A UAV flight inspection method, system, equipment and medium

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, system, equipment and medium for unmanned aerial vehicle flight inspection, and belongs to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle inspection. The method includes: in the process of unmanned aerial vehicle flight inspection according to 4D track, receiving and processing data information obtained by airborne equipment to obtain flight information; executing one or more of the preset judgment conditions according to the flight information to obtain a judgment result; and when the judgment result of any preset judgment condition is that the unmanned aerial vehicle flight inspection cannot be completed, modifying the 4D track according to the preset rules and generating a new 4D track, so that the flight control system controls the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly according to the new 4D track to continue the flight inspection. The present invention processes the data information obtained by the airborne equipment, and adjusts the 4D track when it is determined that the flight inspection cannot be completed, thereby prompting the flight inspection to be completed without manual intervention, which is not only efficient but also accurate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle inspection technology, and in particular to an unmanned aerial vehicle flight inspection method, system, equipment and medium. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of aviation technology, aircraft have been comprehensively developed from military to civilian use, and from manned to unmanned, making the application areas of aircraft more and more extensive. At the same time, with the gradual maturity of 5G Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and big data technologies, drones can play a place in the construction of smart cities. The rational use of urban airspace has become a market that major drone companies urgently need to develop.

[0003] 4D track is a way to accurately describe the entire flight process of an aircraft by using three-dimensional spatial position information (longitude, latitude, and altitude) plus one-dimensional time information. It is widely used in the civil aviation field. Through the air traffic control system, the precise flight routes and times of each flight are planned in advance, allowing civil aircraft around the world to fly in an orderly manner.

[0004] With the rapid development of economy, people's demands for urban life are increasing day by day, making drones play an important role in the development of smart cities. However, due to the dense population and high-rise buildings in cities, the existing drone 4D flight technology is difficult to be deeply applied in urban airspace. The main reason is that urban operations need to be guaranteed with high safety and reliability.

[0005] Existing drone flight inspections mainly rely on pilots controlling the remote control in manual flight mode or planning 3D trajectory automatic flight mode. However, these methods are inefficient and cannot accurately control the flight status. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the problems in the prior art that UAV flight inspection is inefficient and difficult to accurately control, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a UAV flight inspection method, system, equipment and medium.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is:

[0008] In one aspect, the present invention provides a drone flight inspection method, comprising the following steps:

[0009] When the UAV performs flight inspection according to the 4D track, data information acquired by the airborne equipment is received, and the data information is processed to obtain flight information;

[0010] According to the content of the flight information, one or more of the preset judgment conditions are executed to obtain a judgment result, wherein the judgment result is whether the UAV flight inspection can be completed or cannot be completed, and when the judgment result of any of the preset judgment conditions is that the UAV flight inspection cannot be completed, proceed to the next step;

[0011] The 4D track is modified according to preset rules and a new 4D track is generated, so that the flight control system can control the UAV to fly according to the new 4D track to continue the flight inspection.

[0012] Preferably, the flight information includes at least one of the aircraft's position and speed information, battery remaining power information, obstacle information on the 4D track, bad weather areas on the 4D track and their duration information, and clear areas on the 4D track and their duration information.

[0013] Preferably, the preset judgment conditions include:

[0014] Determine whether the remaining battery power is sufficient to support the completion of the UAV flight inspection. If yes, the result is that the UAV flight inspection can be completed; otherwise, it cannot be completed.

[0015] Determine whether there is an obstacle on the 4D track. If yes, the result is that the drone flight inspection cannot be completed, otherwise it can be completed;

[0016] Determine whether there is a bad weather area on the 4D track and its duration information. If yes, the result is that the UAV flight inspection cannot be completed, otherwise it can be completed;

[0017] It is determined whether there is a clear area on the 4D track and its duration information. If yes, the result is that the UAV flight inspection cannot be completed, otherwise it can be completed.

[0018] Preferably, the modifying the 4D track and generating a new 4D track comprises:

[0019] When the remaining power of the battery is not enough to support the completion of the UAV flight inspection, the time interval between the waypoints in the 4D track is reduced to generate a new 4D track;

[0020] When there is an obstacle on the 4D track, a new waypoint is inserted into the 4D track to bypass the obstacle, thereby generating a new 4D track;

[0021] When there is a bad weather area on the 4D track, insert a new waypoint in the 4D track to bypass the bad weather area, or change the time interval between waypoints in the 4D track to avoid the duration of the bad weather area, thereby generating a new 4D track;

[0022] When there is a clear area on the 4D track, a new waypoint is inserted into the 4D track to bypass the clear area, or the time interval between waypoints in the 4D track is changed to avoid the duration of the clear area, thereby generating a new 4D track.

