic obstruction event information, and has the aircraft issue a traffic guidance notification corresponding to the traffic obstruction event that has occurred, making it easier to avoid dangers caused by traffic obstructions and alleviating traffic congestion.

1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an embodiment of a traffic guidance system according to the present invention; 10 is a diagram for explaining the procedure of a traffic guidance notification service in an embodiment of a traffic guidance system according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an aircraft control device in an embodiment of a traffic guidance system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an aircraft control device in an embodiment of a traffic guidance system according to the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of an aircraft in an embodiment of a traffic guidance system according to the present invention; 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an aircraft in an embodiment of a traffic guidance system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an aircraft in the embodiment of the traffic guidance system according to the present invention.

An embodiment of the traffic guidance system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Outline of traffic guidance system and flying object notification service according to the embodiment]
1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an outline of an air vehicle notification service provided by a traffic guidance system according to an embodiment. In the example of the air vehicle notification service described below, the traffic guidance system according to the embodiment is provided at an air vehicle notification service provider SA, and is configured to receive a report of a traffic obstruction event and cause an air vehicle to provide traffic guidance corresponding to the traffic obstruction event that has occurred.

The aircraft notification service provider SA that provides the aircraft notification service may be a public institution such as the police or a city hall, or it may be a specialized institution (organization) that provides the aircraft notification service by indirectly receiving reports of traffic obstruction events through an emergency call destination ES such as the police or a city hall, or by receiving reports of traffic obstruction events directly without going through an emergency call destination ES.

As shown in Figure 1, in this embodiment, the traffic guidance system provided at the aircraft notification service provider SA includes a report receiving unit 10 that receives reports of traffic obstruction events, an aircraft 20 that actually provides the aircraft notification service, and an aircraft control unit 30 that sends instruction information to the aircraft 20. Note that the report receiving unit 10 may be incorporated into the aircraft control unit 30.

As mentioned above, the report reception unit 10 can receive reports both directly from a mobile phone terminal such as a smartphone, and indirectly through an emergency report destination ES such as the police or a city hall. In the example of Figure 1, the report reception unit 10 is configured to receive information about a road obstruction event through an emergency report destination ES.

In this example, the aircraft 20 is an unmanned aircraft known as a drone, and has the ability to fly autonomously. In this example, the aircraft 20 is placed in a standby state at a base located at the aircraft notification service provider SA, where it can receive instruction information from the aircraft control device 30.

In this example, the flying object 20 is equipped with a display unit 21 for providing traffic guidance in response to the traffic obstruction event using image information (including text information), and a speaker 22 for providing the notification by emitting sound. Note that it is not necessary for the notification to be provided by both displaying image information and emitting sound; either one of these may be used. Therefore, it is not necessary for the flying object 20 to be equipped with both a display unit 21 and a speaker 22 as in this example; it is sufficient for it to be equipped with either one of them.

There may be only one flying object 20, but in this example, multiple flying objects are provided to provide more detailed notifications. Furthermore, the flying object 20 may be equipped with a variety of display units 21, such as a large aircraft equipped with a large display unit that allows display information to be sensed even by cars moving at high speeds, such as on a highway, or a small aircraft equipped with a small display unit for pedestrians, etc.

The aircraft control device 30 accepts input of information about a traffic obstruction event in response to a traffic obstruction event report received by the report receiving unit 10. The traffic obstruction event information may be input to the aircraft control device 30 by an operator who receives the report at the report receiving unit 10 based on the received traffic obstruction event report, or the information may be input by transferring the report content received by the report receiving unit 10 from the report receiving unit 10 to the aircraft control device 30.

The aircraft control device 30 selects a notification location where the aircraft 20 should issue a notification in response to a traffic obstruction event to the notification target, such as a car driver or pedestrian, and generates notification information to cause the aircraft to issue a notification in response to the traffic obstruction event that has occurred at the selected notification location.

In this case, if the input traffic obstruction event information includes notification location information or notification information, the aircraft control device 30 can select the input notification location as is and use the input notification information as is. In this embodiment, even if the input traffic obstruction event information does not include notification location information or notification information, or in addition to the notification location information and notification information included in the input traffic obstruction event information, the aircraft control device 30 has the function of selecting a notification location and generating and issuing notification information based on the traffic obstruction event information that it has received as input.

The aircraft control device 30 also generates flight path information for directing the aircraft 20 to the selected notification location. The aircraft control device 30 then generates instruction information for the aircraft including the selected notification location, the generated notification information, and the generated flight path information, and transmits this information to the aircraft 20.

In this case, when multiple notification locations are selected, the aircraft control device 30 generates notification information for each of the selected notification locations, as well as flight path information for directing the aircraft to each notification location, and generates instruction information. It then selects an aircraft 20 to be directed to each notification location, and transmits the corresponding instruction information to each of the selected aircraft 20.

