JP2021029045A - Flight vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communication environment with high convenience for users.SOLUTION: A flight vehicle is a flight vehicle loaded with a communication relay device that relays communication between a terminal and a relay line, and includes: a first communication unit that communicates with the terminal; a second communication unit that communicates with the relay line; and a flight control unit that controls a flight position of its own flight vehicle based on a communication situation with the terminal via the first communication unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an air vehicle equipped with a communication relay device.

Conventionally, a wireless relay device mounted on an air vehicle is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This wireless relay device connects other devices to the Internet.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-91335

Since the above-mentioned device efficiently acquires and manages information on a desired location with high accuracy, there is a problem that it is not possible to provide a more convenient communication environment for the user.

An object of the present invention is to provide a communication environment that is more convenient for users.

One embodiment of the present invention is an air vehicle equipped with a communication relay device that relays communication between a terminal and a relay line, and is a communication between a first communication unit that communicates with the terminal and a relay line. It is an air vehicle including a second communication unit that performs the above-mentioned operations and a flight control unit that controls the flight position of the own aircraft based on the communication status between the terminal and the terminal via the first communication unit.
The flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention has a detection unit for detecting the amount of communication with the terminal via the first communication unit, and the flight control unit is operated by the detection unit. It controls the flight position of its own aircraft based on the detected traffic.
Further, in the flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention, the flight control unit communicates with the terminal via the first communication unit or with the relay line via the second communication unit. The flight position of the own aircraft is controlled based on the communication capacity of the above and the communication amount detected by the detection unit.
Further, in the flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention, the flight control unit controls the flight position of the own aircraft according to the ratio of the communication amount detected by the detection unit to the communication capacity.
Further, in the flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention, the flight control unit moves in the first moving direction in response to a change in the communication amount after moving the own aircraft in the first moving direction. It controls whether to continue the movement or to move in a second movement direction different from the first movement direction.
Further, in the flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention, the flight control unit has a terminal number acquisition unit that acquires the number of terminals that can communicate via the first communication unit, and the flight control unit has the number of terminals. The flight position of the own aircraft is controlled based on the number of terminals acquired by the acquisition unit.
Further, in the flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention, the flight control unit responds to a change in the number of terminals acquired by the terminal number acquisition unit after moving its own aircraft in the first movement direction. Therefore, it is controlled whether to continue the movement in the first movement direction or to move in a second movement direction different from the first movement direction.
Further, in the flying object of the embodiment of the present invention, the flight control unit controls the flight position of the own aircraft based on the connection time with the terminal connected via the first communication unit.
Further, the flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention has a terminal position acquisition unit that acquires terminal position information indicating the position of the terminal, and the flight control unit has a terminal position acquired by the terminal position acquisition unit. Control the flight position of your aircraft based on the information.
Further, the flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention has a moving direction detecting unit for detecting the moving direction of the terminal to be communicated via the first communication unit, and the flight control unit detects the moving direction. The flight position of the own aircraft is controlled based on the moving direction of the terminal detected by the unit.
Further, in the flying object of the embodiment of the present invention, the flight control unit controls the position of the own aircraft in the horizontal direction.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication relay device that can provide a communication environment that is more convenient for the user.

It is a figure which shows an example of the block diagram of the communication system 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the appearance composition of the flying object 20 which mounted on the communication relay device 50. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional structure of the communication relay device 50. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed by the control unit 60. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the position of the flying object 20 and the communication range of a terminal communication antenna 52. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed after moving in the horizontal direction executed by the control unit 60. It is a figure which shows an example of the behavior of the own machine after the control unit 60 moved the own machine in the first movement direction. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional structure of the communication relay device 50A of the 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed by the communication relay device 50A of the 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional structure of the communication relay device 50B of the 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed by the control unit 60 of the 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional structure of the communication relay device 50C of 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed by the control unit 60 of the 4th Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the detection of the moving direction of a mobile terminal apparatus 15. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process executed by the control unit 60 of the 4th Embodiment.

Hereinafter, the communication system 1 including the flying object 20 equipped with the communication relay device 50 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment)
[Configuration of communication system 1]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration diagram of the communication system 1. The communication system 1 includes a base station 8, relay control devices 10-1 to 10-n, mobile terminal devices 15-1 to 15-n, and an air vehicle 20 equipped with a communication relay device 50. The aircraft body 20 wirelessly communicates with the mobile terminal devices 15-1 to 15-n and the relay control device 10. Hereinafter, when the relay control device 10-1 to 10-n are not distinguished, it is simply referred to as the relay control device 10. Further, hereinafter, when the mobile terminal device 15-1 to 15-n are not distinguished, it is simply referred to as the mobile terminal device 15.

The base station 8 communicates with the mobile terminal device 15 around the base station 8. Further, the base station 8 communicates with the relay control device 10. The relay control device 10 communicates with a plurality of base stations 8 or flying objects 20. The relay control device 10 controls the communication relay device 50 mounted on the base station 8 or the aircraft 20 that communicates with the own device. The relay control device 10 is connected to a switchboard (not shown). The exchange communicates with the plurality of relay control devices 10.

The mobile terminal device 15 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal carried by a user. The mobile terminal device 15 is a communication device capable of communicating with each other by voice or characters. The mobile terminal device 15 can be connected to a communication network (not shown) such as the Internet, which can transmit and receive voice information and image information on the same line. The mobile terminal device 15 connects to the relay control device 10 and the communication network via the communication relay device 50 mounted on the base station 8 or the flying object 20.

