JP7797680B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology for evaluating the landing site of an aerial vehicle.

With the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles known as drones, various systems have been proposed for using drones for a variety of purposes, such as delivering packages. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for safely landing a drone at its destination.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-196150

At the destination of the aircraft, there may be an environment that is suitable for landing the aircraft, for example, the ground surface is covered with a moderately soft material such as grass, and there are no objects that could be considered obstacles. However, there may also be an environment that is not suitable for landing the aircraft, for example, the ground is uneven, there are puddles, there are animals, etc. In other words, there may be various conditions at the destination of the aircraft that cannot be predicted in advance.

Therefore, the present invention aims to appropriately evaluate the landing point of an aircraft.

The present invention provides an information processing device comprising: a detection unit that detects landing areas and non-landing areas for an aircraft; a safety level identification unit that identifies one of multiple safety levels at the time of landing for the detected landing area; a risk level identification unit that identifies one of multiple risk levels at the time of landing for the landing area adjacent to the detected non-landing area in accordance with the detected non-landing area; and an evaluation unit that evaluates the landing point of the aircraft within the detected landing area based on the identified safety level and risk level.

The present invention makes it possible to properly evaluate the landing point of an aircraft.

A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drone management system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the drone 10 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server device 50 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the drone 10. A plan view illustrating possible landing areas and non-landing areas at the destination of the drone 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a safety coefficient table according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a safety coefficient table according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a risk coefficient table according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a risk coefficient table according to the embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure performed by the drone 10.

[composition]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a drone management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drone management system 1 includes a drone 10 that flies through the air to deliver packages to a destination, a user terminal 30 used by a user who lives or works in the destination building, a wireless communication network 40, and a server device 50 connected to the wireless communication network 40. The wireless communication network 40 is a system that enables wireless communication and may be, for example, equipment that complies with a fourth-generation mobile communication system or a fifth-generation mobile communication system. Note that while FIG. 1 illustrates one each of the drone 10, user terminal 30, wireless communication network 40, and server device 50, there may be multiple of each of these.

Drone 10 is an unmanned aerial vehicle that flies through the air. Drone 10 flies with cargo loaded from a takeoff and landing point known as a base or base to a destination, where it lands and delivers the cargo. The destination of drone 10 is an area of some extent, specified by, for example, an address or latitude and longitude. Drone 10 lands at a point within that destination, which it designates as its landing point.

The user terminal 30 is a communication-enabled computer, such as a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. In this embodiment, the user terminal 30 is a smartphone, which functions as a communication terminal that allows the user receiving the package to access the server device 50 via the wireless communication network 40.

The server device 50 stores flight plan information related to the flight date and time, flight route, and flight altitude of the drone 10, as well as cargo-related information related to the cargo delivered by the drone 10 (including cargo attribute data, described below), and remotely controls the drone 10 in accordance with the flight plan information. Remote control by the server device 50 is mainly performed between the aforementioned takeoff and landing points and the airspace above the drone 10's destination, or between multiple destinations of the drone 10. In the section between the airspace above the destination and the landing point of the drone 10, flight is performed under autonomous control by the drone itself. Specifically, the drone 10 evaluates each possible landing point within the destination, lands at the landing point corresponding to the highest evaluation result, performs an operation to detach the cargo, and then ascends again to the airspace above the destination.

In this embodiment, as described above, the section above the takeoff and landing point and destination of the drone 10 is dependent on remote control by the server device 50, and the section above the destination and the landing point of the drone 10 is realized by autonomous flight by the drone itself, but this example is not limited to this. For example, the drone 10 may fly autonomously for all sections between the takeoff and landing point and the landing point of the destination without relying on remote control by the server device 50, or it may fly in accordance with remote control by the server device 50 for all sections between the takeoff and landing point and the landing point of the destination.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the drone 10. The drone 10 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, communication device 1004, input device 1005, output device 1006, positioning device 1007, sensor 1008, flight drive mechanism 1009, cargo loading mechanism 1010, and buses connecting these. In the following description, the term "device" can be interpreted as a circuit, device, unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the drone 10 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or may be configured to exclude some of the devices.

Each function of the drone 10 is realized by loading specific software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication via the communication device 1004, control at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003, and control the positioning device 1007, sensor 1008, flight drive mechanism 1009, and cargo loading mechanism 1010.

