WO2021181717A1

WO2021181717A1 - Communication control apparatus, program, flying object, system, and control method

Info

Publication number: WO2021181717A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/031337
Authority: WO
Inventors: 亮次平井
Original assignee: Ｈａｐｓモバイル株式会社
Priority date: 2020-03-11
Filing date: 2020-08-19
Publication date: 2021-09-16
Also published as: JP2021142820A; JP7093377B2

Abstract

Provided is a communication control apparatus for controlling an antenna of a flying object having the antenna for forming a cell in a target area on the ground by radiating a beam, and providing wireless communication services for user terminals within the cell. The communication control apparatus includes: a location information storage unit for storing target area location information indicating the location of the target area; a location information acquisition unit for acquiring flying object location information indicating the three-dimensional location of the flying object; a posture information acquisition unit for acquiring posture information indicating the posture of the flying object; and a control unit for controlling, on the basis of the posture information, a gimbal that supports the antenna to maintain the inclination of the antenna, and controlling, on the basis of the target area location information and the flying object location information, the tilt of the antenna to cover the target area with the cell.

Description

Communication control devices, programs, flying objects, systems and control methods

The present invention relates to a communication control device, a program, an air vehicle, a system and a control method.

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

General disclosure

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a communication control device is provided. The communication control device may control the antenna of an air vehicle having an antenna for forming a cell in a target area on the ground by irradiating a beam and providing a wireless communication service to a user terminal in the cell. The communication control device may include an information storage unit that stores target area position information indicating the position of the target area. The communication control device may include a position information acquisition unit that acquires the vehicle body position information indicating the three-dimensional position of the vehicle body. The communication control device may include an attitude information acquisition unit that acquires attitude information indicating the attitude of the flying object. The communication control device controls the gimbal that supports the antenna so as to maintain the tilt of the antenna based on the attitude information, and covers the target area by the cell based on the target area position information and the vehicle body position information. A control unit that controls the tilt of the antenna may be provided.

The control unit may control the tilt of the antenna so as to maintain the entire cover of the target area. The control unit grasps the relative positional relationship between the antenna and the target area based on the target area position information and the flying object position information, and adjusts to the sequentially changing position of the flying object. You may control the tilt of the antenna. The control unit may control the electric tilt of the antenna to cover the target area by the cell based on the target area position information and the flying object position information. The control unit may control the mechanical tilt of the antenna to cover the target area by the cell based on the target area position information and the flying object position information.

The air vehicle may fly along a predetermined orbital path, and the communication control device is flying the air vehicle position information and the position indicated by the air vehicle position information. A history storage unit for storing association data in which the attitude information indicating the attitude of the aircraft at the time and the control amount of the gimbal based on the attitude information are associated with each other may be provided, and the control unit may include the history. The gimbal may be controlled based on the association data stored in the storage unit. The control unit controls the gimbal based on the association data when the air vehicle passes the first point in the orbital path and the air vehicle passes the first point in the past. If it is determined that the gimbal is controlled based on the associated data, and if it is determined that the gimbal is not controlled based on the associated data, the gimbal may be controlled based on the attitude information. The control unit may control the gimbal according to the control amount of the gimbal included in the association data when the flying object has passed the first point in the past. The control unit has a plurality of the associated data when the flying object passes the first point and the flying object has passed the first point in the past, and the correct answer for the control of the gimbal. If the rate is higher than the predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the gimbal is controlled based on the association data, and if the correct answer rate is lower than the threshold value, it is determined that the gimbal is not controlled based on the association data. You can do it. When the control unit determines that the attitude fluctuation pattern of the flying object has regularity based on the attitude information acquired by the attitude information acquisition unit during a predetermined time, the fluctuation pattern is changed to the fluctuation pattern. If it is determined that there is no regularity to control the gimbal based on the posture information, the gimbal may be controlled based on the posture information. The control unit predicts the vibration that occurs after a predetermined time or the vibration that occurs after traveling a predetermined distance by a regular fluctuation pattern, and controls the gimbal according to the predicted vibration. good.

The air vehicle may fly along a predetermined orbital path, and the communication control device is flying the air vehicle position information and the position indicated by the air vehicle position information. It may be provided with a history storage unit that stores the correspondence data in which the attitude information indicating the attitude of the aircraft at the time and the control amount of the gimbal based on the attitude information are associated with each other. When it is determined that the aircraft will control the gimbal based on the association data when the aircraft has passed the first point in the past when passing through the first point on the route, it is based on the association data. When the gimbal is controlled and it is determined that the gimbal is not controlled based on the association data, the aircraft is based on the attitude information acquired by the attitude information acquisition unit during a predetermined time. If it is determined that the posture fluctuation pattern has regularity, the gimbal may be controlled based on the fluctuation pattern, and if it is determined that there is no regularity, the gimbal may be controlled based on the posture information.

