UAV takeoff detection method, device, UAV and storage medium

Abstract

The present application provides a takeoff detection method, device, drone and storage medium for a drone, the method comprising: before the drone takes off, using the data detected by the detection device of the drone to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly; if the surrounding environment is not suitable for the drone to fly, preventing the drone from taking off. This embodiment detects the surrounding environment before the drone takes off, which is conducive to improving the flight safety of the drone and preventing the user from injuring people or hitting other obstacles when the drone takes off due to factors such as not carefully observing the surrounding environment before takeoff or misoperation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and in particular to a method and device for detecting the takeoff of an UAV, a UAV, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are unmanned aircraft that are controlled by radio remote control equipment and self-contained program control devices, or are operated completely or intermittently autonomously by an onboard computer. UAVs are widely used in aerial photography, agricultural plant protection, micro selfies, express delivery, disaster relief, wildlife observation, infectious disease monitoring, surveying and mapping, news reporting, power inspections, disaster relief, film and television shooting, etc.

[0003] Drones can perform flight missions (such as aerial photography, plant protection, etc.) under automatic or semi-automatic control of users. Among them, the flight safety of drones has always been a concern of the industry. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present application provides a takeoff detection method and device for a drone, a drone, and a storage medium.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for detecting takeoff of a drone, comprising:

[0006] Before the drone takes off, using the data detected by the detection device of the drone to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly;

[0007] If the surrounding environment is not suitable for the drone to fly, the drone is prevented from taking off.

[0008] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a take-off detection device for a drone, comprising:

[0009] one or more processors;

[0010] a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor;

[0011] The one or more processors execute the executable instructions individually or collectively to perform the method as described in the first aspect.

[0012] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a drone, including:

[0013] Body;

[0014] A power system, disposed in the body, for providing flight power for the UAV;

[0015] And a take-off detection device as described in the second aspect is arranged on the body.

[0016] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores executable instructions, and when the executable instructions are executed by a processor, the method described in the first aspect is implemented.

[0017] The embodiments of the present application implement detection of the surrounding environment before the drone takes off, and can execute safety protection measures when the surrounding environment is not suitable for drone flight. For example, the safety protection measures include preventing the drone from taking off, which helps to improve the flight safety of the drone and prevents users from injuring people or colliding with other obstacles due to factors such as failure to carefully observe the surrounding environment before takeoff or misoperation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 and Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structures of two different unmanned aerial systems shown in an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a usage scenario of a plant protection drone shown in an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Figure 4 and Figure 5 1 is a schematic diagram of different flow charts of a method for detecting takeoff of a drone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of a take-off detection device for a UAV shown in an exemplary embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0023] The embodiments of the present application implement detection of the surrounding environment before an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) takes off, and can execute safety protection measures when the surrounding environment is not suitable for the UAV to fly. For example, the safety protection measures include preventing the UAV from taking off, which helps to improve the flight safety of the UAV and prevents users from injuring people or colliding with other obstacles due to factors such as failure to carefully observe the surrounding environment before takeoff or misoperation.

[0024] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any type of drone may be used without restriction, and the embodiments of the present application may be applied to various types of drones. For example, the drone may be a small or large drone. In some embodiments, the drone may be a rotorcraft, for example, a multi-rotor drone propelled through the air by a plurality of propulsion devices, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the drone may also be other types of drones.

[0025] Figure 1 and Figure 2 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an unmanned aerial system according to an embodiment of the present application. This embodiment is described by taking a rotary wing drone as an example. The drone 110 may be an agricultural drone or an industrial application drone that has a requirement for cyclic operation.

[0026] Take the application of drone 110 in aerial photography as an example. Figure 1 As shown, the unmanned aerial system 100 may include a drone 110, a display device 130, and a remote control device 140. The drone 110 may include a power system 150, a flight control system 160, a frame, and a gimbal 120 carried on the frame. The drone 110 may communicate wirelessly with the remote control device 140 and the display device 130.

