TWI839173B - Lightning protection system - Google Patents

Abstract

A lightning protection system (100) is used to protect electrical equipment (5) during thunderstorms. The lightning protection system comprises: at least one processor; and a memory storing a program executed by the at least one processor. The at least one processor receives information about at least one thundercloud approaching the electrical equipment to be protected according to the program. The at least one processor uses the received information to set the position of each thundercloud to open a conductive channel and the order of the thunderclouds to open the conductive channel.

Description

Lightning protection system

This disclosure is about lightning protection systems.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-151866 (Patent Document 1) discloses a lightning detection method that predicts the ground location where the probability of lightning is the highest, the location of the discharge target of the cloud at that time, and the direction of the discharge current from the charge distribution in the thundercloud and the distribution of the geopotential change of the thundercloud. ＜Prior Technical Document＞ ＜Patent Document＞

<Patent Document 1> Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-151866

＜Problems that inventions are intended to solve＞

According to the method described in Patent Document 1, although information such as the location where lightning is most likely to occur can be obtained, there is still a concern that it is not possible to prevent lightning strikes on electrical equipment in advance.

This disclosure is developed to solve the above-mentioned problem. The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a lightning protection system that can prevent lightning from striking electrical equipment by neutralizing the charge of thunderclouds approaching the electrical equipment. ＜Means for solving the problem＞

A lightning protection system in one aspect of the present disclosure is used to protect electrical equipment during thunderstorms. The lightning protection system includes: at least one processor; and a memory storing a program executed by the at least one processor. At least one processor receives information about at least one thundercloud approaching the electrical equipment to be protected according to the program. At least one processor uses the received information to set the position of each thundercloud to open the conductive channel and the order of the thunderclouds to open the conductive channel. ＜Effect of the invention＞

According to the present disclosure, by developing a conductive channel in a thundercloud approaching the electrical equipment and inducing lightning discharge, the electrical equipment can be prevented from being struck by lightning.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are denoted by the same element symbols without repeating their description.

First Implementation Form <System Configuration> Figure 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a lightning protection system 100 of the first implementation form.

As shown in FIG. 1, a lightning protection system 100 of the first embodiment is a system for protecting electrical equipment as a protection target from lightning. In FIG. 1, a wind farm 5 installed at sea as the electrical equipment as the protection target is illustrated. The lightning protection system 100 is configured to neutralize the electric charge accumulated in each thundercloud 6 by inducing lightning discharge when at least one thundercloud 6 occurring at sea approaches the wind farm 5. In this way, since each thundercloud 6 can be prevented from reaching the wind farm 5, lightning can be prevented from striking the wind farm 5 in advance.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the lightning protection system 100 includes an aircraft 4, a control device 1, and a server 2. The aircraft 4 is connected to the control device 1 and the server 2 via wireless communication, thereby being able to communicate with the control device 1 and the server 2.

The aircraft 4 typically includes an airplane. The so-called airplane refers to a fixed-wing aircraft including a propulsion device. However, the "aircraft" in this specification is not limited to airplanes, but is a concept that refers to all mobile objects that can fly in the atmosphere. Therefore, the aircraft 4 may also be a rotary-wing aircraft such as a helicopter or a hybrid helicopter including fixed wings and rotary wings.

The aircraft 4 is configured to be able to fly in an unmanned state. Specifically, if the aircraft 4 receives various instructions S2 from the control device 1 through wireless communication, the propulsion power device is controlled according to the received instructions S2, thereby generating propulsion. The instructions S2 given by the control device 1 include instructions about the flight path 7 of the aircraft 4. The aircraft 4 is an embodiment corresponding to the "first aircraft".

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of an aircraft 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the aircraft 4 includes a wire 401, a charge detector 402, and at least one lightning rod 403.

The conductor 401 is formed of a conductive material. The conductor 401 is usually stored inside the body and is configured to be deployed outside the body during the flight of the aircraft 4. The deployment of the conductor 401 opens a conductive path in the atmosphere. As described later, the conductive path is configured to destroy the insulation in the atmosphere and induce lightning discharge in the thundercloud 6 or between the thundercloud 6 and the sea.

At least one lightning rod 403 is installed on the fuselage of the aircraft 4. In the example of FIG. 2, a plurality of lightning rods 403 are installed on the fuselage, the main wing and the tail wing.

Thundercloud 6 is a cloud that induces strong charge separation inside, and has a layer that accumulates positive charge and a layer that accumulates negative charge. In the example of FIG. 1, thundercloud 6 has a three-layer structure. Specifically, there is a positive charge layer on the sea, a negative charge layer on top of it, and a positive charge layer on top of it.

The charge detector 402 is configured as follows: it is arranged at the front end portion of the fuselage of the aircraft 4, and detects the charge distribution inside the thundercloud 6 during the flight of the aircraft 4. For example, the charge detector 402 measures the electric field in space and estimates the charge distribution inside the thundercloud 6 based on the measurement result. Not limited to this, the charge distribution can be detected using a known method described in patent document 1, etc. The charge detector 402 outputs the estimated result of the charge distribution to the control unit (not shown) of the aircraft 4. In addition, the charge detector 402 includes the function of a lightning rod. In addition, the installation location of the charge detector 402 is not limited to the front end portion of the fuselage.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the aircraft 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the aircraft 4 further includes a control unit 400, a wireless communication device 405, a drive unit 406, and a propulsion mechanism 407.

The wireless communicator 405 exchanges various data with the control device 1 and the server 2 through wireless communication. Specifically, the wireless communicator 405 receives various instructions transmitted by the control device 1. The wireless communicator 405 transmits various information including identification information of the aircraft 4 and position information of the aircraft 4 to the control device 1. In addition, the wireless communicator 405 transmits information (charge distribution information) about the charge distribution of the thundercloud 6 detected by the charge detector 402 to the server 2.

The propulsion mechanism 407 is a mechanism for generating propulsion force for the aircraft 4, and has fixed wings including a main wing and a tail wing, and a propulsion power device. The driving unit 406 is controlled by the control unit 400 to drive the propulsion mechanism 407.

The control unit 400 receives various instructions from the control device 1 via the wireless communication device 405. The instructions from the control device 1 include not only instructions on the flight path 7 of the aircraft 4 but also instructions on the position of the deployment wire 401.

The control unit 400 controls the driving unit 406 so that the aircraft 4 follows the flight path 7 indicated by the flight control device 1. In addition, the control unit 400 controls the wire 401 so that the wire 401 is deployed at the position indicated by the control device 1.

The control unit 400 obtains the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 detected by the charge detector 402, and transmits the obtained charge distribution information to the server 2 via the wireless communicator 405.

Returning to FIG. 1 , the server 2 is configured to wirelessly communicate with the aircraft 4 and the control device 1 . When the server 2 receives the charge distribution information S1 of the thundercloud 6 from the aircraft 4 , it transmits the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 to the control device 1 .

