Control device, program, and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11978349-B2
Application number	US-202017433394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2020
Priority date	May 10, 2019
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

A setting unit sets the operating mode of an aerial vehicle to a first operating mode that transmits, data generated by a host aerial vehicle and data received from another aerial vehicle to a processing device, or a second operating mode that transmits data generated by a host aerial vehicle to another aerial vehicle. At this time, setting unit sets the operating modes of each of a plurality of aerial vehicles using a setting method corresponding to the attributes of an airspace in which aerial vehicle flies, from among a plurality of setting methods that set the operating mode of aerial vehicle. The attributes of an airspace include attributes determined in accordance with a degree of importance pertaining to the process of transmitting data from aerial vehicle to a server device and/or attributes determined in accordance with the extent to which processes are distributed among a plurality of aerial vehicles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device comprising:
a setting unit configured to set an operating mode of an aerial vehicle to a first operating mode or a second operating mode, the aerial vehicle comprising a first wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication via a communication network and a second wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication without use of the communication network, the first operating mode being an operating mode in which the aerial vehicle sends data generated in the aerial vehicle and data received from another aerial vehicle by use of the second wireless communication unit to a data processing device by use of the first wireless communication unit, the second operating mode being an operating mode in which the aerial vehicle sends, by use of the second wireless communication unit, data generated in the aerial vehicle to another aerial vehicle that is operating in the first operating mode; and
attribute acquisition unit configured to acquire attributes of each of airspaces, wherein the setting unit is configured to set each of operating modes of aerial vehicles to the first operating mode or the second operating mode in accordance with one of setting methods that corresponds to an attribute of an airspace in which the aerial vehicles are flying.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the attributes are classified in accordance with an importance of a process in which an aerial vehicle sends data to the processing device.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the attributes are classified in accordance with an extent of distribution of communication-related processing among aerial vehicles.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the attributes comprise a first attribute and a second attribute;
a process of sending data to the processing device is important and an extent of distribution of processing among aerial vehicles is smaller in an airspace having the first attribute than that in an airspace having the second attribute;
the setting unit is configured to set, in the airspace having the first attribute, each of operating modes of aerial vehicles in accordance with a setting method whereby one of the aerial vehicles sends data to the processing device earlier than in the airspace having the second attribute; and
the setting unit is configured to set, in the airspace having the second attribute, each of operating modes of aerial vehicles in accordance with a setting method whereby an extent of distribution of processing among the aerial vehicles in the airspace having the second attribute is larger than that in the airspace having the first attribute.

5. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the setting methods comprise:
a first setting method whereby an aerial vehicle operating in the first operating mode is not caused to change its operating mode regardless of whether the aerial vehicle is suited to operating in the first operating mode;
a second setting method whereby before an aerial vehicle operating in the first operating mode is caused to change its operating mode to the second operating mode, a determination is made whether the aerial vehicle is suited to operating in the first operating mode within a predetermined time period, and the aerial vehicle is caused to change its operating mode based on the determination; and
a third setting method whereby when a first aerial vehicle of aerial vehicles, operating in the first operating mode, is not suited to operating in the first operating mode, and a second aerial vehicle of the aerial vehicles is not suited to operating in the first operating mode, the first aerial vehicle is not caused to change its operating mode.

6. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the airspaces comprise airspaces that differ spatially or airspaces that are spatially identical and differ temporally.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer to function as:
an attribute acquisition unit configured to acquire attributes of each of airspaces; and
a setting unit configured to set an operating mode of an aerial vehicle to a first operating mode or a second operating mode, the aerial vehicle comprising a first wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication via a communication network and a second wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication without use of the communication network, the first operating mode being an operating mode in which the aerial vehicle sends data generated in the aerial vehicle and data received from another aerial vehicle by use of the second wireless communication unit to a data processing device by use of the first wireless communication unit, the second operating mode being an operating mode in which the aerial vehicle sends, by use of the second wireless communication unit, data generated in the aerial vehicle to another aerial vehicle that is operating in the first operating mode, wherein the setting unit is configured to set each of operating modes of aerial vehicles to the first operating mode or the second operating mode in accordance with one of setting methods that corresponds to an attribute of an airspace in which the aerial vehicles are flying.

8. A control method comprising:
acquiring attributes of each of airspaces; and
setting each of operating modes of aerial vehicles to a first operating mode or a second operating mode in accordance with a setting method that corresponds to an attribute of an airspace in which the aerial vehicles are flying, wherein:
each of the aerial vehicles comprises a first wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication via a communication network and a second wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication without use of the communication network;
the first operating mode is an operating mode in which an aerial vehicle sends data generated in the aerial vehicle and data received from another aerial vehicle by use of a second wireless communication unit of the aerial vehicle to a data processing device by use of a first wireless communication unit of the aerial vehicle; and
the second operating mode is an operating mode in which an aerial vehicle sends, by use of a second wireless communication unit of the aerial vehicle, data generated in the aerial vehicle to another aerial vehicle that is operating in the first operating mode.

Assignees

• Ntt Docomo Inc

Inventors

• Niihata Kaori
• Takami Tadao
• Ishii Koji
• Kawakami Hiroshi
• Segawa Yuichiro
• Kitamura Yasuhiro

Classifications

• G08G5/57

  for unmanned aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/723

  from the aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/55

  for a single aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/53

  for cruising · CPC title

• G08G5/26

  Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft and ground stations · CPC title