[0027] Take the application of drone 110 in plant protection as an example. Figure 2 As shown, the unmanned aerial system 100 may include a drone 110 and a remote control device 140. The drone 110 may include a power system 150, a flight control system 160, a frame, and a plant protection system 170 carried on the frame. The drone 110 may communicate wirelessly with the remote control device 140.

[0028] The frame may include a fuselage and a foot frame (also called a landing gear). The fuselage may include a center frame and one or more arms connected to the center frame, and the one or more arms extend radially from the center frame. The foot frame is connected to the fuselage to provide support when the drone 110 lands.

[0029] The power system 150 may include one or more electronic speed regulators (referred to as ESCs) 151, one or more propellers 153, and one or more motors 152 corresponding to the one or more propellers 153, wherein the motor 152 is connected between the electronic speed regulator 151 and the propeller 153, and the motor 152 and the propeller 153 are arranged on the arm of the drone 110; the electronic speed regulator 151 is used to receive the drive signal generated by the flight control system 160, and provide a drive current to the motor 152 according to the drive signal to control the speed of the motor 152. The motor 152 is used to drive the propeller to rotate, thereby providing power for the flight of the drone 110, and the power enables the drone 110 to achieve one or more degrees of freedom. In some embodiments, the drone 110 can rotate around one or more rotation axes. For example, the above-mentioned rotation axes may include a roll axis (Roll), a yaw axis (Yaw), and a pitch axis (pitch). It should be understood that the motor 152 may be a DC motor or an AC motor. In addition, the motor 152 may be a brushless motor or a brushed motor.

[0030] The flight control system 160 may include a flight controller 161 and a sensor system 162. The sensor system 162 is used to measure the attitude information of the drone, that is, the position information and state information of the drone 110 in space, such as three-dimensional position, three-dimensional angle, three-dimensional velocity, three-dimensional acceleration and three-dimensional angular velocity. The sensor system 162 may include at least one of sensors such as a gyroscope, an ultrasonic sensor, an electronic compass, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a visual sensor, a global navigation satellite system and a barometer. For example, the global navigation satellite system may be a global positioning system (GPS). The flight controller 161 is used to control the flight of the drone 110, for example, the flight of the drone 110 may be controlled according to the attitude information measured by the sensor system 162. It should be understood that the flight controller 161 may control the drone 110 according to pre-programmed instructions, or may control the drone 110 by responding to one or more remote control signals from the remote control device 140.

[0031] like Figure 1As shown, the gimbal 120 may include a motor 122. The gimbal is used to carry a shooting device 123. The flight controller 161 can control the movement of the gimbal 120 through the motor 122. Optionally, as another embodiment, the gimbal 120 may also include a controller for controlling the movement of the gimbal 120 by controlling the motor 122. It should be understood that the gimbal 120 may be independent of the drone 110 or may be a part of the drone 110. It should be understood that the motor 122 may be a DC motor or an AC motor. In addition, the motor 122 may be a brushless motor or a brushed motor. It should also be understood that the gimbal may be located at the top of the drone or at the bottom of the drone.

[0032] The shooting device 123 can be, for example, a device for capturing images, such as a camera or a video camera. The shooting device 123 can communicate with the flight controller and shoot under the control of the flight controller. The shooting device 123 of this embodiment includes at least a photosensitive element, such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor or a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor. It can be understood that the shooting device 123 can also be directly fixed on the drone 110, so that the gimbal 120 can be omitted.

[0033] The display device 130 is located at the ground end of the unmanned aerial system 100, can communicate with the drone 110 in a wireless manner, and can be used to display the attitude information of the drone 110. In addition, the image captured by the camera 123 can also be displayed on the display device 130. It should be understood that the display device 130 can be an independent device or integrated in the remote control device 140.

[0034] The remote control device 140 is located at the ground end of the unmanned aerial system 100 and can communicate with the drone 110 in a wireless manner to remotely control the drone 110 .

