JP7408039B2 - Aircraft, control device, program, and control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an aircraft, a control device, a program, and a control method.

HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station) is known, which provides wireless communication services to terminals by establishing a feeder link with a terrestrial gateway, establishing a service link with a terrestrial terminal, and relaying communication between the gateway and the terminal. (For example, see Patent Document 1).
[Prior art documents]
[Patent document]
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-135823

It is desirable to be able to provide services without installing a ground gateway for each HAPS.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a flying vehicle is provided. The air vehicle may include a first antenna for wirelessly communicating with a ground-based gateway. The aircraft may include a second antenna for forming a cell on the ground and wirelessly communicating with user terminals within the cell. The air vehicle may include a third antenna for wireless communication with other air vehicles. The air vehicle may include a fourth antenna for wirelessly communicating with other air vehicles. When an aircraft is wirelessly connected to the gateway using the first antenna, it includes rank information indicating that it is the first rank, and uses the fourth antenna to communicate with other aircraft of the first rank. A first aircraft communication unit that wirelessly transmits, using a third antenna, a beacon signal containing rank information indicating that the own aircraft is in a second rank lower than the first rank when the aircraft is connected wirelessly. good.

When the above-mentioned flight object is wirelessly connected to another flight object of the above-mentioned first rank using the above-mentioned 4th antenna, the above-mentioned flight object communicates with the other flight object of the above-mentioned 1st rank using the above-mentioned 4th antenna. It may have two aircraft communication units. When the first aircraft communication unit is wirelessly connected to another aircraft of the second rank using the fourth antenna, the first aircraft communication unit detects that the own aircraft is of a third rank lower than the second rank. The beacon signal including the rank information shown may be wirelessly transmitted using the third antenna. The first aircraft communication unit may use different frequencies when it is wirelessly connected to the gateway and when it is wirelessly connected to another aircraft of the first rank. When the first flight object communication unit is wirelessly connected to another flight object of the first rank using the fourth antenna, the first flight object communication unit transmits the beacon signal containing information that allows the own aircraft to be identified from the other flight object. may be wirelessly transmitted using the third antenna. When the first aircraft communication unit is wirelessly connected to another aircraft of the first rank using the fourth antenna, the first aircraft communication unit transmits the beacon signal including the identification number of the cell formed by the second antenna. , wireless transmission may be performed using the third antenna. The third antenna may be an omnidirectional antenna. The fourth antenna may be an antenna capable of tracking in all directions by moving a directional antenna. When the flying object is wirelessly connected to another flying object of the first rank using the fourth antenna, the flying object moves the directional antenna to follow the other flying object of the first rank. It may include a body following section. The first flight object communication section may wirelessly transmit the beacon signal including the position information of the own aircraft using the third antenna, and the flight object tracking section may transmit the beacon signal including the position information of the own aircraft, and the flight object tracking section may transmit the beacon signal including the position information of the own aircraft, and The other aircraft of the first rank may be tracked by moving the directional antenna based on the position information of the other aircraft of the first rank included in the beacon signal received from the beacon signal.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a first antenna for wirelessly communicating with a gateway on the ground, a second antenna for forming a cell on the ground and wirelessly communicating with a user terminal in the cell, and another antenna. A control device mounted on a flying object is provided that includes a third antenna for wirelessly communicating with the flying object and a fourth antenna for wirelessly communicating with another flying object. When the control device is wirelessly connected to the gateway using the first antenna, the control device includes rank information indicating that the own aircraft is the first rank, and uses the fourth antenna to communicate with other aircraft of the first rank. When wirelessly connected, the aircraft may include an aircraft communication unit that uses a third antenna to wirelessly transmit a beacon signal including rank information indicating that the aircraft is in a second rank lower than the first rank.

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

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a first antenna for wirelessly communicating with a gateway on the ground, a second antenna for forming a cell on the ground and wirelessly communicating with a user terminal in the cell, and another antenna. A control method is provided that is executed by a control device mounted on a flying object that includes a third antenna for wirelessly communicating with the flying object and a fourth antenna for wirelessly communicating with another flying object. The control method includes rank information indicating that the aircraft is in the first rank when it is wirelessly connected to the gateway using the first antenna, and uses the fourth antenna to communicate with other aircraft in the first rank. When wirelessly connected, the apparatus may include a transmitting step of wirelessly transmitting a beacon signal including rank information indicating that the apparatus is in a second rank lower than the first rank using a third antenna.

Note that the above summary of the invention does not list all the necessary features of the invention. Furthermore, subcombinations of these features may also constitute inventions.