[Structure of flying object 20]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an external configuration of an air vehicle 20 equipped with a communication relay device 50. The aircraft 20 includes rotors RT1 to RT4, motors 22-1 to 22-4, GPS receiving unit 24, camera 26, sensor 28, terminal communication antenna 52, relay communication antenna 54, and control unit. It has 60 and. The combination of the terminal communication antenna 52, the relay communication antenna 54, and the control unit 60 is an example of the "communication relay device".

The rotors RT1 to RT4 are rotating bodies (rotor blades). Hereinafter, the rotors RT1 to RT4 are simply referred to as rotors RT when they are not distinguished. The motors 22-1 to 22-4 give lift and propulsion to the flying object 20 by rotating the rotor RT. In this example, the flying object 20 comprises motors 22-1 to 22-4. Motors 22-1 to 22-4 rotate the corresponding rotors RT1 to RT4. The flying object 20 controls the position, direction, and traveling direction of its own aircraft by controlling the drive current supplied to each of the motors 22. The number of rotors and motors is not limited to four, and may be any number.

The GPS receiving unit 24 receives radio waves transmitted by a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite. The radio waves transmitted by the GPS satellites include a signal for identifying the position where the radio waves are received, that is, the position of the flying object 20. The GPS receiving unit 24 converts radio waves received from GPS satellites into GPS signals, and outputs the converted GPS signals to the communication relay device 50. In this example, the case where the GPS receiving unit 24 receives the radio wave transmitted by the GPS satellite will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the GPS receiving unit 24 may receive radio waves from artificial satellites other than GPS satellites, such as a quasi-zenith satellite with high positioning accuracy.

The imaging unit, that is, the camera 26, captures the scenery around the flying object 20. The camera 26 outputs the captured landscape image as a peripheral image to the communication relay device 50. In this example, the imaging direction of the camera 26 and the heading HDG of the flying object 20 coincide with each other. In this case, the camera 26 captures the scenery in front of the own machine.

The sensor 28 is, for example, a gyro sensor, an altitude sensor, a distance measuring sensor, or the like. The gyro sensor detects the attitude of the airframe 20. The altitude sensor projects a laser vertically below the body of the flying object 20 and receives the reflected light of the projected laser. The altitude sensor calculates the altitude of the flying object 20 based on, for example, the phase delay of the received light. Further, the altitude sensor may be, for example, a sensor that calculates the atmospheric pressure at the flight position of the own aircraft and calculates the altitude from the calculated atmospheric pressure. The distance measuring sensor projects a laser in the horizontal direction of the airframe 20 and receives the reflected light of the projected laser. The ranging sensor detects an object existing around the flying object 20, for example, based on the phase delay of the received light.

The terminal communication antenna 52 receives radio waves transmitted from the mobile terminal device 15 and transmits radio waves to the mobile terminal device 15. The aircraft body 20 communicates with the mobile terminal device 15 via the terminal communication antenna 52. The relay communication antenna 54 receives the radio wave transmitted from the relay control device 10 and transmits the radio wave to the relay control device 10. The aircraft body 20 communicates with the relay control device 10 via the relay communication antenna 54.

[Structure of control unit 60]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the communication relay device 50. The control unit 60 of the communication relay device 50 is connected to the motor 22, the GPS receiving unit 24, the camera 26, the sensor 28, the terminal communication antenna 52, and the relay communication antenna 54 described above. The description of the terminal communication antenna 52 and the relay communication antenna 54 will be omitted because they have been described above.

The control unit 60 includes a storage unit 62, a own machine position calculation unit 66, a movement control unit 68, a communication control unit 70, a communication amount detection unit 72, and a position determination unit 74. The combination of the movement control unit 68 and the position determination unit 74 is an example of the “flight position control unit”. The storage unit 62 includes a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory. Flight plan information 64 is stored in the storage unit 62. The flight plan information 64 is information indicating the flight plan, destination, and the like of the flight object 20. The semiconductor memory may be a portable IC memory that can be removed from the communication relay device 50, or a flash ROM or the like that cannot be removed from the communication relay device 50.

In this example, a case where the communication relay device 50 includes a storage unit 62 and the flight plan information 64 is stored in the storage unit 62 will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Even if the communication relay device 50 receives the flight plan information 64 from another device by wireless communication without storing the flight plan information 64 in the storage unit 62 or while storing the flight plan information 64 in the storage unit 62. Good. The other device is, for example, an operation controller that is separate from the flying object 20 and can operate the flying object 20.

The own aircraft position calculation unit 66 calculates the position of the flying object 20, that is, the own aircraft position. The own machine position calculation unit 66 calculates the own machine position information IP by performing a known calculation based on, for example, the GPS signal SG output by the GPS receiving unit 24. The own aircraft position information IP includes the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the aircraft 20 which is the own aircraft. The own machine position calculation unit 66 outputs the calculated own machine position information IP to the movement control unit 68.

The own machine position calculation unit 66 may calculate the own machine position information IP based on the peripheral image PIC output by the camera 26 in addition to the GPS signal SG or instead of the GPS signal SG. In this case, the own machine position calculation unit 66 calculates the own machine position information IP by comparing the landscape image information stored in advance with the peripheral image PIC captured by the camera 26. As a result, the own machine position calculation unit 66 can calculate the own machine position even in a situation where the radio wave from the GPS satellite cannot be received. In addition, the own machine position calculation unit 66 may calculate the position and altitude of the own machine based on the detection result of the sensor 28.

