Special equipment integrated control system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a modular system that supports the integrated management of various mission equipment mounted on special purpose vehicles for operating unmanned vehicles or performing disaster response missions in the field, and to a special equipment integrated control system that integrates various mission equipment in one place and enables control or monitoring from a PC or server. The present invention comprises an integrated control system module (100) configured with a GPS (dual antenna) module, an embedded module, a network control module, and an LTE communication module, which collects vehicle location and operation information, remote diagnosis, and abnormality status, and transmits it externally in real time via wireless communication to enable monitoring of the vehicle status from the outside; and an Ethernet hub (200) that provides a network between the integrated control system module (100) and an external CCTV, LTE / 5G antenna, and drone station configured outside the vehicle, and receives power through a battery pack for equipment operation. The system comprises a PC (300) for operating an unmanned vehicle, which is equipped with a program to support integrated management of various mission equipment mounted on a special purpose vehicle for operating an unmanned vehicle or performing disaster response missions, and is capable of integrated management of mission equipment; and provides a special equipment integrated control system that supports integrated management of various mission equipment mounted on a special purpose vehicle for operating an unmanned vehicle or performing disaster response missions.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a specialized equipment integrated control system, and more specifically, to a modular system that supports the integrated management of various mission equipment mounted on special purpose vehicles for operating unmanned vehicles or performing disaster response missions in the field, and enables the integration of various mission equipment in one place to be controlled or monitored on a PC or server. Background Technology

[0003] Due to technological advancements in unmanned vehicles, there is an increasing need for control systems capable of integratedly operating various types of unmanned vehicles, such as drones, robots, and unmanned boats, and control vehicles are crucial for their efficient operation in the field.

[0004] The unmanned vehicle market is expected to grow by more than 20% annually, which is expected to drive increased demand for control vehicles, and it will be necessary to secure technological capabilities and strengthen market competitiveness to enter the global market.

[0005] These control vehicles can be utilized not only for unmanned vehicles but also for safety monitoring to ensure the safety of citizens. To achieve this, various sensors and modules (hereinafter referred to as mission equipment) are mounted on the vehicles and operated; however, since this mission equipment is currently operated independently, a management system is required to control and operate it in an integrated manner, similar to how drones are managed.

[0006] Furthermore, utilizing existing special-purpose spaces presents problems, such as the fact that the systems installed in special-purpose vehicles are mostly from different manufacturers and each has different control switches and software; therefore, these issues must be resolved. Prior art literature

[0008] Patent Document 1: Republic of Korea Published Patent No. 10-2021-0036671 (Published April 5, 2021) Patent Document 2: Republic of Korea Registered Patent No. 10-2547492 (Published June 27, 2023) The problem to be solved

[0009] Accordingly, the present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art as described above by providing a modular system that supports the integrated management of various mission equipment mounted on special-purpose vehicles for operating unmanned vehicles or performing disaster response missions in the field, and enables the integration of various mission equipment in one place to be controlled or monitored from a PC or server. means of solving the problem

[0010] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, an integrated control system module (100) is configured to include a GPS (dual antenna) module, an embedded module, a network control module, and an LTE communication module, collect vehicle location and operation information, remote diagnosis, and abnormality status, and transmit it to the outside in real time via wireless communication so that the vehicle status can be monitored from the outside; an Ethernet hub (200) that provides a network between an external CCTV, LTE / 5G antenna, and drone station configured outside the vehicle and the integrated control system module (100), and receives power through a battery pack for equipment operation; and an unmanned vehicle operation PC (300) that has a program installed to support integrated management of various mission equipment mounted on a special purpose vehicle for operating unmanned vehicles or performing disaster response missions, and is configured to support integrated management of mission equipment; thereby providing a special equipment integrated control system that supports integrated management of various mission equipment mounted on a special purpose vehicle for operating unmanned vehicles or performing disaster response missions.

[0011] Here, the various mission equipment is characterized by including a GPS antenna, telescopic equipment, and weather observation equipment.

[0012] And the integrated control system module (100) is characterized by being composed of an integrated control board (110) consisting of an LTE 4G RTK GPS module (111), an ETH HUB (112), a communication control module (113), an integrated control module (114), an RF module (115) and other communication modules (116), and an expansion interface control module (120) consisting of RS232, RS485, RS422 ports, a serial (TTL) port, an ETH port, a CAN port and a servo control port.

