JP2012025216A - Flight control system and flight control method for unmanned flying body using millimeter wave - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flight control system for an unmanned flying body capable of excellently controlling flight of the unmanned flying body even under bad weather conditions and capable of avoiding complication of system structure.SOLUTION: A ground control device 20A transmits a millimeter wave for a target to an arrival target Qm from a ground side millimeter wave antenna 21, receives the reflected wave thereof with the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21, and generates information of electric signals. A position information generating section 253 generates information about the position of the arrival target Qm as flight control information, generates the millimeter wave, and transmits it as the millimeter wave for the flying body from the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21. The flying body 30A controls operation of a flying mechanism 34 based on the flight control information received by a flight side millimeter wave antenna 31 and generated.

Description

  The present invention relates to a flight management system and flight management method for guiding a flying object that performs remote control or autonomous control to a desired location, and in particular, a flight management system and flight management that perform flight management of a flying object using millimeter waves. Regarding the method.

  An unmanned flying body, for example, a small flying body, is widely used for reaching a desired place by remote control or autonomous control. For example, a radio-controlled helicopter is not only already put into practical use as a toy, but also a technique that is used in fields such as spraying of agricultural chemicals and aerial photography of images.

  By the way, when an unmanned flying object (for example, a radio-controlled helicopter) is caused to fly for the above-described use, the user usually determines whether or not a predetermined weather condition is satisfied before the flight. . That is, for example, in bad weather such as a strong wind and rain situation, there is a high possibility that the unmanned flying object cannot fly well and reach a desired place. Therefore, the user may wait without flying the unmanned flying object until the wind and rain falls below a certain value and the weather is good.

  Here, there is a field where it is necessary to fly an unmanned flying object even under bad weather conditions. For example, in the event of a disaster, when taking an aerial image to check whether there are survivors remaining in the affected area, it is necessary to fly an unmanned flying object even in a strong wind and rain situation. is there. As a technique for flying an unmanned flying object even under such bad weather conditions, for example, an aerial imaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1 for damage, damage, and deterioration of facilities such as a lifeline can be cited.

  In this aerial imaging device, the radio control helicopter is used as an unmanned flying object, and as a flight management method for guiding the radio control helicopter to a desired location, (1) the absolute position is detected by GPS, A method of detecting the relative position with a laser or the like and controlling the main rotor based on the detection signal. (2) Remote radio control using a manual control device called “propo”. (3) Autonomous flight using GPS and electronic map. Examples include control, etc. In addition, environmental sensors are installed to transmit environmental information detected to a remote location via a communication system, and the situation such as a fire is captured by an imaging device. It is also disclosed that it is possible to drop the remote control by remote control.

JP 2010-6089 A

  However, the above-described conventional technique is intended to satisfactorily take aerial images of images under bad weather conditions, and is intended to appropriately perform flight management of an unmanned flying object to a desired location. Not in.

  Specifically, in Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that a radio control helicopter is provided with a pedestal for disposing an imaging device having a specific configuration. Thus, for example, the radio control helicopter is operated under bad weather such as immediately after a typhoon. It is described that even if the hovering posture is severely limited by the wind direction or the like, it is possible to accurately capture an aerial subject from all angles. However, Patent Document 1 discloses only the control methods (1) to (3) regarding the flight management of the radio controlled helicopter, and accurately controls the radio controlled helicopter under bad weather conditions. There is no disclosure or suggestion about management.

  Further, in Patent Document 1, it is described that communication is possible between a radio control helicopter and a ground management system by radio communication means, but a specific configuration of the radio communication means is specifically disclosed. Absent. Depending on the type of wireless communication means, the specific configuration of the radio-controlled helicopter (unmanned flying vehicle) may be complicated, and the unmanned flying vehicle may be increased in size or weight. Depending on the use of the unmanned flying object, the increase in size or weight may lead to a decrease in the accuracy of flight management. Therefore, under bad weather conditions, the decrease in accuracy of flight management can be more significant. Furthermore, in this technique, since the unmanned flying object acquires its own position only by GPS (Global Positioning System), in order to improve the accuracy of the position, the GPS system itself is restricted.

  In the field of radio controlled helicopters, 40 MHz band or 72 MHz band ultra high frequency waves are usually assigned. Such an ultra-short wave has a property of propagating by traveling to some extent behind a mountain or a building as well as straight ahead. However, ultra high frequency waves are not suitable for communication with a large amount of information, and are used for communication such as aviation and ships, television, FM radio broadcasting, etc., and are subject to legal restrictions, so the degree of freedom of use. Is low. Although communication using infrared rays or lasers instead of ultrashort waves is also conceivable, communication using these lights is greatly attenuated by rain, fog, clouds, etc., and flight management may not be performed sufficiently.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and can perform unmanned flying object flight management well even under bad weather conditions and avoid complicated system configuration. It is an object of the present invention to provide a flight management system and a flight management method of an unmanned flying object that can be performed.

  As a result of intensive studies in view of the above problems, the present inventors have uniquely found that millimeter waves can be suitably used for flight management of unmanned flying objects when the flight distance of unmanned flying objects is relatively short. The present invention has been completed.

  In order to solve the above problems, an unmanned flying object flight management system according to the present invention comprises an unmanned flying object equipped with a flying mechanism, and a ground management device that performs flight management of the flying object based on flight management information. The ground management device transmits a millimeter wave toward an area where the target of the flying object exists and receives a reflected wave of the millimeter wave, and the millimeter wave radar unit receives the millimeter wave A flight management information generating unit that generates at least the position information of the reaching target as the flight management information from the reflected wave, and the millimeter wave radar unit uses the millimeter wave as the generated flight management information The flying object is configured to be capable of transmitting to the flying object, and the flying object includes a flying-side millimeter wave communication unit that receives the flight management information by millimeter waves.

  The millimeter wave has a strong straight ahead and can transmit a very large amount of information as compared with an ultrashort wave used for flight management of a radio controlled helicopter. On the other hand, it is known that millimeter waves are not easily transmitted far away because they are affected by rain, fog, etc. in bad weather compared to ultrashort waves. When the flying distance of the flying object is relatively short, it became clear that the influence of rain or fog can be almost ignored as compared with infrared or laser communication.

  That is, according to the above configuration, in the ground management apparatus, at least position information is generated as flight management information using the millimeter wave received by the millimeter wave radar unit, and the flight management information including the position information is converted to the millimeter wave radar unit. Is sent to the flying object by millimeter wave. In the flying object, the flying mechanism operates based on the received flight management information.

  In this way, by using the millimeter wave radar unit not only as a radar but also as a flight management antenna, not only can it be used for generating flight management information (position information), but millimeter waves can be used for communication of flight management information. Since it is used, flight management information with a larger amount of information can be transmitted to the flying object than in the case of using ultrashort waves. Moreover, communication using millimeter waves can be performed more satisfactorily even under bad weather conditions than when using light such as infrared rays or lasers. Furthermore, as described above, the millimeter wave radar unit has both a radar function and a communication antenna function, so that the configuration of the flight management system is complicated even though it can handle a larger amount of information. Can be suppressed. As a result, flight management of the flying object can be performed satisfactorily even under bad weather conditions, and complexity of the system configuration can be avoided.

  In the above configuration, the ground management device, as the millimeter wave radar unit, includes a ground side millimeter wave antenna, a ground side transmission unit that generates a millimeter wave transmitted from the ground side millimeter wave antenna, and the ground side millimeter wave. A ground-side receiving unit that generates electrical signal information from the millimeter wave received by the antenna, and the ground-side transmitting unit transmits the target millimeter wave that is transmitted toward an area where the flying target reaches Preferably, the flying management information generated by the flight management information generating unit is configured to generate a flying object-oriented millimeter wave that is transmitted toward the flying object.

