Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle given target attack control method

Abstract

The invention discloses a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle given target attack control method, and belongs to the technical field of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles, and the method comprises the steps: a ground station adds the precise coordinates of a plurality of possible attack target points into a waypoint, and inputs the waypoint into a flight control system; when the unmanned aerial vehicle enters a cruising stage and flies along a predetermined route, the ground station sends an attack instruction to the flight control system; and the flight control system executes a target attack strategy after receiving the attack instruction. The method is not limited by space and time, and the fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle can meet terminal guidance control conditions, so that target attacks are smoothly completed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and in particular to a given target attack control method for a fixed-wing UAV. Background Art

[0002] For targeted strikes, fixed-wing drones are similar to missiles, and the flight process can generally be divided into stages such as launch, cruise flight, and attack. The following is a detailed introduction to each stage.

[0003] Launch phase: Common launch methods include tube launch, box launch, vehicle launch, and aircraft launch. The launch phase mainly provides the UAV with an initial velocity to meet the conditions for the UAV to take off;

[0004] Cruise flight phase: After the UAV takes off, it flies along a predetermined route, and the route can be adjusted in real time through the ground station according to mission requirements;

[0005] Attack phase: The UAV cruises close to the target, and the cruise missile dives downward at a larger angle to increase the kinetic energy and accuracy of the attack and strike the target.

[0006] The commonly used strategies for the fixed-point attack phase are as follows:

[0007] (1) Attack based on pre-programmed targets: The ground station operator first inputs the precise coordinates of the known target into the drone's control system through the ground station. After the drone is launched, it relies on satellite navigation, inertial navigation and other systems to fly to the target area according to the pre-programmed route. When approaching the target, the drone cuts into terminal guidance and implements a dive attack. The disadvantage of this method is that it can only fly along the set route and ultimately attack the target according to the designed route; when the attack target changes, not only does the ground station need to resend the attack target coordinates, but the flight route needs to be manually adjusted according to the target point.

[0008] (2) “Man-in-the-loop” target attack: When the UAV flies towards a known target, it transmits information such as the UAV’s position, attitude, and speed to the rear control station via a data link. The operator at the ground control station controls the UAV’s flight path, attitude, and speed. When the UAV approaches the known target, the operator sends an attack command, and the UAV enters terminal guidance and conducts a dive attack or a collision attack. The disadvantage of this method is that the ground station operator needs to adjust the UAV’s position, attitude, and speed in real time to guide the UAV close to the target before sending the attack command.

[0009] Both strategies use a fixed throttle as the terminal guidance throttle in the terminal guidance phase. If the fixed throttle is set too small, the UAV may easily stall initially. If the throttle is set too large, the UAV body may be subjected to a large overload in the final dive attack phase.

[0010] Based on this, the present invention provides a fixed-wing UAV given target attack control method. Summary of the Invention

[0011] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle to attack a given target.

[0012] The technical solution of the present invention to solve the above technical problems is as follows:

[0013] In a first aspect, the present invention discloses a method for controlling a fixed-wing UAV to attack a given target.

[0014] A fixed-wing UAV given target attack control method, comprising:

[0015] Step 1: The ground station adds the precise coordinates of multiple possible attack target points to the waypoints and inputs them into the flight control system;

[0016] Step 2: When the UAV enters the cruise phase and flies along the predetermined route, the ground station sends an attack command to the flight control system;

[0017] Step 3: After receiving the attack command, the flight control system executes the target attack strategy.

[0018] The following describes each step in detail.

[0019] Step 3 specifically includes the following sub-steps:

[0020] Step 31: Establish a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system with the current real-time position of the drone as the coordinate origin, the direction of the drone's position pointing to the target point as the positive X-axis, the positive Y-axis rotated 90 degrees clockwise along the horizontal plane as the positive X-axis, and the vertically downward position of the drone as the positive Z-axis.