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

According to the third aspect of the present invention, an air vehicle is provided. The air vehicle may be equipped with the above communication control device.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the system is provided. The system may include the communication control device located on the ground. The system may include the above-mentioned flying object.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a control method is provided. The control method is executed by a communication control device that controls an antenna of an air vehicle having an antenna for forming a cell in a target area on the ground by irradiating a beam and providing a wireless communication service to a user terminal in the cell. You can. The control method may include an information acquisition step of acquiring the aircraft body position information indicating the three-dimensional position of the air vehicle and the attitude information indicating the attitude of the air vehicle. The control method controls the gimbal that supports the antenna so as to maintain the tilt of the antenna based on the attitude information, and also by the cell based on the target area position information and the vehicle body position information indicating the position of the target area. A control stage may be provided to control the tilt of the antenna to cover the target area.

The outline of the above invention does not list all the necessary features of the present invention. Sub-combinations of these feature groups can also be inventions.

An example of the system 10 is shown schematically. An example of the arrangement of the SL antenna 122 and the gimbal 126 is shown schematically. An example of the functional configuration of the communication control device 200 is schematically shown. An example of the processing flow by the communication control device 200 is schematically shown. An example of the flow of fluctuation prediction control by the communication control device 200 is schematically shown. An example of the functional configuration of the management system 300 is shown schematically. An example of the hardware configuration of the computer 1200 that functions as the communication control device 200 or is schematically shown.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the inventions claimed. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means of solving the invention.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of the system 10. The system 10 according to the present embodiment may include a communication control device 200 mounted on the HAPS 100 and controlling the communication of the HAPS 100. System 10 may include HAPS100.

The system 10 may include a management system 300 located on the ground. The management system 300 manages the HAPS 100. The management system 300 may control the communication of the HAPS 100. The management system 300 may be an example of a communication control device arranged on the ground.

The HAPS 100 is a flying object having an SL (Service Link) antenna 122 for forming a cell 164 in a target area 40 on the ground by irradiating a beam 162 and providing a wireless communication service to a user terminal 30 in the cell 164. It may be an example. The HAPS 100 includes an airframe 110, a central portion 120, a propeller 130, a pod 140, and a solar cell panel 150. A flight control device 180 and a communication control device 200 (not shown) are arranged in the central portion 120.

The electric power generated by the solar cell panel 150 is stored in one or more batteries arranged in at least one of the body 110, the central portion 120, and the pod 140. The electric power stored in the battery is used by each configuration included in the HAPS 100.

The flight control device 180 controls the flight of the HAPS 100. The flight control device 180 controls the flight of the HAPS 100 by controlling the rotation of the propeller 130, for example. Further, the flight control device 180 may control the flight of the HAPS 100 by changing the angles of flaps and elevators (not shown). The flight control device 180 manages the position, attitude, moving direction, and moving speed of the HAPS 100 by using information detected by various sensors such as a positioning sensor, a gyro sensor, and an acceleration sensor arranged in various parts of the HAPS 100. You can.

The communication control device 200 forms a cell 164 on the ground by irradiating the beam 162 with the SL antenna 122. The communication control device 200 may form a service link with the user terminal 30 on the ground by using the SL antenna 122. The SL antenna may be a multi-beam antenna. Cell 164 may be multi-cell.

The communication control device 200 may form a feeder link with the gateway 50 on the ground by using the FL (Feeder Link) antenna 121. The network 20 may be accessed via the communication control device 200 and the gateway 50.

The communication control device 200 may communicate with the communication satellite 80 by using the satellite communication antenna 123. The communication control device 200 may access the network 20 via the communication satellite 80 and the satellite communication system 60.

The user terminal 30 may be any communication terminal as long as it 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 Thing) device. The user terminal 30 may include anything corresponding to the so-called IoT (Internet of Everything).

The HAPS 100 relays communication between the network 20 and the user terminal 30 via, for example, a feeder link or a communication satellite 80 and a service link. The HAPS 100 may provide a wireless communication service to the user terminal 30 by relaying the communication between the user terminal 30 and the network 20.

The network 20 includes a mobile communication network. The mobile communication network complies with any of the 3G (3rd Generation) communication method, the LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication method, the 5G (5th Generation) communication method, and the 6G (6th Generation) communication method or later. May be good. The network 20 may include the Internet.

The HAPS 100 transmits, for example, the data received from the user terminal 30 in the cell 164 to the network 20. Further, when the HAPS 100 receives the data addressed to the user terminal 30 in the cell 164 via the network 20, for example, the HAPS 100 transmits the data to the user terminal 30.

The management system 300 manages the HAPS 100. The management system 300 may communicate with the HAPS 100 via the network 20 and the gateway 50. The management system 300 may communicate with the HAPS 100 via the network 20, the satellite communication system 60, and the communication satellite 80.

