JP7177747B2 - Controller, system, program, and control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to control devices, systems, programs, and control methods.

Air vehicles that fly in the stratosphere with solar panels and antennas to provide a stratospheric platform have been known (see, for example, US Pat.
[Prior art documents]
[Patent Literature]
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-211496

It would be desirable to provide a technique for improving the amount of power generated by a solar panel provided on an aircraft.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a controller for controlling an aircraft having bifacial solar panels disposed on the wings. The control device may include a positional relationship acquisition unit that acquires the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun. The controller may comprise a vehicle control unit that causes the vehicle roll angle to be greater when the sun is positioned laterally of the vehicle than when the sun is positioned above the vehicle.

When the flying object is making a turning flight along a predetermined circular flight path, the angle control unit is configured so that the sun is positioned in the lateral direction of the flying object and the flying object is aligned with the sun. While flying a predetermined interval before and after the position of closest approach, the aircraft may roll at a greater angle than when the sun is positioned above the aircraft. When the flying object is making a turning flight along a predetermined circular flight path, the angle control unit is configured so that the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object and the flying object is positioned away from the sun. While flying a predetermined segment before and after the farthest position, the vehicle may roll at a greater angle than when the sun is above the vehicle.

When the flying object is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path, the angle control unit adjusts the angle in the longitudinal direction of the flying object when the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object. The roll angle of the vehicle may be greater than when the sun is positioned at . When the flying object is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path, the angle control unit adjusts the angle in the longitudinal direction of the flying object when the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object. The turning radius may be smaller than if the sun were positioned at .

The aircraft may function as a stratospheric platform that flies in the stratosphere and emits a beam toward the ground to form a wireless communication area and provide wireless communication services to user terminals within the wireless communication area. . The angle control unit causes the flying object to perform a turning flight along a predetermined circular flight path during the daytime, during a period from sunrise until a predetermined time elapses, and at sunset. By making the turning radius smaller when the sun is positioned in the lateral direction of the flying object than when the sun is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the flying object from before the set time until sunset, the flying object may be caused to fly along an elliptical flight path.

The control device acquires the position and attitude of the flying object and the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun while the flying object is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path. and the amount of power generated by the bifacial solar cell panel as teaching data, and the amount of power generated by the bifacial solar cell panel based on the position and attitude of the flying object and the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun. and the angle control unit increases the first power generation amount by the double-sided solar panel and the roll angle of the aircraft. Based on the second power generation amount by the double-sided solar panel estimated using the estimation model from the position and attitude of the flying object and the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun in the case of The roll angle of the vehicle may be varied. The angle control unit may increase the roll angle of the aircraft when the second power generation amount is greater than the first power generation amount. When the difference between the second power generation amount and the first power generation amount is larger than the amount of electric power consumed to change the roll angle of the flying object, the angle control unit controls the movement of the flying object. The roll angle may be increased.

The control device controls at least one of weather information of an area over which the aircraft flies, information on reflected light of sunlight reaching the aircraft from the ground, and area characteristic information on the ground where the aircraft flies, and At least the weather information, the reflected light information, and the area characteristic information are obtained by using the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun, the attitude of the flying object, and the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar panel as teaching data. A model generation unit that generates an estimation model for estimating the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar panel from any of the above, the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun, and the attitude of the flying object by machine learning, The angle control unit controls the first power generation amount by the double-sided solar cell panel, the attitude of the flying object when the roll angle of the flying object is increased, and the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun. and a second power generation amount by the double-sided solar cell panel estimated using the estimation model from at least one of the weather information, the reflected light information, and the area characteristic information, the flying object may change the roll angle of

The control device may include a deflection amount control section that adjusts the deflection amount of the main wing based on the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun. The deflection amount control section may increase the amount of deflection of the flying object when the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object than when the sun is positioned above the flying object. The bifacial solar cell panel may be arranged on the upper surface side of the main wing, and the lower surface of the main wing may transmit light. An upper surface and a lower surface of the main wing may transmit light, and the bifacial solar panels may be arranged within the main wing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system comprising the control device and the aircraft.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to function as the control device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method performed by a controller for controlling an aircraft having bifacial solar panels positioned on the wings. The control method may comprise a positional relationship acquisition step of acquiring the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun. The control method may comprise an angle control step for causing a greater angle of roll of the vehicle when the sun is positioned laterally of the vehicle than when the sun is positioned above the vehicle. .

It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not list all the necessary features of the invention. Subcombinations of these feature groups can also be inventions.

