Unmanned aerial vehicle control apparatus, method, medium, electronic device, and unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a UAV control device, method, medium, electronic device and UAV, the device comprising: a parachute control unit, a propeller control unit and a parachute opening trigger unit; the parachute control unit is configured to send a propeller stopping instruction to the propeller control unit for controlling the propeller on the UAV to stop rotating when an opening instruction for opening the parachute on the UAV is obtained; the propeller control unit is configured to send a propeller stopping signal to the propeller driving mechanism on the UAV when the propeller stopping instruction is received; the parachute control unit is further configured to determine whether the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement after sending the propeller stopping instruction, and send a trigger signal for controlling the parachute to open to the parachute opening trigger unit when it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement. In this way, the parachute rope will not be entangled with the propeller when the parachute is opened, improving the safety of the UAV.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular, to an unmanned aerial vehicle control device, method, medium, electronic device and unmanned aerial vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] An unmanned aerial vehicle refers to a non-crewed aircraft controlled by a wireless remote control device and a self-provided program control device. In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles have developed rapidly. Due to the advantages of relatively low cost, no personnel casualty risk, good maneuverability, and easy use, unmanned aerial vehicles have a very broad application prospect in fields such as aerial photography, geological survey, high-voltage transmission line patrol, and logistics distribution. Taking the logistics distribution scenario as an example, the user's purchased items can be mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the items can be delivered by the unmanned aerial vehicle, saving manpower, improving delivery efficiency, and enabling contactless delivery. For unmanned aerial vehicles in an unmanned mode, how to improve the flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle and ensure the safe and reliable operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle is a crucial problem. SUMMARY

[0003] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle control device, method, medium, electronic device and unmanned aerial vehicle, which can avoid the problem that the parachute cannot be normally deployed due to the entanglement of the parachute rope of the parachute with the propeller of the unmanned aerial vehicle, ensure that the parachute can be normally opened, and improve the safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, in a first aspect, the present disclosure provides an unmanned aerial vehicle control device, the device comprising: a parachute control unit, a propeller control unit, and a parachute opening trigger unit;

[0005] The parachute control unit is configured to, in a case where an opening instruction for instructing to open a parachute on an unmanned aerial vehicle is acquired, send a propeller stopping instruction for controlling a propeller on the unmanned aerial vehicle to stop to the propeller control unit;

[0006] The propeller control unit is configured to, in a case where the propeller stopping instruction is received, send the propeller stopping signal to a propeller driving mechanism on the unmanned aerial vehicle;

[0007] The parachute control unit is further configured to judge whether the rotation state of the propeller meets a preset deceleration requirement after sending the propeller stopping instruction, and send a trigger signal for controlling the parachute to open to the parachute opening trigger unit in a case where it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement.

[0008] Optionally, the preset deceleration requirement comprises:

[0009] A preset time length has elapsed since the propeller stopping instruction is sent, and / or the rotation speed of the propeller is lower than a preset rotation speed threshold.

[0010] Optionally, the parachute control unit is further configured to acquire current flight characteristic information of the UAV in real time from a flight controller or a pose sensor, wherein the current flight characteristic information comprises current flight attitude information and current flight height of the UAV.

[0011] The parachute control unit is further configured to, in a case where it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, determine whether the UAV meets a parachute deployment condition according to the current flight characteristic information, and send a trigger signal for controlling deployment of the parachute to the parachute deployment trigger unit in a case where it is determined that the UAV meets the parachute deployment condition.

[0012] Optionally, the parachute control unit is further configured to, in a case where the deployment instruction is acquired, determine whether the UAV meets a parachute deployment condition according to the current flight characteristic information, and send the propeller stopping instruction to the propeller control unit in a case where it is determined that the UAV meets the parachute deployment condition.

[0013] Optionally, the current flight attitude information comprises a current pitch angle and a current roll angle of the UAV.