An example of a HAPS 100 is schematically shown. 1 schematically depicts an example of a system 10; An example of a coverage area 300 formed by a plurality of HAPS 100 of the system 10 is schematically shown. An example of a cover area 300, a cover area 302, and a cover area 304 is schematically shown. An example of a communication situation in the system 10 is schematically shown. An example of the flow of connection processing by the HAPS 100 is schematically shown. An example of connection by HAPS 100 is schematically shown. An example of connection by HAPS 100 is schematically shown. An example of connection by HAPS 100 is schematically shown. An example of replacement processing of the HAPS 100 in the system 10 is schematically shown. An example of the functional configuration of the control device 200 is schematically shown. An example 250 of arrangement of beacon signals is shown. An example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1200 functioning as a control device 200 is schematically shown.

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. Furthermore, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the solution of the invention.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of a HAPS 100. The HAPS 100 is an example of an aircraft having a relay function that connects wirelessly with a gateway 40 on the ground and relays communication between the user terminal 30 and the gateway 40 in a cell 101 formed by irradiating a beam toward the ground. It's good to be there.

HAPS 100 includes a fuselage 110, a central portion 120, a propeller 130, a pod 140, and a solar panel 150. A control device 200 (not shown) is disposed within the central portion 120.

Electric power generated by the solar panel 150 is stored in one or more batteries disposed in at least one of the fuselage 110, the center section 120, and the pod 140. The power stored in the battery is used by each component included in the HAPS 100.

Control device 200 controls flight and communication of HAPS 100. The control device 200 controls the flight of the HAPS 100 by controlling the rotation of the propeller 130, for example. Further, the control device 200 may control the flight of the HAPS 100 by changing the angle of a flap or an elevator (not shown). The control device 200 may include various sensors such as a positioning sensor such as a GPS sensor, a gyro sensor, and an acceleration sensor, and may manage the position, moving direction, and moving speed of the HAPS 100.

The control device 200 uses a FL (Feeder Link) antenna 121 to form a feeder link with the gateway 40 on the ground. The control device 200 may access the network 20 via the gateway 40.

Control device 200 forms cell 101 on the ground using SL antenna 122. The control device 200 uses the SL antenna 122 to form a service link with the user terminal 30 on the ground. The SL antenna 122 may have lower directivity than the FL antenna 121. SL antenna 122 may be a multi-beam antenna. Cell 101 may be a multi-cell.

The user terminal 30 may be any communication terminal that can communicate with the HAPS 100. For example, the user terminal 30 is a mobile phone such as a smartphone. The user terminal 30 may be a tablet terminal, a PC (Personal Computer), or the like. The user terminal 30 may be a so-called IoT (Internet of Things) device. The user terminal 30 may include anything that corresponds to so-called IoE (Internet of Everything).

The HAPS 100 relays communication between the gateway 40 and the user terminal 30, for example, via a feeder link and a service link. The HAPS 100 may provide a wireless communication service to the user terminal 30 by relaying communication between the user terminal 30 and the network 20. Network 20 includes a mobile communications network. The mobile communication network is compliant with any of the following communication methods: 3G (3rd Generation) communication method, LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication method, 5G (5th Generation) communication method, and 6G (6th Generation) communication method. Good too. Network 20 may include the Internet.

The HAPS 100 transmits data received from the user terminal 30 within the cell 101 to the network 20, for example. Further, for example, when the HAPS 100 receives data addressed to the user terminal 30 in the cell 101 via the network 20, the HAPS 100 transmits the data to the user terminal 30.

HAPS 100 may be managed by a management system 50. HAPS 100 operates according to instructions sent by management system 50 via network 20 and gateway 40, for example.

Management system 50 controls aircraft 100 by sending instructions. The management system 50 may cause the HAPS 100 to circle above the target area in order to have the cell 101 cover the target area on the ground. The act of the HAPS 100 circling over the target area in order to cover the target area may be referred to as a fixed-point flight. For example, the HAPS 100 maintains the feeder link with the gateway 40 by adjusting the pointing direction of the FL antenna 121 while flying in a circular orbit above the target area, and adjusts the pointing direction of the SL antenna 122. to maintain coverage of the target area by the cell 101.

If one gateway 40 is installed for one HAPS 100, as the area expands, the same number of gateways 40 as HAPS 100 will have to be created, which means that expanding the area will take time, cost, and labor. In some areas, it is difficult to install HAPS 100, and a method is needed to expand the area by deploying many HAPS 100 while minimizing the number of gateways 40.

The HAPS 100 according to the present embodiment has a function of sharing the gateway 40 with other HAPS 100 by performing direct wireless communication with the other HAPS 100. For example, a first HAPS 100 that is wirelessly connected to the gateway 40 and another second HAPS 100 are wirelessly connected, and the first HAPS 100 relays communication between the second HAPS 100 and the gateway 40. , one gateway 40 enables two HAPS 100 to provide wireless communication services.

FIG. 2 schematically depicts an example of system 10. The system 10 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of HAPS 100 that can communicate with each other wirelessly. In FIG. 2, as a plurality of HAPS 100, HAPS 102 that is wirelessly connected to the gateway 40, HAPS 104 that is wirelessly connected to HAPS 102, and HAPS 106 that is wirelessly connected to HAPS 104 are illustrated.

