JP7688369B1 - Control system, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the performance of monitoring and tracking moving objects moving in marine areas, etc., using multiple unmanned aerial vehicles.
[Solution] The present invention is a system for detecting objects using multiple unmanned boats capable of navigating on or above the water surface, and comprises a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the multiple unmanned boats, an object detection and determination unit that processes the measurement data to detect the objects, an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of the type, operating state and dynamic performance of the detected objects, and an unmanned boat operation management unit that issues operation commands to the multiple unmanned boats, and the unmanned boat operation management unit is a control system that determines the content of the operation commands to the multiple unmanned boats depending on the determination result by the object analysis and determination unit.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

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

Patent Document 1 discloses a control device that includes an other-machine information acquisition means for acquiring information about the state of other machines in order to optimize the behavior of the entire drone group while each machine in the drone group autonomously selects its behavior; an action comparison means for acquiring information about the state of other machines 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 machines; 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 operation amount calculation means for calculating an operation amount of the drone itself using information about the action selected by the action selection means and information about the state of the other machines obtained from the other-machine information acquisition means; and an operation setting means for setting an operation setting value of an actuator that operates the drone itself using the calculation result of the operation amount calculation means.

Re-table No. 2018-105599

Ocean surveillance has traditionally been carried out using a few manned surveillance boats and research vessels to prevent nuisances and illegal fishing caused by suspicious ships sailing at sea, or to conduct ecological research on marine life. However, there is a problem in that a few manned surveillance boats are unable to carry out coordinated operations with multiple ships, such as taking over tracking, getting ahead of the enemy, surrounding them, holding them back, and coordinated tracking. Even when many manned surveillance boats are deployed, it is not easy to quickly control and manage a large number of manned ships. It is also not easy to train personnel with the skills to control and manage them. In recent years, the use of unmanned ships that can navigate the sea autonomously has been considered, and it is expected that they will be used for the above-mentioned monitoring of suspicious ships and ecological research.

On the other hand, suspicious ships and the like are expected to flee at high speeds, flee in a direction where there are fewer drones, accelerate or decelerate suddenly, make sharp turns, and so on, in order to escape surveillance and pursuit by drones. Marine life such as whales and dolphins are also expected to flee from research vessels in a similar manner.

Patent Document 1 discloses a method for controlling a group of drones in which, when a suspicious ship is discovered, a drone located near the suspicious ship is made to track the suspicious ship while the other drones continue searching for the unmanned ship. However, this control method has problems remaining in cases where the suspicious ship flees at high speed as described above, or flees in a direction where there are fewer or no drones, or where marine life escapes from the research ship, such as the suspicious ship escaping from pursuit by the drone, or it is not possible to obtain evidential image data of the suspicious ship or research data of the marine life.

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 improve the performance of monitoring and tracking moving objects moving in marine areas, etc., using multiple unmanned aircraft.

According to the present invention, a system for detecting objects using a plurality of unmanned boats capable of navigating on or above the water surface is obtained, comprising a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned boats, an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data to detect the objects, an object analysis determination unit that determines at least one of the type, operating state, and dynamic performance of the detected objects, and an unmanned boat operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned boats, and the unmanned boat operation management unit determines the command content of the operation command to the plurality of unmanned boats depending on the determination result by the object analysis determination unit.

The present invention makes it possible to improve the performance of monitoring and tracking moving objects moving through marine areas, etc., using multiple unmanned aerial vehicles.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an implementation image when the control system 1 is implemented in a real space. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing stakeholders related to the control system 1. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a platoon 1010 made up of unmanned boats 1000. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an unmanned boat 1000 deployed on the sea monitoring or tracking a suspicious ship 7000. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned boat 1000. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of a determination unit 1500 of the unmanned boat 1000. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing determination items of the determination process executed by the object detection determination unit 1510. FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an overall control system 2000. 13 is a state transition diagram showing the speed status etc. relating to the speed and acceleration/deceleration pattern of the suspicious ship determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250. FIG. 13 is a state transition diagram showing the course trajectory status regarding the course pattern of the suspicious ship determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250. FIG. 13 is a state transition diagram showing a disruptive navigation status regarding a navigation pattern intended to confuse tracking of a suspicious ship, as determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250. FIG. 13 is a state transition diagram showing an escape behavior status relating to the escape behavior pattern of a suspicious ship determined by the behavior status determination unit 2260. FIG. 13 is a state transition diagram showing the tracking state determined by the tracking state determination unit 2330. FIG. 2 is a state transition diagram showing the prediction state of the course prediction determined by the course prediction state determination unit 2340. FIG. 13 is a state transition diagram showing the state of an overall operation command determined by an overall operation determination unit 2410. FIG. FIG. 13 is a state transition diagram showing the state of a tracking formation command determined by the tracking operation determination unit 2430. 13 is a state transition diagram showing the state of a relative distance control command determined by a tracking operation determination unit 2430. FIG. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the overall control system 2000. 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 the process flow of the object analysis and determination process executed by the object analysis and determination unit 2200. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for determining the state or relative operating state of the unmanned watercraft 1000 executed by a system state determination unit 2300. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing flow for determining an operation command for the unmanned watercraft 1000, which is determined by the operation management unit 2400. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing flow for determining an operation command for the unmanned watercraft 1000 when shaking off, etc., executed by the tracking shake-off response action determination unit 2440. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relative positions and communication connections of a platoon 1010 of multiple unmanned boats 1000. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement of multiple platoons 1010. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing position control at times t1 and t2 when a target object is tracked by a plurality of unmanned watercraft 1000. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state of position control at times t3 and t4 when a target object is tracked by multiple unmanned watercraft 1000. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state of position control at times t5 and t6 when a target object is tracked by multiple unmanned watercraft 1000. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state of position control at times t7 and t8 when a target object is tracked by a plurality of unmanned watercraft 1000. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a time series takeover state when performing tracking takeover control. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state of position control at times t20 and t21 when a target is surrounded by a plurality of unmanned watercraft 1000 performing a first surrounding operation. 13 is a diagram showing the state of position control at time t22 when a target object is surrounded by multiple unmanned watercraft 1000 in a first surrounding operation. FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state of position control at times t30 and t31 when a target is surrounded by a plurality of unmanned watercraft 1000 in a second surrounding operation. 13 is a diagram showing the state of position control at time t32 when a target is surrounded by multiple unmanned watercraft 1000 in a second surrounding operation. FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state of times t40 and t41 when the action allocation determination unit 2420 allocates action roles to a plurality of unmanned watercraft. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state of times t42 and t43 when the action allocation determination unit 2420 allocates action roles to a plurality of unmanned watercraft. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state at times t44 and t45 when the action allocation determination unit 2420 allocates action roles to a plurality of unmanned watercraft. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state of times t46 and t47 when the action allocation determination unit 2420 allocates action roles to a plurality of unmanned watercraft. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state of times t50 and t51 when the tracking operation determination unit 2430 controls the relative distances between a plurality of unmanned watercraft. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state of times t52 and t53 when the tracking operation determination unit 2430 controls the relative distances between a plurality of unmanned watercraft. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state at times t54 and t55 when the tracking operation determination unit 2430 controls the relative distances between a plurality of unmanned watercraft. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state at times t56 and t57 when the tracking operation determination unit 2430 controls the relative distances between a plurality of unmanned watercraft.

The present invention will be described below with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof.
[Item 1]
A system for detecting an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft capable of navigating on or above the water surface,
a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data and detects the object;
an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
an unmanned watercraft operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
Equipped with
The unmanned boat operation management unit determines the content of the operation commands to be given to the plurality of unmanned boats in accordance with the determination result by the object analysis and determination unit, in a control system.
[Item 2]
In the control system according to item 1,
The unmanned craft operation management unit determines an assignment of an operation role to each of the plurality of unmanned crafts, and issues the operation command to the plurality of unmanned crafts to perform the assigned operation role.
[Item 3]
In the control system according to item 1 or 2,
A control system in which the operational roles assigned to the multiple unmanned boats by the unmanned boat operation management unit include at least one of the following: a role of tracking the object, a role of taking over tracking of the object, a role of anticipating the object's destination, a role of surrounding the object, a role of relaying communications between the multiple unmanned boats, a role of storing the measurement data, and a role of performing analytical processing of the measurement data.
[Item 4]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 3,
The operating state or dynamic performance of the object determined by the object analysis and determination unit includes:
past or current moving states of the object, including at least one of a past moving trajectory, a current traveling direction, a current heading direction, a current moving speed, a current acceleration, and a current deceleration;
or a future predicted moving state including at least one of a future predicted path, a predicted position at a future time, a predicted speed at a future time, and a predicted moving direction at a future time of the object;
or dynamic performance including at least one of a maximum moving speed, a maximum turning speed, a maximum acceleration, a maximum deceleration, and a movable distance of the object.
[Item 5]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 4,
When the type of the object determined by the object analysis and determination unit corresponds to a predetermined type, or when the current moving speed of the object is equal to or less than a predetermined value,
The unmanned boat operation management unit issues an operation command to at least one of the multiple unmanned boats for an encirclement operation that moves the unmanned boat so that the target object is inside the formation of the multiple unmanned boats, a control system.
[Item 6]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 5,
When the unmanned watercraft operation management unit issues a movement command for a preemptive operation to a destination of the object,
The unmanned watercraft operation management unit, for at least a portion of the plurality of unmanned watercraft,
A control system that issues the operational command to move the unmanned boat to at least one of the positions or areas determined by the object analysis and determination unit, including an extension of the object's past movement trajectory or the surrounding area on that extension, forward in the object's current direction of travel or the surrounding area, forward in the object's current nose direction or the surrounding area, on the object's future predicted path or the surrounding area on that predicted path, or the predicted position of the object at a future time or the surrounding area of the predicted position.
[Item 7]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 6,
The object includes an object moving on the water surface, underwater, or in the air;
The object analysis and determination unit determines the navigation pattern of the object including at least any of the following: stopping, where the object is stopped or almost stopped; navigation within the object's steady speed range; navigation faster than the steady speed range; navigation slower than the steady speed range; accelerating navigation; decelerating navigation; repeated acceleration and deceleration; zigzag navigation, where the object navigates a zigzag path; turning course change, where the object changes course by making a turn; U-turn navigation; and figure-of-eight navigation, where the object navigates a figure-of-eight path.
[Item 8]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 7,
The object analysis and determination unit determines the escape behavior state of the object, which includes at least one of the following behaviors: behavior of shaking off pursuit, behavior of avoiding being followed, behavior of moving away from an approaching unmanned vessel, behavior of preventing a course prediction, behavior of avoiding an unmanned vessel that has already arrived in advance, and behavior of avoiding being surrounded.
[Item 9]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 8,
a system state determination unit that determines a current or future state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft, or a current or future relative operating state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft and the object;
The unmanned boat operation management unit determines the operation commands for the multiple unmanned boats in accordance with the determination result by the system state determination unit.
[Item 10]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 9,
A control system in which the system state determination unit determines at least one of the positions of the multiple unmanned boats, the number of aircraft, the direction of movement, the movement speed, the possible movement distance, the remaining energy, and an estimated value of the movement capability including the movement speed or the possible movement distance of the unmanned boat in the external environment of the activity area of the unmanned boat.
[Item 11]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 10,
The system state determination unit determines a relative operating state including at least one of a tracking state in which the unmanned boat is tracking the object, a shake-off indication state in which the unmanned boat being tracked shows signs of being shaken off due to the object's fleeing behavior, a shake-off occurrence state in which the unmanned boat being tracked has been shaken off due to the object's fleeing behavior, and a position capture lost state in which the unmanned boat has lost track of the object's position.
[Item 12]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 11,
The system state determination unit performs a run-off prediction determination to predict at least one of a predicted run-off position and a predicted run-off time at which the unmanned boat being tracked will be run-off.
[Item 13]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 12,
The system state determination unit determines that the run-out state has occurred when a relative distance between the unmanned boat being tracked and the target object becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined distance.
[Item 14]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 13,
The system state determination unit determines that the state corresponds to a symptom of run-out when the speed of the unmanned vessel being tracked is slower than the speed of the object, or when the relative distance between the unmanned vessel being tracked and the object is increasing over time, or when the travelable distance of the unmanned vessel being tracked is shorter than the travelable distance of the object, or when the remaining energy of the unmanned vessel being tracked is less than the remaining energy of the object.
[Item 15]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 14,
A control system in which, when making the run-off prediction judgment, the system state judgment unit judges at least one of the predicted run-off position and the predicted run-off time at which the unmanned boat being tracked will be run-off based on status information regarding the unmanned boat being tracked, including at least one of the movement speed, movement direction, and position of the unmanned boat being tracked, and status information regarding the target object, including at least one of the movement speed, movement direction, and position of the target object.
[Item 16]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 15,
When the system state determination unit determines that the system state corresponds to the swing-out symptom state, the swing-out occurrence state, or the position capture lost state,
The unmanned vessel operation management unit determines whether to assign a role of taking over the tracking operation to another unmanned vessel different from the unmanned vessel performing the tracking, the control system.
[Item 17]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 16,
When the unmanned vessel operation management unit assigns a role of taking over tracking to another unmanned vessel different from the unmanned vessel performing tracking,
The unmanned boat operation management unit is a control system that performs at least one of the following for the unmanned boat: selection of the unmanned boat to be assigned the role of taking over the tracking of the target object; operation command to move the unmanned boat to the predicted run-out position; and operation command to move the unmanned boat to the predicted run-out position by the predicted run-out time.
[Item 18]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 17,
The system state determination unit determines that the state corresponds to the runout symptom state or the runout occurrence state,
When the object analysis and determination unit determines at least one of the past movement trajectory, the current traveling direction, the current heading direction, the future predicted course, and the future predicted position of the object,
The unmanned watercraft operation management unit, for at least a portion of the plurality of unmanned watercraft,
A control system that issues the operation command for a proactive operation to move the unmanned boat to at least one of the positions or areas on an extension line of the past movement trajectory of the object determined by the object analysis and determination unit or the surrounding area on that extension line, forward in the current direction of travel of the object or the surrounding area, forward in the current nose direction of the object or the surrounding area, on the future predicted path of the object or the surrounding area on the predicted path, or the predicted position of the object at a future time or the surrounding area of the predicted position.
[Item 19]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 18,
When the system state determination unit determines that the state corresponds to the runout indication state,
The unmanned boat operation management unit is a control system that issues the operation command to the unmanned boat, the operation command including at least one of attaching paint to the object and attaching a transmitter to the object.
[Item 20]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 19,
When the system state determination unit determines that the system is in the swing-out state or the position capture lost state,
The unmanned boat operation management unit issues the operation command to the unmanned boat that has entered the run-out state or position capture lost state to assign an operational role to the unmanned boat that includes at least one of the following: taking over tracking of the target object, anticipating the target's destination, surrounding the target object, relaying communications between the multiple unmanned boats, storing the measurement data, and analyzing the measurement data.
[Item 21]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 20,
The system state determination unit determines at least any of the following: whether or not a capture loss has occurred in which the multiple unmanned boats lose capture of the target object due to the target object's fleeing action, whether or not such a capture loss will occur in the future, a predicted lost position where the capture loss will occur, an area where the target object can be captured, a predicted lost time where the capture loss will occur, and a time when the target object can be captured.
[Item 22]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 21,
When the system state determination unit determines that the capture loss has occurred or predicts that the capture loss will occur in the future,
A control system comprising an information output unit that outputs information including at least one of information on the occurrence of capture loss, the predicted lost position, the predicted lost time, and information on the target object to an external system.
[Item 23]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 22,
The object analysis and determination unit determines a predicted future course or a predicted position at a future time of the object;
When the object analysis and determination unit determines a navigation pattern of the object including at least one of the following: stopping where the object is stopped or nearly stopped, navigation within the steady speed range of the object, navigation faster than the steady speed range, navigation slower than the steady speed range, accelerating navigation, decelerating navigation, repeated acceleration and deceleration, zigzag navigation traveling a zigzag route, turning course change where a course is changed by turning, U-turn navigation, and figure-of-eight navigation, or an escape behavior state of the object including at least one of the following behaviors: shaking off pursuit, avoidance behavior of a leading unmanned vessel, disruption of course prediction, avoidance behavior from being surrounded, and behavior moving away from an approaching unmanned vessel,
The system state determination unit determines the validity of the determined future predicted route or the predicted position at a future time according to the navigation pattern or the escape behavior state.
[Item 24]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 23,
When the unmanned watercraft operation management unit issues an operation command for a tracking operation on the target object,
The unmanned boat operation management unit issues the operation commands including information regarding the tracking formation of the multiple unmanned boats, including at least one of the following: tracking from behind the object's direction of travel, tracking from two directions, left and right, relative to the object's direction of travel, tracking from three directions, left and right and rear, relative to the object's direction of travel, tracking from four directions, front, back, left and right, relative to the object's direction of travel, and tracking from ahead of the object's direction of travel.
[Item 25]
25. The control system according to any one of claims 1 to 24,
When the unmanned watercraft operation management unit issues an operation command for a tracking operation on the target object,
The unmanned boat operation management unit issues the operation command including information regarding at least one of the tracking operations: an operation to prevent collision between multiple unmanned boats performing tracking operations on the target object, an operation to prevent collision between the target object and the unmanned boat, an operation to shorten the distance between the unmanned boat and the target object, and an operation to increase the distance between the unmanned boat and the target object.
[Item 26]
In the control system according to any one of items 1 to 25,
a user interface unit that displays candidate information for the operation command generated by the unmanned watercraft operation management unit and receives user input information for the operation command from a user;
When the user input information is received by the user interface unit,
The unmanned boat operation management unit determines the operation command in response to the user input information.
[Item 27]
A method for controlling a system that detects an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft that can navigate on or above the water surface, comprising the steps of:
The computer
a measurement step of acquiring measurement data by measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection step of processing the measurement data to detect the object;
an object analysis step of determining at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
a command determination step of determining command contents of operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft in accordance with a result of the determination step;
an operation command step of issuing commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft based on the operation command;
A control method comprising:
[Item 28]
A program for controlling a system that detects objects using a plurality of unmanned watercraft that can navigate on or above the water surface,
On the computer,
a measurement command for acquiring measurement data by measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection command for processing the measurement data to detect the object;
an object analysis command for determining at least one of a type, a motion state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
a command determination command for determining command contents of operation commands for the plurality of unmanned watercraft in accordance with a determination result determined based on the object analysis command;
an operation execution command for issuing a command based on the operation command to the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
A program that executes the following.

