WO2024116276A1

WO2024116276A1 - Flight assistance system, flight assistance method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2024116276A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/043952
Authority: WO
Inventors: 亨中村; 達哉飯塚; 尚子小阪; 恒子倉; 悠輔梅宮; 正樹久田
Original assignee: 日本電信電話株式会社
Priority date: 2022-11-29
Filing date: 2022-11-29
Publication date: 2024-06-06

Abstract

This flight assistance system 5 comprises: a flight control device 1 that controls an aircraft D; and an operation device 2 that transmits, to the flight control device 1, operation information that includes movement of the aircraft D and is inputted from an operator C positioned outside of the aircraft D. The flight control device 1 is provided with: a flight state acquisition unit 11 that acquires the ground position and movement of the aircraft D; and a generation unit 13 that acquires the ground movement of the operator C and generates, from a combination of the movement included in the operation information and the ground movement of the operator, a command for driving a machinery group 30 in the aircraft D.

Description

FLIGHT SUPPORT SYSTEM, FLIGHT SUPPORT METHOD, AND PROGRAM

This disclosure relates to a flight support system, a flight support method, and a program.

In recent years, drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become popular. When a human pilots a UAV, visual flight is often used. In visual flight, the aircraft's behavior is observed visually from a remote location, and the movement and attitude of the UAV are instructed from an operating device (controller).

As UAVs become more common, there are more opportunities to use them from ships. Such UAVs are used for maritime security surveillance, various measurements, and surveys of coastal areas that are difficult to access by land.

A typical outdoor UAV has a built-in GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) function.
Hovering UAVs, specifically multi-rotor or helicopter-type UAVs, can have the ability to stay in the air at the same three-dimensional coordinates relative to the ground even if the operator's hands are removed from the control device. The ease of use of the aircraft stopping in place when the operator's hands are removed greatly reduces the burden on the operator. This easy-to-understand operation is thought to be the driving force behind the spread of small drones today.

There are also functions to assist in the operation of UAVs. For example, there is technology that uses millimeter wave radar and corner reflectors to detect the landing position so that the UAV can grasp the condition of the landing surface even in poor visibility (Non-Patent Document 1). There is also technology that detects and avoids obstacles (Non-Patent Document 2).

Unless a ship is moored, it becomes a floating body that moves relative to the ground. When an operator located on a floating body operates a UAV, it can be difficult to operate the UAV. For example, if a UAV is operated without taking into account that the ship is moving relative to the ground, simply taking off the UAV may result in an obstacle such as hitting an obstacle on the ship that is moving relative to the ground.

The technology described in Non-Patent Document 1 is limited to use in measuring the relative position of the landing point and the UAV, like an altimeter. Non-Patent Document 1 cannot be applied to cases where floating bodies such as ships are swaying or fluctuating. Furthermore, the technology described in Non-Patent Document 2 is for avoiding obstacles with fixed coordinates on the ground, such as buildings on land. Non-Patent Document 2 does not anticipate cases where it will be operated from floating bodies such as ships.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and the purpose of this disclosure is to provide technology that can assist an operator located on a floating body such as a ship in controlling the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

A flight support system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a flight control device that controls an aircraft, and an operation device that transmits operation information including the aircraft's movement input by an operator located outside the aircraft to the flight control device. The flight control device includes a flight status acquisition unit that acquires the ground position and movement of the aircraft, and a generation unit that acquires the ground movement of the operator and generates commands to drive the equipment of the aircraft from a movement that combines the movement included in the operation information and the ground movement of the operator.

In one aspect of the flight support method disclosed herein, an operating device transmits operation information including the movement of the aircraft input by an operator located outside the aircraft to a flight control device that controls the aircraft, the flight control device acquires the position and movement of the aircraft relative to the ground, the flight control device acquires the movement of the operator relative to the ground, and generates commands to drive equipment of the aircraft from a movement that combines the movement included in the operation information and the movement of the operator relative to the ground.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a program that causes a computer to function as the flight control device.