The rank of the HAPS 102 wirelessly connected to the gateway 40 is sometimes described as "Master," the rank of the HAPS 104 wirelessly connected to the HAPS 102 as "Slave 1," and the rank of the HAPS 106 wirelessly connected to the HAPS 104 as "Slave 2." be. "Master" may be an example of the first rank. "Slave1" may be an example of the second rank. "Slave2" may be an example of the third rank.

Multiple HAPS 100 may be connected in a planar star network topology. For example, among the plurality of HAPS 100, the HAPS 100 that is wirelessly connected to the gateway 40 is set as a master station, and the HAPS 100 are connected radially from there in a star-shaped network topology.

The "Slave 1" HAPS 104 may communicate with the gateway 40 via the "Master" HAPS 102. The "Slave 2" HAPS 106 may communicate with the gateway 40 via the "Slave 1" HAPS 104 and the "Master" HAPS 102. Thereby, the HAPS 104 and the HAPS 106 can access the network 20 without placing the gateway 40 corresponding to the HAPS 104 and the gateway 40 corresponding to the HAPS 106 on the ground.

FIG. 3 schematically shows an example of a coverage area 300 formed by multiple HAPS 100 of system 10. In FIG. 3, a cell 103 is formed by a "Master" HAPS 102, a cell 105 is formed by a plurality of "Slave 1" HAPS 104, and a cell 107 is formed by a plurality of "Slave 2" HAPS 106. A cover area 300 is illustrated.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of HAPS 104 are flying in each of the plurality of second flight areas arranged to surround the first flight area of the HAPS 102, and the plurality of HAPS 106 are flying in each of the plurality of second flight areas. The aircraft is flying in each of a plurality of third flight areas that are arranged outside of the first flight area to surround the first flight area. Each of the plurality of HAPS 104 forms a plurality of cells 105 arranged so as to surround the cell 103, and each of the plurality of HAPS 106 surrounds the cell 103 on the outside of the plurality of cells 105. Each of the plurality of cells 107 is arranged in a plurality of cells 107. According to the example shown in FIG. 3, one gateway 40 can be shared by 19 HAPSs 100.

The area covered by the cell 103 may be referred to as "Zone 0," the area covered by multiple cells 105 may be referred to as "Zone 1," and the area covered by multiple cells 107 may be referred to as "Zone 2." “Zone 1” is the closest coverage area group in each direction from “Zone 0”. "Zone 2" is a coverage area group in which "Zone 1" exists on a straight line with "Zone 0."

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an example of a coverage area 300, a coverage area 302, and a coverage area 304 formed by multiple HAPS 100 of the system 10. FIG. 4 illustrates a case where three gateways 40 are used. According to the example shown in FIG. 4, three gateways 40 can be shared by 57 HAPSs 100. In this way, according to the system 10 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to cover a large area with fewer gateways 40.

FIG. 5 schematically shows an example of a communication situation in the system 10. Here, in order to schematically show the communication status, the central part 120 of the "Master" HAPS 100 (sometimes referred to as the "Master" machine) and the central part 120 of the "Slave 1" HAPS 100 (sometimes referred to as the "Slave 1" machine) are shown. ) and the central portion 120 of a "Slave2" HAPS 100 (sometimes referred to as a "Slave2" machine).

A FL antenna 121, an SL antenna 122, an airborne communication antenna 123, and an airborne communication antenna 124 are installed in the central portion 120. FL antenna 121 may be an example of a first antenna. SL antenna 122 may be an example of a second antenna. Airborne communication antenna 123 may be an example of a third antenna for communicating with other HAPS 100. Airborne communication antenna 124 may be an example of a fourth antenna for communicating with other HAPS 100.

The airborne communication antenna 123 may be an omnidirectional antenna (sometimes referred to as an omni antenna, omnidirectional antenna, etc.). The airborne communication antenna 124 may be an omnidirectionally trackable antenna that can be tracked in all directions by moving a directional antenna.

The "Master" aircraft periodically broadcasts a beacon signal containing its own position information and rank information indicating that it is "Master" using the aircraft communication antenna 123. The broadcast timing of the beacon signal may be irregular.

The "Slave 1" aircraft receives the beacon signal transmitted by the "Master" aircraft using the aircraft communication antenna 124, and uses the position information included in the beacon signal to track the "Master" aircraft using the aircraft communication antenna 124. and communicate with the “Master” machine. The “Slave 1” aircraft periodically broadcasts a beacon signal containing its own position information and rank information indicating that it is “Slave 1” using the aircraft communication antenna 123. The broadcast timing of the beacon signal may be irregular.

The "Slave 2" aircraft receives the beacon signal transmitted by the "Slave 1" aircraft using the aircraft communication antenna 124, and uses the position information included in the beacon signal to track the "Slave 1" aircraft using the aircraft communication antenna 124. and communicates with the "Slave1" machine. The "Slave 2" aircraft periodically broadcasts a beacon signal containing its own position information and rank information indicating that it is "Slave 2" using the aircraft communication antenna 123. The broadcast timing of the beacon signal may be irregular.