The processor 1001, for example, runs an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 1001 may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control unit, an arithmetic unit, registers, etc. Furthermore, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, etc. may be realized by the processor 1001.

The processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes in accordance with these. The program used is a program that causes a computer to execute at least some of the operations described below. The functional blocks of the drone 10 may be implemented by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001. Various processes may be executed by a single processor 1001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The program may be transmitted to the drone 10 via the wireless communication network 40.

Memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be composed of, for example, at least one of ROM, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM, etc. Memory 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory (primary storage device), etc. Memory 1002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc. for implementing the method of this embodiment.

Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device. Storage 1003 stores various programs and data groups.

The above processor 1001, memory 1002, and storage 1003 function as an example of an information processing device related to the present invention.

The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmitting/receiving device) for communicating between computers via the wireless communication network 40, and is also referred to as, for example, a network device, network controller, network card, or communication module. The communication device 1004 is configured to include a high-frequency switch, duplexer, filter, frequency synthesizer, etc. to realize frequency division duplexing and time division duplexing. The transmitting/receiving antenna, amplifier unit, transmitting/receiving unit, transmission path interface, etc. may be realized by the communication device 1004. The transmitting/receiving unit may be implemented as a transmitting unit or a receiving unit that are physically or logically separated.

The input device 1005 is an input device that accepts input from the outside, and includes, for example, keys, switches, and microphones. The output device 1006 is an output device that outputs to the outside, and includes, for example, a display device such as an LCD display, and a speaker. Note that the input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be configured as an integrated unit.

The positioning device 1007 is hardware that measures the position of the drone 10, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) device. The drone 10 flies from the departure and arrival point to above the destination based on the positioning measured by the positioning device 1007.

Sensor 1008 includes a ranging sensor, a Lidar (Light Detection And Ranging) sensor, an infrared sensor, and an image sensor that function as means for measuring the altitude of the drone 10 and means for checking the status of the destination, as well as a gyro sensor and a direction sensor that function as means for measuring the attitude of the drone 10.

The flight drive mechanism 1009 is a mechanism that enables the drone 10 to fly, and includes hardware such as motors, shafts, gears, and propellers.

The cargo mounting mechanism 1010 is a mechanism for the drone 10 to mount and detach cargo, and includes hardware such as a motor, winch, wire, gear, locking mechanism, or hanging mechanism.

Each device, such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be used between each device. Furthermore, the drone 10 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by this hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of server device 50. The hardware configuration of server device 50 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in Figure 3, or may be configured to exclude some of the devices. Furthermore, server device 50 may be configured by communicating with multiple devices each having a different housing.

The server device 50 is physically configured as a computer device including a processor 5001, memory 5002, storage 5003, communication device 5004, and a bus connecting these. Each function of the server device 50 is realized by loading specific software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 5001 and memory 5002, causing the processor 5001 to perform calculations, control communications via the communication device 5004, and control at least one of reading and writing data from the memory 5002 and storage 5003. Each of these devices operates using power supplied from a power source (not shown).

The processor 5001, for example, runs an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 5001 may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control unit, an arithmetic unit, registers, etc. Furthermore, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, etc. may be realized by the processor 5001.

The processor 5001 reads programs (program code), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 5003 and the communication device 5004 into the memory 5002 and executes various processes in accordance with these. The program used is a program that causes a computer to execute at least some of the operations described below. The functional blocks of the server device 50 may be realized by a control program stored in the memory 5002 and running on the processor 5001. The various processes may be executed by one processor 5001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 5001. The processor 5001 may be implemented by one or more chips.

Memory 5002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be composed of, for example, at least one of ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, RAM, etc. Memory 5002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory (primary storage device), etc. Memory 5002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc. for implementing the method of this embodiment.

Storage 5003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 5003 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. Storage 5003 stores at least programs and data groups for executing various processes as described below.

The communication device 5004 is hardware (transmitting/receiving device) for communicating between computers via the wireless communication network 40, and is also referred to as, for example, a network device, network controller, network card, or communication module.

Each device, such as the processor 5001 and memory 5002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

The server device 50 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor, ASIC, PLD, or FPGA, and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by such hardware. For example, the processor 5001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

Note that the hardware configuration of the user terminal 30 is almost the same as that of the server device 50, so its explanation will be omitted.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the drone 10. The drone 10 realizes the following functions: an acquisition unit 11, a detection unit 12, a safety level identification unit 13, a risk level identification unit 14, an evaluation unit 15, and a control unit 16.