This disclosure provides technology that can assist an operator located on a floating body such as a ship in controlling the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of a flight support system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an accident that may occur when piloting an unmanned aerial vehicle without taking into account the motion of the hull. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the functions of the flight support system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the flight control device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of a flight support system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the functions of the flight support system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the flight control device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of a computer used in the flight control device or the operation device.

Below, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted.

(First embodiment)
A flight support system 5 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a flight control device 1, an operation device 2, and a hull management device 3. The flight control device 1, the operation device 2, and the hull management device 3 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via wireless communication. The flight control device 1 and the hull management device 3 acquire terrestrial positions and movements. These terrestrial positions and movements are positions and movements acquired by GNSS or the like. In the first embodiment, an operator C steers an aircraft D with the operation device 2 without moving on the hull H. The hull management device 3 is installed inside the hull H.

In the first embodiment, the coordinates of the position acquired on the ground are called ground coordinates AG. The coordinates based on a predetermined position of the hull H are called hull coordinates AH. In the first embodiment, since the operator C does not move on the hull H, the hull coordinates AH are the same as the operator's coordinates.

The flight control device 1 is a computer that controls the operation of the aircraft D. The flight control device 1 is built into the aircraft D. The aircraft D is a small unmanned aircraft with no human on board, such as a drone. A case will be described in which an operator C positioned outside the aircraft D controls the flight of the aircraft D, but this is not limited to this. As long as an operator C positioned outside the aircraft D controls the flight of the aircraft D, the size of the aircraft D and whether or not there is a human on board are not important.

The operation device 2 is a computer into which an operator C positioned outside the aircraft D inputs instructions for flying the aircraft D. The operation device 2 includes input devices such as a stick and buttons. The operation device 2 may also include a display device showing the flight status of the aircraft D. The operator C operates the input device to instruct the movement of the aircraft D. The instructions for the movement of the aircraft D input by the operator C are transmitted to the aircraft D. The aircraft D drives the aircraft D according to the instructions input from the operation device 2.

The hull management device 3 acquires the ground position and movement of the hull H. The ground position and movement acquired by the hull management device 3 are transmitted to the flight control device 1 directly or indirectly to the flight control device 1 via the operation device 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this disclosure, an operator C is positioned on a hull H and uses an operating device 2 to operate an aircraft D. The hull H is carried away by ocean or tidal currents, or moves due to engine drive, etc. In general, if the operator C steers the aircraft D without taking into consideration the movement of the hull H, an accident may occur, such as the aircraft D hitting an obstacle on the hull H.

With reference to FIG. 2, an example of an accident that occurs when an operator C steers an aircraft D without considering the movement of the hull H will be described. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the hull H is moving on the sea surface in the direction of the ocean current. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the operator C is located on the hull H. The aircraft D waits on the hull H. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the operator C inputs an instruction for the aircraft D to rise vertically in order to take off, in order to make the aircraft D take off. However, even between when the aircraft D takes off and when it leaves the hull H, the hull H moves with the ocean current. Therefore, depending on the position of the aircraft D, the shape of the hull H, and the direction and speed of the ocean current, the aircraft D may collide with an obstacle on the hull H.

In this way, the present disclosure provides support for the operation of operator C, who is located on a floating body such as a ship, so that operator C can intuitively control the flight of aircraft D.

The processing of the flight support system 5 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

The hull management device 3 acquires the hull status using GNSS or the like. The hull status includes the ground position and movement of the hull H. If the operator C does not move on the hull H, the ground position and movement acquired by the hull management device 3 will be the ground position and movement of the operator C. The hull management device 3 notifies the operation device 2 of the hull status of the hull H.

The control device 2 transmits operation information, including the movement of the aircraft D, input by the operator C to the flight control device 1. The operation information includes instructions for the movement of the aircraft D, such as the direction and speed at which the aircraft D will move, and instructions to keep the aircraft D in the air. If the control device 2 is not operated by the operator C, the flight control device 1 may keep the aircraft D in the air when an instruction to keep the aircraft D in the air is input.

The operation device 2 transmits the hull status of the hull H input from the hull management device 3 to the aircraft D. The hull status is specifically the position and movement of the hull H relative to the ground, and when the operator C does not move on the hull H, it becomes the position and movement of the operator C relative to the ground.