The server 2 is further configured to communicate with a server 3 outside the lightning protection system 100 via a communication network NW. The communication network NW is typically the Internet. The server 3 includes, for example, a weather data server that provides weather information. The server 2 can obtain weather information near a wind farm 5 that is an electrical device to be protected from the server 3 via the communication network NW.

The weather information includes information about the position and moving speed of thunderclouds 6 approaching the wind farm 5. In the example of FIG. 1, the weather information acquired by the server 2 includes information about a plurality of thunderclouds 6 existing at sea and moving toward the wind farm 5.

The server 2 transmits the weather information obtained from the server 3 to the control device 1. In addition, the server 2 may also be configured to obtain the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 from the server 3 via the communication network NW instead of obtaining it from the aircraft 4.

The control device 1 is installed at sea or on the ground, and exchanges various data with the server 2 and the aircraft 4 through wireless communication. Specifically, the control device 1 receives the weather information around the wind farm 5 and the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 from the server 2. The control device 1 uses the received weather information and the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 to set the flight path 7 of the aircraft 4 and the position of the deployment wire 401. The setting of the flight path 7 and the position of the deployment wire 401 will be described in detail later.

The control device 1 transmits various instructions to the aircraft 4 by wireless communication with the aircraft 4, and the aforementioned various instructions include the set flight path 7 and the position of the deployed wire 401. In this way, the aircraft 4 flies the flight path 7 instructed by the control device 1. As shown in FIG. 1, according to the flight path 7, the aircraft 4 flies in a manner of circling a plurality of thunderclouds 6 approaching the wind farm 5. During the flight, the aircraft 4 deploys the wire 401 at the position instructed by the control device 1.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control device 1, the server 2, and the aircraft 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 1 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 101, a read only memory (ROM) 102, a random access memory (RAM) 103, a communication interface (IF) 104, and a memory device 105. The CPU 101, the ROM 102, the RAM 103, the communication IF 104, and the memory device 105 exchange various data via a communication bus.

The CPU 101 develops and executes the program stored in the ROM 102 in the RAM 103. The program stored in the ROM 102 records the processing to be executed by the control device 1.

The communication IF 104 is an input/output device for exchanging signals and data with the aircraft 4 and the server 2. The communication IF 104 receives weather information around the wind farm 5 and charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 from the server 2. The communication IF 104 transmits various instructions including the flight path 7 of the aircraft 4 and the deployment position of the wire 401 to the aircraft 4.

The memory device 105 is a storage device for storing various information, such as information of the wind farm 5, information of the aircraft 4, location information of the aircraft 4, and flight path 7 of the aircraft 4. The memory device 105 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

The server 2 includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, a communication IF 204, and a memory device 205. The CPU 201, the ROM 202, the RAM 203, the communication IF 204, and the memory device 205 exchange various data via a communication bus.

The CPU 201 develops and executes the program stored in the ROM 202 in the RAM 203. The program stored in the ROM 202 records the processing to be executed by the server 2.

The communication IF 204 is an input/output device for exchanging signals and data with the aircraft 4 and the control device 1. The communication IF 204 receives weather information near the wind farm 5 from the server 3 via the communication network NW. The communication IF 204 receives charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 from the aircraft 4. The communication IF 204 transmits the received weather information and charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 to the control device 1.

The storage device 105 is a storage device for storing various information, such as information of the wind farm 5, information of the aircraft 4, and information of the server 3. The storage device 105 is, for example, a HDD or an SSD.

The control unit 400 of the aircraft 4 includes a CPU 410, a ROM 411, a RAM 412, a communication IF 413, and a memory device 414. The CPU 410, the ROM 411, the RAM 412, the communication IF 413, and the memory device 414 exchange various data via a communication bus.

The CPU 410 develops and executes the program stored in the ROM 411 in the RAM 412. The program stored in the ROM 411 stores processing to be executed by the control unit 400.

The communication IF 413 is an input/output device for exchanging signals and data with the control device 1 and the server 2. The communication IF 413 transmits the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 detected by the charge detector 402 to the server 2. The communication IF 413 receives various instructions including the flight path 7 and the position of the deployment wire 401 from the control device 1.

The memory device 414 is a storage device for storing various information, such as information of the aircraft 4, position information of the aircraft 4, flight path 7 of the aircraft 4, position information of the deployment wire 401, wind farm 5, and server 2. The memory device 414 is, for example, a HDD or SSD.

<Operation principle> Next, the operation principle of the lightning protection system 100 of the first embodiment will be described using FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the aircraft 4 follows a flight path 7 indicated by the flight control device 1 . The flight path 7 is set to circumvent at least one thundercloud 6 approaching the wind farm 5 . When a plurality of thunderclouds 6 approach, the aircraft 4 circumvents the plurality of thunderclouds 6 in sequence along the flight path 7 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the aircraft 4 deploys the wire 401 at the position indicated by the control device 1 while flying inside each thundercloud 6. The wire 401 is deployed toward the bottom of the aircraft 4.

Thundercloud 6 is a cloud that induces strong charge separation inside, and has a three-layer structure consisting of layer Q1 that accumulates positive charge, layer Q2 that accumulates negative charge, and layer Q3 that accumulates positive charge. Layer Q2 is located above layer Q1, and layer Q3 is located above layer Q2. Aircraft 4 deploys wire 401 beside layer Q2. Layer Q2 is electrically connected to layer Q1 through deployed wire 401 (conductive channel).

Since the conductor 401 is a conductor, the potential inside it is the same. On the other hand, a large potential difference is generated between the layer Q1 and the layer Q2. Therefore, the electric field between the conductor 401 and the layer Q1 becomes strong, and lightning discharge occurs from the layer Q1 to the conductor 401. At the same time, since the electric field between the layer Q2 and the conductor 401 also becomes strong, lightning discharge occurs from the layer Q2 to the conductor 401.

By these lightning discharges, current j flows from layer Q1 to layer Q2 via conductor 401. The positive charge of layer Q1 and the negative charge of layer Q2 are neutralized and eliminated by current j. As described above, before thundercloud 6 reaches the top of wind farm 5, the charges accumulated in layers Q1 and Q2 of thundercloud 6 are eliminated, thereby preventing lightning from striking wind farm 5.

In addition, although FIG. 5 illustrates the case where positive charges are stored in layer Q1 and negative charges are stored in layer Q2, the same effect can be obtained by expanding the wire 401 even when negative charges are stored in layer Q1 and positive charges are stored in layer Q2.

<Processing Flow> Figure 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the lightning protection process performed by the aircraft 4, the control device 1 and the server 2.

In the figure, the processing performed by the aircraft 4 is shown on the left, the processing performed by the control device 1 is shown in the center, and the processing performed by the server 2 is shown on the right. Each step can be implemented by software processing performed by the CPU 410 in the aircraft 4, the CPU 101 in the control device 1, and the CPU 201 in the server 2, but can also be implemented by hardware (electronic circuits) configured in the aircraft 4, the control device 1, and the server 2. Hereinafter, the step is abbreviated to S.