The acquisition unit 11 acquires various data from the positioning device 1007, the sensor 1008, the server device 50, etc. For example, the acquisition unit 11 acquires sensing data obtained by sensing the destination by the sensor 1008. This sensing data is data indicating the size, material, shape, attributes, or status of the destination. The acquisition unit 11 also acquires baggage attribute data regarding the attributes of the baggage delivered by the drone 10 from the server device 50 via the wireless communication network 40. The baggage attribute data includes data regarding at least one of the size, weight, type, contents, material, or structure of the baggage.

The detection unit 12 detects possible and impossible landing areas for the drone 10 at the destination using image recognition processing such as pattern matching on the sensing data acquired by the acquisition unit 11. A possible landing area is an area corresponding to, for example, a garden, balcony, parking lot, or space in front of a front door. An impossible landing area is an area corresponding to, for example, a roof, pond, or vegetation or rocks above a certain height. As a result, for example, possible landing area Ap and impossible landing areas Ai1, Ai2, and Ai3 are detected within the entire area A of a single destination, as illustrated in Figure 5.

The safety level identification unit 13 uses image recognition processing such as pattern matching on the sensing data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 for the possible landing area detected by the detection unit 12 to identify one of multiple safety levels at the time of landing of the drone 10. At this time, the safety level identification unit 13 identifies the safety level based on at least one of the size, material, shape, attributes, or condition of the possible landing surface in the possible landing area, or the attributes, condition, or movement of objects present in the possible landing area.

More specifically, the safety level identification unit 13 first determines the shortest distance rp from each point p included in the possible landing area to the non-landing area. This rp corresponds to the radius of an inscribed circle centered at each point p and inscribed on the boundary of the possible landing area. The safety level identification unit 13 then calculates the landing evaluation area ap for each point p using the formula ap = πrp2. The larger this landing evaluation area ap is, the larger the area of the possible landing surface on which the drone 10 can land, and therefore the higher the safety level of the drone 10 when landing.

Furthermore, the safety level identification unit 13 calculates the safety level s by multiplying the landing evaluation area ap by a safety level coefficient x that corresponds to the material, shape, attributes, or condition of each point p that can be analyzed from the sensing data. In other words, safety level s = landing evaluation area ap × safety level coefficient x. This safety level coefficient x is predetermined according to the material, shape, attributes, or condition of each point p.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a safety coefficient table that describes the correspondence between the material of each point p and the safety coefficient. Furthermore, in Figure 6, the safety coefficient differs depending on the importance level of the cargo delivered by drone 10. The importance level of the cargo is determined in advance based on the aforementioned cargo attribute data, such as the size, weight, type, contents, material, or structure of the cargo, e.g., if the cargo is a precision machine, the importance level is high, or if the cargo is expensive, the importance level is high.

In the example of Figure 6, if the material of point p is "material α", if the importance level of the luggage is "high", the safety coefficient is "x11", and if the importance level of the luggage is "low", the safety coefficient is "x21". If the material of point p is "material β", if the importance level of the luggage is "high", the safety coefficient is "x12", and if the importance level of the luggage is "low", the safety coefficient is "x22". If the material of point p is "material γ", if the importance level of the luggage is "high", the safety coefficient is "x13", and if the importance level of the luggage is "low", the safety coefficient is "x23". As a specific example, when the material of point p is "grass," if the importance level of the cargo is "high," the safety coefficient is "0.9," and when the importance level of the cargo is "low," the safety coefficient is "1." When the material of point p is "soil," if the importance level of the cargo is "high," the safety coefficient is "0.5," and when the importance level of the cargo is "low," the safety coefficient is "0.7." When the material of point p is "gravel," if the importance level of the cargo is "high," the safety coefficient is "0.3," and when the importance level of the cargo is "low," the safety coefficient is "0.6." In this way, the safety level identification unit 13 identifies the safety level using dynamically changing variable conditions (here, conditions that change according to the attributes of the cargo that the drone 10 transports to the landing point).