[0013] Meanwhile, the special equipment integrated control system is characterized by providing: Fleet Management, which performs wireless communication to communicate externally and stores data internally when wireless communication is not performed, and improves vehicle operation efficiency and safety by identifying vehicle location, operation information, remote diagnosis, and abnormalities in real time through wireless communication with a server or an administrator's smartphone, and enables monitoring of vehicle status by remotely transmitting data collected from the integrated control system module (100); Vehicle Payload Control, which provides integrated control of various special equipment mounted on the special vehicle; Flight Control, which improves flight safety and control stability of the drone by identifying drone location information, status information, and abnormalities in real time and monitors the status by remotely transmitting data collected from the control device inside the drone; and Mission Control, which performs integrated control of various mission equipment mounted on the drone, with the camera gimbal as the main component.

[0014] In addition, the special equipment integrated control system is characterized in that a plurality of special purpose vehicles (101, 102, 103, 104) equipped with the integrated control system module (100), Ethernet hub (200), and PC (300) for operating unmanned vehicles are equipped with wireless communication equipment and are connected to a server (500) via a communication carrier base station (400), thereby enabling remote pre-inspection and monitoring of the equipment from a management system (700) connected to the server (500) and a vehicle manager smartphone (600) through the status of the special vehicle and the status information, diagnosis, and error code identification data of the special equipment. Effects of the invention

[0016] The present invention has the following effects.

[0017] First, through a modular system that supports the integrated management of various mission equipment mounted on special-purpose vehicles for operating unmanned vehicles or performing disaster response missions in the field, various mission equipment can be integrated, controlled, or monitored from a single location.

[0018] Second, the status of each piece of equipment can be monitored remotely in real time through the server system, and the vehicle's location and the status of external sensors can be recorded.

[0019] Third, integrated control of equipment mounted on special-purpose vehicles is performed on-site, facilitating maintenance, management, after-sales support, and remote monitoring.

[0020] Fourth, the global vehicle control system market is growing rapidly. According to market research firm Markets and Markets, the global vehicle control system market is projected to grow from approximately $20.6 billion (about 25.4 trillion won) in 2021 to $33.9 billion (about 42.9 trillion won) in 2026, with an annual average growth rate of 10.5%. The overseas Mobile Control Station (field control vehicle) market is expected to grow steadily over the next few years, projected to grow from $4.34 billion in 2024 to $8.48 billion in 2030, with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.8% during the 2025-2030 period, allowing for the preemption of the global vehicle control system market. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0022] FIGS. 1 to 3 are drawings for explaining embodiments of a special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining an embodiment of a basic component of a special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention, FIG. 5 is a drawing showing an embodiment in which a special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention is configured on the exterior of a control vehicle. FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an example of direct equipment connection in the integrated control module of a specialized equipment integrated control system according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a drawing showing an example of an extended connection when supporting a communication interface with an integrated control module of a specialized equipment integrated control system according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a drawing showing an example of an extended connection when the integrated control module and communication interface of the special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention are not supported. FIG. 9 is a drawing showing an example of a configuration when multiple power controls are required in an integrated control module of a specialized equipment integrated control system according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a drawing illustrating a state in which FIGS. 7 to 9 are combined comprehensively. FIG. 11 is a drawing showing an embodiment of an integrated control system that supports the integrated management of various mission equipment by mounting the special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention on a special purpose vehicle. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0023] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings as follows.

[0024] In this specification, when a component is described as being on another component, it means that it may be formed directly on the other component or that a third component may be interposed between them. Also, in the drawings, the thicknesses of the components are exaggerated for the effective description of the technical content.

[0025] The embodiments described in this specification will be explained with reference to cross-sectional and / or plan views, which are ideal exemplary illustrations of the present invention.

[0026] The terms used herein are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. In this specification, the singular form includes the plural form unless specifically stated otherwise in the text. As used herein, 'comprises' and / or 'comprising' do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components to the mentioned components.

[0027] In describing the specific embodiments below, various specific details have been included to explain the invention more specifically and to aid understanding. However, a reader with sufficient knowledge in the art to understand the invention will recognize that it can be used without these various specific details. In some cases, it is noted in advance that commonly known aspects that are not significantly related to the invention have been omitted to prevent unnecessary confusion in describing the invention.

[0029] FIGS. 1 to 3 are drawings for explaining embodiments of a special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention.

[0030] An embodiment of the special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. First, FIG. 1 shows that the special equipment integrated control system is composed of an integrated control system module (100), an Ethernet hub (200), and a PC (300) for operating an unmanned mobile vehicle.