In S01, the aircraft 4 flies along the flight path 7 indicated by the control device 1. During the flight, in S02, the aircraft 4 obtains the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 detected by the charge detector 402. When a plurality of thunderclouds 6 approach the wind farm 5, the aircraft 4 obtains the charge distribution information of each thundercloud 6.

In S03 , the aircraft 4 transmits the acquired charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 to the server 2 .

In S21, the server 2 obtains weather information about the wind farm 5 from the external server 3 via the communication network NW. The weather information includes information about the position and moving speed of the thundercloud 6 approaching the wind farm 5. Furthermore, the server 2 receives the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 from the aircraft 4 in S22.

In S23 , the server 2 transmits the weather information around the wind farm 5 and the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 to the control device 1 .

In S11 , the control device 1 receives weather information near the wind farm 5 and charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 from the server 2 .

In S12, the control device 1 sets the flight path of the aircraft 4 using the received weather information and the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6. Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing a first example of the flow of the flight path setting process (S12).

As shown in FIG. 7 , the control device 1 uses the weather information received from the server 2 to predict the arrival time of each thundercloud 6 approaching the wind farm 5 above the wind farm 5 in S121. When a plurality of thunderclouds 6 approach the wind farm 5, the control device 1 predicts the arrival time of each thundercloud 6. Specifically, the control device 1 calculates the arrival prediction time of each thundercloud 6 above the wind farm 5 using the current position of each thundercloud 6 and the moving speed of each thundercloud 6 included in the weather information.

In S122, the control device 1 determines the patrol order of the plurality of thunderclouds 6 by the aircraft 4 according to the predicted arrival time of each thundercloud 6 calculated in S121. In S122, the control device 1 calculates the order in which the plurality of thunderclouds 6 arrive above the wind farm 5. Specifically, the control device 1 sorts the predicted arrival times of the plurality of thunderclouds 6 in order of priority, thereby calculating the arrival order of the plurality of thunderclouds 6. Then, the control device 1 determines the patrol order in a manner of patrolling with priority from the thundercloud 6 with the first arrival order. That is, the determined patrol order is consistent with the arrival order of the plurality of thunderclouds 6.

In S123, the control device 1 sets the flight path 7 of the aircraft 4 according to the patrol order determined in S122. The control device 1 sets the flight path 7 so that the aircraft 4 patrols preferentially from the thundercloud 6 that is at the front in the patrol order.

Returning to FIG. 6, if the flight path 7 is set in S12, the control device 1 sets the position of the deployment wire 401 in S13. In S13, the control device 1 sets the position of the deployment wire 401 (conductive channel) in each thundercloud 6 according to the charge distribution information of each thundercloud 6. As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 1 sets the position of the deployment wire 401 for each thundercloud 6 in such a way that the layer storing positive charge and the layer storing negative charge are electrically connected using the wire 401 as a medium.

In S14, the control device 1 transmits information indicating the flight path 7 set in S12 and the position of the deployment wire 401 set in S13 to the aircraft 4.

In S04, if the aircraft 4 receives information indicating the flight path 7 and the position of the deployment wire 401 from the control device 1, then in S05, the propulsion mechanism 407 is controlled so as to fly according to the received flight path 7. As described above, the flight path is set according to the arrival order of each thundercloud 6 to the wind farm 5. Thus, the aircraft 4 sequentially circulates the plurality of thunderclouds 6 starting from the thundercloud 6 with the first arrival order.

In S06, the aircraft 4 deploys the wire 401 at the position set by the control device 1. The position of the deployed wire 401 is set for each thundercloud 6 according to its charge distribution information. The aircraft 4 deploys the wire 401 at the set position while flying inside each thundercloud 6. By deploying the wire 401, lightning discharge occurs inside each thundercloud 6. The charge accumulated in the thundercloud 6 is eliminated by the lightning discharge.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the aircraft 4 flies around a plurality of thunderclouds 6 according to the flight path set in the order of arrival of each thundercloud 6 to the wind farm 5, and spreads the conductive wire 401 (conductive channel) in each thundercloud 6 to cause lightning discharge. In this way, each thundercloud 6 can be prevented from reaching the wind farm 5, and thunderstorms to the wind farm 5 can be prevented.

Second Implementation Form In the second implementation form, a second example of the setting process (S12) of the flight path of the aircraft 4 shown in FIG. 6 is described.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a second example of the process of setting the flight path (S12 of FIG. 6).

As shown in FIG8 , the control device 1 calculates the amount of charge accumulated in each thundercloud 6 approaching the wind farm 5 in S131 using the charge distribution information of each thundercloud 6 received from the server 2. The amount of charge accumulated in the thundercloud 6 is equivalent to the amount of positive charge or negative charge accumulated in each of the layers Q1 to Q3 shown in FIG5 .

As the amount of charge accumulated in each layer of the thundercloud 6 increases, the electric field strength between the layers increases, and thus the potential difference between the layers also increases. Therefore, the possibility of a major blackout accident in the wind power plant 5 due to thunder increases. In order to avoid a major blackout accident, it is necessary to preferentially cause lightning discharge from the thundercloud 6 with a large amount of charge to neutralize the charge accumulated in the thundercloud 6.

In S132, the control device 1 determines the patrol order of the plurality of thunderclouds 6 by the aircraft 4 according to the charge amount of each thundercloud 6 calculated in S131. In S132, the control device 1 sorts the plurality of thunderclouds 6 in order of the amount of charge. Then, the control device 1 determines the patrol order in such a way that the thundercloud 6 with a large amount of charge is patrolled preferentially. That is, the determined patrol order is consistent with the order of the charge amount of the plurality of thunderclouds 6.

In S133, the control device 1 sets the flight path of the aircraft 4 according to the patrol order determined in S132. The control device 1 sets the flight path 7 so that the aircraft 4 patrols preferentially from the thundercloud 6 which is at the front in the patrol order.

If the flight path 7 is set, the control device 1 transmits information indicating the set flight path 7 and the position of the deployment wire 401 to the aircraft 4 by executing the processes of S13 and S14 in FIG. 6 .

The aircraft 4 executes the processes S04 to S06 in FIG. 6 to sequentially traverse a plurality of thunderclouds 6 starting from the thundercloud 6 with the largest amount of electric charge, and deploys the wire 401 inside each thundercloud 6. The wire 401 induces lightning discharge, and the electric charge of each thundercloud 6 is neutralized.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the aircraft 4 flies around a plurality of thunderclouds 6 in a flight path set in the order of the charge of each thundercloud 6, and causes lightning discharge to occur in each thundercloud 6. Since lightning discharge occurs preferentially in thunderclouds 6 with a large charge, the thunderclouds 6 can be prevented from reaching the wind farm 5. Therefore, a major accident caused by thunder in the wind farm 5 can be prevented in advance.

