JP2023038825A - Position management system - Google Patents

Abstract

To acquire position information concerning not only ground support equipment (GSE) including a position confirmation device but also a GSE without including a position confirmation device.SOLUTION: A position management system 10 includes: image acquisition sections 42 each of which photographs an image; position information acquisition sections 43 each of which acquire present position information of a GSE4; and a control section 36. The control section 36 allows the position information acquisition section 43 to acquire the present position information of the GSE4 included in the image photographed by the image acquisition section 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a position management system for acquiring and managing position information of ground support equipment at an airport.

Airports are equipped with ground support equipment to perform ground support operations for aircraft. Ground support equipment is called GSE (Ground Support Equipment), and there are various types of GSE such as boarding bridges, high lift loaders, belt loaders, towing tractors, refueling vehicles, airport power supply vehicles, passenger steps, and dolly. A dolly is a non-powered GSE pulled by a towing tractor.

Each GSE moves through the airport as it performs ground support operations. At this time, it is required to appropriately acquire and manage the location information of each GSE in order to grasp the work progress and travel status of each GSE. Conventionally, the location information of the GSE has been obtained by visually confirming the location by workers or by communicating with each other using wireless devices, telephones, or the like. However, position confirmation by visual observation may result in misalignment, and position confirmation by communication between workers using radio or the like imposes a heavy burden on the operator.

It is also conceivable to acquire the position information of the GSE using GPS (Global Positioning System). For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a position management system that includes one dolly installed with a master unit having GPS and a plurality of dolly units installed with slave units that transmit dolly identification information to the master unit. It is In this location management system, the parent device transmits location information detected by GPS and identification information about a plurality of dollys to the management server. Thus, the management server manages the positions of all dollys in the airport.

JP 2020-134389 A

However, due to reasons such as high cost, it is currently the case that only a portion of the GSEs working at the airport can be equipped with GPS-equipped devices. Then, it is not possible to acquire the position information of all GSEs in the airport by GPS.

In addition, when acquiring location information from a GSE that has a power mechanism, the power to operate the so-called location confirmation device such as the base unit and slave unit installed in the GSE is supplied from the battery built into the GSE. can do. However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, power cannot be supplied from the GSE side to a position confirmation device installed in the GSE that does not have a power mechanism such as a dolly. For this reason, the GSE must be equipped with a separate battery for supplying power to the device for position confirmation such as the parent device and the child device. The batteries installed in the GSE need to be replaced periodically, which is troublesome for the operator. In particular, when a parent device and a child device are installed in each dolly as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to replace the battery of each dolly, which is a lot of trouble.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a position management system that can acquire not only the position information of GSEs equipped with a device for position confirmation, but also the position information of ground support equipment that is not equipped with a device. for the purpose.

A position management system according to the present invention is a position management system for managing the positions of a plurality of ground support equipment that perform ground support work at an airport, comprising: an image acquisition unit capable of capturing an image; and current position information of the ground support equipment. and a control unit, wherein the control unit selects at least one of the ground support devices included in the image captured by the image acquisition unit as an acquisition target of the current position information. A certain acquisition target device is determined, and the current position information of the acquisition target device is acquired by the ground support device other than the acquisition target device or the position information acquiring unit provided in the airport equipment. do.

According to the present invention, the current position information of the acquisition target device, which is the ground support device, included in the captured image is acquired by the ground support device other than the acquisition target device or the position information acquisition unit provided in the airport equipment. . Therefore, the current position information of the acquisition target device can be indirectly acquired by the position information acquisition unit regardless of whether or not the acquisition target device is equipped with a device for position management. This makes it possible to acquire position information even for ground support equipment that is not provided with a device for position confirmation, such as a parent device that has a GPS or a child device that can communicate with the parent device.

In the present invention, the position management system further includes a route setting unit that sets a travel route from the travel start position to the work position of the plurality of ground support devices, and a notification unit that notifies the operator, and the control It is preferable that, when the current location information indicates that the device to be acquired is off the travel route, the notification unit notifies the abnormality.