[0021] Step 32: Calculate the position, velocity, and attitude of the drone and target point in the coordinate system in real time;

[0022] Step 33: Determine whether the drone meets the optimal attack range and optimal attack altitude based on the solution results. When the drone meets the optimal attack range and optimal attack altitude, the drone begins terminal guidance control, dives to attack, and performs closed-loop control of the throttle. The drone gradually reduces the throttle to zero and finally dives toward the target point to complete the target strike.

[0023] Furthermore, the step 32 specifically includes the following sub-steps:

[0024] Step 321: Determine whether the distance between the UAV and the target point is greater than 1.5 times the optimal attack distance;

[0025] Step 322: If yes, calculate whether the angle between the horizontal ground speed direction of the UAV and the positive half axis of the X axis is between -60° and 60°;

[0026] Step 323: If yes, the UAV starts to fly straight along the target line, where the target line is the line between the UAV and the target point;

[0027] Step 324: If not, the UAV begins to circle left at a fixed angle until the angle condition is met and then flies straight.

[0028] Furthermore, in step 321, if the judgment result is no, then on the reverse extension line between the UAV and the target point, with a position 1.5 times the optimal attack distance from the target point as the center of the circle and a fixed-point circling radius R1 as the radius, a fixed-point circling flight is performed until the angle between the horizontal ground speed direction of the UAV and the positive half axis of the X-axis is between -60° and 60°. Then the UAV exits the circle and starts to fly straight along the line connecting the current position and the target point.

[0029] Furthermore, in step 323, when the UAV begins to fly straight along the target line, the cruising speed of the UAV is adjusted to 1.2 times the stall airspeed.

[0030] Furthermore, when the drone is flying, if the altitude between the drone and the target point does not meet the optimal attack altitude, the drone will climb or sink until it reaches the optimal attack altitude.

[0031] Furthermore, in step 33, the UAV enters the terminal guidance phase at 1.2 times the stall airspeed, and the terminal guidance controls the engine throttle in a closed loop at 1.1 times the stall airspeed.

[0032] In a second aspect, the present invention further discloses an electronic device.

[0033] An electronic device comprises at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to execute the above-mentioned method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle to attack a given target.

[0034] In a third aspect, the present invention further discloses a computer program product.

[0035] A computer program product includes a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the above-mentioned fixed-wing UAV given target attack control method.

[0036] In summary, compared with the prior art, the above technical solution has the following beneficial effects:

[0037] The present invention provides a method for controlling a fixed-wing UAV to attack a given target. After the UAV enters the cruising phase, the ground operator does not need to constantly pay attention to adjusting the UAV status and can send attack commands anytime and anywhere. The autopilot, in accordance with the patented strategy, enables the fixed-wing UAV to meet the terminal guidance control entry conditions. In the terminal guidance phase, the engine is controlled with the optimal throttle, thereby successfully completing the target attack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 This is a flow chart of a given target attack control method for a fixed-wing UAV according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the coordinates of the waypoints of a fixed-wing UAV in a given target attack control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a fixed-wing UAV flight according to a given target attack control method of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a fixed-wing UAV starting to fly directly to waypoint 5 according to a given target attack control method of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The principles and features of the present invention are described below in conjunction with all the accompanying drawings. The examples given are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0043] An embodiment of the present invention discloses a method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle to attack a given target.

[0044] Reference Figure 1 In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention discloses a method for controlling a fixed-wing UAV to attack a given target.

[0045] A fixed-wing UAV given target attack control method, comprising:

[0046] Step 1: The ground station adds the precise coordinates of multiple possible attack target points to the waypoints and inputs them into the flight control system;

[0047] Step 2: When the UAV enters the cruise phase and flies along the predetermined route, the ground station sends an attack command to the flight control system;

[0048] Step 3: After receiving the attack command, the flight control system executes the target attack strategy.

[0049] The invention provides a fixed-wing UAV given target attack control method which is not restricted by space and time, and enables the fixed-wing UAV to meet terminal guidance control conditions, thereby successfully completing the target attack.