[0023] Preferably, the airborne equipment includes one or more of a sensor device, a power management device, a visualization device, and a communication device; and the processing of the data information to obtain the flight information includes:

[0024] The data information acquired by the sensor device is calculated by a sensor fusion algorithm to obtain the position and speed information of the aircraft;

[0025] Obtaining the remaining battery power information through a power management device;

[0026] Processing the data information acquired by the visualization device through an artificial intelligence algorithm to obtain obstacle information on the 4D track;

[0027] The bad weather area on the 4D track and its duration information as well as the clear area on the 4D track and its duration information are obtained through the communication device.

[0028] Preferably, the sensing device includes one or more of a GNSS module, a barometer, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer; and the visualization device includes at least one of a camera, a lidar, and a millimeter-wave radar.

[0029] Preferably, the process of the drone performing flight inspection according to the 4D track includes:

[0030] Determine whether the aircraft's position and speed information are consistent with the 4D track. If so, continue the flight inspection. Otherwise, generate new position and speed parameters so that the flight control system can return the drone to the 4D track after executing the new position and speed parameters.

[0031] On the other hand, the present invention provides a drone flight inspection system, comprising

[0032] An acquisition module, which is used to acquire 4D tracks and data information acquired by airborne equipment;

[0033] An information processing module, the information processing module is used to process the data information acquired by the airborne equipment to obtain flight information;

[0034] a judgment module, the judgment module being used to execute a preset judgment condition according to the flight information to obtain a judgment result; and

[0035] A modification module is used to modify the 4D track and generate a new 4D track when the judgment result is that the UAV flight inspection cannot be completed.

[0036] On the other hand, the present invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle flight inspection device, comprising a memory storing executable program code, and a processor coupled to the memory; wherein the processor calls the executable program code stored in the memory to execute the above method.

[0037] In another aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program executes the above method when executed by a processor.

[0038] By adopting the above technical scheme, since the UAV flight inspection process is carried out according to the 4D track, the intensity of manual operation is reduced; and since the flight information is obtained and processed by the sensor information, the flight information is obtained, and it is judged whether the UAV flight inspection can be completed by the flight information, and if it cannot be completed, the UAV flight inspection can be continued by modifying and generating a new 4D track. Therefore, without manual intervention, the UAV flight inspection can be completed by executing the method provided by the present invention, thereby improving the inspection efficiency and realizing precise control. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] Figure 1 This is a flow chart of a UAV flight inspection method of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of a UAV flight inspection system of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 3 The present invention is a schematic structural diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle flight inspection device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The specific embodiments of the present invention are further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the description of these embodiments is used to help understand the present invention, but does not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0043] It should be noted that, in the description of the present invention, the directions or positional relationships indicated by the terms "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", "back", etc. are descriptions of the structure of the present invention based on the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0044] The "first" and "second" in this technical solution are only used to distinguish the names of the same or similar structures, or corresponding structures with similar functions, and are not an arrangement of the importance of these structures, nor do they have a ranking, comparison of size, or other meanings.

[0045] In addition, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, the connection can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be a connection between the two structures. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood based on the overall idea of ​​the present invention and the specific context of the present solution.

[0046] Embodiment 1

[0047] A drone flight inspection method, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes step S1, step S2, step S3 and step S4.

[0048] Step S1: When the UAV performs flight inspection according to the 4D track, data information acquired by the airborne equipment is received, and the data information is processed to obtain flight information;

[0049] The method provided in this embodiment is usually executed locally by a processing device carried by the drone, but can also be remotely executed by a remote server connected to the drone. The drone performing the flight inspection is equipped with a flight control system, which controls the flight state of the drone through an automatic control algorithm carried by the drone, thereby controlling the flight of the drone.