Third embodiment In the third embodiment, a third example of the setting process (S12) of the flight path of the aircraft 4 shown in FIG. 6 is described.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing a third example of the process of setting the flight path (S12 of FIG. 6).

As shown in FIG. 9, the control device 1 uses the weather information received from the server 2 in S141 to calculate the probability of thunder striking the sea or the ground for each thundercloud 6 approaching the wind farm 5. The lower the height of the thundercloud from the sea or the ground, the higher the probability of thunder. Therefore, in S141, the control device 1 calculates the height of each thundercloud 6 from the sea or the ground based on the position information of each thundercloud 6, and calculates the probability of thunder using the calculated height. In the example of FIG. 1, the control device 1 calculates the probability of thunder based on the height of each thundercloud 6 from the sea surface 8.

In S142, the control device 1 determines the order of the aircraft 4 to patrol the plurality of thunderclouds 6 according to the probability of thunder of each thundercloud 6 calculated in S141. In S142, the control device 1 sorts the plurality of thunderclouds 6 in order of the probability of thunder. Then, the control device 1 determines the patrol order in such a way that the thundercloud 6 with a high probability of thunder is patrolled preferentially. That is, the determined patrol order is consistent with the order of the probability of thunder of the plurality of thunderclouds 6.

In S143, the control device 1 sets the flight path 7 of the aircraft 4 according to the patrol order determined in S142. The control device 1 sets the flight path 7 so that the aircraft 4 patrols preferentially from the thundercloud 6 that is at the front in the patrol order.

If the flight path 7 is set, the control device 1 transmits information indicating the flight path 7 and the deployment position of the wire 401 to the aircraft 4 by executing the processes of S13 and S14 in FIG. 6 .

The aircraft 4 executes the processes S04 to S06 in FIG. 6 , and thus sequentially travels through a plurality of thunderclouds 6 starting from the thundercloud 6 with a high probability of thunder, and deploys the wire 401 inside each thundercloud 6 .

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the aircraft 4 travels through a plurality of thunderclouds 6 along the flight path 7 set in the order of the probability of thunder in each thundercloud 6, and causes lightning discharge to occur in each thundercloud 6. Since lightning discharge is caused preferentially from the thundercloud 6 with a high probability of thunder, the thundercloud 6 can be prevented from reaching the wind farm 5. Therefore, it is possible to prevent thunder from striking the wind farm 5 in advance.

Fourth embodiment In the first embodiment, an example of a structure in which the aircraft 4 deploys the wire 401 in a manner that the layer Q1 storing positive charges is electrically connected to the layer Q2 storing negative charges in the thundercloud 6 (see FIG. 5) is described. In the fourth embodiment, another example of a structure regarding the deployment position of the wire 401 is described. In addition, the structure of the lightning protection system 100 of the fourth embodiment is the same as the structure of the lightning protection system 100 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, so the same element symbol is added to the same element and its description is not repeated.

<Operation principle> The operation principle of the lightning protection system 100 of the fourth embodiment is explained using FIG. 10.

The aircraft 4 sequentially flies around the plurality of thunderclouds 6 approaching the wind farm 5 along the flight path 7 indicated by the control device 1. The flight path 7 is set using any of the setting processes of the first to third examples (see FIGS. 7 to 9 ).

As shown in Fig. 10, the thundercloud 6 has a three-layer structure consisting of a layer Q1 storing positive charges, a layer Q2 storing negative charges, and a layer Q3 storing positive charges. The layer Q2 is located above the layer Q1, and the layer Q3 is located above the layer Q2.

The aircraft 4 deploys the wire 401 at the position indicated by the control device 1 while patrolling each thundercloud 6. In the fourth embodiment, the aircraft 4 is located below the thundercloud 6, that is, below the layer Q1, and deploys the wire 401 at this position. The wire 401 is deployed between the cloud bottom of the thundercloud 6 and the sea surface 8. In addition, the lower end of the wire 401 does not touch the sea surface 8.

In the fourth embodiment, the conductor 401 is electrically connected to a lightning rod 403 installed on the body of the aircraft 4. Therefore, the conductor 401 and the lightning rod 403 are at the same potential. Furthermore, since the conductor 401 is a conductor, the inside thereof is at the same potential.

On the other hand, there is a large potential difference between layer Q1 and sea surface 8. Therefore, the electric field between lightning rod 403 and layer Q1 becomes strong, and lightning discharge occurs from layer Q1 to lightning rod 403. At the same time, since the electric field between conductor 401 and sea surface 8 also becomes strong, lightning discharge occurs from conductor 401 to sea surface 8.

By these lightning discharges, the current j flows from the layer Q1 to the sea surface 8 via the lightning rod 403 and the conductor 401. Since the positive charge of the layer Q1 is neutralized by the current j, the positive charge disappears. As described above, before the thundercloud 6 reaches the top of the wind farm 5, the charge accumulated in the layer Q1 of the thundercloud 6 disappears, thereby preventing the wind farm 5 from being struck by lightning.

In addition, in the fourth embodiment, since the lightning discharge is caused between the thundercloud 6 and the sea surface 8, the lightning discharge can be caused by using the wire 401 with a shorter total length for the thundercloud 6 with a low cloud base.

In addition, although FIG. 10 illustrates the case where positive charges are accumulated in layer Q1, the same effect can be obtained by expanding the wire 401 even in the case where negative charges are accumulated in layer Q1.

Fifth embodiment In the first to fourth embodiments, the configuration of causing lightning discharge by extending the conductive wire 401 inside the thundercloud 6 or between the bottom of the thundercloud 6 and the sea surface 8 is described. In the fifth embodiment, the configuration of causing lightning discharge by laser light is described. In addition, since the configuration of the lightning protection system 100 of the fifth embodiment is the same as that of the lightning protection system 100 of the first embodiment except for the configuration of the aircraft 4, the same element symbols are added to the same elements and the description thereof is not repeated.

<Operation principle> First, the operation principle of the lightning protection system 100 of the fifth embodiment is explained using FIG. 11.

The aircraft 4 sequentially flies around the plurality of thunderclouds 6 approaching the wind farm 5 along the flight path indicated by the control device 1. The flight path is set using any of the setting processes of the first to third examples (see FIGS. 7 to 9 ).

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an aircraft 4 included in the lightning protection system 100 of the fifth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the aircraft 4 includes a charge detector 402, a lightning rod 403, a laser oscillator 404, a control unit 400, a wireless communication device 405, a drive unit 406, and a propulsion mechanism 407. The aircraft 4 of the fifth embodiment is different from the aircraft 4 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 2) in that the laser oscillator 404 is provided instead of the wire 401.