Note that Figure 6 shows an example in which a safety factor is determined according to the material of the landing surface. Similarly, a safety factor is determined according to the shape (flat or uneven, etc.), attributes (hard or soft, etc.) or condition (dry or wet, etc.) of the landing surface.

Furthermore, the safety level identification unit 13 calculates the safety level s by multiplying the landing evaluation area ap of point p by a safety level coefficient corresponding to the attributes, state, or movement of objects present in the possible landing area including point p. This safety level coefficient is determined in advance according to the attributes, state, or movement of objects present in the possible landing area including each point p. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a safety level coefficient table that describes the correspondence between the attributes of objects present in the possible landing area including each point p and the safety level coefficient. In Figure 7, as in Figure 6, the safety level coefficient differs depending on the importance level of the package delivered by the drone 10.

In the example of Figure 7, if the attribute of an object present in the possible landing area including point p is "attribute p," the safety coefficient is "X11" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and "X21" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." If the attribute of an object present in the possible landing area including point p is "attribute q," the safety coefficient is "X12" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and "X22" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." If the attribute of an object present in the possible landing area including point p is "attribute r," the safety coefficient is "X13" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and "X23" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." To give a specific example, if the attribute of an object present in the possible landing area including point p is "dog," the safety coefficient is "0.4" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the safety coefficient is "0.6" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." If the attribute of an object present in the possible landing area including point p is "child," the safety coefficient is "0.5" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the safety coefficient is "0.6" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." If the attribute of an object present in the possible landing area including point p is "adult," the safety coefficient is "0.9" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the safety coefficient is "1" if the importance level of the luggage is "low."

Note that Figure 7 was an example in which the safety coefficient was determined based on the attributes of the object present in the possible landing area including point p. Similarly, the safety coefficient is determined based on the state (whether it is large, etc.) or movement (whether it is moving, etc.) of the object present in the possible landing area including each point p.

Returning to the explanation of Figure 4, the risk identification unit 14 performs image recognition processing such as pattern matching on the sensing data acquired by the acquisition unit 11 for the no-landing area detected by the detection unit 12, and identifies one of multiple risk levels at the time of landing for a possible landing area adjacent to the no-landing area. At this time, the risk identification unit 14 identifies the risk level based on at least one of the material, shape, attributes, or condition of the no-landing surface of the no-landing area adjacent to the possible landing area (for example, the no-landing area closest to point p), or the attributes, condition, or movement of an object present in the no-landing area.

More specifically, the risk identification unit 14 calculates the risk t by dividing the landing evaluation area ap calculated for each point p described above by a risk coefficient y that corresponds to the material, shape, attribute, or condition of the no-landing area that borders the possible landing area including point p. In other words, risk t = risk coefficient y / landing evaluation area ap. This risk coefficient y is determined in advance depending on the material, shape, attribute, or condition of the no-landing surface of the no-landing area.

Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a risk coefficient table that describes the correspondence between the state of an impassable landing surface and a risk coefficient. Furthermore, in Figure 8, the risk coefficient differs depending on the importance level of the package delivered by the drone 10.

In the example of Figure 8, if the condition of the impermissible landing surface is "condition a," the risk coefficient is "y11" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the risk coefficient is "y21" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." If the condition of the impermissible landing surface is "condition b," the risk coefficient is "y12" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the risk coefficient is "y22" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." If the condition of the impermissible landing surface is "condition c," the risk coefficient is "y13" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the risk coefficient is "y23" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." To cite a specific example, when the impermissible landing surface is "rock," if the importance level of the cargo is "high," the risk coefficient is "1," and if the importance level of the cargo is "low," the risk coefficient is "0.8." When the impermissible landing surface is "tree," if the importance level of the cargo is "high," the risk coefficient is "1," and if the importance level of the cargo is "low," the risk coefficient is "0.7." When the impermissible landing surface is "pond," if the importance level of the cargo is "high," the risk coefficient is "1," and if the importance level of the cargo is "low," the risk coefficient is "0.8." In this way, the risk level identification unit 14 identifies the risk level using dynamically changing variable conditions (here, conditions that change according to the attributes of the cargo being transported by the drone 10).

Note that Figure 8 was an example in which the risk coefficient was determined based on the condition of the impassable surface, but similarly, the risk coefficient is determined based on the material, shape, and attributes of the impassable surface.