[0050] Airborne equipment includes one or more of sensor equipment, power management equipment, visualization equipment, and communication equipment. Usually all of them are carried. Each type of airborne equipment obtains different sensor information, and the corresponding flight information also has multiple types. Specifically, flight information includes the aircraft's position and speed information, battery remaining power information, obstacle information on the 4D track, bad weather areas on the 4D track and their duration information, and clear areas on the 4D track and their duration information.

[0051] These different flight information are obtained by processing the data information obtained by different airborne devices. For example: the data information obtained by the sensor equipment is calculated through the sensor fusion algorithm to obtain the aircraft's position and speed information; the battery remaining power information is obtained through the power management device; the data information obtained by the visualization device is processed through the artificial intelligence algorithm to obtain the obstacle information on the 4D track; the bad weather area and its duration information on the 4D track and the clear area and its duration information on the 4D track are obtained through the communication equipment.

[0052] Among them, the sensing equipment includes one or more of a GNSS module, a barometer, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer; the visualization equipment includes at least one of a camera, a lidar, and a millimeter-wave radar; and the communication equipment is a GPRS module, a 3G, 4G, or 5G communication module.

[0053] In the planning of 4D tracks, drones usually cruise at a constant speed, perform inspection tasks during the cruise, and in certain circumstances, hover and fly at variable speeds. Based on the aircraft's position and speed information in the flight information, in this embodiment, the process of the above-mentioned drone performing flight inspections according to the 4D track can be understood as: judging whether the aircraft's position and speed information are consistent with the 4D track (whether it deviates from the 4D track), if so, continue the flight inspection, otherwise generate new position and speed parameters, so that the flight control system can return the drone to the 4D track after executing the new position and speed parameters. For example, when the three-dimensional trajectory deviates, modify the heading; when the one-dimensional time deviates, adjust the flight speed.

[0054] Step S2: according to the content of the flight information, one or more of the preset judgment conditions are executed to obtain a judgment result, which is whether the UAV flight inspection can be completed or not;

[0055] Step S3: Identify whether any of the preset judgment conditions is judged to be unable to complete the UAV flight inspection. If so, proceed to the next step, otherwise return to the previous step;

[0056] Different preset judgment conditions need to be executed for different flight information contents. In this embodiment, since there are various flight information contents, there are also multiple preset judgment conditions, specifically:

[0057] 1. Determine whether the remaining battery power can support the completion of the UAV flight inspection. If yes, the result is that the UAV flight inspection can be completed, otherwise it cannot be completed;

[0058] Since batteries tend to age after long periods of use, it is necessary to consider the remaining battery power. The battery discharge curve is nonlinear, so the voltage (V) and current (I) factors need to be considered during flight, v = f (V, I). For example, if a drone consumes 50% of its power and completes 40% of its flight inspections, then if it continues to cruise at a constant speed, it will be difficult for the drone to use the remaining 50% of its power to complete the remaining 60% of its flight inspections, and it will need to be handled.

[0059] 2. Determine whether there are obstacles that affect the flight on the 4D track. If yes, the result is that the drone flight inspection cannot be completed, otherwise it can be completed;

[0060] With the assistance of data information obtained by visualization equipment, functions provided by AI artificial intelligence algorithms, such as obstacle shape recognition and positioning, can determine whether there are obstacles on the 4D track.

[0061] 3. Determine whether there is a bad weather area on the 4D track and its duration information. If so, the result is that the drone flight inspection cannot be completed, otherwise it can be completed;

[0062] By receiving data information released by the meteorological center through communication equipment, you can know whether there is an adverse weather area that affects the flight on the 4D track and its duration.

[0063] 4. Determine whether there is a clear area on the 4D track that affects the flight and its duration information. If so, the judgment result is that the drone flight inspection cannot be completed, otherwise it can be completed.

[0064] By receiving data information released by the air traffic control center through communication equipment, it is possible to know whether there is a clear area on the 4D track and its duration.

[0065] Step S4: modify the 4D track according to preset rules and generate a new 4D track so that the flight control system can control the UAV to fly along the new 4D track to continue the flight inspection, or generate a return instruction so that the flight control system can control the UAV to return.

