JP7670301B1 - Control system, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, activities such as surveillance and investigation using multiple mobile objects can be carried out more efficiently.
[Solution] A control system that detects objects by controlling the operation of multiple moving bodies equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting objects, comprises an object detection unit that detects the objects based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensors, and a unit composition command determination unit that determines an organization command that specifies the organization configuration of the platoon to form a single or multiple platoons from multiple moving bodies, and when the object is detected by the object detection unit, the unit composition command determination unit determines the organization command for the platoon depending on the current state or predicted future state of the detected object.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a control system, a control method, and a program.

For example, in marine areas, marine surveillance has traditionally been conducted by manned vessels for the purpose of preventing nuisances and illegal fishing caused by ships navigating on the sea or divers navigating underwater, inspecting offshore infrastructure, and conducting ecological research on marine life such as whales and dolphins. However, because the range of marine areas subject to surveillance, inspection, or research is extremely vast, there is a limit to the areas in which manned vessels can be deployed for surveillance, inspection, research, etc., and there is a demand for more efficient surveillance, inspection, research, etc. In addition, against this background, the utilization of multiple mobile objects such as unmanned vessels has been considered in recent years, and it is expected that they will be utilized for the above-mentioned surveillance, inspection, research, etc.

As a technology for controlling multiple drones, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for a control device that includes an other-machine information acquisition means for acquiring information about the state of other drones in order to optimize the behavior of the drone group as a whole while each drone in the drone group autonomously selects its behavior, an action comparison means for acquiring information about the state of other drones from the other-machine information acquisition means and acquiring a sensor signal including information about the state of the drone itself, and calculating a comparison value for multiple types of actions to be taken by the drone itself using the acquired information about the drone itself and the other drones, an action selection means for selecting an action to be taken by the drone itself based on the comparison value of the multiple types of actions calculated by the action comparison means, an action amount calculation means for calculating an action amount of the drone itself using information about the action selected by the action selection means and information about the state of the other drones obtained from the other-machine information acquisition means, and an action setting means for setting an action setting value of an actuator that operates the drone itself using the calculation result of the action amount calculation means.

Re-table No. 2018-105599

When using multiple mobile objects to more efficiently monitor or investigate a moving object, it is desirable to form a group of multiple mobile objects and assign post-discovery operations, such as tracking, anticipating, and surrounding the object, to each group. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for controlling the operations of multiple unmanned aircraft, but does not consider dividing multiple unmanned aircraft into multiple groups and performing post-discovery operations for each group.

When performing post-discovery operations for each group, the group composition and the actions required for each group to perform the post-discovery operations change depending on the situation, but it was not easy to appropriately determine such group composition and actions for each group and control the moving objects.

The present invention has been made in consideration of at least one of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a system or control method that can more efficiently carry out activities such as monitoring and investigation using multiple mobile objects.

According to the present invention, a control system for detecting an object by controlling the operation of a plurality of moving objects equipped with a measurement sensor capable of detecting the object is provided, the control system includes an object detection unit that detects the object based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor, and a unit organization command determination unit that determines an organization command related to the organization of the platoon for forming a single or multiple platoons from a plurality of the moving objects, and when the object is detected by the object detection unit, the unit organization command determination unit determines the organization command for the platoon according to the current state or predicted future state of the detected object.

The present invention makes it possible to more efficiently carry out activities such as surveillance and investigation using multiple mobile objects.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an implementation image of the control system 1 in a real space. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a collaborative system 5000 and an external system 6000. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing how an unmanned boat system 1000 deployed on the sea searches for an object 7000, etc. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an unmanned boat system 1000 made up of a plurality of unmanned boats. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a formation of unmanned boat systems 1000 deployed on the sea. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned boat 1010. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an overall control system 2000. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of advance information acquired by an information import unit 2100. This is a state transition diagram showing the state transition of squadron operation commands determined by the pre-discovery squadron operation decision unit. A figure showing a list of platoon operation commands determined by a pre-discovery platoon operation determination unit. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a determination result regarding the state of an object determined by an object state determining unit 2420. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of determination items for future state prediction determination by a future state prediction unit 2500. FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the control system 1. 2 is a sequence diagram showing signal exchange between systems in the control system 1. FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow for determining a search command by the pre-discovery operation determination section 2200. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a display in which a search command determined by a pre-discovery operation determination section 2200 is proposed to a user. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a search operation execution process flow. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow for determining the state of an object by the object detection and determination unit 2400. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow for predicting a future state of an object by the future state prediction unit 2500. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display for proposing to a user the determination result of the future state prediction by the future state prediction unit 2500. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow for determining a post-discovery operation of a company by the company control command determination unit 2600. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display that suggests to a user the results of a decision made by the company control command decision unit 2600 regarding the post-discovery operation of a company. FIG. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the manner in which a first post-discovery action determined by the company control command determination unit 2600 is executed. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the execution of a second post-discovery action determined by the squadron control command determination unit 2600. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the execution of a third post-discovery action determined by the squadron control command determination unit 2600. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the execution of a fourth post-discovery action determined by the squadron control command determination unit 2600. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the execution of a fifth post-discovery action determined by the squadron control command determination unit 2600. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow for determining an action to be taken after the unmanned boat 1010 is discovered, performed by the platoon control command decision unit 2700. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display in which the results of the decision made by the platoon control command decision unit 2700 on the post-discovery action of the unmanned boat 1010 are proposed to the user. FIG. This is a state transition diagram showing the execution state of the role of each platoon when performing post-discovery operations. This is a state transition diagram showing the execution state of roles related to response actions for each platoon when performing post-discovery operations. This is a state transition diagram showing the execution state of roles related to auxiliary support actions for each platoon when performing post-discovery operations. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the overall control system 2000.

The present invention will be described below with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof.
[Item 1]
A control system for detecting an object by controlling the operation of a plurality of moving objects equipped with a measurement sensor capable of detecting the object, comprising:
an object detection unit that detects the object based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor;
a unit organization command decision unit that decides an organization command regarding the organization of a platoon for organizing a single platoon or a plurality of platoons by a plurality of the moving objects;
The unit organization command determination unit determines the organization command for the platoon depending on the current state or future predicted state of the detected object when the object is detected by the object detection unit, a control system.
[Item 2]
In the control system according to item 1,
A control system, wherein the organization command for the platoon determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes information regarding the number of the platoon.
[Item 3]
In the control system according to item 1 or 2,
The unit organization command determination unit determines a role for one or more of the platoons depending on the current state or future predicted state of the object, and determines the organization command including designation information for the number of the platoons depending on the role.
[Item 4]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 3,
A control system, wherein the platoon organization command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes information regarding the number of mobile objects belonging to each platoon of a single or multiple platoons.
[Item 5]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 4,
The unit organization command determination unit determines a role for one or more of the platoons depending on the current state or future predicted state of the object, and determines the organization command including designation information for the number of moving objects belonging to each platoon depending on the role.
[Item 6]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 5,
A control system, wherein the organization command for the platoon determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes command information for switching the mobile bodies belonging to multiple platoons between multiple platoons.
[Item 7]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 6,
a user input receiving unit that receives user input information related to the organization of the platoon;
The unit organization command determination unit determines the organization command for the platoon in response to the user input information, the control system.
[Item 8]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 7,
A control system, wherein the organization command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes information specifying the organization contents of the platoon, which is composed of a plurality of the mobile bodies that are directly connected to each other via a wireless communication network or indirectly connected via other the mobile bodies.
[Item 9]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 8,
The unit organization command determination unit determines the organization command, which includes information regarding the connection configuration of the multiple mobile bodies via the wireless communication network, in accordance with the determined organization content of the platoon, in a control system.
[Item 10]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 9,
a user input receiving unit that receives user input information related to the organization of the platoon;
The unit organization command determination unit determines the organization command, which includes information regarding the connection configuration of the wireless communication network of the platoon, in response to the user input information, in a control system.
[Item 11]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 10,
The unit organization command determination unit determines a platoon operation command that specifies a role for each of the single or multiple platoons, a control system.
[Item 12]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 11,
The platoon operation command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes:
Pursuing, surrounding, delaying, anticipating, taking over, continuously measuring, capturing, or lying in wait for said object;
Or storing, transmitting, receiving, or analyzing the measurement data;
or relaying communication with other mobile units;
Or charging a power storage device mounted on the moving object,
The control system includes information that designates at least one of the roles for each platoon.
[Item 13]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 12,
The platoon operation command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes:
A first role includes pursuing, surrounding, delaying, preempting, taking over the pursuit, capturing, or lying in wait for the object;
A second role including at least one of storing, transmitting, receiving, or analyzing the measurement data, and relaying communication between other mobile bodies;
A control system including information that designates either one of the roles for each platoon.
[Item 14]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 13,
The platoon operation command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes:
A first role includes pursuing, surrounding, delaying, preempting, taking over the pursuit, capturing, or lying in wait for the object;
A second role including at least one of storing, transmitting, receiving, or analyzing the measurement data, and relaying communication between other mobile bodies;
The control system includes information specifying the roles of both the above for each platoon.
[Item 15]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 14,
The platoon operation command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes:
A first role includes pursuing, surrounding, delaying, preempting, taking over the pursuit, capturing, or lying in wait for the object;
A second role including at least one of storing, transmitting, receiving, or analyzing the measurement data, and relaying communication between other mobile bodies;
information that designates one of the roles for a portion of the plurality of platoons;
A control system including information assigning both the first role and the second role to other portions of a plurality of the platoons.
[Item 16]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 15,
a user input receiving unit configured to receive user input information regarding a role of each platoon;
The unit organization command determination unit determines the platoon operation command regarding the role of each platoon in response to the user input information, the control system.
[Item 17]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 16,
The unit organization command determination unit determines a mobile object operation command including at least one of a role and a moving target for at least a portion of the mobile objects belonging to the platoon in accordance with the platoon operation command of the role specified for each platoon, in accordance with the platoon operation command of the role specified for each platoon, in a control system.
[Item 18]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 17,
The unit organization command determination unit determines a movement target including at least one of a movement target position and a movement target time for each platoon in accordance with the platoon operation command for a role designated for each platoon, in a control system.
[Item 19]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 18,
The unit organization command determination unit includes:
A control system that determines a platoon deployment command regarding the formation or deployment of a platoon, which includes at least one of the formation position, formation time, or formation shape of each platoon when forming the platoon with the determined formation content, or the target movement position, target movement time, or the target movement position and target movement time of each platoon after the platoon with the determined formation content is formed.
[Item 20]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 19,
a user input receiving unit configured to receive user input information related to the content of a platoon deployment command for each platoon;
The unit organization command determination unit determines the platoon deployment command for the platoon in response to the user input information, a control system.
[Item 21]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 20,
A control system comprising a display unit that displays and outputs information regarding the commands generated by the unit organization command determination unit.
[Item 22]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 21,
A control system comprising a control command transmission unit that transmits commands generated by the unit organization command determination unit to the mobile body.
[Item 23]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 22,
A control system comprising an information transmitting unit that transmits information regarding the command generated by the unit organization command determining unit to an outside.
[Item 24]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 23,
A control system, wherein the mobile body is an unmanned vessel capable of moving on the sea by remote control or autonomous navigation or automatic navigation, and detects the target object using the measurement sensor.
[Item 25]
A control method for detecting an object by controlling the operation of a plurality of moving objects equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting the object, comprising:
an object detection step of detecting the object based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor;
A control method which executes a unit organization command determination step, which, when an object is detected by the object detection step, determines an organization command which specifies the organization contents of the platoon for forming a single or multiple platoons using multiple moving objects, depending on the current state or future predicted state of the detected object.
[Item 26]
A program for controlling the operation of a plurality of moving objects equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting an object, and detecting the object, comprising:
On the computer,
an object detection command for detecting the object based on the measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor;
A program that executes a unit organization command determination command that determines, when an object is detected based on the measurement data, an organization command that specifies the organization contents of the platoon to organize a single or multiple platoons using multiple moving bodies, depending on the current state or future predicted state of the detected object.

<A. First embodiment>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. In addition, the embodiments shown below are merely examples, and other known elements or alternative means can be adopted depending on the application, purpose, scale, etc.

A. Configuration
(A-1. System Configuration)
First, a system configuration of a control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

(A-1-1. Overview of system configuration)
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control system 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "system 1") according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the control system 1 includes an unmanned boat system 1000 and a general control system 2000. The general control system 2000 is configured to be able to communicate with an external collaborative system 5000 and an external system 6000 via an Internet line or the like, and can input and output information. The general control system 2000 can transmit control commands to the unmanned boat system 1000 deployed on the sea, via a terrestrial base station 4000 and a communication satellite 3000, and can also receive the operation status and measurement data of the unmanned boat system 1000. Therefore, the overall control system 2000 can remotely control the operation of the unmanned boat system 1000, which has multiple unmanned boats 1010 (also called "unmanned ships") that can navigate and move on the sea and are equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting the target object 7000, or can make the unmanned boat system 1000 navigate autonomously or automatically, and can perform tasks such as searching for the target object 7000 using the measurement sensors in a specified area (first area) on the sea or underwater, and tracking it after it is found. Here, the specified area is any area that can be set by the user or set in advance.