Furthermore, the risk identification unit 14 calculates the risk t by dividing the landing evaluation area ap calculated for each point p by a risk coefficient corresponding to the attributes, state, or movement of an object present in an improper landing area adjacent to the possible landing area including point p (for example, the improper landing area closest to point p). Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a risk coefficient table that describes the correspondence between the attributes of objects present in an improper landing area adjacent to the possible landing area including point p and the risk coefficient. In Figure 9, as in Figure 8, the risk coefficient differs depending on the level of importance of the package delivered by the drone 10.

In the example of Figure 9, if the attribute of an object present in a possible landing area that includes an impractical surface is "attribute p," the risk coefficient is "Y11" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the risk coefficient is "Y21" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." If the attribute of an object present in a possible landing area that includes an impractical surface is "attribute q," the risk coefficient is "Y12" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the risk coefficient is "Y22" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." If the attribute of an object present in a possible landing area that includes an impractical surface is "attribute r," the risk coefficient is "Y13" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the risk coefficient is "Y23" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." To give a specific example, if the attribute of the object is "dog," the risk coefficient is "0.8" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the risk coefficient is "0.6" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." If the attribute of the object is "child," the risk coefficient is "0.5" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the risk coefficient is "0.4" if the importance level of the luggage is "low." If the attribute of the object is "adult," the risk coefficient is "0.2" if the importance level of the luggage is "high," and the risk coefficient is "0.1" if the importance level of the luggage is "low."

Note that Figure 9 was an example in which the risk coefficient was determined based on the attributes of an object present in the no-landing area adjacent to the possible landing area including point p. Similarly, the risk coefficient is determined based on the state or movement of the object.

Returning to the explanation of Figure 4, the evaluation unit 15 evaluates the landing point of the drone 10 based on the safety and risk levels identified for each point p within the possible landing area detected by the detection unit 12. Specifically, the evaluation unit 15 calculates an evaluation score for each point p by, for example, dividing the safety level s calculated as described above by the risk level t. The higher the safety level s, the higher the evaluation score, and the lower the risk level t, the higher the evaluation score. Therefore, the evaluation unit 15 determines the point p with the highest evaluation score as the actual landing point. Note that the evaluation method using the safety level and risk level is not limited to this example. In short, any evaluation method may be used that results in a higher evaluation the higher the safety level s, or a higher evaluation the lower the risk level t.

The control unit 16 determines the point p that is most highly evaluated by the evaluation unit 15 as the landing point, controls the flight drive mechanism 1009 to land the drone 10 at that landing point, and after landing, controls the cargo loading mechanism 1010 to detach the cargo from the drone 10.

[Operation]
Next, the processing performed by the drone 10 during flight will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 10. In Fig. 10, the drone 10 starts flying from a takeoff and landing point toward a destination (step S01).

Before the drone 10 starts flying, the acquisition unit 11 acquires package attribute data relating to the attributes of the package to be delivered by the drone 10 from the server device 50 via the wireless communication network 40. The drone 10 then flies under the control of the server device 50 until it reaches the sky above the destination address specified when the package delivery request was made.

When the drone 10 reaches the sky above the destination (step S02; YES), the acquisition unit 11 acquires sensing data from the sensor 1008 (step S03).

Next, the detection unit 12 detects the areas where the drone 10 can land and the areas where it cannot land (step S04).

Next, the safety level identification unit 13 identifies the safety level for the detected possible landing area, and the risk level identification unit 14 identifies the risk level for the detected possible landing area (step S05).

The evaluation unit 15 evaluates the landing point of the drone 10 within the detected possible landing area based on the identified safety and risk levels (step S06).

The control unit 16 controls the flight drive mechanism 1009 to land the drone 10 at the landing site that has been given the highest rating by the evaluation unit 15, and after landing, controls the cargo loading mechanism 1010 to detach the cargo from the drone 10 (step S07). Once the delivery of the cargo is complete, the drone 10 proceeds to the next process, such as returning to the departure and arrival point or moving to the next delivery destination. Note that if there is no possible landing area within the destination, the drone 10 will perform an operation such as returning without landing.

According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the landing point of the drone 10.