According to the present invention, the operator can grasp whether or not the ground support equipment, which is not provided with a device for position confirmation, is properly moving along the traveling route.

In the position management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of ground support devices include at least one first ground support device in which the image acquisition section and the position information acquisition section are installed.

When the image acquisition unit and the position information acquisition unit are fixed at arbitrary positions, the current position information cannot be acquired for the ground support equipment located in a blind spot from the fixed position. In addition, when the visibility in the airport is poor due to bad weather, etc., if the distance between the image acquisition unit and the position information acquisition unit fixed at an arbitrary position and the ground support equipment is long, the current position of the ground support equipment Information may not be acquired correctly. According to the present invention, the image acquisition section and the position information acquisition section are installed in the first ground support device that travels in the airport. Therefore, by moving the first ground support device to a position where the ground support device does not become a blind spot, it is possible to reliably obtain the current position information of the ground support device. Further, when the visibility in the airport is poor, the current position information of the ground support equipment can be reliably obtained by bringing the first ground support equipment close to the ground support equipment for which the current position information is to be obtained. can.

In the position management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the position information acquisition section acquires the current position information by irradiating the ground support equipment with a laser.

Since laser light travels in a straight line, it is difficult to disperse even in the dark at night, in the presence of strong sunlight in the daytime, and in bad weather such as heavy rain and thick fog. Therefore, according to the present invention, compared to the case of obtaining the current position information using ordinary light, ultrasonic waves, etc., or the case of calculating the current position information from camera images such as stereo cameras, ground support equipment current position information can be detected with high accuracy.

In the position management system of the present invention, it is preferable that the image acquisition unit can capture a bird's-eye view image of the airport including the ground support equipment.

According to the present invention, it is possible to photograph the airport in a wide range. Therefore, a plurality of ground support devices in the airport can be collectively photographed as a bird's-eye view image. This makes it possible to collectively manage the positions of a plurality of ground support devices in the airport, making management easier than in the case of separately managing the positions of each ground support device.

Location information can be obtained not only for GSEs equipped with devices for location confirmation, but also for ground support equipment not equipped with devices for location confirmation.

1 is a plan view simply showing facilities of an airport; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a position management system according to this embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a series of processes when position management of each GSE is performed by the position management system; (a) A table showing an example of a flight schedule, and (b) a table showing an example of a list of cargo. 4 is a table showing an example of a ground support schedule; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of a GSE travel route; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the positions of the first GSE and the GSEs included in the image on a planar grid; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the positions of the first GSE and the GSEs included in the image on the plane grid of the position management system according to the modification;

An embodiment of a position management system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, facilities of the airport 1 in which the location management system 10 of this embodiment is operated will be described below. FIG. 1 is a plan view simply showing facilities of an airport 1. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, an airport 1 has a terminal building 2 . A plurality of gates 3 are provided in the terminal building 2, and the aircraft 100 that has landed moves to a predetermined gate 3 and stops there. A boarding bridge 4E is connected to the plurality of gates 3 . The boarding bridge 4</b>E is a facility for allowing passengers and crew members to get on and off the aircraft 100 from the gate 3 . If the boarding bridge 4E cannot be used, the passenger step 4F, which will be described later, may be used. While the aircraft 100 is parked at the airport 1, passengers and crew boarding and disembarking, loading and unloading of cargo and baggage, replenishment of fuel, cleaning of the inside and outside of the aircraft, inspection of aircraft equipment, deicing work, power supply, etc. Work (ground support work) is carried out. Then, when the ground support operations are completed and preparations are made, the aircraft 100 takes off from a runway (not shown) provided at the airport 1 .

