Communication method and device based on drone

Abstract

This invention provides a communication method and apparatus based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), belonging to the field of communication technology. The UAV-based communication method is applied to terminal devices under inspection within an area to be inspected. The method includes: after a first timer expires, waking up from a PSM (Power Segmentation Mode) state to determine if a network signal is detected; if a network signal is detected, entering an idle state to begin paging; after detecting a communication command from a base station, entering an active state and sending monitoring data to the base station, which is located on the UAV; after data transmission is completed, returning to an idle state and starting a second timer; after the second timer expires, entering a PSM state and starting the first timer. The technical solution of this invention can provide low-cost network coverage for the area to be inspected, reduce the power consumption of the terminal devices under inspection, and extend the battery life of the terminal devices under inspection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device based on a drone. Background Art

[0002] Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is an IoT technology that can be applied globally. It is built on cellular networks and requires a bandwidth of about 180KHz. The uplink and downlink rates are about hundreds of kbps. It works in the licensed frequency band and can be directly deployed on the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network or the Long Term Evolution (LTE) network to reuse the existing network. The NB-IoT network has the characteristics of low power consumption, wide coverage, and large connections. The transmission distance can reach more than ten kilometers, and the access node capacity of a single network is about 200,000. It includes three working modes: Discontinuous Reception (DRX), Extended DRX (eDRX) and Power Saving Mode (PSM). In the power saving state, its battery life can reach an average of 10 years.

[0003] In the existing solutions, for network operation and maintenance work, when the network quality is good and there are no strict requirements on power consumption, the terminal equipment to be tested will communicate with the management platform server in real time to complete the reporting of the monitored data information; for the inspection of relevant terminal equipment to be tested in certain outdoor scenes, drones can be used to scan and inspect the relevant areas, and based on the advantages of drones such as automatic cruising and high-definition aerial photography, real-time image feedback can be completed within a larger inspection range.

[0004] In the existing scheme, obtaining relevant data of the terminal device to be tested requires a high network cost. In addition, real-time communication causes high power consumption. For remote areas or sparsely populated areas, the network coverage is poor or even non-existent, and communication has certain difficulties. Even if real-time communication is possible, frequent data transmission will increase power consumption. It is very inconvenient to enter such areas to manually replace batteries. The currently commonly used drone inspection method cannot meet the communication coverage and low power consumption requirements in this scenario. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a communication method and device based on a drone, which can provide low-cost network coverage for the area to be inspected, reduce the power consumption of the terminal equipment to be inspected, and extend the battery life of the terminal equipment to be inspected.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present invention provide the following technical solutions:

[0007] On the one hand, a communication method based on a drone is provided, which is applied to a terminal device to be detected in an area to be inspected, and the method comprises:

[0008] After the first timer times out, wake up from the PSM state to determine whether a network signal is detected. If a network signal is detected, enter the idle state and start paging;

[0009] After detecting a communication command from a base station, the system enters an activated state and sends monitoring data to the base station, which is located on the drone;

[0010] After the data transmission is completed, the idle state is returned and the second timer is started. After the second timer times out, the PSM state is entered and the first timer is started.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0012] The initial durations of the first timer and the second timer are determined according to the time required for the drone to fly from the departure time to the area to be inspected.

[0013] In some embodiments, after entering the activation state, the method further comprises:

[0014] Receive a timer update instruction from the base station, and update the durations of the first timer and the second timer according to the timer update instruction.

[0015] In some embodiments, sending the monitoring data to the base station includes:

[0016] Sending an authentication request carrying identification information of the terminal device to be detected to the base station;

[0017] After receiving the authentication response from the base station, communication is established with the base station and the monitoring data is sent to the base station.

[0018] In some embodiments, it also includes:

[0019] If no network signal is detected after waking up from the PSM state, a third timer is set to detect the network signal with the duration of the third timer as a period.

[0020] In some embodiments, the base station communicates with the terminal device to be detected via NB-IoT technology.

[0021] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a communication method based on a drone, which is applied to a base station, and the base station is located on the drone, and is used to obtain monitoring data of a terminal device to be detected in an area to be inspected. The method includes:

[0022] After entering the area to be inspected, communication is established with the terminal device to be detected, and monitoring data sent by the terminal device to be detected is received.

[0023] In some embodiments, establishing communication with the terminal device to be detected includes:

[0024] Receiving an authentication request from the terminal device to be detected, where the authentication request carries identification information of the terminal device to be detected;

[0025] The terminal device to be detected is authenticated according to the identification information of the terminal device to be detected, and after the authentication is passed, communication is established with the terminal device to be detected.