In the system 10, the frequency used for communication between the "Master" machine and the "Slave 1" machine and the frequency used for communication between the "Slave 1" machine and the "Slave 2" machine may be different. This makes it possible to avoid interference between the communication between the "Master" machine and the "Slave1" machine, and the communication between the "Slave1" machine and the "Slave2" machine.

FIG. 6 schematically depicts an example of an airborne communications antenna 124. The airborne communication antenna 124 includes a base 125, a shaft portion 126, a holding portion 127, and a directional antenna 128.

The base 125 is installed in the central portion 120 and rotatably supports the shaft portion 126. The shaft portion 126 may be rotatable 360 degrees around the central axis. A holding portion 127 that holds the directional antenna 128 is arranged on the shaft portion 126 . The holding part 127 holds the directional antenna 128 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. The swing width of the directional antenna 128 may be 180 degrees.

The base 125 supports the shaft part 126 so that it can rotate 360 degrees, and the holding part 127 holds the directional antenna 128 so that it can swing 180 degrees in the vertical direction, so that the directional antenna 128 can receive radio waves from all directions. It is possible to receive and transmit radio waves in all directions. The control device 200 can track radio waves in all directions by controlling the rotation of the shaft portion 126 by the base 125 and the swinging of the directional antenna 128 by the holding portion 127.

FIG. 7 schematically shows an example of the flow of connection processing by the HAPS 100. It is desirable that the HAPS 100 be able to determine the connection destination based on rank, without recognizing zones, in order to provide flexibility in operating locations and connected mobile phones. In that case, when beacon signals are received from multiple HAPSs 100, the problem is determining which HAPS 100 to connect to.

In the system 10 according to the present embodiment, for example, first, the HAPS 100 functioning as a "master" moves to a flight area instructed by the management system 50 and connects wirelessly with the gateway 40. Thereafter, the HAPS 100 that has moved to the flight area instructed by the management system 50 executes the process shown in FIG. 7 to determine the HAPS 100 to be connected by itself and establish a wireless connection.

In step (step may be abbreviated as S) 102, the HAPS 100 measures the strength of received radio waves from other HAPS 100. The HAPS 100 may measure the received radio field strength of beacon signals that are periodically broadcast by other HAPS 100.

In S104, the HAPS 100 identifies HAPS 100 whose received radio field strength measured in S104 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. If there is only one HAPS 100 with the highest rank (YES in S106), the process advances to S108. If the HAPS 100 identified in S104 include a mixture of HAPS 100 with different ranks, and the number of HAPS 100 with the highest rank is plural, or if all the HAPS 100 identified in S104 have the same rank (NO in S106) ), proceed to S110.

In S108, the HAPS 100 determines the HAPS 100 with the highest rank as the connection destination. In S110, the HAPS 100 determines, as the connection destination, the HAPS 100 with the strongest received radio wave strength among the plurality of HAPS 100 with the highest rank. In S112, the HAPS 100 establishes a wireless connection with the HAPS 100 determined as the connection destination. Then, the connection process ends.

FIG. 8 schematically shows an example of connection processing by the HAPS 100. Here, a case where a new HAPS 100 arrives at "Zone 1" will be described. HAPS 100 may move to a flight area designated by management system 50 without being aware of Thorn.

The HAPS 100 that has arrived at the designated flight area measures the strength of received radio waves from other HAPS 100. Then, the HAPS 100 identifies another HAPS 100 whose received radio wave intensity is stronger than a predetermined threshold. In the example shown in FIG. 8, one HAPS 102 and two HAPS 104 included in the group 82 are specified.

In the group 82, there is one HAPS 102 with the highest rank, so the HAPS 100 determines the HAPS 102 as the connection destination. The HAPS 100 is wirelessly connected to the HAPS 102, and functions as "Slave 1".

FIG. 9 schematically shows an example of connection processing by the HAPS 100. Here, a case where a new HAPS 100 arrives at "Zone 2" will be described. HAPS 100 may move to a flight area designated by management system 50 without being aware of Thorn.

The HAPS 100 that has arrived at the designated flight area measures the strength of received radio waves from other HAPS 100. Then, the HAPS 100 identifies another HAPS 100 whose received radio wave intensity is stronger than a predetermined threshold. In the example shown in FIG. 9, for example, three HAPS 104 included in the group 84 are identified. Depending on the threshold value, only one HAPS 104 closest to the HAPS 100 is specified.

In the group 84, all the HAPSs 104 have the same rank, so the HAPS 100 determines the HAPS 104 with the strongest received radio field strength as the connection destination among the three HAPSs 104. If only one HAPS 104 closest to the HAPS 100 is identified, the HAPS 100 determines that HAPS 104 as the connection destination.