<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-1. composition]
(A-1-1. System Configuration)
First, the system configuration of a control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

(A-1-1-1. 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 1000 and a general control system 2000. The general control system 2000 is also configured to be capable of communicating 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 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 1000.

The unmanned boat 1000 is equipped with a parent unit 1001 capable of communicating with a communication satellite 3000, and a child unit 1002 capable of communicating directly or indirectly with the parent unit 1001, and a communication network is constructed between the parent unit 1001 and the multiple child units 1002. In addition, the multiple child units 1002 and the parent unit 1001 have the function of detecting and measuring suspicious ships sailing on the sea and other moving objects moving on the sea using measurement sensors (optical cameras, IR cameras, laser sensors such as LiDAR and millimeter wave sensors, acoustic sensors such as sonar, etc.) mounted on the boat.

Detection information and measurement data of objects detected by the unmanned boat 1000, as well as various information on the operating status of the unmanned boat 1000, are transmitted to the overall control system 2000 via the communication satellite 3000 and the terrestrial base station 4000. Based on information obtained from the unmanned boat 1000 and the external system 6000, the overall control system 2000 analyzes detected objects such as suspicious ships 7000 and the unmanned boat 1000, and generates operating commands for the unmanned boat 1000. Information such as the generated operating commands is transmitted to the collaborative system 5000, and external user input information can also be obtained from the collaborative system.

(A-1-1-2. Example of implementation of control system 1 in real space)
Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an implementation image when the control system 1 is implemented in real space. In the example shown in Fig. 2, a ground 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 is a cooperative system 5000 such as a monitoring organization facility, and further, an external system 6000 such as an AIS (Automatic Identification System) control center and an AIS base station that manage information on ships navigating on the ocean are provided.

On the other hand, on the ocean side shown on the left side of the drawing, there are deployed an unmanned boat 1000, objects to be monitored and tracked such as a suspicious ship 7000, and part of a cooperative system 5000 such as a surveillance boat operated by an external cooperative surveillance organization. In addition, multiple unmanned boats 1000 (parent unit 1001 and child unit 1002) form multiple squadrons 1010 (1010a, 1010b, 1010c), and each squadron can communicate directly or via a communication satellite 3000. In addition, the unmanned boat 1000 can communicate with a surveillance boat directly or via a communication satellite 3000, and for example, the unmanned boat 1000 can notify the surveillance boat of detection information regarding the suspicious ship 7000. In addition, the unmanned boat 1000 may be connected to an AIS base station so as to be able to communicate with it and acquire AIS information.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the overall control system 2000 is implemented in a facility on land, but this is not limited to the above. All or part of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in this embodiment can also be installed in other coastal field bases on land or manned ships at sea, and the unmanned boat 1000 can be operated at the coastal field bases or manned ships.

(A-1-2. Stakeholders regarding Control System 1)
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing stakeholders related to the control system 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the control system 1 has an operator who operates the unmanned boat 1000 by inputting and outputting information via a user interface unit 2500 of the overall control system 2000. When all or a part of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in this embodiment are implemented in a coastal field base on land or a manned ship on the sea, the operator can operate the unmanned boat 1000 at the coastal field base or the manned ship.

In addition, the external cooperative monitoring organization facilities of the cooperative system 5000 have a monitoring manager, and monitors are stationed on the monitoring boats, and they work together to monitor for nuisances at sea and investigate marine life. In addition, the AIS control center of the external system 6000 has a person in charge of generating, operating, and managing AIS information.

In addition, the suspicious ship 7000 that is the subject of monitoring by the control system 1 and the collaboration system 5000 has crew members who are engaging in nuisance activities. The information control system 1 can more efficiently monitor and track the suspicious ship 7000 by communicating and coordinating with the collaboration system 5000 and the external system 6000.

(A-1-3. Configuration of the unmanned boat 1000)
4 is a configuration diagram showing a platoon 1010 composed of unmanned boats 1000. As shown in FIG. 4, the unmanned boat 1000 is composed of one or more platoons 1010 (1010a, 1010b). Each platoon 1010 has at least one master unit 1001 and multiple slave units 1002. The master unit 1001 has a communication connection with a communication satellite 3000, and has the function of aggregating information collected from the multiple slave units 1002 and transmitting the information to the satellite communication 3000, as well as transmitting information related to operation commands obtained from the communication satellite 3000 and information generated by the master unit 1001 directly or indirectly to each slave unit 1002.

The squad 1010a shown in FIG. 4 includes a primary connection child device 10021 that is connected for communication with the parent device 1001, a secondary connection child device 10022 that is connected for communication with the primary connection child device 10021, and a tertiary connection child device 1023 that is connected for communication with the secondary connection child device 10022. Each child device (primary connection child device 10021, secondary connection child device 10022, tertiary connection child device 1023) 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.

Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram showing how an unmanned boat 1000 deployed on the sea monitors or tracks a suspicious ship 7000. As shown in Figure 5, multiple unmanned boats (parent unit 1001, child units 10021, 1022, 1023) are deployed on the sea, and the measurement sensor 1110 mounted on each unmanned boat can detect the suspicious ship 7000 that exists within the measurement range. Measurement information of the detected suspicious ship 7000 is collected in the parent unit 1001 via a communication network between the unmanned boats, transmitted from the parent unit 1001 to the communication satellite 3000, and transmitted to the general control system 2000 via a terrestrial base station 4000 or an Internet line. In addition, each unmanned boat is provided with a navigation unit 1300 that can navigate the unmanned boat in any direction, and it is also possible to track the suspicious ship 7000 after it is detected based on operation commands generated by the general control system 2000 or the parent unit 1001.

As the configuration of this embodiment described in Figures 1 to 5, an example has been described in which a non-terrestrial network using a communication satellite 3000 in a geosynchronous orbit or low earth orbit is used as a communication network for transmitting and receiving information between the overall control system 2000 and the unmanned boat 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 in circles 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 1000, it is also possible to use a communication network that directly connects the terrestrial base station 4000 to the unmanned boat 1000 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 that is immobile, and may be configured as a mobile base station that can be moved.

(A-1-4. Unmanned boat 1000)
6 to 8, the functions and their contents implemented in the unmanned watercraft 1000 will be described. In the present invention, the term "unmanned watercraft" refers to a mobile body capable of navigating on or underwater, regardless of whether it is autonomous or remotely controlled, and refers to a mobile body including a mobile buoy equipped with a thrust generating unit.

(A-1-4-1. Functional configuration of the unmanned boat 1000)
Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the unmanned boat 1000. Note that Fig. 6 describes the functional block diagram of the unmanned boat 1000, but the parent unit 1001 and child unit 1002 of the unmanned boat 1000 can implement functions similar to those shown in Fig. 6. The unmanned boat 1000 includes a measurement unit 1100, a host state determination unit 1200, a navigation unit 1300, a communication unit 1400, a determination unit 1500, a recording unit 1600, and an other action execution unit 1700.

The measurement unit 1100 is a functional unit that detects a suspicious ship 7000 that is present within a measurable range around the unmanned boat 1000 using a measurement sensor 1110, and acquires measurement information about the suspicious ship 7000. The measurement unit 1100 includes a measurement sensor 1110 and a measurement control unit 1120.

The measurement sensor 1110 can be composed of, for example, optical sensors such as an electro-optical sensor or an infrared sensor (IR sensor) that acquires image data, laser sensors such as a LiDAR sensor or a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor that acquires point cloud data, a radar sensor that detects microwaves, a millimeter wave sensor that detects millimeter waves, an acoustic sensor such as a sonar, and a radio wave sensor that detects radio waves emitted by a suspicious ship. The measurement sensor 1110 acquires measurement data of monitored objects such as suspicious ships that are within the measurement range by measuring the surroundings of the parent unit 1001.

The measurement control unit 1120 also operates a sensor attitude changing device capable of changing the attitude of the measurement sensor 1110 to control at least one of the attitude angles around the three axes of the measurement sensor 1110 relative to the unmanned boat 1000. For example, if the measurement sensor is an optical camera or an infrared camera, the measurement control unit 1120 can change the zoom amount or resolution of the optical camera or infrared camera to an arbitrary control amount. If the measurement sensor is a sonar, particularly an active sonar that emits sound waves by itself, the measurement control unit 1120 can adjust the output of the generated sound waves to an arbitrary control amount. The measurement control unit 1120 can also adjust the measurement sensitivity of the measurement 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 internal and external states of the unmanned boat 1000. The navigation state determination unit 1210 determines the aircraft's position (two-dimensional or three-dimensional), movement speed, heading, movement direction, movement acceleration/deceleration, turning speed, and other state quantities related to the navigation state. The internal state determination unit 1220 determines the remaining energy of the battery and fuel installed in the aircraft, the travelable distance that can be calculated based on the remaining energy, temporary abnormal states of equipment installed in the aircraft (temperature abnormality, communication abnormality, etc.), and equipment failure states. The external state determination unit 1230 also determines communication states such as communication strength (dB value or RSSI value, etc.) and communication speed with other unmanned crafts 1000 in the platoon 1010 with which it communicates, or ocean and tidal currents (current speed, flow direction), wind speed (wind speed, wind direction), wave height, and weather (rain, snow, cloudy, etc.) around the ship. Here, the external state determination unit 1230 is able to calculate the relative orientation, relative distance, and relative position coordinates of the other unmanned crafts 1000 with which it is communicating by analyzing the communication strength (RSSI value, etc.) with other unmanned crafts 1000 in the platoon 1010.

The method of determining the position, moving speed, moving direction, and acceleration/deceleration of the aircraft by the navigation state determination unit 1210 is not particularly limited, but for example, the position, moving speed, and moving direction of the aircraft at the current time can be determined using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GPS (Global Positioning System), RTK-GNSS (Real Time Kinematic - Global Navigation Satellite System), etc. Here, the position information of the aircraft itself 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. The acceleration/deceleration can be calculated based on the time change in the determined moving speed. The method of measuring the heading of the aircraft itself can determine the heading of the aircraft at the current time using, for example, a geomagnetic sensor, a GNSS compass, SLAM technology using the shape of the seabed, etc. The heading includes at least an attitude angle (direction) in a planar view around the Z axis, and preferably may be attitude information around three axes, the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. Additionally, the turning speed can be calculated based on the amount of change over time in the determined heading information.

As another measurement method, the navigation state determination unit 1210 can use an inertial measurement unit (IMU) or gyro sensor that detects translational motion (mainly acceleration) and rotational motion (mainly angular velocity) in three orthogonal axis directions to measure the aircraft's position, velocity, and acceleration in the three orthogonal axis directions, as well as the attitude, angular velocity, and angular acceleration in the rotational directions of the three orthogonal axes.

Next, the navigation unit 1300 is a functional unit that includes a thrust generating unit, a steering unit, and a navigation control unit, and navigates the parent unit 1001 in any direction according to the operation command received via the communication unit 1400. The thrust generating unit is, for example, a propeller, and can generate thrust by driving the propeller with an engine or an electric motor. The thrust generating unit can also be configured with a sail that receives wind to generate thrust, or a wave glider that receives wave power to generate thrust. The steering unit can change the nose direction of the unmanned boat by changing the attitude angle of the propeller or rudder. The navigation control unit is a functional unit that controls the output from the thrust generating unit and the attitude angle of the steering unit to control the navigation operation of the aircraft. The navigation control unit 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, its moving speed, its moving acceleration/deceleration, its heading, and its turning speed. In other words, the navigation control unit controls the navigation operation of the aircraft by making the aircraft 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 unmanned boat-to-unmanned boat communication unit 1410, a satellite communication unit 1420, and an external communication unit 1430, and communicates with other unmanned boats 1000 in the platoon 1010, the communication satellite 3000, external surveillance boats, and AIS base stations. The unmanned boat-to-unmanned boat communication unit 1410 includes a communication antenna for unmanned boat-to-unmanned boat communication, and communicates with other unmanned boats 1000 in the platoon 1010. The satellite communication unit 1420 includes a satellite communication antenna, and communicates with the communication satellite 3000. The external communication unit 1430 includes an AIS antenna and a VHF antenna, and communicates with external surveillance boats and AIS base stations.

Next, the judgment unit 1500 is a functional unit that makes judgments regarding monitored objects such as the suspicious ship 7000. Details will be described later using FIG. 7.

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.

Next, the other action execution unit 1700 is a functional unit that performs a paint attachment action, such as spraying paint onto a tracked object such as the suspicious ship 7000, or a transmitter attachment action, such as throwing a transmitter or the like.

(A-1-4-2. Functional configuration of the determination unit 1500)
7 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the determination unit 1500 of the unmanned boat 1000. As shown in FIG. 7, the determination unit 1500 includes an object detection determination unit 1510 and an object analysis unit 1520.