The movement control unit 68 controls the movement of the flying object 20. The movement control unit 68 reaches the destination by comparing the own aircraft position information IP calculated by the own aircraft position calculation unit 66 with the coordinates of the destination point of the aircraft 20 stored in the flight plan information 64. Calculate the flight route. Further, the movement control unit 68 controls the drive current DC of the motor 22 by a known calculation so that the flying object 20 flies along the calculated flight route. The motor 22 rotates under the control of the movement control unit 68. As a result, the aircraft 20 flies toward the destination along the flight route.

The communication control unit 70 transfers the information contained in the radio waves received by the terminal communication antenna 52 from the mobile terminal device 15 to the relay control device 10 via the relay communication antenna 54. Further, the communication control unit 70 transfers the information contained in the radio waves received from the relay control device 10 by the relay communication antenna 54 to the mobile terminal device 15 via the terminal communication antenna 52.

The communication amount detection unit 72 detects the communication amount of the communication performed with the mobile terminal device 15 via the terminal communication antenna 52. Further, the communication amount detection unit 72 detects the communication amount of the communication performed with the relay control device 10 via the relay communication antenna 54.

The position-fixing unit 74 detects the communication capacity with the mobile terminal device 15 via the terminal communication antenna 52 or the communication capacity with the relay line via the relay communication antenna 54, and the communication amount detection unit 72. Determine the flight position of your aircraft based on the amount of communication. The position-fixing unit 74 is in the horizontal direction of the own unit according to the ratio of the communication amount detected by the communication amount detection unit 72 to the communication capacity of the communication with the mobile terminal device 15 or the communication capacity of the communication with the relay control device 10. Determine the position of. The communication capacity is an amount indicating the upper limit of data that can be communicated in a predetermined time. The communication capacity may be an upper limit artificially set in advance, or may be an upper limit limited by the specifications of the device.

[Operation 1 of control unit 60]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the control unit 60. First, the position-fixing unit 74 acquires the communication amount detected by the communication amount detection unit 72 (step S100). Next, the position-fixing unit 74 calculates the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity (step S102). The communication capacity is the communication capacity of communication with the mobile terminal device 15 via the terminal communication antenna 52 or the communication capacity of communication with the relay line via the relay communication antenna 54.

Next, the position-fixing unit 74 determines whether or not the communication volume calculated in step S102 is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio (step S104). When the communication volume calculated in step S102 is less than a predetermined ratio, the position-determining unit 74 determines the direction in which the own machine is moved in the horizontal direction (step S106). The direction of movement in the horizontal direction (first direction) may be preset or may be any direction.

When the communication volume calculated in step S102 is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio, the position-determining unit 74 determines that the current position is maintained without moving the own machine in the horizontal direction (step S108). Next, the movement control unit 68 controls and moves the own machine in the direction determined in step S106. Alternatively, the movement control unit 68 controls the own machine as determined in step S108 to maintain the current position (step S110). This ends one routine in this flowchart. In step S106, it is determined to move the own machine in the horizontal direction, and after the process of step S110, the process shown in FIG. 6 to be described later is executed.

[Specific operation 1 of the flying object 20]
When the altitude of the flying object 20 is constant, the terminal communication antenna 52 transmits radio waves having a constant communication range toward the ground. The communication range is, for example, a range in which the flying object 20 provides a service to the mobile terminal device 15. The service is to connect the mobile terminal device 15 to the network. For example, the terminal communication antenna 52 transmits a conical radio wave having the terminal communication antenna 52 at the apex or a fan-shaped radio wave toward the ground.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position of the flying object 20 and the communication range of the terminal communication antenna 52. In the figure, the vertical axis indicates the flight altitude, and the horizontal axis indicates the distance (diameter of the communication range). In the illustrated example, the radio wave transmitted by the terminal communication antenna 52 will be described as having a conical shape. When the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity is less than a predetermined ratio, the control unit 60 moves the own machine in the horizontal direction (first movement direction). By moving the flying object 20 in the horizontal direction, it is possible to search for a position that increases the amount of communication with the mobile terminal device 15 at the current position. In addition, even if the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity is less than the predetermined ratio, the control unit 60 is in the case where the communication amount suddenly decreases in a short time and the ratio becomes less than the predetermined ratio. Since there is a possibility that the amount of communication will increase immediately, you may stop your own machine.

In the illustrated example, the communication amount when the flying object 20 is located at the position P1 will be described as being larger than the communication amount when the flying object 20 is located at the position P. When the flying object 20 is present at the position P, if the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity is less than a predetermined ratio, the flying object 20 moves to the position P1 by the above-described processing. As a result, the amount of communication that the communication relay device 50 of the aircraft 20 communicates with increases. As described above, when the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity is less than a predetermined value, the flying object 20 moves in the horizontal direction, so that it can communicate with, for example, more mobile terminal devices 15. As a result, the communication relay device 50 can provide a communication environment that is more convenient for the user.

[Operation 2 of control unit 60]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the control unit 60 after moving in the horizontal direction. This process is, for example, a process determined in step S106 of FIG. 4 to move the own machine in the horizontal direction, and is executed after the process of step S110.