[0035] like Figure 2As shown, the plant protection system 170 may include a container 171 for holding materials, an output device 172 for outputting the materials, and a detection device 173. Exemplarily, the detection device 173 includes a capacity detection sensor for detecting the remaining capacity of the container and / or a flow meter for detecting the flow rate of the output device outputting the materials. Optionally, as another embodiment, the plant protection system 170 may also include a controller; the controller is connected in communication with the output device 172 to control whether the output device 172 outputs materials, for example, the controller may control the output device to output materials when receiving a plant protection task execution instruction from the flight controller 161; the controller may also be connected in communication with the capacity detection sensor and / or the flow meter, and in the process of outputting materials, control the capacity detection device to detect the remaining capacity of the container and / or control the flow meter to detect the flow rate of the output device outputting the materials, so as to perform high-precision material output control based on the remaining capacity of the container and / or the flow rate of the output device outputting the materials.

[0036] The plant protection system may be a spraying system or a sowing system, wherein the spraying system is used to spray liquid pesticides or liquid materials such as water, and the sowing system is used to spray solid materials such as seeds or powders. In the spraying system, the capacity detection sensor includes a liquid level meter; in the sowing system, the capacity detection sensor includes a material level meter.

[0037] It should be understood that the above-mentioned naming of the components of the unmanned aerial system is for identification purposes only and should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0038] In related technologies, drones generally take off directly under user control to perform flight missions. If the user does not carefully observe the surrounding environment before takeoff or makes a mistake in operation, the propellers of the aircraft may injure people or hit other obstacles. In an exemplary application scenario, take a plant protection drone equipped with a spraying system as an example. Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the use scenario of a plant protection drone equipped with a spraying system. Considering the large size of the plant protection drone, if the user does not carefully observe the surrounding environment before taking off or makes an error in operation before controlling the plant protection drone to take off, and there are workers in the environment around the drone (such as around the take-off point or in the farmland where the plant protection task is to be performed), the propellers of the aircraft may be raised to injure people or hit other obstacles, posing a safety hazard.

[0039] Based on this, see Figure 4 , the present application embodiment provides a takeoff detection method for a drone, which can be performed by a takeoff detection device for a drone. For example, the takeoff detection device can be as follows Figure 1 or Figure 2 The flight controller 161 shown in FIG. The method comprises:

[0040] In step S101, before the drone takes off, data detected by a detection device of the drone is used to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly.

[0041] In step S102, if the surrounding environment is not suitable for the drone to fly, the drone is prevented from taking off.

[0042] In this embodiment, before the drone takes off, the data detected by the detection device of the drone can be used to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly. If it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the drone to fly, safety protection measures will be implemented. For example, the safety protection measures include preventing the drone from taking off, which is beneficial to improve the flight safety of the drone and prevent users from injuring people or colliding with other obstacles due to factors such as not carefully observing the surrounding environment before takeoff or misoperation.

[0043] In some embodiments, the detection device includes but is not limited to a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a visual sensor, an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor. According to the actual application scenario, the data detected by one of the detection devices can be selected to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the flight of the drone, or the data detected by at least two detection devices can be integrated to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the flight of the drone. It is understandable that the embodiment of the present application does not impose any restrictions on the installation position and installation quantity of the detection device in the drone, and specific settings can be made according to the actual application scenario.

[0044] Among them, the embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on the detection timing of the detection device, and can be specifically set according to the actual application scenario. In some possible implementations, the detection device can be controlled to detect the surrounding environment after the drone is powered on. In other possible implementations, considering that the power consumption required for the detection device to perform the detection process is relatively large, if the detection device is in the detection state after the drone is powered on until the drone takes off, the power consumption of the drone will be accelerated. Therefore, in order to reduce the power consumption of the drone and improve the endurance of the drone, the detection device can be controlled to detect the surrounding environment in response to the take-off trigger of the drone, that is, the detection device will only detect when the drone is ready to take off.

[0045] In one example, the drone is communicatively connected to a remote control device, and the remote control device is provided with a joystick for controlling the flight of the drone. Taking the detection device as a millimeter-wave radar as an example, considering that the millimeter-wave radar has a large power consumption, when it is detected that the user operates the joystick in the remote control device to trigger the drone to take off, a buffer period can be set between the drone take-off trigger and the drone take-off. For example, a buffer period of 3 seconds is set, and the drone can take off 3 seconds after the take-off trigger. During this buffer period, the drone can control the millimeter-wave radar to detect the surrounding environment, and then use the data detected by the detection device to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the flight of the drone.