The unmanned boat system 1000 includes a single or multiple unmanned boats 1010. When the unmanned boat system 1000 is configured with multiple unmanned boats 1010, the multiple unmanned boats 1010 are connected to each other by wireless communication to form a communication network. The unmanned boat 1010 also has a function of measuring objects 7000, including ships, divers, drifting objects, castaways, marine life such as whales, breakwaters, harbors, offshore infrastructure facilities (wind power generation facilities, wave power generation facilities, offshore plants, offshore runways, etc.), floating buoys, fish pens, and other objects, using measurement sensors (optical cameras, IR cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR, radar sensors such as millimeter wave sensors and microwave sensors, sonar, etc.) mounted on the boat itself.

The detection and determination results and measurement data of the object 7000 detected by the unmanned boat system 1000, as well as various information on the operation status of each unmanned boat 1010 in the unmanned boat system 1000, are transmitted to the overall control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 and the terrestrial base station 4000. The overall control system 2000 determines operation commands for the unmanned boat system 1000 based on information acquired from the unmanned boat system 1000 and request information acquired in advance. Information such as the generated operation commands is transmitted to the user terminal device 8000 and displayed and output to the user. In addition, intervention commands regarding operation commands, etc. from the user can be acquired via the user terminal device 8000.

(A-1-2. Example of implementation of control system 1 in real space)
Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an implementation image of the control system 1 in real space. In the example shown in Fig. 2, a terrestrial base station 4000 and a general control system 2000 are provided on the ground side shown in the upper right of the drawing. Also provided on the ground side are a cooperative system 5000, an external system 6000, and a user terminal device 8000, all of which are connected to the general control system 2000 via a network.

On the other hand, on the ocean side shown on the left side of the drawing, an unmanned boat system 1000 is deployed to search for and track an object 7000 in the ocean. The unmanned boat system 1000 also has multiple groups (1000a, 1000b, 1000c) consisting of a parent unit and multiple child units, and communication can be carried out between each group directly or via a communication satellite 3000.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the overall control system 2000 is implemented in a facility on land, but this is not limited thereto. All or part of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in this embodiment can also be installed in a coastal field base provided in a coastal area on land (not shown) or in a manned mother ship at sea, and the unmanned boat system 1000 can be operated and managed at the coastal field base or the manned mother ship.

As the configuration of the embodiment described in the above-mentioned FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an example was described in which a non-terrestrial network using a communication satellite 3000 in a geosynchronous orbit or a low earth orbit was used as a communication network for transmitting and receiving information between the overall control system 2000 and the unmanned boat system 1000. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a non-terrestrial network using an unmanned aerial vehicle called a HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station) can also be used. In this case, for example, an unmanned aerial vehicle that flies around at an altitude of about 8 to 50 km can be used. In addition, as a communication network for transmitting and receiving information between the overall control system 2000 and the unmanned boat 1010, it is also possible to use a communication network that directly connects the terrestrial base station 4000 to the unmanned boat 1010 by wireless communication without going through the communication satellite 3000 or HAPS. Note that the terrestrial base station 4000 is not limited to a fixed base station, and may be a mobile base station that can be moved. As yet another example, the means of communication between the overall control system 2000 and the unmanned boat system 1000 is not limited to the wireless communication described above, but can also be wired communication using optical fiber cables, etc.

(A-1-3. Overview of Collaborative System 5000 and External System 6000)
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a cooperative system 5000 and an external system 6000. As shown in Fig. 3, a control system 1 having an unmanned boat system 1000 and an overall control system 2000 is connected to the cooperative system 5000 and the external system 6000 via a network.

The cooperative system 5000 also includes systems of, for example, private security organizations, marine research organizations, infrastructure inspection organizations, private rescue organizations, and other external cooperative organizations. There are monitoring officers at facilities related to private security organizations, and observers on surveillance ships, and they cooperate with each other to monitor suspicious ships and nuisance activities in marine areas.

The external system 6000 is a system that includes an AIS (Automatic Information Signaling System) that acquires identification information and navigation status information of ships navigating the marine area, and an environmental information providing system that provides meteorological information (such as wind, rain, snow, cloudiness, fog, and wave height) in the area in which the unmanned boat system 1000 is deployed and its surrounding areas. In addition to these systems, the external system 6000 may also include an MDA system that provides oceanographic information such as the speed, direction, and position of ocean currents and tides. The external system 6000 may further include information regarding the altitude and position of the sun, and the altitude position of the moon.

(A-1-4. Searching for and tracking the target 7000)
Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing how unmanned boat system 1000 deployed on the sea searches for an object 7000. As shown in Fig. 4, a group of multiple unmanned boats 1010 is deployed on the sea, and the measurement sensor 1110 mounted on each unmanned boat 1010 can measure an object 7000 that exists within a measurable range on or under the sea.

Measured data and detection judgment results of the object 7000 are collected in the parent unit 1001 via a communication network between the unmanned boats 1010, transmitted from the parent unit 1001 to the communication satellite 3000, and then transmitted to the overall control system 2000 via a terrestrial base station 4000 or an Internet line. Each unmanned boat 1010 is also provided with a navigation unit 1300 that can navigate the unmanned boat 1010 in any direction, and can perform various missions such as searching for and tracking the object 7000 based on operational commands transmitted by the overall control system 2000.

(A-2. Configuration of the unmanned boat 1000)
Next, the system configuration of an unmanned boat system 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(A-2-1. Overview of the unmanned boat system 1000)
5 is a configuration diagram showing an unmanned boat system 1000 composed of multiple unmanned boats. As shown in FIG. 5, the unmanned boat system 1000 is composed of one or multiple platoons (1000a, 1000b), and each platoon is composed of multiple unmanned boats 1010 that can communicate with each other. The multiple unmanned boats 1010 that compose each platoon are configured to play the role of a master unit 1001 that can wirelessly communicate with a communication satellite 3000, or a slave unit 1002 that can directly or indirectly communicate with the master unit 1001. The master unit 1001 has a function of connecting to the communication satellite 3000 for communication, aggregating information collected from the multiple slave units 1002 and transmitting it to the communication satellite 3000, and also transmitting information related to operation commands obtained from the communication satellite 3000 and information generated by itself to each slave unit 1002 directly or indirectly.

The squad 1000a shown in FIG. 5 includes a primary connection child device 10021 that is connected to the parent device 1001 for communication, a secondary connection child device 10022 that is connected to the primary connection child device 10021 for communication, and a tertiary connection child device 10023 that is connected to the secondary connection child device 10022 for communication. Each child device (primary connection child device 10021, secondary connection child device 10022, tertiary connection child device 10023) has a function of relaying information received from other parent devices 1001 or child devices 1002 to the other parent devices 1001 or child devices 1002, thereby forming a communication network between the parent device 1001 and multiple child devices 1002.

In FIG. 5, the configuration of a platoon having a parent unit 1001 and a child unit 1002 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. A platoon 1000 consisting of unmanned vessels 1010 can be configured as a single platoon 1000 consisting of a plurality of unmanned vessels 1010 equipped with communication units connected to a common wireless communication network that allows direct or indirect wireless communication with each other. Note that the platoon 1000 can be defined not only as a plurality of unmanned vessels 1010 connected to each other via a wireless communication network as described above, but also as a single unmanned vessel 1010 that has the function of a parent vessel and is communicatively connected to a communication satellite 3000 without wireless communication with other unmanned vessels 1010. Also, the platoon 1000 can be configured not only as a plurality of unmanned vessels 1010 connected to each other via a direct or indirect wireless communication network as described above, but also as a plurality of unmanned vessels 1010 that communicate with each other via a communication satellite 3000. The definition of a platoon is not limited to these, and can be defined according to other criteria.

Here, in Figures 1 to 5, a system configuration is described in which multiple unmanned boats 1010 are used to carry out activities such as searching and tracking a target object 7000 in a target area such as an ocean area, but in the present invention, moving bodies other than the unmanned boats 1010, which are unmanned ships that navigate on the water, can be used. In other words, the present invention can be applied to vehicles that can run on land, aircraft that can fly in the sky, underwater moving bodies that can move underwater, and other moving bodies. In addition, the present invention can be applied to autonomously moving or remotely controlled unmanned aircraft as moving bodies, but is not limited to this, and it is also possible to use manned moving bodies as some or all of the moving bodies.

(A-2-2. Configuration of the unmanned boats 1010 that make up the group)
Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a formation of unmanned boat systems 1000 deployed on the sea. The example shown in Fig. 6 shows the formation and communication connection relationship of a group consisting of multiple unmanned boats 1010 when multiple unmanned boats 1010 are deployed on the sea to carry out a specified mission.

The platoon 1000a shown in FIG. 6 comprises one master unit 1001 and multiple slave units 1002. The master unit 1001 and the multiple slave units 1002 are connected by wireless communication as shown by solid lines, forming a wireless communication network at sea. The slave units 1002 have a primary connection slave unit 10021 that is wirelessly connected to the master unit 1001, and a secondary connection slave unit 10022 that is wirelessly connected to the primary connection slave unit 10021.

In this embodiment, the number of relays by the child devices 1002 when forming a platoon is not limited, and tertiary connected child devices, quaternary connected child devices, and more may be included. The primary connected child device 10021 shown in FIG. 6 has a function of relaying the transmission and reception of information between the parent device 1001 and the secondary connected child devices 10022, thereby enabling the transfer of information between the parent device 1001 and multiple secondary connected child devices 10022.

The number of secondary connection slave devices 10022 wirelessly connected to the primary connection slave device 10021 is not limited to one, and multiple secondary connection slave devices 10022 wirelessly connected to the primary connection slave device 10021 can form a tree-structured communication network in which multiple unmanned boats 1010 branch off within the platoon 1000a. Since there is an upper limit to the communication distance that can be wirelessly communicated between each unmanned boat 1010, the position of at least one of the two unmanned boats 1010 that wirelessly communicate with each other, for example, the parent device 1001 and the primary connection slave device 10021, and the primary connection slave device 10021 and the secondary connection slave device 10022, is controlled so that the relative distance between the unmanned boats 1010 is maintained within the range of the communication upper limit relative distance included in the monitoring plan as shown in FIG. 11.

If the relative distance between the unmanned boats 1010 becomes large and the unmanned boat 1010 with which the communication partner is communicating moves out of the range of communication distance, wireless communication between them will no longer be possible and control commands cannot be sent from the overall control system 2000. Therefore, it is desirable for the two unmanned boats 1010 that are communicatively connected to each other to perform self-position control to maintain the relative distance with the communication partner within the range of communication distance with a higher priority than other controls.

On the other hand, there is no need to maintain the above-mentioned communication connection for the relative distance between other unmanned boats 1010 that do not wirelessly communicate with each other. On the other hand, in order to efficiently search for the target object 7000, which is the purpose of the unmanned boat system 1000's activity, it is preferable for each unmanned boat 1010 to maintain a moderate distance so that the measurement ranges of the measurement sensors of each unmanned boat 1010 do not overlap or overlap moderately, rather than a state in which the unmanned boats 1010 are too close and the measurement ranges of the measurement sensors overlap for the most part. Therefore, with regard to the relative distance between each unmanned boat 1010 that is not connected to each other by communication, the position of at least one of the unmanned boats 1010 is controlled with a relatively low priority so as to maintain a preset steady-state relative distance. This control for maintaining the steady-state relative distance can be achieved by applying control based on the Boids algorithm, for example.

Furthermore, if the relative distance between the unmanned boats 1010 becomes too close and there is a possibility of a collision, position control can be executed to increase the relative distance with a relatively high priority in order to avoid a collision and to prevent damage to the unmanned boats 1010.

As described above, control to maintain the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1010 that communicate with each other wirelessly within the communication distance range, and avoidance control to avoid collisions with other unmanned vessels that approach in close proximity, are executed with a relatively high priority, while control to maintain the relative distance under normal conditions between unmanned vessels 1010 that do not communicate wirelessly with each other can be executed with a relatively low priority. In this way, the distance relationship between multiple unmanned vessels 1010 can be adjusted by controlling the attractive and repulsive forces between the unmanned vessels 1010.

Although FIG. 6 illustrates an example of controlling the distance relationship between multiple unmanned vessels 1010 in a single platoon, when multiple platoons are deployed, the distance relationship between the multiple platoons can be adjusted in a similar manner by controlling the attractive and repulsive forces. Note that since collisions do not immediately occur even if the distance between the platoons becomes closer, it is a good idea to set the repulsive force between the platoons weaker than the repulsive force between the unmanned vessels in the platoon.

(A-2-3. Configuration of the unmanned boat 1010)
Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned boat 1010. Note that Fig. 7 describes the functional block diagram of the unmanned boat 1010, but the parent unit 1001 and child unit 1002 of the unmanned boat 1010 can both implement functions similar to the configuration shown in Fig. 7. The unmanned boat 1010 includes a measurement unit 1100, a host state determination unit 1200, a navigation unit 1300, a communication unit 1400, a determination unit 1500, and a recording unit 1600.