[0066] In this embodiment, for different preset judgment conditions, when the judgment result is that the drone flight inspection cannot be completed, the method of modifying the 4D track and generating a new 4D track is also different, specifically including:

[0067] 1. When the remaining battery power is not enough to support the completion of the drone flight inspection, reduce the time interval between waypoints in the 4D track to generate a new 4D track;

[0068] It is understandable that reducing the time interval between waypoints in the 4D track (the unexecuted part), that is, for the same spatial distance, the drone's flight time is shorter, that is, the drone's cruising speed is increased, so that the drone can complete more flight inspections with less power.

[0069] In addition, in another embodiment, after the new 4D track is generated, the judgment in step S2 is performed on the newly generated 4D track, specifically, whether the remaining battery power can support the completion of the drone flight inspection. If so, the inspection is performed according to the newly generated 4D track, otherwise a return command is generated to control the drone to return.

[0070] 2. When there is an obstacle on the 4D track, a new waypoint is inserted into the 4D track to bypass the obstacle, thereby generating a new 4D track;

[0071] First, the waypoints covered by the obstacle (and the distance from the obstacle is within a certain value) are deleted, the 4D track is divided into two segments, and then new waypoints are inserted around the obstacle to connect the two 4D tracks. It can be understood that since the waypoints have changed, the one-dimensional time they contain has also changed accordingly. Therefore, when bypassing the obstacle, the speed of the drone will also change accordingly. Usually, an acceleration process will occur to make up for the extra distance flown due to the bypass, and usually after bypassing the obstacle, the drone will slow down to return to the previous flight state.

[0072] The principle is as follows: the time required to fly from point U1 to U2 according to the original route is ΔT = S0 / V0, where S0 represents the straight-line distance from U1 to U2, and V0 represents the flight speed of this distance. In order to avoid obstacles, the new 4D track is longer than the original 4D track. If it is flown at the previous speed, the amount of time for the subsequent route flight will be inconsistent with the planned time, so it is necessary to change the speed of flight. S'0 represents the distance from point U1 to U2 of the new 4D track. It is necessary to complete the flight of the S'0 path within ΔT time, and use the integral formula S'0 = ∫v i ·d t Express the relationship between path, speed and time, speed variable v i There is a process of acceleration and deceleration.

[0073] 3. When there is a bad weather area on the 4D track, insert a new waypoint in the 4D track to bypass the bad weather area, or change the time interval between waypoints in the 4D track to avoid the duration of the bad weather area, thereby generating a new 4D track;

[0074] 4. When there is a clear area on the 4D track, insert a new waypoint in the 4D track to bypass the clear area, or change the time interval between waypoints in the 4D track to avoid the duration of the clear area, thereby generating a new 4D track.

[0075] It is understandable that the process of bypassing bad weather areas and clear areas by inserting new waypoints is similar to the process of bypassing obstacles, and will not be described in detail. However, the difference is that bad weather areas and clear areas have a certain duration, so the time interval between waypoints can be reduced to speed up the UAV to pass through the bad weather areas and clear areas before the duration, or vice versa, the UAV can be slowed down to pass through the bad weather areas and clear areas after the duration.

[0076] In addition, in another embodiment, after a new 4D track is regenerated under the influence of the two factors of bad weather areas and clear areas, the newly generated 4D track also needs to be judged in step S2, specifically, whether the remaining battery power can support the completion of the drone flight inspection. If so, the inspection is performed according to the newly generated 4D track, otherwise a return instruction is generated to control the drone to return.

[0077] Embodiment 2

[0078] A UAV flight inspection system, such as Figure 2 Shown, including

[0079] An acquisition module, which is used to acquire 4D tracks and receive data information acquired by airborne equipment;

[0080] An information processing module, which is used to process the data information obtained by the airborne equipment to obtain flight information; a judgment module, which is used to execute preset judgment conditions according to the flight information to obtain a judgment result; and

[0081] The modification module is used to modify the 4D track and generate a new 4D track when the judgment result is that the UAV flight inspection cannot be completed.

[0082] Embodiment 3

[0083] A drone flight inspection device, such as Figure 3 As shown, it includes a memory storing executable program code; and a processor coupled to the memory; wherein the processor calls the executable program code stored in the memory to execute the UAV flight inspection method in embodiment one.

[0084] Embodiment 4

[0085] A computer storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is run by a processor, the unmanned aerial vehicle flight inspection method in embodiment 1 is executed.