[0026] In some embodiments, after establishing communication with the terminal device to be detected, the method further includes:

[0027] A timer update instruction is sent to the terminal device to be detected, indicating to update the duration of the first timer and the second timer.

[0028] In some embodiments, after receiving the monitoring data sent by the terminal device to be detected, the method further includes any one of the following:

[0029] Sending the received monitoring data to a blind spot filling base station, where the blind spot filling base station can communicate with a core network;

[0030] sending the received monitoring data to a satellite, the satellite being capable of communicating with a core network;

[0031] Sending the received monitoring data to a drone server via a drone data link, the drone server being capable of communicating with a core network;

[0032] The received monitoring data is stored in the memory card.

[0033] In some embodiments, the base station communicates with the terminal device to be detected via NB-IoT technology.

[0034] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a communication device based on a drone, which is applied to a terminal device to be detected in an area to be inspected, and the device includes:

[0035] A first processing module is used to wake up from the PSM state after the first timer times out, determine whether a network signal is detected, and if a network signal is detected, enter the idle state and start paging;

[0036] A second processing module is used to enter an activation state after detecting a communication instruction from a base station, and send monitoring data to the base station, where the base station is located on the drone;

[0037] The third processing module is used to return to the idle state and start the second timer after the data transmission is completed, and enter the PSM state and start the first timer after the second timer times out.

[0038] In some embodiments, the device further comprises:

[0039] The initialization module is used to determine the initial duration of the first timer and the second timer according to the time required for the drone to fly from the departure time to the area to be inspected.

[0040] In some embodiments, after entering the activated state, the device further comprises:

[0041] The receiving module is used to receive a timer update instruction from the base station, and update the duration of the first timer and the second timer according to the timer update instruction.

[0042] In some embodiments, the second processing module is specifically used to send an authentication request carrying identification information of the terminal device to be detected to the base station; after receiving the authentication response of the base station, establish communication with the base station and send the monitoring data to the base station.

[0043] In some embodiments, the device further comprises:

[0044] The setting module is used to set a third timer if no network signal is detected after waking up from the PSM state, and detect the network signal with the duration of the third timer as a period.

[0045] In some embodiments, the base station communicates with the terminal device to be detected via NB-IoT technology.

[0046] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a communication device based on a drone, which is applied to a base station. The base station is located on the drone and is used to obtain monitoring data of a terminal device to be detected in an area to be inspected. The device includes:

[0047] The receiving module is used to establish communication with the terminal device to be detected after entering the area to be inspected, and receive monitoring data sent by the terminal device to be detected.

[0048] In some embodiments, the receiving module is specifically used to receive an authentication request from the terminal device to be detected, the authentication request carries identification information of the terminal device to be detected; authenticate the terminal device to be detected according to the identification information of the terminal device to be detected, and after the authentication is passed, establish communication with the terminal device to be detected.

[0049] In some embodiments, after establishing communication with the terminal device to be detected, the apparatus further includes:

[0050] A sending module is used to send a timer update instruction to the terminal device to be detected, indicating the update time of the first timer and the second timer.

[0051] In some embodiments, after receiving the monitoring data sent by the terminal device to be detected, the apparatus further includes a processing module configured to perform any of the following:

[0052] Sending the received monitoring data to a blind spot filling base station, where the blind spot filling base station can communicate with a core network;

[0053] sending the received monitoring data to a satellite, the satellite being capable of communicating with a core network;

[0054] Sending the received monitoring data to a drone server via a drone data link, the drone server being capable of communicating with a core network;

[0055] The received monitoring data is stored in the memory card.

[0056] In some embodiments, the base station communicates with the terminal device to be detected via NB-IoT technology.

[0057] An embodiment of the present invention also provides a drone-based communication device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor; when the processor executes the program, the drone-based communication method as described above is implemented.

[0058] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in the drone-based communication method as described above.

[0059] The embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0060] In the above scheme, the drone carries a small base station to provide mobile network coverage for the area to be inspected. The terminal device to be inspected communicates with the base station of the drone through NB-IoT technology, switches between PSM state, paging and activation state, maintains and updates relevant timers based on the instructions of the drone base station, and enters the paging and activation state for communication only during the inspection cycle, and is in a sleep state during non-inspection cycles, which can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device to be inspected and extend the battery life of the terminal device to be inspected. Through the technical solution of the present invention, regional network coverage services are provided for areas such as remote areas where network coverage is insufficient and signal quality is poor, without the need to deploy base stations specifically, and with real-time mobility, the regional communication problem is solved flexibly and at low cost; the technical solution of the present invention does not require real-time communication between the terminal device to be inspected and the operation and maintenance platform. The terminal device to be inspected and the base station of the drone use low-power communication technology to complete data transmission, and send and receive instructions during the interaction process to complete the update of the timer. The appropriate switching of the terminal device to be inspected between different states realizes the low power consumption requirement. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0061] Figure 1 The figure is a flow chart of a communication method based on a drone applied to a terminal device to be detected according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0062] Figure 2 It is a flow chart of a communication method based on a drone applied to a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0063] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a flow chart of a communication method based on a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0064] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a communication solution between a terminal device to be detected and a drone based on NB-IoT technology according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0065] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a network communication blind spot filling solution according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0066] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device based on a drone applied to a terminal device to be detected according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0067] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device based on a drone applied to a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0068] Figure 8 The figure is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device based on a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantages to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention more clear, a detailed description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0070] The embodiments of the present invention provide a communication method and device based on a drone, which can provide low-cost network coverage for the area to be inspected, reduce the power consumption of the terminal equipment to be inspected, and extend the battery life of the terminal equipment to be inspected.