An example of an aircraft 100 is shown schematically. An example of the structure of the main wing 110 is shown schematically. An example of the structure of the main wing 110 is shown schematically. An example of the roll angle 150 of the aircraft 100 is shown schematically. An example of the roll angle 150 of the aircraft 100 is shown schematically. An example of the relationship between the roll angle 150 of the aircraft 100 and the turning radius is schematically shown. An example of a change in the flight path 102 of the aircraft 100 is shown schematically. An example of a change in the deflection amount of the flying object 100 is shown schematically. An example of the deflection amount of the flying object 100 is shown schematically. An example of the functional configuration of the control device 200 is shown schematically. 1 schematically shows an example of a hardware configuration of a computer 1200 functioning as a control device 200 or a management device 400. FIG.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution of the invention.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of an aircraft 100. As shown in FIG. Air vehicle 100 includes main wing 110 , propeller 122 , skid 124 , wheels 126 and flaps 128 .

The main wing 110 includes a control device 200 that controls the flight of the aircraft 100, a double-sided solar panel 117, and a battery and wireless communication device (not shown). The battery stores the electric power generated by the double-sided solar panel 117 . The control device 200 controls flight of the aircraft 100 . The control device 200 controls the flight of the aircraft 100 by, for example, rotating the propellers 122 and changing the angle of the flaps 128 using the electric power stored in the battery. The wireless communication device forms a wireless communication area 140 by emitting multiple beams toward the ground, and provides wireless communication services to the user terminals 300 within the wireless communication area 140 . The control device 200 and the wireless communication device may be integrated.

The aircraft 100 , for example, flies in the stratosphere and provides wireless communication services to user terminals 300 on the ground. Air vehicle 100 may function as a stratospheric platform.

The user terminal 300 may be any terminal as long as it can communicate with the aircraft 100 . For example, the user terminal 300 is a mobile phone such as a smart phone. The user terminal 300 may be a tablet terminal, a PC (Personal Computer), or the like. User terminal 300 may be a so-called IoT (Internet of Thing) device. The user terminal 300 can include anything that corresponds to the so-called IoE (Internet of Everything).

The flying object 100 , for example, circulates over the ground area to be covered along a circular flight path, and covers the ground area with the wireless communication area 140 . The flight path may be a perfect circle, an ellipse, or a figure-eight shape. In some cases, the flying object 100 circling above the ground area is referred to as fixed-point flight. Also, the flying object 100 covers the entire ground area by moving over the ground area while covering part of the ground area to be covered by the wireless communication area 140, for example.

The aircraft 100 provides wireless communication services to the user terminals 300 by, for example, relaying communications between the user terminals 300 and the network 20 on the ground. Network 20 may include a core network provided by a carrier. The core network may conform to any mobile communication system, such as 3G (3rd Generation) communication system, LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication system, 4G (4th Generation) communication system, and 5G (5th Generation) communication system. It conforms to the mobile communication system after the communication system. Network 20 may include the Internet.

The flying object 100 communicates with the network 20 on the ground through, for example, gateways 22 within the wireless communication area 140 among the gateways 22 placed in various places on the ground. Also, for example, the aircraft 100 communicates with the network 20 via a communication satellite 80 . In this case, the aircraft 100 has an antenna for communicating with the communications satellite 80 .

The aircraft 100 transmits data received from user terminals 300 within the wireless communication area 140 to the network 20, for example. Also, for example, when receiving data addressed to the user terminal 300 within the wireless communication area 140 via the network 20 , the flying object 100 transmits the data to the user terminal 300 .

Air vehicle 100 may be controlled by a management device 400 on the ground. Air vehicle 100 flies and forms wireless communication area 140 according to instructions sent by management device 400 via network 20 and gateway 22, for example. Management device 400 may transmit instructions to air vehicle 100 via communications satellite 80 .

2 and 3 schematically show an example of the structure of the main wing 110. FIG. Main wing 110 has spar 111 and rib 112 . A bottom film 113 and a top film 114 are attached to the ribs 112 .

The top film 114 has a film 115 and a film 116, and between the film 115 and the film 116, a double-sided solar panel 117 composed of a plurality of double-sided lighting cells 118 is arranged.

The lower film 113 and the upper film 114 are transparent films that transmit sunlight, and the double-sided solar cell panel 117 can receive sunlight transmitted through the upper film 114 and sunlight transmitted through the lower film 113 . be.

Note that the main wing 110 may not have the film 115 . Also, the main wing 110 may not have the film 116 . Also, the main wing 110 may not have the top film 114 . In that case, the double-sided lighting cell 118 is directly arranged on the upper surface side of the main wing 110 . Moreover, the members on the upper surface and the lower surface of the main wing 110 may be, for example, plate-like members instead of film-like members, as long as they can transmit sunlight.

For example, when the sun is positioned above the aircraft 100 , direct sunlight from the sun passes through the top film 114 and reaches the bifacial solar cell panel 117 , and light reflected by the earth passes through the bottom film 113 . It passes through and reaches the double-sided solar cell panel 117 . The intensity of the light reflected by the earth varies depending on the ground conditions in clear weather and the reflectance of clouds in the presence of clouds. The average reflectance of a snowy area is about 0.75, and the average reflectance of a water surface is about 0.07. be able to.

Here, the control device 200 according to this embodiment has a function of controlling the flying object 100 so as to further increase the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar panel 117 . For example, the control device 200 controls the roll angle of the flying object 100 according to the positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun. The roll angle of the flying object 100 may be the angle of rotation about the longitudinal direction of the flying object 100 .

As a specific example, the control device 200 increases the roll angle of the flying object 100 when the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 compared to when the sun is positioned above the flying object 100. . As a result, the amount of sunlight received by the double-sided solar cell panel 117 can be increased, and the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar cell panel 117 can be increased. Note that the position of the sun in the horizontal direction of the aircraft 100 may mean that the sun is positioned in the lateral direction of the aircraft 100 . In addition, the sun may be positioned above the flying object 100 when the sun is positioned above the flying object 100 .

4 and 5 schematically show an example of the roll angle of the aircraft 100. FIG. FIG. 4 schematically shows an example of the roll angle of the aircraft 100 when the sun is positioned above the aircraft 100 . FIG. 5 schematically shows an example of the roll angle of the aircraft 100 when the sun is positioned laterally of the aircraft 100 . As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the control device 200 controls the roll of the flying object 100 to be greater when the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 than when the sun is positioned above the flying object 100 . Increase the angle 150.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path 102, the control device 200 controls that the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 and , when the flying object 100 flies in a predetermined section 103 before and after the position closest to the sun, the roll angle 150 of the flying object 100 is set larger than when the sun is positioned above the flying object 100. let me

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the control device 200 can be set so that the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 when the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path 102. and, during flight in a predetermined section 104 before and after the farthest position from the sun, the roll angle 150 of the aircraft 100 is greater than when the sun is positioned above the aircraft 100. You can make it bigger.

The control device 200 may or may not change the flight path 102 when changing the roll angle 150 of the aircraft 100 . The control device 200 changes the turning radius of the flying object 100 when changing the roll angle 150 of the flying object 100, for example.

FIG. 6 schematically shows an example of the relationship between the roll angle 150 of the aircraft 100 and the turning radius. As shown in FIG. 6, the smaller the turning radius, the greater the roll angle 150 of the aircraft 100, unless special adjustments are made. When the flight object 100 is making a turn along a circular flight path 102 and the sun is positioned laterally of the flight object 100, the control device 200 controls the position of the sun above the flight object 100. The turning radius may be smaller than when

FIG. 7 schematically shows an example of changes in the flight path of the aircraft 100. As shown in FIG. The control device 200 causes the flying object 100 to fly along the circular flight path 105 when the sun is positioned above the flying object 100, and causes the flying object 100 to fly along the circular flight path 105 when the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100. , the vehicle 100 may be controlled to fly along an elliptical flight path 106 .

The control device 200 makes the turning radius smaller when the sun is positioned in the lateral direction of the flying object 100 than when the sun is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the flying object 100, thereby making the flying object 100 elliptical. It may be flown along a shape flight path 106 . As a result, when the sun is positioned in the horizontal direction of the flying object 100, the roll angle 150 of the flying object 100 increases, and the amount of light received by the double-sided solar panel 117 can be increased.

When the sun is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the flying object 100, the control device 200 sets the roll angle 150 of the flying object 100 to the same angle as when the flying object 100 flies along the flight path 105. good. Since the flying object 100 flies with its rear slightly lowered, when the sun is positioned behind the flying object 100, the amount of light received on the upper side increases, and the sun is positioned forward of the flying object 100. If so, the amount of light received on the lower surface side increases.

The controller 200 sets the roll angle 150 of the aircraft 100 to a first angle that is the same as when the aircraft 100 is flying along the flight path 105 and a second angle that is greater than the first angle. Air vehicle 100 may be controlled to fly along flight path 106 by appropriately changing between .

For example, during the day, the flying object 100 is caused to perform a turning flight along a circular flight path 105, and during a predetermined period of time from sunrise to sunset and at a predetermined time after sunset. By making the turning radius smaller when the sun is positioned in the lateral direction of the flying object 100 than when the sun is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the flying object 100 from before the hour until sunset, the flying object 100 can be made elliptical. Cause flight along a flight path 106 of the shape.

The control device 200 may not change the flight path 102 when changing the roll angle 150 of the aircraft 100 . As described above, when the roll angle 150 of the flying object 100 is increased, the lift force acting in the upward direction also acts inward, and the turning radius becomes smaller. The controller 200 may control the plurality of flaps 128 of the vehicle 100 to adjust the lift applied to the vehicle 100 so that the turning radius does not change. As a result, the amount of received light can be adjusted by changing the roll angle 150 of the aircraft 100 while maintaining the flight path 102 .

The control device 200 according to the present embodiment may change the deflection amount of the flying object 100 according to the positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun in order to increase the amount of power generated by the bifacial solar cell panel 117. .

FIG. 8 schematically shows an example of changes in the amount of deflection of the flying object 100. As shown in FIG. The control device 200 may cause the flying object 100 to bend more when the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 than when the sun is positioned above the flying object 100 .

Controller 200 may adjust the amount of deflection of aircraft 100 by individually controlling multiple flaps 128 . The control device 200 strengthens the downward lift force 107 on the center side of the main wing 110 by controlling the flaps 128 arranged on the center side of the main wing 110, for example. By controlling the flaps 128, the upward lift forces 108, 109 on the end side of the main wing 110 are strengthened, thereby increasing the amount of deflection of the aircraft 100. FIG. By increasing the amount of deflection of the aircraft 100 in this manner, the amount of sunlight received by the aircraft 100 from the lateral direction can be increased. can be increased.

Note that if the flying object 100 has a flap control unit that controls the plurality of flaps 128 to prevent the flying object 100 from being greatly bent by the wind, the control device 200 controls the flap control unit to control the movement of the flying object 100 . The amount of deflection of the aircraft 100 may be increased by decreasing the degree of reduction in the amount of deflection. The control device 200 may adjust the deflection amount of the aircraft 100 by cooperating with the flap control section.

FIG. 9 schematically shows an example of the deflection amount state of the flying object 100 . When the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path 102, the control device 200 controls the operation of the flying object 100 so that the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 and that the flying object 100 is in the sun. During flight in a predetermined section 103 before and after the closest position, the flight object 100 may deflect more than when the sun is positioned above the flight object 100 .

Further, when the flying object 100 is making a turning flight along a predetermined circular flight path 102, the control device 200 controls that the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 and the flying object 100 While flying in a predetermined section 104 before and after the farthest position from the sun, the flying object 100 may deflect more than when the sun is positioned above the flying object 100 .

When the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path 102 and the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100, the control device 200 controls the longitudinal direction of the flying object 100. The deflection amount of the flying object 100 may be increased compared to when the sun is positioned at . The control device 200, for example, causes the flying object 100 to perform a turning flight along a predetermined circular flight path 102, and performs a turning flight from sunrise until a predetermined time elapses and at a predetermined time after sunset. When the sun is positioned in the lateral direction of the flying object 100 from the time before sunset until sunset, the deflection amount of the flying object 100 is made larger than when the sun is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the flying object.

FIG. 10 schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the control device 200. As shown in FIG. The control device 200 includes a flight control section 202 , a positional relationship acquisition section 204 , a received light amount adjustment section 210 , a power generation amount acquisition section 222 , an information acquisition section 224 and a model generation section 226 . It should be noted that it is not essential for the control device 200 to have all of these configurations.

The flight control unit 202 controls flight of the aircraft 100 . The flight control unit 202 controls the propellers 122 and flaps 128 so that the aircraft 100 flies along a predetermined flight path according to instructions from the management device 400 and the like.

The flight control unit 202 may manage position information indicating the position of the flying object 100 . The flight control unit 202 may acquire position information acquired by, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit of the aircraft 100 . The flight control unit 202 may also manage the direction of the flying object 100 as a starting point, the attitude of the flying object 100, the flight speed of the flying object 100, and the like. The attitude of the vehicle 100 may include the roll angle of the vehicle 100 , the yaw angle of the vehicle 100 , and the pitch angle of the vehicle 100 .

The positional relationship acquisition unit 204 acquires the positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun. The positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun may be the direction of the sun with the flying object 100 as the starting point. The positional relationship acquisition unit 204 obtains the positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun based on the registration data in which the position of the sun at each date and time is registered and the positional information of the flying object 100 managed by the flight control unit 202. may be obtained.

The received light amount adjustment unit 210 controls the flying object 100 to adjust the received light amount of the double-sided solar cell panel 117 . The received light amount adjustment section 210 has an angle control section 212 and a deflection amount control section 214 . Of the angle control section 212 and the deflection amount control section 214 , the received light amount adjustment section 210 may have only the angle control section 212 or only the deflection amount control section 214 .

The angle control unit 212 controls the roll angle of the flying object 100 according to the positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun acquired by the positional relationship acquiring unit 204 . The angle control unit 212 increases the roll angle of the flying object 100 when the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 than when the sun is positioned above the flying object 100, for example.

The angle control unit 212 is configured so that when the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path, the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 and the flying object 100 is in the direction of the sun. While flying a predetermined interval before and after the position of closest approach, the aircraft may roll more than when the sun is above the aircraft. Further, when the flying object 100 is making a turning flight along a predetermined circular flight path, the angle control unit 212 is configured so that the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 and the flying object 100 is While flying in a predetermined section before and after the farthest position from the sun, the roll angle of the aircraft 100 may be made greater than when the sun is positioned above the aircraft 100 .