[0014] The parachute control unit is further configured to determine that the UAV meets the parachute deployment condition if the current pitch angle is less than a first preset angle threshold, the current roll angle is less than a second preset angle threshold, and the current flight height is greater than a preset height threshold.

[0015] Optionally, the deployment instruction is received from a UAV remote controller; or,

[0016] The deployment instruction is generated by a flight controller of the UAV in a case where it is determined that the UAV has occurred a dangerous event or is about to occur a dangerous event.

[0017] Optionally, the parachute control unit is further configured to determine predicted landing point information of the UAV after deployment of the parachute according to a current wind speed, a current wind direction, and a weight of the UAV, and send identification information of the UAV and the predicted landing point information to a server.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a UAV control method, comprising:

[0019] In a case where a deployment instruction for instructing to open a parachute on a UAV is acquired, a propeller stopping instruction for controlling a propeller on the UAV to stop rotating is sent to a propeller control unit, so that the propeller stopping signal is sent to a propeller driving mechanism on the UAV by the propeller control unit in a case where the propeller stopping instruction is received.

[0020] determining whether the rotation state of the propeller meets a preset deceleration requirement after sending the propeller stopping instruction;

[0021] in a case where it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, sending a trigger signal for controlling opening of the parachute to a parachute opening trigger unit.

[0022] Optionally, the preset deceleration requirement comprises that a preset time length has elapsed since the propeller stopping instruction is sent, and / or a rotation speed of the propeller is lower than a preset rotation speed threshold.

[0023] Optionally, the method further comprises:

[0024] acquiring current flight feature information of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time from a flight controller or a pose sensor, wherein the current flight feature information comprises current flight attitude information and current flight height of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

[0025] the sending of the trigger signal for controlling opening of the parachute to the parachute opening trigger unit in a case where it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement comprises:

[0026] in a case where it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, determining whether the unmanned aerial vehicle meets a parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information;

[0027] in a case where it is determined that the unmanned aerial vehicle meets the parachute opening condition, sending the trigger signal for controlling opening of the parachute to the parachute opening trigger unit.

[0028] Optionally, the sending of the propeller stopping instruction for controlling the propeller on the unmanned aerial vehicle to stop rotating to the propeller control unit comprises:

[0029] determining whether the unmanned aerial vehicle meets a parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information;

[0030] in a case where it is determined that the unmanned aerial vehicle meets the parachute opening condition, sending the propeller stopping instruction to the propeller control unit.

[0031] Optionally, the current flight attitude information comprises a current pitch angle and a current roll angle of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0032] the determining of whether the unmanned aerial vehicle meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information comprises:

[0033] If the current pitch angle is less than a first preset angle threshold, the current roll angle is less than a second preset angle threshold, and the current flight height is greater than a preset height threshold, it is determined that the UAV satisfies the parachute opening condition.

[0034] Optionally, the opening instruction is received from a UAV remote controller, or the opening instruction is generated by a flight controller of the UAV in a case where it is determined that a dangerous event has occurred or is about to occur.

[0035] Optionally, the method further comprises:

[0036] According to the current wind speed, the current wind direction, and the weight of the UAV, the expected landing point information of the UAV after the parachute is opened is determined.

[0037] The identification information of the UAV and the expected landing point information are sent to a server.

[0038] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method provided in the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0039] In a fourth aspect, the present disclosure provides an electronic device, comprising: a memory having a computer program stored thereon; and a processor configured to execute the computer program in the memory to implement the steps of the method provided in the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, the present disclosure provides a UAV, comprising: the UAV control device provided in the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0041] According to the above technical solution, when the parachute control unit obtains the opening instruction for instructing to open the parachute on the UAV, the parachute control unit can send a stop-rotation instruction for controlling the propeller on the UAV to stop rotating to the propeller control unit. The propeller control unit can send a stop-rotation signal to the propeller driving mechanism when the stop-rotation instruction is received, and the propeller driving mechanism can drive the propeller to stop rotating. When the parachute control unit determines that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, it means that the rotation speed of the propeller is low or has stopped rotating, and the parachute control unit can send a trigger signal for controlling the parachute opening to the parachute opening trigger unit. In this way, the parachute rope will not be entangled with the propeller when the parachute is unfolded, avoiding the problem that the parachute cannot be unfolded normally due to the entanglement of the parachute rope with the propeller, ensuring that the parachute can be opened normally, thereby reducing the descending speed of the UAV, reducing the risk caused by the crash of the UAV, and improving the safety of the UAV.