The object detection determination unit 1510 is a functional unit that includes an initial detection unit 1511, a detailed measurement determination unit 1512, a detailed detection unit 1513, and an object matching determination unit 1514, and performs detection and determination of objects such as the suspicious ship 7000. The initial detection unit 1511 performs initial detection of the monitored object based on the measurement data acquired by the measurement unit 1100. The detailed measurement determination unit 1512 determines whether detailed measurement is required and the detailed measurement conditions based on the result of the initial detection determination. The detailed detection unit 1513 performs detailed detection and determination of the monitored object based on the detailed measurement data obtained by the detailed measurement. The object matching determination unit 1514 determines whether the detected object corresponds to the monitored object based on the result of the detailed detection determination. The determination contents by the object detection determination unit 1510 described above will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 8.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing the judgment items of the judgment process executed by the object detection judgment unit 1510. In particular, Figure 8 shows judgment items in the initial detection by the initial detection unit 1511, the detailed measurement judgment by the detailed measurement judgment unit 1512, the detailed detection by the detailed detection unit 1513, and the judgment of whether the object is a monitored object by the object judgment unit 1514. As shown in Figure 8, the initial detection judgment by the initial detection unit 1511 includes judgment items such as a ship judgment for determining whether the detected object detected from the detection data is a ship or not, a shape judgment of the detected object (ship), a direction judgment of the detected object (ship), a relative distance judgment between the detected object (ship) and the aircraft, a size judgment of the detected object (ship), a type judgment of the detected object (ship), a position coordinate judgment of the detected object (ship), a future route prediction judgment of the detected object (ship), and an estimation of the past route history of the detected object (ship).

Furthermore, in the detailed measurement judgment by the detailed measurement judgment unit 1512, it is judged whether or not it is necessary to acquire detailed measurement data necessary to determine whether or not the object is a monitored object, and the measurement conditions when acquiring the detailed measurement data. As an example of the acquisition conditions of the detailed measurement data, it is possible to set an approaching image, measurement image data acquired from an angle different from that at the time of initial detection, acquisition of an image with a higher light intensity than the measurement image acquired at the time of initial detection, and the like as acquisition conditions. Furthermore, the detailed detection judgment by the detailed detection unit 1513 includes, for example, the execution of an image analysis process to determine whether or not the object is a monitored object. This image analysis process includes the interpretation of ship information (ship name, registration number, etc.) from an image, interpretation of the detailed shape and characteristic shape of the ship from an image, and the like. Furthermore, in the object suitability judgment by the object suitability judgment unit 1514, it is judged whether or not the detected object (ship) corresponds to the monitored object based on the result of the detailed detection judgment described above. Note that the object suitability judgment unit 1514 may judge multiple stages of suspicious level information as a suspicious level indicating the probability of the object being a monitored object, instead of binary information of suitability or non-suitability of the object.

Here, in determining the type of detected object determined by the initial detection unit 1511, it is possible to determine, for example, ships that can be queried by AIS, such as cargo ships, regular service ships, and passenger ships, or small and medium-sized private ships, such as fishing boats, pleasure boats, yachts, boats, and water scooters, or objects moving on or underwater, such as divers, marine life (whales, dolphins, schools of fish, etc.), and underwater drones. It is also possible to detect birds and small drones flying in the sky close to the water surface.

Next, the object analysis unit 1520 is a functional unit that includes an operation state determination unit 1521, a performance determination unit 1522, and a future course prediction determination unit 1523, and updates and determines the object's position, performance, and future course prediction based on the latest measurement data of the monitored object acquired through continuous measurement by the measurement unit 1100.

The motion state determination unit 1521 is a functional unit that determines the current motion state of the object based on the latest measurement data. The motion state determination unit 1521 determines the current position coordinates, speed, turning radius, turning speed, acceleration, and deceleration of the object. Here, the position coordinates may be two-dimensional coordinates on a horizontal XY plane, but it is preferable that they are three-dimensional coordinates in the XYZ space that also includes information in the height direction.

The performance determination unit 1522 is a functional unit that determines the dynamic performance of a detected object. For example, when the object is a suspicious ship, the performance determination unit 1522 predicts the dynamic performance related to the navigation of the suspicious ship, including at least one of the maximum speed, minimum turning radius, turning speed, acceleration, deceleration, and cruising distance. The performance determination unit 1522 can determine each of the above-mentioned performances based on the information determined by the initial detection unit 1511 and the operation state determination unit 1521. In addition, the performance may be determined based on the type information of the object determined by the initial detection unit 1511.

The future course prediction determination unit 1523 is a functional unit that predicts and determines the future course of a detected object. The future course prediction determination unit 1523 can predict and determine the future course based on, for example, the course history and current position and direction information determined by the initial detection unit 1511 and the motion state determination unit 1521. The future course prediction determination unit 1523 may also predict and determine the future course based on the type information of the object determined by the initial detection unit 1511.

(A-1-5. Configuration of the integrated control system 2000)
Next, the functions and contents of the overall control system 2000 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the overall control system 2000. As shown in Fig. 9, the overall control system 2000 includes an information import unit 2100, an object analysis and determination unit 2200, a system state determination unit 2300, an operation management unit 2400, a user interface unit 2500, an operation command unit 2600, and an information communication unit 2700.

(A-1-5-1. 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 1000, the cooperative system 5000, or the external system 6000. The information import unit 2100 includes a detection condition acquisition unit 2110, a detection information acquisition unit 2120, an external information acquisition unit 2130, and an external user input information acquisition unit 2140.

The detection condition acquisition unit 2110 is a functional unit that acquires information regarding the judgment conditions when judgments are made in each of the functional units, the object analysis judgment unit 2200, the system state judgment unit 2300, and the operation management unit 2400, which will be described later.

The detection information acquisition unit 2120 is a functional unit that acquires detection information of objects determined by the determination unit 1500 of the unmanned boat 1000 via a communication satellite 3000, HAPS, etc., and measurement data measured by the unmanned boat 1000.

The external information acquisition unit 2130 is a functional unit that acquires navigation information of ships in the ocean area in which the unmanned boat 1000 is deployed or in the surrounding area from the AIS control center of the external system 6000. In addition, navigation information of ships may be acquired from other VHF Data Exchange Systems included in the external system 6000.

The external information acquisition unit 2130 may also acquire weather information for the marine area in which the unmanned boat 1000 is deployed or the surrounding area from an external system 6000 such as the Japan Meteorological Agency or a private weather information system.

The external user input information acquisition unit 2140 is a functional unit that receives external user input information from the collaborative system 5000. The external user input information received from the collaborative system 5000 can include a selection input for selecting an arbitrary operation command from multiple operation command candidates generated by the operation management unit 2400, an approval input for approving the operation command candidate, a correction request input for correcting part of the operation command candidate, or an intervention operation command input for instructing the execution of an intervention operation different from the operation command candidate.

(A-1-5-2. Object Analysis and Determination Unit 2200)
The object analysis and determination unit 2200 is a functional unit that analyzes the object based on the detection information and measurement data of the object acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 2120, and determines at least one of the object's type, operating state, and dynamic performance. The object analysis and determination unit 2200 includes a type determination unit 2210, an operating state determination unit 2220, a performance determination unit 2230, a course prediction determination unit 2240, a navigation pattern determination unit 2250, and an action status determination unit 2260.

The type determination unit 2210 is a functional unit that determines the type of the object based on the detection information and measurement data of the object acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 2120. The type determination unit 2210 can determine the type of the object, such as a ship on the sea surface, a creature underwater, or a diver. Here, the type determination unit 2210 can determine the type including, for example, a cargo ship, a regular service ship, a passenger ship, a fishing boat, a pleasure boat, a yacht, a boat, a water scooter, a diver, and a creature underwater (such as a whale, a dolphin, or a school of fish).

The type determination unit 2210 can determine the alert level based on the detection information and measurement data of the object acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 2120, not limited to the type of object. For example, the alert level can be determined in multiple stages such as levels S, A, B, and C. For example, the alert level can be determined according to the type and size of the object, the detection date and time (time period), the detection position, the speed and behavior actually measured by the unmanned boat 1000, the moving speed, acceleration, and past moving trajectory determined by the operation status determination unit 2220 described later, or the suspicious ship detection probability calculated based on AIS, SAR, and VDES information, or the determination results by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 and the behavior status determination unit 2260 described later. For example, if the time, position, and route at which the suspicious ship was detected match the alert time period such as late night, the frequent location of suspicious ships, and important routes, the alert level can be set high. In addition, the overall operation determination unit 2410 described later can determine the overall higher-level operation command according to this alert level. Alternatively, the tracking operation determination unit 2430, which will be described later, can determine a tracking formation command based on this alert level.

When the type or alert level of the object determined by the type determination unit 2210 is indefinite, additional measurement data is required to identify the object, so a re-measurement command may be sent to the unmanned boat 1000. In addition, the display unit 2510 of the user interface unit 2500 described later may be notified that the determination is indefinite, and input information regarding the need to obtain additional measurement data may be received from the user.

The motion state determination unit 2220 is a functional unit that determines the past or current movement state of the object based on the information acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 2120. The motion state determination unit 2220 determines the past movement trajectory, current direction of travel, current heading direction, current movement speed, current acceleration, current deceleration, and further the current position coordinates, turning radius, and turning speed of the object. Here, the position coordinates may be two-dimensional coordinates on a horizontal XY plane, but are preferably three-dimensional coordinates in the XYZ space that also include information in the height direction.

The performance determination unit 2230 is a functional unit that determines the dynamic performance of the object based on the information acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 2120 or the determination information of the operation state determination unit 2220. For example, when the object is a suspicious ship, the performance determination unit 1522 predicts the dynamic performance related to the navigation of the suspicious ship, including at least one of the maximum movement speed, minimum turning radius, maximum turning speed, maximum acceleration, maximum deceleration, and possible movement distance.

The course prediction determination unit 2240 is a functional unit that predicts and determines the future movement state of a detected object. The course prediction determination unit 2240 can predict and determine the future movement state of the object, including at least one of the object's predicted future path, predicted position at a future time, predicted speed at a future time, and predicted direction of travel at a future time, based on information such as the object's movement trajectory, current position, traveling direction, nose direction, and response speed determined by the initial detection unit 1511 and the operation state determination unit 2220.

The navigation pattern determination unit 2250 is a functional unit that determines the navigation pattern of the suspicious ship, which is the target object. The navigation pattern determination unit 2250 can determine, as the navigation pattern of the suspicious ship, for example, the status related to the speed and acceleration/deceleration pattern of the suspicious ship, the status related to the navigation path of the suspicious ship, or the status related to the tracking disruption navigation of the suspicious ship. The contents of the determination of each status of the suspicious ship by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 will be explained below with reference to Figures 14 to 16.

Figure 10 is a state transition diagram showing the speed, etc. status related to the speed and acceleration/deceleration pattern of the suspicious ship determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250. As shown in Figure 10, the speed, etc. status of the suspicious ship determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 includes each of the following states: a stopped state where the suspicious ship's movement is stopped or almost stopped, a steady cruising state where the suspicious ship is cruising within a steady speed range, a high-speed steady cruising state where the suspicious ship is cruising steadily at a speed faster than the steady speed range, a low-speed steady cruising state where the suspicious ship is cruising steadily at a speed slower than the steady speed range, a rapid acceleration state where the suspicious ship is accelerating rapidly, a rapid deceleration state where the suspicious ship is decelerating rapidly, and a repeated rapid acceleration/deceleration state where the suspicious ship is repeating rapid acceleration and deceleration. The navigation pattern determination unit 2250 can determine which of the speed, etc. statuses shown in Figure 10 the suspicious ship's state corresponds to, based on the speed, acceleration, and deceleration information determined by the operation state determination unit 2220.

Figure 11 is a state transition diagram showing the course trajectory status regarding the course pattern of the suspicious ship determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250. As shown in Figure 11, the course trajectory status of the suspicious ship determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 includes each of the following states: a stopped state in which the suspicious ship's movement has stopped, a straight course cruising state in which the ship is navigating a straight course, a straight-ahead state in which the ship increases the distance to the unmanned boat 1000 while continuing to navigate straight, a sideways state in which the ship approaches the unmanned boat 1000, a wide-open state in which the ship moves away from the unmanned boat 1000, a normal turning state in which the ship turns at a gentle angle, an obtuse-angle course change state in which the ship changes course at a gentle angle, and a sharp-angle course change state in which the ship changes course at an acute angle.

The navigation pattern determination unit 2250 can determine which of the course trajectory statuses shown in Figure 11 the state of the suspicious ship corresponds to based on the turning radius and turning speed determined by the operation status determination unit 2220, or the route history and current position and orientation information determined by the initial detection unit 1511.

Figure 12 is a state transition diagram showing the disruptive navigation status for a navigation pattern intended to confuse the tracking of a suspicious ship, as determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250. As shown in Figure 12, the disruptive navigation status of a suspicious ship determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 includes a normal cruising state within a steady speed range, a sudden stop state, a zigzag navigation state in which a ship navigates a zigzag route, a figure-of-eight navigation state in which a ship navigates a figure-of-eight route, a U-turn state in which a ship makes a U-turn, a non-disturbance escape navigation state in which a ship escapes without any disruptive action, and an escape navigation abandonment state in which escape is abandoned.

The navigation pattern determination unit 2250 can determine which of the disturbed navigation statuses shown in Figure 12 the suspicious ship's state corresponds to based on the speed, acceleration, deceleration, turning radius, and heading speed determined by the operation state determination unit 2220, or the route history and current position and orientation information determined by the initial detection unit 1511.

Next, the behavior status determination unit 2260 is a functional unit that determines the escape behavior status of the suspicious ship, which is the target object. The behavior status determination unit 2260 is a functional unit that determines the state or intention of the escape behavior of the pilot of the suspicious ship as the escape behavior status of the suspicious ship. Below, the contents of the determination of the escape behavior status of the suspicious ship by the behavior status determination unit 2260 will be explained using Figure 13.

Figure 13 is a state transition diagram showing the escape behavior status related to the pattern of the escape behavior of the suspicious ship determined by the behavior status determination unit 2260. As shown in Figure 13, the escape behavior status of the suspicious ship determined by the behavior status determination unit 2260 includes each of the following states: normal cruising, an escape state in which an escape behavior is performed to escape pursuit from the unmanned vessel 1000, a follow-up avoidance state in which an escape behavior is performed to avoid follow-up by the unmanned vessel 1000, an approaching vessel separation state in which an approaching vessel moves away from the unmanned vessel 1000 and avoids taking precise evidence photographs, a course prediction prevention state in which a course prediction is prevented, a proactive vessel avoidance state in which a proactive vessel avoids a vessel that is ahead of the vessel, an encirclement prevention state in which an encirclement by the unmanned vessel 1000 is prevented, and an escape navigation abandonment state in which escape navigation is abandoned.

The navigation pattern determination unit 2250 can determine which escape behavior status shown in FIG. 13 the state of the suspicious ship corresponds to based on the various operating states of the suspicious ship determined by the operation state determination unit 2220 and the various navigation patterns of the suspicious ship determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250.

(A-1-5-3. System state determination unit 2300)
The system state determination unit 2300 is a functional unit that determines the current or future state of the unmanned boat 1000, or the current or future relative operating state of the unmanned boat 1000 and the target object (suspicious boat 7000). The system state determination unit 2300 includes an unmanned boat state determination unit 2310, a capture/loss prediction unit 2320, a tracking state determination unit 2330, and a course prediction state determination unit 2340.

The unmanned boat status determination unit 2310 is a functional unit that determines the status of the unmanned boat. For example, it determines at least one of the following: the position of multiple unmanned boats, the formation, the number of aircraft, the moving direction, the moving speed, the possible moving distance, the remaining energy, the estimated value of the moving capability including the moving speed or the possible moving distance of the unmanned boat under the external environment such as the waves, wind, and currents in the unmanned boat's activity area, and the predicted position at a future time.

The capture loss prediction unit 2320 determines whether a capture loss will occur in the future, in which the target object's position capture is lost, before tracking by the unmanned boat 1000 is started or while tracking by the unmanned boat 1000 is being performed, and if it determines that a capture loss will occur in the future, determines the area in which the target object can be captured by the unmanned boat 1000, or the predicted loss location where capture loss is predicted. It also predicts the time when the unmanned boat can capture the position, or the predicted loss time when capture loss is predicted. The capture loss prediction unit 2320 can predict a future capture loss in advance based on the analysis results (particularly the dynamic performance including the target object's speed) of the target object (suspicious ship 7000) determined by the target object analysis determination unit 2200, the movement speed and movement capability of the unmanned boat determined by the unmanned boat status determination unit 2310, and each piece of information on the unmanned boat's captureable distance.