In ground support operations, multiple GSEs 4 are used. GSE is an abbreviation for Ground Support Equipment, meaning ground support equipment. There are various types of GSE 4, but to give an example, a refueling truck 4A for refueling the aircraft 100, a belt loader 4B for loading and unloading passengers' luggage into and out of the aircraft, and a towing for pulling the aircraft 100 and dolly 4G described later. There are a tractor 4C, a high lift loader 4D for carrying cargo into and out of the aircraft, the boarding bridge 4E described above, a passenger step 4F for allowing crew members and passengers to directly get on and off the aircraft, and a dolly 4G for loading containers and pallets. The towing tractor 4C, for example, tows the aircraft 100 stopped in the work area 101 (described later) to the runway when the aircraft 100 takes off. Also, the towing tractor 4C pulls one or more dolly 4G. Dolly 4G is a GSE without a power train. A refueling vehicle 4A, a belt loader 4B, a towing tractor 4C, a high lift loader 4D, a passenger step 4F, and a dolly 4G are work vehicles that travel within the airport 1.

Hereinafter, an area including the aircraft 100 and in which ground support operations are performed by a plurality of GSEs 4 is referred to as a work area 101 . A plurality of GSEs 4 are waiting at a predetermined waiting place 102 . In addition, each GSE 4 may wait at a maintenance area or a parking lot (not shown) instead of the standby place 102, or may move directly to the work area 101 from another work area.

Here, when performing ground support work using a plurality of GSEs 4, it is required to appropriately manage the position of each GSE 4 in the airport 1 in order to grasp the progress of work and the traveling situation of each GSE 4. Conventionally, the position management of each GSE 4 has been carried out by visual position confirmation by workers or communication between workers using wireless devices, telephones, or the like. However, position confirmation by workers' visual observation may cause deviation, and position management by communication between workers using radio or the like imposes a heavy burden on the workers.

It is also conceivable to use a GSE4 position management system using GPS (Global Positioning System). However, due to high cost and other reasons, only some of the GSEs 4 working at the airport 1 can be equipped with GPS devices. Furthermore, when mounting a device for position management on the GSE 4 that does not have a power mechanism like the dolly 4G, it is necessary to separately mount a battery on the dolly 4G. The batteries installed in the GSE4 need to be replaced periodically, which is troublesome for the operator.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the inventors of the present application devised a location management system capable of performing location management of the GSE 4 which is not provided with a device for location management. The position management system 10 will be described in detail below.

(Location management system 10)
FIG. 2 shows the location management system 10 of this embodiment. The position management system 10 includes an air traffic control 21, a GSE control 22, a plurality of GSEs 4, and an operator terminal 15. Air traffic control 21 maintains flight schedules for aircraft 100 . The flight schedule includes model information of the aircraft 100 on which ground support operations are performed by the GSE 4, and the like. Note that the flight schedule may be obtained from an airline, and does not necessarily have to be obtained from the air traffic control 21 .

The GSE control 22 has a schedule creation unit 31 , a route setting unit 32 , an image processing unit 33 , a notification unit 34 , a communication unit 35 and a control unit 36 . GSE control 22 can communicate with air traffic control 21 and a plurality of GSEs 4 via communication unit 35 .

The schedule creation unit 31 creates work schedules by a plurality of GSEs 4 based on the flight schedule provided by the air traffic control 21 . The work schedule includes the departure and arrival times of the aircraft 100, the runway at the time of departure and arrival, the gate number for ground support work, the model information of the aircraft 100, the work position of the GSE 4, the responsible workers for each work content, and the like.

The route setting unit 32 sets a travel route from the travel start position of each GSE 4 to the work position based on the work schedule created by the schedule creation unit 31 . The starting position of the GSE 4 is, for example, a waiting place 102, a maintenance area or parking lot (not shown), any work area 101, or the like.

The created work schedule and travel route are transmitted to each GSE 4 and worker terminal 15 via the communication unit 35 . Each GSE 4 moves in the airport 1 along the travel route transmitted from the GSE control 22, and when it reaches the work position, it performs ground support work for the stopped aircraft 100.

The image processing unit 33 performs predetermined processing on images captured by the image acquisition unit 42, which will be described later. The processing executed by the image processing unit 33 will be described later in detail.