When the aircraft 20 receives instruction information from the aircraft control device 30, it autonomously flies according to the flight path information contained in the instruction information, moves to the notification location, and uses the notification information to notify the user in this example by displaying an image on the display unit 21 and by emitting sound from the speaker 22.

Next, with reference to Figures 1 and 2, we will explain the flow from reporting the occurrence of a roadblock to notification by the air vehicle 20. Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the notification service procedure.

In the example of Figure 1, the traffic obstruction event is assumed to be an event in which a landslide causes road Ra to be blocked by mud and sand, making it impassable. In the example described below, the police, city hall, etc. are designated as emergency call destinations ES, and information about the traffic obstruction event is sent via these emergency call destinations ES to the call reception unit 10 of the air vehicle alert service provider SA.

In the example of Figure 1, a person HS who discovers a road obstruction caused by a landslide that has blocked road Ra and made it impassable reports the occurrence of the road obstruction to an emergency contact point ES, such as the police or a city hall, using a mobile phone device TE, such as a smartphone, that the person carries.

The emergency call destination ES receives the report of the traffic obstruction incident and acquires the type of traffic obstruction incident, including the location, scale, and time of occurrence (or the time of receipt of the report if the time of occurrence is unknown) (Step T1 in Figure 2).

The emergency call destination ES then determines hazardous areas based on the acquired information and the report of the traffic obstruction that has occurred (Step T2). Here, hazardous areas include not only the location of the incident, but also the roads leading to that location. These hazardous areas are determined based on the received report of the traffic obstruction, map information, and the knowledge of the person in charge at the emergency call destination. Alternatively, hazardous areas can be registered and stored in advance in a computer or other device at the emergency call destination ES, corresponding to the type of traffic obstruction that has occurred, the location where the traffic obstruction occurred, and the scale of the incident. This allows the computer or other device to determine hazardous areas based on the type of traffic obstruction that has been reported and the location where the traffic obstruction occurred.

Next, the emergency call destination ES determines whether or not a notification by the aircraft 20 is necessary (step T3). This determination in step T3 may also be made based on the knowledge of a person in charge at the emergency call destination, or may be made by a device such as a computer at the emergency call destination ES.

If it is determined in step T3 that notification by the aircraft 20 is unnecessary, notification is made by alternative means (step T4).

Furthermore, if it is determined in step T3 that notification by the air vehicle 20 is necessary, the emergency call destination ES transmits information about the traffic obstruction event that has occurred to the call reception unit 10 of the air vehicle notification service provider SA (step T5). Here, the information about the traffic obstruction event transmitted to the call reception unit 10 of the air vehicle notification service provider SA may include the event type of the traffic obstruction event, the location where the traffic obstruction event occurred, the scale of the event, and the time of occurrence (or the time the report was received), as well as information about the notification location where the air vehicle 20 wishes to be notified and the notification information that the air vehicle 20 wishes to be notified of.

For example, in the example of Figure 1, the information about the road obstruction event, a landslide occurring on road Ra (location of occurrence) and the resulting blockage of road Ra (scale of occurrence), as well as the notification locations (desired notification locations) P1, P2, and P3 on roads Rb, Rc, and Rd connected to road Ra via intersection In, are sent from the emergency call destination ES to the notification reception unit 10. Furthermore, information about the desired display image (including text) and voice message (desired notification information) may also be included in the information about the road obstruction event and sent from the emergency call destination ES to the notification reception unit 10.

The report acceptance unit 10 receives information about the traffic obstruction event from the emergency report destination ES and forwards it to the aircraft control device 30 (step T6). In this case, the operator of the report acceptance unit 10 (the recipient of the traffic obstruction event information) forwards the traffic obstruction event information received by the report acceptance unit 10 to the aircraft control device 30 either directly or after selection and appropriate modification. In this embodiment, the report acceptance unit 10 and the aircraft control device 30 are connected via a wire (e.g., a wired LAN (Local Area Network)) or wirelessly (e.g., a wireless LAN), and the traffic obstruction event information to be forwarded is sent from the report acceptance unit 10 to the aircraft control device 30. Note that the report acceptance unit 10 may also forward the information to the aircraft control device 30 by having the operator of the report acceptance unit 10 input information using a user interface such as a keyboard on the aircraft control device 30.

In addition, if the aircraft control device 30 has a built-in notification reception unit 10, the above-mentioned reception processing in the notification reception unit 10 is performed by the aircraft control device 30, either with operator intervention or automatically without operator intervention, and the resulting information on the traffic obstruction event is used in the aircraft control device 30 for the main processing of the aircraft control device 30, as described below.

The aircraft control device 30 generates aircraft instruction information based on the information about the traffic obstruction event received from the notification reception unit 10 and transmits it to the aircraft 20 (step T7).