The tracking state determination unit 2330 is a functional unit that determines the tracking state, which is the relative operating state of the unmanned boat 1000 that is tracking the target object (suspicious ship 7000). The tracking state of the unmanned boat 1000 determined by the tracking state determination unit 2330 will be explained using Figure 14.

Figure 14 is a state transition diagram showing the tracking state determined by the tracking state determination unit 2330. As shown in Figure 14, the tracking state of the unmanned boat includes a tracking achieved state in which tracking is being performed, a loss-of-tracking indication state in which there are signs that the unmanned boat is about to lose track due to the fleeing behavior of the target, a loss-of-tracking occurrence state in which tracking has been lost due to the fleeing behavior of the target, a capture-lost state in which the unmanned boat 1000 has lost track of the target (suspicious ship 7000), and a tracking-ended state in which tracking has ended.

The tracking state determination unit 2330 can determine whether the object (suspicious ship 7000) is in one of the tracking states shown in FIG. 14, based on the analysis results of the object (suspicious ship 7000) determined by the object analysis determination unit 2200 and the determination results regarding the unmanned boat by the unmanned boat state determination unit 2310.

For example, if the movement speed of the tracking unmanned vessel 1000 is slower than the movement speed of the target object, or if the relative distance between the tracking unmanned vessel and the target object increases over time, or if the movement distance of the tracking unmanned vessel is shorter than the movement distance of the target object, or if the remaining energy of the tracking unmanned vessel is less than the remaining energy of the target object, or if the movement performance of the unmanned vessel, including the maximum movement speed, etc., is lower than the predicted movement performance value, including the maximum movement speed, etc., of the target object, the tracking state determination unit 2330 can determine that the tracking state corresponds to a run-out symptom state.

As another example, the tracking status determination unit 2330 may determine that the tracking status corresponds to a runaway indication state based on the past movement history of the object (suspicious ship 7000) determined by the object analysis determination unit 2200 and the future predicted route of the object.

As another example, the tracking state determination unit 2330 can determine that a run-off state has occurred when the relative distance between the unmanned boat 1000 being tracked and the target object becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined distance.

When the tracking state determination unit 2330 determines that there is a run-off symptom state, it can perform a run-off prediction determination to predict at least one of the predicted run-off position and predicted run-off time at which the unmanned boat being tracked will be run-off. In this way, as a method of performing a run-off prediction determination to predict the predicted run-off position and predicted run-off time, for example, it can determine at least one of the predicted run-off position and predicted run-off time at which the unmanned boat being tracked will be run-off in accordance with status information on the unmanned boat 1000 being tracked, including at least one of the movement speed, movement direction, and position of the unmanned boat 1000 being tracked, and status information on the target, including at least one of the movement speed, movement direction, and position of the target.

The path prediction state determination unit 2340 is a functional unit that determines the state of the prediction process that determines the future predicted path or predicted position at a future time of the object determined by the path prediction determination unit 2240 described above. The path prediction state determined by the path prediction state determination unit 2340 will be described using FIG. 15.

Figure 15 is a state transition diagram showing the predicted state of the path prediction determined by the path prediction state determination unit 2340. As shown in Figure 15, the path prediction state includes the following states: normal path prediction, uncertain path prediction, abnormal path prediction, and tracking end.

The course prediction state determination unit 2340 can determine the validity of the prediction process that determines the future predicted course or predicted position at a future time of the object determined by the course prediction determination unit 2240, depending on the state of the object's navigation pattern shown in Figures 10, 11, and 12 determined by the above-mentioned navigation pattern determination unit 2250, and the state of the object's escape behavior status shown in Figure 13 determined by the behavior status determination unit 2260. In other words, it can determine the course prediction state shown in Figure 15.

For example, when the course trajectory status determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 is "straight course navigation", it is highly likely that the vessel will proceed along the predicted course, and therefore the course prediction state can be determined as "course prediction normal". When the course trajectory status determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 is "normal turning", it is likely that the vessel will deviate from the predicted course, and therefore the course prediction state is determined as "course prediction uncertain". When the course trajectory status determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 is "sharp course change", it is highly likely that the vessel will deviate from the predicted course, and therefore the course prediction state is determined as "course prediction abnormal". Here, an example has been described in which the course prediction state is determined according to the course trajectory status determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250, but the course prediction state may also be determined according to a determination result other than those described above by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 or the action status determination unit 2260, or another determination result by the object analysis determination unit 2200.

(A-1-5-4. Operation management unit 2400)
The operation management unit 2400 is a functional unit that determines the contents of operation commands to a plurality of unmanned boats and issues the operation commands in accordance with the determination result regarding the object by the object analysis and determination unit 2200. The operation management unit 2400 includes an overall operation determination unit 2410, an operation allocation determination unit 2420, a tracking operation determination unit 2430, a tracking cut-off response action determination unit 2440, a surrounding operation determination unit 2450, a proactive operation determination unit 2460, and an operation command confirmation unit 2470.

The overall operation decision unit 2410 is a functional unit that decides the overall operation command for one or more platoons 1010 consisting of multiple unmanned boats 1000. Below, the method of determining the overall operation command will be explained using FIG. 16.

16 is a state transition diagram showing the state of the overall operation command determined by the overall operation determination unit 2410. As shown in FIG. 16, the overall operation command determined by the overall operation determination unit 2410 includes the operation commands "tracking" to perform tracking, "taking over tracking" to perform tracking of the target while performing handover by multiple unmanned boats, "preemption" to have unmanned boats advance to the target's destination, "surrounding" to surround the target with multiple unmanned boats, "abandon tracking" to give up tracking, "request for external handover" to request an external system to take over, "action just before losing" to perform an action just before losing the position capture of the target, and "end tracking" to end tracking. The preemption and surrounding operation commands may be to have some unmanned boats track the target.

The overall operation determination unit 2410 can determine an overall operation command from among multiple operation command candidates shown in FIG. 16, depending on the contents of the judgment regarding the object judged by the object analysis and judgment unit 2200.

For example, if the type of object determined by the object analysis and determination unit 2200 corresponds to a predetermined type (a type of ship that should be surrounded, such as a trespassing ship or a poaching ship), or if the current movement speed of the object is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, or if the alert level of the object determined by the type determination unit 2210 is relatively low, the overall operation determination unit 2410 can determine that the overall operation command is to "surround" the object by moving the unmanned boats so that the object is inside the formation of multiple unmanned boats.

As an example of a method for determining the overall operation according to the alert level of the object determined by the type determination unit 2210, when the alert level of the object determined by the type determination unit 2210 is relatively high, "tracking" may be determined as the overall operation, and when the alert level drops to a relatively low alert level, the overall operation may be changed from "tracking" to only "surrounding." As another example, when the alert level drops to a relatively low level, the overall operation may be changed to "anticipating," and the unmanned boat may be caused to anticipate a position ahead of the predicted movement path of the object.

As another example of a method for determining the overall operation according to the alert level of the object determined by the type determination unit 2210, the formation and positioning of the unmanned boats 1000 in the platoon may be switched according to the alert level of the object determined by the type determination unit 2210.

In addition, as described above, the operation management unit 2400 can determine the content of operation commands to multiple unmanned boats and issue the operation commands based on the judgment results by the system state judgment unit 2300, not limited to the judgment results regarding the object by the object analysis and judgment unit 2200, i.e., the current or future state of the unmanned boat 1000 or the current or future relative operating state of the unmanned boat 1000 and the object (suspicious ship 7000).

The operation management unit 2400 can also determine the content of operation commands to be issued to multiple unmanned boats based on both the judgment results regarding the object by the object analysis and judgment unit 2200 and the judgment results by the system state judgment unit 2300, and issue the operation commands.

The action allocation determination unit 2420 is a functional unit that determines the allocation of action roles to each of the multiple unmanned boats 1000. The action role allocation command determined by the action allocation determination unit 2420 is output to the unmanned boat 1000 by the action command unit 2600 described later.

The action roles assigned to the multiple unmanned boats by the action allocation determination unit 2420 include at least one of the following: a role for tracking the target object, a role for taking over tracking of the target object, a role for anticipating the target's destination, a role for surrounding the target object, a role for relaying communications between the multiple unmanned boats, a role for storing measurement data, and a role for performing analytical processing of the measurement data.

Here, the operation allocation determination unit 2420 may determine the number of unmanned boats to be assigned to each operation, such as tracking, tracking takeover, encirclement, and anticipation, depending on the type of object or the alert level determined by the type determination unit 2210, for example. Alternatively, the formation of multiple platoons within a company made up of multiple platoons 1010 may be modified depending on the type of object or the alert level determined by the type determination unit 2210. In other words, for objects with a relatively high alert level, the above-mentioned operation roles are assigned to more unmanned boats, and conversely, for objects with a relatively low alert level, the above-mentioned operation roles are assigned to fewer unmanned boats, thereby controlling the amount of activity of the unmanned boats depending on the alert level, and allocating energy and aircraft to roles with a higher alert level.

The tracking operation determination unit 2430 has the function of determining an operation command that instructs the detailed operation of the unmanned boat 1000 to which the tracking operation is assigned by the operation allocation determination unit 2420 when the overall operation command is determined to be "tracking" by the overall operation determination unit 2410.

When the tracking state determined by the tracking state determination unit 2330 is determined to be a run-out symptom state, a run-out occurrence state, or a position capture lost state, and the operation allocation determination unit 2420 determines that the role of taking over the tracking operation is to be assigned to another unmanned boat 1000 different from the unmanned boat 1000 performing the tracking, the tracking operation determination unit 2430 determines at least one of an operation command to move the unmanned boat 1000 assigned to take over the tracking operation to the predicted run-out position, or an operation command to move the unmanned boat 1000 to the predicted run-out position by the predicted run-out time.

The tracking operation determination unit 2430 may have a function of determining an operation command for a tracking formation of multiple unmanned boats 1000 when the overall operation determination unit 2410 determines the overall operation command to be "tracking." Below, a method for determining an operation command for the tracking formation is explained with reference to FIG. 17.

17 is a state transition diagram showing the state of the tracking formation command determined by the tracking operation determination unit 2430. As shown in FIG. 17, the tracking formation command determined by the tracking operation determination unit 2430 includes the operation commands "simple tracking arrangement" for tracking from behind the moving direction of the object, "left and right tracking arrangement" for tracking from two directions, left and right, with respect to the moving direction of the object, "left and right rear tracking arrangement" for tracking from three directions, left and right and rear, with respect to the moving direction of the object, "left and right front and rear tracking arrangement" for tracking from four directions, front and rear, left and right, with respect to the moving direction of the object, "predicted path forward path obstruction tracking" for tracking from ahead of the moving direction of the object, "abandon tracking" for abandoning tracking, and "end tracking" for ending tracking.

For example, the tracking operation determination unit 2430 can determine a tracking formation command according to the type of object determined by the type determination unit 2210 or the alert level. For example, for an object with a relatively high alert level, a "left/right/front/back tracking arrangement" in which more unmanned boats perform tracking can be used, and conversely, for an object with a relatively low alert level, a "simple tracking arrangement" in which fewer unmanned boats perform tracking can be used. In addition, the tracking operation determination unit 2430 can determine a tracking formation command according to the state of the object determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 or the action status determination unit 2260, and if the determined state of the object changes, the tracking formation command can be changed according to the changed state of the object.

The tracking operation determination unit 2430 may have a function of determining an operation command related to relative distance control between the multiple unmanned boats 1000 or between the unmanned boats 1000 and an object when the overall operation determination unit 2410 determines the overall operation command to be "tracking." Below, a method of determining an operation command related to relative distance control is explained with reference to FIG. 18.

Figure 18 is a state transition diagram showing the state of the relative distance control command determined by the tracking operation determination unit 2430. As shown in Figure 18, the relative distance control command determined by the tracking operation determination unit 2430 includes an operation to prevent collision between multiple unmanned boats 1000 performing a tracking operation on an object, an operation to prevent collision between the unmanned boat being tracked and the object, an operation to shorten the distance between the unmanned boat being tracked and the object, an operation to lengthen the distance between the unmanned boat being tracked and the object, tracking, and operation commands to end tracking.

The tracking operation determination unit 2430 can determine a relative distance control command according to the state of the object determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 or the action status determination unit 2260, and can further change the relative distance control command according to the state of the object after the change if the determined state of the object changes.

Here, if the relative distance between the other unmanned boats 1000 is too close and there is a possibility of collision, position control is required to increase the relative distance with high priority to avoid collision, so the state transitions to an operation command state for the collision prevention operation between the unmanned boats 1000. Also, if the relative distance between the target and the unmanned boat 1000 is too close and there is a possibility of collision, position control is required to increase the relative distance with high priority to avoid collision, so the state transitions to an operation command state for the collision prevention operation of the target. Note that the relative distance control shown in FIG. 18 is controlled within a range in which the relative distance between the unmanned boats 1000 communicating with each other in the platoon 1010 does not exceed the communication distance. Therefore, if the relative distance between the unmanned boat 1000 performing tracking and the other unmanned boats 1000 communicating with it increases and approaches the upper limit of the communication distance, the status of the relative distance control is transitioned to end tracking, and the position of the unmanned boat 1000 is controlled to maintain it within the communication distance range.

The tracking-break-off response action determination unit 2440 has a function of determining an action to be taken just before the unmanned boat 1000 breaks off from tracking. The tracking-break-off response action determination unit 2440 can determine, for example, paint attachment, which involves spraying or throwing paint at the target object to cause the paint to adhere to the target, or transmitter attachment, which involves spraying or throwing a transmitter or the like at the target to cause the transmitter or the like to adhere to the target, as the action just before the break-off. In addition, the tracking-break-off response action determination unit 2440 can determine to execute the just before the break-off action described above, for example, when the tracking state determined by the tracking state determination unit 2330 is a state indicating a break-off.

In addition, when the tracking state determined by the tracking state determination unit 2330 is determined to correspond to a run-off symptom state, a run-off occurrence state, or a position capture lost state, the tracking run-off response action determination unit 2440 can determine whether or not to assign the role of taking over the tracking operation to another unmanned boat 1000 different from the unmanned boat 1000 performing the tracking.

In addition, when it is determined that the role of taking over the tracking operation should be assigned to another unmanned boat 1000 other than the unmanned boat 1000 performing the tracking, the tracking cut-off response action decision unit 2440 can select an unmanned boat to which the role of taking over the tracking operation of the target object should be assigned.

In addition, when the tracking state determined by the tracking state determination unit 2330 corresponds to a lost-behind state or a position capture lost state, the tracking lost-behind response action determination unit 2440 can optimally assign operational roles to the unmanned boat 1000 that has entered the lost-behind state or the position capture lost state, or to the unmanned boat 1000 that has completed roles such as communication relay, accumulation of measurement data, and analysis and processing of measurement data, including at least one of the following: a role to take over tracking of the target object, a role to perform an advance operation to the target object's destination, a role to perform an encirclement operation for the target object, a role to relay communication between multiple unmanned boats, a role to accumulate measurement data, and a role to perform analysis and processing of measurement data.

In addition, as an example, when the tracking state determination unit 2330 determines that the unmanned boat 1000 has lost capture of the target object, or when the capture loss prediction unit 2320 determines that a capture loss will occur in the future, the tracking loss response action determination unit 2440 determines to transmit and output information including at least one of the current capture loss occurrence information, predicted future capture loss occurrence information, predicted loss position, predicted loss time, and information about the target object, determined by the tracking state determination unit 2330 or the capture loss prediction unit 2320, to the cooperative system 5000, the external system 6000, or other external systems via the information communication unit 2700.

The encirclement operation determination unit 2450 is a functional unit that, when a "encirclement" operation command is determined by the overall operation determination unit 2410, determines the content of a control operation to move the unmanned boat 1000 so that the target object is inside the formation of multiple unmanned boats 1000. The encirclement operation determination unit 2450, for example, calculates a movement target position for encirclement of the unmanned boat 1000 that has been assigned the encirclement operation role by the operation allocation determination unit 2420, and determines an encirclement movement command to that position. The encirclement movement command may also include a movement target time.