[0050] Furthermore, the step 3 specifically includes:

[0051] Step 31: Establish a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system with the current real-time position of the drone as the coordinate origin, the direction of the drone's position pointing to the target point as the positive X-axis, the positive Y-axis rotated 90 degrees clockwise along the horizontal plane as the positive X-axis, and the vertically downward position of the drone as the positive Z-axis.

[0052] Step 32: Calculate the position, velocity, and attitude of the drone and target point in the coordinate system in real time;

[0053] Step 33: Determine whether the drone meets the optimal attack range and optimal attack altitude based on the solution results. When the drone meets the optimal attack range and optimal attack altitude, the drone begins terminal guidance control, dives to attack, and performs closed-loop control of the throttle. The drone enters the terminal guidance phase at 1.2 times the stall airspeed. The terminal guidance controls the engine throttle in a closed loop at 1.1 times the stall airspeed. The drone gradually reduces the throttle to the tail zero and finally dives toward the target point to complete the target strike.

[0054] Furthermore, the step 32 specifically includes the following sub-steps:

[0055] Step 321: Determine whether the distance between the UAV and the target point is greater than 1.5 times the optimal attack distance;

[0056] Step 322: If yes, calculate whether the angle between the horizontal ground speed direction of the UAV and the positive half axis of the X axis is between -60° and 60°; wherein the angle is obtained by the flight control system through GPS data and then solved in real time according to the target position;

[0057] Step 323: If yes, the UAV begins to fly straight along the target line, where the target line is the line between the UAV and the target point; when the UAV begins to fly straight along the target line, the cruising speed of the UAV is adjusted to 1.2 times the stall airspeed;

[0058] Step 324: If not, the drone begins circling left at a fixed angle until the angle condition is met, then returns to direct flight. In this embodiment, the fixed angle is set to -15°, meaning the flight control system is configured with a fixed angle of -15°. This is equivalent to the aircraft rolling at -15°, resulting in a circling flight path.

[0059] Furthermore, in step 321, if the judgment result is no, then on the reverse extension line between the UAV and the target point, with a position 1.5 times the optimal attack distance from the target point as the center of the circle and a fixed-point circling radius R1 as the radius, a fixed-point circling flight is performed until the angle between the horizontal ground speed direction of the UAV and the positive half axis of the X-axis is between -60° and 60°. Then the UAV exits the circle and starts to fly straight along the line connecting the current position and the target point.

[0060] When the drone is flying, if the altitude between the drone and the target point does not meet the optimal attack altitude, the drone will climb or sink until it reaches the optimal attack altitude.

[0061] The following examples are used to explain in detail.

[0062] Reference Figure 2-Figure 4 , add two possible attack target points to waypoint 3 and waypoint 5 of route 2. When the drone is launched normally and enters the cruise phase, the drone flies along waypoint 1 of route 2 to waypoint 2. At this time, waypoint 5 is selected as the attack target and the attack command is sent.

[0063] The line connecting the drone's position and waypoint 5 is defined as the positive X-axis, and the positive Y-axis is defined as the line rotated 90° clockwise. The angle between the drone's velocity and the positive X-axis is 107°, outside the range of -60° to 60°. At this point, the drone is 3009 meters from waypoint 5, while the optimal attack range is 1300 meters. The drone begins circling at a roll angle of -15°.

[0064] During the circling process of the UAV, the angle between the UAV and waypoint 5 is detected in real time. When the angle between the UAV and waypoint 5 is less than 60°, the UAV starts to fly straight along the line connecting the current position and waypoint 5, with a flight speed of 22.8 meters per second (the stalling airspeed is 19 meters per second, and the flight airspeed is 1.2 times the stalling airspeed). At the same time, the UAV altitude is controlled at the optimal altitude, that is, the optimal altitude is 1000 meters, and the altitude difference between the UAV and waypoint 5 is 500 meters.