In step T7, the aircraft control device 30 first selects a notification location from which the aircraft 20 will make a notification, and generates flight path information for directing the aircraft 20 to the selected notification location. The selected notification locations include not only the desired notification locations described above, but also notification locations detected as a result of a search by the aircraft control device 30. In this case, if multiple notification locations are selected, flight path information is generated for directing the aircraft 20 to each of the selected notification locations.

The aircraft control device 30 also generates notification information for issuing a notification at the selected notification location. This notification information includes the desired notification information contained in the information about the road obstruction event received by the notification reception unit 10, and notification information generated by the aircraft control device 30. In this case, if there are multiple notification locations, the aircraft control device 30 generates different notification information according to each notification location.

Then, the aircraft control device 30 transmits instruction information to the aircraft 20, including the selected notification location, the generated flight path information, and the generated notification information. In this case, if there are multiple notification locations, the aircraft control device 30 selects an aircraft 20 to be sent to each notification location and transmits instruction information corresponding to each of them.

Upon receiving the instruction information from the aircraft control device 30, the aircraft 20 flies to the specified notification location using the flight path information contained in the instruction information (step T8).

Then, when the aircraft 20 arrives at the notification location, it uses the notification information included in the instruction information to issue a notification using a display image and by emitting a sound (step T9). Then, when the aircraft 20 finishes the notification service, it returns to the base of the aircraft notification service organization SA and waits until it receives the next instruction information from the aircraft control device 30.

[Configuration example of the aircraft control device 30]
Next, a configuration example of the flying vehicle control device 30 constituting the embodiment of the traffic guidance system described above will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 3 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the flying vehicle control device 3 of this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the aircraft control device 30 is configured by connecting a control unit 301, which is composed of a computer, via a system bus 300 to a traffic obstruction event information receiving unit 302, a traffic obstruction event information analysis unit 303, a map and route information storage unit 304, a hazard map storage unit 305, a notification location selection unit 306, a notification information generation unit 307, a flight route information generation unit 308, a recommended flight airspace information storage unit 309, an instruction information generation unit 310, and a wireless communication unit 311.

In this example, the traffic obstruction event information input reception unit 302 has wired or wireless LAN functionality, acquires traffic obstruction event information from the notification reception unit 10 connected to the wired or wireless LAN, and stores the information in an internal buffer memory.

The traffic obstruction event information analysis unit 303 analyzes the type of traffic obstruction event that has occurred, the location of the traffic obstruction event, its scale, the time of occurrence (or the time of receipt of the report), and the location of any hazardous locations, based on the traffic obstruction event information stored in the buffer memory of the traffic obstruction event information input reception unit 302. In this case, while it is possible to use only the hazardous location information contained in the input traffic obstruction event information to determine the hazardous locations, in this embodiment, map information from the map and route information storage unit 304 and hazard map information from the hazard map storage unit 305 are used to further determine the hazardous locations depending on the type of traffic obstruction event that has been determined.

The map and route information storage unit 304 stores map information and route information for the area where the aircraft notification service provider SA flies the aircraft 20 and provides notification services. In this case, the route information includes not only route information for automobiles but also route information for pedestrians.

The hazard map storage unit 305 also stores hazard map information for areas where the aircraft notification service provider SA provides notification services by flying aircraft 20. Instead of storing the map information, route information, and hazard map information in advance, the information may be obtained each time from a server providing map information and route information or a server providing hazard maps via the Internet based on information on the location of a traffic obstruction event or dangerous spot obtained by the traffic obstruction event information analysis unit 303, and stored in the map and route information storage unit 304 or the hazard map storage unit 305.

The traffic obstruction event information analysis unit 303 sends information on the type of traffic obstruction event, the scale of the event, and the hazard location to the notification location selection unit 306. If the traffic obstruction event information received by the traffic obstruction event information input reception unit 302 includes information on a desired notification location, the information on the desired notification location is also sent from the traffic obstruction event information analysis unit 303 to the notification location selection unit 306.

If the information sent from the traffic obstruction event information analysis unit 303 includes information about a desired notification location, the notification location selection unit 306 selects that desired notification location as the notification location for the air vehicle 20 to issue a notification. The notification location selection unit 306 then further selects notification locations for which notification by the air vehicle 20 is required based on the information on the occurrence location, danger location, and scale of the occurrence from the traffic obstruction event information analysis unit 303, the map information and route information from the map and route information storage unit 304, and the hazard map information from the hazard map storage unit 305.

In other words, in this example, as shown in FIG. 1, the notification location selection unit 306 receives information about a traffic obstruction event, which is that a landslide has occurred on road Ra, blocking road Ra. Based on this information and the map information and route information in the map and route information storage unit 304, locations P1, P2, and P3 on roads Rb, Rc, and Rd that pass through intersection In, which is connected to road Ra, just before said intersection In are selected as notification locations. In addition, location P4 on pedestrian road Re, which is directly connected to road Ra between intersection In and the location of the landslide, just before the junction with road Ra on which the landslide has occurred is also selected as a notification location.