The laser oscillator 404 generates laser light. Although omitted in the figure, the laser oscillator 404 is composed of an excitation source, a laser medium, and a resonator.

The control unit 400 receives various instructions from the control device 1 via the wireless communication device 405. The instructions from the control device 1 include instructions on the flight path 7 of the aircraft 4 and instructions on the location of the laser beam.

The control unit 400 controls the driving unit 406 so that the aircraft 4 follows the flight path 7 indicated by the flight control device 1. In addition, the control unit 400 controls the laser oscillator 404 so that the laser beam is emitted at the position indicated by the flight control device 1.

Returning to FIG. 11, thundercloud 6 has a three-layer structure consisting of layer Q1 storing positive charge, layer Q2 storing negative charge, and layer Q3 storing positive charge. Layer Q2 is located above layer Q1, and layer Q3 is located above layer Q2. There is a large potential difference between layer Q1 and layer Q2.

The aircraft 4 is flying inside the thundercloud 6 and emits laser light at the position indicated by the control device 1. In the example of FIG. 11, the aircraft 4 emits laser light toward the layer Q1 beside the layer Q2.

The laser light ionizes the atmosphere (electrodissociation) to generate plasma. Therefore, a plasma channel L is formed between the layer Q2 and the layer Q1. The plasma channel L is an example of a "conductive channel".

Since the plasma channel L is conductive, the layer Q2 is electrically connected to the layer Q1 through the plasma channel L. The electric field between the plasma channel L and the layer Q1 becomes stronger, and lightning discharge occurs from the layer Q1 to the conductor 401. At the same time, the electric field between the layer Q2 and the plasma channel L also becomes stronger, so lightning discharge occurs from the layer Q2 to the plasma channel L.

By these lightning discharges, current j flows from layer Q1 to layer Q2 through plasma channel L. Since the positive charge of layer Q1 and the negative charge of layer Q2 are neutralized by current j, these charges are eliminated. As described above, before thundercloud 6 reaches the top of wind farm 5, the charges accumulated in layers Q1 and Q2 of thundercloud 6 are eliminated, thereby preventing lightning from striking wind farm 5.

In addition, although FIG. 11 illustrates the case where positive charges are accumulated in layer Q1 and negative charges are accumulated in layer Q2, the same effect can be obtained by generating laser light even when negative charges are accumulated in layer Q1 and positive charges are accumulated in layer Q2.

<Processing Flow> Figure 13 is a flow chart showing an example of the process of lightning protection processing performed by the aircraft 4, the control device 1, and the server 2. In the figure, the processing performed by the aircraft 4 is shown on the left, the processing performed by the control device 1 is shown in the center, and the processing performed by the server 2 is shown on the right.

The flowchart of the process performed by the control device 1 shown in FIG. 13 is obtained by replacing S13 and S14 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 with S13A and S14A, respectively. The flowchart of the process performed by the aircraft 4 shown in FIG. 13 is obtained by replacing S04 and S06 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 with S04A and S06A, respectively.

If the control device 1 receives the weather information near the wind farm 5 and the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 from the server 2 in S11, then in S12, the control device 1 sets the flight path 7 of the aircraft 4 using the received weather information and the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6. The flight path 7 is set using any one of the setting processes of the first to third examples (see FIGS. 7 to 9).

If the flight path 7 is set in S12, the control device 1 sets the position for emitting laser light in S13A. In S13A, the control device 1 sets the position for emitting laser light in each thundercloud 6 according to the charge distribution information of each thundercloud 6. As shown in FIG. 11, the control device 1 sets the position for emitting laser light in each thundercloud 6 in such a way that the layer accumulating positive charge and the layer accumulating negative charge are electrically connected through the plasma channel L as a medium.

In S14A, the control device 1 transmits information indicating the flight path 7 set in S12 and the location of the laser light set in S13A to the aircraft 4.

In S04A, if the aircraft 4 receives information indicating the flight path 7 and the location of the laser light from the control device 1, then in S05, the propulsion mechanism 407 is controlled to fly according to the received flight path 7. In the case where the flight path 7 is set according to the arrival order of each thundercloud 6 to the wind farm 5, the aircraft 4 sequentially travels through the plurality of thunderclouds 6 starting from the thundercloud 6 with the first arrival order.

In S06A, the aircraft 4 emits laser light from the laser oscillator 404 at the generation position set by the control device 1. The generation position of the laser light is set for each thundercloud 6 according to its charge distribution information. The aircraft 4 emits laser light at the set generation position and forms a plasma channel L while flying inside each thundercloud 6. Due to the formation of the plasma channel L, lightning discharge occurs inside each thundercloud 6. The charge accumulated in the thundercloud 6 is eliminated by the lightning discharge.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, lightning discharge can be generated by controlling the generation position of the laser light from the laser oscillator 404, so that lightning discharge can be generated more easily than the structure in which the wire 401 is extended.

In addition, although FIG. 11 shows and illustrates a configuration example in which the aircraft 4 generates laser light in a manner that the layer Q1 storing positive charges is electrically connected to the layer Q2 storing negative charges inside the thundercloud 6, the location for generating laser light is not limited thereto. Even if the configuration example shown in FIG. 10 is followed and the laser light is generated between the cloud bottom of the thundercloud 6 and the sea surface 8, lightning discharge can still occur.

Sixth embodiment In the above-mentioned first to fourth embodiments, the structure of making one aircraft 4 fly and causing lightning discharge is explained. In the sixth embodiment, the structure of making two aircraft 4 fly and causing lightning discharge is explained.

<System Configuration> Figure 14 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the lightning protection system 100 of the sixth embodiment. The lightning protection system 100 of the sixth embodiment differs from the lightning protection system 100 of the first embodiment shown in Figure 1 in that it includes two aircraft 4A and 4B. In addition, each of the aircraft 4A and 4B has a configuration substantially the same as that of the aircraft 4.

As shown in FIG. 14 , the aircraft 4A and the aircraft 4B are connected by a wire 401. The first end of the wire 401 is connected to the aircraft 4A, and the second end of the wire 401 is connected to the aircraft 4B. In addition, the length of the wire 401 can be adjusted by controlling the interval between the aircraft 4A and the aircraft 4B. The aircraft 4A is an embodiment corresponding to the "first aircraft", and the aircraft 4B is an embodiment corresponding to the "second aircraft".

If the server 2 receives the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 from the aircraft 4A and 4B, the server 2 transmits the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 to the control device 1. The server 2 then obtains the weather information near the wind farm 5 from the server 3 via the communication network NW and transmits it to the control device 1. In addition, the server 2 may also be configured to obtain the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 from the server 3 instead of from the aircraft 4A and 4B.

The control device 1 sets the flight path 7 of the aircraft 4A and 4B using the weather information near the wind farm 5 and the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 received from the server 2, and sets the deployment position of the wire 401. The control device 1 transmits various instructions to the aircraft 4A and 4B by wirelessly communicating with the aircraft 4A and 4B, and the aforementioned various instructions include the set flight path 7 and the deployment position of the wire 401.