For example, if the connection destination is determined only based on the received radio field strength, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the HAPS 104 may be determined as the connection destination. In that case, the HAPS 100 will communicate with the gateway 40 via the HAPS 104 and HAPS 102, which will cause communication delays and wasteful use of relay resources.

Further, for example, if the connection destination is determined only based on the rank, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the HAPS 102 may be determined as the connection destination. In that case, since the distance between the wirelessly connected HAPS 100 and HAPS 102 is long, communication quality generally decreases and performance is affected.

On the other hand, by determining the connection destination according to the processing algorithm shown in FIG. 7, in the example shown in FIG. 8, it is possible to prevent the HAPS 104 from being selected as the connection destination and make it possible to select the HAPS 102 as the connection destination. Thereby, communication delays and wasteful use of relay resources can be suppressed. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the HAPS 102 can be excluded from the connection destination candidates. Thereby, deterioration in communication quality can be suppressed.

FIG. 10 schematically shows an example of the replacement process of the HAPS 100 in the system 10. In the system 10, if any one of the plurality of HAPSs 100 stops forming the cell 101 because it breaks down or is moved to the ground for maintenance, it has a lower rank than the relevant HAPS 100, and The HAPS 100 that was wirelessly connected to the HAPS 100 is replaced by the HAPS 100.

For example, when the HAPS 104 leaves, the HAPS 106 that was wirelessly connected to the HAPS 104 replaces the HAPS 104. After the change, the HAPS 106 functions as "Slave1" and includes rank information indicating that it is "Slave1" in the beacon signal.

FIG. 11 schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the control device 200. The control device 200 includes a flight control section 210, a communication control section 220, an aircraft specifying section 230, and a connection destination determining section 240.

The flight control unit 210 controls the flight of the HAPS 100 (sometimes referred to as own aircraft) on which the control device 200 is mounted. The flight control unit 210 may control the flight of the aircraft by controlling the rotation of the propeller 130, changing the angles of flaps and elevators, and the like. The flight control unit 210 may include various sensors such as a positioning sensor such as a GPS sensor, a gyro sensor, and an acceleration sensor, and may manage the position, moving direction, and moving speed of the own aircraft.

The flight control unit 210 may control the flight of its own aircraft according to instructions received from the management system 50. For example, the flight control unit 210 controls the flight of the aircraft to move to a flight area designated by the management system 50. Further, the flight control unit 210 controls the flight of the own aircraft to perform fixed-point flight in the flight area designated by the management system 50.

Note that the control device 200 does not need to include the flight control section 210. In this case, a flight control device that controls the flight of the aircraft is arranged in the central section 120 so as to be able to communicate with the control device 200.

The communication control unit 220 includes an FL communication unit 222 , an SL communication unit 224 , an aircraft communication unit 226 , and an aircraft communication unit 228 . The FL communication unit 222 uses the FL antenna 121 to wirelessly connect to the gateway 40 and establish a feeder link with the gateway 40 . The SL communication unit 224 forms a cell 101 on the ground using the SL antenna 122. The SL communication unit 224 wirelessly connects to the user terminal 30 in the cell 101 and establishes a service link with the user terminal 30.

The airborne communication unit 226 uses the airborne communication antenna 123 to wirelessly communicate with other HAPS 100 . The aircraft communication unit 226 may be an example of a first aircraft communication unit. The airborne communication unit 228 uses the airborne communication antenna 124 to wirelessly communicate with other HAPS 100. The aircraft communication unit 228 may be an example of a second aircraft communication unit.

When the own aircraft is wirelessly connected to the gateway 40 using the FL antenna 121, that is, when the own aircraft is functioning as a "Master", the aircraft communication unit 226 determines that the own aircraft is the "Master". A beacon signal containing rank information indicating the position of the aircraft and position information of the own aircraft is broadcast regularly or irregularly using the aircraft communication antenna 123. The aircraft communication unit 226 may be an example of a beacon signal transmission unit.

When the own aircraft is wirelessly connected to the "Master" aircraft using the aircraft communication antenna 124, that is, when the own aircraft is functioning as "Slave 1", ” A beacon signal containing rank information indicating that the aircraft is ” and position information of its own aircraft is transmitted periodically or irregularly using the aircraft communication antenna 123.

When the aircraft is wirelessly connected to the "Slave 1" aircraft using the aircraft communication antenna 124, that is, when the aircraft is functioning as the "Slave 2", the aircraft communication unit 226 connects the aircraft to the "Slave 2" ” A beacon signal containing rank information indicating that the aircraft is ” and position information of the own aircraft is transmitted to regular residences or irregularly using the aircraft communication antenna 123.

The aircraft communication unit 226 functions when it is wirelessly connected to the gateway 40, that is, functions as "Master", and when it is wirelessly connected to the "Master" aircraft, that is, functions as "Slave 1". Different frequencies may be used depending on the situation.