[0046] In some embodiments, it is taken into account that the detection device may fail due to internal factors, such as aging, wear or damage of the internal components of the sensor for obstacle avoidance; or the detection device may fail due to the influence of the external environment, resulting in the inability to collect detection data that meets the preset requirements. For example, the visual sensor fails because the brightness of the external environment cannot reach the preset working conditions, and the lidar fails due to haze, sandstorms and other environments, which makes it difficult for the emitted laser pulses to penetrate small objects such as fog, smoke or dust, thereby making it impossible to detect the surrounding environment.

[0047] Therefore, before the UAV takes off, it can first detect whether the detection device fails. If the detection device fails, an instruction message is sent to the remote control device, so that the remote control device outputs a prompt message of carefully checking the surrounding environment according to the instruction message, wherein the prompt message includes but is not limited to visual information or auditory information, etc. If the detection device operates normally, the UAV uses the data detected by the detection device of the UAV to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the UAV to fly; wherein the conditions for the normal operation of the detection device include: the internal components of the detection device are not damaged, and the data detected from the surrounding environment meets the preset requirements, and the preset requirements indicate that the data detected by the detection device can perform effective obstacle detection.

[0048] In some embodiments, the surrounding environment detected by the detection device includes a designated range around the take-off point of the drone, which is conducive to ensuring the take-off safety of the drone. In other embodiments, when the detection distance of the detection device is far enough or the detection range is relatively wide, the surrounding environment may also include at least part of the area where the drone is to perform the flight mission, and the at least part of the area is within the detection range of the detection device; in one example, taking the drone as a plant protection drone as an example, the surrounding environment may also include at least part of the plot where the plant protection mission is to be performed, and the at least part of the plot is within the detection range of the detection device, thereby ensuring the flight safety of the drone when performing the plant protection mission. Of course, for example, if the take-off point of the drone is close to the plot where the plant protection mission is to be performed, or is in the plot where the plant protection mission is to be performed, the surrounding environment may also include the designated range around the take-off point of the drone and at least part of the plot where the plant protection mission is to be performed, further improving the flight safety of the drone.

[0049] In some embodiments, the drone can perform obstacle detection based on the data detected by the detection device. If it is detected that there are obstacles in the surrounding environment that affect the flight of the drone, and it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the flight of the drone, the drone can execute relevant safety protection measures. For example, the safety protection measures may be to prevent the drone from taking off, which is beneficial to improving the flight safety of the drone and preventing users from injuring people or colliding with other obstacles due to factors such as not carefully observing the surrounding environment before take-off or misoperation.

[0050] Exemplarily, the surrounding environment includes a designated range around the take-off point of the drone and / or at least a portion of the area where the flight mission is to be performed (such as at least a portion of the land where the plant protection mission is to be performed). If pedestrians are detected in the designated range around the take-off point of the drone and / or at least a portion of the area where the flight mission is to be performed (such as at least a portion of the land where the plant protection mission is to be performed) based on the data detected by the detection device, it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the drone to fly, and the drone can execute relevant safety protection measures, such as preventing the drone from taking off.

[0051] Exemplarily, considering that there may be some obstacles in the surrounding environment that do not affect the flight of the drone, such as some obstacles far away from the flight path of the drone, if safety protection measures to prevent flight are also taken in this case, it may be detrimental to the user experience. Therefore, in the case where the drone includes a preset flight path, it can be determined based on the flight path of the drone and the data detected by the detection device whether there are obstacles in the surrounding environment that affect the flight of the drone, wherein the obstacles that affect the flight of the drone may include static obstacles that are roughly on the flight path of the drone and / or dynamic obstacles that are predicted to be on the flight path of the drone based on motion estimation. This embodiment accurately detects obstacles that affect the flight of the drone based on the motion path of the drone, thereby facilitating improving the flight safety of the drone.

[0052] The static obstacle approximately on the flight path of the UAV includes a static obstacle on the flight path of the UAV, or a static obstacle whose distance from the flight path of the UAV is less than a preset safety distance.