The measurement unit 1100 is a functional unit that detects an object 7000 present in a measurable range in the ocean using a measurement sensor 1110 and acquires measurement information about the object 7000. The measurement unit 1100 includes a measurement sensor 1110 and a measurement control unit 1120.

The measurement sensor 1110 may include one (monocular) or multiple electro-optical sensors that acquire image data on the sea, optical sensors such as optical cameras, infrared sensors (IR sensors), and stereo cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR that acquire point cloud data, optical distance measuring sensors such as ToF sensors (Time of Flight sensors), and radar sensors that detect millimeter waves and microwaves. The measurement sensor 1110 acquires measurement data of an object 7000 that exists within a measurable range on the sea by measuring the periphery of the unmanned boat 1010. In addition, each of the above-mentioned sensors can be used as a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to an object based on the measurement data.

In addition to the above-mentioned sensors, the measurement sensor 1110 may also have a sonic sensor (also called a sonic measurement unit) including a sonar that uses sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. The sonic sensor can be used not only underwater but also in the air above the water. When the sonic sensor is used in the air, it can be used as a distance measurement sensor that measures the distance to an object by measuring the sound waves that are generated and reflected by the object and return. When the sonic sensor is used underwater, the sonic sensor may be either an active sonar that generates sound waves and measures the sound waves that reverberate from an object in the water, or a passive sonar that measures the sound generated from an object in the water. The active sonar may be, for example, a side scan sonar, a multi-beam sonar, or a single beam sonar. The sonic sensor may also be a USBL transceiver, a modem for acoustic communication, or the like.

The measurement control unit 1120 also controls at least one of the attitude angles of the measurement sensor 1110 around the three axes relative to the unmanned boat 1010 by operating a sensor attitude changing device capable of changing the attitude of the measurement sensor 1110. For example, if the measurement sensor is an optical sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the frame rate, shutter speed, and the like. If the measurement sensor is a laser sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of the irradiated laser. If the measurement sensor is a radar sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of the millimeter wave or microwave. The measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the measurement sensitivity of the measurement sensor to an arbitrary control amount. If the measurement sensor is an optical sensor, the measurement control unit 1120 can change the zoom amount or resolution of the optical sensor to an arbitrary control amount.

Next, the aircraft state determination unit 1200 includes a navigation state determination unit 1210, an internal state determination unit 1220, and an external state determination unit 1230, and is a functional unit that determines the navigation state, and the internal and external states, of the unmanned boat 1010. The navigation state determination unit 1210 determines the aircraft's position (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), moving speed, heading, moving direction, moving acceleration/deceleration, turning speed, and other state quantities related to the navigation state. The internal state determination unit 1220 determines the remaining energy and fuel in the battery installed in the aircraft, the possible moving distance that can be calculated from the remaining energy and fuel, temporary abnormal states of equipment installed in the aircraft (temperature abnormality, communication abnormality, etc.), and the failure state of the equipment.

The external state determination unit 1230 can also determine communication quality conditions such as communication strength (dB value, etc.), communication speed, and communication delay of wireless communication with other unmanned boats 1010 in the unmanned boat system 1000, or wireless communication with the overall control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or the ground base station 4000, or the oceanographic state around the boat (wave height, wave speed, ocean current speed, ocean current direction, tidal current speed, tidal current direction), meteorological state (wind speed, wind direction, air pressure, temperature, humidity), weather state (fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, cloudiness, etc.), seawater state (seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity, pH value, presence or absence of seaweed beds, etc.), sun-related information (sun position (altitude, direction, trajectory), backlight, frontlight, amount of solar radiation), and other conditions (lunar position (altitude, direction, trajectory, lunar age), ionospheric disturbance (solar flare, etc.)).

The method by which the navigation state determination unit 1210 determines the position, movement speed, movement direction, and acceleration/deceleration of the aircraft is not particularly limited, but the current position, movement speed, and movement direction of the aircraft can be determined using, for example, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GPS (Global Positioning System), RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System), etc.

As another example of a method for determining the position, moving speed, moving direction, and acceleration/deceleration of the aircraft by the navigation state determination unit 1210, for example, when the seabed shape can be detected by the measurement sensor 1110, the position, moving speed, and moving direction of the aircraft at the current time can be determined using SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) technology based on the pre-recorded seabed shape and the seabed shape detected by the measurement sensor 1110.

Here, the self-position information includes at least two-dimensional coordinate information (e.g., latitude and longitude) in a planar view, and preferably includes three-dimensional coordinate information including altitude information. In addition, the acceleration/deceleration can be calculated based on the amount of change over time in the determined moving speed.

The method of measuring the aircraft's heading at the current time is to determine the aircraft's heading using, for example, a geomagnetic sensor, a GNSS compass, or SLAM technology that uses the shape of the ocean floor. The heading includes at least the attitude angle (orientation) in a planar view around the Z axis, and may preferably be attitude information around three axes: the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. The turning speed can be calculated based on the amount of change over time in the determined heading information.

Next, the navigation unit 1300 is equipped with a thrust generating unit 1310, an attitude control mechanism 1320, and a navigation control unit 1330, and is a functional unit that navigates the aircraft in any direction according to operational commands received via the communication unit 1400. The thrust generating unit 1310 can be any means capable of generating thrust, and as one example, can be configured with a propeller driven by the power of an engine or an electric motor. The thrust generating unit 1310 can also be configured with a sail that receives wind to generate thrust, or with a wave glider that receives wave power to generate thrust.

The attitude control mechanism 1320 is composed of a rudder mounted on the aircraft, a propeller attitude change mechanism that can change the propeller attitude angle (mainly the yaw angle around the Z axis), and the like, and by changing these angles, the aircraft's nose direction (yaw angle) can be controlled. In addition, the attitude angles of the roll angle around the X axis and the pitch angle around the Y axis of the aircraft can also be controlled by a center of gravity position change mechanism that uses an actuator to change the position of a heavy object inside the aircraft.

The navigation control unit 1330 is a functional unit that controls the thrust generation unit 1310 and the attitude control mechanism 1320 to control the navigation operation of the aircraft. The navigation control unit 1330 has one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), MPU, or DSP), and is equipped with a processing unit that can access a memory (storage unit). The memory stores logic, code, and/or program instructions that the processing unit can execute to perform one or more processing steps.

The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the navigation state of the aircraft. For example, the control module adjusts the aircraft's position on the sea surface, moving speed, moving acceleration/deceleration, heading, turning speed, and attitude angle around three axes. In other words, the navigation control unit 1330 controls the navigation operation of the aircraft by causing the aircraft to perform various operations such as forward movement, reverse movement, acceleration, deceleration, and turning.

Next, the communication unit 1400 is a functional unit that includes an inter-unmanned boat communication unit 1410 and an overall control communication unit 1420, and communicates with other unmanned boats 1010 in the unmanned boat system 1000 and the overall control system 2000. The inter-unmanned boat communication unit 1410 includes a communication antenna used for an on-shore wireless communication network, and communicates with other unmanned boats 1010 in the unmanned boat system 1000. The overall control communication unit 1420 includes a satellite communication antenna capable of communicating with the communication satellite 3000, or a communication antenna capable of communicating with the terrestrial base station 4000, and communicates with the overall control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or the terrestrial base station 4000. In addition to the above-mentioned communication units, the communication unit may include an AIS antenna or a VHF antenna, and may be equipped with a communication unit that communicates with external surveillance vessels and AIS base stations.

Next, the determination unit 1500 is a functional unit that performs data processing such as primary processing and data compression of the measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor 1110. For example, the determination unit 1500 can perform data processing of the raw data (measurement data) after measurement acquired by the measurement sensor 1110, and perform primary processing to generate transmission data to be wirelessly transmitted from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the overall control system 2000. Furthermore, in order to reduce the transmission load when wirelessly transmitting transmission data from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the overall control system 2000, the determination unit 1500 can perform data compression processing to compress the raw data (measurement data) after measurement to generate transmission data.

Furthermore, the determination unit 1500 can interpret the state of the target object 7000 by performing initial processing of the measurement data to determine the presence or absence of a detected object, the size of the detected object, etc. In addition, the determination unit 1500 may have a function to determine whether or not measurement data or transmission data needs to be sent from the unmanned boat system 1000 to the overall control system 2000, or to select the data to be sent, depending on the result of the interpretation.

Next, the recording unit 1600 includes a measurement data recording unit 1610, a player's aircraft status recording unit 1620, and a judgment information recording unit 1630. The measurement data recording unit 1610 records the measurement data measured by the measurement unit 1100. The player's aircraft status recording unit 1620 records various types of status information related to the player's aircraft that are judged by the player's aircraft status judgment unit 1200. Furthermore, the judgment information recording unit 1630 records various types of judgment information judged by the judgment unit 1500.

(A-3. Description of the Overall Control System 2000)
Next, the functions and contents of the overall control system 2000 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the overall control system 2000. As shown in Fig. 8, the overall control system 2000 includes an information import unit 2100, a pre-discovery operation determination unit 2200, an unmanned boat state determination unit 2300, an object detection determination unit 2400, a future state prediction unit 2500, a squadron control command determination unit 2600, a platoon control command determination unit 2700, and an information input/output unit 2800.

(A-3-1. Information Import Unit 2100)
The information import unit 2100 is a functional unit that imports information to be processed or used in each functional unit in the overall control system 2000 from the unmanned boat 1010, the cooperative system 5000, the external system 6000, the user terminal device 8000, etc. The information import unit 2100 includes an activity condition acquisition unit 2110, an object determination condition 2120, a status definition acquisition unit 2130, and an unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2140. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of advance information acquired by the information import unit 2100.

The activity condition acquisition unit 2110 is a functional unit that receives various information related to activity conditions for performing search operations before discovering the object 7000 and post-discovery operations such as tracking after discovery. As shown in FIG. 9, the search conditions acquired by the activity condition acquisition unit 2110 include, for example, the target area to be searched (position and range of the sea or underwater area), the activity time (date and time, period, time, time of day, etc. when the activity is performed), and the search target (search rate indicating the ratio of the area that has been searched to the target area, etc.). The search conditions may include other desired information such as a required alert level and a desired search rate (the ratio of the area of the searched area to the area to be searched). For example, the activity condition acquisition unit 2110 can acquire desired conditions for performing a search from the collaboration system 5000, the user terminal device 8000, or the user input acceptance unit 2820 described later.

The object determination conditions 2120 are a functional unit that acquires in advance the criteria for object detection and state determination executed by the object detection and determination unit 2400. As shown in FIG. 9, the object determination conditions acquired by the object determination conditions 2120 include, for example, reference information such as the type of object (ship, diver, marine life, etc.), size (e.g., total length 2 m or more), and shape as criteria for detection and determination of the object 7000 by the object detection unit 2410 of the object detection and determination unit 2400. Note that information related to the object detection and determination conditions can also be acquired from the AIS system of the external system 6000.

The status definition acquisition unit 2130 is a functional unit that acquires in advance definition information for each of the multiple statuses of the unmanned boat 1010 that are determined by the unmanned boat state determination unit 2300. As shown in FIG. 9, the status information of the unmanned boat 1010 acquired by the status definition acquisition unit 2130 includes, for example, a search status during a search before an object is discovered, a post-discovery status after the object is discovered, and a common status that is common before and after the object is discovered.

The search status includes search-related status such as anchoring search and patrol search. The post-discovery status includes the status of response actions to the detected object 7000, such as surrounding, stalling, getting ahead, tracking, taking over tracking, and ambushing (surveillance capture). The common status includes status common to both before and after the discovery of an object, such as communication compensation to compensate for the wireless communication capabilities of other unmanned vessels 1010, data storage/transmission/reception, primary analysis processing, recovery charging when energy is insufficient, patrol in an energy insufficient state, anchoring, movement, deployment, recovery, and detection of a malfunction or abnormality in the unmanned vessel 1010.

The unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2140 is a functional unit that acquires various information from the unmanned boat 1010 via the communication satellite 3000, the HAPS, the terrestrial base station 4000, etc. For example, the unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2140 acquires from the unmanned boat 1010 measurement data measured by the measurement unit 1100, the determination results determined by the determination unit 1500, and various status information determined by the aircraft status determination unit 1200.

(A-3-2. Pre-discovery action determination unit 2200)
The pre-discovery operation decision unit 2200 is a functional unit that decides operation commands for the unmanned watercraft 1010 in a state before the unmanned watercraft 1010 discovers the target object 7000. The pre-discovery operation decision unit 2200 includes a pre-discovery company operation decision unit 2210 and a pre-discovery platoon operation decision unit 2220.

The pre-discovery company operation decision unit 2210 is a functional unit that decides on company-level operation commands consisting of multiple platoons before the unmanned boat 1010 discovers the target 7000. Figure 10 is a state transition diagram showing the state transition of the company operation commands decided by the pre-discovery company operation decision unit.