[Modification]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiment may be modified as follows. Furthermore, two or more of the following modifications may be combined and implemented.
[Modification 1]
In the above embodiment, the safety coefficient or risk coefficient dynamically varies, for example, depending on the attributes of the cargo transported by the drone 10. This example is not limiting, and the safety coefficient or risk coefficient may vary depending on the weather or temperature at the destination. To cite a specific example, when the weather at the destination is "clear" and the temperature is "moderate" or "low," the safety coefficient will be higher and the risk coefficient will be lower. When the weather at the destination is "rainy" and the temperature is "high," the safety coefficient will be lower and the risk coefficient will be higher. In this way, the variable condition may be a condition that varies depending on the weather or temperature. This allows evaluation to be performed depending on the weather or temperature at the destination.

[Modification 2]
Furthermore, the safety coefficient or risk coefficient may be varied depending on the number or density of objects present at the destination (landing zone or no-landing zone). As a specific example, when there are many objects (e.g., people, animals, cars, etc.) at the destination, the safety coefficient may be lower and the risk coefficient may be higher. This allows evaluation to be performed depending on the number or density of objects at the destination.

[Modification 3]
If a moving object is present at the destination, the safety level or risk level may be determined multiple times during the period from when the drone 10 leaves the destination area until it lands. For example, if a potentially moving object such as a human, animal, car, or motorcycle is detected, the safety level or risk level may be determined and evaluated multiple times before landing, thereby reducing the possibility that the object will interfere with the landing. Specifically, the safety level or risk level may be determined and evaluated once at an altitude of 20 meters above ground, then once at an altitude of 10 meters above ground, then once at an altitude of 5 meters above ground, and then once at an altitude of 3 meters above ground. In this way, if the object present in the landing permitted area or the landing prohibited area is a moving object, the safety level determination unit 13 or the risk level determination unit 14 may determine the safety level or risk level multiple times as the altitude decreases before the drone 10 lands, and the evaluation unit 15 may perform an evaluation each time the safety level or risk level is determined.

[Modification 4]
If a potentially moving object such as a human, animal, car, or motorcycle is detected at the destination, the direction of movement of the object may be calculated, and the evaluation of point p corresponding to that direction of movement may be lowered. In this way, if an object present in the possible landing area or the impossible landing area is a moving object, the safety level identification unit 13 or the risk level identification unit 14 may also identify the direction of movement of the object, and the evaluation unit 15 may evaluate the landing point of the drone 10 within the detected possible landing area based on the direction of movement of the identified object. This allows evaluation to be made according to the direction of movement of the object at the destination.

[Modification 5]
There are cases where it is not desirable to waste time before the drone 10 lands. This occurs, for example, when the drone 10 has little remaining power and it is desired to shorten the hovering time, or when the designated delivery time for the package is approaching. In such cases, the value of the safety level s may be used as is for a point p directly below the current position of the drone 10, while the value of the safety level s may be multiplied by a coefficient less than 1 for a point p that requires the drone 10 to move horizontally 5 m from its current position before descending. In this way, the evaluation unit 15 may evaluate the landing point of the drone 10 based on the time required for the drone 10 to land within the detected possible landing area. This makes it possible to shorten the time required for the drone 10 to land.

[Modification 6]
Control of the drone 10 may be realized by so-called edge computing (control by the drone), cloud computing (control by a server device), or a combination of both (control by the drone and the server device) as described in the embodiment. Therefore, the information processing device according to the present invention may be provided in the server device 50 disclosed in the embodiment.

[Modification 7]
The unmanned aerial vehicle is not limited to those called drones, and may be of any structure or shape as long as it is an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of delivering packages.

[Other Modifications]
The block diagrams used to describe the above embodiments illustrate functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) can be realized by any combination of hardware and/or software. Furthermore, the means for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized by a single device that is physically and/or logically coupled, or by two or more physically and/or logically separated devices that are directly and/or indirectly (e.g., wired and/or wirelessly) connected to each other and realized by these multiple devices. For example, the functions of the user terminal 30 illustrated in the embodiments may be provided by a single computer. In other words, each function illustrated in FIG. 4 may be provided by any of the devices that constitute the drone management system 1 as an information processing system. For example, the information processing device according to the present invention may be implemented in a server device 50.

Each aspect/embodiment described in this specification may be applied to systems utilizing LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G, 5G, FRA (Future Radio Access), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other suitable systems and/or next generation systems based on and enhanced by these.