[0031] Here, the integrated control system module (100) has a GPS (dual antenna) module, an embedded module, a network control module, and an LTE communication module built in (5G external option can be installed), and is connected to various mission equipment such as a GPS antenna, telescopic equipment, and weather observation equipment as shown in FIG. 3, and receives power from a power control device for driving the integrated control system module (100).

[0032] The Ethernet hub (200) provides a network between an external CCTV, LTE / 5G communication, a drone station, and an integrated control system module (100), and is powered by a battery pack for operating the equipment.

[0033] A PC (300) for operating unmanned vehicles is equipped with a program to support integrated management of various mission equipment mounted on special purpose vehicles for operating unmanned vehicles or performing disaster response missions, and enables an administrator to manage the mission equipment in an integrated manner.

[0034] Meanwhile, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the development solution features of the special equipment integrated control system of the present invention. The integrated control system module (100) performs the central role of integrated control and monitoring of various special equipment mounted on a vehicle. It provides vehicle management and monitoring functions through an external server, supports various interface and protocol integration functions for mission equipment, enables support and expansion of various interfaces through an expansion interface module, and displays integrated data in the drone control ground control system (GCS) as in the vehicle (collaboration with GCS companies), provides specialized ICT solutions for special equipment manufacturers, and offers diversification of options according to customers.

[0035] To this end, the integrated control system module (100) may be composed of an integrated control board (110) and an expansion interface control module (120), and the integrated control board (110) is composed of an LTE 4G RTK GPS module (111), an ETH HUB (112), a communication control module (113), an integrated control module (114), an RF module (115), and other communication modules (116), so as to be connected to GPS antennas 1 and 2 outside the vehicle, LTE antennas 1 and 2 inside and outside the vehicle, and RF antennas 1 and 2 outside the vehicle.

[0036] The expansion interface control module (120) may be configured with RS232, RS485, RS422 ports, a serial (TTL) port, an ETH port, a CAN port, and a servo control port.

[0037] Meanwhile, Figure 3 shows embodiments of a Vehicle Payload Control System for integrated management of vehicle mission equipment for the special equipment integrated control system of the present invention, including an example of an operating PC for integrated control and monitoring of special equipment including weather observation equipment, telescopic equipment, LTE, GPS receiver, external vehicle searchlight, drone station, Ethernet hub, battery pack, external CCTV, and drone or CCTV.

[0038] The integrated control system for specialized equipment according to the present invention is provided with fleet management, vehicle payload control, flight control, and mission control functions.

[0039] Fleet Management is performed through wireless communication to the outside, and if wireless communication is not performed, data is stored internally. In addition, through wireless communication with the outside (server, administrator smartphone, etc.), vehicle location, driving information, remote diagnosis, and abnormality status are identified in real time to maximize vehicle operation efficiency and safety, and data collected from the integrated control system module (100) is remotely transmitted to monitor the vehicle status. At this time, it is based on data provided by the vehicle's ECU, and there is a standardized protocol (FMS-Standard).

[0040] Vehicle Payload Control enables integrated control of various specialized equipment mounted on specialized vehicles—operating independently of the vehicle's control system—using the mobile control system (video) as the main tool for the integrated control of other specialized equipment—without standardized protocols, allowing for operation completely independently of the FMS.

[0041] Flight Control requires a network such as LTE for non-line-of-sight flights (data is stored internally when unavailable) and is designed to maximize flight safety and control stability by monitoring the drone's location, status, and any abnormalities in real time.

[0042] Then, data collected from the drone's control unit is remotely transmitted to monitor the status. At this time, a data-based, standardized protocol provided by the drone's MCU is provided (MAVLINK).

[0043] Mission Control is designed to provide integrated control of various mission equipment mounted on the drone—operating independently of the flight control system—and to provide integrated control of various mission equipment, with the camera gimbal as the main component. It was programmed to be primarily used by creating MAVLINK's Custom message rules.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining an example of a basic component of a special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention.

[0046] An example of the basic components of the special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 4 and consists of a commercial GPS module, a commercial communication module (LTE, 5G, BT, etc.), an integrated control board, and a power control board.

[0047] Here, the power control board serves to supply power to the integrated control board, GPS module, communication module, and equipment connected through the integrated control board, which are basic components of the Vehicle Mission Equipment Integrated Management System. Since the voltage and current of each piece of equipment or module may differ, the voltage and current are supplied in accordance with the connected equipment.