[0053] The drone can determine whether the object to be detected is a static obstacle or a dynamic obstacle based on the data detected by the detection device; if it is a static obstacle, the location information of the static obstacle is obtained based on the data detected by the detection device, and when it is determined based on the location information of the static obstacle and the flight path of the drone that the shortest distance between the static obstacle and the flight path is less than the preset safety distance, the static obstacle is determined to be an obstacle that affects the flight of the drone; if it is a dynamic obstacle, the drone can estimate the motion of the dynamic obstacle based on the data detected by the detection device and predict the motion trend of the dynamic obstacle, and when it is determined based on the motion trend of the dynamic obstacle and the preset flight speed of the drone that the dynamic obstacle is about to be on the flight path of the drone and is likely to collide with the drone, the dynamic obstacle is determined to be an obstacle that affects the flight of the drone. This embodiment accurately detects obstacles that affect the flight of the drone based on the motion path of the drone, which is conducive to improving the flight safety of the drone.

[0054] In some embodiments, after determining that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the flight of the drone and executing the safety protection measures to prevent the drone from flying, the drone may also send an instruction message to the remote control device, so that the remote control device outputs a prompt message of whether to continue to perform the take-off operation according to the instruction message. If a take-off trigger associated with the prompt message is received, indicating that the user determines that the surrounding environment is suitable for the flight of the drone, the drone responds to the take-off trigger associated with the prompt message and controls the drone to take off without detecting the surrounding environment; optionally, considering the variable factors in the surrounding environment, such as the influence of some dynamic obstacles, in order to improve the flight safety of the drone, a limited time period may be set, such as pre-setting a preset time length, such as 30 seconds or 40 seconds, etc. If the take-off trigger associated with the prompt message is generated within the preset time length after the prompt message is output, the detection of the surrounding environment can be skipped to directly control the drone to take off, thereby reducing the impact of multiple detection processes on the take-off efficiency of the drone and improving the flight experience of the drone.

[0055] If the user cancels the takeoff operation after receiving the prompt information, it means that the user confirms that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the UAV to fly. If a takeoff trigger is received after canceling the takeoff operation, the surrounding environment still needs to be tested for flight suitability, that is, the UAV responds to the takeoff trigger after canceling the takeoff operation, and still needs to use the data detected by the detection device of the UAV to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the UAV to fly, and determine whether to perform anti-flight safety protection measures based on the detection results, which is conducive to ensuring the flight safety of the UAV. This embodiment provides two execution strategies related to the prompt information. If the user chooses to continue the takeoff operation, the detection of the surrounding environment is skipped. If the user chooses to cancel the takeoff operation, the surrounding environment still needs to be detected for the next takeoff, taking into account the takeoff efficiency and flight safety of the UAV.

[0056] In an exemplary embodiment, see Figure 5 , Figure 5 Another process diagram of taking-off detection of a drone is shown. Taking a plant protection drone as an example, considering the large size of the plant protection drone, if there are pedestrians in the surrounding environment of the plant protection drone, there will be a great safety hazard. The method includes:

[0057] After the UAV is powered on, in step S201, in response to the take-off trigger of the UAV, the detection device is controlled to detect the surrounding environment; wherein the surrounding environment includes a specified range around the take-off point of the UAV and / or at least a part of the plot where the plant protection task is to be performed;

[0058] In step S202, based on the data detected by the detection device, it is detected whether there are pedestrians in the designated range around the take-off point of the drone and / or at least part of the land where the plant protection task is to be performed; if not, step S203 is executed; if yes, step S204 is executed; of course, in addition to detecting pedestrians, it is also possible to detect whether there are other objects that affect the flight of the drone;

[0059] In step S203, the drone is controlled to take off;

[0060] In step S204, the drone is prevented from taking off;

[0061] In step S205, an instruction message is sent to the remote control device so that the remote control device outputs a prompt message on whether to continue the take-off operation; if it is confirmed to continue the take-off operation, the detection of the surrounding environment is skipped and step S203 is directly executed; if the take-off operation is cancelled, the drone remains in the propeller-stopped state and can execute step S202 in response to the take-off trigger after the take-off operation is cancelled.