  According to the above configuration, since the millimeter wave radar unit includes at least the ground side millimeter wave antenna, the ground side transmission unit, and the ground side reception unit, in the ground side transmission unit, the target millimeter wave and the flying object millimeter wave If waves are appropriately generated, the ground side millimeter wave antenna can be used as a radar and a communication antenna. Therefore, complication of the configuration of the flight management system can be suppressed.

  In the above configuration, the flying object generates the flight management information from the flying millimeter wave antenna and the flying millimeter wave received by the flying millimeter wave antenna as the flying millimeter wave communication unit. It is more preferable that the flight mechanism is configured to operate using the flight management information generated by the flight side receiver.

  According to the above configuration, since the flying side millimeter wave communication unit includes at least the flying side millimeter wave antenna and the flying side receiving unit, it preferably receives the flying object millimeter wave from the ground management device and Flight management information for operating the mechanism can be acquired appropriately.

  In the above configuration, the flying object further includes a millimeter wave reflector that reflects the millimeter wave for the flying object, and the ground management device reflects the millimeter wave for the flying object from the millimeter wave reflector. A wave is received by the ground side millimeter wave antenna, the flying object information is generated by the ground side receiving unit, and the flying management information is generated from the position information and the flying object information by the flying management information generating unit. It is preferable to be configured.

  According to the above configuration, since the flying object includes the millimeter wave reflector, when the ground-side millimeter wave antenna is used as the millimeter wave radar, information about the flying object itself (flying object information) can be acquired. Therefore, for example, even when the flying direction of the flying object is deviated from the target, flight management such as correcting the flying direction is possible. In addition, since the position information can be acquired from the flying object simply by providing the flying object with the millimeter wave reflector, the configuration of the flying object can be prevented from becoming complicated. As a result, flight management of the flying object can be performed more satisfactorily, and the complexity of the system configuration can be more effectively avoided.

  In the above configuration, the flying body further includes a reflector motion mechanism that causes the millimeter wave reflector to move relative to the flying body, and a relative movement of the millimeter wave reflector by the reflector motion mechanism. More preferably, the movement pattern is different for each flying object.

  According to the above configuration, if the flying object is flying in a state where the millimeter wave reflector is relatively moved by the reflector movement mechanism, the reflected millimeter wave reflected by the millimeter wave reflector is polarized. A signal having wave information is received by the ground side millimeter wave antenna. Therefore, in the ground management device, it is possible to clearly identify whether the millimeter wave received by the ground side millimeter wave antenna is the reflected wave or the clutter reflected from the flying object. In addition, when multiple flying objects are included, if the movement pattern of the millimeter-wave reflectors by the reflector movement mechanism is changed for each flying object, the reflected waves with different characteristics from each flying object Therefore, the ground management apparatus can identify a plurality of flying objects. As a result, even if there are a plurality of flying objects, the flight management can be performed satisfactorily.

  In the above configuration, the reflector motion mechanism may have any configuration, but as a particularly preferable example, the millimeter wave reflector is caused to move at least one of rotation, vibration, swinging, and turning. Things can be mentioned.

  According to the above-described configuration, for example, in the case of rotational motion, in addition to being able to rotate the millimeter wave reflector with a simple configuration such as a motor, only by changing the number of rotations per unit time, different circular polarized waves are generated in the reflected wave Can be given. In addition, any of the vibration motion, the rocking motion, and the turning motion can be easily realized by combining the motor with a known motion mechanism or the like to give a polarized wave to the reflected wave. Therefore, it is possible to favorably identify a plurality of flying objects while avoiding complication of the configuration of the flying objects.

  Moreover, in the said structure, it is preferable that the said flying body is further provided with the flight control part, and the said flight control part is comprised so that operation control of the said flight mechanism may be performed with the received flight management information.

  According to the above configuration, since the flying object includes the flight control unit, not only the operation of the flying mechanism can be controlled by the flight control unit, but also the flight control unit, even if the flying object has a configuration other than the flying mechanism. Can be comprehensively controlled.

  Further, in the above configuration, the flight management information generation unit including a plurality of the flying objects, and provided in the ground management device generates the flight management information different for each of the flying objects, and the ground side transmission unit includes The configuration may be such that millimeter waves for flying objects coded differently corresponding to the flight management information are generated.

  According to the above configuration, since the millimeter wave for the flying object coded corresponding to each flying object is transmitted to each flying object, the ground management device uniquely manages the flying management of a plurality of flying objects. Can be performed. As a result, even if there are a plurality of flying objects, the flight management can be performed satisfactorily.

  In the above configuration, the flying object further includes a flying-side transmitting unit that generates a ground-oriented millimeter wave that is transmitted from the flying-side millimeter-wave antenna toward the ground management device. The apparatus may be configured to receive ground-oriented millimeter waves transmitted from the flying-side millimeter-wave antenna with the ground-side millimeter-wave antenna and generate communication information by the ground-side receiving unit.

  According to the above-described configuration, mutual communication is possible between the flying object and the ground management device via millimeter waves. Therefore, the ground side millimeter wave antenna functions as a radar, a flight management antenna, and a mutual communication antenna. Will be combined. Therefore, a larger amount of information can be handled while suppressing the complexity of the configuration of the flight management system.

  Further, in the above configuration, the flight side transmission unit including the plurality of flying bodies and provided in the flying body may generate ground-oriented millimeter waves that are coded differently for each flying body. Good.

  According to the above configuration, since the ground-oriented millimeter wave encoded corresponding to a plurality of flying objects is transmitted to the ground management apparatus, the ground management apparatus can identify each of the plurality of flying objects. It becomes. As a result, even if there are a plurality of flying objects, the flight management can be performed satisfactorily.

Moreover, in the said structure, while the said flying body is further equipped with the imaging part,
The flight-side transmission unit may be configured to generate the ground-oriented millimeter wave from the image information captured by the imaging unit.

  According to the said structure, image information, such as a still image or a moving image from a flying body, can be transmitted to a ground management apparatus via a millimeter wave. Therefore, for example, if the ground management device includes a display unit, the user can check the image information transmitted from the flying object on the display unit, and can use it for the flying management of the flying object.

  Moreover, in the said structure, the said ground management apparatus is further equipped with the positional information selection part which removes the noise corresponded to the clutter contained in the said positional information, and outputs to the said flight management information generation part. It may be.

  According to the above configuration, since the clutter included in the reflected millimeter wave for the target is removed and used for generating the flight management information, it is possible to generate more accurate flight management information. As a result, flight management of the flying object can be performed satisfactorily.

  Further, in the configuration, the ground management device includes a plurality of ground management devices, and the ground management devices are configured to be able to communicate with each other by the millimeter wave radar unit, and the flying object is flying by the plurality of ground management devices. It may be configured to be managed.

  According to the above configuration, since the flying object can be managed from a plurality of positions by a plurality of ground management devices, for example, even when the terrain to the target is complicated, a plurality of different positions By relaying the control of the flying object by the ground management device, the flying management of the flying object can be performed even better.

  In the flight management system of the unmanned flying vehicle in any of the above configurations, the specific configuration of the flying vehicle is not particularly limited. For example, the flying vehicle may be any one of a fixed wing aircraft, a rotary wing aircraft, and a guided bullet Can be mentioned.

  Further, the present invention includes not only the flight management system for the unmanned flying object but also the flight management method for the unmanned flying object.

  Specifically, for example, a flight management method for an unmanned flying vehicle according to the present invention is a flight management method for performing flight management on an unmanned flying vehicle equipped with a flight mechanism using flight management information transmitted from a ground management device, Transmitting a millimeter wave from the ground management device toward the target of the flying object, receiving a reflected wave of the millimeter wave to obtain position information of the target, and at least based on the position information Generating the flight management information in the ground management device; transmitting the generated flight management information from the ground management device to the flying object by millimeter wave communication; and the flight management information received by millimeter wave communication. Thus, the step of operating the flying mechanism of the flying object can be mentioned.