The encirclement operation determination unit 2450 can, for example, determine an encirclement operation command to move the entire platoon 1010 consisting of multiple unmanned boats 1000 so that the position of the target object is inside the area in which the multiple unmanned boats 1000 are deployed, or so that the target object is closer to the central position of the area in which the unmanned boats 1000 are deployed, without changing the formation of the multiple unmanned boats 1000.

As another example, the encirclement operation determination unit 2450 can determine an encirclement operation command to move the unmanned boats 1000 so that the target object is inside the formation of the multiple unmanned boats 1000 by changing the formation so that the target object is surrounded by the multiple unmanned boats 1000. A specific example of the control of the platoon 1010 by the encirclement operation determination unit 2450 will be described later.

When the overall operation decision unit 2410 decides on an "advance" operation designation to have the unmanned boat advance to the target object's destination, the anticipatory operation decision unit 2460 calculates the predicted target location of the target object or its surrounding area as an anticipatory target position for at least some of the multiple unmanned boats 1000 constituting the platoon 1010, and further calculates the target time for moving to the anticipatory target position, and determines an operation command including these target positions and target times.

As a method of determining the advance area that is the movement target of the advance operation command, for example, the advance operation determination unit 2460 can determine, based on the past movement trajectory of the object, the current traveling direction of the object, the current nose direction of the object, the future predicted path of the object, and the predicted position of the object at a future time determined by the object analysis and determination unit 2200, at least one of the following positions or areas as a target position or area for advancement: an extension of the past movement trajectory of the object or the surrounding area of said extension, forward of the current traveling direction of the object or the surrounding area, forward of the current nose direction of the object or the surrounding area, on the future predicted path of the object or the surrounding area of said predicted path, the predicted position of the object at a future time, or the surrounding area of said predicted position.

Note that the proactive operation determination unit 2460 determines the target position or area for proactive operation using the above-mentioned method, for example, when the tracking state determined by the tracking state determination unit 2330 is a run-out symptom state or a run-out occurrence state.

The operation command determination unit 2470 is a functional unit that determines an operation command based on the information of the operation command candidates generated by each determination unit of the operation management unit 2400 described above and user input information acquired from the user interface unit 2500 described below. Alternatively, it is a functional unit that determines an operation command based on the information of the operation command candidates generated by each determination unit of the operation management unit 2400 described above and external user input information received from the collaborative system 5000 acquired by the external user input information acquisition unit 2414.

For example, when there is no input of user input information or external user input information, the operation command determination unit 2470 can determine the operation command candidates generated by each determination unit of the operation management unit 2400 as operation commands, and when there is input of user input information or external user input information, the operation command determination unit 2470 can determine the operation command based on both the operation command candidates generated by each determination unit of the operation management unit 2400 and the user input information or external user input information, or can determine the operation command based only on the user input information or external user input information.

(A-1-5-5. User interface unit 2500)
The user interface unit 2500 is a functional unit that displays and outputs each operation command determined by the operation management unit 2400, each piece of information related to the object determined by the object analysis and determination unit 2200, and each piece of information determined by the system state determination unit 2300, and receives user input information for the displayed operation information and other information. The user interface unit 2500 includes a display unit 2510 and a user input receiving unit 2520.

The display unit 2510 is a functional unit that displays and outputs each operation command determined by the operation management unit 2400, each piece of information related to the object determined by the object analysis and determination unit 2200, and each piece of information determined by the system state determination unit 2300.

The display unit 2510 may also display, for example, the type of object determined by the object analysis and determination unit 2200, its movement performance, past movement route, current position, predicted position at a future time (which may include the landing position on the coast and time information), and various other information related to the object. The display unit 2510 may also display the past movement route, current position, predicted position at a future time of the unmanned boat determined by the unmanned boat status determination unit 2310, as well as the operation role (tracking, handover tracking, advance, encirclement, etc.), planned handover position, planned handover time, etc. assigned to each unmanned boat determined by the operation management unit 2400.

In addition, when the information communication unit 2700 described below transmits information regarding capture loss or information regarding the target object to the collaborative system 5000, the external system 6000, or other external systems, information such as the contact details, contact method, and location of the external destination may be displayed on the display unit 2510.

In addition, when the path prediction determination unit 2240 of the object analysis determination unit 2200 determines multiple path candidates as the predicted path of the object, the probability of each predicted path may also be displayed on the nautical chart. The user can select and input one path candidate from the multiple path candidates via the user input reception unit 2520 described later.

The user input receiving unit 2520 is a functional unit that receives user input for each piece of information displayed by the display unit 2510, particularly for candidate operation commands. User input information can include a selection input for selecting an arbitrary operation command from a plurality of candidate operation commands, an approval input for approving a candidate operation command, a correction request input for correcting a part of the candidate operation command, or an intervention operation command input for instructing the execution of an intervention operation different from the candidate operation command. In addition, the above-mentioned user input information can also be received via an operation button provided on the display screen of the display unit 2510.

The user input reception unit 2520 may also have a function to receive a display request for measurement data acquired by the unmanned boat 1000. In this case, a function to receive a priority request for displaying measurement data in a prioritized manner, such as a time priority display that prioritizes displaying measurement data that can be displayed early, a detailed image priority display that prioritizes displaying detailed measurement data, and an area designation priority display that prioritizes displaying measurement data in an area designated by the user, may be provided. When the above-mentioned request for displaying measurement data is received, a predicted display time for which the measurement data can be displayed may be displayed on the display unit 2510. When the above-mentioned request for displaying measurement data in a prioritized manner is received, a predicted display time for the measurement data according to the designated priority display may be displayed on the display unit 2510.

Furthermore, when displaying measurement data on the display unit 2510, the user input receiving unit 2520 can receive from the user a display mode including displaying the latest measurement data or displaying past measurement data measured at a specified past time. Furthermore, when the unmanned boat 1000 acquires the latest measurement data, the display unit 2510 or the like may notify the user that the latest measurement data has been updated.

(A-1-5-6. Operation command section 2600)
The action command unit 2600 is a functional unit that transmits and outputs the action command determined by the action command determination unit 2470 described above to the unmanned boat 1000 via the communication satellite 3000, the aircraft, or the ground base station 4000.

(A-1-5-7. Information and Communications Department 2700)
The information communication unit 2700 is a functional unit that outputs each information of the determination result regarding the object by the object analysis determination unit 2200, the determination result by the system state determination unit 2300, or the operation command generated by the operation management unit 2400 to the cooperative system 5000, the external system 6000, or other external systems. In addition, the information communication unit 2700 can transmit and output information including at least one of the current capture loss occurrence information, the future capture loss occurrence prediction information, the loss prediction position, the loss prediction time, and the information regarding the object determined by the tracking state determination unit 2330 or the capture loss prediction unit 2320 according to the command determined by the tracking loss response action determination unit 2440 to the cooperative system 5000, the external system 6000, or other external systems.

The functions implemented in the unmanned boat 1000 and the overall control system 2000 described above using Figures 6, 7, and 9 are merely one embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this implementation example. In other words, some of the functions implemented in the unmanned boat 1000 shown in Figures 6 and 7 (mainly the function of the determination unit 1500) can be implemented in the overall control system 2000. On the other hand, some of the functions implemented in the overall control system 2000 shown in Figure 9 (mainly at least one of the information import unit 2100, object analysis and determination unit 2200, system state determination unit 2300, operation management unit 2400, and operation command unit 2600) can also be implemented in the unmanned boat 1000.

(A-1-6. Hardware configuration)
19 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 2520 of the user interface unit 2500, 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 2510 of the user interface unit 2500. Specifically, the output device 200 can constitute the display unit 2510 with a display device for eyewear, AR, or VR, or it can also 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 performs wireless or wired information communication with the outside world, and can constitute the information communication unit 2700 described above.

(A-1-7. Control flow of control system 1)
Next, a description will be given of the overall control flow of the control system 1. FIG 20 is a flow chart showing the process flow of the control system 1.

First, the information import unit 2100 acquires information from the external system 6000 (step 101).

Then, the determination unit 1500 of the unmanned boat 1000 performs object detection processing (step 102).

Then, the object analysis and determination unit 2200 analyzes the object based on the detection information and measurement data of the object, and determines at least one of the object's type, operating state, and dynamic performance (step 103). Details of this step will be described later.

Then, the system state determination unit 2300 determines the current or future state of the unmanned boat 1000, or the current or future relative operating state of the unmanned boat 1000 and the target object (suspicious ship 7000) (step 104). Details of this step will be described later.

Then, the operation management unit 2400 determines the contents of the operation commands to be sent to the multiple unmanned boats (step 105). The details of this step will be described later.

Then, the user interface unit 2500 displays candidate information for operation commands, etc., and accepts user input information for the displayed operation information and other information (step 106).

Then, the operation command unit 2600 transmits an operation command to the unmanned boat 1000, and the unmanned boat 1000 executes the operation (step 107).

(A-1-8. 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 21 is a sequence diagram showing the exchange of signals between the systems in the control system 1.

First, AIS information and satellite-related information are transmitted from the external system 6000 to the integrated control system 2000.

Next, measurement data is transmitted from the slave unit 1002 constituting the unmanned boat 1000 to the master unit 1001, and when an object is detected by the initial detection unit 1511 of the master unit 1001, a detailed measurement command is transmitted from the master unit 1001 to the slave unit 1002. The slave unit 1002 performs detailed measurement in accordance with the detailed measurement command and transmits the detailed measurement data to the master unit 1001.

Next, if the object suitability determination unit 1514 of the parent unit 1001 determines that the detected object is an object to be monitored, the measurement data measured by the child unit 1002 and the detailed detection result information determined by the determination unit 1500 of the parent unit 1001 are transmitted to the overall control system 2000.

Then, the overall control system 2000 analyzes and judges the object, judges the system status, generates candidates for operation commands for the unmanned boat, and transmits the judgment information and operation commands to the collaboration system 5000.

Then, the overall control system 2000 accepts external user input information from the collaborative system 5000, determines an operation command based on the external user input information and the operation command generated within the overall control system 2000, and transmits the determined operation command (such as a tracking command) to the parent unit 1001.

Next, the parent unit 1001 that receives the operation command executes the command action for its own unit contained in the operation command, and also transmits operation commands (such as a tracking command) to other child units 1002 in the same platoon 1010.

The child device 1002 then executes the command action for its own device contained in the operation command (such as a tracking command). Furthermore, when the child device tracks an object, it transmits measurement data acquired during the tracking process to the parent device 1001.

The parent unit 1001 detects and analyzes the object based on the measurement data received from the child unit 1002, and transmits the measurement data and the detection analysis results to the overall control system 2000.

Based on the measurement data and detection analysis results received from the parent unit 1001, the overall control system 2000 performs an analysis and judgment of the object, judges the system status, and generates candidates for operation commands for the unmanned boat, and transmits the judgment information and operation commands to the collaborative system 5000.

Then, the overall control system 2000 accepts external user input information from the collaborative system 5000, determines an operation command based on the external user input information and the operation command generated within the overall control system 2000, and transmits the determined operation command (such as a post-swing-off operation) to the parent unit 1001.

Next, the parent device 1001 that received the operation command executes the commanded operation for its own device contained in the operation command, and also transmits operation commands (such as post-swing-off operation) to other child devices 1002 in the same platoon 1010.

(A-1-9. Analysis of Object)
Next, the object analysis and determination process will be described with reference to Fig. 22. Fig. 22 is a flow chart showing the process flow of the object analysis and determination process executed by the object analysis and determination unit 2200. Fig. 22 particularly shows the detailed process flow of step 103 shown in Fig. 20.

First, the type of the object is determined by the type determination unit 2210 (step 201). In this step, the type is determined to include, for example, cargo ships, regular service ships, passenger ships, fishing boats, pleasure boats, yachts, boats, water scooters, divers, and marine life (whales, dolphins, schools of fish, etc.).

Then, the motion state determination unit 2220 determines the dynamic state of the object (step 202). In this step, for example, at least one of the past movement trajectory, current heading direction, current heading direction, current moving speed, current acceleration, current deceleration, current position coordinates, turning radius, and turning speed of the object is determined.

Then, the performance determination unit 2230 determines the movement performance of the object (step 203). In this step, for example, if the object is a suspicious ship, at least one of the maximum movement speed, minimum turning radius, maximum turning speed, maximum acceleration, maximum deceleration, and possible movement distance is determined.

Then, the path prediction determination unit 2240 predicts and determines the future path of the object (step 204). In this step, for example, at least one of the predicted future path of the object, the predicted position at a future time, the predicted speed at a future time, and the predicted direction of travel at a future time is determined.

Then, the navigation pattern of the object is determined by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250 (step 205). In this step, the navigation pattern of the object is determined, for example, as a status related to the speed and acceleration/deceleration pattern of the suspicious ship as shown in FIG. 10, a status related to the navigation path of the suspicious ship as shown in FIG. 11, or a status related to the tracking and disruptive navigation of the suspicious ship as shown in FIG. 12.

Then, the behavior status determination unit 2260 determines the escape behavior state of the target (step 206). In this step, for example, the escape behavior status of the target is determined as shown in FIG. 13.

(A-1-10. Determining the operating state of your own system)
Next, the process of determining the current or future state of the unmanned boat 1000, or the current or future relative operating state of the unmanned boat 1000 and the target (suspicious boat 7000) will be described with reference to Fig. 23. Fig. 23 is a flow chart showing the process flow for determining the state or relative operating state of the unmanned boat 1000 executed by the system state determination unit 2300. Fig. 23 particularly shows a detailed processing flow of step 104 shown in Fig. 20.

First, the unmanned boat status determination unit 2310 determines the status of the unmanned boat 1000 (step 301). In this step, for example, at least one of the following is determined: the position of the multiple unmanned boats, the number of aircraft, the moving direction, the moving speed, the possible moving distance, the remaining energy, and an estimated value of the movement capability including the moving speed or the possible moving distance of the unmanned boat under the external environment such as the waves, wind, and currents in the activity area of the unmanned boat.

Then, the capture loss prediction unit 2320 judges the state regarding future loss of capture of the target object (step 302). In this step, for example, at least one of the following is predicted: whether a capture loss in which the target object's position capture is lost will occur in the future, the area in which the target object can be captured by the unmanned boat 1000, the predicted loss position at which the capture loss is predicted, the time at which the target object can be captured by the unmanned boat, and the predicted loss time at which the capture loss is predicted.

Next, the tracking state determination unit 2330 determines the tracking state, which is the relative operating state of the unmanned boat 1000 being tracked (step 303). In this step, for example, a tracking state such as that shown in FIG. 14 is determined.

Then, the predicted state of the object's future predicted path, etc., determined by the path prediction state determination unit 2340 is determined (step 304). In this step, for example, the path prediction state as shown in FIG. 15 is determined.

(A-1-11. Operation Command Determination Process)
Next, the process of determining operation commands for the multiple unmanned boats 1000 will be described with reference to Fig. 24. Fig. 24 is a flow chart showing the process flow for determining operation commands for the unmanned boats 1000 by the operation management unit 2400. Fig. 24 particularly shows a detailed process flow of step 105 shown in Fig. 20.

First, the overall operation decision unit 2410 decides an overall higher-level operation command for one or more platoons 1010 consisting of multiple unmanned boats 1000 (step 401).

Then, the process step to transition to is determined depending on whether the operation command determined in step 401 is to give up tracking or not (step 402). In this step, if the determined operation command is to give up tracking, the process transitions to step 403, and on the other hand, if the determined operation command is not to give up tracking, the process transitions to step 404.

Next, if the overall higher-level action command is to give up pursuit, the action to be taken just before capture is lost is determined as the action command by the action determination unit for action just before losing pursuit (step 403). In this step, the action to be taken just before losing pursuit is determined to be paint attachment, which involves spraying or throwing paint at the target to cause paint to adhere to the target, or transmitter attachment, which involves spraying or throwing a transmitter or the like at the target to cause a transmitter or the like to adhere to the target.

In addition, in step 403, instead of or in addition to the action immediately before cutting off tracking, the information communication unit 2700 may execute an operation of outputting information including at least one of the information on the current occurrence of capture loss, the predicted occurrence of capture loss in the future, the predicted loss position, the predicted loss time, and information on the target object to the collaborative system 5000, the external system 6000, or another external system.

Next, if the overall higher-level operation command is not to abandon tracking, the process determines the processing step to transition to depending on whether the overall higher-level operation command is to track or to take over tracking (step 404). In this step, if the overall higher-level operation command is to track or to take over tracking, the process transitions to step 405, whereas if the overall higher-level operation command is not to track or to take over tracking, the process transitions to step 411.

Next, if the overall higher-level operation command is tracking or tracking handover, the operation allocation determination unit 2420 determines which unmanned boat 1000 is to be assigned the lead or sub role in the tracking operation (step 405). Here, the sub role in the tracking operation refers to the role of tracking the target object by following the unmanned boat 1000 in the lead role that performs the tracking operation.

Then, the operation allocation determination unit 2420 determines which unmanned boat 1000 is to be assigned a role other than tracking (step 406).

Then, the tracking operation determination unit 2430 determines the detailed operation for the unmanned boat 1000 to which the tracking role has been assigned (step 407).

Next, the tracking operation determination unit 2430 determines a tracking formation for multiple unmanned boats 1000 (step 408). In this step, for example, a tracking formation command status such as that shown in FIG. 17 is determined.

Next, the tracking operation determination unit 2430 determines an operation command related to the relative distance control between the multiple unmanned boats 1000 and between the unmanned boats 1000 and the target object (step 409). In this step, for example, a relative distance control command status such as that shown in FIG. 18 is determined.

Then, the tracking loss response action determination unit 2440 determines a response action to be taken for the unmanned boat 1000 etc. that is in a loss symptom state, loss occurrence state, or position capture lost state (step 410). The details of this step will be described later.

Next, if the overall higher-level operation command is not a track or a takeover track command, the process step to transition to is determined depending on whether the overall higher-level operation command is (1) encirclement or (2) proactive (step 411). In this step, if the overall higher-level operation command is (1) encirclement, the process transitions to step 412, whereas if the overall higher-level operation command is (2) proactive, the process transitions to step 415.

Next, if the overall higher-level action command is (1) encirclement, the action allocation determination unit 2420 determines which unmanned boat 1000 is assigned the role of performing the encirclement action (step 412).

Then, the action allocation determination unit 2420 determines which unmanned boat 1000 is to be assigned a role other than encirclement (step 413).

Then, the encirclement operation determination unit 2450 determines the detailed operation of the unmanned boat 1000 that will perform the encirclement operation (step 414).

Next, if the overall higher-level action command is (2) proactive, the action allocation determination unit 2420 determines the unmanned boat 1000 to be assigned the role of performing proactive action (step 415).

Then, the operation allocation determination unit 2420 determines which unmanned boat 1000 is to be assigned a role other than the advance role (step 416).

Then, the proactive operation determination unit 2460 determines the detailed operation of the unmanned boat 1000 that will perform the proactive operation (step 417).

(A-1-12. Operation Command Determination Process)
Next, the process of determining an operation command for the unmanned watercraft 1000 that has entered a run-off symptom state, a run-off occurrence state, or a position capture lost state will be described with reference to Fig. 25. Fig. 25 is a flow chart showing the process flow for determining an operation command for the unmanned watercraft 1000 when run-off occurs, etc., executed by the tracking run-off response action determination unit 2440. Fig. 25 particularly shows a detailed process flow of step 410 shown in Fig. 24. Fig. 25 shows an example of selecting each of the operations of tracking takeover, anticipation, and requesting takeover to an external device, but the selection and determination of each operation may be performed by other methods.

First, the process step to transition to is determined depending on whether or not a runout symptom state has been determined (step 501). In this step, if a runout symptom state has been determined, the process transitions to step 502, and on the other hand, if a runout symptom state has not been determined, the process of this flowchart ends.

Next, if a shake-off indication state is determined in step 501, a shake-off action to be taken just before the unmanned boat 1000 shakes off the pursuit is determined (step 502).

Then, the process step to transition to is determined based on the result of the determination of whether or not there is another unmanned boat 1000 that can take over tracking of the broken-off object (step 503). In this step, if there is another unmanned boat 1000 that can take over, the process transitions to step 504, whereas if there is no other unmanned boat 1000 that can take over, the process transitions to process step 505.

Next, in step 503, if it is determined that there is another unmanned boat 1000 that can take over, the unmanned boat 1000 that will take over is selected, and the location and time at which the takeover will be performed are determined (step 504). After this step is performed, the process transitions to step 507.

Next, if it is determined in step 503 that there is no other unmanned boat 1000 that can take over, the process determines the processing step to transition to depending on the result of the determination of whether there is another unmanned boat 1000 that can get ahead of the abandoned object (step 505). In this step, if there is another unmanned boat 1000 that can get ahead, the process transitions to step 506, and on the other hand, if there is no other unmanned boat 1000 that can get ahead, the process transitions to step 508.

Next, in step 505, if it is determined that there is another unmanned boat 1000 that can go ahead, the unmanned boat 1000 that will go ahead is selected, and the target position and target time for the ahead move are determined (step 506).

Next, operational roles are reassigned to unmanned boats 1000 that have completed their roles, such as an unmanned boat 1000 that has lost track of the target object (step 507). In this step, for example, the unmanned boats 1000 that have completed their roles can be reassigned operational roles including at least one of the following: taking over the tracking of the target object, anticipating the target object's destination, surrounding the target object, relaying communications between multiple unmanned boats, storing measurement data, and analyzing the measurement data. The unmanned boat 1000 that has been reassigned the role of taking over the tracking operation is commanded to move to the target handover position by the target handover time.

Next, if it is determined in step 505 that there are no other unmanned boats 1000 that can get ahead, a request is made to the cooperative system 5000, the external system 6000, or other external systems to take over tracking (step 508). In this step, information including at least one of the following may be transmitted in addition to the request for handover: current capture-and-loss occurrence information, predicted capture-and-loss occurrence information in the future, predicted lost position, predicted lost time, and information related to the target object.

(A-1-13. Composition of Platoon 1010)
26 and 27, a platoon 1010 made up of a plurality of unmanned crafts 1000 will be described below. Fig. 26 is a diagram showing the positional relationship and communication connection relationship of the plurality of unmanned crafts 1000 in the platoon 1010.

26, a platoon 1010 includes one parent device 1001 and multiple child devices 1002. The parent device 1001 and the multiple child devices 1002 are connected to each other by wireless communication as shown by solid lines to form a communication network. The child devices 1002 include a primary connection child device 10021 that is communicatively connected to the parent device 1001, and a secondary connection child device 10022 that is communicatively connected to the primary connection child device 10021.
In the present invention, the number of relays by the child devices is not limited, and the child devices may include tertiary-connected child devices, quaternary-connected child devices, etc. The primary-connected child device 10021 shown in Fig. 26 has a function of relaying transmission and reception of information between the parent device 1001 and the secondary-connected child devices 10022, thereby enabling information to be passed between the parent device 1001 and the multiple secondary-connected child devices 10022.

In addition, the number of secondary connection sub-units 10022 communicatively connected to the primary connection sub-unit 10021 is not limited to one, and multiple secondary connection sub-units 10022 communicatively connected to the primary connection sub-unit 10021 allows multiple unmanned boats 1000 to form a tree-structured communication network within the platoon 1010. In addition, since there is an upper limit to the communication distance that can be communicated between each unmanned boat 1000, the position of at least one of the unmanned boats 1000 communicatively connected to each other, for example, the parent unit 1001 and the primary connection sub-unit 10021, and the primary connection sub-unit 10021 and the secondary connection sub-unit 10022, is controlled with high priority so that the relative distance between the unmanned boats 1000 is maintained within the communication distance (for example, approximately 1.5 km).

On the other hand, there is no need to maintain the communication connection as described above for the relative distance between other unmanned boats 1000 that are not connected to each other. However, considering the purpose of the platoon, which is to monitor and investigate objects, it is desirable for the unmanned boats 1000 to be deployed over a wider area without getting too close to each other. Therefore, the position of at least one of the unmanned boats 1000 that are not connected to each other is controlled with a relatively low priority so as to maintain a preset steady-state relative distance (e.g., approximately 1 km). This control to maintain the steady-state relative distance can be achieved by applying control based on the Boids algorithm, for example.

As described above, the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1000 that are communicatively connected to each other is controlled with a high priority within the communication distance range, and the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1000 that are not communicatively connected to each other is controlled with a relatively low priority so as to maintain the relative distance under normal circumstances. Therefore, when an unmanned vessel 1000 is commanded to execute an operational command such as tracking an object (or surrounding, getting ahead, or taking over tracking), the unmanned vessel 1000 performing the tracking or other operation controls its position by prioritizing the operation of tracking the object, etc. over maintaining the relative distance with other unmanned vessels 1000 that are not communicatively connected to each other. On the other hand, even when an operational command such as tracking an object is executed, the position control is performed by prioritizing the maintenance of the relative distance between unmanned vessels 1000 that are communicatively connected to each other within the communication distance range over the operation of tracking the object, etc.

In addition, when the relative distance between the unmanned boats 1000 becomes too close and there is a possibility of collision, position control is performed to increase the relative distance with high priority. Therefore, when the unmanned boat 1000 is commanded to execute an operational command such as tracking an object (or surrounding, getting ahead, or taking over tracking), position control is performed with priority given to maintaining the relative distance to avoid collision between the unmanned boats 1000 over operations such as tracking the object.

Next, FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the positional relationship of multiple platoons 1010. In the example shown in FIG. 27, two platoons (1010a, 1010b) cooperate with each other to perform position control, and for example, the relative distance between the secondary connection sub-unit 10022a in platoon 1010a and the secondary connection sub-unit 10022b in platoon 1010b is controlled to maintain the steady-state relative distance (for example, about 1 km). In addition, the steady-state relative distance is set to a distance shorter than the communication distance, and further, it is desirable to set it to a distance such that the measurement ranges of the measurement sensors 1110 of adjacent unmanned vessels (1022a, 1022b) do not overlap and there are no areas that cannot be measured by the measurement sensors.

For example, position information of the unmanned boats 1000 in each platoon is transmitted to the overall control system 2000 via the parent unit 1001, and the operation management unit 2400 of the overall control system 2000 generates operation commands to control the position of each unmanned boat 1000, thereby allowing the positions of the unmanned boats 1000 in each platoon to be appropriately controlled. As another example, the parent unit 1001a of the platoon 1010a and the parent unit 1001b of the platoon 1010b share position information of the unmanned boats 1000 in each platoon via a communication satellite 3000 or the like (or by direct communication), and the parent unit 1001 in each platoon generates a control command to control the position of the unmanned boat in the platoon, allowing the positions of the unmanned boats 1000 in each platoon to be appropriately controlled.

(A-1-14. Position control in tracking operation)
Below, using Figures 28 to 31, we will explain the chronological operating states of the two squadrons 1010 from time t1 when the target (suspicious ship 7000) is detected, to time t8 when the tracking of the target is completed, through tracking takeover.

Figure 28 is a diagram showing the position control at times t1 and t2 when multiple unmanned boats 1000 are used to track an object. The upper diagram in Figure 28 shows the planar layout relationship of the multiple unmanned boats 1000 and the communication network configuration (solid lines) at time t1, when some of the unmanned boats 1000 detect the object (suspicious ship 7000). The lower diagram in Figure 28 shows the state in which the operation management unit 2400 assigns a tracking operation to two unmanned boats 1000 that are close to the object (suspicious ship 7000), and these unmanned boats 1000 start to execute the tracking operation.

Figure 29 shows the position control at times t3 and t4 when multiple unmanned boats 1000 are tracking an object. The upper diagram in Figure 29 shows the tracking operation at time t3. At time t3, one unmanned boat 1000 continues tracking from time t2, while another unmanned boat 1000 ends tracking and hands over tracking to the other unmanned boat. The lower diagram in Figure 29 shows the tracking operation at time t4 while tracking of an object (suspicious ship 7000) is in progress. At time t4, tracking is handed over to yet another unmanned boat 1000.

Figure 30 shows the position control at times t5 and t6 when multiple unmanned boats 1000 are tracking an object. The upper diagram in Figure 30 shows the tracking operation at time t5. At time t5, two unmanned boats continue tracking, and one unmanned boat takes over tracking. The lower diagram in Figure 30 shows the tracking operation at time t6. At time t6, one unmanned boat ends tracking, and the other two unmanned boats continue tracking.

Figure 31 shows the position control at times t7 and t8 when multiple unmanned boats 1000 track an object. The upper diagram in Figure 31 shows the tracking operation at time t7. At time t7, tracking continues with two unmanned boats, and tracking continues to the edge of the platoon 1010's activity area. The lower diagram in Figure 31 shows the tracking operation at time t8. At time t8, the object (suspicious vessel 7000) moves outside the platoon 1010's activity area, so the tracking operation ends and the operation to return to the normal formation position at time t1 is shown. Note that if there is unsent data (measurement data or object detection results) from the unmanned boat 1000 to the overall control system 2000, the unsent data is transmitted to the overall control system 2000 at the timing of time t8 when the tracking operation by the platoon ends.

(A-1-15. Detailed control of tracking handover)
Fig. 32 is a diagram showing a time series of handover when tracking handover control is performed. The upper diagram of Fig. 32 shows the positional relationship between each unmanned boat 1000 and the target (suspicious ship 7000) at time t10 when the slave unit 10022a is tracking the target (suspicious ship 7000). The range shown by the solid line in the figure shows the monitorable range that can be measured by the measurement sensor 1110 of the slave unit 10022a and the slave unit 10022b, and the range shown by the dotted line in the figure shows the trackable range that the slave unit 10022a and the slave unit 10022b determine as being capable of tracking the target (suspicious ship 7000).

The monitoring range can be determined based on information on the measurable distance of the measurement sensor of the child units (10022a, 10022b) that is known in advance. In addition, the tracking range can be determined by comparing the movement capability of the object (suspicious ship 7000) determined by the object analysis and determination unit 2200 with the movement capability of the child units (10022a, 10022b) that is known in advance.

At time t10, the overall control system 2000 determines whether the target (suspicious ship 7000) is in a runaway premonition state based on the movement capability of the target (suspicious ship 7000) determined by the target analysis and determination unit 2200 and the movement capability of the sub-unit (10022a) that has been previously determined. If it is determined that the target is in a runaway premonition state, it determines the predicted runaway position and predicted runaway time, and determines another unmanned boat 1000 (sub-unit 10022b) that can take over based on the information, and assigns the operational role of tracking to the sub-unit 10022b. The overall control system 2000 also determines the handover execution position and time to execute the handover based on the information on the predicted runaway position and predicted runaway time determined, and the position, monitorable range, and trackable range of the sub-unit 10022b to which the operational role of tracking has been assigned.

The lower diagram of Figure 32 shows the positional relationship between each unmanned boat 1000 and the target (suspicious ship 7000) at time t11 when tracking is handed over from slave unit 10022a to slave unit 10022b. At time t11, tracking is handed over from slave unit 10022a to slave unit 10022b on the condition that the target (suspicious ship 7000) has reached the handover execution position where the handover is executed. At time t11 shown in the lower diagram of Figure 32, the target (suspicious ship 7000) is located within the monitoring range and tracking range of slave unit 10022a, and is also located within the monitoring range and tracking range of slave unit 10022b. In this way, by determining that the target object (suspicious ship 7000) is located within the monitoring range and tracking range of child unit 10022a and within the monitoring range and tracking range of child unit 10022b as the handover condition (handover execution location and handover execution time), the tracking operation can be handed over to another unmanned boat 1000 without being left behind by the target object (suspicious ship 7000) and without losing capture.