As shown in FIG. 10, the operational commands for the company include a pre-mission preparation state, a mission operation state, and a mission end/cancellation state. The pre-mission preparation state includes a movement state in which the unmanned boat system 1000 is moved to the activity area, and a deployment state in which the unmanned boat system 1000 is deployed in a predetermined formation in the activity area. The mission operation state includes a platoon change state in which the composition of the platoon is changed by replacing the unmanned boats 1010 belonging to the platoon, a search state in which a search for an object is performed, a recovery charge state in which a storage device mounted on the unmanned boat is charged, a standby state in which the unmanned boat is on standby, and a post-discovery action state in which a response action is performed after the object is discovered (detected). The mission end/cancellation state includes a return state in which the unmanned boat 1010 is moved to a recovery location for the unmanned boat 1010, and a recovery state in which the unmanned boat 1010 is recovered.

The pre-discovery squadron operation determination unit 2210 can determine the organization of multiple squadrons that make up the squadron and the planned patrol route for the squadron to patrol, in addition to the operation commands shown in FIG. 10. Here, the squadron organization and operation commands may be determined by determining the operation area allocation for each squadron according to the alert level and search rate for each area. Furthermore, when generating a planned patrol route, the pre-discovery squadron operation determination unit 2210 can generate a planned patrol route based on information regarding the presence, type, location, size, etc. of stationary and moving objects in the surrounding sea area that has been acquired in advance, so as to ensure that the relative distance with these surrounding objects is at least a certain level so as not to interfere with these surrounding objects. At this time, information on stationary and moving objects in the surrounding sea area can be acquired from the AIS system of the external system 6000, etc.

The pre-discovery squadron operation decision unit 2210 may also have a function to decide the formation of the platoon. In that case, to prevent the distance between the unmanned boats from increasing and communication being interrupted as a result of the formation change, the pre-discovery operation decision unit 2200 monitors the relative distance and communication strength between the unmanned boats in real time, and decides on a formation change within a range that maintains the relative distance at which communication is possible and communication. It may also have a function to determine whether the formation change has been completed.

The pre-discovery squadron operation decision unit 2210 determines the current squadron operation execution state from among the states shown in FIG. 10 in real time, and can also determine the current state of the unmanned boat 1010 from the unmanned boat information acquired by the unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2140, and determine the squadron operation command state to which to transition next.

The pre-discovery platoon operation decision unit 2220 is a functional unit that decides operation commands for each of multiple platoons before the unmanned boat 1010 discovers the target 7000. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a list of platoon operation commands decided by the pre-discovery platoon operation decision unit. In particular, FIG. 11 shows a list of platoon-level operation commands when the company-level operation commands are in a search state.

As shown in FIG. 11, the operation commands for the platoon include search, communication relay, data analysis, data transmission, data storage, standby, and recovery charging. The search operation is selected from a patrol search, which searches while patrolling, and an anchored search, which searches while anchored. The communication relay operation is an operation of relaying communication to other unmanned boats 1010 in the platoon. The data analysis operation is an operation of performing a primary analysis of measurement data by the determination unit 1500 of the unmanned boat 1010. The data transmission operation is an operation of transmitting measurement data, etc. to the overall control system 2000. Data storage is an operation of storing measurement data, etc. Furthermore, recovery charging is an operation of charging a power storage device installed in the unmanned boat, and charging methods include charging using a power generation device such as a solar panel, wave power generation, or wind power generation, power supply from an external source, or replacement of the power storage device from an external source.

(A-3-3. Unmanned boat state determination unit 2300)
The unmanned boat state determination unit 2300 is a functional unit that detects or estimates the state of the unmanned boat 1010 based on information detected by the unmanned boat 1010's own boat state determination unit 1200. The unmanned boat state determination unit 2300 includes a state detection unit 2310 and a performance estimation unit 2320.

Based on various status information regarding the unmanned boat 1010 detected by the unmanned boat 1010's own aircraft status determination unit 1200, the status detection unit 2310 can detect, for example, the position (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), moving speed, heading, moving direction, moving acceleration/deceleration, turning speed, and other status quantities related to the navigation state of the unmanned boat 1010, the remaining energy and fuel in the battery installed in the unmanned boat 1010, the movable distance that can be calculated from the remaining energy and fuel, temporary abnormal states of equipment installed in the unmanned boat 1010 (temperature abnormality, communication abnormality, etc.), and equipment failure states.

The status detection unit 2310 can also determine the communication quality status, such as the communication strength (dB value, etc.), communication speed, and communication delay, of the wireless communication within the unmanned boat system 1000 or the wireless communication with the overall control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 or the terrestrial base station 4000, or the oceanographic condition around the unmanned boat 1010 (wave height, wave speed, ocean current speed, ocean current direction, tidal current speed, tidal current direction), meteorological condition (wind speed, wind direction, air pressure, temperature, humidity), weather condition (fog, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, hail, sleet, cloudiness, etc.), seawater condition (seawater temperature, seawater density, salinity, pH value, presence or absence of seaweed beds, etc.), sun-related information (sun position (altitude, direction, trajectory), backlight, frontlight, amount of solar radiation), and other conditions (lunar position (altitude, direction, trajectory, lunar age), ionospheric disturbance (solar flare, etc.)).

The performance estimation unit 2320 is a functional unit that estimates various performances such as measurement performance, power performance, and communication performance that the unmanned vessel 1010 can exhibit, depending on the navigation state, internal state, and external state of the unmanned vessel detected by the state detection unit 2310. For example, if the remaining energy of the battery is low, it is considered that this will affect the measurement performance, power performance, and communication performance. In addition, if the sea conditions of the unmanned vessel 1010 are poor, it is also considered that this will affect the measurement performance, power performance, and communication performance. Therefore, the performance estimation unit 2320 estimates various performances that the unmanned vessel 1010 can exhibit, taking into account these various conditions.

(A-3-4. Object detection determination unit 2400)
The object detection/determination unit 2400 is a functional unit that detects the object 7000 based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor 1110 mounted on the unmanned boat 1010, and determines the state of the object 7000. The object detection/determination unit 2400 includes an object detection unit 2410 and an object state determination unit 2420.

The object detection unit 2410 analyzes the measurement data acquired from the unmanned boat 1010 based on the object determination conditions acquired by the object determination conditions 2120, and performs an object detection determination if the object determination conditions are met.

The object state determination unit 2420 has a function of analyzing the measurement data acquired from the unmanned boat 1010 and determining the state of the object 7000 detected by the object detection unit 2410. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a determination result regarding the state of the object determined by the object state determination unit 2420. As shown in FIG. 12, the object state determination result determined by the object state determination unit 2420 includes the object type, static state, dynamic state, history information, etc.

In the example shown in FIG. 12, the object type includes the type of object 7000 (ship, diver, marine life, etc.), size, and shape. The static state includes the orientation and position of the object 7000 (two-dimensional or three-dimensional position coordinates, etc.). The dynamic state includes whether the object 7000 is moving (moving/stationary), the moving speed, moving direction, acceleration, deceleration, turning radius, turning speed, etc. The history information includes the movement trajectory and other static or dynamic history information.

When the object state determination unit 2420 is unable to make a definitive determination of some of the various determination items shown in FIG. 12 based on the measurement data, it can calculate an estimated result using past history information, etc.

In addition to the above functions, the object detection and determination unit 2400 may also have a function to determine the measurement state of the object 7000 by the unmanned boat 1010. In this case, the measurement states of the object detection and determination unit 2400 include a captured state (a state in which the measurement unit 1100 can continue to measure the object 7000), a state with signs of measurement being exceeded (a state in which the measurement unit 1100 can continue to measure the object 7000, but the distance to the object 7000 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value), a confirmed measurement being exceeded (a state in which the measurement unit 1100 can continue to measure the object 7000, but the distance to the object 7000 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and is further increasing), and a measurement lost state (a state in which the measurement unit 1100 cannot measure the object 7000 and the position of the object 7000 cannot be confirmed).

(A-3-5. Future state prediction unit 2500)
The future state prediction unit 2500 is a functional unit that predicts the future operation state and monitoring state of the object 7000 based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor 1110 mounted on the unmanned boat 1010, or the judgment or estimation result by the object detection judgment unit 2400. The future state prediction unit 2500 includes a future object operation prediction unit 2510 and a future monitoring state prediction unit 2520.

The future object behavior prediction unit 2510 is a functional unit that predicts and calculates the future behavior state of the object 7000 based on, for example, a determination or estimation result regarding the state of the object 7000 as shown in FIG. 12. In addition to the various state information shown in FIG. 12, the future object behavior prediction unit 2510 can also predict and calculate the future behavior state of the object 7000 according to the determination result of the behavior type of the object 7000 (escape, disruption, stop, silence, shaking off, intimidation, attack, etc.).

Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example of the judgment items of the future state prediction judgment by the future state prediction unit 2500. In the example shown in Figure 13, the future state prediction judgment includes judgment items of the future operation prediction of the object 7000, the static state at a future time, and the dynamic state at a future time.

The future operation prediction includes the predicted movement path and predicted destination of the object 7000. The static state at a future time includes position coordinates and orientation. The dynamic state at a future time includes whether or not there is movement (moving state/stationary state), movement speed, movement direction, turning radius, turning speed, acceleration, deceleration, etc. The future state prediction unit 2500 can calculate multiple predicted paths instead of one. Instead of a predicted path, it can also calculate information on multiple highly likely passing points (including the final destination).

In addition to the various prediction items shown in FIG. 20, the future state prediction unit 2500 may also have a function to calculate, for example, an encounter rate indicating the probability that the unmanned boat 1010 will encounter the target object 7000 in the future, and a target detection probability indicating the probability that the unmanned boat 1010 will detect the target object 7000 in the future using the measurement unit 1100.

The future state prediction unit 2500 may also have a function of determining the validity of the predicted movement path. For example, the future state prediction unit 2500 can determine whether or not the already predicted movement path is valid based on the latest state information of the object 7000 determined by the object detection determination unit 2400. As the determination result, for example, predicted path normal, predicted path uncertain (indications of invalidity present), predicted path abnormal (confirmed to be invalid; re-prediction necessary) can be calculated.

There may also be cases where multiple objects 7000 are detected by the object detection and determination unit 2400. In such cases, if the multiple objects 7000 are operating as a single group with similar positions or movement paths, the future movement state of the multiple objects 7000 is predicted and calculated as a single group. Also, if the multiple objects 7000 are operating separately with different positions or movement paths, the future movement state of each object 7000 can be predicted separately.

The future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 is a functional unit that predicts the future monitoring state of the object 7000 by the unmanned boat 1010 based on the prediction result by the future object operation prediction unit 2510 and the judgment result by the unmanned boat state judgment unit 2300.

For example, the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 can predict in advance whether a detection lost state in which the measurement unit 1100 of the unmanned vessel 1010 is unable to continue detecting the object 7000, or a tracking impossible state in which the relative distance to the object 7000 exceeds a predetermined value and the relative distance cannot be reduced, will occur in the future. In addition, if a detection lost state is predicted to occur in the future, loss prediction information can be generated, including the range and time that the unmanned vessel 1010 can continue to detect, the predicted lost position and predicted lost time, or the predicted direction and speed of movement of the object 7000 when the detection lost state occurs. In addition, if a tracking impossible state is predicted to occur in the future, tracking lost prediction information can be generated, including the range and time that the unmanned vessel 1010 can track, the predicted position and predicted time that the tracking lost, or the predicted direction and speed of movement of the object 7000 when the tracking impossible state occurs.

(A-3-6. Company Control Command Decision Unit 2600)
The company control command determination unit 2600 is a functional unit that determines control commands for controlling the operation of multiple platoons that make up the company after the unmanned boat 1010 detects the target object 7000. In particular, the company control command determination unit 2600 has a function of determining organization commands and the like related to the organization contents of a platoon for organizing a single or multiple platoons using multiple unmanned boats 1010. The company control command determination unit 2600 includes an intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610, an intra-company organization determination unit 2620, and an intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630.

The intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 is a functional unit that determines platoon operation commands that specify roles for one or more platoons, depending on information such as the current state or predicted future state of the detected object 7000. For example, the platoon operation commands determined by the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 include information that specifies at least one of the roles for each platoon: tracking, surrounding, holding back, getting ahead of, taking over tracking, continuing to measure, or lying in wait for the object 7000, or storing, transmitting, receiving, or analyzing measurement data, or relaying communications with other unmanned vessels 1010, or charging a power storage device mounted on the unmanned vessel 1010.

Here, the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 can determine the roles required at the company level and the roles that should be executed with priority, according to the results of the future state prediction by the future state prediction unit 2500. For example, the priority order of various roles can be set in advance for each prediction result of the future state, and based on this preset information, the roles that should be executed with priority at the company level and their priority order can be determined from the various roles (encirclement, delay, advance, pursuit, taking over pursuit, ambush, etc.). Furthermore, according to the roles that should be executed with priority determined at the company level, it can determine the roles to be assigned to multiple platoons within the company in order of highest priority.

For example, if the "tracking" role is to be prioritized at the company level, the first priority can be tracking, the second priority can be taking over tracking and lying in wait, and the third priority can be communications coverage, data accumulation/transmission/reception, and primary analysis processing.