The notification unit 34 notifies the operator of an abnormality when the GSE 4 is deviated from the travel route. The notification unit 34 notifies, for example, by displaying on a display or by uttering a sound. Note that the notification unit 34 may notify the operator of the abnormality when there is an object (such as a container) that should not be there. Moreover, the notification unit 34 may notify the operator of normality when the GSE 4 is properly traveling along the travel route. It should be noted that the operation status of the GSE 4 may be notified not only to the worker, but also to the general manager of the work, the airline, and the like.

The communication unit 35 can communicate with the air traffic control 21 , the communication unit 45 of the GSE 4 , and the operator terminal 15 . Based on the processing of the image processing unit 33, the control unit 36 controls the notification operation of the notification unit 34, the position information acquisition unit 43 described later, and the like. The control of the control unit 36 will be explained later in detail.

The plurality of GSEs 4 are classified into first GSE 4a and second GSE 4b. The first GSE 4 a includes a current position receiving portion 41 , an image obtaining portion 42 , a position information obtaining portion 43 , a traveling control portion 44 and a communication portion 45 . The second GSE 4 b has a running control unit 44 and a communication unit 45 , but does not have the current position receiving unit 41 , the image acquiring unit 42 and the position information acquiring unit 43 . In this embodiment, one or a plurality of GSEs 4 among the plurality of GSEs 4 is classified as the first GSE 4a, and the other GSEs 4 are classified as the second GSE 4b. In the case of a GSE 4 that does not have a power mechanism, such as a dolly 4G or a passenger step 4F that is towed by a towing tractor 4C, the GSE 4 does not have a travel control unit 44.

The current position receiving unit 41 receives, for example, a GPS signal and acquires the position information of the own vehicle. The position information of the own vehicle may be obtained using a positioning method other than GPS (such as GNSS).

The image acquisition unit 42 is, for example, a camera attached to the first GSE 4a and capable of capturing an image in front of the first GSE 4a. The position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the current position information of the GSE 4 other than the own vehicle, and specifically acquires the current position information of the GSE 4 included in the image captured by the image acquisition unit 42. . In this embodiment, the stereo camera attached to the first GSE 4 a corresponds to the image acquisition section 42 and the positional information acquisition section 43 . The position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the relative position of the GSE 4 included in the image captured by the stereo camera with respect to the host vehicle. In this embodiment, the image acquisition part 42 installed in 1st GSE4a can image|photograph the image containing 1st GSE4a and 2nd GSE4b other than a self-vehicle. In addition, the position information acquisition unit 43 installed in the first GSE 4a acquires the current position information of the first GSE 4a and the second GSE 4b included in the captured image. In other words, the image acquiring unit 42 and the location information acquiring unit 43 are provided in the first GSE 4a other than the GSE 4 (acquisition target device of the present invention) from which the current location information is to be acquired.

The travel control unit 44 performs travel control of the own vehicle based on the travel route sent from the route setting unit 32 via the communication unit 45 and the position information of the own vehicle acquired by the current position reception unit 41 .

The worker terminal 15 is a terminal carried by a worker who performs ground support work for the aircraft 100 . In this embodiment, a smartphone that can specify the current location by GPS and communicate with the GSE control 22 is used. As the worker terminal 15, any terminal may be used as long as it is possible to confirm the current location of the worker and communicate with the GSE control 22 (Galapagos mobile phone, wireless communication device, tablet terminal, smart glasses, etc.). , wearable devices such as smart watches). The worker can input the ID of the GSE 4 operated by the worker, the ID of the cargo to be transported by the GSE 4, the model of the aircraft 100, and the like to the worker terminal 15 . In addition, the worker's own schedule and the like may be received from the GSE control 22 .

(Flow of GSE location management)
Next, the flow of position management of each GSE 4 by the position management system 10 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the GSE control 22 receives a flight schedule in advance (for example, the day before) from the air traffic control 21 (step S11). FIG. 4(a) is a table showing an example of data included in a flight schedule, and FIG. 4(b) is a table showing an example of a list of cargo. In addition, the load in FIG. 4 refers to the cargo accommodated in the container, and is different from the baggage of the passenger. The types of data included in the flight schedule transmitted from the air traffic control 21 to the GSE control 22 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 4 and can be changed as appropriate.