The order of the processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect/embodiment described herein may be rearranged as long as it is consistent. For example, the methods described herein present various step elements in an exemplary order and are not limited to the particular order presented. Each aspect/embodiment described herein may be used alone, in combination, or switched as the implementation progresses. Furthermore, notification of specified information (e.g., notification that "X is true") does not have to be explicit, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the specified information).

The information or parameters described in this specification may be expressed as absolute values, relative values from a specified value, or other corresponding information.

As used herein, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., searching a table, database, or other data structure), and ascertaining, all of which are considered to be "judging" or "determining." Also, "determining" and "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, and accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), all of which are considered to be "judging" or "determining." Also, "determining" and "determining" may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, and other actions, all of which are considered to be "judging" or "determining." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judged" or "decided."

The present invention may be provided as an information processing method or as a program. Such a program may be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as an optical disc, or may be provided in a form that allows it to be downloaded to a computer via a network such as the Internet, installed, and made available for use.

Software, instructions, etc. may be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, and digital subscriber line (DSL), and/or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, these wired and/or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

The information, signals, etc. described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

As used herein, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed therein or that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

The "means" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

To the extent that the terms "including," "comprising," and variations thereof are used herein or in the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprises." Furthermore, the term "or," as used herein or in the claims, is not intended to be an exclusive or.

Throughout this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, these articles shall include the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Although the present invention has been described in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present invention can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description in this specification is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present invention.

1: Drone management system, 10: Drone, 11: Acquisition unit, 12: Detection unit, 13: Safety level identification unit, 14: Risk level identification unit, 15: Evaluation unit, 16: Control unit, 30: User terminal, 40: Wireless communication network, 50: Server device, 1001: Processor, 1002: Memory, 1003: Storage, 1004: Communication device, 1005: Input device, 1006: Output device, 1007: Positioning device, 1008: Sensor, 1009: Flight drive mechanism, 1010: Cargo loading mechanism, 50: Server device, 5001: Processor, 5002: Memory, 5003: Storage, 5004: Communication device, A: Destination, Ap: Allowable landing area, Ai1, Ai2, Ai3: Prohibited landing areas.

Claims (12)

a detection unit that detects a possible landing area and a non-landing area of the aircraft;
a safety level determination unit that determines one of a plurality of safety levels at the time of landing for the detected possible landing area;
a risk identification unit that identifies one of a plurality of risk levels as the degree of risk that a risk element included in the non-landing area adjacent to the detected possible landing area poses to the aircraft during landing in the possible landing area ;
and an evaluation unit that evaluates a landing point of the aircraft based on the identified safety level and risk level within the detected possible landing area. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the safety level identification unit identifies the safety level based on at least one of the size, material, shape, attribute, or state of the landing surface in the landing area, or the attribute, state, or movement of an object present in the landing area. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the risk identification unit identifies the risk based on at least one of the shape, attribute, or state of the no-landing surface in the no-landing area, or the attribute, state, or movement of an object present in the no-landing area. the security level identification unit identifies the security level using a dynamically changing variable condition; or
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the risk identification unit identifies the risk using a dynamically changing variable condition. The information processing device according to claim 4 , wherein the variable condition varies depending on an attribute of a cargo that the flying object delivers to the landing point. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the variable condition varies depending on weather or temperature. The information processing device according to claim 4 , wherein the variable condition varies depending on the number or density of objects present in the possible landing area or the improper landing area. When an object present in the possible landing area or the impossible landing area is a moving object, the safety level identification unit or the risk level identification unit identifies the safety level or the risk level multiple times before the flying object lands,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit performs the evaluation each time the safety level or the risk level is identified. When an object present in the possible landing area or the impossible landing area is a moving object, the safety level identification unit or the risk level identification unit also identifies the moving direction of the object,
The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit evaluates the landing point of the flying object based on the identified direction of movement of the object within the detected possible landing area. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit evaluates the landing point of the aircraft based also on the time required for the aircraft to land within the detected possible landing area. The risk identification unit identifies the risk by dividing a risk coefficient according to the material, shape, attribute, or state of the non-landing area adjacent to the possible landing area by the landing evaluation area calculated for each point within the possible landing area.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The evaluation unit calculates an evaluation score that is higher the higher the safety level identified for the possible landing area and higher the lower the risk level identified for the possible landing area, and determines the point with the highest evaluation score as the landing point.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: