Ntt Docomo, Inc.

Other

Yuichiro Segawa

Youhei Oono

Takefumi Yamada

Yasuhiro Kitamura

Hidetoshi Ebara

Ken Koumoto

Yukiko Nakamura

Naoki Kameyama

Tomoe Ushiro

Shinya Hanano

Hiroshi Kawakami

Koji Ishii

Tadao Takami

Kaori Niihata

Kazuhiro Yamada

Hiroshi Nakagawa

Takashi Yoshimoto

Takashi Hara

Jooin Woo

Masakazu Hamano

Mitsuteru Fukuyama

Tadashige Nagae

Syuusuke Watanabe

Kousuke Kadono

Yuuki Saitou

The present invention suppresses the case where communication performed by a radio communication apparatus of one flight vehicle is negatively influenced in the case where the radio communication apparatus of the one flight vehicle is connected to a radio base station that is experiencing interference due to a radio communication apparatus of another flight vehicle. A distance specification unit specifies, for each airspace, a distance between a first flight vehicle and a second flight vehicle that has a radio communication apparatus and is located in a cell formed by a radio base station that is experiencing interference due to a radio communication apparatus of the first flight vehicle. An instruction unit instructs, in each airspace, the first flight vehicle and the second flight vehicle to maintain the distance specified for the airspace by the distance specification unit when flying.

Flight vehicle management apparatus

A server device performs machine learning on the relationship between the content of piloting of an aerial vehicle and the behavior of the aerial vehicle in response to the content of the piloting, and generates a learning model for automatically piloting the aerial vehicle. However, the aerial vehicle is piloted in various environments and conditions, and there are environments and conditions that are unsuited for achieving highly accurate and stable automatic piloting. Therefore, the server device performs the machine learning only in an environment or a condition suited for realizing the automatic piloting.

Information processing apparatus for controlling flight of an aerial vehicle with a generated learning model

Outward leg instructing unit provides a first instruction for causing drone to acquire examination data of a facility while flying in the vicinity of the facility. Position information acquiring unit acquires position information of a place of focus specified based on the examination data acquired in accordance with the first instruction. Return leg instructing unit provides, as a second instruction, an instruction for causing drone to acquire a greater amount of examination data than that acquired in accordance with the first instruction with regard to the place of focus indicated by the acquired position information, while flying so as to return on a path flown due to the first instruction. Return leg instructing unit provides as the second instruction an instruction to acquire examination data including image data of a greater number of shots, as compared with shooting performed in accordance with the first instruction.

Information processing device and information processing method

Server apparatus, by controlling flight vehicle, causes flight vehicle to fly to a close range of a power-transmission line, and causes flight vehicle to capture images of the power-transmission line. Flight vehicle includes a positioning apparatus of GPS, and the flight of flight vehicle is controlled based on this measured position. On the other hand, each base station in communication network is provided with a positioning apparatus of GPS. The measured position of base station measured by the positioning apparatus is used to specify the error in position of flight vehicle determined by the positioning apparatus. Server apparatus restricts the flight of flight vehicle if the error in position of flight vehicle, which is determined by the positioning apparatus, that captures images of the power-transmission line is a threshold value or more.

Information processing apparatus and information processing method

The present invention aims to control position of flying object with respect to a structural object in a situation where it is difficult to perform positioning based on radio signals transmitted from a satellite. A position identification unit identifies position of flying object in troublesome GPS signal reception space, using different methods for coordinate axes. Specifically, position identification unit identifies position, on Z axis (first coordinate axis), of flying object in troublesome GPS signal reception space, based on distance from flying object to structural object (distance measured at time of position identification), and identifies positions, on X and Y axes (second coordinate axes), of flying object based on change in shape of structural object in respective axis directions of X and Y axes (second coordinate axes) (history of distance from flying object to bridge B measured multiple times until position identification).

Flying object control apparatus

Server apparatus, by controlling aerial vehicle, causes aerial vehicle to fly within a close range of an animal group, and causes aerial vehicle to capture images of the animal group. Aerial vehicle transmits captured image data to server apparatus via communication network, and server apparatus checks a health state of animals of the animal group using the captured image data with a method such as image analysis. Server apparatus performs machine learning using position information history of wireless terminals attached to animals (that is, a movement history of the animal group), specifies an area for checking the state of the animal group, and causes aerial vehicle to fly to the specified area and to capture images of the animal group.