The management system 300 controls the HAPS 100 by transmitting an instruction. The management system 300 may fly the HAPS 100 along a predetermined orbital path over the target area 40 so that the cell 164 covers the target area 40 on the ground. It may be described as a fixed point flight that the HAPS 100 flies along a predetermined orbital route above the target area 40 in order to cover the target area 40. The HAPS 100 maintains the feeder link with the gateway 50 by adjusting the directivity direction of the FL antenna 121 while orbiting over the target area 40 in a circular orbit, and adjusts the directivity direction of the SL antenna 122. This keeps the coverage of the target area 40 by cell 164.

In the case of the airplane-type HAPS100, when providing a wide range of wireless communication services to a certain area, the airplane turns without being able to stand still, so due to changes in attitude (pitch, roll, yaw) due to the turn. Coverage changes accordingly. In addition, airplanes may fly against headwinds or be affected by crosswinds, etc., and in this case, vibrations with respect to atmospheric pressure may occur or sudden angle fluctuations may occur, resulting in a stable wireless communication service. It may be necessary to absorb and respond to these in order to provide. Furthermore, since the airplane cannot maintain the stopped state and moves within a radius of several kilometers such as a circle, a D shape, and a figure eight, the edge of the coverage provided from the service link also fluctuates. ..

As a solution to this, beamforming can be performed to stabilize the device using a multi-element antenna, but there are concerns about high weight and high power consumption. In the case of HAPS100, it is necessary to provide a solar panel and a battery, and in order to stay in the sky for a long period of time, weight reduction and low power consumption are desired. Therefore, another solution needs to be examined. The HAPS 100 according to the present embodiment uses a mechanical gimbal and a general antenna and an electric tilt or a mechanical tilt provided in the antenna to simplify the construction and stabilize the area.

FIG. 2 schematically shows an example of the arrangement of the SL antenna 122 and the gimbal 126. The gimbal 126 may be located at the bottom of the central portion 120. The gimbal 126 rotatably supports the SL antenna 122. The gimbal 126 may be, for example, a triaxial gimbal.

The communication control device 200 absorbs the attitude and direction of the HAPS 100 by the gimbal 126 to maintain the inclination of the SL antenna 122, and controls the cell 164 by using the electric tilt or the mechanical tilt of the SL antenna 122. For example, the communication control device 200 detects the posture of the body 110 and always keeps the inclination of the SL antenna 122 in a physically constant direction. Further, for example, the communication control device 200 corrects the deviation from the machine body 110 to the target area 40 by the electric tilt or the mechanical tilt.

FIG. 3 schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the communication control device 200. The communication control device 200 includes an information storage unit 202, a position information acquisition unit 204, a posture information acquisition unit 206, and a control unit 208.

The information storage unit 202 stores various types of information. The information storage unit 202 stores, for example, target area position information indicating the position of the target area 40. The information storage unit 202 may be an example of an area information storage unit.

The position information acquisition unit 204 acquires the flying object position information indicating the three-dimensional position of the HAPS 100. The position information acquisition unit 204 may continuously acquire the aircraft body position information. The aircraft position information may include the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the HAPS 100. The position information acquisition unit 204 acquires the flight body position information of the HAPS 100 from, for example, the flight control device 180. Further, the position information acquisition unit 204 may acquire the flight body position information of the HAPS 100 based on the information detected by, for example, the sensor group 125.

The sensor group 125 includes a positioning sensor such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor. The sensor group 125 may include an altitude sensor. The sensor group 125 may include an accelerometer. The sensor group 125 may include a gyro sensor. Various sensors included in the sensor group 125 may be installed at each location of the HAPS 100.

The posture information acquisition unit 206 acquires posture information indicating the posture of the HAPS 100. The posture information acquisition unit 206 may continuously acquire the posture information. The attitude information may include pitch, roll, and yaw information of the HAPS 100. The attitude information acquisition unit 206 acquires the attitude information of the HAPS 100 from, for example, the flight control device 180. Further, the attitude information acquisition unit 206 may acquire the attitude information of the HAPS 100 based on the information detected by the sensor group 125.

The control unit 208 is based on the target area position information stored in the information storage unit 202, the vehicle body position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 204, and the attitude information acquired by the attitude information acquisition unit 206. , Controls the tilt of the gimbal 126 and SL antenna 122.

The control unit 208 controls the gimbal 126 so as to maintain the inclination of the SL antenna 122 based on the attitude information, and the target area 40 by the cell 164 based on the target area position information and the vehicle body position information. The tilt of the SL antenna 122 is controlled to cover the above. The control unit 208 may control the tilt of the SL antenna 122 so as to maintain the entire cover of the target area 40.

The control unit 208 grasps the relative positional relationship between the SL antenna 122 and the target area 40 based on the target area position information and the flying object position information, and adjusts to the sequentially changing position of the HAPS 100 according to the change of the position of the SL antenna 122. The tilt may be controlled. The control unit 208 may control the electric tilt of the SL antenna 122 so that the cell 164 covers the target area 40 based on the target area position information and the vehicle body position information. The control unit 208 may control the mechanical tilt of the SL antenna 122 so that the cell 164 covers the target area 40 based on the target area position information and the vehicle body position information.