[0071] The embodiment of the present invention provides a communication method based on a drone, which is applied to a terminal device to be detected in an area to be inspected, such as Figure 1 As shown, the method includes:

[0072] Step 101: After the first timer times out, wake up from the PSM state and determine whether a network signal is detected. If a network signal is detected, enter the idle state and start paging;

[0073] Step 102: Entering an activation state after detecting a communication instruction from a base station, and sending monitoring data to the base station, the base station being located at the drone;

[0074] Step 103: After the data transmission is completed, return to the idle state and start the second timer. After the second timer times out, enter the PSM state and start the first timer.

[0075] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0076] The initial durations of the first timer and the second timer are determined according to the time required for the drone to fly from the departure time to the area to be inspected. The initial durations of the first timer and the second timer can be determined according to the time required for the drone to fly from the departure time to the center of the area to be inspected, and the time can be determined by the distance between the departure position and the center position of the drone and the flight speed of the drone.

[0077] In some embodiments, after entering the activation state, the method further comprises:

[0078] Receive a timer update instruction from the base station, and update the durations of the first timer and the second timer according to the timer update instruction.

[0079] In some embodiments, sending the monitoring data to the base station includes:

[0080] Sending an authentication request carrying identification information of the terminal device to be detected to the base station;

[0081] After receiving the authentication response from the base station, establish communication with the base station and send the monitoring data to the base station. The base station side may store terminal identification information that can pass authentication. If the identification information of the terminal device to be detected matches the terminal identification information stored in the base station, the terminal device to be detected can pass authentication.

[0082] In some embodiments, it also includes:

[0083] If no network signal is detected after waking up from the PSM state, a third timer is set to detect the network signal with the duration of the third timer as a period.

[0084] In some embodiments, the base station communicates with the terminal device to be detected via NB-IoT technology.

[0085] In this embodiment, the drone carries a small base station to provide mobile network coverage for the area to be inspected. The terminal device to be inspected communicates with the base station of the drone through NB-IoT technology, switches between PSM state, paging and activation state, maintains and updates relevant timers based on the instructions of the drone base station, and enters the paging and activation state for communication only during the inspection cycle, and is in a sleep state during non-inspection cycles, which can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device to be inspected and extend the battery life of the terminal device to be inspected. Through the technical solution of the present invention, regional network coverage services are provided for areas such as remote areas where network coverage is insufficient and signal quality is poor, without the need to deploy base stations specifically, and with real-time mobility, the regional communication problem is solved flexibly and at low cost; the technical solution of the present invention does not require real-time communication between the terminal device to be inspected and the operation and maintenance platform. The terminal device to be inspected and the base station of the drone use low-power communication technology to complete data transmission, and send and receive instructions during the interaction process to complete the update of the timer. The appropriate switching of the terminal device to be inspected between different states realizes low power consumption requirements.

[0086] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a communication method based on a drone, which is applied to a base station, and the base station is located on the drone, and is used to obtain monitoring data of a terminal device to be detected in an area to be inspected, such as Figure 2 As shown, the method includes:

[0087] Step 201: after entering the area to be inspected, establish communication with the terminal device to be detected, and receive monitoring data sent by the terminal device to be detected.

[0088] In some embodiments, establishing communication with the terminal device to be detected includes:

[0089] Receiving an authentication request from the terminal device to be detected, where the authentication request carries identification information of the terminal device to be detected;

[0090] The terminal device to be detected is authenticated according to the identification information of the terminal device to be detected, and after the authentication is passed, communication is established with the terminal device to be detected. The terminal identification information that can pass the authentication can be stored on the base station side. If the identification information of the terminal device to be detected matches the terminal identification information stored in the base station, the terminal device to be detected can pass the authentication.