Aircraft 4A and 4B each fly a flight path 7 indicated by control device 1. As shown in FIG. 14, aircraft 4A and 4B fly in accordance with flight path 7 so as to circle thundercloud 6 approaching wind farm 5. During flight, aircraft 4A and 4B deploy wires 401 at positions indicated by control device 1.

<Operation principle> Next, the operation principle of the lightning protection system 100 of the sixth embodiment will be explained using FIG. 15.

As shown in FIG. 14 , the flight path 7 indicated by the flight control device 1 is shown to the aircraft 4A and 4B. When a plurality of thunderclouds 6 approach the wind farm 5 , the aircraft 4 sequentially travels around the plurality of thunderclouds 6 along the flight path 7 .

As shown in FIG. 15 , aircraft 4A and 4B are flying inside thunderclouds 6, and wires 401 are deployed at the positions indicated by the control device 1. The wires 401 are deployed between aircraft 4A and aircraft 4B.

Thundercloud 6 has a three-layer structure consisting of layer Q1 storing positive charge, layer Q2 storing negative charge, and layer Q3 storing positive charge. Layer Q2 is located above layer Q1, and layer Q3 is located above layer Q2. Aircraft 4A flies beside layer Q2. Aircraft 4B flies beside layer Q1.

Thus, layer Q2 and layer Q1 are electrically connected via conductor 401. The electric field between conductor 401 and layer Q1 becomes stronger, and lightning discharge occurs from layer Q1 to conductor 401. At the same time, the electric field between layer Q2 and conductor 401 also becomes stronger, and lightning discharge occurs from layer Q2 to conductor 401.

Due to these lightning discharges, current flows from layer Q1 to layer Q2 via the conductor 401. The positive charge of layer Q1 and the negative charge of layer Q2 are neutralized and eliminated by the current. As described above, before the thundercloud 6 reaches the top of the wind farm 5, the charges accumulated in layers Q1 and Q2 of the thundercloud 6 are eliminated, thereby preventing lightning from striking the wind farm 5.

In addition, although FIG. 15 illustrates the case where positive charges are stored in layer Q1 and negative charges are stored in layer Q2, the same effect can be obtained by expanding the wire 401 even when negative charges are stored in layer Q1 and positive charges are stored in layer Q2.

<Processing Flow> Figure 16 is a flow chart showing an example of the process of lightning protection processing performed by the aircraft 4, the control device 1, and the server 2. In the figure, the processing performed by the aircraft 4 is shown on the left, the processing performed by the control device 1 is shown in the center, and the processing performed by the server 2 is shown on the right.

The flowchart of the process performed by the control device 1 shown in FIG. 16 is a flowchart in which S12 and S14 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 are replaced by S12B and S14B, respectively. The flowchart of the process performed by the aircraft 4 shown in FIG. 16 is a flowchart in which S01 and S04 to S06 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 are replaced by S01B and S04B to S06B, respectively.

If the control device 1 receives the weather information near the wind farm 5 and the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 from the server 2 in S11, then in S12B, the control device 1 sets the flight path 7 of each aircraft using the received weather information and the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6. Since the aircraft 4A and the aircraft 4B are connected by the wire 401 during flight, the flight path 7 of each aircraft is set in such a way that the distance from the other aircraft is equal to the length of the wire 401. Furthermore, the flight path 7 can be set using any of the setting processes of the first to third examples (see Figures 7 to 9).

If the flight path 7 of each aircraft is set in S12B, the control device 1 sets the position of the deployment wire 401 in S13. In S13, the control device 1 sets the deployment position of the wire 401 in each thundercloud 6 according to the charge distribution information of each thundercloud 6. As shown in FIG. 15, the control device 1 sets the deployment position of the wire 401 for each thundercloud 6 in such a way that the layer storing positive charge and the layer storing negative charge are electrically connected through the wire 401 as a medium.

In S14B, the control device 1 transmits information indicating the flight path 7 set in S12B and the deployment position of the wire 401 set in S13 to each of the aircraft 4A and 4B.

In S04B, if each aircraft receives information indicating the flight path 7 and the deployment position of the wire 401 from the control device 1, then in S05B, the propulsion mechanism 407 is controlled to fly according to the received flight path 7. In the case where the flight path 7 is set according to the arrival order of each thundercloud 6 to the wind farm 5, the aircraft 4A, 4B sequentially circulates the plurality of thunderclouds 6 starting from the thundercloud 6 with the first arrival order.

In S06B, the aircraft 4A and 4B deploy the wire 401 at the position set by the control device 1 while flying inside each thundercloud 6. The deployed wire 401 is pulled by the aircraft 4A and 4B. As a result, lightning discharge occurs inside each thundercloud 6, and the electric charge accumulated in the thundercloud 6 is dissipated.

As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, since the two aircrafts 4A and 4B are used to deploy the wire 401 inside the thundercloud 6 and pull the wire 401, the moving speed of the wire 401 can be accelerated. Therefore, even when the time from the thundercloud 6 to the scheduled time of reaching the wind farm 5 is short, the electric charge can be eliminated before the thundercloud 6 reaches the wind farm 5, thereby preventing the wind farm 5 from being struck by thunder.

Seventh embodiment In the seventh embodiment, a structure for causing lightning discharge using an aircraft 4 and a rocket is described.

In addition, the configuration of the lightning protection system 100 of the seventh embodiment is the same as the configuration of the lightning protection system 100 of the first embodiment except for the configuration of the aircraft 4, so the same element symbols are attached to the same elements and their descriptions are not repeated.

<Operation principle> First, the operation principle of the lightning protection system 100 of the seventh embodiment is explained using FIG. 17.

The aircraft 4 sequentially flies around the plurality of thunderclouds 6 approaching the wind farm 5 along the flight path indicated by the control device 1. The flight path is set using any of the setting processes of the first to third examples (see FIGS. 7 to 9 ).

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an aircraft 4 included in the lightning protection system 100 of the seventh embodiment. As shown in FIG. 18, the aircraft 4 includes a conductor 401, a charge detector 402, a lightning rod 403, a control unit 400, a wireless communication device 405, a drive unit 406, a propulsion mechanism 407, and a rocket 408. The aircraft 4 of the seventh embodiment is different from the aircraft 4 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 2) in that it has a rocket 408.

The first end of the wire 401 is connected to the body of the aircraft 4, and the second end of the wire 401 is connected to the rocket 408. The rocket 408 is usually stored inside the body together with the wire 401, and can be dropped to the outside of the body during the flight of the aircraft 4. The wire 401 is deployed by the launch of the rocket 408, and as a result, the conductive channel is deployed in the atmosphere.