  In the above-mentioned configuration, the step of receiving the reflected wave generated by reflecting the millimeter wave for the flying object by the flying object by the ground management apparatus, or the millimeter wave transmitted from the flying object by the ground management apparatus Preferably, the configuration further includes a step of receiving and a step of generating the flight management information from the information obtained from the received reflected wave or millimeter wave.

  Further, the configuration includes a plurality of the flying objects, and further includes a step of selecting information obtained by reflected waves or millimeter waves received from the plurality of flying objects for each flying object. And more preferred.

  As described above, in the present invention, it is possible to perform unmanned flying object flight management satisfactorily even under bad weather conditions, and to avoid the complexity of the system configuration. The management system and the flight management method can be realized.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the specific structure of the flight management system of the flying body which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a principal part structure of the ground management apparatus contained in the flight management system of the flying body shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure which applied the flight management system of the flying body shown in FIG. 1 concretely. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a flying object flight management method by the flying object flight management system shown in FIG. 2. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the specific structure of the flight management system of the flying body which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the principal part structure of the ground management apparatus contained in the flight management system of the flying body shown in FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a flying object flight management method by the flying object flight management system shown in FIG. 5. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the specific structure of the flight management system of the flying body which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. (A) is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the flying body contained in the flight management system of the flying body shown in FIG. 8, (b) is a block diagram which shows an example of a principal part structure of a ground management apparatus. is there. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flight management method of the flying body by the flying management system of the flying body shown in FIG. (A) is a block diagram which shows an example of the principal part structure of a ground management apparatus contained in the flight management system of the flying body which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention, (b) is a display of a ground management apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of a screen. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the specific structure of the flight management system of the flying body which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the specific structure of the flight management system of the flying body which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the specific structure of the flight management system of the flying body which concerns on Embodiment 7 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
[Overall configuration of flight management system]
First, the overall configuration of the unmanned flying object flight management system according to the present embodiment will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In the following description, the unmanned flying object flight management system is simply abbreviated as a flight management system, and the unmanned flying object is also simply abbreviated as a flying object.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the flight management system 10A according to the present embodiment includes a ground management device 20A and a flying object 30A. The millimeter wave W1 is transmitted between the ground management device 20A and the flying object 30A, whereby the ground management device 20A performs flight management of the flying object 30A. Further, the ground management device 20A is configured to transmit the millimeter wave R1 toward the region where the arrival target Qm exists and receive the reflected wave R2 to acquire the position information of the arrival target Qm. In the following description, for convenience, the millimeter wave R1 transmitted to receive the reflected wave R2 is referred to as “target millimeter wave”, and the millimeter wave W1 transmitted toward the flying object 30A is referred to as “for flying object”. It is called “millimeter wave”.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ground management apparatus 20A includes a ground side millimeter wave antenna 21, a display operation unit 22, a ground side transmission unit 23, a ground side reception unit 24, and a ground management control unit 25A, and a flying object 30A. Includes a flying side millimeter-wave antenna 31, a flying side receiving unit 32, a flying control unit 33, and a flying mechanism 34.

  As described above, the ground-side millimeter wave antenna 21 transmits the target millimeter wave R1 toward the region where the arrival target Qm exists, receives the reflected wave R2, and faces the flying object 30A toward the flying object 30A. By transmitting the wave W1, communication is performed between the flying object 30A and the ground management apparatus 20A. The specific configuration of the ground side millimeter-wave antenna 21 is not particularly limited, but it is particularly preferable that the ground-side millimeter wave antenna 21 is configured as a radar in order to suitably transmit the target millimeter wave R1 toward a region where the arrival target Qm exists.

  The display operation unit 22 is for the user to perform flight management of the flying object 30A, and the specific configuration thereof is not particularly limited. A specific example of the display operation unit 22 will be described later together with a specific application example of the flight management system.

  The ground side transmission unit 23 generates a millimeter wave to be transmitted from the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21, and the ground side reception unit 24 receives electrical signal information from the millimeter wave received by the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21. Is generated. Specific configurations of the ground-side transmitter 23 and the ground-side receiver 24 are not particularly limited, and transmitters and receivers known in the field of millimeter waves can be suitably used. Further, in the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the ground side transmission unit 23 and the ground side reception unit 24 are each displayed as a single block, but these may constitute one communication device (transceiver). .

  The ground-side transmitting unit 23 generates a target millimeter wave R1 transmitted toward the region where the arrival target Qm exists, and from the flight management information (described later) generated by the ground management control unit 25A to the flying object 30A. A flying object-oriented millimeter wave W1 is generated. Among these, the target millimeter wave R1 is a millimeter wave for radar and may be a millimeter wave in a band suitably used as a radar. On the other hand, the flying object millimeter wave W1 is a communication millimeter wave, is a band suitably used for the purpose of information communication, and is coded as necessary. Note that there is no particular limitation on a specific band or the like for any millimeter wave.

  In the ground management apparatus 20 </ b> A, a ground wave millimeter wave antenna 21, a ground side transmission unit 23, and a ground side reception unit 24 constitute a millimeter wave radar unit 210. This millimeter wave radar unit 210 is used not only as a radar but also as a flight management antenna. That is, the millimeter wave radar unit 210 is also a ground side millimeter wave communication unit. The configuration of the millimeter wave radar unit 210 is not limited to this, and may be another known configuration.

  The ground management control unit 25A controls the ground management device 20A and generates flight management information used for flight management of the flying object 30A. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the ground management control unit 25 </ b> A includes a calculation unit 251, a storage unit 252, and a position information generation unit 253. The calculation unit 251 is constituted by a CPU of a microcomputer, for example, and performs calculations related to the operation of the ground management device 20A. Moreover, the calculating part 251 may be comprised so that the information of the electrical signal used for flight management may be processed using the program memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 252. FIG. The specific configuration of the storage unit 252 may be configured as an internal memory of a microcomputer or may be configured as an independent memory. The storage unit 252 does not have to be a single unit, and may be configured as a plurality of storage devices (for example, an internal memory and an external hard disk drive).

  The position information generation unit 253 generates position information of the reaching target Qm from the reflected wave R2 of the target millimeter wave R1. This position information is used for flight management of the flying object 30A in the flight control unit 33, and can be used as flight management information as it is. In addition to the position information and other information stored in the storage unit 252, Separately, flight management information can also be generated. That is, the position information generation unit 253 corresponds to a flight management information generation unit. The specific configuration of the position information generation unit 253 is not particularly limited, and may be configured as a known circuit in the field of millimeter wave radar, or realized by the CPU operating according to a program stored in the storage unit 252. That is, the functional configuration of the calculation unit 251 may be used.

  The flying-side millimeter wave antenna 31 receives the flying object-oriented millimeter wave W1 transmitted from the ground-side millimeter-wave antenna 21, thereby communicating between the flying object 30A and the ground management device 20A. The specific configuration of the flying side millimeter-wave antenna 31 is not particularly limited, and an antenna having a known configuration can be preferably used. The flying side receiving unit 32 generates electrical signal information from the millimeter wave received by the flying side millimeter wave antenna 31, and a receiver known in the field of millimeter waves can be suitably used. The flying side millimeter wave antenna 31 and the flying side receiving unit 32 constitute a flying side millimeter wave communication unit.

  The flight control unit 33 performs flight control on the flying object 30A itself, and is configured by a CPU of a microcomputer, for example, and performs calculations related to the operation of the flying object 30A. Although not specifically shown in FIG. 2, a storage unit such as various memories may be provided in the same manner as the ground management device 20A. The flight control unit 33 is configured to control the operation of the flight mechanism 34 using position information that is flight management information received by the flight-side millimeter-wave antenna 31. This point will be described later. Further, the “flight control” by the flight control unit 33 is a control different from the flight management of the flying object 30A by the ground management device 20A.

  The flying mechanism 34 includes a power source, a power mechanism, and the like that are provided to fly the flying object 30A. The flight mechanism 34 operates according to flight management information. In the present embodiment, since the flying object 30A is a radio-controlled helicopter, the rotary wing and the motor or engine that rotates the flying wing correspond to the flight mechanism 34. .