[0062] In some embodiments, taking into account that different types of obstacles have different degrees of impact on the flight safety of the drone, the drone can send different instruction information to the remote control device according to the different types of obstacles, so that the remote control device outputs prompt information with different warning effects, thereby performing accurate takeoff detection reminders.

[0063] Exemplarily, the types of obstacles include at least pedestrians and non-pedestrians, and the warning level of pedestrians is higher than that of non-pedestrians. For example, when the obstacle type is a pedestrian, the remote control device can be controlled by the first indication information to display a visual prompt information with a red warning effect on the interactive interface or play a more rapid auditory prompt information. When the obstacle type is a non-pedestrian, the remote control device can be controlled by the second indication information to display a visual prompt information with a blue warning effect on the interactive interface or play a more soothing auditory prompt information.

[0064] Exemplarily, the types of obstacles may also include dynamic obstacles and static obstacles, and the warning level of the dynamic obstacles is higher than the warning level of the static obstacles.

[0065] Among them, for the process of determining the type of the obstacle, in a possible implementation, the drone can pre-store reference data of different types of obstacles according to the needs of the actual application scenario. For example, for a plant protection drone, reference data of pedestrians and reference data of non-pedestrians (such as signal towers, telephone poles, or scarecrows in farmland, etc.) can be pre-stored; then the type of obstacle is determined based on the difference between the data detected by the detection device and the reference data of the preset type of obstacle. If the difference between the data detected by the detection device and the reference data of a preset type of obstacle is small, it can be determined that the obstacle detected by the detection device belongs to the preset type. In another possible implementation, the drone can also perform motion estimation on the object to be detected based on the data detected by the detection device, thereby determining the type of obstacle. Of course, other implementations can also be adopted to determine the type of obstacle, and this embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0066] In some embodiments, in addition to obstacles in the surrounding environment of the drone, other factors in the surrounding environment may also affect the flight of the drone. Exemplarily, the drone can use the data detected by the detection device and at least one of the following information to determine whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the flight of the drone: the altitude of the location of the drone, weather information, whether it is in a no-fly zone or in an outdoor environment. For example, if the altitude of the location of the drone is higher than 4,500 meters, it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for drone flight; for example, if the current weather temperature is higher than 45°C, or it is in heavy rain, wind or other extreme weather, it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for drone flight; for example, if the surrounding environment belongs to a no-fly zone, it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for drone flight; for example, if the drone is a large drone such as a plant protection drone, if the drone is in an indoor environment, it is determined that it is not suitable for drone flight. In this embodiment, accurate detection of at least two factors of the surrounding environment before the drone takes off is conducive to improving the flight safety of the drone.

[0067] Accordingly, see Figure 6 The embodiment of the present application further provides a take-off detection device 30 for a drone, comprising:

[0068] One or more processors 31;

[0069] A memory 32 for storing instructions executable by the processor 31;

[0070] The one or more processors 31 execute the executable instructions individually or collectively to perform:

[0071] Before the drone takes off, using the data detected by the detection device of the drone to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly;

[0072] If the surrounding environment is not suitable for the drone to fly, the drone is prevented from taking off.

[0073] The processor 31 executes the executable instructions included in the memory 32. The processor 31 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0074] The memory 32 stores executable instructions of the return method, and the memory 32 may include at least one type of storage medium, including flash memory, hard disk, multimedia card, card-type memory (for example, SD or DX memory, etc.), random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), magnetic memory, disk, optical disk, etc. Moreover, the device can cooperate with a network storage device that performs the storage function of the memory through a network connection. The memory 32 may be an internal storage unit of the takeoff detection device 30, such as a hard disk or memory of the takeoff detection device 30. The memory 32 may also be an external storage device of the takeoff detection device 30, such as a plug-in hard disk equipped on the takeoff detection device 30, a smart memory card (SmartMedia Card, SMC), a secure digital (Secure Digital, SD) card, a flash card (Flash Card), etc. Further, the memory 32 may also include both an internal storage unit of the takeoff detection device 30 and an external storage device. The memory 32 is used to store executable instructions and other programs and data required by the takeoff detection device 30. The memory 32 may also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0075] In some embodiments, the processor 31 is further configured to respond to a take-off trigger of the drone and detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly using data detected by a detection device of the drone.