As mentioned above, in this example, locations P1 to P3 are included in the information about the road obstruction event entered as desired notification locations, so locations P1 to P3 selected using map information and route information will not be used because they would be duplicates. However, location P4, which does not overlap with desired notification locations, will be added as a notification location.

Furthermore, if the type of event that has occurred that blocks traffic is a disaster, the notification location selection unit 306 references the hazard map storage unit 305, and if a hazard map corresponding to the traffic obstruction caused by the disaster exists, detects a no-entry area for the traffic obstruction caused by the disaster. The notification location selection unit 306 then selects an effective notification location for issuing a notification prohibiting entry into the no-entry area. For example, the notification location may be selected to be a location such as near an intersection on a road leading to the no-entry area, just before the no-entry area, where a detour is connected, so that a notification can be issued to encourage a detour without entering the no-entry area.

Furthermore, in this example, the notification location selection unit 306 also sets the height position of the flying object 20 that makes the image display easier to see for the target person at each notification location, and includes this in the information about the selected notification location. In this case, the height position of the flying object 20 is the height position at the notification location, and is therefore the height position obtained by adding the altitude of the notification location to the height of the flying object 20 at that notification location.

For example, if the notification location is on a highway, the notification aircraft 20 will be positioned at a higher altitude than on a general road so that the notification image can be seen from cars traveling at high speed. In this case, the notification aircraft 20 will be equipped with a display unit 21 with a relatively large display screen. Also, if the notification location is on a pedestrian road, such as notification location P4 in the example of Figure 1, the notification aircraft 20 will be positioned at a relatively low altitude so that the notification image can be provided to pedestrians. The notification aircraft 20 can also be equipped with a display unit 21 with a relatively small display screen.

The notification location selection unit 306 supplies information about the notification location selected in the above manner to the notification information generation unit 307, flight path generation unit 308, and instruction information generation unit 310.

If the information sent from the road obstruction event information analysis unit 303 includes desired notification information associated with a notification location, the notification information generation unit 307 uses that desired notification information as the notification information for the associated notification location.

The notification information generation unit 307 also creates notification information using the notification location information received from the notification location selection unit 306, the event type and location information of the traffic obstruction event received through the traffic obstruction event information input reception unit 302, and the map information and route information from the map and route information storage unit 304, and adds this to the desired notification information described above. In this case, the notification information generation unit 307 prepares a template for display image information for traffic guidance according to, for example, the event type of the traffic obstruction event and the location of the notification location on the route (for example, just before a road branch point such as an intersection), and uses this template to generate display image information for traffic guidance as notification information. The same applies to audio information for traffic guidance, and generates audio information for notification of, for example, the event type and location of the traffic obstruction event that has occurred, and an accompanying traffic guidance message.

For example, in the example of Figure 1, the notification information generation unit 307 generates, as notification information, display image DP1 information for notification location P1 that a left turn is prohibited, display image DP2 information for notification location P2 that a straight line is prohibited, and display image DP3 information for notification location P3 that a right turn is prohibited. Furthermore, for notification location P4, although not shown, the notification information generation unit 307 generates display image information for pedestrians that a right turn is prohibited, just like at notification location P3.

In addition, if a detour route can be clearly indicated, it can be presented on the display screen 21D to encourage the driver to use the detour route.

In the example of Figure 1, the notification information generation unit 307 generates notification information for each notification location P1 to P4, for example, in the form of a voice message indicating the type of traffic obstruction event, such as "The road heading in the direction of XX is impassable due to a landslide," and traffic guidance corresponding to that event type.

In this example, the notification information generating unit 307 determines the notification time (notification duration) according to the type and scale of the traffic obstruction event that has occurred. It is also possible to configure the notification time to continue to be sent to the aircraft 20 until the traffic obstruction event is resolved or eliminated, without determining the notification time, and to send a return instruction to the aircraft 20 via the wireless communication unit 311 once the traffic obstruction event is resolved or eliminated.

The notification information (including the notification time) generated by the notification information generation unit 307 in this manner is supplied to the instruction information generation unit 310.

The flight path generation unit 308 uses the map information and route information in the map and route information storage unit 304 and the recommended flight airspace information in the recommended flight airspace information storage unit 309 to generate flight path information for flying to the notification location selected by the notification location selection unit 306. In this example, the flight path information is formed by arranging information on spatial positions (point positions) determined by latitude, longitude, and altitude as a sequence of points along the flight path.

The recommended flight airspace information storage unit 309 stores information about recommended flight airspaces for flying at a predetermined height above the ground while avoiding obstacles, in association with location information on a map.