First, the position-fixing unit 74 acquires the communication amount detected by the communication amount detection unit 72 (step S120). Next, the position-fixing unit 74 calculates the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity (step S122). Next, the position-determining unit 74 determines whether or not the ratio calculated in step S122 increases the ratio of the communication amount to the previously calculated communication capacity (step S124). The ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity calculated last time is, for example, the ratio of the communication amount to the most recently calculated communication capacity. That is, it is the ratio of the communication amount calculated in step S102 of FIG. 4, or the ratio of the communication amount calculated in the process of step S122 of FIG. 6 one routine before.

When the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity increases in step S124, the position-determining unit 74 determines the movement direction of the own machine in the first movement direction (step S126). When the ratio of the communication volume to the communication capacity has not increased in step S124, the position-determining unit 74 determines the horizontal movement direction (second movement direction) different from the first movement direction (second movement direction). Step S128). The second moving direction may be a horizontal moving direction different from the first moving direction, and may be preset or may be any direction. If the ratio of the communication volume to the communication capacity has not changed (or has changed only within a predetermined ratio range) in step S124, the position-determining unit 74 will maintain the own machine at the current position. It may be decided, or it may be decided to move the own machine in the first movement direction or the second movement direction. Further, when the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity increases in step S124, the position-determining unit 74 may decide to maintain the own machine at the current position.

Further, the position determining unit 74 may determine whether or not to move the own device based on the connection time between the communication relay device 50 and the mobile terminal device 15. For example, the control unit 60 acquires the identification information of the mobile terminal device 15 connected to the communication relay device 50 from the mobile terminal device 15, and stores the acquired identification information in the storage unit 62. The position-fixing unit 74 determines the connection time between the same mobile terminal device 15 and the relay communication device 50 based on the information stored in the storage unit 62 and the connection state between the communication relay device 50 and the mobile terminal device 15. If it exceeds the predetermined time, it is decided not to move the own machine and to keep the own machine in the current position. In this way, when the same mobile terminal device 15 and the communication relay device 50 are connected for a predetermined time, the user can secure the communication use of the user who owns the mobile terminal device 15. The convenience of the device can be improved. On the other hand, the position-fixing unit 74 determines the connection time between the relay communication device 50 and the mobile terminal device 15 based on the information stored in the storage unit 62 and the connection state between the relay communication device 50 and the mobile terminal device 15. When it is determined that there is no mobile terminal device 15 which exceeds the predetermined time (or when it is determined that the number is less than or equal to the predetermined number), it is determined to move the own device in the first movement direction or the second movement direction. ..

Next, the movement control unit 68 controls and moves the own machine in the direction determined in step S126 or step S128 (step S130). This ends one routine in this flowchart.

In the above-described processing, the position-determining unit 74 determines in step S124 whether or not the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity has increased, but whether or not the communication amount has increased from the most recently detected communication amount. May be determined. For example, the position-fixing unit 74 proceeds to step S126 when the communication amount increases from the most recently detected communication amount, and proceeds to step S128 when the communication amount does not increase from the most recently detected communication amount. In this case, the position-fixing unit 74 omits the process of calculating the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity in step S122.

[Specific operation 2 of the flying object 20]
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the behavior of the own machine after the control unit 60 moves the own machine in the first movement direction. The description of FIG. 5 and the description of the overlapping portion will be omitted. In the illustrated example, the behavior after the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity is less than a predetermined ratio, the flying object 20 moves in the first movement direction, and is positioned at the position P1 will be described. If the ratio of the amount of communication to the communication capacity increases after the aircraft 20 moves in the first movement direction, the aircraft 20 continues to move in the first movement direction (see steps S126 and S130). As a result, the flying object 20 moves to the position P2.

After the aircraft 20 continued to move in the first direction of movement (eg, after moving to position P2), the ratio of traffic to communication capacity did not increase in the processing of the next routine (in the illustrated example). In the case of (decreased), the aircraft 20 moves in a second movement direction different from the first movement direction (see steps S128 and S130). Similarly, when the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity does not increase after the flying object 20 moves to the position P1 after the processing of step S106 and step S110 in FIG. 4 (step S124: NO), the flying object 20 is also used. Moves in the second movement direction.

In this way, after the aircraft 20 has moved in the first movement direction, if the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity has not increased from the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity calculated most recently, the first movement. The flying object 20 moves in a second moving direction different from the direction. As a result, the communication relay device 50 mounted on the aircraft 20 searches for a position where it can communicate with, for example, more mobile terminal devices 15. As a result, the communication relay device 50 can provide a more convenient communication environment for the user by communicating with the mobile terminal device 15 at the searched position.

For example, it is preferable to fly the flying object 20 equipped with the communication relay device 50 in a facility where many people gather, such as a concert venue or an event venue. For example, at concert venues and event venues, many people (users) who have the mobile terminal device 15 gather, and the positions of the users are fluid. For example, when the horizontal position of the flying object 20 is fixed and the communication range is fixed, the mobile terminal device 15 may not exist in the communication range. On the other hand, the communication relay device 50 determines the horizontal position of the flying object 20 based on the communication capacity and the communication amount. The communication relay device 50 controls the horizontal position of the flying object 20 so that the communication amount approaches the communication capacity. As a result, the communication relay device 50 can provide a communication environment that is more convenient for the user. In addition, the communication relay device 50 can use the communication equipment more efficiently.