  Although a specific application example of the flight management system 10A is not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a case where a victim is rescued when a disaster occurs is given. Specifically, the ground management device 20A is mounted on the disaster rescue vehicle 11, and a radio-controlled helicopter is used as the flying object 30A. Further, as a flight purpose of the flying object 30A, for example, if a victim is confirmed at a disaster site occurring at the foot of a mountain, the point where the victim is located is set as an arrival target Qm, and an unmanned helicopter (flying object 30A) is used. Assume that the minimum transportable relief supplies are transported to the target Qm (the location of the victim).

  In this application example, as the display operation unit 22, for example, a configuration including a flat panel display (FPD) 221 as a display unit and a joystick 222 connected to the FPD 221 as an operation unit is used.

  As the display unit, for example, a liquid crystal display is used as the FPD 221, but the display unit is not limited thereto, and a known display such as a plasma display or an organic EL display can be used. A display device other than a flat panel display may be used. As the operation unit, a trackball can be used instead of the joystick 222. In addition to the operation unit, an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a pen tablet may be provided.

  Further, the display screen 223 of the FPD 221 can display a topographic image near the target Qm, various character information, etc. In addition, an icon 224a corresponding to the target Qm, an icon 224b corresponding to the flying object 30A, The flight trajectory 224c of the flying object 30A can be displayed. Of course, it goes without saying that information other than these can be displayed on the display screen 223.

[Operation of flight management system]
Next, regarding the operation of the flight management system 10A according to the present embodiment, for example, the flight management system 10A according to the present embodiment is operated under the following preconditions, and control during this operation is performed. An example will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 4 in addition to FIGS. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, only steps associated with flight management by the flight management system 10A are shown, and independent control by the ground management control unit 25A provided in the ground management device 20A or the flight control unit 33 provided in the flying object 30A. Not shown.

  As a specific precondition, for example, it is assumed that a disaster such as a landslide occurred at the foot of a mountain due to a typhoon or a long rain. Therefore, it is assumed that the disaster rescue vehicle 11 equipped with the ground management device 20A and the flying object 30A is dispatched to the disaster site, but cannot reach the disaster site because the road is blocked. If disaster victims remain at the disaster site, the minimum relief supplies such as food, water, and medicines will be transported by the flying object 30A as described above for the purpose of flying until the road block is restored. .

  At this time, the ground management device 20A mounted on the disaster rescue vehicle 11 first confirms whether or not the victim remains at the disaster site before starting the flight of the flying object 30A. That is, when the user (operator) operates the display operation unit 22, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, toward the area where the victim who is the target Qm is likely to be located, The target millimeter wave R1 is transmitted by the millimeter wave antenna 21 (step S101 shown in FIG. 4). Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the reflected wave R2 of the target millimeter wave R1 is received by the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21, and an electric signal is generated by the ground side receiving unit 24 (step S102 shown in FIG. 4). .

  As described above, since the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21 is used as a radar, the ground management control unit 25A of the ground management device 20A uses the reflected wave R2 received by the radar to obtain topographical information on the disaster site, weather, and the like. Information on conditions (estimated rainfall, etc. from the amount of attenuation) can be acquired, and if the victim is moving at the disaster site, the presence of the victim, that is, the presence of the target Qm can be confirmed. The distance and position can be confirmed. Further, other information (wind speed, temperature, atmospheric pressure, image information by an imaging device, etc.) can be acquired using various sensors other than the radar.

  Next, the user stores the position information of the reaching target Qm in the flying object 30A by a known method. Specifically, it may be performed by wireless communication via millimeter waves, or may be performed by wired communication by connecting the flying object 30A before flight and the ground management device 20A by communication wiring. Thereafter, the user operates the display operation unit 22 to start the flight of the flying object 30A from the ground management device 20A toward the arrival target Qm. In the flying body 30A, autonomous flight control is performed by the flight control unit 33. Further, in the ground management device 20A, since the target millimeter wave R1 is continuously transmitted, the position of the target Qm continues to be confirmed even during the flight of the flying object 30A (steps S101 and S102).

  Therefore, even when the flying object 30A is in flight, in the ground management control unit 25A of the ground management device 20A, position information that is flight management information is generated by the position information generation unit 253 (step S103 shown in FIG. 4). ). The ground-side transmitter 23 generates a flying object-oriented millimeter wave W1 corresponding to this position information, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the ground-side millimeter-wave antenna 21 converts the flying object 30A as a flying object-oriented millimeter wave W1. (Step S104 shown in FIG. 4).

  In the flying object 30A, since the flying-side millimeter wave antenna 31 receives the flying millimeter wave W1, and the flying-side receiving unit 32 generates position information as an electric signal, the flying control unit 33 performs the position information. The flight control is performed so as to operate the flight mechanism 34 (step S105 shown in FIG. 4). Note that the control from step S101 to S105 shown in FIG. 4 is continued until the flying object 30A reaches the reaching target Qm.

  Thus, in the flight management system 10A according to the present embodiment, by using the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21 as a millimeter wave radar, not only can it be used for acquisition or generation of flight management information, but also flight management. Millimeter waves are used to transmit and receive information.

  Here, for the flight management of a general radio controlled helicopter, an ultrashort wave of 40 MHz band or 72 MHz band is usually assigned. Compared with the ultrashort wave, the millimeter wave has strong straightness and can transmit a very large amount of information. On the other hand, it is known that the millimeter wave is not easily transmitted to a distant place because it is affected by rain or fog in bad weather compared to the ultra short wave. When the flight distance of the body 30A is relatively short, the influence of rain or fog can be almost ignored.

  Furthermore, it is also known to use microwaves as a technique for realizing communication excellent in all weather characteristics. However, as shown in the present embodiment, when the flight distance of the flying object 30A is relatively short, Millimeter waves have advantages over microwaves.

  Specifically, both microwaves and millimeter waves can detect a moving object by a reflection method utilizing the Doppler effect, but it is difficult to detect a stationary object using a microwave. On the other hand, since a millimeter wave can detect a stationary object, transmission of a target millimeter wave R1 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. It is also possible to detect a stationary object (terrain information up to the reaching target Qm, information about the victims, etc.).

  Also, since millimeter waves are easier to secure the band than microwaves, much information can be obtained from the reflected wave R2, and the discrimination of the target Qm can be made high, but microwaves use the Doppler effect. In this analysis, only moving objects can be identified. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, for example, it is possible to identify a disaster victim as the achievement target Qm and a moving object that is not a disaster victim.

  Furthermore, since millimeter waves are not widely used, not only is it easy to secure a band, but the possibility of obtaining a radio station license is higher than that of microwaves. Therefore, for example, it is possible to realize a flight management system having high-accuracy mobile object identification and communication equipment, so that it is easy to perform regular training as well as when a disaster occurs.

  In addition, components or devices related to transmission / reception of millimeter waves can be reduced in size and weight as compared to microwaves, and can be made multi-platform. Therefore, it is also possible to suppress the complication or enlargement of the flying object 30A.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to transmit flight management information with a larger amount of information to the flying object 30A than when using ultrashort waves or microwaves. Further, as described above, the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21 has both means for transmitting flight management information (flight management antenna) and means for receiving the reflected wave R2 (radar). Although the amount of information can be handled, the flight management system 10A can be prevented from becoming complicated.

[Modification]
In the present embodiment, the flying object 30A is automatically managed by the ground management apparatus 20A from the start of the flight to the arrival of the arrival target Qm (the end of the flight), but when there are a plurality of arrival targets Qm, The arrival target Qm may be changed manually by the user (operator), or when the flying object 30A reaches the vicinity of the arrival target Qm, the end of the flight such as landing of the flying object 30A is performed manually. Also good.

