US 12,243,434 B2
Control device, control method, and unmanned aerial vehicle search system
Toshiaki Tazume, Tokyo (JP); and Daiki Tanaka, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Rakuten Group, Inc., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/799,759
Filed by Rakuten Group, Inc., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Sep. 29, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/035861
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 15, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/053269, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 6, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0212513 A1, Jun. 27, 2024
Int. Cl. G08G 5/00 (2006.01); B64D 1/02 (2006.01)
CPC G08G 5/0069 (2013.01) [G08G 5/0026 (2013.01); G08G 5/0056 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A control device that controls a second unmanned aerial vehicle for searching for a missing first unmanned aerial vehicle, the control device comprising:
at least one memory configured to store program code; and at least one processor configured to access the program code and operate as instructed by the program code, the program code including:
detection code configured to cause the at least one processor to detect, when the second unmanned aerial vehicle is within a range of several meters to several hundred meters of a final acquisition position of the missing first unmanned aerial vehicle, the missing first unmanned aerial vehicle as a search target on a basis of sensing data obtained by sensing of a sensor included in the second unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the final acquisition position is a position most recently acquired by a management server from the missing first unmanned aerial vehicle;
flight control code configured to cause the at least one processor to move the second unmanned aerial vehicle to a position above the detected missing first unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the position is spaced horizontally due to a smoke generation related to a landing impact of the detected missing first unmanned aerial vehicle, and the position is spaced vertically, with respect to an obstacle on the ground, above the detected missing first unmanned aerial vehicle to permit a view of the detected missing first unmanned aerial vehicle;
first identifying code configured to cause the at least one processor to identify a position of the second unmanned aerial vehicle in a horizontal direction when the second unmanned aerial vehicle has moved to the position above the detected missing first unmanned aerial vehicle; and
transmission code configured to cause the at least one processor to transmit, to a given device, first position information indicating the identified position as the first position of the detected missing first unmanned aerial vehicle in a horizontal direction.