[0076] In some embodiments, the processor 31 is also used to send an indication message to the remote control device if the surrounding environment is not suitable for the flight of the drone, so that the remote control device outputs a prompt message on whether to continue the take-off operation; in response to a take-off trigger related to the prompt message, control the drone to take off without detecting the surrounding environment; in response to a take-off trigger after canceling the take-off operation, detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the flight of the drone.

[0077] In some embodiments, the takeoff trigger associated with the prompt information is generated within a preset time period after the prompt information is output.

[0078] In some embodiments, the surrounding environment includes a designated range around the take-off point of the drone and / or at least a portion of the land where the plant protection task is to be performed; wherein, at least a portion of the land is within the detection range of the detection device.

[0079] In some embodiments, if pedestrians are detected in a designated range around the take-off point of the drone and / or in at least a portion of the land where the plant protection task is to be performed, the surrounding environment is not suitable for the drone to fly.

[0080] In some embodiments, when it is detected based on the data detected by the detection device that there are obstacles in the surrounding environment that affect the flight of the drone, it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the flight of the drone.

[0081] In some embodiments, the obstacles include: static obstacles that are approximately on the flight path of the drone and / or dynamic obstacles that are predicted to be on the flight path of the drone based on motion estimation.

[0082] In some embodiments, the processor 31 is further configured to send different indication information to the remote control device according to different types of the obstacles, so that the remote control device outputs prompt information with different warning effects.

[0083] In some embodiments, the types of obstacles include at least pedestrians and non-pedestrians; wherein the warning level of the pedestrians is higher than the warning level of the non-pedestrians.

[0084] In some embodiments, the processor 31 is further used to determine the type of obstacle based on the difference between the data detected by the detection device and the reference data of a preset type of obstacle and / or to perform motion estimation on the object to be detected based on the data detected by the detection device.

[0085] In some embodiments, the detection device includes at least one of the following: a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a visual sensor, an infrared sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor.

[0086] In some embodiments, the processor 31 is also used to determine whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the flight of the drone using the data detected by the detection device and at least one of the following information: the altitude of the drone's location, weather information, whether it is in a no-fly zone, or whether it is in an outdoor environment.

[0087] Various embodiments described herein can be implemented using computer readable media such as computer software, hardware or any combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein can be implemented using at least one of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein. For software implementation, embodiments such as processes or functions can be implemented with separate software modules that allow execution of at least one function or operation. Software code can be implemented by a software application (or program) written in any appropriate programming language, and the software code can be stored in a memory and executed by a controller.

[0088] The implementation process of the functions and effects of each unit in the above-mentioned device is specifically described in the implementation process of the corresponding steps in the above-mentioned method, which will not be repeated here.

[0089] Accordingly, the embodiment of the present application further provides a drone, including:

[0090] body;

[0091] A power system, disposed in the fuselage, for providing power to the UAV;

[0092] And, provided in the fuselage such as Figure 6 The take-off detection device 30.

[0093] Exemplarily, the take-off detection device 30 may be Figure 1 or Figure 2 The flight controller in the described embodiment.

[0094] In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions is also provided, such as a memory including instructions, and the above instructions can be executed by a processor of the device to perform the above method. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be a ROM, a random access memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, etc.

[0095] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, when the instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor of a terminal, enables the terminal to execute the above method.

[0096] It should be noted that the terms used in this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The singular forms of "a", "said" and "the" used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used in this article refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0097] It should be understood that, although the term first, second, third, etc. may be adopted in the present application to describe various information, these information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present application, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at the time of ... " or "when ... " or "in response to determination". The term "include", "comprise" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment including a series of elements not only include those elements, but also include other elements not clearly listed, or also include elements inherent to such process, method, article or equipment. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements limited by the statement "include one ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment including the elements.