According to the first embodiment described above, the communication relay device 50 has a communication capacity for communication with the mobile terminal device 15 via the terminal communication antenna 52 or communication with the relay control device 10 via the relay communication antenna 54. By controlling the flight position of the own aircraft based on the communication capacity of the above and the communication amount detected by the communication amount detection unit 72, it is possible to provide a more convenient communication environment for the user.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described. Here, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the functions and the like common to the first embodiment will be omitted. In the first embodiment, the control unit 60 of the flying object 20 controls the position of the flying object 20 according to the ratio of the communication amount detected by the communication amount detecting unit 72 to the communication capacity. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the control unit 60 controls the position of the flying object 20 based on the number of mobile terminal devices 15 in which the terminal communication antenna 52 can communicate.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the communication relay device 50A of the second embodiment. The communication relay device 50A of the second embodiment includes a terminal number acquisition unit 73 instead of the functional configuration of the first embodiment. The terminal number acquisition unit 73 acquires the number of mobile terminal devices 15 in which the terminal communication antenna 52 can communicate, based on the information received by the relay communication antenna 54. The control unit 60 transmits the communication result between the terminal communication antenna 52 and the mobile terminal device 15 to the relay control device 10 via the relay communication antenna. The base station 8 transmits the communication result between its own station and the mobile terminal device 15 to the relay control device 10. The relay control device 10 monitors the number of mobile terminal devices 15 in the communication range of the base station 8 controlled by the own device, or the number of mobile terminal devices 15 in the communication range of the communication relay device 50A. The relay control device 10 transmits information indicating the number of mobile terminal devices 15 within the communication range of the communication relay device 50A to the communication relay device 50A. The position-fixing unit 74 determines the position of the flying object 20 based on the number of mobile terminal devices 15 acquired by the terminal number acquisition unit 73.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the communication relay device 50A of the second embodiment. First, the terminal number acquisition unit 73 acquires the number of mobile terminal devices 15 in a state in which the terminal communication antenna 52 can communicate, based on the information received by the relay communication antenna 54 (step S200). Next, the position-determining unit 74 determines whether or not the number of mobile terminal devices 15 acquired in step S200 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (step S202). When the number of mobile terminal devices 15 is less than a predetermined number, the position determining unit 74 determines the direction in which the own device is moved in the horizontal direction (step S204). The direction of movement in the horizontal direction (first direction) may be preset or may be any direction.

When the number of mobile terminal devices 15 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the position determining unit 74 determines that the current position is maintained without moving the own device in the horizontal direction (step S206). Next, the movement control unit 68 controls the own machine in the direction determined in step S204. Alternatively, the movement control unit 68 controls the own machine as determined in step S206 to maintain the current position (step S208).

Next, the terminal number acquisition unit 73 acquires the number of mobile terminal devices 15 in a state in which the terminal communication antenna 52 can communicate, based on the information received by the relay communication antenna 54 (step S210). Next, the position-determining unit 74 determines whether or not the number of mobile terminal devices 15 acquired in step S210 has increased compared to the number of mobile terminal devices 15 acquired in step S200 (step S212). ..

When the number of mobile terminal devices 15 acquired in step S210 is not increased compared to the number of mobile terminal devices 15 acquired in step S200, the position-determining unit 74 first moves its own device in the horizontal direction. A direction (second moving direction) different from the moving direction of is determined (step S214). The second moving direction may be a horizontal direction different from the first moving direction, and may be preset or may be an arbitrary direction.

When the number of mobile terminal devices 15 acquired in step S210 is increased compared to the number of mobile terminal devices 15 acquired in step S200, the position-determining unit 74 sets the moving direction of the own device to the first moving direction. Determine (step S216). The first moving direction in this process is the moving direction determined in step S204. Next, the movement control unit 68 controls and moves the own machine in the direction determined in step S214. Alternatively, the movement control unit 68 controls the own machine as determined in step S216 to maintain the current position (step S218). This ends one routine in this flowchart.

The terminal number acquisition unit 73 may acquire the number of mobile terminal devices 15 in a state in which the terminal communication antenna 52 can communicate from the storage unit 62. In this case, the storage unit 62 stores the number of mobile terminal devices 15 in which the terminal communication antenna 52 can communicate, the identification information of the mobile terminal device 15, and the like. The communication relay device 50A acquires the number of mobile terminal devices 15 and identification information from the relay control device 10, and stores the acquired information in the storage unit 62. Further, the terminal number acquisition unit 73 may calculate the number of mobile terminal devices 15 based on the communication result between the terminal communication antenna 52 and the mobile terminal device 15.

According to the second embodiment described above, the communication relay device 50A controls the position of the flying object 20 based on the number of mobile terminal devices 15 in which the terminal communication antenna 52 can communicate. It is possible to provide a communication environment that is more convenient for users.

The communication relay device 50A may include a communication amount detection unit 72 and a mobile terminal acquisition unit 73. In this case, the position-fixing unit 74 refers to, for example, a preset priority or a preset condition, and the communication amount detected by the communication amount detection unit 72 or the mobile terminal device 15 acquired by the terminal number acquisition unit 73. The position of the own machine may be determined based on the number of. Further, although the first embodiment and the second embodiment have been described as different embodiments, the first embodiment and the second embodiment may be combined and implemented. For example, the processing after step S210 described above may be executed after the processing of step S110 of the first embodiment.