As another example, if the "encirclement" role is to be prioritized at the company level, the first priority could be encirclement, the second priority could be tracking, taking over tracking, and ambush, and the third priority could be communications coverage, data accumulation/transmission/reception, and primary analysis processing.

As another example, if the "hold back" role is to be prioritized at the company level, the first priority could be holding back, the second priority could be tracking, taking over tracking, and lying in wait, and the third priority could be communications coverage, data accumulation/transmission/reception, and primary analysis processing.

As another example, if the role of "ambush (surveillance and capture)" is to be prioritized at the company level, the first priority could be ambush (surveillance and capture), the second priority could be encirclement, delay, pursuit, and tracking handover, and the third priority could be communications compensation, data accumulation/transmission and reception, and primary analysis processing.

As another example, if the role of "recuperation and charging" is given priority at the company level, the first priority could be recuperation and charging, the second priority could be surrounding, stalling, getting ahead of the enemy, and lying in wait, and the third priority could be communications coverage, data accumulation/transmission and reception, and primary analysis processing.

The various roles included in the platoon action command can include response actions for the discovered object 7000 (including pursuit, surrounding, delaying, getting ahead of the object, taking over pursuit, continuing to follow up or lying in wait, etc.), auxiliary support actions that assist in the pursuit of the discovered object 7000 (including communication supplementation, data accumulation/transmission/reception, primary analysis processing, etc.), and other common actions (such as recovery and charging). In addition, any one of the roles (response actions, auxiliary support actions, and common actions) (i.e. a single role) can be specified for each platoon.

Also, while an example has been described in which the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 designates a single role for each platoon out of response actions, auxiliary support actions, and common actions, this embodiment is not limited to this, and multiple roles can also be designated for each platoon. In this case, both the roles of response actions and auxiliary support actions (i.e., multiple roles) can be designated for each platoon.

In addition, for some platoons within multiple platoons in a company, you can specify either the role of response actions or the role of support actions (i.e., a single role), and for some other platoons within multiple platoons in a company, you can specify both the role of response actions and the role of support actions (i.e., multiple roles).

The intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 may also have a function of determining an alert level for the role assigned to each platoon. Furthermore, the intra-company organization determination unit 2620, which will be described later, may determine the number of unmanned boats 1010 belonging to the platoon according to the alert level assigned to the role. In other words, a platoon assigned a role with a high alert level can be set to have a large number of unmanned boats 1010.

The intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 can also determine, along with a timer, whether to change the roles assigned to each platoon, change from a single role to multiple roles, hand over roles between multiple platoons, or swap roles between multiple platoons, depending on information such as the current state or predicted future state of the detected object 7000, which changes over time.

The intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 can automatically determine the roles for each platoon as described above, but may also have a function of determining the roles for each platoon in accordance with the user input information when input information is received from a user. For example, the user input reception unit 2820 described below can receive user input information regarding the roles for each platoon input from the user terminal device 8000 or the like, and the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 can determine the roles for each platoon in accordance with the user input information.

Next, the intra-company organization determination unit 2620 is a functional unit that determines organization commands related to the organization of a platoon for organizing a single or multiple platoons using multiple moving objects. For example, when an object 7000 is detected by the object detection determination unit 2400, the intra-company organization determination unit 2620 can determine an organization command for the platoon according to the current state or future predicted state of the detected object 7000. In addition, the intra-company organization determination unit 2620 can determine an organization command for the platoon according to the suspiciousness level or threat level of the detected object 7000.

The intra-company organization determination unit 2620 can determine the organization contents including the number of platoons that make up the company and the number of unmanned boats 1010 belonging to each platoon, and the platoon organization command determined by the intra-company organization determination unit 2620 includes information regarding the number of platoons that make up the company and the number of unmanned boats 1010 belonging to each platoon.

The company internal organization determination unit 2620 can determine the role for one or more platoons depending on the current state of the object 7000 determined by the object detection determination unit 2400 or the future predicted state predicted by the future state prediction unit 2500, and can determine an organization command including information specifying the number of platoons that make up the company and the number of unmanned boats 1010 belonging to each platoon depending on the role of each platoon.

The method of determining the formation command is not limited to the above-mentioned method, and the formation command can be determined, for example, according to the current state of the object 7000 determined by the object detection determination unit 2400, or the future predicted state predicted by the future state prediction unit 2500. As another example, the intra-company formation determination unit 2620 can determine roles for one or more platoons regardless of the detection state of the object 7000, and determine an formation command including designation information for the number of platoons that make up the company and the number of unmanned boats 1010 belonging to each platoon according to the role of each platoon.

The intra-company organization determination unit 2620 can also determine to swap unmanned boats 1010 belonging to multiple platoons between platoons, regardless of the number of platoons and the number of unmanned boats 1010 per platoon. Therefore, in this case, the platoon organization command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes command information to swap unmanned boats 1010 belonging to multiple platoons between multiple platoons.

The intra-company organization determination unit 2620 may also have a function of determining an organization command including information regarding the connection configuration of the multiple unmanned boats 1010 via a wireless communication network, depending on the determined organization of the platoon. Here, the connection configuration of the multiple unmanned boats 1010 via a wireless communication network is, for example, the connection relationship of the wireless communication network established between the multiple unmanned boats 1010 in the platoon 1000a shown by the solid lines in FIG. 6. Here, the parent unit 1001 and the primary connection child unit 10021 are assigned the role of supplementing communications between the other unmanned boats 1010 and the overall control system 2000.

The company internal organization determination unit 2620 may also have a function of determining a method for changing the connection relationship when deciding to change the connection relationship of the wireless communication network established between the multiple unmanned boats 1010 in the platoon 1000a. For example, when switching the connection relationship between unmanned boat A and unmanned boat B to unmanned boat A and unmanned boat C, it can decide to switch the connection when unmanned boat A is located within a range in which wireless communication is possible with both unmanned boat B and unmanned boat C (i.e., when unmanned boat A is located in the overlapping range of the communication ranges of unmanned boat B and unmanned boat C).

In addition, the device may have a function to determine the configuration of a wireless communication network that includes not only the connection configuration of a wireless communication network constructed between multiple unmanned vessels 1010, but also an offshore communication buoy, an aircraft (such as a UAV), an underwater submersible (such as a UUV), a ground communication station, etc. Furthermore, the device may have a function to determine a connection path that connects an offshore wireless communication network such as the one described above with a ground-side network.

The company internal organization determination unit 2620 can automatically determine the above organization commands and the connection configuration of the wireless communication network, but may also have a function of determining the organization commands and the connection configuration of the wireless communication network in accordance with the user input information when input information is received from the user. For example, the user input reception unit 2820 described below can receive user input information regarding the organization commands of the platoon and the connection configuration of the wireless communication network input from the user terminal device 8000, etc., and the company internal organization determination unit 2620 can determine the organization commands of the platoon in accordance with the user input information.

Next, the intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 is a functional unit that determines platoon deployment commands related to the formation or deployment of a platoon, including at least one of the formation position, formation time, or formation shape of each platoon when forming a platoon with the formation contents determined by the intra-company formation determination unit 2620, or the movement target position and movement target time of each platoon after the platoon with the formation contents is formed. In other words, the intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 can determine the operation target of the platoon when forming the platoon and the operation target of the platoon after the platoon is formed.

The intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 can, for example, determine a position before the position where detection loss will occur as the movement target position (tracking handover position) of the platoon assigned the role of tracking handover, based on information on the predicted loss position where the tracking platoon will lose detection of the target object, as predicted by the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520.

The intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 can also determine movement targets including at least one of the movement target position and movement target time for each platoon in accordance with the platoon operation command for the role specified for each platoon. As an example of this case, when the role of encirclement is specified for a platoon, the intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 can determine the current position of the object 7000 determined by the object state determination unit 2420, or the position on the predicted movement path of the object 7000 predicted by the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520, as the encirclement position of the platoon assigned the role of encirclement, and determine the target position to which the unmanned boat 1010 is moved so as to surround the object 7000 at the encirclement position. The intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 can also determine the encirclement target time.

In addition, for example, when a platoon is assigned the role of being the first mover, the intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 can determine the position on the predicted movement path of the object 7000 predicted by the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 as the re-turn position of the platoon assigned the role of being the first mover, and can determine the target time of movement to the first mover position. Note that the intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 moves the platoon with priority given to arriving at the determined first mover position before the target movement time, and determines a deployment target for changing the formation to a specified formation after arriving at the first mover position.

In addition, for example, when the role of continuous acquisition is assigned to a platoon, the intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 can determine the movement target position of the platoon assigned the role of continuous acquisition from the area range in which the target object 7000 can be measured. In addition, for example, when the role of communication acquisition is assigned to a platoon, the intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 can determine the movement target position of the platoon assigned the role of communication compensation within the range of communication distance from the unmanned boat 1010 that is the target of communication compensation, based on information on the communication distance between the unmanned boats 1010. In addition, for example, when the role of data accumulation/transmission/reception or primary analysis processing is assigned to a platoon, the intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 can determine the movement target position of the platoon assigned the role of data accumulation/transmission/reception or primary analysis processing within the range in which direct communication is possible with the unmanned boat 1010 that acquires the measurement data.

The intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 can automatically determine the above-mentioned platoon deployment command, but may also have a function of determining the platoon deployment command in response to the user input information when input information is received from a user. For example, the user input reception unit 2820 described below can receive user input information related to the platoon deployment command input from the user terminal device 8000 or the like, and the intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 can determine the platoon deployment command in response to the user input information.

When the object detection determination unit 2400 determines that a measurement lost state has occurred (a state in which the measurement unit 1100 is unable to measure the object 7000 and the position of the object 7000 cannot be confirmed), the company control command determination unit 2600 may decide to end tracking of the object 7000 and may decide to return the number, size, and location of each platoon belonging to the company to the state before the object 7000 was discovered.

(A-3-7. Platoon Control Command Decision Unit 2700)
The platoon control command determination unit 2700 is a functional unit that determines an unmanned boat operation command that controls the operation of the unmanned boats 1010 in each platoon after the unmanned boats 1010 detect the target object 7000. The company control command determination unit 2600 includes an intra-platoon role determination unit 2710 and an intra-platoon movement target determination unit 2720.

The intra-platoon role determination unit 2710 can determine roles for at least some (all or some) of the unmanned craft 1010 belonging to the platoon, according to the role of each platoon determined by the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610. For example, if the role of the platoon is to monitor and capture (ambush) the object 7000, some of the unmanned craft 1010 in the platoon may acquire (monitor and capture) measurement data of the object 7000, other unmanned craft 1010 may accumulate, transmit and receive, and perform primary analysis processing of the measurement data, and other unmanned craft 1010 may provide communication support. In other words, the detailed roles required to accomplish the mission of the platoon can be allocated to multiple unmanned craft 1010 in the platoon.

The intra-platoon role determination unit 2710 determines whether each role can be performed based on the status and performance information of each unmanned boat 1010 determined by the unmanned boat status determination unit 2300, and makes a decision to assign each unmanned boat 1010 a role that can be performed. For example, the intra-platoon role determination unit 2710 determines that the battery energy remaining is low, and assigns the role of recovery charging to the unmanned boat 1010 regardless of the role assigned to the platoon. As another example, an unmanned boat 1010 that is relatively close to the object 7000 is assigned a role of pursuit, delay, or encirclement that requires immediate approach to the object 7000. On the other hand, an unmanned boat 1010 that is relatively far from the object 7000 can be assigned a role other than pursuit, delay, or encirclement that requires immediate approach to the object 7000 (anticipatory, ambush (surveillance capture), tracking handover, communication compensation, data accumulation/transmission/reception, primary analysis processing, etc.). Additionally, the unmanned boat 1010 closest to the advance position can be assigned the advance role.

When assigning the tracking handover role to multiple unmanned boats 1010 in the same platoon, the intra-platoon role determination unit 2710 compares the predicted movement path of the target object 7000 with the power performance of the unmanned boats 1010 in the platoon to estimate whether each unmanned boat 1010 can be tracked, the distance it can be tracked, the time it can be tracked, etc., and can decide to assign the tracking handover role to an unmanned boat 1010 that is suitable for the tracking handover. For the unmanned boat 1010 that has been assigned the tracking handover role, the intra-platoon movement target determination unit 2720, which will be described later, determines a movement target to the tracking handover position.

When assigning the role of pursuit to multiple unmanned boats 1010 in the same platoon, the intra-platoon role determination unit 2710 can determine, from among the multiple unmanned boats 1010, a pursuit leader that leads the pursuit operation and an unmanned boat 1010 that follows the pursuit leader. Furthermore, when assigning the role of pursuit to multiple unmanned boats 1010 in the same platoon, the intra-platoon role determination unit 2710 can determine a pursuit formation of the multiple unmanned boats 1010. As the pursuit formation, a following formation in which the target object 7000 is pursued from behind, an encirclement formation in which the target object 7000 is deployed in three locations, left and right and rear, an encirclement formation in which the target object 7000 is deployed in two locations, left and right, and a encirclement formation in which the target object 7000 is deployed in four locations, left and right, front and rear, etc. can be selected.