Upon receiving the flight schedule, the schedule creation unit 31 of the GSE control 22 creates a work schedule based on the flight schedule (step S12). FIG. 5 is a table showing an example of data included in the work schedule. For example, for flight number 1, a worker with a worker ID of 001 uses a high lift loader with a GSE ID of HL-01 and is in charge of unloading cargo. In FIG. 5, PS indicates a passenger step, TT indicates a towing tractor, and BL indicates a belt loader. The types of data included in the work schedule created by GSE control 22 are not limited to those shown in FIG.

Next, based on the work schedule, the route setting unit 32 sets a travel route from the travel start position to the work position of each GSE 4 that performs ground support work (step S13). FIG. 6 shows a travel route R1 for the fuel tanker 4A and a travel route R2 for the high lift loader 4D as an example of travel routes. Note that, as shown in FIG. 6, a grid-like planar grid G is set in advance on the map data of the work area 101 . The size of the plane grid G and the fineness of the grid may be changed according to the size of the aircraft 100, for example. Also, the plane grid G may be fixed in advance. The travel routes R1 and R2 are set in units of squares (see hatching in FIG. 6) in the set area of the plane grid G. As shown in FIG.

The GSE control 22 transmits the created work schedule and travel route to each GSE 4 including the first GSE 4a and the second GSE 4b and the worker terminal 15 (step S14). Each GSE 4 that has received the work schedule and travel route starts traveling along the set travel route (step S21). At this time, each GSE 4 starts traveling in order according to the operation schedule of each GSE 4 included in the work schedule created in step S12. In addition, each GSE4 may operate automatically, or may be manually operated by an operator.

The image acquisition unit 42 provided in the first GSE 4a among the GSEs 4 captures an image of the front and transmits data of the captured image to the GSE control 22 (step S22). Note that step S22 and step S23, which will be described later, are operations performed only by the first GSE 4a among the GSEs 4. FIG. The image acquisition unit 42 may capture images continuously or may capture images at regular intervals. Further, the timing at which the image acquisition unit 42 starts capturing an image may be immediately after the first GSE 4 a starts running or after the first GSE 4 a reaches the work area 101 . The image acquisition unit 42 transmits captured images to the GSE control 22 at any time.

The image processing unit 33 of the GSE control 22 determines whether or not the received image contains one or a plurality of GSEs 4 using an object detection algorithm or the like (step S15). Techniques such as machine learning and deep learning may be used as the determination technique. If it is determined that the received image does not contain GSE4 (S15: NO), the image transmitted from the image acquisition unit 42 is continuously received until it is determined that the image contains GSE4.

When it is determined that the received image contains GSE4 (S15: YES), the image processing unit 33 determines one or a plurality of GSE4 contained in the image as an acquisition target device from which current position information is to be acquired. Then, the type of the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, is detected (step S16). It should be noted that the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, includes the first GSE 4a and the second GSE 4b. Then, the control unit 36 transmits a control signal for acquiring the current position information of the GSE 4 included in the image to the first GSE 4a (step S17).

When the first GSE 4a receives the control signal from the GSE control 22, the position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the current position information of the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, and transmits it to the GSE control 22 (step S23). A specific method by which the position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the current position information of the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, will be described below. First, the positional information of the own vehicle of the first GSE 4a is acquired by the current position receiving section 41 and set to the corresponding position on the planar grid G (see FIG. 7). Subsequently, the position information acquisition unit 43 of the first GSE 4a, which is a stereo camera, acquires the relative position of the GSE 4, which is an acquisition target device, with respect to the current position of the own vehicle. More specifically, the relative position of the acquisition target device is obtained by using the recognition result of the image processing unit 33 and the distance detection function of the stereo camera to determine the direction (angle) of the acquisition target device when viewed from the vehicle and the acquisition target device. It is calculated according to the distance to the target device. Then, the position information acquisition unit 43 obtains the current position ( (see hatching in FIG. 7) is acquired as the current position information. In the present embodiment, the position information acquisition unit 43 may acquire the current position information of the GSE 4 while the first GSE 4a is stopped, or continuously acquire the current position information of the GSE 4 while the first GSE 4a is moving. may