The aircraft communication unit 226 may include information that allows the aircraft to be identified from other HAPS 100 in the beacon signal when it is functioning as "Slave 1" and when it is functioning as "Slave 2." The aircraft communication unit 226 includes, for example, the identification number of the cell formed by the SL antenna 122 in the beacon signal. As the cell identification number, an eNB (eNodeB) ECGI (E-UTRAN Cell Global ID) or the like can be used.

The aircraft communication unit 228 uses the aircraft communication antenna 124 to wirelessly connect to the "Master" aircraft using the aircraft communication antenna 124, that is, when the own aircraft functions as "Slave 1". to communicate with the “Master” machine. The aircraft communication unit 228 follows the “Master” aircraft by moving the directional antenna 128 by controlling the base 125 and the holding unit 127. The aircraft communication unit 228 may follow the "Master" aircraft by moving the directional antenna 128 using the position information of the "Master" aircraft included in the beacon signal transmitted by the "Master" aircraft. The aircraft communication unit 228 may be an example of an aircraft tracking unit.

The aircraft communication unit 228 uses the aircraft communication antenna 124 to wirelessly connect to the "Slave 1" aircraft using the aircraft communication antenna 124, that is, when the own aircraft functions as "Slave 2". to communicate with the “Slave1” machine. The aircraft communication unit 228 controls the base 125 and the holding unit 127 to move the directional antenna 128 to follow the “Slave 1” aircraft. The aircraft communication unit 228 may follow the "Slave 1" aircraft by moving the directional antenna 128 based on the position information of the "Slave 1" aircraft included in the beacon signal transmitted by the "Slave 1" aircraft.

The airborne communication unit 228 uses the airborne communication antenna 124 to measure the strength of received radio waves from other HAPS 100. The aircraft communication unit 228 measures the received radio field strength, for example, using beacon signals broadcast by other HAPS 100. The aircraft communication unit 228 may be an example of a radio field intensity measurement unit.

For example, when wirelessly connecting to another HAPS 100 after moving to a flight area designated by the management system 50, the aircraft identification unit 230 receives information from each of the other plurality of HAPS 100 measured by the aircraft communication unit 228. A plurality of HAPSs 100 that are candidates for connection are identified based on the received radio field strength. The aircraft identifying unit 230 may identify the HAPS 100 whose received radio wave intensity is higher than a predetermined threshold as a candidate for connection. The threshold value may be arbitrarily settable or changeable.

The connection destination determination unit 240 determines the connection destination HAPS 100 from the HAPS 100 specified by the aircraft identification unit 230. When the number of HAPS 100 identified by the aircraft identifying unit 230 is one, the connection destination determining unit 240 may specify the HAPS 100 as the connection destination.

When a plurality of HAPSs 100 are identified by the aircraft specifying section 230, the connection destination determining section 240 determines the connection destination based on the received radio field strength from each of the plurality of HAPSs 100 and the ranks of the plurality of HAPSs 100. good.

For example, if one HAPS 100 has the highest rank among the plurality of HAPS 100 identified by the aircraft identification unit 230, the connection destination determining unit 240 selects the aircraft having the highest rank as the connection destination. decide. For example, if the aircraft identification unit 230 identifies one “Master” aircraft and one or more “Slave 1” aircraft, the connection destination determination unit 240 selects the “Master” aircraft as the connection destination. decide. For example, if the aircraft identification unit 230 identifies one “Slave 1” aircraft and one or more “Slave 2” aircraft, the connection destination determination unit 240 connects the “Slave 1” aircraft. Decide as the first step.

For example, when there is a plurality of HAPS 100 having the highest rank among the plurality of HAPS 100 identified by the aircraft identification unit 230, the connection destination determination unit 240 selects the aircraft from among the plurality of HAPS 100 having the highest rank. The HAPS 100 with the highest received radio wave intensity measured by the communication unit 228 is determined as the connection destination. For example, if the aircraft identification unit 230 identifies multiple “Slave 1” aircraft and one or more “Slave 2” aircraft, the connection destination determination unit 240 determines which of the multiple “Slave 1” aircraft The "Slave 1" aircraft with the highest received radio wave intensity measured by the aircraft communication unit 228 is determined as the connection destination.

For example, when a plurality of HAPS 100 identified by the flight object identification section 230 have the same rank, the connection destination determination section 240 determines that the received radio wave intensity measured by the flight object communication section 228 is the highest among the plurality of HAPS 100. HAPS 100 is determined as the connection destination. For example, when a plurality of “Slave 1” aircraft are identified by the aircraft identification unit 230, the connection destination determination unit 240 selects the reception measured by the aircraft communication unit 228 from among the plurality of “Slave 1” aircraft. The "Slave 1" machine with the highest radio wave strength is determined as the connection destination. Further, for example, if a plurality of “Slave 2” aircraft are identified by the aircraft identification unit 230, the connection destination determination unit 240 determines which of the plurality of “Slave 2” aircraft are detected by the aircraft communication unit 228. The "Slave 2" machine with the highest received radio wave strength is determined as the connection destination.