[0048] The GPS module transmits the vehicle's location, altitude, speed, and heading (relative to true north) to the integrated control board, which then utilizes the vehicle's location status information and corresponding data for applications such as precision landing of drones or wind direction correction for weather observation equipment.

[0049] The integrated control board receives power from the power control board and is connected to the GPS module and commercial communication module. It can independently connect to GPS, communication modems, Ethernet hubs, etc., and additionally directly control serial communication, CAN communication, RS422, and RS485 communication. Furthermore, it enables PWM or GPIO control, and when connected via Bluetooth, it allows for status information and control by linking with tablets, PCs, or smartphones. Additionally, the CAN interface is designed to enable integration with vehicle ODB (On-Board Diagnostics).

[0051] FIG. 5 is a drawing showing an embodiment of a special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention configured on the exterior of a control vehicle, FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an embodiment of direct equipment connection in the integrated control module of the special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention, FIG. 7 is a drawing showing an embodiment of an extended connection when the integrated control module of the special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention supports a communication interface, FIG. 8 is a drawing showing an embodiment of an extended connection when the integrated control module of the special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention does not support a communication interface, and FIG. 9 is a drawing showing an embodiment of a configuration when multiple power control is required in the integrated control module of the special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention.

[0052] An embodiment of the integrated control system for special equipment according to the present invention configured on the exterior of a control vehicle is shown in FIG. 5, which illustrates that a drone station door, an RTK GPS handling receiver for drone precision landing and vehicle location information transmission, a folding drone antenna, an external CCTV for upper monitoring and drone monitoring, and a weather observation device are mounted on the top of the vehicle. Of course, additional components such as a searchlight may also be configured.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an example of direct equipment connection in the integrated control module of the special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention. In the case of a device directly connected to the integrated control board (110), an opposite connector matching the connection connector of the equipment is mounted on an interface connector bracket in an external case (similar to a main board panel bracket) so as to be connected to the integrated control board (110) via a Board to wire connector. At this time, since the connector type differs for each piece of equipment, an expandable interface connection bracket (130) is configured to correspond to the connector corresponding to the equipment by connecting the connector, and communication and power supply are received through the connector.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an integrated control module of a special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention and an expanded connection when supporting a communication interface. In the diagram, large operating equipment (e.g., antenna, CCTV mast, vehicle operating cover, etc.) mounted on a vehicle on the right side, which requires AC power or a large-capacity power supply, is configured to have the power supply connected separately and directly, and to have the equipment directly connected to the integrated control board when the equipment supports a communication interface. In addition, if there is a physical shortage of interfaces when connecting the communication interface, an additional interface conversion module (210) can be used in the middle to expand the connection. An MCU is installed inside the interface conversion module (210) to convert Ethernet data into various interfaces.

[0055] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an integrated control module and an extended connection when a communication interface is not supported in the integrated control system of the special equipment according to the present invention. For equipment that is not controlled by communication and consists of physical switches (e.g., toggle switch, push switch, knob switch, etc.), the actuator and GPIO controller (220) and the extended actuator (230) are connected so that the device combined by mounting a motor on the actuator (230) and the actuator and GPIO controller (220) is directly connected to the switch for control, or the switch is disassembled to control the signal instead.

[0056] FIG. 9 is an example of a configuration for when multiple power controls are required in the integrated control module of a specialized equipment integrated control system according to the present invention. In the case of equipment that requires direct control of AC or DC power (e.g., lighting, motorized awning, screen, other equipment, etc.), the equipment that requires direct control can be controlled through a power relay (250) using a relay controller (240).

[0057] Meanwhile, Figure 10 illustrates an example in which Figures 7 to 9 are combined.

[0059] FIG. 11 is a drawing showing an embodiment of an integrated control system that supports the integrated management of various mission equipment by mounting the special equipment integrated control system according to the present invention on a special purpose vehicle.

[0060] An embodiment of an integrated control system according to the present invention, which supports integrated management of various mission equipment by being mounted on special purpose vehicles (101, 102, 103, 104), is shown in FIG. 11. Basically, a plurality of special purpose vehicles (101, 102, 103, 104) equipped with an integrated control system module (100) and an Ethernet hub (200) and a PC (300) for operating unmanned vehicles shown in FIG. 1 are equipped with wireless communication equipment and are connected to a server (500) through a communication carrier base station (400). This enables remote pre-inspection and monitoring of the equipment through a management system (700) connected to the server (500) using the status of the special vehicle and the status information, diagnosis, and error code identification data of the special equipment. Additionally, it enables remote pre-inspection and monitoring of the equipment by transmitting the status information, diagnosis, and error code identification data of the special vehicle and the special equipment to a vehicle manager's smartphone (600).