The control unit 400 receives various instructions from the control device 1 via the wireless communication device 405. The instructions given by the control device 1 include instructions on the flight path 7 of the aircraft 4 and instructions on the position of the rocket 408.

The control unit 400 controls the driving unit 406 so that the aircraft 4 follows the flight path 7 indicated by the flight control device 1. In addition, the control unit 400 controls the rocket 408 so that the rocket 408 is dropped from the aircraft 4 at the position indicated by the flight control device 1.

Returning to FIG. 17 , the thundercloud 6 has a three-layer structure consisting of a layer Q1 storing positive charges, a layer Q2 storing negative charges, and a layer Q3 storing positive charges. The layer Q2 is located above the layer Q1, and the layer Q3 is located above the layer Q2. There is a large potential difference between the layers Q1 and Q2.

Aircraft 4 is flying inside thundercloud 6 and drops rocket 408 at the position indicated by control device 1. In the example of FIG. 17 , aircraft 4 drops rocket 408 to layer Q1 beside layer Q2. As rocket 408 is dropped, the second end of wire 401 moves toward layer Q1. As a result, wire 401 is spread between layer Q2 and layer Q1, and layer Q2 is electrically connected to layer Q1 through wire 401.

The electric field between the conductor 401 and the layer Q1 becomes stronger, and lightning discharge occurs from the layer Q1 to the conductor 401. At the same time, since the electric field between the layer Q2 and the conductor 401 also becomes stronger, lightning discharge occurs from the layer Q2 to the conductor 401. Due to these lightning discharges, a current flows from the layer Q1 to the layer Q2 via the conductor 401. The positive charge of the layer Q1 and the negative charge of the layer Q2 are neutralized by this current. As described above, before the thundercloud 6 reaches the top of the wind farm 5, the charge accumulated in the thundercloud 6 is eliminated, thereby preventing the wind farm 5 from being struck by lightning.

In addition, although FIG. 17 illustrates the case where positive charges are stored in layer Q1 and negative charges are stored in layer Q2, the same effect can be obtained by launching the rocket 408 even if negative charges are stored in layer Q1 and positive charges are stored in layer Q2.

<Processing Flow> Figure 19 is a flow chart showing an example of the process of lightning protection processing performed by the aircraft 4, the control device 1, and the server 2. In the figure, the processing performed by the aircraft 4 is shown on the left, the processing performed by the control device 1 is shown in the center, and the processing performed by the server 2 is shown on the right.

The flowchart of the processing performed by the control device 1 shown in FIG. 19 is obtained by replacing S06 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 with S06C.

If the control device 1 receives the weather information near the wind farm 5 and the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6 from the server 2 in S11, then in S12, the control device 1 sets the flight path 7 of the aircraft 4 using the received weather information and the charge distribution information of the thundercloud 6. The flight path 7 can be set using any of the setting processes of the first to third examples (see FIGS. 7 to 9).

If the flight path 7 is set in S12, the control device 1 sets the position of the deployment wire 401 in S13. In S13, the control device 1 sets the position of the deployment wire 401 in each thundercloud 6 based on the charge distribution information of each thundercloud 6. As shown in FIG. 17, the control device 1 sets the position of the deployment wire 401 for each thundercloud 6 in such a way that the layer storing positive charge and the layer storing negative charge are electrically connected through the wire 401.

In S14, the control device 1 transmits information indicating the flight path 7 set in S12 and the position of the deployment wire 401 set in S13 to the aircraft 4.

In S04, if the aircraft 4 receives information indicating the flight path 7 and the position of the deployment wire 401 from the control device 1, then in S05, the propulsion mechanism 407 is controlled to fly according to the received flight path 7. In the case where the flight path is set according to the arrival order of each thundercloud 6 to the wind farm 5, the aircraft 4 sequentially circulates the plurality of thunderclouds 6 starting from the thundercloud 6 with the first arrival order.

In S06C, the aircraft 4 deploys the wire 401 by dropping the rocket 408 at the position set by the control device 1. The position for dropping the rocket 408 is set for each thundercloud 6 according to its charge distribution information. The aircraft 4 flies inside each thundercloud 6, drops the rocket 408 at the set occurrence position and deploys the wire 401 (conductive channel). Lightning discharge occurs inside each thundercloud 6, and the charge accumulated in the thundercloud 6 is eliminated.

As described above, according to the seventh embodiment, since the wire 401 connected to the rocket 408 is deployed in response to the launch of the rocket 408, the wire 401 can be deployed at a high speed. Thus, lightning discharge can be generated in a short time.

In addition, although FIG. 17 shows and illustrates a configuration example in which the aircraft 4 deploys the wire 401 in the interior of the thundercloud 6 so that the layer Q1 storing positive charges is electrically connected to the layer Q2 storing negative charges, the location for deploying the wire 401 is not limited thereto. Even if the configuration example shown in FIG. 10 is followed and the wire 401 is deployed between the cloud bottom of the thundercloud 6 and the sea surface 8, lightning discharge can still occur.

Eighth embodiment In the first embodiment described above, although the control device 1 and the aircraft 4 are directed to and described as performing wireless communication directly, it is also possible to perform wireless communication with the control device 1 and the aircraft 4 via a radio station.

Fig. 20 is a diagram showing the overall structure of a lightning protection system 100 according to the eighth embodiment. The lightning protection system 100 according to the eighth embodiment is different from the lightning protection system 100 shown in Fig. 1 in that a radio station 10 is included.

The radio station 10 is configured to perform wireless communication with the aircraft 4. Furthermore, the radio station 10 has a function of being communicatively connected to the control device 1 and the server 2 via the communication network NW. Thus, the control device 1 and the server 2 can communicate with the aircraft 4 via the communication network NW and the radio station 10.

Specifically, the radio station 10 receives the charge distribution information S1 of the thundercloud 6 from the aircraft 4, and transmits the charge distribution information S1 to the server 2 via the communication network NW. In addition, the radio station 10 receives various instructions S2 from the control device 1 via the communication network NW, and transmits the various instructions S2 to the aircraft 4.

In addition, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, although the control device 1 provides various instructions S2 including the flight path 7 and the position of the unfolded conductive channel to the aircraft 4 in flight, it can also be the following structure: at least the instructions regarding the flight path 7 are given to the aircraft 4 before the aircraft 4 takes off.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, although the structure of installing the charge detector 402 on the aircraft 4 that unfolds the conductive channel is illustrated, the following structure may also be adopted: installing the charge detector 402 on an aircraft different from the aircraft 4, and obtaining information about the charge distribution of the thundercloud 6 from the aircraft.

Ninth Implementation Form In the above-mentioned first to eighth implementation forms, the following configuration example is described: Server 2 performs the following processing: obtains information about the current position, movement speed, and charge distribution of each thundercloud approaching the electrical equipment of the protected object and transmits it to the control device 1; Control device 1 performs the following processing: using the information received from server 2, sets the position of each thundercloud to open the conductive channel and the order of the thunderclouds to open the conductive channel.