[0091] In some embodiments, after establishing communication with the terminal device to be detected, the method further includes:

[0092] A timer update instruction is sent to the terminal device to be detected, indicating to update the duration of the first timer and the second timer.

[0093] In some embodiments, after receiving the monitoring data sent by the terminal device to be detected, the method further includes any one of the following:

[0094] Sending the received monitoring data to a blind spot filling base station, where the blind spot filling base station can communicate with a core network;

[0095] sending the received monitoring data to a satellite, the satellite being capable of communicating with a core network;

[0096] Sending the received monitoring data to a drone server via a drone data link, the drone server being capable of communicating with a core network;

[0097] The received monitoring data is stored in the memory card.

[0098] In some embodiments, the base station communicates with the terminal device to be detected via NB-IoT technology.

[0099] In this embodiment, the drone carries a small base station to provide mobile network coverage for the area to be inspected. The terminal device to be inspected communicates with the base station of the drone through NB-IoT technology, switches between PSM state, paging and activation state, maintains and updates relevant timers based on the instructions of the drone base station, and enters the paging and activation state for communication only during the inspection cycle, and is in a sleep state during non-inspection cycles, which can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device to be inspected and extend the battery life of the terminal device to be inspected. Through the technical solution of the present invention, regional network coverage services are provided for areas such as remote areas where network coverage is insufficient and signal quality is poor, without the need to deploy base stations specifically, and with real-time mobility, the regional communication problem is solved flexibly and at low cost; the technical solution of the present invention does not require real-time communication between the terminal device to be inspected and the operation and maintenance platform. The terminal device to be inspected and the base station of the drone use low-power communication technology to complete data transmission, and send and receive instructions during the interaction process to complete the update of the timer. The appropriate switching of the terminal device to be inspected between different states realizes low power consumption requirements.

[0100] The technical solution of the present invention is further introduced below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. This embodiment is aimed at remote areas to be inspected and maintained. The terminal equipment to be inspected can be a manhole cover connected to underground cables, a terminal carrying a sensor to store relevant information, etc., and a drone carrying a small base station is regularly flown out from the operation and maintenance platform to the area to be inspected, providing a network signal for the area reached by the flight. The base station carried by the drone communicates with the terminal equipment to be inspected through NB-IoT technology, transmits relevant data to complete the reporting of detection information, and establishes a corresponding connection between the base station carried by the drone and the core network, providing network blind spot services, and realizing a complete communication process between the terminal equipment to be inspected, the base station carried by the drone, and the core network. When the base station carried by the drone completes communication with all the terminal equipment to be inspected in the area to be inspected, the acquired monitoring data is brought back to the operation and maintenance platform server to complete this inspection work.

[0101] In this embodiment, the base station carried by the drone and the terminal device to be detected use NB-IoT technology for communication, and the initial duration of the first timer and the second timer can be configured. Then, during the communication handshake process between the base station carried by the drone and the terminal device to be detected, the duration of the first timer and the second timer is updated. The base station sends instructions to the terminal device to be detected according to the time of the next communication cycle, informing it of the new timer duration. The terminal device to be detected updates the maintenance timer according to the received instructions and switches to the next state after each timeout. In this embodiment, the terminal device to be detected is in a sleep state most of the time, and is only awakened during a specific cycle of drone inspection, and is ready to communicate after being triggered. This mechanism can effectively reduce the power consumption of the terminal device to be detected, and provides a guarantee for the low power consumption requirements of the communication of the terminal device to be detected.

[0102] In this embodiment, for the terminal devices to be inspected in the operation and maintenance area, NB-IoT cards are deployed for them, and the PSM mode of the NB-IoT network is set. According to the inspection cycle of the drone, the idle state timer (i.e., the first timer) and the duration of the second timer from the idle state to the end of the PSM state are initialized respectively based on the NB-IoT protocol, so that the terminal devices to be inspected are awakened when the drone flies out to the inspection area. In order to prevent the terminal devices to be inspected from accessing other NB-IoT networks that are not related to the inspection, the NB-IoT card used for the terminal devices to be inspected can be specially customized so that the card can only be connected to the base station or core network specified for the inspection.

[0103] For all the terminal devices to be inspected in the inspection area, they are divided into circular areas with a diameter of about 10km according to their geographical distribution. The location where the inspection drone stops when flying over each sub-area for communication is the center of the corresponding circular area. Based on factors such as the distance between the departure point of the drone and the inspection area, the distance between the center points of each sub-area within the inspection range, the flight route and speed of the drone, the time required for the drone to fly from the departure time to the corresponding position of each sub-area can be calculated. According to the flight cycle and the duration of flying over each area, the initial duration of the timer of the terminal device to be inspected in each sub-area is determined, and during each communication process, the timer duration is updated through the interaction between the drone base station and the terminal device to be inspected.