The angle control unit 212 controls the forward and backward direction of the flying object 100 when the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path and the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 . The roll angle of the aircraft 100 may be made larger than when the sun is positioned at . The angle control unit 212 controls the forward and backward direction of the flying object 100 when the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path and the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 . The turning radius may be smaller than if the sun were positioned at .

The angle control unit 212 causes the flying object 100 to perform a turning flight along a predetermined circular flight path during the day, and performs a turning flight from sunrise to a predetermined time and from sunset to a predetermined time. By making the turning radius smaller when the sun is positioned in the lateral direction of the flying object 100 than when the sun is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the flying object 100 from before the set time until sunset, the flying object 100 may be caused to fly along an elliptical flight path.

The deflection amount control section 214 adjusts the deflection amount of the main wing 110 according to the positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun acquired by the positional relationship acquisition section 204 . For example, the deflection amount control unit 214 causes the flying object 100 to deflect more when the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 than when the sun is positioned above the flying object 100 .

The deflection amount control unit 214 is configured so that, when the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path, the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 and the flying object 100 is in the direction of the sun. During flight in a predetermined section before and after the position closest to , flight object 100 may deflect more than when the sun is positioned above flight object 100 . The deflection amount control unit 214 is configured so that, when the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path, the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 and the flying object 100 is in the direction of the sun. During the flight in a predetermined section before and after the position furthest from , the flight object 100 may deflect more than when the sun is positioned above the flight object 100 .

The deflection amount control unit 214 controls the front and rear of the flying object 100 when the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path and the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 . The amount of deflection of the flying object may be greater than when the sun is positioned in the direction.

The deflection amount controller 214 may adjust the deflection amount of the aircraft by individually controlling the plurality of flaps 128 . The deflection amount control unit 214 controls the flaps 128 arranged on the center side of the main wing 110 to increase the downward lift force on the center side of the main wing 110, and the flaps 128 arranged on the end side of the main wing 110. By increasing the upward lift force on the end side of the main wing 110 by controlling , the deflection amount of the aircraft 100 may be increased. The deflection amount control section 214 may increase the amount of deflection of the main wing 110 by reducing the degree of reduction in the amount of deflection of the aircraft by the flap control section of the aircraft 100 .

The deflection amount control unit 214 causes the flying object 100 to perform a turning flight along a predetermined circular orbit, during a period from sunrise until a predetermined time has passed and before a predetermined time before sunset. When the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object 100 from 10:00 to sunset, the deflection amount of the flying object 100 may be larger than when the sun is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the flying object 100 .

The power generation amount acquisition unit 222 acquires the power generation amount of the double-sided solar cell panel 117 . The power generation amount acquisition unit 222 acquires the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar cell panel 117 from, for example, a power generation unit using the double-sided solar cell panel 117 .

The information acquisition unit 224 acquires various types of information. The information acquisition unit 224 may receive various types of information from the ground management device 400 or the like via the wireless communication unit of the aircraft 100 . For example, the information acquisition unit 224 receives weather information for the area in which the aircraft 100 flies from a weather information server that provides weather information for each area in the sky. Also, for example, the information acquisition unit 224 receives area characteristic information of the ground area in which the aircraft 100 is flying from a ground data management server that manages the types of ground areas in various places. The area characteristic information indicates the type of ground area. Examples of land area types include woodlands, grasslands, soil, oceans, urban areas, and the like.

The information acquisition unit 224 may also receive various types of information from various devices included in the flying object 100 . For example, if the flying object 100 is equipped with a camera that captures images of the ground, an image captured by the camera is received from the camera. The information acquisition unit 224 may acquire reflected light information indicating the state of reflected light of sunlight from the ground by analyzing the captured image. Further, the information acquisition unit 224 may acquire area characteristic information of the ground area over which the aircraft 100 is flying by analyzing the captured image.

Also, for example, if the flying object 100 is provided with an illuminometer that measures the illuminance on the underside of the flying object 100, the measurement result by the illuminometer is received from the illuminometer. Also, for example, when the flying object 100 includes an illuminometer that measures the illuminance on the upper surface side of the flying object 100, the measurement result by the illuminometer is received from the illuminometer. Further, for example, if the aircraft 100 includes a weather sensor that detects weather information of the area in which the aircraft 100 flies, the detection result by the weather sensor is received from the weather sensor.

The model generation unit 226 generates an estimation model for estimating the power generation amount of the double-sided solar cell panel 117 from various information by machine learning. Power generation by the double-sided solar cell panel 117 from various information acquired from at least one of the flight control unit 202, for example, the positional relationship acquisition unit 204, the power generation amount acquisition unit 222, the information acquisition unit 224, and the light reception amount adjustment unit 210 An estimation model that estimates the amount is generated by machine learning.