(Third Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described. Here, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the functions and the like common to the first embodiment will be omitted. In the first embodiment, the control unit 60 of the flying object 20 controls the position of the flying object 20 according to the ratio of the communication amount detected by the communication amount detecting unit 72 to the communication capacity. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the control unit 60 moves the own device in the horizontal direction to a position in the sky above the dense region of the mobile terminal device 15.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the communication relay device 50B of the third embodiment. The communication relay device 50B of the third embodiment includes a terminal position information acquisition unit 80 and further includes an area extraction unit 82 in place of the communication volume detection unit 72 of the first embodiment. The terminal position information acquisition unit 80 acquires the number of mobile terminal devices 15 in a state in which the terminal communication antenna 52 can communicate, based on the communication result between the terminal communication antenna 52 and the mobile terminal device 15.

Further, the terminal position information acquisition unit 80 detects the position of the mobile terminal device 15 based on the communication result between the terminal communication antenna 52 and the mobile terminal device 15. In the present embodiment, the radio wave transmitted from the mobile terminal device 15 includes, for example, the position information of the mobile terminal device 15. The mobile terminal device 15 includes a position specifying unit such as a GPS receiver. The terminal position information acquisition unit 80 acquires the position of the mobile terminal device 15 based on the position information acquired from the mobile terminal device 15.

The area extraction unit 82 acquires the position information indicating the position of the mobile terminal device 15 from the terminal position information acquisition unit 80. The area extraction unit 82 detects the density of the mobile terminal device 15 in the area around the own machine for each predetermined area based on the acquired position information. The predetermined area is an area obtained by arbitrarily dividing the area around the own machine. The region extraction unit 82 extracts a region having a high density of the mobile terminal device 15 from the region around the own machine. The region extraction unit 82 outputs information indicating a region having a high density of the extracted mobile terminal device 15 to the position determination unit 74. The position-determining unit 74 determines the position in the sky above the dense region of the mobile terminal device 15 as a position for moving the own device in the horizontal direction.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the control unit 60 of the third embodiment. First, the position-fixing unit 74 acquires the communication amount detected by the communication amount detection unit 72 (step S300). Next, the position-fixing unit 74 calculates the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity (step S302). The communication capacity is the communication capacity of communication with the mobile terminal device 15 via the terminal communication antenna 52 or the communication capacity of communication with the relay line via the relay communication antenna 54.

Next, the position-fixing unit 74 determines whether or not the communication volume calculated in step S302 is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio (step S304). When the communication volume calculated in step S302 is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio, the position-determining unit 74 determines that the current position is maintained without moving the own machine in the horizontal direction (step S306).

When the communication volume calculated in step S302 is less than a predetermined ratio, the terminal position information acquisition unit 80 acquires the position of the mobile terminal device 15 (step S308). Next, the region extraction unit 82 extracts a region having a high density in which the mobile terminal device 15 exists in the region around the own device based on the position of the mobile terminal device 15 acquired in step S308 (step S310). ). Next, the position determining unit 74 determines the position to move the own machine in the horizontal direction based on the extraction result in step S310 (step S312). Next, the movement control unit 68 controls and moves the own machine in the direction determined in step S306. Alternatively, the movement control unit 68 controls and moves the own device to a position in the sky above the region where the mobile terminal device 15 exists, which is determined in step S312 (step S314). As a result, one routine of this flowchart ends.

Further, the terminal position information acquisition unit 80 may acquire information indicating the position of the mobile terminal device 15 from the camera 26. In an example of this embodiment, the terminal position information acquisition unit 80 acquires an image captured by the camera 26 and outputs the acquired information to the area extraction unit 82. The region extraction unit 82 may extract a region having a high density in which the mobile terminal device 15 exists based on the image captured by the camera 26. For example, the region extraction unit 82 analyzes the image captured by the camera 26. The area extraction unit 82 compares the feature amount extracted based on the analysis result with the feature amount included in the person model stored in the storage area in advance, and thereby, the number of people in the image captured by the camera 26. Is detected. The region extraction unit 82 extracts a region having a high density of people based on the number of people in the image captured by the camera 26. In this case, the region extraction unit 82 estimates that the region where the density of people is high is the region where the mobile terminal device 15 exists. Further, the flying object 20 may detect a region having a high density in which the mobile terminal device 15 exists, based on the result of flying in an arbitrary direction without considering the amount of communication. In this case, when the flying object 20 flies in an arbitrary area, the communication relay device 50B moves the flying object 20 over the area where the number of mobile terminal devices 15 connected to the own device is large.

According to the third embodiment described above, the communication relay device 50B extracts a region having a high density of the mobile terminal device 15 from the region around the own device, and the communication volume detected by the communication volume detection unit 72 is When the communication capacity is small, the mobile terminal device 15 is moved horizontally to a position above the high density area to provide a more convenient communication environment for the user. be able to.