  In the present embodiment, by the operation of the display operation unit 22, the transmission from the target millimeter wave R1 to the start of flight of the flying object 30A may be performed by automatic control by the ground management control unit 26. At this time, if a plurality of target candidates that can be the reaching target Qm are confirmed, only the step of selecting a specific target candidate as the reaching target Qm may be performed manually by the user.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which only one icon 224a corresponding to the reaching target Qm is displayed on the display screen 223 of the display operation unit 22, but there are a plurality of reaching targets Qm. There is also a possibility. In this case, the user (operator) may fly the flying object 30A by designating a specific target as the reaching target Qm from among a plurality of candidates displayed on the display screen 223. That is, an operation of selecting a specific target from a plurality of candidates may be performed manually by the user.

  Further, the flight management system 10A according to the present embodiment is configured by the ground management device 20A and the flying body 30A, but is not limited thereto, and may include other devices that can communicate with these. The management system 10A itself may be configured to be connectable to an external network.

  Further, the flight management method according to the present embodiment is composed of five steps as shown in FIG. 4, but may include other steps. Here, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the timing at which the flying object 30A starts to fly is not shown, but this is because the flight management method shown in FIG. 4 is executed in a state where the flying object 30A does not fly. At the same time as step S105 is executed, the flying object 30A may start flying, or the flying management method shown in FIG. 4 may be executed after the flying object 30A starts flying. . That is, in the present embodiment, the timing at which the flying object 30A starts to fly can be set independently of each step in the flight management method.

  In the present embodiment, the ground-side millimeter-wave antenna 21 serves as both a radar and a flight management antenna. However, the radar and the flight management antenna may be independent of each other. That is, the ground management device 20 </ b> A may include a flight management communication unit separately from the millimeter wave radar unit 210.

  In the present embodiment, the ground management device 20A is mounted on a vehicle such as the disaster rescue vehicle 11, but is not limited thereto, and may be mounted on an aircraft such as a manned helicopter. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the ground management device 20 </ b> A is substantially integrated with the disaster rescue vehicle 11 because the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21 is provided on the upper surface of the disaster rescue vehicle 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the device may be configured to be carried out from the disaster rescue vehicle 11 and installed outside the vehicle as a device independent of the disaster rescue vehicle 11. Furthermore, the type of vehicle is not limited to a fire-fighting or disaster prevention-related vehicle, and may be a defense-related vehicle or other vehicle, or may be a rail vehicle or the like depending on the situation such as a disaster area.

  In the present embodiment, the flying object 30A is a radio-controlled helicopter, but is not limited to this, and can be applied to any type of unmanned flying object. For example, in addition to rotary wing aircraft such as radio controlled helicopters, fixed wing aircraft such as radio controlled propellers and radio controlled gliders; buoyancy type aircraft such as balloons and airships; missiles (guide bullets);

(Embodiment 2)
The flight management system 10A according to the first embodiment has a configuration in which the flying object millimeter wave W1 is only transmitted from the ground management device 20A to the flying object 30A, but in this embodiment, the flying object millimeter wave W1 is transmitted. The flight management system is configured to receive the reflected wave of the wave W1. An example of this configuration will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

[Configuration of flight management system]
As shown in FIG. 5, the flight management system 10B according to the present embodiment has the same basic configuration as the flight management system 10A, but the flying object 30B includes a millimeter wave reflector 35. The ground management control unit 25B included in the ground management device 20B is different in that the flight management information generation unit includes a difference information generation unit 254 instead of the position information generation unit 253 as shown in FIG. .

  The millimeter wave reflector 35 provided in the flying object 30B reflects the flying object millimeter wave W1 transmitted from the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21 of the ground management apparatus 20B. The reflected wave W2 of the flying millimeter wave W1 is received by the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21 and the ground side receiving unit 24 generates electrical signal information. Since this information includes position information of the flying object 30B, it will be referred to as flying object information in the following description.

  The specific configuration of the millimeter wave reflector 35 is not particularly limited, and a reflector or the like known in the field of millimeter waves or microwaves can be suitably used. Although the position where the millimeter wave reflector 35 is provided is not particularly limited, it may be usually the rear part of the flying object 30B. This is based on the fact that the directivity of millimeter waves is high and that the flying object 30B flies between the target Qm and the ground management device 20B in principle. In addition, about a more specific site | part, it is set according to the kind or shape of the flying body 30B, and is not specifically limited.

  The difference information generation unit 254 included in the ground management device 20B includes the position information of the target Qm obtained from the reflected wave R2 of the target millimeter wave R1 and the flying object information obtained from the reflected wave W2 of the flying object millimeter wave W1 ( The difference information is generated from the position information of the flying object 30B. This difference information is used by the flight control unit 33 to correct the flight position of the flying object 30B, and corresponds to flight management information. The specific configuration of the difference information generation unit 254 is not particularly limited, and may be configured as a known difference circuit, or a configuration realized by the CPU operating according to a program stored in the storage unit 252, that is, an arithmetic operation The functional configuration of the unit 251 may be used.

[Operation of flight management system]
Next, it is assumed that the flight management system 10B according to the present embodiment is operated under the same preconditions as in the first embodiment, and an example of the operation of the flight management system 10B during this operation is shown in FIG. It demonstrates concretely with reference to.

  First, although not shown in FIG. 7, the flying object 30B starts flying from the ground management device 20B. Next, when the user operates the display operation unit 22, as shown in FIG. 5, the ground side millimeter-wave antenna 21 moves the target toward the area where the victim who is the arrival target Qm may be located. The target millimeter wave R1 is transmitted, and the flying object-oriented millimeter wave W1 is transmitted toward the flying object 30B (step S201 shown in FIG. 7).

  Next, the reflected wave R2 of the target millimeter wave R1 is received by the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21, and information on the electrical signal is generated by the ground side receiving unit 24, and the reflected wave W2 of the flying object millimeter wave W1 is generated. The signal is received from the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21 and the information of the electric signal is generated by the ground side receiving unit 24 (step S202 shown in FIG. 7).

  Next, in the ground management control unit 25B of the ground management device 20B, the difference information generation unit 254 generates the position information of the arrival target Qm and the position information (flying object information) of the flying object 30B from the reflected wave R2 and the reflected wave W2. Further, the difference information is generated as flight management information (step S203 shown in FIG. 7). The ground-side transmitting unit 23 generates a flying object-oriented millimeter wave W1 corresponding to the difference information, and as shown in FIG. 5, the ground-side millimeter-wave antenna 21 is directed to the flying object 30B as the flying object-oriented millimeter wave W1. It is transmitted (step S204 shown in FIG. 7).

  In the flying object 30B, the flying-side millimeter wave antenna 31 receives the flying object millimeter wave W1, and the flying-side receiving unit 32 generates difference information as an electric signal. Is used to control the flight mechanism 34 to operate (step S205 shown in FIG. 7). The control from step S201 to S205 shown in FIG. 7 is continued until the flying object 30B reaches the reaching target Qm.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the flying object 30B includes the millimeter wave reflector 35, when the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21 is used as a millimeter wave radar, the position information of the arrival target Qm of the flying object 30B. In addition, the position information of the flying object 30B itself can be acquired with high accuracy. Therefore, since the difference information between the position of the target Qm and the position of the flying object 30B can be generated as the flight management information, by performing the flight management of the flying object 30B using the difference information, for example, Even when the flying direction of the flying object 30B is deviated from the target, the flying direction can be corrected. In addition, since the position information can be acquired from the flying object 30B simply by providing the flying object 30B with the millimeter wave reflector 35 such as a reflector, the configuration of the flying object 30B can be prevented from being complicated.

(Embodiment 3)
In the flight management system 10A according to the first embodiment or the flight management system 10B according to the second embodiment, the flying object 30A or the flying object 30B is only one aircraft, but in this embodiment, A flight management system including a plurality of flying objects will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

[Configuration of flight management system]
As shown in FIG. 8, the flight management system 10C according to the present embodiment has the same basic configuration as the flight management system 10A and the flight management system 10B, but includes a plurality of flying bodies 30C (FIG. 8). Then three aircraft) are included. As shown in FIG. 9A, the flying object 30C includes a reflector movement mechanism 36 that relatively moves the millimeter wave reflector 35. Further, as shown in FIG. The ground management control unit 25C included in 20C is different in that it includes a flying object information selection unit 255 and a flying object-specific difference information generation unit 256.

