Open avionics system for multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides an open type avionics system for a multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicle, and relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system, the system comprises a comprehensive processing module, a navigation module, a servo module, a power supply and distribution module and a load module, and the modules realize data interaction through an interconnection bus; a protocol conversion module with standardized interfaces is further arranged between the load module and the comprehensive processing module, and the protocol conversion module is used for converting various non-standardized load interfaces into unified and standardized interfaces so as to support effective communication and data exchange between the load module and the comprehensive processing module. Based on the design ideas of comprehensive modularization, bus interconnection and interface standardization, all functional modules of an existing unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system are designed in a centralized and integrated mode, and the multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system with high integration and interface standardization is formed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system design, and in particular to an open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles. Background Art

[0002] Electronic systems are a crucial component of UAVs and play a decisive role in their performance and reliability. Advances in sensor technology have enabled UAVs to be equipped with a variety of sensors, including visible light cameras, infrared cameras, and lidar. Furthermore, the intelligent and integrated development of flight control systems has enabled UAVs to accomplish diverse and complex missions. The trend toward multi-purpose UAVs requires their electronic systems to possess flexible payload swapping capabilities and support a diverse range of payload equipment. Existing UAV electronic systems utilize a discrete system architecture, interconnecting multiple electronic subsystems via a multi-channel data bus to form a multifunctional integrated system. This design, in the context of multi-purpose UAVs, results in high design costs and limited flexibility, making it unable to meet the development needs of these systems. There is an urgent need for highly integrated, comprehensive, modular UAV electronic systems with standardized interfaces.

[0003] Integrated processing of electronic systems refers to the highly integrated design of integrated processing modules, the establishment of a comprehensive resource-sharing model, the adoption of functional modular design, the completion of system functional division at the module level, and the use of "functional modules" instead of "functional subsystems" to achieve the intended system functions. However, in the current design of multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle electronic systems, each functional module still operates independently, each with its own processor, interface circuit, data flow processing, etc. There is no adoptable open standard system, and there is no truly integrated design of electronic systems that supports the flexible replacement of multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle payloads and multiple payload equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides an open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles. Based on the design concept of comprehensive modularization, bus interconnection, and interface standardization, the system integrates the functional modules of the existing unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system into a centralized and integrated design to form a highly integrated and interface-standardized multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system.

[0005] Specifically, the present invention provides an open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles, comprising: an integrated processing module, a navigation module, a servo module, a power supply and distribution module, and a payload module, wherein data exchange is achieved between the modules via an interconnection bus; wherein: The integrated processing module is used to realize the integrated processing of the aircraft's functional tasks; the navigation module is used to perceive and solve the UAV's own motion state in real time; the servo module is used to control the state of the controlled object; the power supply and distribution module is used for power distribution control and monitoring of the avionics system; and the payload module is used to complete the specific tasks of the UAV. A protocol conversion module with standardized interfaces is also provided between the payload module and the integrated processing module. The protocol conversion module is used to convert various non-standardized payload interfaces into unified, standardized interfaces to support effective communication and data exchange between the payload module and the integrated processing module.

[0006] As a further illustration of the present invention, the interconnection bus includes a flight control bus and a mission bus; The navigation module, the servo module, the power supply and distribution module and the integrated processing module all implement data exchange via the flight control bus; The load module and the integrated processing module implement data interaction via a task bus.

[0007] As a further illustration of the present invention, the flight control bus adopts a CAN bus with a dual-channel hot backup design to complete the transmission of navigation information and control information.

[0008] As a further illustration of the present invention, the task bus uses a FlexRay bus with a dual-channel redundant design to complete the transmission of load control information.

[0009] As a further illustration of the present invention, the control interface of the payload module is connected to the protocol conversion module so that the control interface is converted into a unified FlexRay interface; the protocol conversion module is connected to the task bus, and the task bus is connected to the integrated processing module; The Ethernet interface of the payload module is connected to an Ethernet switch to achieve large-scale data interaction.

[0010] As a further illustration of the present invention, the protocol conversion module includes a UART receiving unit, a data buffer and preprocessing module, a protocol conversion logic module, a FlexRay controller and an exception handling unit; wherein: The UART receiving unit is connected to the UART interface of the payload module and is used to receive the original serial data signal of the UART interface and perform baud rate matching, data bit check and error detection. The data buffering and preprocessing module is used to buffer the UART data stream and reorganize the UART byte stream into data blocks with a fixed format. The protocol conversion logic module is used to package the buffered data into a FlexRay standard frame structure and synchronize the FlexRay periodicity with the UART asynchronous data stream. The FlexRay controller is used to generate electrical signals according to the FlexRay protocol specification and drive the physical layer bus. The exception handling unit is used to detect UART interruption and FlexRay bus conflict anomalies and trigger retransmission or alarm signals.