(Fourth Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the fourth embodiment will be described. Here, the differences from the first and third embodiments will be mainly described, and the description of the functions and the like common to the first and third embodiments will be omitted. In the first embodiment, the control unit 60 of the flying object 20 controls the position of the flying object 20 according to the ratio of the communication amount detected by the communication amount detecting unit 72 to the communication capacity. On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, the control unit 60 detects the moving direction of the mobile terminal device 15 and moves the own device in the horizontal direction based on the detected moving direction of the mobile terminal device 15.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the communication relay device 50C of the fourth embodiment. The communication relay device 50C of the fourth embodiment includes a terminal position information acquisition unit 80 instead of the communication volume detection unit 72 of the first embodiment, and further includes a movement direction detection unit 84. As described above, the mobile terminal device 15 transmits the position information specified by the position specifying unit and the identification information of the own device to the communication relay device 50C as the mobile terminal position information. The terminal position information acquisition unit 80 of the communication relay device 50C acquires the mobile terminal position information of the mobile terminal device 15 from the mobile terminal device 15 at predetermined time intervals. The terminal position information acquisition unit 80 outputs the mobile terminal position information to the movement direction detection unit 84. The mobile terminal position information is information in which the position information of the mobile terminal device 15 and the identification information acquired from the mobile terminal device 15 by the terminal position information acquisition unit 80 are associated with each other.

The moving direction detection unit 84 acquires the mobile terminal position information from the terminal position information acquisition unit 80. The moving direction detection unit 84 detects a temporal change in the position of the mobile terminal device 15 based on the mobile terminal position information acquired by the terminal position information acquisition unit 80 at predetermined intervals. The moving direction detection unit 84 detects the moving direction of the mobile terminal device 15 based on the temporal change of the position of the detected mobile terminal device 15. The position determination unit 74 determines the direction in which the own device is moved in the horizontal direction based on the movement direction of the mobile terminal device 15 detected by the movement direction detection unit 84.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the control unit 60 of the fourth embodiment. First, the terminal position information acquisition unit 80 acquires the position of the mobile terminal device 15 at predetermined time intervals (step S400). Next, the moving direction detection unit 84 detects the moving direction of the mobile terminal device 15 based on the position of the mobile terminal device 15 acquired at a predetermined time interval (step S402). The details of the moving direction detection method will be described later. Next, the position-determining unit 74 calculates the most moving direction among the plurality of moving directions in which the mobile terminal device 15 detected in step S402 is moving (step S404). Next, the position determining unit 74 determines the position to move the own machine in the horizontal direction based on the moving direction calculated in step S404 (step S406). Next, the movement control unit 68 controls and moves its own machine to the position in the horizontal direction determined in step S406 (step S408). As a result, one routine of this flowchart ends.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the detection of the moving direction of the mobile terminal device 15. The illustrated example is a bird's-eye view when the ground is viewed from the sky, and shows the communication range (A and A1 in the figure) of the communication relay device 50 at different times. The moving direction detection unit 84 is based on the position of the mobile terminal device 15 (A) detected at a certain time and the position of the mobile terminal device 15 (A1) detected after a predetermined time from a certain time. A movement vector V indicating the movement direction of 15 is generated. The movement direction detection unit 84 detects the direction of the generated movement vector V as the movement direction of the mobile terminal device 15. In the illustrated example, the number of movement vectors V in the plus X direction is larger than the number of movement vectors V in the minus X direction. The position-determining unit 74 calculates the movement vector in the plus X direction as the most moving direction among the moving directions of the mobile terminal device 15.

The position-determining unit 74 determines, for example, a position where the moving mobile terminal device 15 is within the communication range of the communication relay device 50. The position-fixing unit 74 calculates the moving speed of the mobile terminal device 15 based on, for example, the detection result of the moving direction detecting unit 84. The position determination unit 74 determines the position where the mobile terminal device 15 is within the communication range of the communication relay device 50 based on the calculated moving speed of the mobile terminal device 15. For example, when there are a plurality of mobile terminal devices 15 that are moving, the position determining unit 74 determines the positions where more mobile terminal devices 15 are within the communication range of the communication relay device 50. In the illustrated example, the position-determining unit 74 determines the position in the sky that is the communication range A1 based on the detection result of the moving direction detection unit 84. As a result, the aircraft 20 moves horizontally from the position in the sky that is the communication range A to the position in the sky that is the communication range A1. As a result, the communication relay device 50 mounted on the flying object 20 can communicate with more mobile terminal devices 15, and can provide the user with a more convenient communication environment.

For example, it is preferable to fly the flying object 20 equipped with the communication relay device 50 in a facility where many people gather, such as a concert venue or an event venue. As described above, the communication relay device 50 determines the position of the flying object 20 so as to follow the moving direction of the mobile terminal device 15. For example, after the event ends, a person (user) who possesses the mobile terminal device 15 may move from the event venue toward the station. In this case, since the flying object 20 follows the moving user, it is possible to provide a more convenient communication environment to the user who participated in the event. In addition, at an event such as an exhibition, the user may intermittently move from the station to the exhibition venue, move inside the exhibition venue, or move from the exhibition venue to the station. is there. In this case, since the flying object 20 follows the direction in which the mobile terminal device 15 moves in many directions, it is possible to provide the user with a more convenient communication environment.

According to the fourth embodiment described above, the communication relay device 50 moves the own device in the horizontal direction based on the movement direction of the mobile terminal device 15 detected by the movement direction detection unit 84, thereby causing the user. It is possible to provide a more convenient communication environment for the user.

(Fifth Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the fifth embodiment will be described. Here, the differences from the first to fourth embodiments will be mainly described, and the description of the functions and the like common to the first to fourth embodiments will be omitted. In the first embodiment, the control unit 60 of the flying object 20 controls the position of the flying object 20 according to the ratio of the communication amount detected by the communication amount detecting unit 72 to the communication capacity. On the other hand, in the fifth embodiment, after raising the position of the own unit, the control unit 60 horizontals the own unit when the communication amount does not exceed a predetermined ratio with respect to the communication capacity. Move in the direction.