The operating device 2 acquires the flight status of the aircraft D from the flight control device 1 of the aircraft D and displays it on a display device (not shown). The flight status is the inclination, position, and movement of the aircraft D. As will be described later, the position and movement of the aircraft D may be displayed using coordinate axes that are easy for the operator C to intuitively understand, or may be displayed using terrestrial GNSS coordinate axes.

Aircraft D is equipped with a flight control device 1 and a group of equipment 30. The flight control device 1 controls aircraft D. The flight control device 1 generates commands to drive the group of equipment of aircraft D from the operation information and hull state input from the operation device 2, and inputs these commands to the group of equipment 30. The group of equipment 30 drives according to the commands input from the flight control device 1. The group of equipment 30 includes, for example, a motor, an engine, and a rudder.

The flight control device 1 has the functions of a flight state acquisition unit 11, a conversion unit 12, and a generation unit 13, as well as a group of data that is referenced or updated by these functions. Each function is implemented in the CPU 901. Each piece of data is stored in a storage device such as the memory 902 or storage 903.

The flight status acquisition unit 11 acquires the position and movement of the aircraft D relative to the ground using GNSS or the like. The flight status acquisition unit 11 may acquire the position and movement of the aircraft D relative to the ground using a method other than GNSS.

The flight state acquisition unit 11 may also acquire information necessary for the operator C to operate the operation device 2, such as the inclination of the aircraft D. For example, the flight state acquisition unit 11 may detect the wind direction and speed using a sensor that detects the surrounding wind.

The conversion unit 12 converts the ground position and movement of the aircraft D acquired by the flight status acquisition unit 11 into the coordinates of the operator C's viewpoint, specifically the hull coordinates AH, and transmits them to the operation device 2 as the flight status of the aircraft D.

For example, if the position of aircraft D relative to the ground is 2 km north of the position of operator C relative to the ground, the conversion unit 12 generates a flight state including the position of aircraft D being 2 km north. Also, if aircraft D moves eastward relative to the ground at a speed of 2 m/sec, while operator C moves westward relative to the ground at a speed of 1 m/sec, the conversion unit 12 generates a flight state including aircraft D moving eastward at a speed of 3 m/sec.

The conversion unit 12 transmits the position and movement of the aircraft D converted into the hull coordinates AH, specifically, the relative position and movement of the aircraft D with respect to the hull H, to the operation device 2 as a flight state. By the conversion unit 12 informing the operation device 2 of the position and movement of the aircraft D in the hull coordinates AH, the operator C can grasp the position and movement of the aircraft D without having to worry about the movement of the hull H.

The generation unit 13 acquires the ground movement of the operator C, and generates a command to drive the group of devices 30 of the aircraft D from a movement that combines the ground movement of the operator and the movement of the aircraft D contained in the operation information of the operation device 2. The operator C can operate the aircraft D without being aware that the operator C himself is moving on the ground, and can therefore operate the aircraft D in the same way as when operating it on the ground.

If the operator C is not moving on the hull H, the generation unit 13 regards the operation information input from the operation device 2 as an instruction in the hull coordinate AH and generates a command. For example, assume that the operator C is moving westward relative to the ground at a speed of 1 m/sec, and an instruction to move westward at a speed of 2 m/sec is input as operation information. The generation unit 13 combines these to generate a command to move westward at a speed of 3 m/sec. The generation unit 13 inputs the generated command to the device group 30 and drives the device group 30 in accordance with the command. The generation unit 13 may also generate a command to realize the movement of the aircraft D input from the operation device 2, taking into account the current flight state of the aircraft D.

If there is no operation information or if the information does not include movement, the generation unit 13 generates a command from the movement of the operator C relative to the ground. For example, it is known that when the operator C releases his/her hands from the operation device 2, the aircraft D will hover in place by hovering or the like. When the operator C releases his/her hands from the operation device 2, or when the operator C instructs or expects the aircraft D to stop, the operator C expects the aircraft D to hover in the same position relative to the operator C. However, if the operator C is on a floating body such as a ship H, and the aircraft D hovers in place, the position of the aircraft D relative to the operator C will change as the operator C moves, which may result in a collision with an obstacle as shown in FIG. 2.