[0104] Inspection drones carry NB-IoT small base stations. To prevent them from accessing other NB-IoT terminals, they can authenticate the terminal devices to be detected that access the network, and only allow pre-defined terminal devices to be detected to access. For drones selected for inspection work, their capabilities can meet the following requirements: the load weight is not less than 2kg, the endurance time is not less than 1 hour, the maximum allowed flight speed is not less than 50km / h, the wind resistance level is level 6, and the hovering position error is ±0.5m.

[0105] The main frequency band of drone communication is 800MHz, and the communication coverage in urban areas is 5 kilometers, and the communication coverage in remote open areas is 10km. Power amplifiers are not used here. For the NB-IoT small base station mounted on the drone, its weight is about 1.5kg, the size is about 200mm (L) * 200mm (W) * 585mm (H), and its capacity is configured to connect 300 terminals at the same time, and the power consumption is about 12v * 150mA. In order to ensure the connection status between the terminal device to be detected and the drone, the flight speed of the drone should not be too fast during the inspection process. The maximum relative speed between the drone and the terminal device to be detected can be set to 20km / h.

[0106] In this embodiment, the process of the communication method based on the drone is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, first, the terminal device to be detected is in the PSM state, and the durations of the first timer and the second timer are initialized; after the first timer times out, the terminal device to be detected wakes up; it is determined whether the network signal has arrived, and if it has not arrived, a third timer is set to periodically search for the network signal; if it has arrived, the terminal to be detected enters the idle state and starts paging; after detecting the communication instruction of the base station, the terminal to be detected enters the activated state, communicates with the base station to complete the transmission of the monitoring data, and updates the durations of the first timer and the second timer; when the communication is completed, the terminal to be detected exits the activated state and returns to paging; after the second timer times out, the terminal device to be detected returns to the PSM state, enters sleep, and waits for the next inspection.

[0107] Figure 4 It is a communication solution between terminal devices to be detected and drones based on NB-IoT technology. According to the settings of NB-IoT cards, all terminal devices to be detected in the inspection area are in active, idle or sleeping states in different time periods. When the drone flies out from the operation and maintenance center regularly and arrives at the center of a sub-area within the inspection range, the first timer of the terminal device to be detected times out, and all terminal devices to be detected in the sub-area wake up to determine whether the network signal of the drone's small base station has arrived. If no network signal is detected, the terminal device to be detected is disconnected from the network, and the signal is searched cyclically with timer T1 (i.e., the third timer) as the period. When the network signal from the drone base station is detected, the terminal device to be detected enters the paging state. When the terminal device to be detected receives the NB-IoT communication command issued by the inspection drone, the terminal device to be detected is activated to start data transmission.

[0108] The drone stays in each inspection sub-area for no less than 10 minutes, and the height is about 100m above the ground. The drone communicates with the terminal devices to be detected using NB-IoT technology. Considering the limited flight time of the drone, the above time is set based on the evaluation of the time consumption in the communication process in the inspection area. According to the assumptions in the inspection area, the specific analysis is as follows: According to the area of ​​each sub-area within the inspection range and the capacity of the small base station carried by the drone, if the number of terminal devices to be detected in each sub-area is 300, set a suitable data transmission rate. In order to maximize the power saving characteristics of NB-IoT, it is estimated that the time for the terminal devices to be detected to be awakened from the sleep state to be activated is about 5 minutes. Considering the influence of some external factors, the transmission time of each terminal device to be detected can be calculated in seconds. The communication between different terminal devices to be detected and the drone can be completed serially or in parallel, so the transmission time of all terminal devices to be detected in each sub-area can be controlled within 1 minute. Therefore, the total time for the drone to stay in each sub-area to complete all communications with the terminal devices to be detected can be controlled within 10 minutes.

[0109] When the drone base station completes the communication with all the terminal devices to be detected in each sub-area, the base station sends a command to inform all the terminal devices to be detected in the area of ​​the update duration of the timer according to the arrival time of the next inspection. After receiving the command, the terminal devices to be detected update the first timer and the second timer. After the communication ends and the second timer times out, the terminal device to be detected switches back to the PSM state and goes to sleep, and triggers itself to wake up again based on the updated duration of the first timer when the drone arrives next time.