FIG. 12 shows an example arrangement 250 of beacon signals. The aircraft communication unit 226 may include a beacon signal in each frame, as illustrated in FIG. 12 . Although FIG. 12 shows an example in which the beacon signal is placed at the beginning of the frame, the present invention is not limited to this. The beacon signal may be placed anywhere within the frame. Further, the aircraft communication unit 226 may include a beacon signal not every frame but every arbitrary number of frames such as every two frames.

FIG. 13 schematically shows an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1200 functioning as the control device 200. The program installed on the computer 1200 causes the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the apparatus according to the above embodiment, or causes the computer 1200 to perform operations associated with the apparatus according to the above embodiment or the one or more "parts" of the apparatus according to the above embodiment. Multiple units may be executed and/or the computer 1200 may execute a process or a step of a process according to the embodiments described above. 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.

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

The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. Graphics controller 1216 obtains image data generated by CPU 1212, such as in a frame buffer 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 via 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 and/or writes programs and data to the IC card.

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

The program is provided by a computer readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or 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 in these programs is read by the computer 1200 and provides coordination between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be configured to implement the operation or processing of information 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 written in the communication program. You can give orders. The communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as a RAM 1214, a storage device 1224, a DVD-ROM, or an IC card under the control of the CPU 1212, and transmits the read transmission data. Data is transmitted to the network, or received data received from the network is written to a reception buffer area provided on the recording medium.

Further, the CPU 1212 causes the RAM 1214 to read all or a necessary part of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as a storage device 1224, a DVD drive (DVD-ROM), an IC card, etc. Various types of processing may be performed on the data. CPU 1212 may then write the processed data back to an external storage medium.

Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on a recording medium and subjected to information processing. CPU 1212 performs various types of operations, information processing, conditional determination, conditional branching, unconditional branching, and information retrieval on data read from RAM 1214 as described elsewhere in this disclosure and specified by the program's instruction sequence. Various types of processing may be performed, including /substitutions, etc., and the results are written back to RAM 1214. Further, 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 are stored in a recording medium, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, the CPU 1212 selects the first entry from among the plurality of entries. Search for an entry whose attribute value matches the specified condition, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and then set the attribute value to 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 storage 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, thereby allowing the program to be transferred to the computer 1200 via the network. provide.

Blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams of the present embodiments may represent stages in a process in which an operation is performed or a "part" of a device responsible for performing the operation. Certain steps and units may be provided with dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium, and/or provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium. May be implemented by a processor. Dedicated circuitry may include digital and/or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and/or discrete circuits. Programmable circuits can perform AND, OR, EXCLUSIVE OR, NAND, NOR, and other logical operations, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), etc. , flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions for execution by a suitable device such that a computer-readable storage medium with instructions stored therein may be illustrated in a flowchart or block diagram. A product will be provided that includes instructions that can be executed to create a 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.

Computer-readable instructions include assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state configuration data, or object-oriented programming such as Smalltalk, JAVA, C++, etc. language, and either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including traditional procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. good.

The computer-readable instructions are for producing means for a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, or programmable circuit 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 local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, to execute the computer readable instructions. It may be provided in a processor or programmable circuit of the device. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and the like.

In the embodiment described above, the case where the aircraft communication antenna 124, which is cited as an example of the fourth antenna, is an antenna capable of tracking in all directions has been mainly described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The fourth antenna may be an omnidirectional antenna. In this case, it is preferable that the plurality of HAPSs 100 of the same rank use different frequencies for communication using the fourth antenna. That is, multiple HAPSs 100 of the same rank may use different frequencies to perform wireless communication using the fourth antenna.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the range described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the embodiments described above. It is clear from the claims that such modifications or improvements may be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

The order of execution of each operation, procedure, step, stage, etc. in the apparatus, system, program, and method shown in the claims, specification, and drawings is specifically defined as "before" or "before". 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. Even if the claims, specifications, and operational flows in the drawings are explained using ``first'', ``next'', etc. for convenience, this does not mean that it is essential to carry out the operations in this order. It's not a thing.