[0065] When the horizontal distance between the UAV and waypoint 5 is 1,300 meters, the UAV automatically enters terminal guidance control. At the same time, the expected airspeed is 20.9 meters per second (the stall airspeed is 19 meters per second, and the airspeed is 1.1 times the stall airspeed). The UAV begins to dive. At this time, the throttle control amount of the UAV gradually decreases to 0. Finally, the UAV dives to waypoint 5 at a landing angle of -30 degrees, and the miss distance is less than 1 meter.

[0066] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the landing angle of the drone is set to 30°, that is, the posture in which the drone is expected to hit the target, that is, in this embodiment, the drone hits the target by lowering its head 30°.

[0067] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further discloses an electronic device.

[0068] An electronic device comprises at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to execute the above-mentioned method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle to attack a given target.

[0069] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further discloses a computer program product.

[0070] A computer program product includes a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the above-mentioned fixed-wing UAV given target attack control method.

[0071] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fixed-wing UAV given target attack control method, characterized in that: include: Step 1: The ground station adds the precise coordinates of multiple possible attack target points to the waypoints and inputs them into the flight control system; Step 2: When the UAV enters the cruise phase and flies along the predetermined route, the ground station sends an attack command to the flight control system; Step 3: After receiving the attack command, the flight control system executes the target attack strategy.

2. The method for controlling a fixed-wing UAV to attack a given target according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step 3 specifically includes the following sub-steps: Step 31: Establish a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system with the current real-time position of the drone as the coordinate origin, the direction of the drone's position pointing to the target point as the positive X-axis, the positive Y-axis rotated 90 degrees clockwise along the horizontal plane as the positive X-axis, and the vertically downward position of the drone as the positive Z-axis. Step 32: Calculate the position, velocity, and attitude of the drone and target point in the coordinate system in real time; Step 33: Determine whether the drone meets the optimal attack range and optimal attack altitude based on the solution results. When the drone meets the optimal attack range and optimal attack altitude, the drone begins terminal guidance control, dives to attack, and performs closed-loop control of the throttle. The drone gradually reduces the throttle to zero and finally dives toward the target point to complete the target strike.

3. The method for controlling a fixed-wing UAV to attack a given target according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step 32 specifically includes the following sub-steps: Step 321: Determine whether the distance between the UAV and the target point is greater than 1.5 times the optimal attack distance; Step 322: If yes, calculate whether the angle between the horizontal ground speed direction of the UAV and the positive half axis of the X axis is between -60° and 60°; Step 323: If yes, the UAV starts to fly straight along the target line, where the target line is the line between the UAV and the target point; Step 324: If not, the UAV begins to circle left at a fixed angle until the angle condition is met and then flies straight.

4. A fixed-wing UAV given target attack control method according to claim 3, characterized in that: In step 321, if the judgment result is no, the drone performs a fixed-point circling flight on the reverse extension line between the drone and the target point, with a position 1.5 times the optimal attack distance from the target point as the center and a fixed-point circling radius R1 as the radius, until the angle between the drone's horizontal ground speed direction and the positive half axis of the X-axis is between -60° and 60°. The drone then exits the circle and begins to fly straight along the line connecting the current position and the target point.

5. The method for controlling a fixed-wing UAV to attack a given target according to claim 3, characterized in that: In step 323, when the UAV begins to fly straight along the target line, the cruising speed of the UAV is adjusted to 1.2 times the stalling airspeed.

6. A fixed-wing UAV given target attack control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the drone is flying, if the altitude between the drone and the target point does not meet the optimal attack altitude, the drone will climb or sink until it reaches the optimal attack altitude.

7. The method for controlling a fixed-wing UAV to attack a given target according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step 33, the UAV enters the terminal guidance phase at 1.2 times the stall airspeed, and the terminal guidance controls the engine throttle in a closed loop at 1.1 times the stall airspeed.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that: The invention comprises at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute a fixed-wing UAV given target attack control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the computer program implements the fixed-wing UAV given target attack control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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