[0110] When the inspection area does not have traditional cellular network coverage and the core network is a cellular mobile network (such as 2G / 4G, etc.), in addition to the communication between the terminal device to be inspected and the drone base station, it is also necessary to establish a communication process between the base station and the core network for data backhaul, complete the core network blind spot supplement, and realize a complete data transmission process in the network. Figure 5 As shown, this embodiment proposes four core network communication blind spot filling solutions:

[0111] Solution 1: Traditional cellular network small base station

[0112] A drone carrying a small base station for network blind spot filling can be flown synchronously with the inspection drone. The base station uses the traditional cellular network (such as 2G / 4G, etc.) standard. At this time, the NB-IoT small base station carried by the inspection drone is required to include a 2G / 4G module. In this case, the terminal equipment to be inspected in the inspection area communicates with the base station of the inspection drone through the NB-IoT network, and the base station of the inspection drone communicates with the drone carrying the blind spot filling base station synchronously. The base station of the network blind spot filling drone then communicates with the core network through the 2G / 4G cellular network, thereby completing the complete communication process in the network. If there is traditional cellular network coverage in the inspection area, there is no need to configure a network blind spot filling drone. The NB-IoT inspection drone containing a 2G / 4G module can complete the communication with the core network.

[0113] This solution does not require the inspection area to have traditional cellular network coverage. The base station carried by the drone that follows the network blind spot connection is internally configured with a protocol conversion function to issue instructions and complete the corresponding data transmission.

[0114] Solution 2: Satellite backhaul

[0115] The terminal devices to be inspected in the inspection area communicate with the base station of the inspection drone through the NB-IoT network. The base station of the inspection drone synchronously transmits the data back to the core network via satellite to achieve synchronous data transmission.

[0116] This solution does not require traditional cellular network coverage in the inspection area, nor does it require the addition of additional base stations. It relies on satellite communications to issue commands and transmit data, and can achieve communication over a larger range.

[0117] Option 3: UAV data link

[0118] The drone remote control device can be used to operate the drone to communicate with the terminal equipment to be inspected in the inspection area through the NB-IoT network. The remote control device and the drone are connected through a drone-specific communication link. In addition, a wired link can be configured on the remote control device to connect to a specific command and control center, which is specifically used for drone communication inspections of terminal equipment to be inspected in the operation and maintenance area. After obtaining the communication data, the command and control center will transmit the information back to the core network side.

[0119] This solution is independent of traditional cellular networks and satellite communications. It only issues commands and transmits data through a ground control station to complete the drone communication closed loop, and can achieve a relatively stable data transmission effect.

[0120] Solution 4: NB-IoT small base station prefabrication information

[0121] Before each inspection mission, the command center platform needs to determine the flight route of the drone and the NB-IoT terminal devices to be inspected. All possible states and corresponding instructions of the terminal devices to be inspected can be uploaded to the onboard NB-IoT small base station through wired connections or media such as storage cards to complete information pre-production; during the inspection process, the drone flies to the designated area and begins to collect data uploaded by the terminal devices to be inspected, and stores the data information in the storage card of the small base station it carries. The application embedded in the base station determines whether it is necessary to issue relevant instructions to the terminal devices to be inspected based on the collected data, and the terminal devices to be inspected perform corresponding operations after receiving the relevant instructions; after the drone completes the inspection work, it returns to the command center and copies the data in the storage card to the corresponding operation and maintenance platform server.

[0122] This solution does not require the support of an additional network environment and can be used in a larger inspection area. However, it requires the type of IoT terminal device to be inspected, all possible information to be reported, and related instructions to be prefabricated in the base station of the inspection drone.

[0123] In this embodiment, the small base station carried by the drone interacts with the terminal device to be detected, causing the terminal device to be detected to switch between sleep and paging states. After each communication data transmission is completed, the base station informs the terminal device to be detected of the time of the next inspection. After receiving the instruction, the terminal device to be detected updates its own timer duration and regularly enters sleep, paging and activation states according to the inspection cycle. On the basis of ensuring the completion of communication interaction, the power consumption of the terminal device to be detected is reduced as much as possible, thereby extending the battery life of the terminal device to be detected.

[0124] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a communication device based on a drone, which is applied to a terminal device to be detected in a patrol area, such as Figure 6 As shown, the device comprises:

[0125] The first processing module 31 is used to wake up from the PSM state after the first timer times out, determine whether a network signal is detected, and if a network signal is detected, enter the idle state and start paging;

[0126] The second processing module 32 is used to enter an activation state after detecting a communication instruction from a base station, and send monitoring data to the base station, where the base station is located on the drone;

[0127] The third processing module 33 is used to return to the idle state and start the second timer after the data transmission is completed, and enter the PSM state and start the first timer after the second timer times out.

[0128] In some embodiments, the device further comprises:

[0129] The initialization module is used to determine the initial duration of the first timer and the second timer according to the time required for the drone to fly from the departure time to the area to be inspected.

[0130] In some embodiments, after entering the activated state, the device further comprises:

[0131] The receiving module is used to receive a timer update instruction from the base station, and update the duration of the first timer and the second timer according to the timer update instruction.