Therefore, when no operation information is input from the operation device 2 or when a stationary command is given, the generation unit 13 generates a command for aircraft D to remain stationary at the hull coordinate AH where the operator C is located, in other words, a command for aircraft D to move in the same manner as the movement of the operator C. For example, when the operator C moves westward relative to the ground at a speed of 1 m/sec, the generation unit 13 generates a command for aircraft D to move westward relative to the ground at a speed of 1 m/sec. As a result, aircraft D moves in the same manner as the operator C, and there is no change in its position relative to the operator C. The operator C can operate aircraft D in the same manner as when operating it on the ground.

Depending on its size, aircraft D may be easily affected by wind and may be blown away by the wind regardless of the operation from the control device 2. Therefore, when aircraft D detects wind, the generation unit 13 may generate a command by further adding a movement that offsets the direction and speed of the wind.

For example, the flight state acquisition unit 11 detects the wind direction and speed using a sensor that detects the surrounding wind. The generation unit 13 generates a command taking into consideration a movement that offsets the wind direction and speed detected by the flight state acquisition unit 11. A movement that offsets the wind direction and speed is a movement that is the same speed as the wind speed in the direction opposite to the wind direction.

For example, consider a case where operator C is moving westward relative to the ground at a speed of 1 m/sec, an instruction to move westward at a speed of 2 m/sec is input as operation information, and a westward wind of 1 m/sec is detected. The generation unit 13 synthesizes an eastward movement of 1 m/sec to offset the westward wind of 1 m/sec, a westward movement of 1 m/sec as the movement of operator C, and a westward movement of 2 m/sec as the operation information. The generation unit 13 generates a command to move westward at a speed of 2 m/sec.

As a result, aircraft D is driven by commands that take into account operator C's movement over the ground, operation information input by operator C, and also the drift of aircraft D due to the effects of wind. Operator C does not need to take into account the effects of wind on aircraft D when operating the aircraft, and can easily operate aircraft D.

An example of the processing of the flight control device 1 will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 explains the processing in which the flight control device 1 generates different commands depending on the presence or absence of operation information.

In step S101, the flight control device 1 acquires the position and movement of the aircraft D in ground coordinates AG. The movement of the aircraft D is specifically the direction and speed at which the aircraft D moves.

In step S102, the flight control device 1 acquires the position and movement of the hull H in ground coordinates AG. The flight control device 1 also acquires operation information input by the operator C from the operation device 2. The flight control device 1 considers this operation information to be expressed in hull coordinates AH.

In step S103, the flight control device 1 converts the position and movement of the aircraft D acquired in step S101 from the ground coordinates AG to the hull coordinates AH. The flight control device 1 transmits the position and movement of the aircraft D converted to the hull coordinates AH to the operation device 2 as a flight status.

In step S104, it is determined whether the operation information input in step S102 includes movement of aircraft D. If the operation information does not include movement, the process proceeds to step S105. If the operation information includes movement, the process proceeds to step S106. If no operation information is input, such as when operator C releases the control device 2, or if the operation information indicates hovering, there is no movement, and the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, the flight control device 1 generates a command for aircraft D to remain stationary at hull coordinate AH. In step S105, the flight control device 1 generates a command for achieving an amount of operation that results in the same movement as the ground movement of hull H, where operator C is located.

In step S106, the flight control device 1 generates a command by adding an operation amount that is the same movement as the ground movement of the hull H to the movement of the aircraft D indicated by the operation information.

When a command is generated in step S105 or step S106, in step S107 the flight control device 1 inputs the generated command to the equipment group 30 and drives the equipment group 30.

The processing of steps S101 to S107 is repeated until aircraft D stops flying.

The flight support system 5 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure generates commands to be input to the equipment group 30 based on the operation information input by the operator C, taking into account the amount of movement of the hull H, even when the operator C is on the hull H that is moving relative to the ground. This allows the operator C to operate the aircraft D in the same way as if he were on the ground, without being aware that the operator C is moving relative to the ground.