[0011] As a further illustration of the present invention, a FIFO buffer unit and a data packet parsing unit are provided in the data cache and pre-processing module.

[0012] As a further illustration of the present invention, a FlexRay frame encapsulation unit and a timing management unit are provided in the protocol conversion logic module.

[0013] As a further illustration of the present invention, the FlexRay controller is provided with a host controller, a protocol controller, a bus driver, and a physical channel. The host controller is connected to the bus driver and the protocol controller, respectively. The protocol controller is also connected to the bus driver. The bus driver is connected to the physical channel, and the physical channel is connected to the interconnect bus. The host controller is used to control and manage the protocol controller and provide it with power and clock; the protocol controller is used to implement the FlexRay communication protocol specification; the bus driver is used to realize signal conversion between the interconnected bus and the protocol controller; the physical channel is used to provide physical layer communication media and electrical characteristics that comply with the FlexRay standard.

[0014] As a further explanation of the present invention, the protocol controller includes a communication controller as the protocol processing core and a communication host interface for interacting with the host controller. The communication host interface is connected to the host controller and the communication controller respectively, and the communication controller is also connected to the bus driver.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects: The present invention adopts a functional modular design, completes the system function division at the module level, divides the multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle into comprehensive processing module, navigation module, servo module, power supply and distribution module, payload module, etc. according to function, establishes a unified digital information transmission network, realizes the comprehensive integrated processing of various functional tasks on the aircraft, effectively reduces hardware resource redundancy, optimizes the information transmission path between functional modules, and improves system reliability.

[0016] The present invention establishes a unified and standardized bus interconnection structure, forms an open standard system for the standardization of electronic system interfaces, realizes the spatiotemporal decoupling architecture of control and tasks, the safe isolation of the bus structure, and the plug-and-play of new payload modules, effectively supporting the unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system to have flexible payload replacement capabilities and the ability to support diversified payload equipment.

[0017] The present invention designs a protocol conversion module with standardized interfaces, which converts various non-standardized payload interfaces into unified, standardized interfaces, realizes the standardized integration of heterogeneous interfaces, provides a technical implementation path for the open standard system of electronic system interface standardization, and effectively supports effective communication and data exchange between the payload module and the unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system body.

[0018] Other features and advantages of this technical solution will be described in the subsequent description, and in part will become apparent from the description, or understood by practicing this technical solution. The objectives and other advantages of this technical solution can be achieved and obtained through the structures specifically pointed out in the written description and the accompanying drawings.

[0019] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present technical solution and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present technical solution, they are used to explain the present technical solution and do not constitute a limitation of the present technical solution. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 The present invention provides an open avionics system architecture for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles; Figure 2 This is a principle block diagram of the comprehensive processing module provided by the present invention; Figure 3 This is a diagram of the open standardized bus interconnection structure provided by the present invention; Figure 4 This is a principle block diagram of the protocol conversion module with standardized interface provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The preferred embodiments of the present technical solution are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present technical solution and are not used to limit the present technical solution.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides an open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles, including: an integrated processing module, a navigation module, a servo module, a power supply and distribution module and a payload module, and data interaction is achieved between the modules through an interconnection bus; wherein: the integrated processing module is used to realize the integrated processing of aircraft functional tasks; the navigation module is used to perceive and solve the motion state of the unmanned aerial vehicle itself in real time; the servo module is used to control the state of the controlled object; the power supply and distribution module is used for power distribution control and monitoring of the avionics system; the payload module is used to complete specific tasks of the unmanned aerial vehicle; a protocol conversion module with standardized interfaces is also provided between the payload module and the integrated processing module, and the protocol conversion module is used to convert various non-standardized payload interfaces into unified, standardized interfaces to support effective communication and data exchange between the payload module and the integrated processing module.

[0023] The above-mentioned avionics system provided by the present invention divides functional modules according to subsystem functions, adopts functional modular design to replace the functional subsystems in the central interconnected architecture, realizes predetermined system functions, and establishes an interconnection bus between modules, which can effectively improve the multi-task comprehensive processing capability of the electronic system of the multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0024] The present invention designs a protocol conversion module with standardized interfaces, which converts various non-standardized payload interfaces into unified, standardized interfaces, realizes the standardized integration of heterogeneous interfaces, provides a technical implementation path for the open standard system of electronic system interface standardization, and effectively supports effective communication and data exchange between the payload module and the unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system body.