[0061] That is, the current status information can be checked by accessing it via an app or web on the administrator's smartphone (600), and the solution is designed to enable customer maintenance management, status information monitoring, and field support, rather than for control purposes.

[0063] Although the present invention has been described with the examples above, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these examples and can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. Accordingly, the examples disclosed in the present invention are intended to explain, not limit, the technical concept of the present invention, and the scope of the technical concept of the present invention is not limited by these examples. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical concepts within an equivalent scope shall be interpreted as being included within the scope of rights of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0065] 100: Integrated Control System Module 110: Integrated Control Board 111: LTE 4G RTK GPS Module 112: ETH HUB 113: Communication Control Module 114: Integrated Control Module 115: RF Module 116: Other Communication Modules 120: Expansion Interface Control Module 130: Interface Connection Bracket 200: Ethernet Hub 210: Interface Conversion Module 220: Actuator and GPIO Controller 230: Actuator 240: Relay Controller 250: Power Relay 300: PC for Unmanned Vehicle Operation

Claims

Claim 1 In a special equipment integrated control system that supports integrated management of various mission equipment mounted on a special purpose vehicle performing unmanned mobile operation or disaster response missions, the system comprises: an integrated control board (110) composed of an LTE 4G RTK GPS module (111), an ETH HUB (112), a communication control module (113), an integrated control module (114), and an RF module (115); and an expansion interface control module (120) composed of RS232, RS485, RS422 ports, a serial (TTL) port, an ETH port, a CAN port, and a servo control port, thereby collecting vehicle location and operation information, remote diagnosis, and abnormality status, and transmitting them externally in real time via wireless communication to enable monitoring of the vehicle status from the outside; and an Ethernet hub (200) that provides a network between an external CCTV, an LTE / 5G antenna, a drone station configured outside the vehicle and the integrated control system module (100), and receives power through a battery pack for equipment operation. and mounted on special purpose vehicles for operating unmanned vehicles or performing disaster response missions, including GPS antennas, telescopic equipment, and weather observation equipment The system is configured to include a PC (300) for operating an unmanned vehicle that is capable of integrated management of mission equipment and has a program installed to support integrated management of mission equipment; wherein the integrated control system module (100) comprises an interface conversion module (210) equipped with an MCU that converts Ethernet-based data into multiple communication interfaces to perform an extended connection for connection with multiple mission equipment, and For mission equipment that does not support a communication interface, an actuator and a GPIO controller (220) and an actuator (230) configured to control a physical switch or drive unit by directly operating the switch based on a motor drive or by replacing the signal. For mission equipment including lighting, motorized awnings, and screens that require direct control of AC or DC power, the system is configured to include a relay controller (240) and a power relay (250) for directly controlling AC or DC power according to the control of the integrated control system module (100). The integrated control system module (100), Ethernet hub (200), and PC (300) for operating unmanned vehicles are each mounted on a plurality of special purpose vehicles (101, 102, 103, 104) and are connected to a server (500) via a carrier base station (400) using wireless communication equipment configured on each of the plurality of special purpose vehicles (101, 102, 103, 104). This enables remote pre-inspection and monitoring of the equipment through a management system (700) connected to the server (500), and allows the status of each special purpose vehicle, status information of the mission equipment, remote diagnostic information, and error code identification data to be transmitted via a vehicle manager's smartphone (600) of the special purpose vehicle An integrated control system for specialized equipment that enables remote pre-inspection and monitoring of equipment by transmitting status information, remote diagnostic information, and error code identification data of status and mission equipment. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 In claim 1, the special equipment integrated control system is characterized by providing: Fleet Management, which performs wireless communication to communicate externally and stores data internally when wireless communication is not performed, and improves vehicle operation efficiency and safety by identifying vehicle location, operation information, remote diagnosis, and abnormalities in real time through wireless communication with a server or an administrator's smartphone, and enables monitoring of vehicle status by remotely transmitting data collected from the integrated control system module (100); Vehicle Payload Control, which provides integrated control of various special equipment mounted on the special vehicle; Flight Control, which improves flight safety and control stability of the drone by identifying drone location information, status information, and abnormalities in real time and monitors the status by remotely transmitting data collected from the control device within the drone; and Mission Control, which performs integrated control of various mission equipment mounted on the drone, with the camera gimbal as the main component. Claim 5 delete

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