In addition, the control unit 36, based on the current position information of the first GSE 4a in which the position information acquisition unit 43 is installed and the information on the relative position of the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, with respect to the own vehicle, the plane of the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device. A current position on the grid G may be obtained. In this case, the position information acquisition unit 43 acquires information on the relative position of the GSE 4 , which is the acquisition target device, with respect to the own vehicle, and then transmits the information to the GSE control 22 . In this case, the information on the relative position of the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, with respect to the own vehicle corresponds to the current position information of the present invention acquired by the position information acquiring section 43. FIG.

Also, the control unit 36 may calculate the relative position of the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device. In this case, the position information acquisition unit 43 acquires information about the direction (angle) of the acquisition target device when viewed from the own vehicle by the distance detection function of the stereo camera, and then transmits the information to the GSE control 22 . In this case, the information about the direction (angle) of the acquisition target device when viewed from the own vehicle corresponds to the current position information of the present invention acquired by the position information acquisition unit 43 .

That is, the position information acquisition unit 43 of the present invention may include a calculation function for acquiring the current position of the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device. It is also possible to acquire only the current position information as information to be obtained. In the latter case, the control unit 36 includes a calculation function for acquiring the current position of the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device.

Subsequently, the control unit 36 of the GSE control 22 compares the current location information of the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, with the travel route of the GSE 4, and the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, moves along the travel route. It is determined whether or not there is (step S18). The current position information and the travel route are compared by comparing positions on the plane grid G, for example. When it is determined that the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, is moving along the travel route (S18: YES), the control unit 36 determines whether or not all the ground support work by each GSE 4 has been completed ( step S20). If it is determined that all the ground support work by each GSE 4 has not been completed (S20: NO), the process returns to step S15 to continue position management. When it is determined that all ground support operations by each GSE 4 have been completed (S20: YES), the position management of each GSE 4 by the position management system 10 ends.

When it is determined that the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, has not moved along the travel route (S18: NO), the control unit 36 causes the notification unit 34 to notify the abnormality (step S19). The situation in which it is determined that the GSE 4 is not moving along the travel route is, for example, when the GSE 4 that should originally be there does not exist at that location, the GSE 4 that should not originally exist at that location When it exists in the place, etc. are assumed. Then, the process proceeds to step S20.

(effect)
As described above, in the position management system 10 of the present embodiment, the current position information of the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, included in the image captured by the image acquisition unit 42 is the position provided in the GSE 4 other than the acquisition target device. Acquired by the information acquisition unit 43 . Therefore, the current location information of the acquisition target device can be indirectly acquired by the location information acquiring unit 43 regardless of whether or not the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, is equipped with a device for location management. As a result, it is possible to acquire the location information even for the GSE 4 that is not provided with a device for location confirmation, such as a parent device having a GPS or a child device that can communicate with the parent device.

Further, in this embodiment, when the current position information of the GSE 4 included in the image indicates that the GSE 4, which is the acquisition target device, is off the travel route, the notification unit 34 notifies of an abnormality. According to this, the operator can grasp whether or not the GSE 4, which is not provided with a device for position confirmation, is appropriately moving along the travel route.

Moreover, in this embodiment, several GSE4 contains the at least 1 1st GSE4a by which the image acquisition part 42 and the position information acquisition part 43 were installed. When the image acquisition unit 42 and the position information acquisition unit 43 are fixed at arbitrary positions, the current position information cannot be acquired for the GSE 4 located in a blind spot from the fixed position. Further, when the visibility in the airport 1 is poor due to bad weather, etc., if the distance between the image acquisition unit 42 and the position information acquisition unit 43 fixed at an arbitrary position and the GSE 4 is long, the current position information of the GSE 4 may not be obtained correctly. According to the present embodiment, the first GSE 4a that runs in the airport 1 is provided with the image acquisition section 42 and the position information acquisition section 43 . Therefore, by moving the first GSE 4a to a position where the GSE 4 does not become a blind spot, the current position information of the GSE 4 can be reliably obtained. Further, when the visibility in the airport 1 is poor, the current position information of the GSE 4 can be reliably obtained by bringing the first GSE 4a closer to the GSE 4 whose current position information is to be obtained.