The flight path generation unit 308 generates flight path information for directing the aircraft 20 to each of the notified locations while referencing the recommended flight airspace information stored in the recommended flight airspace information storage unit 309. The flight path generation unit 308 then supplies the generated flight path information for each notified location to the instruction information generation unit 310.

The instruction information generation unit 310 generates instruction information for each notification location using notification information from the notification location selection unit 306, notification information from the notification information generation unit 307, and flight path information from the flight path generation unit 308. In this example, the instruction information generation unit 310 selects which of the multiple waiting aircraft 20 should be directed to which of the multiple selected notification locations, and transmits the instruction information for each notification location to each of the corresponding selected aircraft 20 via the wireless communication unit 311.

The traffic obstruction event information input reception unit 302, traffic obstruction event information analysis unit 303, notification location selection unit 306, notification information generation unit 307, flight path generation unit 308, and instruction information generation unit 310 in the aircraft control device 30 shown in Figure 3 above can each be configured as a processing function unit that uses a software program, and by providing a program that executes each function in the control unit 301, each can be realized as software processing. Needless to say, instead of having all of the above units be program-based processing functions, some can be configured as hardware components.

In addition, the traffic obstruction event information analysis unit 303, notification location selection unit 306, notification information generation unit 307, and flight path generation unit 308 may be configured as a cloud-based system in which the aircraft control device 30 sends the necessary information to the cloud, and the aircraft control device 30 obtains the resulting information from the cloud. In this case, the map and route information storage unit 304, hazard map storage unit 305, and recommended flight airspace information storage unit 309 may be provided in the cloud and do not need to be provided in the aircraft control device 30.

[Operation of the aircraft control device 30]
Next, the flow of operation of the aircraft control device 30 having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 4. Note that in the following explanation, the processing operations of each step of the flowchart in Figure 4 will be described as a case in which the control unit 301 executes the processing function units of the traffic obstruction event information input receiving unit 302, the traffic obstruction event information analysis unit 303, the notification location selection unit 306, the notification information generation unit 307, the flight path generation unit 308, and the instruction information generation unit 310 as software programs.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 301 monitors the reception of input information about a traffic obstruction event (step S101). When it determines that input information about a traffic obstruction event has been received, it analyzes the received information about the traffic obstruction event, detects the event type, location, and scale of the traffic obstruction event that has occurred, and recognizes the included information about dangerous locations, desired notification locations, desired notification information, etc. (step S102).

Next, the control unit 301 selects the notification locations for the flying object 20 (step S103). As described above, these selected notification locations include the desired notification location, information on the occurrence location and dangerous areas, and notification locations selected based on map and route information.

Next, the control unit 301 generates notification information for use by the aircraft 20 to make a notification (step S104). As described above, the generated notification information includes the desired notification information included in the input information about the road obstruction event and the notification information generated by the aircraft control device 30.

Next, the control unit 301 determines the notification time for the notification information based on the type and scale of the traffic obstruction event that occurred (step S105).

Next, the control unit 301 generates flight path information for directing the aircraft 20 to each of the notified locations while referencing the recommended flight airspace information stored in the recommended flight airspace information storage unit 309 (step S106).

Next, the control unit 301 determines whether the aircraft 20 can fly based on whether the environment is suitable for flying the aircraft 20 (step S107). This determination of whether flight is possible is made, for example, by the aircraft control device 30 obtaining current weather information via the Internet and based on the obtained weather information. For example, if the weather environment is determined to be such that strong winds are blowing at the notification location, making it difficult for the aircraft 20 to notify by hovering, or that heavy rain or a snowstorm causes poor visibility, making it difficult for the aircraft 20 to notify by displaying information, it is determined that the aircraft cannot fly.

If it is determined in step S107 that flight of the flying object 20 is permitted, the control unit 301 generates instruction information for each notification location selected in step S103, including information on the notification location, the notification information generated in step S104, notification time information for each notification information determined in step S105, and flight path information created in step S106 (step S108).

After step S108, the control unit 301 determines each of the aircraft 20 to be sent to the notification location determined in step S103, transmits instruction information for each notification location to each of the determined aircraft 20 (step S109), and then ends this processing routine.

Furthermore, if it is determined in step S107 that flight of the aircraft 20 is not possible, the control unit 301 prompts the operator (user) of the aircraft control device 30 to notify the operator (user) by alternative means that flight movement of the aircraft 20 is not possible (step S110), and ends this processing routine.

[Configuration example of flying object 20]
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of the flying object 20. The flying object 20 in this example is configured to be able to autonomously fly and move through the air. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the flying object 20 in this example as seen from the front.

The flying vehicle 20 in this example comprises an aerial flight mechanism 23 with a so-called quadcopter structure, and a drive control unit 24. The aerial flight mechanism 23 is driven and controlled by the drive control unit 24. As shown in Figure 5, the aerial flight mechanism 23 is configured by four arms 25 (two arms are shown in Figure 5) extending from the drive control unit 24, each with a rotor mechanism 26 attached to the tip.