The HAPS 100 can fly along a predetermined orbital route with regularity in order to continuously provide a wireless communication service to a predetermined target area 40. The communication control device 200 may predict and control the gimbal 126 by learning the regularity.

There can be two types of regularity. The first is regularity that considers time continuously. When observing the attitude change of the HAPS100 when the HAPS100 is in flight, regularity such as a waveform may be seen. The second is the regularity when passing the same point. Since the HAPS 100 repeats the orbiting action in units of tens of minutes, time, and the like, it passes through the same point every cycle. It can be said that there is a high probability of receiving the same vibration when passing through the same point. In particular, when flying in the stratosphere, it can be said that the probability of receiving the same vibration when passing through the same point is particularly high in the stratosphere because the change in wind is smaller than in the vicinity of the ground.

The information storage unit 202 may store the history of the aircraft body position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 204 and the attitude information acquired by the attitude information acquisition unit 206. The information storage unit 202 may be an example of a history storage unit. The information storage unit 202 stores, for example, association data in which the aircraft body position information and the attitude information indicating the attitude of the HAPS 100 when the HAPS 100 is flying at the position indicated by the aircraft body position information are associated with each other. The information storage unit 202 corresponds to the aircraft body position information, the attitude information indicating the attitude of the HAPS 100 when the HAPS 100 is flying at the position indicated by the aircraft body position information, and the control amount of the gimbal 126 based on the attitude information. The attached association data may be stored.

When the control unit 208 determines that the posture fluctuation pattern of the HAPS 100 has regularity based on the posture information acquired by the posture information acquisition unit 206 during a predetermined time, the gimbal 126 is based on the fluctuation pattern. If it is determined that there is no regularity, the gimbal 126 may be controlled based on the posture information. The control unit 208 predicts the vibration generated after a predetermined time or the vibration generated after traveling a predetermined distance by a regular fluctuation pattern, and controls the gimbal 126 according to the predicted vibration. good. As a result, it is possible to realize predictive control of the gimbal 126 using the regularity considering the time continuously, and it is possible to improve the stability of the wireless communication service by the HAPS 100.

The control unit 208 may control the gimbal 126 based on the association data stored in the information storage unit 202. The control unit 208 determines that, for example, when the HAPS 100 passes through the first point in the circuit path, the control unit 208 controls the gimbal 126 based on the association data when the HAPS 100 has passed the first point in the past. In this case, the gimbal 126 may be controlled based on the association data, and if it is determined that the gimbal 126 is not controlled based on the association data, the gimbal 126 may be controlled based on the attitude information. The control unit 208 may control the gimbal 126 according to the control amount of the gimbal 126 included in the association data when the HAPS 100 has passed the first point in the past. As a result, predictive control of the gimbal 126 using the regularity when passing through the same point can be realized, and the stability of the wireless communication service by the HAPS 100 can be improved.

For example, when the HAPS 100 passes the first point, the control unit 208 has a plurality of association data when the HAPS 100 has passed the first point in the past, and the correct answer rate of the control of the gimbal 126 is predetermined. If it is higher than the threshold value, it is determined that the gimbal 126 is controlled based on the associated data, and if the correct answer rate is lower than the threshold value, it is determined that the gimbal 126 is not controlled based on the associated data. For example, the information storage unit 202 stores in the association data including result information indicating whether or not the result of controlling the gimbal 126 by the control amount included in the association data is a correct answer. As a result of controlling the gimbal 126, the result information may indicate a correct answer when the posture of the SL antenna 122 is maintained, and may indicate an incorrect answer when the posture cannot be maintained. Whether or not the posture of the SL antenna 122 can be maintained may be determined by whether or not the posture fluctuation of the SL antenna 122 is within a predetermined threshold value. The threshold value may be arbitrarily set. The control unit 208 may calculate the correct answer rate by using the result information of a plurality of associated data when the first point is passed in the past.

The control unit 208 may transmit the association data stored in the information storage unit 202 to the management system 300. For example, when the first HAPS 100 is replaced with the second HAPS 100, the management system 300 may transmit the association data received from the first HAPS 100 to the second HAPS 100. As a result, the association data can be inherited for the HAPS 100 flying on the same orbital route.

FIG. 4 schematically shows an example of the processing flow by the communication control device 200. The communication control device 200 starts executing the process shown in FIG. 4, for example, in response to the HAPS 100 starting the flight of the predetermined orbital route.

In step 102 (the step may be abbreviated as S) 102, the position information acquisition unit 204 acquires the aircraft position information of the HAPS 100, and the attitude information acquisition unit 206 acquires the attitude information of the HAPS 100.

In S104, the control unit 208 determines whether or not there is past data at the position indicated by the aircraft body position information acquired in S102. The control unit 208 may determine that the past data is present when the association data including the aircraft body position information acquired in S102 is stored in the information storage unit 202, and may determine that there is no past data if there is no past data. If it is determined that there is past data, the process proceeds to S106, and if it is determined that there is no past data, the process proceeds to S108.

In S106, the control unit 208 executes the fluctuation prediction control. Fluctuation prediction control will be described later. In S108, the control unit 208 determines whether or not there is a problem in the posture of the HAPS 100. The control unit 208 determines that there is a problem, for example, when the pitch and roll of the HAPS 100 do not maintain the correct posture. For example, the control unit 208 determines that there is a problem when the pitch and roll of the HAPS 100 are not kept horizontal. Further, the control unit 208 determines that there is a problem, for example, when the yaw of the HAPS 100 does not have a preset angle. The control unit 208 may determine that there is no problem when, for example, the pitch and roll of the HAPS 100 are kept horizontal and the yaw of the HAPS 100 is at a preset angle.

If it is determined that there is a problem, proceed to S110. In S110, the control unit 208 controls the gimbal 126. When the pitch and roll of the HAPS 100 are not kept horizontal, the control unit 208 controls the gimbal 126 to correct the direction of the SL antenna 122 according to the fluctuation of the pitch and roll of the HAPS 100, thereby causing the SL antenna 122. Maintain the inclination of. When the yaw of the HAPS 100 is not at a preset angle, the control unit 208 controls the gimbal 126 to correct the direction of the SL antenna 122 according to the fluctuation of the yaw of the HAPS 100.

If it is determined in S108 that there is no problem, the process proceeds to S112. In this case, the gimbal 126 maintains the status quo.

In S112, the control unit 208 calculates the tilt required for the SL antenna 122 from the position of the HAPS 100 and the position of the target area 40. In S114, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to change the tilt of the SL antenna 122 from the tilt calculated in S112 and the current value of the tilt. If it is determined that the change is necessary, the process proceeds to S116, and if it is determined that the change is not required, the process proceeds to S118. In S116, the control unit 208 changes the tilt of the SL antenna 122 according to the tilt calculated in S112 and the change value derived from the current value.

In S118, the information storage unit 202 changes the aircraft position information, the attitude information, the control amount of the gimbal 126 when the gimbal 126 is controlled, and the tilt when the tilt of the SL antenna 122 is changed. Stores the association data associated with the quantity.

In S120, it is determined whether or not the control is terminated. If it is determined that the process does not end, the process returns to S102, and if it is determined that the process ends, the process ends.

FIG. 5 schematically shows an example of the flow of fluctuation prediction control by the communication control device 200. In S202, the control unit 208 analyzes the tendency of the position and posture of the HAPS 100 from the association data for the past several seconds. The number of seconds may be preset and may be changeable. In S204, the control unit 208 determines whether or not there is regularity in the posture fluctuation pattern of the HAPS 100. The control unit 208 can determine whether or not the fluctuation pattern has regularity by using any known technique. If it is determined that there is regularity, the process proceeds to S206, and if it is determined that there is no regularity, the process proceeds to S208.

In S206, the control unit 208 predicts the attitude change of the HAPS 100 based on the attitude change pattern of the HAPS 100, and assumes the control amount of the SL antenna 122. In S208, the control unit 208 determines whether or not there is a problem in the posture of the HAPS 100. The control unit 208 determines that there is a problem, for example, when the pitch and roll of the HAPS 100 are not kept horizontal. Further, the control unit 208 determines that there is a problem, for example, when the yaw of the HAPS 100 does not have a preset angle. The control unit 208 may determine that there is no problem when the pitch and roll of the HAPS 100 are kept horizontal and the yaw of the HAPS 100 is at a preset angle.

If it is determined that there is a problem, proceed to S210. In S210, the control unit 208 assumes a control amount of the gimbal 126. The control unit 208 gimbals maintain the tilt of the SL antenna 122 by correcting the direction of the SL antenna 122 according to the fluctuation of the pitch and roll of the HAPS 100 when the pitch and roll of the HAPS 100 are not kept horizontal. Assume 126 controls. The control unit 208 assumes a control amount of the gimbal 126 so as to correct the direction of the SL antenna 122 according to the variation of the yaw of the HAPS 100 when the yaw of the HAPS 100 is not at a preset angle.

If it is determined in S208 that there is no problem, the process proceeds to S212. In this case, it is assumed that the posture of HAPS100 is maintained as it is.

In S214, the control unit 208 associates the same position as the position of the HAPS 100 (may be described as the first point) in the association data for the last few hours stored in the information storage unit 202. Determine if there is data. The time may be preset and may be changeable. If it is determined to be present, the process proceeds to S216, and if it is determined to be absent, the process proceeds to S222.