(Modification)
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these examples, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

In the above embodiment, the stereo camera attached to the first GSE 4a functions as the image acquisition section 42 and the positional information acquisition section 43. FIG. However, the image acquisition unit 42 may be a normal camera, and the position information acquisition unit 43 may be provided separately from the camera. In this case, it is preferable that the position information acquisition unit 43 acquires the current position information by irradiating the GSE 4 included in the image captured by the image acquisition unit 42 with a laser. Since laser light travels in a straight line, it is difficult to disperse even in the dark at night, in the presence of strong sunlight in the daytime, and in bad weather such as heavy rain and thick fog. For this reason, the current position information of the GSE4 can be detected with higher accuracy than when the current position information is obtained using ordinary light, ultrasonic waves, etc., or when the current position information is calculated from the camera image by a stereo camera or the like. can do. In addition, the position information acquisition unit 43 may acquire the current position information of the target GSE 4 by irradiating the target GSE 4 with visible light, ultrasonic waves, or the like.

In the present invention, the image acquisition unit 42 may be capable of capturing a bird's-eye view image of the airport 1 including the GSE4. In this case, for example, the image acquisition unit 42 is attached to the control tower. According to this, the inside of the airport 1 can be photographed in a wide range. Therefore, a plurality of GSEs 4 in the airport 1 can be photographed collectively as a bird's-eye view image. This makes it possible to collectively manage the positions of a plurality of GSEs 4 in the airport 1, making management easier than in the case where each GSE 4 is separately managed. Also, the image acquisition unit 42 may be installed in a drone that flies in the airport 1 . Also, the image acquisition unit 42 may be attached to both the first GSE 4 a and the air traffic control 21 or the GSE control 22 . Also, the image acquisition unit 42 may be installed in the terminal building 2 or the gate 3 .

In the present invention, only the image acquisition unit 42 may be installed in the control tower, the terminal building 2, the gate 3, etc., and only the position information acquisition unit 43 may be installed in one or a plurality of GSEs 4. Moreover, only the positional information acquisition part 43 may be installed in the GSE control 22, and only the image acquisition part 42 may be installed in one or several GSE4. Furthermore, even if the image acquisition unit 42 is installed in both one or more GSE 4 and GSE control 22, and the position information acquisition unit 43 is installed in both one or more GSE 4 and GSE control 22 good. In any case, the location information acquisition unit 43 is provided in the equipment of the GSE 4 or the airport 1 other than the acquisition target device.

In the present invention, not all GSEs 4 need to have the current position receiver 41 for receiving GPS signals. In this case, it is preferable to acquire the current location information of each GSE 4 by the image acquiring unit 42 and the location information acquiring unit 43 installed in the control tower, the terminal building 2, the gate 3, and the like.

In the above embodiment, the schedule creation unit 31 , route setting unit 32 , image processing unit 33 , notification unit 34 , communication unit 35 and control unit 36 are installed in the GSE control 22 . However, there is no restriction as to where these functional units are physically provided, and at least some of them may be incorporated in control other than the GSE control 22 or in the GSE 13 .

In the above embodiment, the image processing unit 33 determines whether or not the captured image contains GSE4 in step S15. However, the image processing unit 33 may determine whether or not the captured image includes GSE4 and an object other than GSE4 (for example, a container). In this case, the notification unit 34 notifies the abnormality when the object included in the image exists in the wrong position.

In the present invention, the reporting unit 34 may report normality when the GSE 4 included in the image is properly moving along the travel route.

In the present invention, the travel control unit 44 of each GSE 4 may perform travel control so as to stop the travel of each GSE 4 from when the anomaly is notified by the annunciator until the anomaly is resolved.