[0025] Figure 2 This is the implementation block diagram of the comprehensive processing module, such as Figure 2 As shown, the integrated processing module includes a signal processing unit, a core processing unit, a flight control unit, a flight management unit, a power management unit, a network interface unit, other interface units, a mission bus interface, a flight control bus interface and an external storage unit, which can realize the integrated processing of functional tasks such as flight mission planning, flight management, flight control, airborne equipment management, and power management.

[0026] The integrated processing module utilizes a multi-core heterogeneous processing architecture, using the XILINX Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC series as its processor. This series of processors consists of two components: the Processing System (PS) and the Programmable Logic (PL). The PS integrates multiple processor cores to handle tasks such as signal processing, core processing, flight control, and flight management. The PL, comprising programmable logic, offers high flexibility and parallel processing capabilities, implementing digital logic and signal processing for various interface controls, including general-purpose memory control, DDR control, serial port control, discrete control, PWM control, I2C control, SPI control, FlexRay bus protocol controller, and CAN bus protocol controller. The PL and PS exchange data via a high-speed AMBA / AXI bus, supporting high-performance computing and data processing requirements.

[0027] The power management unit includes a 12V power supply input module, a filtering module, a power conversion module, a key power monitoring module, etc. The 12V power supply input module serves as the system's primary power input interface, providing basic power support for the integrated processing module; the filtering module provides overvoltage / undervoltage protection functions to achieve ripple suppression of the input power supply; the power conversion module includes a step-down conversion circuit and a voltage stabilization circuit to complete the secondary and tertiary power conversion required by each sub-component of the integrated processing module; the key power monitoring module has a fault self-diagnosis function, which is used to monitor the voltage fluctuations, current anomalies and temperature status of the key components of the integrated processing module.

[0028] The network interface unit includes a physical layer chip (PHY), a transformer, and an Ethernet interface module. The PHY chip is the physical layer communication core and provides standard Ethernet protocol support for the system. The transformer provides electrical isolation and common-mode suppression functions to maintain the stability and security of signal transmission. The Ethernet interface module contains a connector and protection circuit to achieve physical layer connection.

[0029] Other interface units include analog input, discrete I / O, PWM output, RS232, RS422, RS485, I2C, SPI and other interface circuits, providing rich interface design for the avionics system.

[0030] The task bus interface is a FlexRay bus interface, which is implemented using a drive circuit and a physical interface and is used for data transmission between the integrated processing module and the payload module.

[0031] The flight control bus interface is a CAN bus interface, which is implemented using a drive circuit and a physical interface. It is used for data transmission between the integrated processing module, navigation module, servo module, and power supply and distribution module.

[0032] The external storage unit includes DDR memory, SDRAM memory, BOOT FLASH memory, etc., which are used for program storage, operation, and important data storage.

[0033] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the navigation module integrates a multi-source sensor system, including atmospheric sensors, motion parameter sensors, inertial sensors such as angle of attack and sideslip angle sensors, and satellite receivers. Its navigation method adopts a combined inertial navigation / satellite navigation method, and uses the APPLANIXPV series integrated navigation module with a relatively balanced cost and accuracy and stable centimeter-level positioning. The RS232 / RS422 interface is used for data transmission.

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the servo module contains multiple servo controllers, throttle servo controller, fuel control box and engine integrated controller. Its actuator adopts Savox SV-1270TG high-voltage digital servo, and uses PWM interface to realize servo control.

[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the power supply and distribution module contains components such as emergency batteries and generator controllers. Its circuit design adopts a centralized + distributed power supply design structure. Considering factors such as the power and importance of the power-consuming equipment, the DC / DC power supply module is reasonably configured.

[0036] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, payload modules are determined based on the UAV's mission. These include optoelectronic detection payloads, electronic jamming payloads, anti-radiation attack payloads, laser illumination, low-cost SAR (radar), and magnetic detection, enabling the UAV's optoelectronic detection, situational awareness, and electronic countermeasures capabilities. The system utilizes visible light, infrared, and radar payload sensors tailored to the UAV's mission requirements and is equipped with a FlexRay payload control interface and an Ethernet payload data transmission interface.