[0132] In some embodiments, the second processing module is specifically used to send an authentication request carrying identification information of the terminal device to be detected to the base station; after receiving the authentication response of the base station, establish communication with the base station and send the monitoring data to the base station.

[0133] In some embodiments, the device further comprises:

[0134] The setting module is used to set a third timer if no network signal is detected after waking up from the PSM state, and detect the network signal with the duration of the third timer as a period.

[0135] In some embodiments, the base station communicates with the terminal device to be detected via NB-IoT technology.

[0136] In this embodiment, the drone carries a small base station to provide mobile network coverage for the area to be inspected. The terminal device to be inspected communicates with the base station of the drone through NB-IoT technology, switches between PSM state, paging and activation state, maintains and updates relevant timers based on the instructions of the drone base station, and enters the paging and activation state for communication only during the inspection cycle, and is in a sleep state during non-inspection cycles, which can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device to be inspected and extend the battery life of the terminal device to be inspected. Through the technical solution of the present invention, regional network coverage services are provided for areas such as remote areas where network coverage is insufficient and signal quality is poor, without the need to deploy base stations specifically, and with real-time mobility, the regional communication problem is solved flexibly and at low cost; the technical solution of the present invention does not require real-time communication between the terminal device to be inspected and the operation and maintenance platform. The terminal device to be inspected and the base station of the drone use low-power communication technology to complete data transmission, and send and receive instructions during the interaction process to complete the update of the timer. The appropriate switching of the terminal device to be inspected between different states realizes low power consumption requirements.

[0137] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a communication device based on a drone, which is applied to a base station. The base station is located on the drone and is used to obtain monitoring data of a terminal device to be detected in an area to be inspected. Figure 7 As shown, the device comprises:

[0138] The receiving module 41 is used to establish communication with the terminal device to be detected after entering the area to be inspected, and receive monitoring data sent by the terminal device to be detected.

[0139] The base station is the terminal device to be detected in the access network.

[0140] In some embodiments, the receiving module is specifically used to receive an authentication request from the terminal device to be detected, the authentication request carries identification information of the terminal device to be detected; authenticate the terminal device to be detected according to the identification information of the terminal device to be detected, and after the authentication is passed, establish communication with the terminal device to be detected.

[0141] In some embodiments, after establishing communication with the terminal device to be detected, the apparatus further includes:

[0142] A sending module is used to send a timer update instruction to the terminal device to be detected, indicating the update time of the first timer and the second timer.

[0143] In some embodiments, after receiving the monitoring data sent by the terminal device to be detected, the apparatus further includes a processing module configured to perform any of the following:

[0144] Sending the received monitoring data to a blind spot filling base station, where the blind spot filling base station can communicate with a core network;

[0145] sending the received monitoring data to a satellite, the satellite being capable of communicating with a core network;

[0146] Sending the received monitoring data to a drone server via a drone data link, the drone server being capable of communicating with a core network;

[0147] The received monitoring data is stored in the memory card.

[0148] In some embodiments, the base station communicates with the terminal device to be detected via NB-IoT technology.

[0149] In this embodiment, the drone carries a small base station to provide mobile network coverage for the area to be inspected. The terminal device to be inspected communicates with the base station of the drone through NB-IoT technology, switches between PSM state, paging and activation state, maintains and updates relevant timers based on the instructions of the drone base station, and enters the paging and activation state for communication only during the inspection cycle, and is in a sleep state during non-inspection cycles, which can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device to be inspected and extend the battery life of the terminal device to be inspected. Through the technical solution of the present invention, regional network coverage services are provided for areas such as remote areas where network coverage is insufficient and signal quality is poor, without the need to deploy base stations specifically, and with real-time mobility, the regional communication problem is solved flexibly and at low cost; the technical solution of the present invention does not require real-time communication between the terminal device to be inspected and the operation and maintenance platform. The terminal device to be inspected and the base station of the drone use low-power communication technology to complete data transmission, and send and receive instructions during the interaction process to complete the update of the timer. The appropriate switching of the terminal device to be inspected between different states realizes low power consumption requirements.

[0150] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a communication device based on a drone, such as Figure 8 As shown, it includes a memory 51, a processor 52, and a computer program stored in the memory 51 and executable on the processor 52; when the processor executes the program, the communication method based on the drone as described in the above embodiment is implemented, which will not be repeated here.

[0151] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in the drone-based communication method as described above.

[0152] Computer readable media include permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can be used to store information by any method or technology. Information can be computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage terminal devices to be detected or any other non-transmission media that can be used to store information that can be accessed by the computer terminal device to be detected. As defined in this article, computer readable media does not include temporary computer readable media (transitory media), such as modulated data signals and carriers.