Second Embodiment
A flight support system 5a according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The flight support system 5a according to the second embodiment differs from the flight support system 5 according to the first embodiment with reference to Fig. 1 in that an aircraft D takes off and lands from a floating body F1 different from the hull H on which an operator C is located, and that an obstacle that may hinder the flight of the aircraft D is installed on the floating body F2.

In the second embodiment, the coordinates of the position acquired on the ground are called ground coordinates AG. The coordinates based on a predetermined position of the hull H where the operator C is located are called hull coordinates AH. The coordinates based on a predetermined position of the floating body F1 from which the aircraft D takes off and lands are called first floating body coordinates AF1. The coordinates based on a predetermined position of the floating body F2 on which the obstacle is placed are called second floating body coordinates AF2.

In the first embodiment, when operator C is located on a floating body such as hull H, the operation information input by operator C is regarded as operation information in hull coordinates AH, so that the operator can operate aircraft D without considering the movement of hull H.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, a case will be described in which aircraft D focuses on a floating body other than the hull H on which operator C is located. The floating body other than the hull H on which operator C is located is the floating body F1 on which aircraft D takes off and lands, or the floating body F2 on which an obstacle is installed.

When taking off or landing, or approaching an obstacle, operator C operates aircraft D while keeping a close eye on its relative position to the float F1 that is the subject of takeoff and landing, or the float F2 on which the obstacle is located. The closer aircraft D is to the takeoff and landing point or obstacle, the slower it can be moved at in order to minimize damage to the fuselage of aircraft D and the takeoff and landing point or obstacle, so operator C operates aircraft D while keeping a close eye on its relative position to the float F1 or F2.

The flight control device 1a according to the second embodiment assumes that the gaze target will change during flight and reduces the burden on the operator by appropriately changing the coordinate system depending on the situation. The flight control device 1a regards the operation information input from the operation device 2 as operation information input in coordinates based on the gaze target, and drives the aircraft D.

A flight support system 5a according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The flight support system 5a according to the second embodiment differs from the flight support system 5 according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 3 in the conversion unit 12a and the generation unit 13a.

The conversion unit 12a in the second embodiment converts the position and movement of the aircraft D relative to the ground acquired by the flight state acquisition unit 11 into coordinates selected by the generation unit 13a described below, and transmits them to the operation device 2. When the conversion unit 12a detects the takeoff or landing of the aircraft D from the float F1, it transmits the position and movement of the aircraft in the first float coordinates AF1 to the operation device 2. When the conversion unit 12a detects an obstacle on the float F2, it transmits the position and movement of the aircraft in the second float coordinates AF2 to the operation device 2. In all other cases, the conversion unit 12a transmits the position and movement of the aircraft in the hull coordinates AH to the operation device 2.

The generation unit 13a is triggered by the takeoff or landing of aircraft D from the float F1, the detection of an obstacle on the float F2, etc., and determines that the operation information from the operation device 2 is either the first float coordinate AF1, the second float coordinate AF2, or the hull coordinate AH, and generates a command. When aircraft D takes off from or lands on the float F1, the generation unit 13a generates a command corresponding to a movement that combines the movement included in the operation information and the movement of the float F1 relative to the ground. When aircraft D is located within a specified distance of an obstacle on the float F2, the generation unit 13a generates a command corresponding to a movement that combines the movement included in the operation information and the movement of the float F2 relative to the ground.

The generation unit 13a acquires the ground position and movement of the floating body F1 or F2. For example, the floating body F1 or F2 may be equipped with a floating body status management device capable of acquiring the ground position and movement. The generation unit 13 acquires the ground position and movement of each floating body from the floating body status management device. The generation unit 13a may also acquire the ground position and movement of the floating body F1 or F2 from the fluctuation in the distance from the aircraft D to the floating body F1 or F2 and the ground position and movement of the aircraft D. The generation unit 13a may calculate the distance to an object such as the floating body F1 or F2 using various sensors such as LiDar (Light Detection And Ranging), radar, cameras, and GNSS.