However, the above-mentioned processing of obtaining information and the above-mentioned processing of setting the position and sequence may be performed by either the server 2 or the control device 1. For example, the server 2 may perform the above-mentioned processing of obtaining information and the above-mentioned processing of setting the position and sequence, and provide the control device 1 with an instruction including the set position and sequence. Alternatively, the control device 1 may perform the above-mentioned processing of obtaining information and the above-mentioned processing of setting the position and sequence without passing through the server 2, and control the aircraft 4 according to the set position and sequence.

In other words, the lightning protection system 100 is constructed as follows: it may include at least one processor and a memory storing a program executed by the at least one processor, and the program stored in the memory is executed by the at least one processor, thereby executing the above-mentioned acquired processing and the above-mentioned set processing.

In addition, with respect to the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, it is anticipated at the time of application that combinations not described in the specification can be appropriately combined with those described in the embodiments within the scope that does not cause disadvantages or contradictions.

All the key points of the embodiments disclosed in this disclosure are only illustrative and not restrictive. The technical scope disclosed in this disclosure is not disclosed by the description of the above embodiments but by the scope of the patent application, and is intended to include all changes within the scope and the equivalent meaning of the patent application.

1: Control device 2,3: Server 4,4A,4B: Aircraft 5: Wind farm 6: Thundercloud 7: Flight path 8: Sea surface 10: Radio station 100: Lightning protection system 101,201,410: CPU 102,202,411: ROM 103,203,412: RAM 104,204,413: Communication IF 105,205,414: Memory device 400: Control unit 401: Conductor 402: Charge detector 403: Lightning rod 404: Laser oscillator 405: Wireless communicator 406: Drive unit 407: Propulsion mechanism 408: Rocket S1: Charge distribution information S2: Instruction NW: Communication network L: Plasma channel Q1~Q3: Layer j: Current

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall structure of the lightning protection system of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the schematic structure of an aircraft. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of an aircraft. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the hardware structure of a control device, a server, and an aircraft. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operating principle of the lightning protection system of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of lightning protection processing performed by an aircraft, a control device, and a server. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a first example of the process of setting the flight path. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a second example of the process of setting the flight path. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a third example of the process of setting the flight path. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operating principle of the lightning protection system of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operating principle of the lightning protection system of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the aircraft of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of lightning protection processing performed by the aircraft, the control device, and the server. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the lightning protection system of the sixth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the operating principle of the lightning protection system of the sixth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of lightning protection processing performed by the aircraft, the control device, and the server. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the operating principle of the lightning protection system of the seventh embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the aircraft of the seventh embodiment. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of lightning protection processing performed by an aircraft, a control device, and a server. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the overall structure of the lightning protection system of the eighth embodiment.

1: Control device

2,3: Server

4: Aircraft

5: Wind farm

6: Thundercloud

7: Flight path

8: Sea surface

100: Lightning protection system

S1: Charge distribution information

S2: Instructions

NW: Communication Network

Claims (16)

A lightning protection system is used to protect electrical equipment during thunderstorms. The lightning protection system includes: at least one processor; and a memory storing a program executed by the at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor receives and obtains information about at least one thundercloud approaching the electrical equipment to be protected according to the program; the information includes information about the current position, moving speed, and charge distribution of each thundercloud; using the received and obtained information, the position of each thundercloud to open a conductive channel and the order of the thunderclouds to open the conductive channel are set. As in claim 1, the lightning protection system, wherein the aforementioned at least one processor is set at the position where each thundercloud unfolds the aforementioned conductive channel according to the aforementioned charge distribution of each thundercloud. As in claim 2, the lightning protection system, wherein the aforementioned at least one processor uses the aforementioned information to predict the arrival time of each thundercloud above the aforementioned electrical equipment; and sets the order of the thunderclouds that cause the aforementioned conductive channel to be opened in such a way that the thunderclouds with earlier arrival times cause the aforementioned conductive channel to be opened first. As in the lightning protection system of claim 2, wherein the aforementioned at least one processor uses the aforementioned information to calculate the charge of each thundercloud; and sets the order of the thunderclouds for opening the aforementioned conductive channel in such a way that the thunderclouds with a larger charge are preferentially opened. As in the lightning protection system of claim 2, wherein the aforementioned at least one processor uses the aforementioned information to calculate the probability of thunder occurrence in each thundercloud; and sets the order of thunderclouds for opening the aforementioned conductive channel in such a way that thunderclouds with a higher aforementioned probability are opened preferentially. As in the lightning protection system of claim 2, wherein the aforementioned at least one processor is configured to expand the aforementioned conductive channel to a position inside or below each thundercloud. As in the lightning protection system of claim 6, the aforementioned at least one processor is configured to expand the aforementioned conductive channel to a position between the layer of positive charge accumulation and the layer of negative charge accumulation of each thundercloud. As in claim 6, the lightning protection system, wherein the aforementioned at least one processor is configured to deploy the aforementioned conductive channel at a location between each thundercloud and the ground or sea. The lightning protection system of any one of claims 1 to 8 further includes a first aircraft, which is configured to be communicatively connected to the aforementioned at least one processor and to be capable of unfolding the aforementioned conductive channel in the atmosphere; wherein the aforementioned at least one processor sets a patrol sequence of the aforementioned first aircraft to patrol a plurality of thunderclouds according to the aforementioned sequence that has been set; and controls the aforementioned first aircraft in such a manner that the aforementioned first aircraft flies according to the aforementioned patrol sequence and unfolds the aforementioned conductive channel at the aforementioned set position. As in claim 9, the lightning protection system, wherein the aforementioned first aircraft contains a conductive wire; the aforementioned first aircraft deploys the aforementioned wire at the aforementioned set position. The lightning protection system of claim 10 further includes a second aircraft connected to the first aircraft via the wire; the second aircraft is in communication connection with the at least one processor; wherein the first aircraft and the second aircraft deploy the wire at the set position. As in claim 10, the lightning protection system, wherein the aforementioned first aircraft further comprises a rocket connected to the end of the aforementioned wire; The aforementioned first aircraft launches the aforementioned rocket at the aforementioned set position. As in claim 9, the lightning protection system, wherein the aforementioned first aircraft contains a laser oscillator; the aforementioned laser oscillator generates laser light at the aforementioned set position. As in claim 9, the lightning protection system, wherein the first aircraft contains a charge detector to measure the electric field in space and estimate the charge distribution of each thundercloud based on the measurement result; the first aircraft transmits the information about the charge distribution of each thundercloud estimated by the charge detector to the at least one processor. As in claim 14, the lightning protection system, wherein the aforementioned first aircraft further comprises at least one lightning rod installed on the fuselage; the aforementioned at least one lightning rod comprises at least the aforementioned charge detector. A lightning protection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one processor receives the aforementioned information from an external server via a communication network.