10 system, 20 network, 30 user terminal, 40 gateway, 50 management system, 82 group, 84 group, 100 HAPS, 101 cell, 102 HAPS, 103 cell, 104 HAPS, 105 cell, 106 HAPS, 107 cell, 110 aircraft, 120 central part, 121 FL antenna, 122 SL antenna, 123 aircraft communication antenna, 124 aircraft communication antenna, 125 base, 126 shaft part, 127 holding part, 128 directional antenna, 130 propeller, 140 pod, 150 solar cell panel, 200 control device, 210 flight control section, 220 communication control section, 222 FL communication section, 224 SL communication section, 226 flight object communication section, 228 flight object communication section, 230 flight object identification section, 240 connection destination determination section, 250 Arrangement example, 300, 302, 304 Cover area, 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 flying object,
a first antenna for wireless communication with a gateway on the ground;
a second antenna for forming a cell on the ground and communicating wirelessly with a user terminal within the cell;
a third antenna for wireless communication with other flying objects;
a fourth antenna for wireless communication with other flying objects;
When the device is wirelessly connected to the gateway using the first antenna, a beacon signal including rank information indicating that the device is in the first rank is wirelessly transmitted using the third antenna; If the aircraft is not wirelessly connected to the gateway using one antenna, and is wirelessly connected to another aircraft of the first rank using the fourth antenna, the own aircraft is lower than the first rank. a first aircraft communication unit that wirelessly transmits a beacon signal including rank information indicating that the aircraft is in a low second rank, using the third antenna;
If the first antenna is used to wirelessly connect to the gateway, and the third antenna is used to wirelessly connect to another aircraft, the communication between the gateway and the other aircraft is relayed. do
flying object. a second flying object communication unit that communicates with another flying object of the first rank using the fourth antenna when wirelessly connecting with the other flying object of the first rank using the fourth antenna; The flying object according to claim 1, comprising: When the first aircraft communication unit is wirelessly connected to another aircraft of the second rank using the fourth antenna, the first aircraft communication unit is configured to detect that the own aircraft is of a third rank lower than the second rank. The flying object according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the beacon signal including the rank information indicating the rank is wirelessly transmitted using the third antenna. Any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first aircraft communication unit uses different frequencies when it is wirelessly connected to the gateway and when it is wirelessly connected to another aircraft of the first rank. The flying object described in item (1) above. When the first flight object communication unit is wirelessly connected to another flight object of the first rank using the fourth antenna, the first flight object communication unit transmits the beacon signal containing information that allows the own aircraft to be identified from the other flight object. The flying object according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which wirelessly transmits the following using the third antenna. When the first aircraft communication unit is wirelessly connected to another aircraft of the first rank using the fourth antenna, the first aircraft communication unit transmits the beacon signal including the identification number of the cell formed by the second antenna. , the flying object according to claim 5 , which transmits wirelessly using the third antenna. The flying object according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the third antenna is an omnidirectional antenna. The flying object according to claim 7, wherein the fourth antenna is an omnidirectionally trackable antenna that can be tracked in all directions by moving a directional antenna. When the fourth antenna is used to wirelessly connect to another flying object of the first rank, the flying object tracking unit follows the other flying object of the first rank by moving the directional antenna. , The flying object according to claim 8. The first aircraft communication unit wirelessly transmits the beacon signal including position information of the own aircraft using the third antenna,
The flying object tracking section moves the directional antenna based on the position information of the other flying object of the first rank included in the beacon signal received from the other flying object of the first rank. The flying vehicle according to claim 9, which follows another flying vehicle of one rank. a first antenna for wirelessly communicating with a gateway on the ground; a second antenna for forming a cell on the ground and wirelessly communicating with a user terminal within the cell; and a third antenna for wirelessly communicating with another flying object. A control device mounted on a flying object that includes an antenna and a fourth antenna for wirelessly communicating with another flying object,
When the device is wirelessly connected to the gateway using the first antenna, a beacon signal including rank information indicating that the device is in the first rank is wirelessly transmitted using the third antenna; If the aircraft is not wirelessly connected to the gateway using one antenna, and is wirelessly connected to another aircraft of the first rank using the fourth antenna, the own aircraft is lower than the first rank. an aircraft communication unit that wirelessly transmits a beacon signal including rank information indicating that the aircraft is in a low second rank, using the third antenna;
If the first antenna is used to wirelessly connect to the gateway, and the third antenna is used to wirelessly connect to another aircraft, the communication between the gateway and the other aircraft is relayed. do
Control device. A program for causing a computer to function as the control device according to claim 11. a first antenna for wirelessly communicating with a gateway on the ground; a second antenna for forming a cell on the ground and wirelessly communicating with a user terminal within the cell; and a third antenna for wirelessly communicating with another flying object. A control method executed by a control device mounted on a flying object that includes an antenna and a fourth antenna for wirelessly communicating with another flying object, the method comprising:
When the device is wirelessly connected to the gateway using the first antenna, a beacon signal including rank information indicating that the device is in the first rank is wirelessly transmitted using the third antenna; If the aircraft is not wirelessly connected to the gateway using one antenna, and is wirelessly connected to another aircraft of the first rank using the fourth antenna, the own aircraft is lower than the first rank. A transmitting step of wirelessly transmitting a beacon signal including rank information indicating a low second rank using the third antenna,
If the first antenna is used to wirelessly connect to the gateway, and the third antenna is used to wirelessly connect to another aircraft, the communication between the gateway and the other aircraft is relayed. stage of doing
A control method further comprising :

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