When aircraft D takes off or lands on a floating body F1 different from the hull H on which operator C is located, the generation unit 13a generates a command for the equipment group 30 using the operation information input by the operator as operation information in the first floating body coordinate AF1 based on the floating body F1. For example, when an instruction regarding takeoff or landing is input from the operation device 2, the generation unit 13a determines that the operation information is based on the first floating body coordinate AF1, and generates a command.

For example, suppose that the float F1 is moving westward relative to the ground at a speed of 1 m/sec, and an instruction to move westward at a speed of 2 m/sec is input as operation information. The generation unit 13a combines these to generate a command to move westward at a speed of 3 m/sec. Also suppose that the float F1 is moving westward relative to the ground at a speed of 1 m/sec, and an instruction to hover is input as operation information. The generation unit 13a generates a command to move westward at a speed of 1 m/sec. The generation unit 13a inputs the generated command to the equipment group 30, and drives the equipment group 30 in accordance with the command.

When aircraft D approaches an obstacle and the obstacle is placed on the floating body F2, the generating unit 13a generates a command for the group of devices 30 using the operation information input by the operator as operation information in the second floating body coordinate AF2 based on the floating body F2.

The generation unit 13a monitors whether there is an obstacle within a predetermined range relative to the aircraft D, and when an obstacle on the floating body F2 is detected within the predetermined range, the generation unit 13a determines that the operation information is based on the second floating body coordinates AF2, and generates a command. This predetermined range may be set appropriately depending on the size of the obstacle, and the size, position, and movement of the aircraft D.

For example, suppose that the float F2 is moving westward relative to the ground at a speed of 1 m/sec, and an instruction to move westward at a speed of 2 m/sec is input as operation information. The generation unit 13a combines these to generate a command to move westward at a speed of 3 m/sec. Also suppose that the float F2 is moving westward relative to the ground at a speed of 1 m/sec, and an instruction to hover is input as operation information. The generation unit 13a generates a command to move westward at a speed of 1 m/sec. The generation unit 13a inputs the generated command to the equipment group 30, and drives the equipment group 30 in accordance with the command.

In the second embodiment, when the generating unit 13a is within a predetermined range of the float F1 that is the target for takeoff and landing, or the float F2 on which an obstacle is provided, the generating unit 13a regards the operation information input from the operating device 2 as an instruction in the coordinate system of that float. This allows the operator C to operate the aircraft D without having to consider the movement of the float. The flight control device 1a can reduce the operating burden on the operator C.

When detecting periodic rotational swaying of the floating body F1 or F2, the generating unit 13a may generate a command corresponding to a movement that combines the movement included in the operation information and the ground-relative movement of the floating body F1 or F2 excluding the rotational swaying.

The generating unit 13a may include a rotation suppressing unit 14a. Rotational swaying may occur in the floats F1 or F2 depending on the size of the floats F1 or F2 or the size of the waves. If commands are generated in a coordinate system based on these floats according to the fluctuations in position and movement caused by rotational swaying, it is conceivable that the control of the aircraft D may exceed its limits.

When the rotation suppression unit 14a detects periodic rotational sway of the float F1 or F2, it calculates the movement of the float F1 or F2 by excluding the rotational sway from the movement of the float F1 or F2. The generation unit 13a generates a command corresponding to a movement that combines the movement included in the operation information and the movement of the float F1 or F2 relative to the ground with the rotational sway excluded.

This enables the generation unit 13a to generate commands within the range in which aircraft D can be controlled.

The processing of the flight control device 1a according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

In step S201, the flight control device 1a acquires the position and movement of the aircraft D in the ground coordinates AG. The movement of the aircraft D is specifically the direction and speed at which the aircraft D moves.

In step S202, the flight control device 1a acquires the position and movement of the vessel H in ground coordinates AG. The flight control device 1 also acquires the operation information input by the operator C from the operation device 2.

In step S103, coordinates are assigned based on the status of aircraft D.