The rotor mechanism 26 is configured to rotate the rotor 262 by driving a rotor shaft (not shown) using a motor drive unit 261, whose rotation speed and direction are controlled by a drive control signal from the drive control unit 24.

In this example, each of the four motor drivers 261 is independently controlled by a drive control signal from the drive control unit 24, allowing the aircraft 20 to perform various movement operations such as takeoff, landing, ascent, descent, rotation, turning, forward movement, and backward movement, as well as attitude control such as tilt angle relative to the vertical direction and position control of the hovering position.

In this embodiment of the flying vehicle 20, a camera and various sensors (not shown), which will be described later, are attached integrally with the drive control unit 24, and a housing 27 is formed that houses a drive control device section including a control unit. In this example, the housing 27 is configured in an overall box-like shape. Two legs 28A, 28B are attached to the body 27 so that they face each other.

Above the four rotors 262, in a position that does not interfere with the rotation of the rotors 262, a display unit 21 equipped with a display screen 21D is fixed to and supported by a support frame 29 that stands upright from the top surface of the drive control unit 24 portion of the housing 27. In this example, the display unit 21 has a thin configuration made up of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display unit 21 may also be configured as a display using other display devices such as an organic EL (Electroluminescence). In the following description, the side toward which the display screen 21D of the display unit 21 faces is referred to as the front of the flying vehicle 20. In this example, a speaker 22 is provided on the front of the housing 27.

A drive control device unit is provided within the housing 27. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the drive control device unit in the flying vehicle 20 of this example. Note that the flying vehicle 20 is equipped with a battery as a power source, but the battery is omitted from Figure 6.

As shown in Figure 6, the drive control device section of the flying object 20 in this example is configured by connecting a control section 201 consisting of a computer via a system bus 200 to a wireless communication section 202, a flight path information storage section 203, a notification information storage section 204, an aerial flight drive section 205, a group of sensors 206, a current position detection section 207, a flight control signal generation section 208, an attitude control signal generation section 209, a display control section 210, and an audio output section 211.

The wireless communication unit 202 communicates wirelessly with the wireless communication unit 311 of the aircraft control device 30. In this embodiment, when the aircraft 20 is in standby mode, power is supplied from the battery to the control unit 201 and wireless communication unit 202, and when the control unit 201 detects that instruction information has been received by the wireless communication unit 202, it supplies power from the battery to each part of the aircraft 20 to start up the aircraft 20.

Then, under the control of the control unit 201, the flight path information storage unit 203 stores the notification location information and flight path information contained in the instruction information from the aircraft control device 30 received by the wireless communication unit 202, and the notification information storage unit 204 stores the notification information.

The aerial flight drive unit 205 supplies drive control signals to each of the motor drive units 261 of the rotary wing mechanisms 26 of the aerial flight mechanism unit 23 in accordance with the control of the control unit 201.

The sensor group 206 includes various sensors that acquire various information for flight movement and attitude control of the aircraft 20, such as a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an altitude sensor, an obstacle sensor, and a camera.

The current position detection unit 207 is equipped with, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver and detects the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the current position of the flying object 20. In order to obtain more accurate position information and to detect the current position after movement, the current position detection unit 207 also uses the gyro sensor, geomagnetic sensor, and altitude sensor of the sensor group 206.

Under the control of the control unit 201, the flight control signal generation unit 208 calculates the movement direction and movement distance to generate a flight drive signal for flight movement based on the flight path information stored in the flight path information storage unit 203 and the position information of the current position detected by the current position detection unit 207. Then, based on the calculated direction and distance, and using information from the gyro sensor, geomagnetic sensor, altitude sensor, etc. of the sensor group 206, the flight control signal generation unit 208 generates a flight control signal for flight movement from the position of the waiting base to the selected notification location, and supplies this to the aerial flight mechanism unit 23 via the aerial flight drive unit 205.

The aerial flight mechanism unit 23 receives this flight control signal and drives the rotation of each of the four rotors 262. This causes the aircraft 20 to fly from the base to the notification location.

The attitude control signal generator 209 generates an attitude control signal that puts the flying vehicle 20 into a hovering state at the notification location and appropriately controls the orientation of the front of the flying vehicle 20 based on the sensor outputs of the gyro sensor, geomagnetic sensor, altitude sensor, etc. of the sensor group 206, as well as images captured by the camera. This attitude control signal controls the position and attitude of the display screen 21D during hovering so that the orientation and position of the display image for notification relative to the viewer are appropriate (whether the display screen 21D is directly facing the viewer, whether it is at an appropriate height, etc.).

The display unit 21 is connected to the display control unit 210. The display control unit 210 displays the notification display image stored in the notification information storage unit 204 on the display screen 21D of the display unit 21 in accordance with the control of the control unit 201.