The intra-platoon role determination unit 2710 can determine the additional action state during tracking regarding the content of the additional action during tracking. For example, the additional action state during tracking can be determined to be a tracking action only, an action of tracking while preventing collisions between the unmanned boats 1010, an action of tracking while preventing collisions between the unmanned boats 1010 and the target object 7000, an action of tracking the unmanned boat 1010 while approaching the target object 7000 during tracking, or an action of tracking the unmanned boat 1010 at a position away from the target object 7000.

The intra-platoon movement target determination unit 2720 can determine movement targets of individual unmanned boats 1010 belonging to a platoon, such as the movement target positions and movement target times of the multiple unmanned boats 1010 belonging to the platoon. Here, the intra-platoon movement target determination unit 2720 can determine the movement targets of the multiple unmanned boats 1010 belonging to the platoon according to the role of each platoon determined by the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610, but the method of determining the movement targets is not limited to this, and the intra-platoon movement target determination unit 2720 can also determine the movement targets of the multiple unmanned boats 1010 belonging to the platoon based on other information rather than information related to the role of the platoon.

In addition to the functions described above, the platoon control command decision unit 2700 may have a function to execute an action to attach a transmitter, paint, or the like to the target object 7000 when, for example, the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 predicts that a detection lost state will occur in the future and there is no other unmanned boat 1010 to go ahead or take over. In such a case, information regarding the detection lost state may be transmitted to an external collaboration system 5000, etc.

(A-3-8. Information input/output unit 2800)
The information input/output unit 2800 is a functional unit that acquires information input to the overall control system 2000 from a user or an external system, and outputs commands or displays information generated by each functional unit in the overall control system 2000. The information input/output unit 2800 includes a display unit 2810, a user input receiving unit 2820, a command transmission output unit 2830, and an information transmission unit 2840.

The display unit 2810 is a functional unit that displays and outputs acquired information, judgment information, decision information, and the like, by each functional unit in the overall control system 2000. For example, the display unit 2810 has a function of displaying and outputting command information determined by the company control command determination unit 2600 and the platoon control command determination unit 2700.

The user input reception unit 2820 is a functional unit that receives user input information related to various information input from an external user terminal device 8000 or a user interface device of the overall control system 2000. For example, the user input reception unit 2820 can receive user input information related to platoon formation commands, wireless communication network connection configurations, roles for each platoon, platoon deployment commands, etc.

The command transmission output unit 2830 is a functional unit that transmits and outputs command information determined by the company control command determination unit 2600 or the platoon control command determination unit 2700 to the unmanned boat system 1000.

The information transmission unit 2840 is a functional unit that transmits and outputs information regarding the command information determined by the company control command determination unit 2600 and the platoon control command determination unit 2700 to the external collaboration system 5000 and the user terminal device 8000.

(A-4. Control flow of control system 1)
Next, a description will be given of the overall control flow of the control system 1. FIG 14 is a flow chart showing the process flow of the control system 1.

First, the information import unit 2100 acquires advance information and the like (step 101). In this step, for example, activity conditions, object detection judgment conditions, and predefined information on the unmanned boat status, as shown in FIG. 9, are acquired.

Next, the pre-discovery operation determination unit 2200 determines the operation command (such as a search command) for the unmanned boat 1010 in the state before the unmanned boat 1010 discovers the target object 7000 (step 102). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

Next, the search operation command is updated and search control is executed according to the unmanned boat state determined by the unmanned boat state determination unit 2300 (step 103). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

Then, the next processing step to transition to is determined depending on whether the object 7000 is detected by the object detection unit 2410 (step 104). In this step, if the object 7000 is detected, the processing transitions to step 105, whereas if the object 7000 is not detected, the processing transitions to step 103.

Next, if an object 7000 is detected in step 104, the object state determination unit 2420 determines the state of the object 7000 (step 105). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

Next, the future state prediction unit 2500 predicts the future operating state and monitoring state of the target object 7000 (step 106). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

Then, the company control command determination unit 2600 determines a control command for controlling the operation of the multiple platoons that make up the company after the unmanned boat 1010 detects the object 7000 (step 107). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

Then, the platoon control command determination unit 2700 determines an unmanned boat operation command that controls the operation of the unmanned boats 1010 in each platoon after the unmanned boats 1010 detect the object 7000 (step 108). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

Next, the operation command for the platoon after the object is found is updated according to the unmanned boat state determined by the unmanned boat state determination unit 2300, and search control is executed (step 103). The detailed processing in this step will be described later.

(A-5. Control sequence in control system 1)
Next, a description will be given of a control sequence between the systems in the control system 1. Fig. 15 is a sequence diagram showing the exchange of signals between the systems in the control system 1.

First, request information including activity conditions is transmitted from the user terminal device 8000 or the like to the overall control system 2000. The overall control system 2000 determines a search command for the unmanned boat 1010 using the pre-discovery operation decision unit 2200, and transmits the search command to the parent unit 1001a of platoon A. The parent unit 1001a also transmits a search command to the child unit 10021a in platoon A. Having received the search command, the parent unit 1001a and the child unit 10021a execute a search for the target object 7000 in accordance with the search command.

Next, when the child device 10021a detects the object 7000 by searching, the child device 10021a transmits detection information including measurement data obtained by measuring the object 7000 to the parent device 1001a. The parent device 1001a also transmits the received detection information to the overall control system 2000.

Next, the overall control system 2000 determines the state of the object 7000 and predicts the future operation of the object 7000 based on the received detection information, generates post-discovery operations for the unmanned boat 1010, and transmits proposed information for the generated post-discovery operations to the user terminal device 8000.

Next, the overall control system 2000 receives user input information for post-discovery operations and the like from the user terminal device 8000. The overall control system 2000 determines the post-discovery operations based on the received user input information, and transmits a post-discovery operation command to the parent unit 1001a of platoon A. The parent unit 1001a also transmits a post-discovery operation command to the child unit 10021a in platoon A. Having received the post-discovery operation command, the parent unit 1001a and the child unit 10021a control the organization of platoon A, the connection configuration of the wireless communication network, the role of platoon A, the deployment operations, and the individual operations of the unmanned boats 1010 in accordance with the post-discovery operation command.

(A-6. Executing a search operation)
A method for performing a search operation will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(A-6-1. Search operation determination process flow)
16 is a flow chart showing an example of a search command determination process flow by the pre-discovery operation determination section 2200. In particular, FIG. 16 explains the detailed process flow of step 102 in the control flow shown in FIG.

First, the pre-discovery company operation determination unit 2210 determines the operation of the company (a collection of multiple platoons) during search (step 201). In this step, for example, the organization of the multiple platoons that make up the company and company-level operation commands as shown in FIG. 10 are determined. Here, the organization of the platoon and the operation commands may be determined by determining the operation area allocation for each platoon according to the alert level and search rate for each area. Furthermore, when changing the organization by swapping unmanned boats 1010 between multiple platoons, it is possible to determine whether to swap unmanned boats 1010 between multiple platoons according to the alert level set for each area, the search rate, the internal state of each platoon, the operation status of each platoon shown in FIG. 11, and the like.

Next, the pre-discovery platoon action determination unit 2220 determines the platoon's actions during the search (step 202). In this step, for example, roles such as those shown in FIG. 11 are determined for each platoon.

Next, the pre-discovery platoon operation determination unit 2220 determines the role of each unmanned boat 1010 belonging to the platoon according to the role determined for each platoon (step 203).

Next, the decision information determined in each of the above steps is displayed (step 204). In this step, the decision information is displayed on the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

Next, the user input information is received by the user input receiving unit 2820 (step 205). In this step, the determination contents determined in each of the above steps can be modified according to the received user input information.

(A-6-2. Display example of search operation decision result)
Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a display in which a search command determined by the pre-discovery operation determination unit 2200 is proposed to a user. In the example shown in Fig. 17, the search target area and the locations of multiple platoons (platoons A, B, C, and D) are displayed on a map. Also, information on the role (patrol monitoring, anchorage monitoring, etc.) determined for each platoon is displayed. Furthermore, the planned patrol route of platoon A, which will perform patrol monitoring, is displayed on the map.

As shown in FIG. 17, the planned patrol route for platoon A generated by the pre-discovery operation determination unit 2200 is a patrol route that passes through locations that are at least a certain distance away from the other platoons B, C, and D, and the planned patrol route is generated to avoid collisions between the platoons. In addition to the planned patrol route, the pre-discovery operation determination unit 2200 may also allocate an activity area for each platoon. When allocating an activity area for each platoon, the activity area allocation for each platoon may be determined according to the alert level and search rate for each area.

In addition to the planned patrol route, the pre-discovery operation decision unit 2200 can also decide on changes to the formation of each platoon during a search (such as expanding or contracting the formation, splitting the formation, etc.). In this case, to prevent the distance between the unmanned vessels from increasing and communication being interrupted as a result of the formation change, the pre-discovery operation decision unit 2200 monitors the relative distance and communication strength between the unmanned vessels in real time, and decides on a formation change within a range that maintains the relative distance at which communication is possible and communication. It can also decide the method of changing the formation when the platoons pass each other, and which platoons should be given priority when they pass each other.

Furthermore, at the bottom of the screen, operation buttons are displayed for approving or modifying the proposed platoon operations, such as the deployment, roles, and planned patrol routes for each platoon. The overall control system 2000 can accept user input information via these operation buttons.

Although not shown in FIG. 17, when a surveillance vessel of the cooperative system 5000 is monitoring an area outside the search target area of the unmanned boat system 1000, it is possible to predict the areas and times that will be unmonitored near the border with the surveillance area of the cooperative system 5000, and generate a planned patrol route that temporarily extends beyond the search target area into the external area so that the area near the border is not unmonitored for a certain period of time.

(A-6-3. Search operation execution process flow)
18 is a flow chart showing an example of a search operation execution process flow, in particular, a detailed process flow of step 103 in the control flow shown in FIG.

First, the unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2140 acquires information from the unmanned boat 1010 (step 301).

Next, the unmanned boat status determination unit 2300 determines the status of each unmanned boat 1010 that makes up the company and platoon (step 302).

Next, the performance estimation unit 2320 estimates various performance characteristics that the unmanned boat 1010 can exhibit, such as measurement performance, power performance, and communication performance (step 303).

Next, the pre-discovery action decision unit 2200 updates the search command based on the status of the unmanned boat 1010 and various performance information (step 304).

Next, the update information of the search command determined in step 304 is displayed (step 305). In this step, the update information is displayed on the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

Next, the user input information is received by the user input receiving unit 2820 (step 205). In this step, the above-mentioned search command can be modified according to the received user input information.

(A-7. State determination and future state prediction of object)
The state determination of the object 7000 and the platoon state prediction will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(A-7-1. Object State Determination Processing Flow)
19 is a flow chart showing an example of the object state determination process flow by the object detection and determination unit 2400. In particular, FIG. 19 explains the detailed process flow of step 105 in the control flow shown in FIG.

First, the unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2140 acquires the measurement data measured by the unmanned boat 1010 (step 401).

Next, the object detection unit 2410 determines whether the object 7000 has been detected (step 402).

Next, the object state determination unit 2420 determines various states of the object 7000 (step 403). In this step, for example, various states such as those shown in FIG. 12 are determined.

Next, information relating to the detection results and status determination results of the object 7000 determined in step 402 or step 403 is displayed (step 404). In this step, the status information is displayed and output to the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

Next, the user input information is received by the user input receiving unit 2820 (step 405). In this step, the detection determination result and status information of the object 7000 described above can be modified according to the received user input information.

(A-7-2. Processing flow for predicting future state of object)
20 is a flow chart showing an example of a process flow for predicting a future state of an object by the future state prediction unit 2500. In particular, FIG. 20 explains a detailed process flow of step 106 in the control flow shown in FIG.

First, the future object motion prediction unit 2510 predicts and calculates the future motion state of the object 7000 (step 501).

Next, the performance estimation unit 2320 predicts various future performance characteristics of the unmanned boat (step 502).

Next, the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 predicts the future monitoring state of the target object 7000 by the unmanned boat 1010 (step 503).

Next, the future monitoring state prediction unit 2520 predicts the conditions for the unmanned boat 1010 to continue monitoring the object 7000 (step 504).

Next, the prediction results calculated in each of the above steps are displayed (step 505). In this step, the prediction results are displayed on the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

Next, the user input information is received by the user input receiving unit 2820 (step 506). In this step, the above-mentioned prediction information can be modified according to the received user input information.

(A-7-3. Example of display of future state prediction result of object)
Fig. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a display that suggests to a user the result of the future state prediction by the future state prediction unit 2500. In the example shown in Fig. 21, the initial discovery position of the object 7000, its movement history, its current position and orientation, and a predicted movement route predicted by the future state prediction unit 2500 are displayed on a map.

Furthermore, at the bottom of the screen, operation buttons for approving or correcting the proposed and displayed forecast information are displayed. The integrated control system 2000 can accept user input information via these operation buttons.

In addition, when the activity area of the unmanned boat 1010 is defined in advance, the future state prediction unit 2500 may have a function to predict the position and time when the object 7000 will exit the activity area in the future, or the position and time when the object 7000, having exited once, will re-enter the activity area, based on the activity area and the future state prediction of the object 7000. In that case, information related to the prediction result is displayed on the display screen shown in FIG. 21.