The model generation unit 226, for example, acquires the position and attitude of the flying object 100 and the relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun while the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path. Using the positional relationship and the amount of power generated by the bifacial solar cell panel 117 as teacher data, the bifacial solar cell panel 117 is determined from the position and attitude of the flying object 100 and the positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun. An estimation model for estimating the power generation amount is generated by machine learning.

The angle control unit 212 controls the first power generation amount, which is the current power generation amount of the double-sided solar cell panel 117, the position and attitude of the aircraft 100 when the roll angle of the aircraft 100 is increased, The roll angle of the flying object 100 may be changed based on the second power generation amount by the double-sided solar panel 117 estimated using an estimation model from the positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun. For example, the angle control unit 212 increases the roll angle of the aircraft 100 when the second power generation amount is greater than the first power generation amount. In addition, when the difference between the second power generation amount and the first power generation amount is greater than the amount of power consumed to change the roll angle of the aircraft 100, the angle control unit 212 Increase the roll angle.

In addition, the model generation unit 226, for example, includes at least weather information of the area over which the aircraft 100 flies, reflected light information of sunlight reaching the aircraft 100 from the ground, and area characteristic information of the ground where the aircraft flies. At least one of the weather information, the reflected light information, and the area characteristic information using any one of them, the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun, the attitude of the flying object, and the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar panel 117 as teacher data. An estimation model for estimating the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar cell panel 117 is generated by machine learning from the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun and the attitude of the flying object.

The angle control unit 212 controls the first power generation amount, which is the current power generation amount of the double-sided solar cell panel 117, and the attitude and flight body of the flying body 100 when the roll angle of the flying body 100 is increased. Based on the positional relationship with the sun and the second power generation amount by the double-sided solar panel 117 estimated using an estimation model from at least one of weather information, reflected light information, and area characteristic information, the flying object The angle of the roll of 100 may be varied.

In addition, the model generation unit 226 also generates the position and deflection amount of the flying object 100 and the relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun, which are acquired while the flying object 100 is making a turn along a predetermined circular orbit, for example. and the amount of power generated by the bifacial solar cell panel 117 as training data. An estimation model for estimating the amount of power generated by the panel 117 is generated by machine learning.

The deflection amount control unit 214 controls the first power generation amount, which is the current power generation amount of the double-sided solar cell panel 117, and the position and deflection amount of the aircraft 100 when the deflection amount of the aircraft 100 is increased. , and the second amount of power generated by the double-sided solar cell panel 100 estimated from the positional relationship between the aircraft 100 and the sun using an estimation model. For example, the deflection amount control unit 214 increases the deflection amount of the flying object when the second power generation amount is greater than the first power generation amount. Further, for example, if the difference between the second power generation amount and the first power generation amount is greater than the amount of power consumed to change the deflection amount of the flying object 100, the deflection amount control unit 214 Increase the amount of deflection of 100.

In addition, the model generation unit 226 generates at least one of weather information of the area over which the aircraft 100 flies, information on the reflected light of sunlight reaching the aircraft 100 from the ground, and information on characteristics of the area on the ground where the aircraft 100 flies. In addition, weather information, reflected light information, and area characteristic information are obtained using the positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun, the deflection amount of the flying object 100, and the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar panel 117 as teaching data. An estimation model for estimating the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar cell panel 117 is generated by machine learning from at least one of them, the positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun, and the deflection amount of the flying object 100 . The deflection amount control unit 214 controls the first power generation amount, which is the current power generation amount of the double-sided solar cell panel 117, and the amount of deflection of the aircraft 100 and the amount of deflection of the aircraft 100 when the amount of deflection of the aircraft 100 is increased. Based on the positional relationship between 100 and the sun, and the second power generation amount by the double-sided solar panel 117 estimated using an estimation model from at least one of weather information, reflected light information, and area characteristic information, The deflection amount of the flying object may be changed.

In the above embodiment, the control device 200 controls the roll angle of the flying object 100 and the deflection amount of the flying object 100 according to the positional relationship between the flying object 100 and the sun. Although described, these controls may be performed by the management device 400 . That is, the management device 400 may be an example of a control device. In this case, the control device may not have the flight control unit 202 but may have an aircraft communication unit that communicates with the flight control unit of the aircraft 100 . Then, the angle control unit 212 may change the roll angle of the flying object 100 via the flying object communication unit. Further, the deflection amount control section 214 may change the deflection amount of the aircraft 100 via the aircraft communication section.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the flying object 100 includes a wireless communication device that forms the wireless communication area 140 by irradiating a plurality of beams toward the ground has been mainly described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The flying object 100 may be one that does not include a wireless communication device and, for example, includes a camera that captures images of the ground and monitors the ground.