A speaker SP is connected to the audio output unit 211. Under the control of the control unit 201, the audio output unit 211 supplies the notification audio information stored in the notification information storage unit 204 to the speaker 22 and emits the audio.

The flight control signal generation unit 208 and the attitude control signal generation unit 209 in the drive control device unit of the flying vehicle 20 shown in Figure 6 can each be configured as a processing function unit that uses a software program, and by providing a program that executes each function in the control unit 201, each can be realized as software processing.

[Flow of operations in the flying object 20]
Next, the flow of operation of the flying object 20 having the above configuration will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 7. Note that, in the following explanation, the processing operations of each step in the flowchart in Fig. 7 will be explained assuming that the control unit 201 executes the processing function units of the flight control signal generation unit 208 and the attitude control signal generation unit 209 as software programs.

As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 201 of the aircraft 20 monitors the reception of instruction information from the aircraft control device 30 (step S201), and when it determines that instruction information has been received, it analyzes the received instruction information and obtains notification location information, notification information, notification time information, and flight path information (step S202).

Next, the control unit 201 generates a flight control signal for movement according to the flight path information and begins flight movement toward the notified location (step S203).

Next, the control unit 201 determines whether the vehicle has arrived at the notification location (step S204), and if it determines that the vehicle has arrived at the notification location, it uses the acquired notification information to issue a notification using a displayed image or by emitting a sound (step S205).

The control unit 201 then monitors the end of the notification based on, for example, the expiration of the notification time or receipt of a notification of the end of the notification service via the wireless communication unit (step S206). If the control unit 201 determines in step S206 that the notification has ended, it returns to the base of the aircraft notification service provider SA by retracing the route based on the flight path information, waits to receive instruction information for the next notification service (step S207), and ends this processing routine.

[Effects of the embodiment]
According to the embodiment of the traffic guidance system described above, when a traffic obstruction occurs due to a sudden accident, traffic congestion caused by construction work, a disaster, or the like, the location where traffic obstruction occurred and traffic guidance is required can be set as a notification location, and an aircraft can be sent to the notification location to issue a notification by displaying an image or emitting an audio sound.

As a result, even in locations where electronic signboards are not installed, traffic guidance can be properly provided in response to the occurrence of a road obstruction event, and by providing detour information, it is expected that danger can be avoided and congestion can be alleviated.

In addition, even if you do not have a navigation device equipped with VICS (registered trademark), anyone can easily obtain traffic guidance information through the information broadcast by the aircraft.

[Other embodiments or modifications]
In the above-described embodiment, the flying object used is a flying object called a quadcopter, but any flying object that can fly autonomously and provide traffic information can be used.

In the above embodiment, the notification is made by both displaying an image and emitting sound, but as mentioned above, it may be made by either displaying an image or emitting sound.

In the above-described embodiment, the flying object is provided with a display unit for displaying images, and notifications are made using images. However, a group of many small flying objects equipped with light-emitting units may be prepared, and each flying object in the group may function similarly to a pixel on a display screen, allowing the group of flying objects to display images. In this case, instruction information is sent to a group of flying objects, causing that group of flying objects to go to a single notification location and make the notification. The notification information then causes the group of flying objects to make the notification by displaying arrows guiding people to a detour route or by displaying text.

10... Notification Receiving Unit, 20... Aircraft, 30... Aircraft Control Unit, 21... Display Unit, 22... Speaker, 302... Traffic Blockage Event Information Input Receiving Unit, 303... Traffic Blockage Event Information Analysis Unit, 304... Map and Route Information Storage Unit, 305... Hazard Map Storage Unit, 306... Notification Location Selection Unit, 307... Notification Information Generation Unit, 308... Flight Path Generation Unit, 309... Recommended Flight Airspace Information Storage Unit, 310... Instruction Information Generation Unit

Claims (11)