[0098] Although this specification includes many specific implementation details, these should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of any invention or the scope of protection claimed, but are mainly used to describe the features of the specific embodiments of specific inventions. Certain features described in multiple embodiments in this specification may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the other hand, the various features described in a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination. In addition, although features may work in certain combinations as described above and even initially claim protection, one or more features from the claimed combination may be removed from the combination in some cases, and the claimed combination may point to a sub-combination or a variation of a sub-combination.

[0099] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring that these operations be performed in the particular order shown or performed sequentially, or requiring that all illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of various system modules and components in the above-described embodiments should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product, or packaged into multiple software products.

[0100] Thus, specific embodiments of the subject matter have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired results. In addition, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the particular order or sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. In some implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0101] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for detecting takeoff of an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that: include: Before the drone takes off, using the data detected by the detection device of the drone to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly; If the surrounding environment is not suitable for the UAV to fly, sending instruction information to the remote control device so that the remote control device outputs prompt information on whether to continue the take-off operation; In response to receiving a confirmation to continue the take-off operation, controlling the drone to take off or skipping the detection of the surrounding environment, wherein the confirmation to continue the take-off operation is used to indicate that the user confirms that the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly; In response to receiving a request to cancel the take-off operation, the detection device of the drone is controlled to maintain the propeller-stopped state or the drone is controlled to still detect the surrounding environment when the take-off is triggered after the cancellation of the take-off operation, wherein the cancellation of the take-off operation is used to indicate to the user that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the flight of the drone.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before the UAV takes off, using the data detected by the detection device of the UAV to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the UAV to fly includes: In response to the take-off trigger of the drone, data detected by the detection device of the drone is used to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that If the surrounding environment is not suitable for the UAV to fly, the method further includes: In response to a takeoff trigger associated with the prompt information, controlling the drone to take off without detecting the surrounding environment; In response to a takeoff trigger after canceling the continuation of the takeoff operation, detecting whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the UAV to fly.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The takeoff trigger associated with the prompt information is generated within a preset time period after the prompt information is output.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The surrounding environment includes a designated range around the take-off point of the drone and / or at least a portion of the plot where the plant protection task is to be performed; Wherein, at least part of the land block is within the detection range of the detection device.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that If pedestrians are detected in a designated range around the take-off point of the drone and / or in at least part of the land where the plant protection task is to be performed, the surrounding environment is not suitable for the drone to fly.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When it is detected based on the data detected by the detection device that there are obstacles in the surrounding environment that affect the flight of the drone, it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the flight of the drone.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The obstacles include: static obstacles roughly located on the flight path of the UAV and / or dynamic obstacles predicted to be on the flight path of the UAV based on motion estimation; wherein, the static obstacles roughly located on the flight path of the UAV include: static obstacles on the flight path of the UAV, or static obstacles whose distance from the flight path of the UAV is less than a preset safety distance.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: Also includes: According to different types of the obstacles, different indication information is sent to the remote control device, so that the remote control device outputs prompt information with different warning effects.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The types of obstacles include at least pedestrians and non-pedestrians; The warning level for pedestrians is higher than that for non-pedestrians.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Also includes: The type of the obstacle is determined according to a difference between the data detected by the detection device and reference data of a preset type of obstacle and / or a motion estimation of the object to be detected is performed according to the data detected by the detection device.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The warning level of the dynamic obstacle is higher than the warning level of the static obstacle.

13. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The detection device includes at least one of the following: a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a visual sensor, an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor.

14. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method of using the data detected by the detection device of the drone to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly includes: Determine whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the UAV to fly using the data detected by the detection device and at least one of the following information: the altitude of the UAV, weather information, whether it is in a no-fly zone, or whether it is in an outdoor environment.

15. A take-off detection device for an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor; The one or more processors execute the executable instructions individually or collectively to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A drone, characterized in that: include: Body; A power system, disposed in the body, for providing flight power for the UAV; And a takeoff detection device as claimed in claim 15 arranged on the aircraft body.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores executable instructions, and when the executable instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is implemented.

Images