(A-8. How to Determine a Company's Post-Discovery Action Command)
A method for determining an action command for a squadron after the object 7000 is discovered will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(A-8-1. Processing flow for determining operational commands after a squadron is discovered)
22 is a flow chart showing an example of a process flow for determining a post-discovery operation of a company by the company control command decision unit 2600. In particular, FIG. 22 explains the detailed process flow of step 107 in the control flow shown in FIG.

First, the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 determines the roles required at the company level (step 601). In this step, for example, the roles required for a company, which is a collection of multiple platoons, are determined. Here, the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 can determine the roles that should be prioritized at the company level according to the future state prediction results by the future state prediction unit 2500. In other words, it determines the role that should be prioritized from various roles (encirclement, delay, get ahead, pursue, take over pursuit, ambush, etc.). Note that priority information and priority order information for the various roles described above may be set in advance.

Here, the various roles assigned to the unmanned boat 1010 can be defined, for example, as follows: Tracking is an action of moving in the vicinity of the object 7000 while following the movement of the object 7000; Tracking takeover is an action of taking on the main role of following the movement of the object 7000 while also joining in the tracking; Anticipating is an action of the unmanned boat moving ahead of the predicted movement path of the object 7000 without joining in the tracking; Surrounding is an action of the unmanned boat not joining in the tracking and surrounding the object 7000 without moving even when the object 7000 approaches.

Next, the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 determines the role allocation for each platoon within the company (step 602).

Then, the intra-company organization determination unit 2620 determines the organization of multiple platoons within the company (step 603).

Next, the intra-company deployment target determination unit 2630 determines deployment targets for multiple platoons within the company (step 604).

Next, the determination results calculated in each of the above steps are displayed (step 605). In this step, the determination results are displayed on the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

Next, the user input information is received by the user input receiving unit 2820 (step 606). In this step, the above-mentioned determination result can be modified according to the received user input information.

(A-8-2. Example of Company-level Operation Command Proposal Information Display)
Fig. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a display in which a user is suggested a result of a decision on a company's post-discovery operation by the company control command decision unit 2600. In the example shown in Fig. 23, the current position and orientation of the object 7000, a predicted future movement path, and the positions and formations of multiple platoons (platoons A, B, C, and D) belonging to the company, a tracking start position, and a tracking takeover position are displayed on a map.

The role assigned to each platoon is also displayed at the bottom of the screen. In the example shown in this figure, platoon A is assigned the role of pursuit, platoon B is assigned the role of taking over pursuit, and platoons C and D are assigned the role of ambush (surveillance and capture). Furthermore, operation buttons for approving or amending the proposed post-discovery actions are displayed at the bottom of the screen. The overall control system 2000 can accept user input information via these operation buttons.

(A-9. Variations of post-discovery actions)
There are a number of variations in the post-discovery action determined by the squadron control command determination unit 2600. Each variation of the post-discovery action will be described with reference to Figs. 24 to 28.

(A-9-1. First pattern of post-discovery operation)
Fig. 24 is a diagram showing the execution of the first post-discovery operation determined by the company control command determination unit 2600. The example shown in Fig. 24 particularly shows a pattern in which the number of multiple platoons constituting the company and the replacement or movement of the unmanned vessels 1010 between the platoons do not occur. The upper diagram in Fig. 24 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, D) in the company at time t1 before the reorganization of the multiple platoons and the determination of the role of each platoon are performed.

The central diagram in Figure 24 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, D) within the company at time t2 after reorganization of the multiple platoons and determination of the roles for each platoon. In the pattern shown in this figure, the number of platoons is not increased and there is no switching or movement of unmanned vessels 1010 between platoons, so the organization of each platoon remains unchanged from time t1 and roles are assigned to each platoon. Platoon A is assigned the role of surveillance and acquisition, platoon B is assigned to take over tracking, and platoons C and D are assigned the role of tracking.

The lower diagram in Figure 24 shows the planned movement route of each platoon at time t3 when the deployment command for each platoon is executed. In the example shown in this figure, platoons C and D, which are assigned the role of tracking, move to the vicinity of the tracking start position of the target 7000 in response to the deployment command. Platoon B, which is assigned the role of taking over tracking, moves to the vicinity of the tracking handover position. Platoon A, which is assigned the role of surveillance and capture (ambush), moves to a position ahead of the predicted movement route of the target 7000 (dotted arrow).

Here, Platoon B, which has been assigned the role of taking over tracking, moves to the vicinity of the predicted movement path of the object 7000 and takes over the role of tracking from Platoon A or Platoon D, which are currently tracking. Platoon A, which has been assigned the role of surveillance and capture (ambush), moves to the vicinity of the predicted loss position and waits, depending on the predicted lost position and predicted lost time, which are determined to be when tracking will become impossible in the future. In this way, the target movement position of the object 7000 is predicted depending on the predicted movement path, movement speed, past movement history, etc. of the object 7000, and multiple platoons are positioned near the predicted movement path so that tracking can be performed for a long time. At this time, the platoon that takes over tracking or surveillance and capture (ambush) gives top priority to moving to the target position, and the operation of adjusting the platoon's formation can be performed after arriving at the target position.

(A-9-2. Second pattern of post-discovery operation)
Next, Fig. 25 is a diagram showing the execution of the second post-discovery operation determined by the company control command determination unit 2600. The example shown in Fig. 25 particularly shows a pattern in which the number and size of the multiple platoons constituting the company do not change, but the unmanned vessels 1010 are replaced between the platoons. The upper diagram in Fig. 25 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, D) in the company at time t1 before the reorganization of the multiple platoons. At time t1, the allocation of roles to the unmanned vessels 1010 constituting each platoon is determined.

The central diagram in Figure 25 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, D) within the company at time t2 after reorganization of multiple platoons. In the pattern shown in this figure, unmanned vessels 1010 are swapped between platoons according to the roles determined for the unmanned vessels 1010, and each platoon is organized according to its role. Note that the number and size of each platoon after organization remains unchanged from time t1. Platoon A is assigned the role of surveillance and acquisition, platoon B is assigned to take over tracking, and platoons C and D are assigned to tracking.

The lower diagram in Figure 25 shows the planned movement route of each platoon at time t3 when the deployment command for each platoon is executed. In the example shown in this figure, platoons C and D, which are assigned the role of tracking, move to the vicinity of the tracking start position of the target object 7000 in response to the deployment command. Platoon B, which is assigned the role of taking over tracking, moves to the vicinity of the tracking handover position. Platoon A, which is assigned the role of surveillance and capture, moves to a position ahead of the predicted movement route of the target object 7000 (dotted arrow).

(A-9-3. Third pattern of post-discovery operation)
FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a state in which the third post-discovery operation determined by the company control command determination unit 2600 is executed. The example shown in FIG. 26 particularly shows a pattern in which the unmanned vessels 1010 are replaced among a plurality of platoons constituting a company, and the number of platoons and the size of each platoon are changed. The upper diagram in FIG. 26 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, and D) in the company at time t1 before the reorganization of the plurality of platoons. At time t1, the allocation of roles to the unmanned vessels 1010 constituting each platoon is determined. In the example shown in this figure, all the unmanned vessels 1010 of platoons A and B, and some of the unmanned vessels 1010 of platoons C and D are assigned the role of encirclement, and the other part of the unmanned vessels 1010 of platoons C and D are assigned the role of surveillance and capture.

The central diagram in Figure 26 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A and C) within the company at time t2 after reorganization of multiple platoons. In the pattern shown in this figure, unmanned vessels 1010 are swapped between platoons according to the roles determined for each unmanned vessel 1010, and two platoons, A and C, are organized for each role. Platoon A is composed of multiple unmanned vessels assigned the role of encirclement, and Platoon C is composed of multiple unmanned vessels assigned the role of surveillance and capture.

The lower diagram in Figure 26 shows the planned movement route of each platoon at time t3 when the deployment command for each platoon is executed. In the example shown in this figure, in response to the deployment command, platoon A, which has been assigned the role of encirclement, deploys on the predicted movement route of object 7000 so as to block the progress of object 7000. In addition, platoon C, which has been assigned the role of surveillance and capture, moves, for example, to a position where object 7000 can be detected.

(A-9-4. Fourth pattern of post-discovery behavior)
FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a state in which the fourth post-discovery operation determined by the company control command determination unit 2600 is executed. The example shown in FIG. 27 particularly shows a pattern in which the unmanned craft 1010 is replaced between multiple platoons constituting a company, the number of platoons and the size of each platoon are changed, and multiple roles are assigned to the platoon after the reorganization. The upper diagram of FIG. 27 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (platoons A, B, C, and D) in the company at time t1 before the reorganization of the multiple platoons. At time t1, the assignment of roles to the unmanned crafts 1010 constituting each platoon is determined. Here, multiple roles of encirclement and recovery charging are assigned to some of the unmanned crafts 1010 in platoon B. Also, multiple roles of encirclement and primary analysis processing are assigned to some of the unmanned crafts 1010 in platoon C.

The central diagram in Figure 27 shows the formation and communication network configuration of each platoon (Platoons A and C) within the company at time t2 after the reorganization of multiple platoons. In the pattern shown in this figure, unmanned vessels 1010 are swapped between platoons according to the roles determined for the unmanned vessels 1010, and two platoons, A and C, are organized for each role. Platoon A is composed of multiple unmanned vessels assigned the roles of encirclement, primary analysis processing, and recovery charging, while Platoon C is composed of multiple unmanned vessels assigned the roles of surveillance and capture.

The lower diagram in Figure 27 shows the planned movement route of each platoon at time t3 when the deployment command for each platoon is executed. In the example shown in this figure, platoon A, which has been assigned the role of encirclement in response to a deployment command, deploys on the predicted movement route of the object 7000 so as to block the progress of the object 7000. Note that unmanned boats 1010 in platoon A that have been assigned other roles in addition to encirclement (recovery charging, primary analysis processing) perform the roles of recovery charging and primary analysis processing in parallel with the encirclement mission. In addition, platoon C, which has been assigned the role of surveillance and capture, moves, for example, to a position where the object 7000 can be detected.

(A-9-5. Fifth pattern of post-discovery behavior)
Fig. 28 is a diagram showing the execution of the fifth post-discovery operation determined by the company control command determination unit 2600. The example shown in Fig. 28 particularly shows the state at time t4 when the composition of the company is reconstructed after time t3 in a pattern in which the number of platoons and the size of each platoon are changed by switching unmanned boats 1010 between multiple platoons constituting the company as shown in Fig. 26 and Fig. 27. The upper diagram in Fig. 28 shows the deployment of each platoon (platoons A and C) in the company at time t3 when a deployment command for each platoon is executed, and shows the same situation as time t3 shown in Fig. 26 and Fig. 27.

The lower diagram in Figure 28 shows an example in which Platoon A's encirclement is broken by object 7000, and the organization of Platoon A is restructured. In the example shown in this figure, Platoon A is divided into three new platoons, and the three new platoons are assigned the roles of pursuit, pursuit handover, and surveillance and capture. In addition, the role of Platoon C, which was assigned the role of surveillance and capture at time t3, is updated to pursuit.

Therefore, at time t4, the two platoons newly assigned to the tracking role will track the object 7000, the platoon assigned to take over the tracking role will move ahead of the predicted path of movement of the object 7000, and the platoon assigned to the surveillance and capture role will move to a position where the object 7000 can be detected.

(A-10. Method for determining operation command after discovery of unmanned vessel)
A method for determining an operation command for the unmanned watercraft 1010 after the object 7000 is discovered will be described below with reference to FIGS. 29 and 30. FIG.

(A-10-1. Processing flow for determining operation command after discovery of unmanned vessel)
29 is a flow chart showing an example of a process flow for determining an operation to be performed after the unmanned boat 1010 is discovered, performed by the platoon control command decision unit 2700. In particular, FIG. 29 explains the detailed process flow of step 108 in the control flow shown in FIG.

First, the role determination unit 2710 within the platoon determines the role of each unmanned boat (step 701).

Next, the intra-platoon movement target determination unit 2720 determines movement targets such as the movement target position and movement target time for each unmanned boat (step 702).

Next, the determination results calculated in each of the above steps are displayed (step 703). In this step, the determination results are displayed on the display unit 2810 or the user terminal device 8000.

Next, the user input information is received by the user input receiving unit 2820 (step 704). In this step, the above-mentioned determination result can be modified according to the received user input information.

(A-10-2. Display example of proposed information for action commands after discovery of unmanned vessel)
Fig. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a display in which the result of the decision of the platoon control command decision unit 2700 on the operation to be performed after the discovery of the unmanned boat 1010 is proposed to the user. In the example shown in Fig. 30, the current position and orientation of the target object 7000, the predicted future movement path, the positions and formations of multiple platoons (platoons A, B, C, and D) belonging to the company, the tracking start position, and the tracking takeover position are displayed on a map.