(A-1-16. Position control in surrounding operations)
The following describes the operation states of the two squadrons 1010 in time series from the time when the target (suspicious ship 7000) is detected to the time when the target is surrounded, using Figures 33 to 36. Figures 33 and 34 show the operation states in time series in the first surrounding operation, and Figures 35 and 36 show the operation states in time series in the second surrounding operation.

(A-1-16-1. First Encirclement Movement)
The operation state of the first surrounding operation will be described with reference to Figures 33 and 34. Figure 33 is a diagram showing the state of position control at times t20 and t21 when a plurality of unmanned boats 1000 are surrounding an object in the first surrounding operation.

The upper diagram of Figure 33 shows the planar arrangement of multiple unmanned boats 1000 and the communication network configuration (solid lines) at time t20 when some of the unmanned boats 1000 detect an object (suspicious ship 7000). The lower diagram of Figure 33 shows the state in which the encirclement operation decision unit 2450 of the operation management unit 2400 assigns an encirclement operation to some or all of the unmanned boats 1000 in the platoon, and further commands the target movement position and target movement time for the encirclement operation, and these unmanned boats 1000 begin executing the encirclement operation.

Next, FIG. 34 is a diagram showing the position control at time t22 when multiple unmanned boats 1000 surround an object using a first surrounding operation. At time t22, the formation is changed so that the multiple unmanned boats 1000 surround the object, and the unmanned boats 1000 are moved so that the object is inside the formation of the multiple unmanned boats 1000. Note that surrounding here does not only mean placing unmanned boats in all directions around the object, but also includes the operation of placing multiple unmanned boats at least partially around the object, for example in a range of 180 degrees or more.

(A-1-16-2. Second Encirclement Movement)
The operation state over time in the second surrounding operation will be described with reference to Figures 35 and 36. Figure 35 is a diagram showing the state of position control at times t30 and t31 when a plurality of unmanned boats 1000 are surrounding an object in the second surrounding operation.

The upper diagram of Figure 35 shows the planar arrangement of multiple unmanned boats 1000 and the communication network configuration (solid lines) at time t30 when some of the unmanned boats 1000 detect an object (suspicious ship 7000). The lower diagram of Figure 35 shows the state in which the encirclement operation decision unit 2450 of the operation management unit 2400 assigns an encirclement operation to some or all of the unmanned boats 1000 in the platoon, and further commands the target movement position and target movement time for the encirclement operation, and these unmanned boats 1000 begin executing the encirclement operation.

Next, FIG. 36 is a diagram showing the state of position control at time t32 when the target is surrounded by the multiple unmanned boats 1000 in the second surrounding operation. At time t32, the formation of the multiple unmanned boats 1000 is not changed, and the entire platoon 1010 consisting of the multiple unmanned boats 1000 is moved so that the target position approaches the inside of the area where the multiple unmanned boats 1000 are deployed, or even the central position of the area where the unmanned boats 1000 are deployed. In addition, when the entire platoon 1010 is moved in this manner, the moving direction of the platoon may be determined based on information on the past movement trajectory of the target determined by the target analysis and determination unit 2200, the current traveling direction of the target, the current nose direction of the target, the future predicted path of the target, and the predicted position of the target at a future time. Note that the surrounding operation here does not only intend to place unmanned boats in all directions of the target, but also includes the operation of placing multiple unmanned boats at least partially around the target, for example, in a range of 180 degrees or more.

(A-1-17. Method of allocating operations to multiple unmanned boats)
An assignment method for assigning action roles to a plurality of unmanned boats by the action assignment determination unit 2420 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

Figure 37 is a diagram showing the state at times t40 and t41 when the action allocation determination unit 2420 assigns action roles to multiple unmanned vessels. Also, Figure 38 is a diagram showing the state at times t42 and t43 when the action allocation determination unit 2420 assigns action roles to multiple unmanned vessels. Also, Figure 39 is a diagram showing the state at times t44 and t45 when the action allocation determination unit 2420 assigns action roles to multiple unmanned vessels. Also, Figure 40 is a diagram showing the state at times t46 and t47 when the action allocation determination unit 2420 assigns action roles to multiple unmanned vessels.

First, the upper diagram in Figure 37 shows the planar arrangement of multiple unmanned boats 1000 and the communication network configuration (solid lines) at time t40 when a target object (suspicious ship 7000) is detected by some of the unmanned boats 1000.

Next, the lower diagram in Figure 37 shows the future predicted course of the object (suspicious ship 7000) predicted at time t41 by the course prediction determination unit 2240 of the object analysis determination unit 2200. Note that in this diagram, the future predicted course of the object predicted by the course prediction determination unit 2240 is shown as a straight line, but the predicted course does not necessarily have to be a straight line. If the movement trajectory determined by the motion state determination unit 2220 is a curved line, or if the current traveling direction or nose orientation of the object is changing, a curved course can be determined as the predicted course.

In addition, at time t41, not only is the predicted course determined by the course prediction determination unit 2240, but also the type of object determined by the type determination unit 2210, the past or current action state determined by the action state determination unit 2220, the predicted movement state other than the future predicted course determined by the course prediction determination unit 2240, the performance determination by the performance determination unit 2230, the navigation pattern determination by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250, and the action status determination by the action status determination unit 2260 are executed.

Next, the upper diagram of FIG. 38 shows how the operation assignment determination unit 2420 of the operation management unit 2400 assigns an operation role to each unmanned boat 1000 at time t42. As shown in this figure, the unmanned boat 1000 located within the tracking assignment area 10 indicated by the dotted arc within a predetermined range from the target (suspicious ship 7000) is assigned the operation role of tracking. In addition, the unmanned boat 1000 located within the takeover tracking assignment area 20 set around the predicted course of the target is assigned the operation role of taking over tracking. In addition, the unmanned boat 1000 located within the advance assignment area 30 set further forward of the predicted course than the takeover tracking assignment area 20 is assigned the operation role of advance. In addition, the advance operation determination unit 2460 generates the advance target area 40 and instructs the unmanned boat 1000 assigned the advance operation role to use the advance target area 40 as the movement target area for the advance operation. In addition, the proactive operation determination unit 2460 may generate a proactive target time for moving to the proactive target area 40, and generate a movement command for moving to the proactive target area 40 by the proactive target time.

Unmanned boats 1000 that do not belong to any of the above-mentioned tracking allocation area 10, tracking handover allocation area 20, or advance allocation area 30 and are not assigned any of the tracking, tracking handover, or advance operational roles are assigned other operational roles such as relaying communications between multiple unmanned boats, storing measurement data, and analyzing measurement data. In the example shown in the upper diagram of Figure 38, the primary connection slave unit 10021 is assigned the role of relaying communications, and the other unmanned boats are assigned the role of storing measurement data and analyzing measurement data.

Next, the lower diagram in Figure 38 shows the movement state of the unmanned boats 1000 at time t43. In the example shown in this figure, the four unmanned boats 1000 assigned the role of advance operation at time t42 have completed their movement into advance target area 40, which is the movement target area.

Next, the upper diagram of Figure 39 shows a state in which, at time t44, the unmanned vessel 1000 performing a tracking operation detects a change in the direction of travel (sharp turn) of the target (suspicious vessel 7000). In this case, the course prediction state determination unit 2340 determines that the course prediction state is "course prediction abnormal", and the command to allocate a proactive operation to the unmanned vessel 1000 that was performing the proactive operation role at time t44 is released, and similarly, the command to allocate a tracking operation takeover to the unmanned vessel 1000 that was performing the tracking operation takeover role at time t44 is released.

Next, in the lower diagram of FIG. 39, at time t45, the course prediction determination unit 2240 of the object analysis determination unit 2200 determines the predicted future course of the object (suspicious ship 7000) after the course change. Note that even at time t45, not only is the predicted course determined by the course prediction determination unit 2240, but also the following are executed: determination of the type of object by the type determination unit 2210; determination of past or current action states by the action state determination unit 2220; prediction and determination of movement states other than the future predicted course by the course prediction determination unit 2240; performance determination by the performance determination unit 2230; determination of the navigation pattern by the navigation pattern determination unit 2250; and determination of the action status by the action status determination unit 2260.

Next, the upper diagram of FIG. 40 shows how the operation assignment determination unit 2420 of the operation management unit 2400 assigns an operation role to each unmanned boat 1000 at time t46. As shown in this figure, the unmanned boat 1000 located within the handover tracking assignment area 20, which is set around the predicted course of the target object, is assigned the operation role of handover tracking. In addition, the two unmanned boats 1000 located within the advance assignment area 30, which is set further forward of the predicted course than the handover tracking assignment area 20, are assigned the operation role of advance. In addition, the advance operation determination unit 2460 generates an advance target area 40 and commands the unmanned boat 1000 assigned the advance operation role to use the advance target area 40 as a movement target area for the advance operation. In addition, the advance operation determination unit 2460 may generate an advance target time for moving to the advance target area 40 and generate a movement command to move to the advance target area 40 by the advance target time.

Next, the lower diagram of Figure 40 shows the movement state of the unmanned boats 1000 at time t47. In the example shown in this figure, at time t46, two unmanned boats 1000 assigned the advance operation role have completed their movement into advance target area 40, which is the movement target area, and the unmanned boat 1000 assigned the takeover role at time t46 has taken over the tracking.

(A-1-18. Relative distance control method during tracking)
A method of controlling the relative distances of multiple unmanned boats by the tracking operation determination unit 2430 when the overall operation command is determined to be tracking will be described below with reference to Figures 41 to 44. Figure 41 is a diagram showing the state of times t50 and t51 when the tracking operation determination unit 2430 controls the relative distances of multiple unmanned boats. Also, Figure 42 is a diagram showing the state of times t52 and t53 when the tracking operation determination unit 2430 controls the relative distances of multiple unmanned boats. Also, Figure 43 is a diagram showing the state of times t54 and t55 when the tracking operation determination unit 2430 controls the relative distances of multiple unmanned boats. Also, Figure 44 is a diagram showing the state of times t56 and t57 when the tracking operation determination unit 2430 controls the relative distances of multiple unmanned boats.

First, the upper diagram in FIG. 41 shows a state in which multiple slave units (10022a, 10022b, 10022c, 10022d) are tracking an object (suspicious ship 7000) at time t50. At time t50, the tracking operation determination unit 2430 controls the movement speed of each tracking slave unit according to the movement speed of the object so that each tracking slave unit does not get lost from the object.

Next, the lower diagram in Figure 41 shows that at time t51, at least one of the tracking slave units (10022a, 10022b, 10022c, 10022d) detects a sudden deceleration of the target (suspicious ship 7000).

Next, the upper diagram of FIG. 42 shows how, at time t52, the tracking sub-units located at the rear (10022a, 10022c) decelerate in response to the deceleration of the object. Furthermore, the lower diagram of FIG. 42 shows how, at time t53, the tracking sub-units located at the front (10022b, 10022d) decelerate in response to the deceleration of the object. In this way, when multiple unmanned boats 1000 are decelerated in response to the deceleration of the tracked object, the unmanned boat 1000 traveling at the rear in the direction of travel is decelerated first, thereby preventing the unmanned boats 1000 from getting too close to each other and colliding.

Next, the upper diagram in Figure 43 shows that at time t54, at least one of the tracking slave units (10022a, 10022b, 10022c, 10022d) detects a sudden acceleration of the target (suspicious ship 7000).

Next, the lower diagram in Figure 43 shows how, at time t55, the slave units located at the front (10022b, 10022d) among the slave units being tracked accelerate in response to the acceleration of the target object.

Next, Figure 44 shows how, at time t56, the rearmost tracking child units (10022a, 10022c) accelerate in response to the acceleration of the object. In this way, when accelerating multiple tracking unmanned boats 1000 in response to the acceleration of the tracked object, by accelerating the unmanned boat 1000 traveling in front of the direction of travel first, it is possible to prevent the unmanned boats 1000 from getting too close to each other and colliding.

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 invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents.

[A-2. Effects of this embodiment]
The above-described embodiment can improve the performance of monitoring and tracking a moving object moving in a marine area, etc., using multiple unmanned vehicles. For example, even if the object to be monitored or tracked flees at high speed or flees to a direction where there are fewer or no unmanned boats, monitoring or tracking can be continued or can be performed for a longer period of time.

1...Control system (system)
100...input device 200...output device 300...processing device 400...main memory device 500...auxiliary memory device 600...communication device 700...bus 1000...unmanned boat 1001...parent unit 1002...child unit 10021...primary connected child unit 10022...secondary connected child unit 10023...tertiary connected child unit 1010...platoon 1100...measurement unit 1110...measurement sensor 1120...measurement control unit 1200...own aircraft state determination unit 1210...navigation state determination unit 1220...internal state determination unit 1230...external state determination unit 1300...navigation unit 1400...communication unit 1410...unmanned boat-to-unmanned boat communication unit 1420...satellite communication unit 1430...external communication unit 1500...determination unit
1510: Object detection and determination unit 1511: Initial detection unit 1512: Detailed measurement and determination unit 1513: Detailed detection unit 1514: Object suitability and non-suitability determination unit 1520: Object analysis unit 1521: Position determination unit 1522: Performance determination unit 1523: Future course prediction unit 1600: Recording unit 1610: Measurement data recording unit 1620: Own aircraft status recording unit 1630: Determination information recording unit 1700: Other action execution unit 2000: Overall control system 2100: Information import unit 2110: Detection condition acquisition unit 2120: Detection information acquisition unit 2130: External information acquisition unit 2140: External user input information acquisition unit 2200: Object analysis and determination unit 2210: Type determination unit 2220: Operation state determination unit 2230: Performance determination unit 2240... Course prediction determination unit 2250... Navigation pattern determination unit 2260... Action status determination unit 2300... System state determination unit 2310... Unmanned boat state determination unit 2320... Capture/loss prediction unit 2330... Tracking state determination unit 2340... Course prediction state determination unit 2400... Operation management unit 2410... Overall operation determination unit 2420... Operation allocation determination unit 2430... Tracking operation determination unit 2440... Tracking cut-off response action determination unit 2450... Surrounding operation determination unit 2460... Anticipatory operation determination unit 2470... Operation command determination unit 2500... User interface unit 2510... Display unit 2520... User input reception unit 2600... Operation command unit 2700... Information and communication unit 3000... Communication satellite 4000... Ground base station 5000... Cooperative system 6000... External system 7000... Suspicious ship

Claims (28)