[0086] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0087] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0088] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0089] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. For those skilled in the art, various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations of these embodiments are made without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and still fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drone flight inspection method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: When the UAV performs flight inspection according to the 4D track, data information acquired by the airborne equipment is received, and the data information is processed to obtain flight information; According to the content of the flight information, one or more of the preset judgment conditions are executed to obtain a judgment result, wherein the judgment result is whether the UAV flight inspection can be completed or cannot be completed, and when the judgment result of any of the preset judgment conditions is that the UAV flight inspection cannot be completed, proceed to the next step; wherein the preset judgment condition includes: judging whether the remaining battery power can support the completion of the UAV flight inspection, if yes, the judgment result is that the UAV flight inspection can be completed, otherwise it cannot be completed; Modify the 4D track according to preset rules and generate a new 4D track, so that the flight control system can control the UAV to fly according to the new 4D track to continue the flight inspection, or generate a return instruction so that the flight control system can control the UAV to return; The modifying of the 4D track and generating a new 4D track comprises: When the remaining battery power is not enough to support the completion of the UAV flight inspection, the time interval between the waypoints in the 4D track is reduced to generate a new 4D track; When there is an obstacle on the 4D track, a new waypoint is inserted into the 4D track to bypass the obstacle, thereby generating a new 4D track; in this case, the integral formula S'0=∫vi·dt is used to express the relationship between the path, speed and time, and the speed variable vi has an acceleration and deceleration change process.

2. The UAV flight inspection method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flight information includes at least one of the aircraft's position and speed information, battery remaining power information, obstacle information on the 4D track, bad weather areas on the 4D track and their duration information, and clear areas on the 4D track and their duration information.

3. The UAV flight inspection method according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The preset judgment conditions also include: Determine whether there is an obstacle on the 4D track. If yes, the result is that the drone flight inspection cannot be completed, otherwise it can be completed; Determine whether there is a bad weather area on the 4D track and its duration information. If yes, the result is that the UAV flight inspection cannot be completed, otherwise it can be completed; It is determined whether there is a clear area on the 4D track and its duration information. If yes, the result is that the UAV flight inspection cannot be completed, otherwise it can be completed.

4. The UAV flight inspection method according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The modifying of the 4D track and generating a new 4D track comprises: When there is a bad weather area on the 4D route, insert a new waypoint in the 4D track to bypass the bad weather area, or change the time interval between waypoints in the 4D track to avoid the duration of the bad weather area, thereby generating a new 4D track; When there is a clear area on the 4D route, a new waypoint is inserted into the 4D track to bypass the clear area, or the time interval between waypoints in the 4D track is changed to avoid the duration of the clear area, thereby generating a new 4D track.

5. The UAV flight inspection method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The onboard equipment includes one or more of a sensor device, a power management device, a visualization device, and a communication device; The processing of the data information to obtain the flight information includes: The data information acquired by the sensor device is calculated by a sensor fusion algorithm to obtain the position and speed information of the aircraft; Obtaining the remaining battery power information through a power management device; Processing the data information acquired by the visualization device through an artificial intelligence algorithm to obtain obstacle information on the 4D track; The bad weather area on the 4D track and its duration information as well as the clear area on the 4D track and its duration information are obtained through the communication device.

6. The UAV flight inspection method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sensing device includes one or more of a GNSS module, a barometer, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer; the visualization device includes at least one of a camera, a lidar, and a millimeter-wave radar.

7. The UAV flight inspection method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The process of the drone performing flight inspection according to the 4D track includes: Determine whether the aircraft's position and speed information are consistent with the 4D track. If so, continue the flight inspection. Otherwise, generate new position and speed parameters so that the flight control system can return the drone to the 4D track after executing the new position and speed parameters.

8. A drone flight inspection system, based on the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: include An acquisition module, which is used to acquire 4D tracks and data information acquired by airborne equipment; An information processing module, the information processing module is used to process the data information acquired by the airborne equipment to obtain flight information; A judgment module, the judgment module is used to execute a preset judgment condition according to the flight information to obtain a judgment result; as well as A modification module, wherein the modification module is used to modify the 4D track and generate a new 4D track, or generate a return instruction when the judgment result is that the drone flight inspection cannot be completed.

9. An unmanned aerial vehicle flight inspection device, characterized in that: It comprises a memory storing executable program code, and a processor coupled to the memory; wherein the processor calls the executable program code stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is performed.

Images