If the aircraft D is taking off or landing on the floating body F1, proceed to step S204. In step S204, the flight control device 1a sets the floating body coordinate system of the floating body F1 that is taking off or landing to the current coordinate system. The flight control device 1a considers that the operation information input in step S202 is expressed in the first floating body coordinates AF1.

If aircraft D is within a predetermined range from the obstacle, proceed to step S205. In step S205, the flight control device 1a sets the float coordinate system of the float F2 on which the obstacle is installed to the current coordinate system. The flight control device 1a considers that the operation information input in step S202 is expressed in the second float coordinate AF2.

Otherwise, proceed to step S206. In step S206, the flight control device 1a sets the hull coordinate system of the hull H to the current coordinate system. The flight control device 1a considers that the operation information input in step S202 is expressed in the hull coordinate AH.

In step S207, the flight control device 1a converts the position and movement of the aircraft D acquired in step S101 from the ground coordinates AG to the coordinates of the current coordinate system set in step S204 or step S206. For example, if the coordinate system of the float F1 is determined to be the current coordinate system in step S204, the flight control device 1a calculates the position and movement of the aircraft D relative to the float F1. If the coordinate system of the float F2 is determined to be the current coordinate system in step S205, the flight control device 1a calculates the position and movement of the aircraft D relative to the float F2. If the coordinate system of the hull H is determined to be the current coordinate system in step S206, the flight control device 1a calculates the position and movement of the aircraft D relative to the hull H. The flight control device 1a transmits the position and movement of the aircraft D converted to the coordinates of the current coordinate system to the operation device 2 as a flight state.

In step S208, it is determined whether the operation information input in step S202 includes movement of aircraft D. If the operation information does not include movement, the process proceeds to step S209. If the operation information includes movement, the process proceeds to step S210. If no operation information is input, such as when operator C releases the control device 2, or if the operation information indicates hovering, there is no movement, and the process proceeds to step S209.

In step S209, the flight control device 1 generates a command for the aircraft D to remain stationary in the current coordinate system. For example, if the coordinate system of the float F1 is determined to be the current coordinate system in step S204, the flight control device 1a generates a command for realizing an amount of operation that results in the same movement as the ground movement of the float F1. If the coordinate system of the float F2 is determined to be the current coordinate system in step S205, the flight control device 1a generates a command for realizing an amount of operation that results in the same movement as the ground movement of the float F2. If the coordinate system of the hull H is determined to be the current coordinate system in step S206, the flight control device 1a generates a command for realizing an amount of operation that results in the same movement as the ground movement of the hull H on which the operator C is located.

In step S106, the flight control device 1 generates a command by adding an operation amount that is the same as the ground movement of the reference of the current coordinate to the movement of the aircraft D indicated by the operation information. For example, if the coordinate system of the float F1 is determined to be the current coordinate system in step S204, the flight control device 1a generates a command by adding an operation amount that is the same as the ground movement of the float F1 to the movement of the aircraft D indicated by the operation information. If the coordinate system of the float F2 is determined to be the current coordinate system in step S205, the flight control device 1a generates a command by adding an operation amount that is the same as the ground movement of the float F2 to the movement of the aircraft D indicated by the operation information. If the coordinate system of the hull H is determined to be the current coordinate system in step S206, the flight control device 1a generates a command by adding an operation amount that is the same as the ground movement of the hull H on which the operator C is located to the movement of the aircraft D indicated by the operation information.

When a command is generated in step S209 or step S210, in step S211 the flight control device 1 inputs the generated command to the equipment group 30 and drives the equipment group 30.

The processing of steps S201 to S211 is repeated until aircraft D stops flying.

Note that if the coordinate switching in steps S203 to S206 is performed repeatedly within a short period of time, there is a risk that operator C's understanding of the situation may be impaired. Therefore, control may be performed so that this does not occur frequently.

In the second embodiment, the case where the obstacle is on the floating body F2 has been described, but the obstacle may also be fixed to the ground. For example, the obstacle may be a cliff in coastal security, or a wind turbine fixed in the sea. In this case where the obstacle is fixed to the ground, the generation unit 13a may generate a command by regarding the information input from the operation device 2 as terrestrial coordinates. The generation unit 13a generates a command according to the movement input from the operation device 2.