  The reflector movement mechanism 36 moves the millimeter wave reflector 35 relative to the flying object 30C provided with the millimeter wave reflector 35. Specifically, the reflector movement mechanism 36 rotates the millimeter wave reflector 35. The rotating mechanism is composed of a motor, a gear mechanism, and the like. Thus, if the flying object 30C is flying in a state where the millimeter wave reflector 35 is relatively moved by the reflector movement mechanism 36, the reflected wave W2 of the flying object millimeter wave W1 is a signal having polarization information. Thus, the signal is received by the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21.

  The reflector motion mechanism 36 is not limited to the rotating mechanism, and may be a mechanism that vibrates, swings, or turns the millimeter wave reflector 35. For example, a vibration mechanism can be easily realized by using a known cam mechanism in addition to a motor and a gear mechanism. Moreover, if it is a rocking | fluctuation mechanism, it can implement | achieve easily using a well-known link mechanism etc. in addition to a motor and a gear mechanism. In addition, the turning mechanism can be easily realized by combining a known speed reduction mechanism and frame mechanism in addition to the motor and gear mechanism.

  Further, each of the reflector movement mechanisms 36 provided in the plurality of flying bodies 30C has a different pattern for moving the millimeter wave reflector 35 relative to each other. Specifically, if the reflector movement mechanism 36 is a rotation mechanism, the number of rotations per unit time is different, the rotation period is different, the rotation direction is different between forward and reverse, or a combination thereof. it can. If the pattern of relative mobility of the reflector motion mechanism 36 is different for each flying object 30C, the reflected wave W2 reflected from the millimeter wave reflector 35 of each flying object 30C has a different polarization. It becomes a signal having information.

  When the reflector motion mechanism 36 is a rotation mechanism, the millimeter wave reflector 35 can be configured with a simple configuration such as a motor (or an air turbine) as compared with other configurations (vibration, swinging or turning mechanism). In addition to being able to rotate, different circularly polarized waves can be given to the reflected wave W2 only by changing the number of rotations per unit time. Therefore, there is an advantage that the plurality of flying bodies 30C can be well identified while avoiding the complicated configuration of the flying body 30C.

  The flying object information selection unit 255 identifies and selects the flying object 30C as a reflection source for the reflected wave W2 reflected from each of the plurality of flying objects 30C according to the difference in polarization characteristics, and generates difference information for each flying object. To the unit 256. The flying object-specific difference information generating unit 256 does not simply generate the difference information for each flying object 30C, but generates and encodes each difference information so that the flying object 30C is different. The specific configurations of the flying object information selection unit 255 and the flying object-specific difference information generation unit 256 are not particularly limited, and may be configured as a known circuit, or the CPU operates according to a program stored in the storage unit 252. The configuration realized by this, that is, the functional configuration of the calculation unit 251 may be used.

[Operation of flight management system]
Next, it is assumed that the flight management system 10C according to the present embodiment is operated under the same preconditions as in the first embodiment, and an example of the operation of the flight management system 10C during this operation is shown in FIG. It demonstrates concretely with reference to.

  First, although not shown in FIG. 10, the flying object 30C starts flying from the ground management device 20C. Next, when the user operates the display operation unit 22, as shown in FIG. 8, the ground side millimeter-wave antenna 21 moves the target toward the area where the victim who is the arrival target Qm may be located. The target millimeter wave R1 is transmitted, and the flying object millimeter wave W1 is transmitted toward the flying object 30C (step S301 shown in FIG. 10).

  Next, the reflected wave R2 of the target millimeter wave R1 is received by the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21, and information on the electric signal is generated by the ground side receiving unit 24, and the reflected light is reflected from each of the plurality of flying objects 30C. The wave W2 is received from the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21, and the information on the electrical signal is generated by the ground side receiving unit 24 (step S302 shown in FIG. 10).

  Next, in the ground management control unit 25C of the ground management device 20C, first, information corresponding to each flying object 30C is selected from the information generated from the reflected wave W2 by the flying object information selection unit 255 (FIG. 10, and then, the position information of the target Qm and the position information (flying object information) of each flying object 30 </ b> C are generated by the flying object-specific difference information generating unit 256, and each flying object is further generated. Different difference information is generated as flight management information for each 30C (step S304 shown in FIG. 10).

  The ground side transmission unit 23 generates a millimeter wave W1 for a flying object with a different code corresponding to each difference information. As shown in FIG. 8, each flight is performed as a millimeter wave W1 for the flying object from the ground side millimeter wave antenna 21. It is transmitted toward the body 30C (step S305 shown in FIG. 10).

  In the flying object 30C, the flying-side millimeter wave antenna 31 receives the flying object millimeter wave W1, and the flying-side receiving unit 32 generates difference information as an electric signal. Is used to perform the flight control so as to operate the flight mechanism 34 (step S306 shown in FIG. 10). In addition, control from step S301 to S306 shown in FIG. 10 is continued until the flying object 30B reaches the reaching target Qm.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the movement patterns of the millimeter wave reflectors 35 by the reflector movement mechanism 36 are different in the plurality of flying bodies 30C, and therefore, polarized waves having different characteristics from the flying bodies 30C. A reflected wave W2 having information is received. Therefore, the ground management device 20C can identify each of the plurality of flying objects 30C. Further, in the ground management device 20C, flight management information corresponding to each flying object 30C is generated from a plurality of reflected waves W2 with different electric signals, and millimeter waves of different codes are generated from the electric signals to generate each flying object 30C. Send to each. Therefore, the ground management device 20C can independently perform the flight management of the plurality of flying bodies 30C. As a result, even if there are a plurality of flying bodies 30C, the flight management can be performed satisfactorily.

[Modification]
In the present embodiment, the provision of the reflector motion mechanism 36 in the flying body 30C is mainly intended to identify the plurality of flying bodies 30C with the ground management device 20C, but is not limited thereto. In the same flying object 30C, the polarization pattern may be changed by changing the motion pattern of the reflector motion mechanism 36 over time. Thereby, more information can be included in the reflected wave W2 reflected from the same flying object 30C. Needless to say, this modification can also be applied to a configuration including a single flying object 30B, such as the flight management system 10B according to the second embodiment.

  Further, unlike the flight management system 10A according to the first embodiment, the flying object 30A does not include the millimeter wave reflector 35 and includes a plurality of flying objects 30A as in the present embodiment. In the ground management device 20C, different position information may be generated for each flying object 30A, generated in millimeter waves of different codes corresponding to the different position information, and transmitted to each flying object 30A.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration includes a plurality of flying bodies 30C. However, the configuration may include only one flying body 30C as in the second embodiment. In this case, in the millimeter wave received by the ground management apparatus 20C, the reflected wave having the polarization information is only from the flying object 30C, so whether the received millimeter wave is the reflected wave or the clutter. Can be clearly identified. This advantage can be similarly achieved in the present embodiment.

(Embodiment 4)
This embodiment has a configuration that can cope with the case where, in the first to third embodiments, the reflected wave R2 of the target millimeter wave R1 includes a large amount of clutter, and therefore the target Qm cannot be specified. This configuration will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b).

  As shown in FIG. 11A, the present embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in that the ground management control unit 26 includes a position information selection unit 257. The position information selection unit 257 removes noise corresponding to the clutter included in the information generated from the reflected wave R2 when the reflected wave R2 of the target millimeter wave R1 includes a lot of clutter. It is configured to output to the flight management information generation unit 260.