In S216, the control unit 208 determines whether or not there is a plurality of associated data at the same position as the first point. If it is determined to be present, the process proceeds to S218, and if it is determined to be absent, the process proceeds to S222.

In S218, the control unit 208 determines whether or not the correct answer rate is equal to or greater than the threshold value. If it is determined that the value is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the process proceeds to S220, and if it is determined that the value is not equal to or higher than the threshold value, the process proceeds to S222.

In S220, the control unit 208 controls the gimbal 126 with a control amount based on the association data at the same position as the first point. The control unit 208 controls the gimbal 126 with, for example, a control amount included in one association data whose result information indicates a correct answer among a plurality of association data at the same position as the first point. The control unit 208 may control the gimbal 126 with a control amount derived based on a plurality of association data whose result information indicates a correct answer among the plurality of association data at the same position as the first point. .. For example, the control unit 208 controls the gimbal 126 with a control amount obtained by averaging the control amounts included in the plurality of associated data.

In S222, the control unit 208 controls the gimbal 126 with the assumed control amount. Then, the fluctuation prediction control is terminated.

FIG. 6 schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the management system 300. Here, an example of the functional configuration when the management system 300 functions as a communication control device arranged on the ground is shown.

The management system 300 includes an air vehicle management unit 310 and an air vehicle control unit 320. The flight body management unit 310 manages a plurality of HAPS 100s. The flight object management unit 310 may manage the plurality of HAPS 100s so that each of the plurality of HAPS 100s covers each of the plurality of target areas 40.

The flight body control unit 320 controls each of the plurality of HAPS 100s. The aircraft control unit 320 includes an information storage unit 322, a position information acquisition unit 324, an attitude information acquisition unit 326, and a control unit 328.

The information storage unit 322 stores various information for each of the plurality of HAPS100. The information storage unit 322 stores, for example, the target area position information of the HAPS 100 and the associated data of the HAPS 100 in association with the flight object identification information of the HAPS 100.

The position information acquisition unit 324 acquires the position information of the flying HAPS100. The position information acquisition unit 324 may continuously acquire the aircraft body position information. The position information acquisition unit 324 may continuously receive the aircraft body position information from the HAPS 100.

The attitude information acquisition unit 326 acquires the attitude information of the flying HAPS100. The posture information acquisition unit 326 may continuously acquire the posture information. The posture information acquisition unit 326 may continuously receive the posture information from the HAPS 100.

The control unit 328 is based on the target area position information stored in the information storage unit 322, the aircraft position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 324, and the attitude information acquired by the attitude information acquisition unit 326. , Controls the tilt of the gimbal 126 and SL antenna 122. The control unit 328 may control the gimbal 126 by transmitting a control instruction of the gimbal 126 to the HAPS 100. The control unit 328 may control the tilt of the SL antenna 122 by transmitting a control instruction for tilting the SL antenna 122 to the HAPS 100.

The control unit 328 controls the gimbal 326 so as to maintain the inclination of the SL antenna 122 based on the attitude information, and the target area 40 by the cell 164 based on the target area position information and the vehicle body position information. The tilt of the SL antenna 122 is controlled to cover the above. The control unit 328 may control the tilt of the SL antenna 122 so as to maintain the entire cover of the target area 40.

The control unit 328 grasps the relative positional relationship between the SL antenna 122 and the target area 40 based on the target area position information and the flying object position information, and the SL antenna 122 changes in accordance with the sequentially changing position of the HAPS 100. The tilt may be controlled. The control unit 328 may control the electric tilt of the SL antenna 122 so that the cell 164 covers the target area 40 based on the target area position information and the vehicle body position information. The control unit 328 may control the mechanical tilt of the SL antenna 122 so that the cell 164 covers the target area 40 based on the target area position information and the vehicle body position information.

When the control unit 328 determines that the posture fluctuation pattern of the HAPS 100 has regularity based on the posture information acquired by the posture information acquisition unit 326 during a predetermined time, the gimbal 126 is based on the fluctuation pattern. If it is determined that there is no regularity, the gimbal 126 may be controlled based on the posture information. The control unit 328 predicts the vibration generated after a predetermined time or the vibration generated after traveling a predetermined distance by a regular fluctuation pattern, and controls the gimbal 126 according to the predicted vibration. good. As a result, it is possible to realize predictive control of the gimbal 126 using the regularity considering the time continuously, and it is possible to improve the stability of the wireless communication service by the HAPS 100.

The control unit 328 may control the gimbal 126 based on the association data stored in the information storage unit 322. The control unit 328 determines that, for example, when the HAPS 100 passes through the first point in the circuit path, the control unit 328 controls the gimbal 126 based on the association data when the HAPS 100 has passed the first point in the past. In this case, the gimbal 126 may be controlled based on the association data, and if it is determined that the gimbal 126 is not controlled based on the association data, the gimbal 126 may be controlled based on the attitude information. The control unit 328 may control the gimbal 126 according to the control amount of the gimbal 126 included in the association data when the HAPS 100 has passed the first point in the past. As a result, predictive control of the gimbal 126 using the regularity when passing through the same point can be realized, and the stability of the wireless communication service by the HAPS 100 can be improved.