[0037] Specifically, the interconnected buses include the flight control bus and the mission bus. The flight control bus enables data exchange between the navigation module, servo module, and power supply and distribution module and the integrated processing module; the mission bus enables data exchange between the payload module and the integrated processing module. The flight control bus utilizes a dual-channel hot-backup CAN bus for navigation and control information transmission, achieving a closed-loop flight control system. The mission bus utilizes a dual-channel redundant FlexRay bus for payload control information transmission, enabling flexible payload swapping and multi-payload coordination.

[0038] The present invention establishes a unified and standardized bus interconnection structure, establishes a flight control bus between the integrated processing module and the navigation module, servo module, and power supply and distribution module, and establishes a task bus between the integrated processing module and the payload module, forming an open standard system for standardized electronic system interfaces, realizing the spatiotemporal decoupling architecture of control and tasks, the safe isolation of the bus structure, and the plug-and-play of new payload modules, effectively supporting the unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system with flexible payload replacement capabilities and the ability to support diversified payload equipment.

[0039] Specifically, the control interface of the payload module is connected to the protocol conversion module to convert the control interface into a unified FlexRay interface; the protocol conversion module is connected to the task bus, and the task bus is connected to the integrated processing module; the Ethernet interface of the payload module is connected to the Ethernet switch to achieve large-scale data interaction.

[0040] More specifically, Figure 3 As shown, the payload module's payload control interface is connected to the protocol conversion module's payload control interface. The protocol conversion module's FlexRay interface is connected to the FlexRay task bus via a physical channel. The FlexRay task bus is connected to the task bus interface of the integrated processing module, ultimately enabling data exchange between the payload module, protocol conversion module, and integrated processing module. The flight control bus interfaces of the navigation module, servo module, and power supply and distribution module are connected to the CAN flight control bus, which in turn is connected to the flight control bus interface of the integrated processing module, enabling data exchange between the navigation module, servo module, power supply and distribution module, and integrated processing module.

[0041] The present invention establishes a FlexRay bus network topology and an Ethernet star topology for payload modules, enabling module-level communication and data transmission. It uses a standardized task bus FlexRay interface for payload control and an Ethernet interface for large-scale payload data information, achieving both real-time control and large-scale data exchange.

[0042] The protocol conversion module is the heterogeneous communication hub in the avionics system of the present invention. It converts the discrete UART interface into a standard FlexRay bus, realizing the standardized integration of heterogeneous interfaces, effectively improving the system integration, real-time performance and reliability, and enabling the seamless integration of traditional payload equipment into modern avionics systems.

[0043] Figure 4 This is the principle block diagram of the protocol conversion module with standardized interface, such as Figure 4As shown, the protocol conversion module includes a UART receiver unit, a data buffer and preprocessing module, a protocol conversion logic module, a FlexRay controller, and an exception handling unit. It converts various payload control interfaces (UART interfaces) into a unified standard interface (FlexRay bus interface), enabling conversion between serial port data formats and the FlexRay protocol format. The UART receiver unit is connected to the payload module's UART interface and receives the raw serial data TX / RX signals from the UART interface, performing baud rate matching, data bit parity checking, and error detection. The data buffer and preprocessing module includes a FIFO buffer unit and a packet parsing unit to buffer the UART data stream and reassemble the UART byte stream into fixed-format data blocks. The protocol conversion logic module includes a FlexRay frame encapsulation unit and a timing management unit to package the buffered data into a standard FlexRay frame structure and synchronize the FlexRay periodicity with the UART asynchronous data stream. The FlexRay controller, based on components such as the host controller, protocol controller, bus driver, and physical channel, generates electrical signals (differential signals CY / CYN) according to the FlexRay protocol specification and drives the physical layer bus. The exception handling unit is used to detect anomalies such as UART disconnection and FlexRay bus conflict, triggering retransmission or alarm signals.

[0044] More specifically, the host controller in the FlexRay controller is connected to the bus driver and protocol controller, which are connected to the bus driver, which are connected to the physical channel, which is then connected to the interconnect bus (FlexRay task bus). The host controller controls and manages the FlexRay protocol controller, providing it with power and clock. The protocol controller implements the FlexRay communication protocol specification and includes a communication host interface for interacting with the host controller and a communication controller, which serves as the protocol processing core. The communication host interface is connected to the host controller and communication controller, which are connected to the bus driver. The bus driver converts signals between the interconnect bus and the protocol controller. The physical channel provides physical layer communication media and electrical characteristics that comply with the FlexRay standard.