  The specific configuration of the position information sorting unit 257 is not particularly limited, and any configuration may be used as long as noise corresponding to clutter can be removed as a result. For example, suppression of clutter by millimeter wave gain setting, narrowing of candidates by map information, suppression of clutter by moving speed, suppression of clutter by detection rate for background, narrowing of candidates by setting range to search for target Qm, etc. Can be mentioned. These may be configured as known circuits, or may be a configuration realized by the CPU operating according to a program stored in the storage unit 252, that is, a functional configuration of the calculation unit 251.

  Note that the flight management information generation unit 260 in FIG. 11A includes the position information generation unit 253 in the first embodiment, the difference information generation unit 254 in the second embodiment, and the flying object difference in the third embodiment. Other configurations may be used as long as the configuration corresponds to the information generation unit 256 and the flight management information is generated. Similarly, the ground management control unit 26 corresponds to any of the ground management control units 25A to 25C in the first to third embodiments, but may have other configurations.

  Then, as shown on the left side in FIG. 11B, if a plurality of icons 224 d that can be candidates for the reaching target Qm are displayed on the display screen 223, the plurality of icons are displayed by the position information selection unit 257. The one corresponding to clutter is removed from 224d. As a result, as shown on the right side in FIG. 11B, only the icon 224a corresponding to the reaching target Qm is extracted and displayed on the display screen 223.

  As described above, in this embodiment, if the position information selection unit 257 for removing noise corresponding to clutter is provided in the preceding stage of the functional block that generates flight management information, more accurate flight management information is generated. It becomes possible to do.

  In the example shown on the left side in FIG. 11B, the icon 224d that can be clearly identified as clutter is displayed in a different color or shape from the icon 224a corresponding to the target Qm. It may be configured. In this case, the user (operator) can specify a specific target from among a plurality of candidates displayed on the display screen 223.

(Embodiment 5)
In the first to fourth embodiments, the flying bodies 30A to 30C are configured to be unable to transmit millimeter waves to the ground management devices 20A to 20C. However, in this embodiment, the flying bodies are flying. A side transmission unit is provided, and a millimeter wave can be transmitted to the ground management devices 20A to 20C. This configuration will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the flight management system 10D according to the present embodiment has the same basic configuration as the flight management systems 10A to 10C, but the flying object 30D images the flight-side transmission unit 37 and the imaging. The point which is provided with the part 38 differs.

  The flying side transmission unit 37 generates a ground-oriented millimeter wave W3 to be transmitted from the flying side millimeter wave antenna 31 to the ground management devices 20A to 20C, and the ground side transmission unit 23 included in the ground management devices 20A to 20C. The same configuration as can be used. Further, the flying side transmitting unit 37 constitutes a flying side millimeter wave communication unit together with the flying side millimeter wave antenna 31 and the flying side receiving unit 32.

  The ground management devices 20A to 20C receive the ground millimeter wave W3 transmitted from the flight side millimeter wave antenna 31 instead of receiving the reflected wave W2 of the flying millimeter wave W1 in the second to fourth embodiments. Communication information may be generated by the ground side receiving unit 24. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the ground management devices 20A to 20C can use substantially the same configurations as those described in the first to fourth embodiments. .

  According to this configuration, the flying object 30D and the ground management devices 20A to 20C can communicate with each other via millimeter waves, so that the ground-side millimeter-wave antenna 21 acquires a reflected wave R2 ( Radar), means for transmitting flight management information (flight management antenna), and bidirectional communication means (mutual communication antenna). Thereby, the flying object 30D can be made to fly to the arrival target Qm without using, for example, GPS.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the flying object 30 </ b> D includes the imaging unit 38. Therefore, the flying object 30 </ b> D can generate the ground-oriented millimeter wave W <b> 3 from the image information captured by the imaging unit 38 and transmit it from the flying-side millimeter-wave antenna 31 to the ground management devices 20 </ b> A to 20 </ b> C. That is, in this embodiment, since the flying object 30D and the ground management devices 20A to 20C can communicate with each other by millimeter waves, information having a large amount of data, such as image information captured by the imaging unit 38, is managed on the ground. It can transmit to apparatus 20A-20C. In the ground management devices 20A to 20C, for example, the user (operator) can not only check the image information on the display screen 223 of the display operation unit 22, but also use the image information for generating flight management information. Is also possible.

  The flight management control of the flight management system 10D according to the present embodiment is basically the same except that the reflected wave W2 in the second to fourth embodiments is changed to the ground millimeter wave W3. The description based on the flowchart is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, only one flying object 30D is illustrated, but a plurality of flying objects 30D may be provided as in the third embodiment. In this case, it is preferable that the ground-oriented millimeter waves W3 transmitted from the flying bodies 30D are coded so as to be distinguishable from each other. Thereby, in the ground management apparatuses 20A to 20C, various information (not only the identification information of the flying object 30D but also the image information obtained by the imaging unit 38) transmitted from the plurality of flying objects 30D is used for each flight. Since it can sort according to body 30D, a lot of information can be used appropriately.

(Embodiment 6)
In the first to fifth embodiments, the flying bodies 30A to 30D include the flight control unit 33. However, in the present embodiment, the flight control unit 33 is not provided. This configuration will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 13 and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the flight management system 10E according to the present embodiment includes ground management devices 20B and 20C similar to those in the second to fourth embodiments, but the flying object 30E-1 or the flying object 30E. -2 does not include the flight control unit 33, and is configured to directly operate the flight mechanism 34 based on the electrical signal information generated by the flight side reception unit 32.

  For example, in the first to third embodiments, due to various restrictions, the angular resolution of the millimeter wave radar (ground side millimeter wave antenna 21) of the ground management devices 20A to 20C is reduced, and the angle is larger than the size of the arrival target Qm. The lowest level of resolution may be greater. In this case, the flying objects 30 </ b> A to 30 </ b> C may fly toward the target Qm by the autonomous control by the flying control unit 33.

  On the other hand, in the flight management system 10E according to the present embodiment, it is assumed that the angular resolution of the millimeter wave radar of the ground management devices 20B and 20C can be sufficiently secured. In this state, the ground management devices 20B and 20C receive the reflected wave W2 of the flying object millimeter wave W1, and transmit the flight management information to the flying object 30E-1 using the flying object millimeter wave W1. Although it is the same as that of the embodiment, if the flying body 30E-1 is configured so that the flying mechanism 34 operates directly according to the received flight management information, the flying body 30E-1 includes the flight control unit 33. Even if it is not, flight management is performed appropriately. It is possible to fly toward the target Qm.

  Or if the flying object 30E-2 is equipped with the flying side transmission part 37 like the said Embodiment 5, mutual communication will become possible between the ground management apparatuses 20B and 20C and the flying object 30E-2. . Therefore, even if the flight control unit 33 is not provided, it is possible to perform appropriate flight management by transmitting and receiving flight management information by millimeter wave communication, and thus the flying object 30E-2 is caused to fly toward the arrival target Qm. It becomes possible.

  The configuration for directly operating the flight mechanism 34 based on the flight management information is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a configuration for switching the operation of the flight mechanism 34 using a switching element or the like.

(Embodiment 7)
In the first to sixth embodiments, the flying bodies 30A to 30E-2 have a configuration that cannot transmit millimeter waves to the ground management devices 20A to 20C. In the present embodiment, the flying bodies Is provided with a flying side transmission unit, and is configured to transmit millimeter waves to the ground management devices 20A to 20C. This configuration will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the flight management system 10F according to the present embodiment includes ground management devices 20A to 20C and flying bodies 30A to 30E-2 similar to those of the first to sixth embodiments. As the management devices 20A to 20C, a first ground management device 20F-1 and a second ground management device 20F-2 are included. Each of the ground management devices 20F-1 and 20F-2 is configured to be able to perform millimeter wave communication W4 with each other by a ground side millimeter wave antenna 21 (not shown in FIG. 14). Flight management of 30F (corresponding to one of the flying bodies 30A to 30E-2) is performed by the plurality of ground management devices 20F-1 and 20F-2.