In addition, detailed information about multiple unmanned boats 1010 belonging to any platoon (e.g., platoon 1000a) selected by the user on the map is displayed. For example, the information includes the identification information of each unmanned boat 1010 constituting platoon 1000a, the assigned role (role 1, role 2), the location of the unmanned boats, and the identification information of the aircraft to which the communication connection is connected via the wireless communication network.

In addition, at the bottom of the screen, operation buttons are displayed that allow the user to approve or modify the proposed post-discovery actions. The overall control system 2000 can accept user input information via these operation buttons.

(A-11. Post-discovery action execution process)
The execution process of the post-discovery operation will be described below with reference to Figs. 31 to 33. Fig. 31 is a state transition diagram showing the execution state of the role of each platoon when executing the post-discovery operation. Fig. 31 is a state transition diagram showing the role execution state of each platoon in particular when the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 commands a single role for each platoon. The intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 judges the role execution state of each platoon shown in Fig. 31 and determines the role to be commanded next.

As shown in FIG. 31, the roles of each platoon determined by the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 can include response actions (including pursuit, encirclement, delay, advance, taking over pursuit, continued capture or ambush, etc.), auxiliary support actions that provide auxiliary support for the pursuit of a discovered object 7000 (including communication supplementation, data accumulation/transmission/reception, primary analysis processing, etc.), and other common actions (such as recovery and charging). Also, in the example shown in this figure, any one of the response actions, auxiliary support actions, and common actions such as recovery and charging can be determined as the role of the platoon.

In the above-mentioned Figure 31, a state transition diagram of the role execution state of each platoon is shown when the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 designates a single role for each platoon, but this embodiment is not limited to this, and the intra-company role allocation determination unit 2610 can also designate multiple roles for each platoon. Figures 32 and 33 show the role execution state of each platoon when multiple roles are designated for each platoon in this way.

Figure 32 is a state transition diagram showing the execution state of roles related to response actions for each platoon when performing post-discovery operations. Figure 33 is a state transition diagram showing the execution state of roles related to auxiliary support actions for each platoon when performing post-discovery operations. The state transitions shown in Figure 32 and the state transitions shown in Figure 33 can operate simultaneously in parallel. Therefore, while one of the roles of the response actions shown in Figure 32 is being executed, one of the roles of the auxiliary support actions shown in Figure 33 can be executed in parallel.

(A-12. Hardware configuration)
34 is a hardware configuration diagram of a supervisory control system 2000. Here, the supervisory control system 2000 in the present invention is an information processing device such as a server device or a PC. As shown in the figure, the supervisory control system 2000 has an input device 100, an output device 200, a processing device 300, a main memory device 400, an auxiliary memory device 500, a communication device 600, and a bus 700 that electrically connects these devices.

The input device 100 can constitute the user input receiving unit 2820, and is a device that allows a user to input information and instructions to the integrated control system 2000. Specifically, the input device 100 is, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, or a voice input device such as a microphone.

The output device 200 is a device that outputs various information generated by the overall control system 2000, and can constitute the display unit 2810. Specifically, the output device 200 can constitute the display unit 2810 using a display device for eyewear, AR, or VR, or can be a printer or a speaker.

The processing device 300 is, for example, a device that performs arithmetic processing. Specifically, the processing device 300 is, for example, a CPU, a microprocessor, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other semiconductor devices capable of performing calculations.

The main memory device 400 is a memory device such as a RAM that temporarily stores various read information and a ROM that stores programs and application programs executed by the processing device 300 and various other information. The auxiliary memory device 500 is a non-volatile memory device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), or flash memory that can store digital information. The communication device 600 is a device that communicates information wirelessly or wired with the outside.

In the above embodiment, a control system 1 using a group 1000 consisting of multiple unmanned boats 1010 that perform activities on the sea or water surface has been described, but the present invention is not limited to ships such as the unmanned boat 1010, and can be applied to any moving body or unmanned aircraft, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle that can move in the air, an unmanned submarine that can move underwater, or an unmanned vehicle that can move on land.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents.

[A-2. Effects of this embodiment]
The above-described embodiment provides a system or a control method that can more efficiently carry out activities such as surveillance and investigation using multiple mobile objects. As an example, by determining the organization of multiple platoons, including the number and size of the multiple platoons, depending on the situation, it is possible to more efficiently carry out activities such as surveillance and investigation using multiple mobile objects.

1...Control system (system)
LIST OF SYMBOLS 100...INPUT DEVICE 200...OUTPUT DEVICE 300...PROCESSING DEVICE 400...MAJOR MEMORY DEVICE 500...AUXILIARY MEMORY DEVICE 600...COMMUNICATION DEVICE 700...BUS 1000...UNMANNED BOAT SYSTEM 1001...MASTER DEVICE 1002...SLEEP DEVICE 10021...PRIMARY CONNECTED SLEEP DEVICE 10022...SECONDARY CONNECTED SLEEP DEVICE 10023...TERTIARY CONNECTED SLEEP DEVICE 1010...UNMANNED BOAT 1100...MEASUREMENT DEVICE 1110...MEASUREMENT SENSOR 1120...MEASUREMENT CONTROL DEVICE 1200...OWN BOAT STATE DETERMINATION DEVICE 1210...NAVIGATION STATE DETERMINATION DEVICE 1220...INTERNAL STATE DETERMINATION DEVICE 1230...EXTERNAL STATE DETERMINATION DEVICE 1300...NAVIGATION DEVICE 1310...THRUST GENERATING DEVICE 1320...ATTITUDE CONTROL MECHANISM 1330...NAVIGATION CONTROL DEVICE 1400...COMMUNICATION DEVICE 1410...INTER-UNMANNED BOAT COMMUNICATION DEVICE 1420...Overall control communication unit 1500...Determination unit 1600...Recording unit 1610...Measurement data recording unit 1620...Own aircraft status recording unit 1630...Determination information recording unit 2000...Overall control system 2100...Information import unit 2110...Activity condition acquisition unit 2120...Object determination condition 2130...Status definition acquisition unit 2140...Unmanned boat information acquisition unit 2200...Pre-discovery operation decision unit 2210...Pre-discovery company operation decision unit 2220...Pre-discovery platoon operation decision unit 2300...Unmanned boat status determination unit 2310...Status detection unit 2320...Performance estimation unit 2400...Object detection determination unit 2410...Object detection unit 2420...Object status determination unit 2500...Future status prediction unit 2510...Future object operation prediction unit 2520...future monitoring state prediction unit 2600...company control command determination unit 2610...intra-company role allocation determination unit 2620...intra-company organization determination unit 2630...intra-company deployment target determination unit 2700...platoon control command determination unit 2710...intra-platoon role determination unit 2720...intra-platoon movement target determination unit 2800...information input/output unit 2810...display unit 2820...user input reception unit 2830...command transmission output unit 2840...information transmission unit 3000...communication satellite 4000...terrestrial base station 5000...cooperative system 6000...external system 7000...target object 8000...user terminal device

Claims (26)

A control system for detecting an object by controlling the operation of a plurality of moving objects equipped with a measurement sensor capable of detecting the object, comprising:
an object detection unit that detects the object based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor;
a unit organization command decision unit that decides an organization command regarding the organization of a platoon for organizing a single platoon or a plurality of platoons by a plurality of the moving objects;
A control system in which, when the object detection unit detects the object, the unit organization command determination unit determines the organization command for the platoon depending on the current state or future predicted state of the detected object. 2. The control system of claim 1,
A control system, wherein the organization command for the platoon determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes information regarding the number of the platoon. 2. The control system of claim 1,
The unit organization command determination unit determines a role for one or more of the platoons depending on the current state or future predicted state of the object, and determines the organization command including designation information for the number of the platoons depending on the role. 2. The control system of claim 1,
A control system, wherein the platoon organization command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes information regarding the number of mobile objects belonging to each platoon of a single or multiple platoons. 2. The control system of claim 1,
The unit organization command determination unit determines a role for one or more of the platoons depending on the current state or future predicted state of the object, and determines the organization command including designation information for the number of moving objects belonging to each platoon depending on the role. 2. The control system of claim 1,
A control system, wherein the organization command for the platoon determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes command information for switching the mobile bodies belonging to multiple platoons between multiple platoons. 2. The control system of claim 1,
a user input receiving unit that receives user input information related to the organization of the platoon;
The unit organization command determination unit determines the organization command for the platoon in response to the user input information, the control system. 2. The control system of claim 1,
A control system, wherein the organization command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes information specifying the organization contents of the platoon, which is composed of a plurality of the mobile bodies that are directly connected to each other via a wireless communication network or indirectly connected via other the mobile bodies. 9. The control system of claim 8,
The unit organization command determination unit determines the organization command, which includes information regarding the connection configuration of the multiple mobile bodies via the wireless communication network, in accordance with the determined organization content of the platoon, in a control system. 10. The control system of claim 9,
a user input receiving unit that receives user input information related to the organization of the platoon;
The unit organization command determination unit determines the organization command, which includes information regarding the connection configuration of the wireless communication network of the platoon, in response to the user input information, in a control system. 2. The control system of claim 1,
The unit organization command determination unit determines a platoon operation command that specifies a role for each of the single or multiple platoons, a control system. 12. The control system of claim 11,
The platoon operation command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes:
Pursuing, surrounding, arresting, taking over the pursuit, continuing to measure and capture, or lying in wait for said object;
Or storing, transmitting, receiving, or analyzing the measurement data;
or relaying communication with other mobile units;
Or charging a power storage device mounted on the moving object,
The control system includes information that designates at least one of the roles for each platoon. 12. The control system of claim 11,
The platoon operation command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes:
A first role includes pursuing, encircling, stalling, taking over the pursuit, capturing, or lying in wait for said object;
A second role including at least one of storing, transmitting, receiving, or analyzing the measurement data, and relaying communication between other mobile bodies;
A control system including information that designates either one of the roles for each platoon. 12. The control system of claim 11,
The platoon operation command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes:
A first role includes pursuing, encircling, stalling, taking over the pursuit, capturing, or lying in wait for said target;
A second role including at least one of storing, transmitting, receiving, or analyzing the measurement data, and relaying communication between other mobile bodies;
The control system includes information specifying the roles of both the above for each platoon. 12. The control system of claim 11,
The platoon operation command determined by the unit organization command determination unit includes:
A first role includes pursuing, encircling, stalling, taking over the pursuit, capturing, or lying in wait for said target;
A second role including at least one of storing, transmitting, receiving, or analyzing the measurement data, and relaying communication between other mobile bodies;
information that designates one of the roles for a portion of the plurality of platoons;
A control system including information assigning both the first role and the second role to other portions of a plurality of the platoons. 16. A control system according to claim 13, 14 or 15,
a user input receiving unit configured to receive user input information regarding a role of each platoon;
The unit organization command determination unit determines the platoon operation command regarding the role of each platoon in response to the user input information, a control system. 12. The control system of claim 11,
The unit organization command determination unit determines a mobile object operation command including at least one of a role and a moving target for at least a portion of the mobile objects belonging to the platoon in accordance with the platoon operation command for a role specified for each platoon, in accordance with the platoon operation command for each platoon. 12. The control system of claim 11,
The unit organization command determination unit determines a movement target including at least one of a movement target position and a movement target time for each platoon in accordance with the platoon operation command for a role designated for each platoon, in a control system. 2. The control system of claim 1,
The unit organization command determination unit:
A control system that determines a platoon deployment command regarding the formation or deployment of a platoon, which includes at least one of the formation position, formation time, or formation shape of each platoon when forming the platoon with the determined formation content, or the target movement position, target movement time, or the target movement position and target movement time of each platoon after the platoon with the determined formation content is formed. 20. The control system of claim 19,
a user input receiving unit configured to receive user input information related to the content of a platoon deployment command for each platoon;
The unit organization command determination unit determines the platoon deployment command for the platoon in response to the user input information, a control system. 2. The control system of claim 1,
A control system comprising a display unit that displays and outputs information regarding the commands generated by the unit organization command determination unit. 2. The control system of claim 1,
A control system comprising a control command transmission unit that transmits commands generated by the unit organization command determination unit to the mobile body. 2. The control system of claim 1,
A control system comprising an information transmitting unit that transmits information regarding the command generated by the unit organization command determining unit to an outside. 2. The control system of claim 1,
A control system, wherein the mobile body is an unmanned vessel capable of moving on the sea by remote control or autonomous navigation or automatic navigation, and detects the target object using the measurement sensor. A control method for detecting an object by controlling the operation of a plurality of moving objects equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting the object, comprising:
an object detection step of detecting the object based on measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor;
A control method which executes a unit organization command determination step, which, when an object is detected by the object detection step, determines an organization command which specifies the organization contents of the platoon for forming a single or multiple platoons using multiple moving objects, depending on the current state or future predicted state of the detected object. A program for controlling the operation of a plurality of moving objects equipped with measurement sensors capable of detecting an object, and detecting the object, comprising:
On the computer,
an object detection command for detecting the object based on the measurement data acquired by the measurement sensor;
A program that executes a unit organization command determination command that determines, when an object is detected based on the measurement data, an organization command that specifies the organization contents of the platoon to organize a single or multiple platoons using multiple moving bodies, depending on the current state or future predicted state of the detected object.