A system for detecting an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft capable of navigating on or above the water surface,
a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data and detects the object;
an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
an unmanned vessel operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned vessels to perform at least one of a plurality of types of operation roles ;
Equipped with
The unmanned boat operation management unit determines, depending on the judgment result by the object analysis and judgment unit, which unmanned boat from among the multiple unmanned boats to which it assigns a first operation role to perform a tracking operation on the object, and a second operation role to which it assigns an advance operation role to move in advance to the destination of the object, or a takeover operation role to take over the tracking operation, or a relay operation role to relay communications between the multiple unmanned boats, and determines the command content of the operation command for the multiple unmanned boats depending on the operation role assignment for each unmanned boat determined .
2. The control system of claim 1,
The unmanned craft operation management unit determines an assignment of an operation role to each of the plurality of unmanned crafts, and issues the operation command to the plurality of unmanned crafts to perform the assigned operation role.
3. The control system of claim 2,
A control system in which the operation roles assigned to the multiple unmanned boats by the unmanned boat operation management unit include at least one of the following: a tracking operation role for the target object, a handover operation role for taking over the tracking operation for the target object, the anticipatory operation role for moving to the destination of the target object, a surrounding operation role for the target object, the relay operation role for relaying communications between the multiple unmanned boats, a role for accumulating measurement data, and a role for performing analytical processing of the measurement data.
2. The control system of claim 1,
The operating state or dynamic performance of the object determined by the object analysis and determination unit includes:
past or current moving states of the object, including at least one of a past moving trajectory, a current traveling direction, a current heading direction, a current moving speed, a current acceleration, and a current deceleration;
or a future predicted moving state including at least one of a future predicted path, a predicted position at a future time, a predicted speed at a future time, and a predicted moving direction at a future time of the object;
or dynamic performance including at least one of the maximum moving speed, maximum turning speed, maximum acceleration, maximum deceleration, and movable distance of the object.
A system for detecting an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft capable of navigating on or above the water surface,
a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data and detects the object;
an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
an unmanned watercraft operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
Equipped with
the unmanned watercraft operation management unit determines command contents of the operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft in accordance with a determination result by the object analysis determination unit;
When the type of the object determined by the object analysis and determination unit corresponds to a predetermined type, or when the current moving speed of the object is equal to or less than a predetermined value,
The unmanned boat operation management unit issues an operation command to at least one of the multiple unmanned boats for an encirclement operation that moves the unmanned boat so that the target object is inside the formation of the multiple unmanned boats, a control system.
A system for detecting an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft capable of navigating on or above the water surface,
a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data and detects the object;
an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
an unmanned watercraft operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
Equipped with
the unmanned watercraft operation management unit determines command contents of the operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft in accordance with a determination result by the object analysis determination unit;
The operating state or dynamic performance of the object determined by the object analysis and determination unit includes:
past or current moving states of the object, including at least one of a past moving trajectory, a current traveling direction, and a current nose direction;
or a future predicted moving state including at least one of a future predicted path of the object and a predicted position at a future time,
When the unmanned watercraft operation management unit issues a movement command for a preemptive operation to a destination of the object,
The unmanned watercraft operation management unit, for at least a portion of the plurality of unmanned watercraft,
A control system that issues the operational command to move the unmanned boat to at least one of the positions or areas determined by the object analysis and determination unit, including an extension line of the object's past movement trajectory or the surrounding area on that extension line, forward in the object's current direction of travel or the surrounding area, forward in the object's current nose direction or the surrounding area, on the object's future predicted course or the surrounding area on that predicted course, or the predicted position of the object at a future time or the surrounding area of the predicted position.
2. The control system of claim 1,
The object includes an object moving on the water surface, underwater, or in the air;
The object analysis and determination unit determines the navigation pattern of the object including at least any of the following: stopping, where the object is stopped or almost stopped; navigation within the object's steady speed range; navigation faster than the steady speed range; navigation slower than the steady speed range; accelerating navigation; decelerating navigation; repeated acceleration and deceleration; zigzag navigation, where the object navigates a zigzag path; turning course change, where the object changes course by making a turn; U-turn navigation; and figure-of-eight navigation, where the object navigates a figure-of-eight path.
2. The control system of claim 1,
The object analysis and determination unit determines the escape behavior state of the object, which includes at least one of the following behaviors: behavior of shaking off pursuit, behavior of avoiding being followed, behavior of moving away from an approaching unmanned vessel, behavior of preventing a course prediction, behavior of avoiding an unmanned vessel that has already arrived in advance, and behavior of avoiding being surrounded.
2. The control system of claim 1,
a system state determination unit that determines a current or future state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft, or a current or future relative operating state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft and the object;
The unmanned boat operation management unit determines the operation commands for the multiple unmanned boats in accordance with the determination result by the system state determination unit.
10. The control system of claim 9,
A control system in which the system state determination unit determines at least one of the positions of the multiple unmanned boats, the number of aircraft, the direction of movement, the movement speed, the possible movement distance, the remaining energy, and an estimated value of the movement capability including the movement speed or the possible movement distance of the unmanned boat in the external environment of the activity area of the unmanned boat.
10. The control system of claim 9,
The system state determination unit determines a relative operating state including at least one of a tracking state in which the unmanned boat is tracking the object, a shake-off indication state in which the unmanned boat being tracked shows signs of being shaken off due to the object's fleeing behavior, a shake-off occurrence state in which the unmanned boat being tracked has been shaken off due to the object's fleeing behavior, and a position capture lost state in which the unmanned boat has lost track of the object's position.
A system for detecting an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft capable of navigating on or above the water surface,
a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data and detects the object;
an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
an unmanned watercraft operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
a system state determination unit that determines a current or future state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft, or a current or future relative operating state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft and the object;
Equipped with
the unmanned watercraft operation management unit determines command contents of the operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft in accordance with a determination result by the object analysis determination unit and a determination result by the system state determination unit;
The system state determination unit performs a run-off prediction determination to predict at least one of a predicted run-off position and a predicted run-off time at which the unmanned boat being tracked will be run-off.
A system for detecting an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft capable of navigating on or above the water surface,
a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data and detects the object;
an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
an unmanned watercraft operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
a system state determination unit that determines a current or future state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft, or a current or future relative operating state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft and the object;
Equipped with
the unmanned watercraft operation management unit determines command contents of the operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft in accordance with a determination result by the object analysis determination unit and a determination result by the system state determination unit;
The system state determination unit determines that the unmanned boat being pursued has fallen into a shake-off state due to the object's fleeing behavior when the relative distance between the unmanned boat being pursued and the object becomes a predetermined distance or greater, thereby controlling the control system.
A system for detecting an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft capable of navigating on or above the water surface,
a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data and detects the object;
an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
an unmanned watercraft operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
a system state determination unit that determines a current or future state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft, or a current or future relative operating state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft and the object;
Equipped with
the unmanned watercraft operation management unit determines command contents of the operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft in accordance with a determination result by the object analysis determination unit and a determination result by the system state determination unit;
The system state determination unit determines that the unmanned vessel being pursued is in a state indicating that it is about to be shaken off due to the object's attempt to flee when the speed of the unmanned vessel being pursued is slower than the speed of the object, or when the relative distance between the unmanned vessel being pursued and the object is increasing over time, or when the distance the unmanned vessel being pursued can travel is shorter than the distance the object can travel, or when the remaining energy of the unmanned vessel being pursued is less than the remaining energy of the object, or when the maximum moving speed of the unmanned vessel being pursued is slower than the maximum moving speed of the object,
13. The control system of claim 12,
A control system in which, when making the run-off prediction judgment, the system state judgment unit judges at least one of the predicted run-off position and the predicted run-off time at which the unmanned boat being tracked will be run-off based on status information regarding the unmanned boat being tracked, including at least one of the movement speed, movement direction, and position of the unmanned boat being tracked, and status information regarding the target object, including at least one of the movement speed, movement direction, and position of the target object.
13. The control system of claim 12,
the system state determination unit determines a relative motion state including at least one of a tracking state in which the unmanned vessel is tracking the object, a shake-off indication state in which the unmanned vessel being pursued has a sign of being shaken off due to the object's fleeing behavior, a shake-off occurrence state in which the unmanned vessel being pursued has been shaken off due to the object's fleeing behavior, and a position capture lost state in which the unmanned vessel has lost capture of the object's position,
When the system state determination unit determines that the system state corresponds to the swing-out symptom state, the swing-out occurrence state, or the position capture lost state,
The unmanned vessel operation management unit determines whether to assign a role of taking over the tracking operation to another unmanned vessel different from the unmanned vessel performing the tracking, the control system.
17. The control system of claim 16,
When the unmanned vessel operation management unit assigns a role of taking over tracking to another unmanned vessel different from the unmanned vessel performing tracking,
The unmanned boat operation management unit is a control system that performs at least one of the following for the unmanned boat: selection of the unmanned boat to be assigned the role of taking over the tracking of the target object; operation command to move the unmanned boat to the predicted run-out position; and operation command to move the unmanned boat to the predicted run-out position by the predicted run-out time.
A system for detecting an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft capable of navigating on or above the water surface,
a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data and detects the object;
an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
an unmanned watercraft operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
a system state determination unit that determines a current or future state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft, or a current or future relative operating state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft and the object;
Equipped with
the unmanned watercraft operation management unit determines command contents of the operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft in accordance with a determination result by the object analysis determination unit and a determination result by the system state determination unit;
the system state determination unit determines a relative motion state including at least one of a tracking state in which the unmanned vessel is tracking the object, a shake-off indication state in which the unmanned vessel being pursued has a sign of being shaken off due to the object's fleeing behavior, a shake-off occurrence state in which the unmanned vessel being pursued has been shaken off due to the object's fleeing behavior, and a position capture lost state in which the unmanned vessel has lost capture of the object's position,
The system state determination unit determines that the state corresponds to the runout symptom state or the runout occurrence state,
When the object analysis and determination unit determines at least one of the past movement trajectory, the current traveling direction, the current heading direction, the future predicted course, and the future predicted position of the object,
The unmanned watercraft operation management unit, for at least a portion of the plurality of unmanned watercraft,
A control system that issues the operation command for a proactive operation to move the unmanned boat to at least one of the positions or areas on an extension line of the past movement trajectory of the object determined by the object analysis and determination unit or the surrounding area on that extension line, forward in the current direction of travel of the object or the surrounding area, forward in the current nose direction of the object or the surrounding area, on the future predicted course of the object or the surrounding area on the predicted course, or the predicted position of the object at a future time or the surrounding area of the predicted position.
13. The control system of claim 12,
the system state determination unit determines a shake-off indication state in which there is an indication that the unmanned watercraft being pursued is about to be shaken off due to an escape behavior of the object,
When the system state determination unit determines that the state corresponds to the runout indication state,
The unmanned boat operation management unit is a control system that issues the operation command to the unmanned boat, the operation command including at least one of attaching paint to the object and attaching a transmitter to the object.
A system for detecting an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft capable of navigating on or above the water surface,
a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data and detects the object;
an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
an unmanned watercraft operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
a system state determination unit that determines a current or future state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft, or a current or future relative operating state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft and the object;
Equipped with
the unmanned watercraft operation management unit determines command contents of the operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft in accordance with a determination result by the object analysis determination unit and a determination result by the system state determination unit;
the system state determination unit determines a relative motion state including at least one of a tracking state in which the unmanned vessel is tracking the object, a shake-off indication state in which the unmanned vessel being pursued has a sign of being shaken off due to the object's fleeing behavior, a shake-off occurrence state in which the unmanned vessel being pursued has been shaken off due to the object's fleeing behavior, and a position capture lost state in which the unmanned vessel has lost capture of the object's position,
When the system state determination unit determines that the system is in the swing-out state or the position capture lost state,
The unmanned boat operation management unit issues the operation command to the unmanned boat that has entered the run-out state or position capture lost state to assign an operational role to the unmanned boat that includes at least one of the following: taking over tracking of the target object, anticipating the target's destination, surrounding the target object, relaying communications between the multiple unmanned boats, storing the measurement data, and analyzing the measurement data.
A system for detecting an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft capable of navigating on or above the water surface,
a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data and detects the object;
an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
an unmanned watercraft operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
a system state determination unit that determines a current or future state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft, or a current or future relative operating state of the plurality of unmanned watercraft and the object;
Equipped with
the unmanned watercraft operation management unit determines command contents of the operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft in accordance with a determination result by the object analysis determination unit and a determination result by the system state determination unit;
The system state determination unit determines at least any of the following: whether or not a capture loss has occurred in which the multiple unmanned boats lose capture of the target object due to the target object's fleeing action, whether or not such a capture loss will occur in the future, a predicted lost position where the capture loss will occur, an area where the target object can be captured, a predicted lost time where the capture loss will occur, and a time when the target object can be captured.
22. The control system of claim 21,
When the system state determination unit determines that the capture loss has occurred or predicts that the capture loss will occur in the future,
A control system comprising an information output unit that outputs information including at least one of information on the occurrence of capture loss, the predicted lost position, the predicted lost time, and information on the target object to an external system.
A system for detecting an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft capable of navigating on or above the water surface,
a measurement unit that acquires measurement data using measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection determination unit that processes the measurement data and detects the object;
an object analysis and determination unit that determines at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
an unmanned watercraft operation management unit that issues operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
Equipped with
the unmanned watercraft operation management unit determines command contents of the operation commands to the plurality of unmanned watercraft in accordance with a determination result by the object analysis determination unit;
The object analysis and determination unit determines a predicted future course or a predicted position at a future time of the object;
When the object analysis and determination unit determines a navigation pattern of the object including at least one of the following: stopping where the object is stopped or nearly stopped, navigation within the steady speed range of the object, navigation faster than the steady speed range, navigation slower than the steady speed range, accelerating navigation, decelerating navigation, repeated acceleration and deceleration, zigzag navigation traveling a zigzag route, turning course change where a course is changed by turning, U-turn navigation, and figure-of-eight navigation, or an escape behavior state of the object including at least one of the following behaviors: shaking off pursuit, avoidance behavior of a leading unmanned vessel, disruption of course prediction, avoidance behavior from being surrounded, and behavior moving away from an approaching unmanned vessel,
The object analysis and determination unit determines the validity of the determined predicted future course or the predicted position at a future time according to the navigation pattern or the escape behavior state.
2. The control system of claim 1,
When the unmanned watercraft operation management unit issues an operation command for a tracking operation on the target object,
The unmanned boat operation management unit issues the operation commands including information regarding the tracking formation of the multiple unmanned boats, including at least one of the following: tracking from behind the object's direction of travel, tracking from two directions, left and right, relative to the object's direction of travel, tracking from three directions, left and right and rear, relative to the object's direction of travel, tracking from four directions, front, back, left and right, relative to the object's direction of travel, and tracking from ahead of the object's direction of travel.
2. The control system of claim 1,
When the unmanned watercraft operation management unit issues an operation command for a tracking operation on the target object,
The unmanned boat operation management unit issues the operation command including information regarding at least one of the tracking operations: an operation to prevent collision between multiple unmanned boats performing tracking operations on the target object, an operation to prevent collision between the target object and the unmanned boat, an operation to shorten the distance between the unmanned boat and the target object, and an operation to increase the distance between the unmanned boat and the target object.
2. The control system of claim 1,
a user interface unit that displays candidate information for the operation command generated by the unmanned watercraft operation management unit and receives user input information for the operation command from a user;
When the user input information is received by the user interface unit,
The unmanned boat operation management unit determines the operation command in response to the user input information.
A method for controlling a system that detects an object using a plurality of unmanned watercraft that can navigate on or above the water surface, comprising the steps of:
The computer
a measurement step of acquiring measurement data by measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection step of processing the measurement data to detect the object;
an object analysis step of determining at least one of a type, an operating state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
a command determination step of determining, according to the determination result in the object analysis step , an unmanned vessel to which a first operation role is assigned to perform a tracking operation on the object, and an anticipatory operation role to which a second operation role is assigned, the anticipatory operation role to which the unmanned vessel is to move in advance to the destination of the object, or a takeover operation role to take over the tracking operation, or a relay operation role to relay communications between the plurality of unmanned vessels, and determining the content of an operation command to the plurality of unmanned vessels according to the determined assignment of the operation role for each of the unmanned vessels;
an operation command step of issuing a command based on the operation command to the plurality of unmanned crafts to perform at least one of a plurality of types of operation roles;
A control method for performing the above.
A program for controlling a system that detects objects using a plurality of unmanned watercraft that can navigate on or above the water surface,
On the computer,
a measurement command for acquiring measurement data by measurement sensors mounted on the plurality of unmanned watercraft;
an object detection command for processing the measurement data to detect the object;
an object analysis command for determining at least one of a type, a motion state, and a dynamic performance of the detected object;
a command determination command for determining, from among the plurality of unmanned vessels, an unmanned vessel to be assigned a first operation role to perform a tracking operation on the object in accordance with a determination result determined based on the object analysis command, and an unmanned vessel to be assigned a second operation role including an advance operation role to move in advance to the destination of the object, or a takeover operation role to take over the tracking, or a relay operation role to relay communications between the plurality of unmanned vessels, and for determining the command content of an operation command for the plurality of unmanned vessels in accordance with the determined assignment of the operation role for each of the unmanned vessels;
an action execution command for issuing a command based on the action command to the plurality of unmanned crafts to perform at least one of a plurality of types of action roles;
A program that executes the following.