  In the example shown in FIG. 14, there are a first mountain Mt1 and a second mountain Mt2, and the reaching target Qm is located on the other side of the second mountain Mt2 when viewed from the first mountain Mt1. The first ground management device 20F-1 is arranged on the top of the first mountain Mt1, and the second ground management device 20F-2 is located on the other side of the second mountain Mt2 as viewed from the arrival target Qm. Therefore, it is arranged at the foot of the first mountain Mt1. Then, immediately after the flight of the flying object 30F, the first ground management device 20F-1 performs flight management of the flying object 30F, and then the flight management of the flying object 30F to the second ground management device 20F-2. Can be transferred.

  Thus, since the flight management of the flying object 30F can be performed from a plurality of positions by the plurality of ground management devices 20F-1 and 20F-2, for example, even when the terrain up to the reaching target is complicated By relaying the control of the flying object 30F by the plurality of ground management devices 20F-1 and 20F-20 having different positions, the flight management of the flying object 30F can be performed more satisfactorily.

  Here, in the example shown in FIG. 14, the first ground management device 20F-1 is arranged at a position where the whole can be seen (the top of the first mountain Mt1), and the second ground management device 20F-2 is The flight management of the flying object 30F is performed from a position closer to the target Qm than the first ground management device 20F-1, but of course it is not limited to this, and conversely, the first ground management device The flight management of the flying object 30F may be performed by the second ground management device 20F-2 so as to go to the arrival target Qm at a position that cannot be seen from 20F-1.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the description of each of the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, and are disclosed in different embodiments and a plurality of modifications. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means provided are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely and suitably used in the field of flight management systems and flight management methods for guiding a flying object that performs remote control or autonomous control to a desired location.

10A to 10F Flight management systems 20A to 20C, 20F Ground management devices 30A to 30F Flying object 21 Flying side millimeter wave antenna (millimeter wave radar unit, ground side millimeter wave communication unit)
23 Ground side transmitter (millimeter wave radar unit, ground side millimeter wave communication unit)
24 Ground side receiver (millimeter wave radar)
25, 26 Ground management control unit (ground control unit)
31 Ground side millimeter wave antenna (flying side millimeter wave communication part)
32 Flying side receiver (flying side millimeter wave communication unit)
33 Flight control unit 34 Flight mechanism 35 Millimeter wave reflector 36 Reflector motion mechanism 37 Flight side transmission unit (flight side millimeter wave communication unit)
38 Imaging unit 253 Position information generation unit (flight management information generation unit)
254 Difference information generation unit (flight management information generation unit)
256 Difference information generating unit for each flying object (flight management information generating unit)
257 Position information selection unit 260 Flight management information generation unit (Flight management information generation unit)

Claims (17)

An unmanned flying object provided with a flying mechanism, and a ground management device that performs flight management of the flying object using flight management information,
The ground management device is
A millimeter wave radar unit that transmits a millimeter wave toward an area where the target of the flying object exists and receives a reflected wave of the millimeter wave;
From the reflected wave received by the millimeter wave radar unit, as the flight management information, at least a flight management information generation unit that generates position information of the reaching target;
With
The millimeter wave radar unit is configured to transmit the generated flight management information to the flying object using a millimeter wave,
The flying object is
A flight management system for an unmanned flying object, comprising a flight side millimeter wave communication unit that receives the flight management information by millimeter waves. The ground management device, as the millimeter wave radar unit,
With ground side millimeter wave antenna,
A ground side transmitter that generates millimeter waves to be transmitted from the ground side millimeter wave antenna;
A ground-side receiving unit that generates electrical signal information from millimeter waves received by the ground-side millimeter-wave antenna;
With
The ground side transmitting unit generates a millimeter wave for a target transmitted toward a region where the target of the flying object exists, and from the flying management information generated by the flying management information generating unit, the flying object The flight management system for an unmanned flying vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the flight management system is configured to generate a millimeter wave for a flying vehicle transmitted toward the vehicle. The flying object as the flying millimeter wave communication unit,
Flying side millimeter wave antenna,
A flight-side receiving unit that generates the flight management information from a millimeter-wave for a flying object received by the flight-side millimeter-wave antenna;
With
The flight management system for an unmanned flying vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the flight mechanism is configured to operate using the flight management information generated by the flight-side receiving unit. The flying object further includes a millimeter wave reflector that reflects the millimeter wave for the flying object,
The ground management device is
A reflected wave of the millimeter wave for the flying object from the millimeter wave reflector is received by the ground side millimeter wave antenna, and the flying object information is generated by the ground side receiving unit,
The unmanned flying object flight management system according to claim 3, wherein the flying management information generation unit is configured to generate the flight management information from the position information and the flying object information. The flying body further includes a reflector movement mechanism for moving the millimeter wave reflector relative to the flying body, and
The unmanned flying object flight management system according to claim 4, wherein a pattern of relative movement of the millimeter wave reflector by the reflector movement mechanism is different for each flying object.   6. The flight management of an unmanned flying vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the reflector movement mechanism causes the millimeter wave reflector to move at least one of rotation, vibration, swinging, and turning. system. The flying object further includes a flight control unit,
The flight management system for an unmanned flying vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the flight control unit is configured to control operation of the flight mechanism based on the received flight management information. Including a plurality of the flying objects,
The flight management information generation unit included in the ground management device generates the flight management information that is different for each flying object,
The unmanned flying object flight management system according to claim 2, wherein the ground side transmission unit generates millimeter waves for the flying object that are coded differently corresponding to each flight management information. . The flying object further includes a flying-side transmitting unit that generates a ground-oriented millimeter wave that is transmitted from the flying-side millimeter-wave antenna toward the ground management device, and
The ground management device is configured to receive a ground-oriented millimeter wave transmitted from the flying-side millimeter-wave antenna by the ground-side millimeter-wave antenna and generate communication information by the ground-side receiving unit. The unmanned flying object flight management system according to claim 3, wherein Including a plurality of the flying objects,
The flight management system for an unmanned flying vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the flying transmission unit included in the flying vehicle generates ground-oriented millimeter waves encoded differently for each flying vehicle. . The flying object further includes an imaging unit,
The unmanned flying object flight management system according to claim 9, wherein the flying-side transmission unit is configured to generate the ground-oriented millimeter wave from image information captured by the imaging unit.   The ground management device further includes a position information selection unit that removes noise corresponding to clutter contained in the position information and outputs the noise to the flight management information generation unit. A flight management system for an unmanned flying vehicle according to 1. A plurality of the ground management devices, and the ground management devices are configured to communicate with each other by the millimeter wave radar unit;
The unmanned flying object flight management system according to claim 1, wherein the flying object is configured such that flight management is performed by a plurality of the ground management devices.   The unmanned flying object flight management system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the flying object is any one of a fixed wing aircraft, a rotary wing aircraft, and a guided bullet. A flight management method for managing a flight of an unmanned flying object equipped with a flight mechanism according to flight management information transmitted from a ground management device,
Transmitting a millimeter wave from the ground management device toward the target of the flying object, and receiving the reflected wave of the millimeter wave to obtain position information of the target;
Generating the flight management information in the ground management device based on at least the position information;
Transmitting the generated flight management information from the ground management device to the flying object by millimeter wave communication;
A step of operating a flying mechanism of the flying object according to the flight management information received by millimeter wave communication;
A flight management method characterized by comprising: Receiving the reflected wave generated by the millimeter wave for the flying object being reflected by the flying object at the ground management device; or
Receiving the millimeter wave transmitted from the flying object by the ground management device;
The flight management method for an unmanned flying vehicle according to claim 15, further comprising: generating the flight management information from the received information obtained from the reflected wave or the millimeter wave. A plurality of the flying objects are included,
The flight management method for an unmanned flying vehicle according to claim 16, further comprising a step of selecting information obtained by reflected waves or millimeter waves received from the plurality of flying vehicles for each flying vehicle.

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