A traffic guidance system having one or more flying bodies capable of autonomous flight movement and that provide traffic guidance corresponding to traffic obstruction events, and an flying body control device that transmits instruction information to the flying body,
The aircraft control device includes:
a map and route information storage unit storing map information and route information of an area for which traffic guidance corresponding to the traffic obstruction event is to be notified;
a receiving means for receiving input of information about the traffic obstruction event that has occurred;
a notification information generating means for generating notification information including traffic guidance based on the information on the traffic obstruction event received by the receiving means;
an acquisition means for acquiring a location where the traffic obstruction event has occurred from the information on the traffic obstruction event received by the reception means;
a notification location selection means for selecting a notification location where the notification information should be notified to a notification target on a route where traffic is expected to be obstructed by the traffic obstruction event, based on the location of the traffic obstruction event acquired by the acquisition means and the map information and route information stored in the map and route information storage unit; and
an instruction information generating means for generating the instruction information including the notification information from the notification information generating means and information for flying the flying object to the notification location selected by the notification location selecting means ;
an instruction information transmitting means for transmitting the instruction information generated by the instruction information generating means to the flying object;
Equipped with
The flying vehicle is
a receiving means for receiving the instruction information from the aircraft control device;
a means for flying and moving to the notification location based on the instruction information received by the receiving means ;
a means for issuing a notification to the notification target at the notification location using the notification information included in the instruction information received by the receiving means;
A traffic guidance system comprising : The receiving means of the aircraft control device receives information on an event type indicating what the traffic obstruction event is,
The traffic guidance system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification location selection means selects different notification locations depending on the event type information of the traffic obstruction event received by the reception means. The receiving means of the aircraft control device also receives information on the type of event, which indicates what the traffic obstruction event is,
The traffic guidance system according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that when the event type of the traffic obstruction event received by the reception means is a disaster, the notification location selection means sets a no -entry area based on a hazard map and selects the notification location. The receiving means of the aircraft control device receives information on an event type indicating what the traffic obstruction event is,
The traffic guidance system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that the notification information generating means generates different notification information depending on the event type information of the traffic obstruction event received by the receiving means. The traffic guidance system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , characterized in that the notification is made by display and/or sound emission, and the notification information is composed of display information and/or sound emission information. A traffic guidance system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, when there are multiple notification locations, the notification information generating means of the aircraft control device generates different notification information according to each of the multiple notification locations. The aircraft control device includes a height setting means for setting information on a height position at which the aircraft makes the notification according to the notification location,
The traffic guidance system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the instruction information generated by the instruction information generating means includes information on the height position at which the flying object, set by the height setting means, makes the notification. The receiving means of the aircraft control device also receives information on the type of event, which indicates what the traffic obstruction event is,
The traffic guidance system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the instruction information transmitted from the instruction information transmitting means of the aircraft control device includes information on a notification time that differs depending on the information on the event type of the traffic obstruction event received by the receiving means . The traffic guidance system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the flying object control device is provided with recommended flight airspace information, which is an airspace in which the flying object will fly and move, and generates spatial route information for moving the flying object to the notified location based on the recommended flight airspace information, and includes the information in the instruction information and transmits it to the flying object. A traffic guidance system having one or more flying bodies capable of autonomous flight movement and that provide traffic guidance corresponding to traffic obstruction events, and a flying body control device that transmits instruction information to the flying body,
a map and route information storage unit storing map information and route information of an area for which traffic guidance corresponding to the traffic obstruction event is to be notified;
a receiving means for receiving input of information about the traffic obstruction event that has occurred;
a notification information generating means for generating notification information including traffic guidance based on the information on the traffic obstruction event received by the receiving means;
an acquisition means for acquiring a location where the traffic obstruction event has occurred from the information on the traffic obstruction event received by the reception means;
a notification location selection means for selecting a notification location where the notification information should be notified to a notification target on a route where traffic is expected to be obstructed by the traffic obstruction event, based on the location of the traffic obstruction event acquired by the acquisition means and the map information and route information stored in the map and route information storage unit; and
an instruction information generating means for generating the instruction information including the notification information from the notification information generating means and information for flying the flying object to the notification location selected by the notification location selecting means ;
an instruction information transmitting means for transmitting the instruction information generated by the instruction information generating means to the flying object;
Equipped with
An aircraft control device characterized in that the instruction information causes the aircraft to fly to the notification location, and at the notification location, the aircraft issues a notification to the notification target using the notification information. A traffic guidance system includes one or more flying objects capable of autonomous flight and movement, which provide traffic guidance corresponding to traffic obstruction events, a flying object control device which transmits instruction information to the flying objects , and a map and route information storage unit which stores map information and route information of an area where traffic guidance corresponding to the traffic obstruction events is provided, and a computer provided in the flying object control device.
a receiving means for receiving input of information about the traffic obstruction event that has occurred;
a notification information generating means for generating notification information including traffic guidance based on the information on the traffic obstruction event received by the receiving means;
an acquisition means for acquiring a location where the traffic obstruction event has occurred from the information on the traffic obstruction event received by the reception means;
a notification location selection means for selecting a notification location where the notification information should be notified to a notification target on a route where traffic is expected to be obstructed by the traffic obstruction event, based on the location where the traffic obstruction event has occurred acquired by the acquisition means and the map information and route information stored in the map and route information storage unit;
an instruction information generating means for generating the instruction information including the notification information from the notification information generating means and information for flying the flying object to the notification location selected by the notification location selecting means ;
an instruction information transmitting means for transmitting the instruction information generated by the instruction information generating means to the flying object;
A program for an aircraft control device to function as
A program for an aircraft control device, characterized in that the instruction information causes the aircraft to fly to the notification location, and at the notification location, the aircraft issues a notification to the notification target using the notification information.