FIG. 11 schematically shows an example of a hardware configuration of a computer 1200 functioning as the control device 200 or management device 400. As shown in FIG. Programs installed on the computer 1200 cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the apparatus of the present embodiments, or cause the computer 1200 to operate or perform operations associated with the apparatus of the present invention. Multiple "units" can be executed and/or the computer 1200 can be caused to execute the process or steps of the process according to the present invention. Such programs may be executed by CPU 1212 to cause computer 1200 to perform certain operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

Computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes CPU 1212 , RAM 1214 , and graphics controller 1216 , which are interconnected by host controller 1210 . Computer 1200 also includes input/output units such as communication interface 1222 , storage device 1224 , and IC card drives, which are connected to host controller 1210 via input/output controller 1220 . Storage devices 1224 may be hard disk drives, solid state drives, and the like. Computer 1200 also includes legacy input/output units, such as ROM 1230 and keyboard, which are connected to input/output controller 1220 via input/output chip 1240 .

The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. Graphics controller 1216 retrieves image data generated by CPU 1212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in RAM 1214 or itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on display device 1218 .

Communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices over a network. Storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by CPU 1212 within computer 1200 . The IC card drive reads programs and data from IC cards and/or writes programs and data to IC cards.

ROM 1230 stores therein programs that are dependent on the hardware of computer 1200, such as a boot program that is executed by computer 1200 upon activation. Input/output chip 1240 may also connect various input/output units to input/output controller 1220 via USB ports, parallel ports, serial ports, keyboard ports, mouse ports, and the like.

A program is provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as an IC card. The program is read from a computer-readable storage medium, installed in storage device 1224 , RAM 1214 , or ROM 1230 , which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by CPU 1212 . The information processing described within these programs is read by computer 1200 to provide coordination between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be configured by implementing information operations or processing according to the use of computer 1200 .

For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 executes a communication program loaded into the RAM 1214 and sends communication processing to the communication interface 1222 based on the processing described in the communication program. you can command. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads the transmission data stored in the transmission buffer area provided in the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network. Received data transmitted or received from a network is written in a receive buffer area or the like provided on a recording medium.

The CPU 1212 also causes the RAM 1214 to read all or necessary portions of files or databases stored in an external recording medium such as a storage device 1224 or an IC card, and performs various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1214. may be executed. CPU 1212 may then write back the processed data to an external recording medium.

Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on recording media and subjected to information processing. CPU 1212 performs various types of operations on data read from RAM 1214, information processing, conditional decisions, conditional branching, unconditional branching, and information retrieval, which are described throughout this disclosure and are specified by instruction sequences of programs. Various types of processing may be performed, including /replace, etc., and the results written back to RAM 1214 . In addition, the CPU 1212 may search for information in a file in a recording medium, a database, or the like. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1212 selects the first attribute from among the plurality of entries. search for an entry that matches the specified condition of the attribute value of the attribute, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby determine the first attribute that satisfies the predetermined condition An attribute value of the associated second attribute may be obtained.

The programs or software modules described above may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near computer 1200 . Also, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, whereby the program can be transferred to the computer 1200 via the network. offer.

The blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams in this embodiment may represent steps in the process in which the operations are performed or "parts" of the apparatus responsible for performing the operations. Certain steps and "sections" may be provided with dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium, and/or computer readable instructions provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium. It may be implemented by a processor. Dedicated circuitry may include digital and/or analog hardware circuitry, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and/or discrete circuitry. Programmable circuits, such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Programmable Logic Arrays (PLAs), etc., perform AND, OR, EXCLUSIVE OR, NOT AND, NOT OR, and other logical operations. , flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

A computer-readable storage medium may comprise any tangible device capable of storing instructions to be executed by a suitable device, such that a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon may be illustrated in flowchart or block diagram form. It will comprise an article of manufacture containing instructions that can be executed to create means for performing specified operations. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer readable storage media include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM or flash memory) , electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc, memory stick , integrated circuit cards, and the like.

The computer readable instructions may be assembler instructions, Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or object oriented programming such as Smalltalk, JAVA, C++, etc. language, and any combination of one or more programming languages, including conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. good.

Computer readable instructions are used to produce means for a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or programmable circuits to perform the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagrams. A general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processor, locally or over a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, etc., to execute such computer readable instructions. It may be provided in the processor of the device or in a programmable circuit. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and the like.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the description of the scope of claims that forms with such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The execution order of each process such as actions, procedures, steps, and stages in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, the specification, and the drawings is particularly "before", "before etc., and it should be noted that they can be implemented in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Regarding the operation flow in the claims, the specification, and the drawings, even if the description is made using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it means that it is essential to carry out in this order. not a thing

