Control apparatus, computer readable storage medium, control method, and flying object

1. A control apparatus that controls flying objects, each of the flying objects having an antenna arranged to form a cell on a ground and provide wireless communication service to a user terminal in the cell, the control apparatus comprising:

a replacement control unit configured to control replacement of a first flying object covering a target area on the ground by a first cell with a second flying object, wherein

the replacement control unit is configured to control the second flying object in a manner that after a second cell is formed in a part of the target area, the second flying object continuously expands the second cell to continuously broaden a coverage of the target area by the second cell.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the second flying object in a manner that after the second cell is formed in the part of the target area, the second flying object continuously expands the second cell while moving towards a location corresponding to a location of the first flying object to continuously broaden the coverage of the target area by the second cell.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the first flying object and the second flying object in a manner that while a state in which the first cell is partially overlapped with the second cell is maintained, the first flying object continuously reduces the first cell, and the second flying object continuously expands the second cell.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the first flying object and the second flying object in a manner that the first flying object continuously expands the first cell by beamforming, and the second flying object continuously expands the second cell by beamforming.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the second flying object in a manner that the second flying object forms the second cell in a first section on an outer edge side of the target area and continuously expands the second cell from the first section towards a second section facing the first section on the outer edge side of the target area, and the replacement control unit is configured to control the first flying object in a manner that the first flying object continuously reduces the first cell from the first section towards the second section.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the first flying object in a manner that after a user terminal present in the first cell in an overlapped section where the first cell is overlapped with the second cell in the target area switches a connection destination to the second cell, the first flying object reduces the first cell to cause the first cell to depart from the overlapped section.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the first flying object and the second flying object in a manner that at a speed at which fluctuation per unit time of a number of at least one user terminal that switches the connection destination from the first cell to the second cell is within a predetermined range, the first flying object reduces the first cell, and the second flying object expands the second cell.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the first flying object and the second flying object in a manner that a reduction speed of the first cell and an expansion speed of the second cell in an area where communication by the user terminals is more congested are slower than a reduction speed of the first cell and an expansion speed of the second cell in an area where communication by the user terminals is less congested in the target area.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the first flying object and the second flying object in a manner that while a state in which each of a plurality of sub cells configuring the first cell is partially overlapped with each of a plurality of sub cells configuring the second cell is maintained, the first flying object continuously reduces each of the plurality of sub cells of the first cell, and the second flying object continuously expands each of the plurality of sub cells of the second cell.

10. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the first flying object and the second flying object in a manner that in a state where the first flying object covers an entirety of the target area by the first cell, the second flying object continuously expands the second cell.

11. The control apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the second flying object in a manner that the second flying object forms the second cell in a first section on an inner side of the target area and continuously expands the second cell from the first section towards an outward direction of the target area.

12. The control apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the first flying object and the second flying object in a manner that a reception radio wave intensity from the second cell is set to be higher than a reception radio wave intensity from the first cell by a user terminal located within an overlapped section where the first cell is overlapped with the second cell in the target area.

13. The control apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the first flying object and the second flying object in a manner that in a state where the first flying object covers the entirety of the target area by a plurality of sub cells configuring the first cell, the second flying object forms the second cell configured by a plurality of sub cells each of which is included in each of the plurality of sub cells of the first cell and continuously expands the plurality of sub cells of the second cell.

14. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:

a setting control unit configured to transmit cell identification information of the second cell to the first flying object to cause the first flying object to set the second cell as a neighboring cell.

15. The control apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the setting control unit is configured to transmit cell identification information of the first cell to the second flying object to cause the second flying object to set the first cell as a neighboring cell.

16. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the replacement control unit is configured to control the first flying object and the second flying object in a manner that after the second cell is continuously expanded to cause the second cell to cover the entirety of the target area, the first flying object stops forming the first cell.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a program that causes a computer to function as a control apparatus that controls flying objects, each of the flying objects having an antenna arranged to form a cell on a ground and provide wireless communication service to a user terminal in the cell, the control apparatus comprising:

a replacement control unit configured to control replacement of a first flying object covering a target area on the ground by a first cell with a second flying object, wherein

the replacement control unit is configured to control the second flying object in a manner that after a second cell is formed in a part of the target area, the second flying object continuously expands the second cell to continuously broaden a coverage of the target area by the second cell.

18. A control method of controlling flying objects, each of the flying objects having an antenna arranged to form a cell on a ground and provide wireless communication service to a user terminal in the cell, the control method comprising:

controlling replacement of a first flying object covering a target area on the ground by a first cell with a second flying object, wherein

the controlling is to control the second flying object in a manner that after a second cell is formed in a part of the target area, the second flying object continuously expands the second cell to continuously broaden a coverage of the target area by the second cell.

19. A flying object having an antenna arranged to form a cell on a ground and provide wireless communication service to a user terminal in the cell, the flying object comprising:

a replacement control unit configured to execute replacement processing of replacing another flying object covering a target area on a ground by a first cell with its own flying object to cover the target area, wherein

the replacement control unit is configured to control the antenna in a manner that after a second cell is formed in a part of the target area, the second cell is continuously expanded to continuously broaden a coverage of the target area by the second cell.

20. A flying object having an antenna arranged to form a cell on a ground and provide wireless communication service to a user terminal in the cell, the flying object comprising:

a replacement control unit configured to execute, when its own flying object covers a target area on a ground by a first cell, replacement processing of replacing its own flying object with another flying object to cover the target area, wherein

the replacement control unit is configured to control the antenna in a manner that the first cell is continuously reduced in accordance with a state where the other flying object forms a second cell in a part of the target area and continuously expands the first cell while moving towards a location corresponding a location of its own flying object.