For example, when the HAPS 100 passes the first point, the control unit 328 has a plurality of association data when the HAPS 100 has passed the first point in the past, and the correct answer rate of the control of the gimbal 126 is predetermined. If it is higher than the threshold value, it is determined that the gimbal 126 is controlled based on the associated data, and if the correct answer rate is lower than the threshold value, it is determined that the gimbal 126 is not controlled based on the associated data. For example, the information storage unit 322 stores the association data including the result information indicating whether or not the result of controlling the gimbal 126 by the control amount included in the association data is the correct answer. As a result of controlling the gimbal 126, the result information may indicate a correct answer when the posture of the SL antenna 122 is maintained, and may indicate an incorrect answer when the posture cannot be maintained. Whether or not the posture of the SL antenna 122 can be maintained may be determined by whether or not the posture fluctuation of the SL antenna 122 is within a predetermined threshold value. The threshold value may be arbitrarily set. The control unit 328 may calculate the correct answer rate by using the result information of a plurality of associated data when the first point is passed in the past.

FIG. 7 schematically shows an example of a hardware configuration of a computer 1200 that functions as a communication control device 200 or a management device 300. A program installed on the computer 1200 causes the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the device according to the present embodiment, or causes the computer 1200 to perform an operation associated with the device according to the present embodiment or the one or the like. A plurality of "parts" can be executed and / or a computer 1200 can be made to execute a process according to the present embodiment or a stage of the process. Such a program may be run by the CPU 1212 to cause the 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 graphic controller 1216, which are connected to each other by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via the input / output controller 1220. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, or the like. The computer 1200 also includes a legacy I / O unit such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard, which are connected to the I / O controller 1220 via an I / O chip 1240.

The CPU 1212 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphic controller 1216 acquires the image data generated by the CPU 1212 in a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or itself so that the image data is displayed on the display device 1218.

The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via the network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD drive reads a program or data from a DVD-ROM or the like and provides it to the storage device 1224. The IC card drive reads the program and data from the IC card and / or writes the program and data to the IC card.

The ROM 1230 stores a boot program or the like executed by the computer 1200 at the time of activation and / or a program depending on the hardware of the computer 1200. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via a USB port, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, and the like.

The program is provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or IC card. The program is read from a computer-readable storage medium, installed in a storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which is also an example of a computer-readable storage medium, and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200 and provides a link between the program and the various types of hardware resources described above. The device or method may be configured to implement the operation or processing of information according to the use of the computer 1200.

For example, when communication is executed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 executes a communication program loaded in the RAM 1214, and performs communication processing on the communication interface 1222 based on the processing described in the communication program. You may order. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads the transmission data stored in the transmission buffer area provided in the recording medium such as the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, the DVD-ROM, or the IC card, and the read transmission data. Is transmitted to the network, or the received data received from the network is written to the reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

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

Various types of information such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases may be stored in the recording medium and processed. The CPU 1212 describes various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, and information retrieval described in various parts of the present disclosure with respect to the data read from the RAM 1214. Various types of processing may be performed, including / replacement, etc., and the results are written back to the RAM 1214. Further, the CPU 1212 may search for information in a file, a database, or the like in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of the first attribute associated with the attribute value of the second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1212 is the first of the plurality of entries. The attribute value of the attribute of is searched for the entry that matches the specified condition, the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry is read, and the first attribute that satisfies the predetermined condition is selected. You may get the attribute value of the associated second attribute.

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

The blocks in the flowchart and the block diagram in the present embodiment may represent the stage of the process in which the operation is executed or the "part" of the device having a role of executing the operation. Specific stages and "parts" are supplied with dedicated circuits, programmable circuits supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on computer-readable storage media, and / or computer-readable instructions stored on computer-readable storage media. It may be implemented by the processor. Dedicated circuits may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. Programmable circuits include logical products, logical sums, exclusive logical sums, negative logical products, negative logical sums, and other logical operations, such as, for example, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), and the like. , Flip-flops, registers, and reconfigurable hardware circuits, including memory elements.

The computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions executed by the appropriate device, so that the computer-readable storage medium having the instructions stored therein is in a flow chart or block diagram. It will be equipped with a product that contains instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the specified operation. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium may include an electronic storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, an electromagnetic storage medium, a semiconductor storage medium, and the like. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media include floppy (registered trademark) disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and 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 may be included.

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

Computer-readable instructions are used to generate means for a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or the processor of another programmable data processing device, or a programmable circuit, to perform an operation specified in a flowchart or block diagram. General purpose computers, special purpose computers, or other programmable data processing locally or via a wide area network (WAN) such as the local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc., to execute the computer-readable instructions. It may be provided in the processor of the device or in a programmable circuit. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers and the like.