In the present invention, the notification unit 34 may be installed in each GSE 4 or may be built in the operator terminal 15 .

The present invention includes a configuration in which the image acquisition unit 42 is installed on the boarding bridge 4E. In this case, the image acquisition unit 42 should be installed at a position where the surroundings of the aircraft 100 can be overlooked as widely as possible from the boarding bridge 4E. For example, it is preferable to install them at the tip of the boarding bridge 4E docked with the aircraft 100, the connecting part of the gate 3 connected to the terminal building 2, the bridge for passengers getting on and off the aircraft 100, and the like. In addition, a plurality of them may be installed not only on the upper part of the boarding bridge 4, but also on the side surface, the lower part, or the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the image acquisition unit 42 may be installed at the tip of the boarding bridge 4E that is docked with the aircraft 100 . The image acquisition unit 42 installed on the boarding bridge 4E captures an image of the GSE 4 traveling around the aircraft 100, and the relative position between the current position of the boarding bridge 4E and the GSE 4 is calculated by the position information acquisition unit 43 or the control unit 36. Thus, it is possible to detect whether the GSE 4 is traveling on the specified travel route or deviates from the travel route, as in the above embodiment.

In addition, the boarding bridge 4E can communicate with the GSE control 22, the flight schedule, the traveling route of the GSE 4, the image taken by the image acquisition unit 42, the current position of the boarding bridge 4E, the operating status (state of docking with the aircraft 100 , or waiting at the terminal building side, docking work, etc.) may be exchanged.

At this time, depending on the position and size of the boarding bridge 4E, it may become a blind spot for the aircraft 100, and an image may only be captured in about half of the corresponding work area 101. FIG. In this case, when the boarding bridge 4E is installed in the adjacent work area 101, the image of the blind spot may be captured by the image acquisition unit 42 installed in the boarding bridge 4E. Moreover, when the boarding bridge 4E is not installed in the adjacent work area 101, the image of the part which becomes a blind spot is image|photographed by the image acquisition part 42 mounted in other GSE4. Alternatively, the image acquisition unit 42 installed in the terminal building 2, the control tower, the gate 3, or the like may capture an image of a blind spot.

In addition, in the present invention, when the aircraft 100 pushes back, from the image captured by the image acquisition unit 42 mounted on the surrounding GSE 4, whether the aircraft 100 does not come into contact with obstacles, and as prescribed You may confirm whether it is conveyed along the route of .

In the present invention, when the image acquisition unit 42 is attached to the first GSE 4a, the image acquisition unit 42 may be capable of photographing all directions of the first GSE 4a.

1 Airport 4 GSE
4a 1st GSE
10 position management system 32 route setting unit 33 image processing unit 34 notification unit 36 control unit 42 image acquisition unit 43 position information acquisition unit 100 aircraft

Claims (5)

A location management system for managing locations of a plurality of ground support equipment performing ground support operations at an airport,
an image acquisition unit capable of capturing an image;
a location information acquisition unit that acquires current location information of the ground support equipment;
a control unit;
The control unit
determining at least one of the ground support devices included in the image captured by the image acquisition unit as an acquisition target device from which the current position information is to be acquired;
A location management system, wherein the current location information of the acquisition target device is acquired by the ground support device other than the acquisition target device or the location information acquiring unit provided in the airport facility. a route setting unit that sets a travel route from a travel start position to a work position of the plurality of ground support devices;
and a notification unit that notifies the worker,
The control unit
2. The position management system according to claim 1, wherein when the current position information indicates that the acquisition target device is off the travel route, the notification unit is caused to notify the abnormality. 3. The position management system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ground support devices include at least one first ground support device in which the image acquisition section and the position information acquisition section are installed. 4. The position management system according to claim 1, wherein the position information acquisition unit acquires the current position information by irradiating the ground support equipment with a laser. 5. The position management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image acquisition unit is capable of capturing a bird's-eye view image of the airport including the ground support equipment.

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