The position-fixing unit 74 of the fourth embodiment determines the flight altitude in addition to the functions of the position-fixing unit 74 of the first to fourth embodiments. The movement control unit 68 controls the aircraft to the flight altitude determined by the position determination unit 74. The terminal communication antenna 52 transmits radio waves toward the ground, which have a wider communication range as the flight altitude of the flying object 20 increases.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the control unit 60 of the fifth embodiment. First, the position-fixing unit 74 determines the flight altitude of the own aircraft (step S500). Next, the movement control unit 68 controls the own aircraft to the flight altitude determined in step S500 (step S502). Next, the position-fixing unit 74 acquires the communication amount detected by the communication amount detection unit 72 (step S504). Next, the position-fixing unit 74 calculates the ratio of the communication amount to the communication capacity (step S506).

Next, the position-determining unit 74 determines whether or not the ratio calculated in step S504 is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio (step S508). When the ratio calculated in step S508 is less than the predetermined ratio, the position-determining unit 74 determines the direction in which the own machine is moved in the horizontal direction (step S510). When the ratio calculated in step S504 is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio, the position-determining unit 74 determines that the current position is maintained without moving the own machine in the horizontal direction (step S512). Next, the movement control unit 68 controls and moves the own machine in the direction determined in step S510. Alternatively, the movement control unit 68 controls the own machine as determined in step S512 to maintain the current position (step S514). This ends one routine in this flowchart.

According to the fifth embodiment described above, the communication relay device 50 sets the own device when the communication amount does not exceed a predetermined ratio with respect to the communication capacity after raising the position of the own device. By moving it in the horizontal direction, it is possible to search the area where the mobile terminal device 15 exists. As a result, the communication relay device 50 can provide a more convenient communication environment for the user by communicating with the mobile terminal device 15 at the searched position.

Although the embodiments of the present invention and modifications thereof have been described above, these embodiments and modifications thereof are presented as examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and at the same time, are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Each of the above-mentioned devices has a computer inside. The process of each process of each device described above is stored in a computer-readable recording medium in the form of a program, and the process is performed by the computer reading and executing this program. Here, the computer-readable recording medium refers to a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Further, this computer program may be distributed to a computer via a communication line, and the computer receiving the distribution may execute the program.

Further, the above program may be for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions. Further, a so-called difference file (difference program) may be used, which can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

1 ... Communication system, 10 ... Relay control device, 15 ... Mobile terminal device, 50 ... Communication relay device, 52 ... Terminal communication antenna, 54 ... Relay communication antenna, 50 ... Communication relay device, 62 ... Storage unit, 66 ... Self Machine position calculation unit, 68 ... movement control unit, 72 ... communication volume detection unit, 73 ... terminal number acquisition unit, 74 ... position determination unit, 80 ... terminal position information acquisition unit, 82 ... area extraction unit, 84 ... movement direction detection Department

Claims (11)

An aircraft equipped with a communication relay device that relays communication between the terminal and the relay line.
The first communication unit that communicates with the terminal and
The second communication unit that communicates with the relay line,
A flight control unit that controls the flight position of the own aircraft based on the communication status with the terminal via the first communication unit.
Aircraft equipped with. It has a detection unit that detects the amount of communication performed with the terminal via the first communication unit.
The flight control unit controls the flight position of the own aircraft based on the amount of communication detected by the detection unit.
The flying object according to claim 1. The flight control unit has a communication capacity of communication with the terminal via the first communication unit or a communication capacity of communication with the relay line via the second communication unit, and communication detected by the detection unit. Control the flight position of your aircraft based on the amount and
The flying object according to claim 2. The flight control unit controls the flight position of the own aircraft according to the ratio of the communication amount detected by the detection unit to the communication capacity.
The flying object according to claim 3. The flight control unit either continues the movement in the first movement direction or continues the movement in the first movement direction in response to the change in the communication amount after moving the own aircraft in the first movement direction. Controls whether to move in a second movement direction that is different from
The flying object according to any one of claims 2 to 4. It has a terminal number acquisition unit that acquires the number of terminals in a state where communication is possible via the first communication unit.
The flight control unit controls the flight position of its own aircraft based on the number of terminals acquired by the terminal number acquisition unit.
The flying object according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The flight control unit continues the movement in the first movement direction according to the change in the number of terminals acquired by the terminal number acquisition unit after moving the own aircraft in the first movement direction. Controls whether to move or move in a second moving direction different from the first moving direction.
The flying object according to claim 6. The flight control unit controls the flight position of the own aircraft based on the connection time with the terminal connected via the first communication unit.
The flying object according to any one of claims 1 to 7. It has a terminal position acquisition unit that acquires terminal position information indicating the position of the terminal.
The flight control unit controls the flight position of its own aircraft based on the terminal position information acquired by the terminal position acquisition unit.
The flying object according to any one of claims 1 to 8. It has a moving direction detecting unit that detects the moving direction of the terminal to be communicated via the first communication unit.
The flight control unit controls the flight position of the own aircraft based on the movement direction of the terminal detected by the movement direction detection unit.
The flying object according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The flight control unit controls the horizontal position of the aircraft.
The flying object according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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