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

The order of execution of each process such as operation, procedure, step, and step in the device, system, program, and method shown in the claims, description, and drawings is particularly "before" and "prior to". It should be noted that it can be realized in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Even if the claims, the specification, and the operation flow in the drawings are explained using "first", "next", etc. for convenience, it means that it is essential to carry out in this order. is not it.

10 systems, 20 networks, 30 user terminals, 40 target areas, 50 gateways, 60 satellite communication systems, 80 communication satellites, 100 HAPS, 110 aircraft, 120 central parts, 121 FL antennas, 122 SL antennas, 123 satellite communication antennas, 125 Sensor group, 126 gimbal, 130 propeller, 140 pod, 150 solar cell panel, 162 beam, 164 cells, 180 flight control device, 200 communication control device, 202 information storage unit, 204 position information acquisition unit, 206 attitude information acquisition unit, 208 control unit, 300 management system, 310 air vehicle management unit, 320 air vehicle control unit, 322 information storage unit, 324 position information acquisition unit, 326 attitude information acquisition unit, 328 control unit, 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

A communication control device that controls the antenna of an air vehicle having an antenna for forming a cell in a target area on the ground by irradiating a beam and providing a wireless communication service to a user terminal in the cell.
An information storage unit that stores target area position information indicating the position of the target area, and
A position information acquisition unit that acquires air vehicle position information indicating the three-dimensional position of the air vehicle, and a position information acquisition unit.
An attitude information acquisition unit that acquires attitude information indicating the attitude of the flying object, and an attitude information acquisition unit.
Based on the attitude information, the gimbal that supports the antenna is controlled so as to maintain the inclination of the antenna, and the target area is controlled by the cell based on the target area position information and the vehicle body position information. A communication control device including a control unit that controls the tilt of the antenna to cover the antenna.
The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the electric tilt of the antenna so as to cover the target area by the cell based on the target area position information and the flying object position information.
The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the mechanical tilt of the antenna so as to cover the target area by the cell based on the target area position information and the flying object position information.
The air vehicle flies along a predetermined orbital path and
The communication control device is based on the air vehicle position information, the attitude information indicating the attitude of the air vehicle when the air vehicle is flying at the position indicated by the air vehicle position information, and the attitude information. It is provided with a history storage unit that stores the association data associated with the control amount of the gimbal.
The communication control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit controls the gimbal based on the association data stored in the history storage unit.
When the flying object passes the first point in the orbital path, the control unit controls the gimbal based on the associated data when the flying object has passed the first point in the past. 4 The communication control device according to.
The control unit has a plurality of the associated data when the flying object passes the first point and the flying object has passed the first point in the past, and the correct answer for the control of the gimbal. If the rate is higher than a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the gimbal is controlled based on the associated data, and if the correct answer rate is lower than the threshold value, it is determined that the gimbal is not controlled based on the associated data. The communication control device according to claim 5.
When the control unit determines that the attitude fluctuation pattern of the flying object has regularity based on the attitude information acquired by the attitude information acquisition unit during a predetermined time, the control unit determines the fluctuation pattern. The communication control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gimbal is controlled based on the gimbal, and when it is determined that there is no regularity, the gimbal is controlled based on the posture information.
The air vehicle flies along a predetermined orbital path and
The communication control device is based on the air vehicle position information, the attitude information indicating the attitude of the air vehicle when the air vehicle is flying at the position indicated by the air vehicle position information, and the attitude information. It is provided with a history storage unit that stores the association data associated with the control amount of the gimbal.
When the control unit determines that the gimbal is controlled based on the associated data when the air vehicle has passed the first point in the past when passing through the first point in the orbital path. , The posture acquired by the posture information acquisition unit during a predetermined time when the gimbal is controlled based on the association data and it is determined that the gimbal is not controlled based on the association data. When it is determined that the attitude fluctuation pattern of the air vehicle has regularity based on the information, the gimbal is controlled based on the fluctuation pattern, and when it is determined that there is no regularity, the gimbal is controlled based on the attitude information. The communication control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which controls the gimbal.
A program for making a computer function as a communication control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
The flying object, which is equipped with the communication control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
The communication control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is arranged on the ground.
A system including the flying object.
Control performed by a communication control device that controls the antenna of an air vehicle having an antenna for forming a cell in a target area on the ground by irradiating a beam and providing a wireless communication service to a user terminal in the cell. It ’s a method,
An information acquisition stage for acquiring an air vehicle position information indicating a three-dimensional position of the air vehicle and an attitude information indicating the attitude of the air vehicle, and an information acquisition stage.
Based on the attitude information, the gimbal that supports the antenna is controlled so as to maintain the inclination of the antenna, and the target area position information indicating the position of the target area and the vehicle body position information are used as the basis. A control method including a control step of controlling the tilt of the antenna so as to cover the target area with a cell.