An information processing apparatus includes a control unit that controls a first flying vehicle and a second flying vehicle. The first flying vehicle captures an image of a surface of a road. The second flying vehicle emits light onto the surface, such that a spot where a level difference is estimated, in advance, to occur on the surface, an image capturing direction in which the first flying vehicle captures an image of the spot, and a light emitting direction in which the second flying vehicle emits the light onto the spot have a relationship that causes, when the level difference exists, a shadow to occur at the spot and the shadow to be captured.

Information processing apparatus

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

Control device, program, and control method

A flight information acquisition unit repeatedly acquires the respective flight status of a plurality of drones in flight. A flight irregularity determination unit determines whether or not the drones are flying in a manner deviated from a flight plan. When a flight status of a drone indicating flight deviated from the flight plan has been acquired, a first collision specification unit specifies the drone at risk of collision with a drone having that flight status. When a flight status indicating that there is a possibility of crash for a drone has been acquired, a flight status processing unit (such as a flight irregularity determination unit) sets a higher priority for processing based on the flight status acquired from that drone than for processing based on the flight status acquired from another drone.

Recovery of a flying vehicle that has fallen to the ground is facilitated. A positioning unit measures a position of the flying vehicle during flight. A specification unit specifies a feature of a region on the ground corresponding to the measured position. A determination unit determines a sending interval of position information indicating the position of the flying vehicle, according to the specified feature. A sending unit sends the position information at the determined sending interval.

Determination of position sending interval for flying vehicle dependent upon ground surface below vehicle

Assignment unit assigns flight vehicles having radio communication apparatuses to airspaces. At this time, assignment unit limits the assignment of flight vehicle to a specified airspace in which a parameter specified by specification unit is in a predetermined range (e.g., an airspace in which the path loss of the physical downlink channel to radio communication apparatus is less than or equal to a threshold value).

Time slot specifying unit reads out facility information of a facility to be inspected (specifically, a base station ID of a base station whose previous inspection day is included in a past predetermined period) from facility information storage unit. Daytime information acquiring unit acquires daytime information at positions at which base stations to be inspected are installed. Time slot specifying unit specifies non-backlight time slots based on the read-out facility information and the acquired daytime information. Operation plan generating unit generates an operation plan of drone in which facilities are shot in the specified non-backlight time slots. Operation plan outputting unit outputs the generated operation plan.

A specifying unitof a flying body operation management devicespecifies an airspace in which a propagation delay equal to or greater than a threshold value occurs in the uplink of a time-division duplex between a wireless communication terminaland a wireless base stationto which wireless communication terminalis wirelessly connected. Next, an assigning unitof flying body operation management deviceperforms a process of assigning, with respect to each airspace, a flying bodyhaving a wireless communication terminal. At this time, with respect to an airspace specified by specifying unit, assigning unitlimits the assigning of flying bodyon which wireless communication terminalis mounted.

Aerial vehicle operation management device and aerial vehicle operation management method

Baggage is connected to an aerial vehicle in a state in which the baggage is suspended by a connector such as rope. A learning unit of a server device performs machine learning on the relationship between the piloting of an aerial vehicle and the behavior of baggage on the basis of an aerial vehicle behavior history and a piloting history acquired by a first acquisition unit and a baggage behavior history acquired by a second acquisition unit. With this arrangement, the automatic piloting of the aerial vehicle at the time of lowering baggage is achieved.

The accuracy of an index indicating growth conditions of a crop obtained from a shot image is improved, while reducing the flight time of an aircraft shooting the crop. Crop image acquisition unit acquires an image of a crop region shot by drone. Index calculation unit calculates an index indicating growth conditions of a crop shot in the image based on the acquired image of the crop region. Flight instruction unit instructs, if a portion (low index region) regarding which the calculated index is less than a predetermined index threshold is present in the crop region, drone to shoot the low index region while increasing the resolution of the image. Specifically, flight instruction unit makes an instruction to shoot the portion while performing a low-altitude flight at an altitude lower than that when the image regarding which the index of the low index region has been calculated has been shot.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Yuichiro Segawa