20 network, 22 gateway, 80 communication satellite, 100 aircraft, 102, 105, 106 flight path, 103 section, 104 section, 107, 108, 109 lift, 110 main wing, 111 spar, 112 rib, 113 lower surface film, 114 upper surface film, 115 film, 116 film, 117 double-sided solar panel, 118 double-sided lighting cell, 122 propeller, 124 skid, 126 wheel, 128 flap, 140 wireless communication area, 150 angle, 200 controller, 202 flight controller, 204 positional relationship acquisition unit, 210 received light amount adjustment unit, 212 angle control unit, 214 deflection amount control unit, 222 power generation amount acquisition unit, 224 information acquisition unit, 226 model generation unit, 300 user terminal, 400 management device, 1200 computer, 1210 host controller, 1212 CPU, 1214 RAM, 1216 graphic controller, 1218 display device, 1220 input/output controller, 1222 communication interface, 1224 storage device, 1230 ROM, 1240 input/output chip

Claims (13)

A control device for controlling an aircraft having bifacial solar panels arranged on the main wings,
a positional relationship acquisition unit that acquires a positional relationship between the flying object and the sun;
When the sun is positioned laterally of the aircraft and the sun is positioned above the aircraft in order to increase the amount of sunlight received by the bifacial solar panels arranged on the main wings. an angle control unit that increases the roll angle of the flying object than
At least one of weather information of the area over which the aircraft flies, information on the reflected light of sunlight reaching the aircraft from the ground, and characteristic information of the area on the ground where the aircraft flies, and the aircraft and the sun. and the attitude of the flying object, and the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar panel as teacher data, at least one of the weather information, the reflected light information, and the area characteristic information, and the flight a model generation unit that generates an estimation model for estimating the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar cell panel from the positional relationship between the body and the sun and the attitude of the flying object through machine learning;
with
The angle control unit controls a first power generation amount by the double-sided solar cell panel, an attitude of the flying object and a positional relationship between the flying object and the sun when the roll angle of the flying object is increased. and a second power generation amount by the double-sided solar cell panel estimated using the estimation model from at least one of the weather information, the reflected light information, and the area characteristic information, the flying object change the roll angle of
Control device. The angle control unit adjusts the position of the flying object in the fore-and-aft direction when the flying object is making a turn along a predetermined circular flight path and the sun is positioned laterally of the flying object. 2. The control device according to claim 1, which causes the turning radius to be smaller than when the sun is positioned at . The flying object functions as a stratospheric platform that flies in the stratosphere and emits a beam toward the ground to form a wireless communication area and provide wireless communication services to user terminals within the wireless communication area. Item 3. The control device according to item 1 or 2 . The angle control unit causes the flying object to perform a turning flight along a predetermined circular flight path during the daytime, during a period from sunrise until a predetermined time elapses, and at sunset. By making the turning radius smaller when the sun is positioned in the lateral direction of the flying object than when the sun is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the flying object from before the set time until sunset, the flying object 4. The controller of claim 3 , causing the to fly along an elliptical flight path. 5. The angle control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the angle of roll of the aircraft is increased when the second power generation amount is greater than the first power generation amount. Control device. When the difference between the second power generation amount and the first power generation amount is larger than the amount of electric power consumed to change the roll angle of the flying object, the angle control unit adjusts the angle of the flying object. 6. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , for increasing the roll angle. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising a deflection amount control section that adjusts the deflection amount of the main wing based on the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun. 8. The deflection amount control unit according to claim 7 , wherein when the sun is positioned laterally of the flying body, the deflection amount of the flying body is made larger than when the sun is positioned above the flying body. Control device as described. The bifacial solar panel is arranged on the upper surface side of the main wing,
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the lower surface of the main wing transmits light. The upper and lower surfaces of the main wing transmit light,
9. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the bifacial solar panel is arranged within the main wing. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ;
A system comprising: the air vehicle; A program for causing a computer to function as the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 . A control method executed by a control device for controlling an aircraft having bifacial solar panels arranged on the main wings, comprising:
a positional relationship acquiring step of acquiring a positional relationship between the flying object and the sun;
When the sun is positioned laterally of the aircraft and the sun is positioned above the aircraft in order to increase the amount of sunlight received by the bifacial solar panels arranged on the main wings. and an angle control stage that increases the roll angle of the aircraft above
The control method includes at least one of weather information of an area over which the aircraft flies, information on reflected light of sunlight reaching the aircraft from the ground, and characteristic information of the area on the ground where the aircraft flies; At least the weather information, the reflected light information, and the area characteristic information are obtained by using the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun, the attitude of the flying object, and the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar panel as teaching data. further comprising a model generation step of generating an estimation model for estimating the amount of power generated by the double-sided solar cell panel from any of the above, the positional relationship between the flying object and the sun, and the attitude of the flying object, by machine learning;
In the angle control step, the first power generation amount by the bifacial solar cell panel and the attitude of the aircraft and the positional relationship between the aircraft and the sun when the roll angle of the aircraft is increased. and a second power generation amount by the double-sided solar cell panel estimated using the estimation model from at least one of the weather information, the reflected light information, and the area characteristic information, the flying object A control method that varies the roll angle of the

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