[0045] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention provide an open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles. Through an open architecture featuring integrated centralized processing, modularized functions, and standardized interfaces, the system achieves flexibility and versatility for unmanned aerial vehicles. The integrated modular system design allows for independent upgrades or replacements of functional submodules, offering strong scalability and adaptability to a variety of mission requirements. The multi-core heterogeneous processing design optimizes system computing resources and significantly improves system efficiency. The highly reliable and standardized bus design implements a closed-loop flight control system and multiple types of payload equipment, providing a unified interface standard for open electronic systems. The protocol conversion module solves the problem of integrating traditional equipment into modern avionics systems, effectively reducing modification costs.

[0046] The present invention can meet the requirements of multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles for electronic systems. It can not only realize the integrated and comprehensive processing of multi-functional tasks of the unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system, but also provide underlying support for the flexible payload replacement and diversified payload equipment of the unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system.

[0047] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to this technical solution without departing from the spirit and scope of this technical solution. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this technical solution fall within the scope of the claims of this technical solution and their equivalents, this technical solution is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. An open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles, characterized by: include: The integrated processing module, navigation module, servo module, power supply and distribution module and payload module realize data exchange between each module through the interconnection bus; among which: The integrated processing module is used to realize the integrated processing of the aircraft's functional tasks; the navigation module is used to perceive and solve the UAV's own motion state in real time; the servo module is used to control the state of the controlled object; the power supply and distribution module is used for power distribution control and monitoring of the avionics system; and the payload module is used to complete the specific tasks of the UAV. A protocol conversion module with standardized interfaces is also provided between the payload module and the integrated processing module. The protocol conversion module is used to convert various non-standardized payload interfaces into unified, standardized interfaces to support effective communication and data exchange between the payload module and the integrated processing module.

2. The open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interconnection bus includes a flight control bus and a mission bus; The navigation module, the servo module, the power supply and distribution module and the integrated processing module all implement data exchange via the flight control bus; The load module and the integrated processing module implement data interaction via a task bus.

3. The open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 2, characterized in that: The flight control bus adopts a CAN bus with a dual-channel hot backup design to complete the transmission of navigation information and control information.

4. The open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 2, wherein: The task bus uses a FlexRay bus with a dual-channel redundant design to complete the transmission of load control information.

5. The open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 2, wherein: The control interface of the load module is connected to the protocol conversion module to convert the control interface into a unified FlexRay interface; the protocol conversion module is connected to the task bus, and the task bus is connected to the integrated processing module; The Ethernet interface of the payload module is connected to an Ethernet switch to achieve large-scale data interaction.

6. The open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, wherein: The protocol conversion module includes a UART receiving unit, a data buffer and preprocessing module, a protocol conversion logic module, a FlexRay controller and an exception handling unit; wherein: The UART receiving unit is connected to the UART interface of the payload module and is used to receive the original serial data signal of the UART interface and perform baud rate matching, data bit check and error detection. The data buffering and preprocessing module is used to buffer the UART data stream and reorganize the UART byte stream into data blocks with a fixed format. The protocol conversion logic module is used to package the buffered data into a FlexRay standard frame structure and synchronize the FlexRay periodicity with the UART asynchronous data stream. The FlexRay controller is used to generate electrical signals according to the FlexRay protocol specification and drive the physical layer bus. The exception handling unit is used to detect UART interruption and FlexRay bus conflict anomalies and trigger retransmission or alarm signals.

7. The open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 6, characterized in that: The data cache and pre-processing module is provided with a FIFO buffer unit and a data packet parsing unit.

8. The open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 6, characterized in that: The protocol conversion logic module is provided with a FlexRay frame encapsulation unit and a timing management unit.

9. The open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 6, characterized in that: The FlexRay controller is provided with a host controller, a protocol controller, a bus driver and a physical channel. The host controller is connected to the bus driver and the protocol controller respectively. The protocol controller is also connected to the bus driver. The bus driver is connected to the physical channel. The physical channel is connected to the interconnection bus. The host controller is used to control and manage the protocol controller and provide it with power and clock; the protocol controller is used to implement the FlexRay communication protocol specification; the bus driver is used to realize signal conversion between the interconnected bus and the protocol controller; the physical channel is used to provide physical layer communication media and electrical characteristics that comply with the FlexRay standard.

10. The open avionics system for multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 9, characterized in that: The protocol controller includes a communication controller as a protocol processing core and a communication host interface for interacting with the host controller. The communication host interface is connected to the host controller and the communication controller respectively. The communication controller is also connected to the bus driver.

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