[0153] The above is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present invention. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A communication method based on drone, characterized in that: Applied to the terminal device to be detected in the area to be inspected, the method comprises: After the first timer times out, wake up from the PSM state to determine whether a network signal is detected. If a network signal is detected, enter the idle state and start paging; After detecting a communication command from a base station, the system enters an activated state and sends monitoring data to the base station, which is located on the drone; After the data transmission is completed, the system returns to the idle state and starts the second timer. After the second timer times out, the system enters the PSM state and starts the first timer. After entering the activation state, the method further includes: Receive a timer update instruction from the base station, and update the durations of the first timer and the second timer according to the timer update instruction.

2. The drone-based communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The initial durations of the first timer and the second timer are determined according to the time required for the drone to fly from the departure time to the area to be inspected.

3. The drone-based communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sending the monitoring data to the base station comprises: Sending an authentication request carrying identification information of the terminal device to be detected to the base station; After receiving the authentication response from the base station, communication is established with the base station and the monitoring data is sent to the base station.

4. The communication method based on drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: If no network signal is detected after waking up from the PSM state, a third timer is set to detect the network signal with the duration of the third timer as a period.

5. The communication method based on drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base station communicates with the terminal device to be detected via NB-IoT technology.

6. A communication method based on drone, characterized in that: Applied to a base station, the base station is located on a drone and is used to obtain monitoring data of a terminal device to be detected in an area to be inspected. The method includes: After entering the area to be inspected, establish communication with the terminal device to be detected, and receive monitoring data sent by the terminal device to be detected; wherein the monitoring data is sent by the terminal device after entering an activated state after detecting a communication instruction from a base station; After establishing communication with the terminal device to be detected, the method further includes: A timer update instruction is sent to the terminal device to be detected, indicating the update duration of the first timer and the second timer; wherein the second timer is the timer that the terminal device to be detected returns to the idle state and starts after the data transmission is completed; the first timer is the timer that the terminal device to be detected enters the PSM state and starts after the second timer times out; after the first timer times out, the terminal device to be detected wakes up from the PSM state.

7. The communication method based on drone according to claim 6, characterized in that: The establishing communication with the terminal device to be detected includes: Receiving an authentication request from the terminal device to be detected, where the authentication request carries identification information of the terminal device to be detected; The terminal device to be detected is authenticated according to the identification information of the terminal device to be detected, and after the authentication is passed, communication is established with the terminal device to be detected.

8. The communication method based on drone according to claim 6, characterized in that: After receiving the monitoring data sent by the terminal device to be detected, the method further includes any one of the following: Sending the received monitoring data to a blind spot filling base station, where the blind spot filling base station can communicate with a core network; sending the received monitoring data to a satellite, the satellite being capable of communicating with a core network; Sending the received monitoring data to a drone server via a drone data link, the drone server being capable of communicating with a core network; The received monitoring data is stored in the memory card.

9. The communication method based on drone according to claim 6, characterized in that: The base station communicates with the terminal device to be detected via NB-IoT technology.

10. A communication device based on a drone, characterized in that: Applicable to the terminal equipment to be detected in the area to be inspected, the device comprises: A first processing module is used to wake up from the PSM state after the first timer times out, determine whether a network signal is detected, and if a network signal is detected, enter the idle state and start paging; A second processing module is used to enter an activation state after detecting a communication instruction from a base station, and send monitoring data to the base station, where the base station is located on the drone; A third processing module, configured to return to the idle state and start a second timer after the data transmission is completed, and enter the PSM state and start the first timer after the second timer times out; The receiving module is used to receive a timer update instruction from the base station, and update the duration of the first timer and the second timer according to the timer update instruction.

11. A communication device based on a drone, characterized in that: Applied to a base station, the base station is located on a drone and is used to obtain monitoring data of a terminal device to be detected in an area to be inspected. The device includes: A receiving module, used to establish communication with the terminal device to be detected after entering the area to be inspected, and receive monitoring data sent by the terminal device to be detected; wherein the monitoring data is sent by the terminal device after entering an activated state after detecting a communication instruction from a base station; A sending module is used to send a timer update instruction to the terminal device to be detected, indicating the update duration of the first timer and the second timer; wherein the second timer is a timer that the terminal device to be detected returns to the idle state and starts after the data transmission is completed; the first timer is a timer that the terminal device to be detected enters the PSM state and starts after the second timer times out; after the first timer times out, the terminal device to be detected wakes up from the PSM state.

12. A communication device based on a drone, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor; characterized in that: When the processor executes the program, the drone-based communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 is implemented.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the program is executed by a processor, the steps in the drone-based communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 are implemented.

Images