The flight support system 5a according to the second embodiment generates commands to be input to the device group 30, regarding the operation information transmitted from the control device 2 as being based on the object that the operator C is gazing at. This allows the operator C to operate the aircraft D without having to consider the movement of the object that he or she is gazing at. The flight support system 5a can reduce the burden on the operator C.

Third Embodiment
In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the operator C does not move on the hull H, but this is not limiting. For example, the control device 2 held by the operator C may be equipped with various sensors such as a GNSS, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor, so that the control device 2 can grasp its position and movement relative to the ground. The position and movement of the control device 2 relative to the ground are transmitted to the flight control device 1.

The flight control device 1 may use the position and movement received from the operation device 2 instead of the position and movement of the hull H. For example, the flight control device 1 may combine the operation information received from the operation device 2 with the movement of the operator C to generate a command to be input to the equipment group 30.

Alternatively, the flight control device 1 may synthesize the operation information received from the operation device 2, the movement of the vessel H, and the movement of the operator C, and generate a command to be input to the equipment group 30.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the above embodiment, the case where the operator C is located on the hull H has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The operator C may be located on the ground. The flight support system 5 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can also be applied to various situations on the ground, such as when the operator C stops on the ground, when the operator C moves on the ground, and when the aircraft D takes off and lands on the bed of a car, etc.

The flight control device 1 and operation device 2 of the present embodiment described above each use, for example, a general-purpose computer system equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit, processor) 901, memory 902, storage 903 (HDD: Hard Disk Drive, SSD: Solid State Drive), communication device 904, input device 905, and output device 906. In this computer system, the CPU 901 executes a program loaded on the memory 902, thereby realizing each function of the flight control device 1 and operation device 2.

Flight control device 1 and operation device 2 may each be implemented in one computer, or in multiple computers. Furthermore, flight control device 1 and operation device 2 may each be a virtual machine implemented in a computer.

The programs of the flight control device 1 and the operating device 2 can be stored on a computer-readable recording medium such as a HDD, SSD, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, CD (Compact Disc), or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or can be distributed via a network. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a non-transitory recording medium.

Note that this disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and many variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the disclosure.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Flight control device 2 Operation device 3 Hull management device 5 Flight support system 11 Flight state acquisition unit 12 Conversion unit 13 Generation unit 30 Equipment group 901 CPU
902 Memory 903 Storage 904 Communication device 905 Input device 906 Output device C Operator D Aircraft H Hull

Claims

A flight control device for controlling an aircraft;
an operation device that transmits operation information including a movement of the aircraft inputted by an operator located outside the aircraft to the flight control device;
The flight control device includes:
A flight status acquisition unit that acquires the ground position and movement of the aircraft;
a generation unit that acquires ground movements of the operator, and generates commands to drive equipment of the aircraft from a movement that combines the movement included in the operation information and the ground movements of the operator.
The generation unit is
The flight support system of claim 1 , wherein if the operation information is absent or does not include movement, a command is generated from the operator's movement relative to the ground.
If the aircraft detects wind,
The flight support system according to claim 1 , wherein the generation unit further generates a command by adding a motion that offsets a wind direction and a wind speed.
When an aircraft takes off from or lands on a floating body, or when the aircraft is located within a predetermined distance of an obstacle on the floating body,
The flight support system according to claim 1 , wherein the generation unit generates a command corresponding to a movement that combines the movement included in the operation information and a movement of the floating body relative to the ground.
When detecting the periodic rotational sway of the floating body,
The flight support system according to claim 4 , wherein the generation unit generates a command corresponding to a movement that combines the movement included in the operation information and the ground movement of the floating body excluding the rotational sway.
an operation device transmits operation information including a movement of the aircraft inputted from an operator located outside the aircraft to a flight control device that controls the aircraft;
the flight control device acquires the position and movement of the aircraft relative to the ground;
The flight control device acquires ground movements of the operator, and generates commands for driving devices of the aircraft from movements that are a combination of the movements included in the operation information and the ground movements of the operator.
A program for causing a computer to function as a flight control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.