[0042] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0043] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate the present disclosure and are used together with the following detailed description to explain the present disclosure, but do not limit the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0044] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a UAV control device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0045] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a UAV control method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0046] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a UAV control method according to another exemplary embodiment.

[0047] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a UAV control method according to another exemplary embodiment.

[0048] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] The specific embodiments of the present disclosure described herein are for the purpose of explanation and illustration and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. It will be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are not the only way in which the present disclosure can be practiced.

[0050] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a UAV control device according to an exemplary embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 The UAV control device 10 can include a parachute control unit 11, a propeller control unit 12, and a parachute opening trigger unit 13, wherein the parachute control unit 11 is connected to the propeller control unit 12, and the parachute control unit 11 is connected to the parachute opening trigger unit 13.

[0051] The parachute control unit 11 is configured to send a propeller stopping instruction to the propeller control unit 12 to control the propeller on the UAV to stop rotating when an opening instruction indicating to open the parachute on the UAV is obtained.

[0052] There are various possible dangerous situations for the UAV during flight, such as collision with a building, which may cause the UAV to lose control and crash, and if the UAV crashes at a high altitude, the UAV will fall at a high speed, which not only causes damage to the UAV, but also brings safety hazards to vehicles and pedestrians on the ground. In order to reduce the risk of UAV crash, a parachute can be provided on the UAV, which is a kind of aerodynamic decelerator that can reduce the speed of the UAV when it lands to 3-4 m / s or even lower, so that the UAV can safely land on the ground. The UAV in the present disclosure is provided with a parachute.

[0053] The inventors found in the research process that the parachute can effectively reduce the risk of UAV crash, but when the parachute is deployed, the parachute rope is easy to entangle with the propeller of the UAV, which not only affects the normal deployment of the parachute, but also affects the safe flight of the UAV. In order to avoid the problem caused by the entanglement of the parachute rope and the propeller, in the present disclosure, the parachute control unit 11 can send a stop propeller instruction to the propeller control unit 12 for controlling the propeller on the UAV to stop rotating when the parachute opening instruction for indicating to open the parachute on the UAV is obtained.

[0054] For example, the parachute opening instruction can be received from the UAV remote controller; or the parachute opening instruction can be generated by the flight controller of the UAV when it is determined that the UAV has occurred or is about to occur a dangerous event.

[0055] The UAV remote controller can be controlled by the operator, and when the operator operates the corresponding function button on the UAV remote controller, the UAV remote controller will send the corresponding control instruction to the UAV. If the operator judges that the UAV is about to occur a dangerous situation, such as about to collide with a building, the operator can operate the parachute opening button on the UAV remote controller, and the UAV remote controller can send the parachute opening instruction to the UAV. Alternatively, the flight controller of the UAV can autonomously determine the occurrence of a dangerous event, such as a collision, a malfunction of the UAV itself, etc. For example, the UAV can be installed with a flight controller and a camera, the camera can capture the surrounding environment image of the UAV and send it to the flight controller, the flight controller can be used to control the flight of the UAV according to the surrounding environment image, and the flight controller can determine that the UAV is about to occur a dangerous event if it determines that the UAV is about to collide with an obstacle according to the flight state of the UAV and the surrounding environment image. The flight controller can generate a parachute opening instruction for opening the parachute when it is determined that the UAV has occurred or is about to occur a dangerous event.

[0056] The UAV can have multiple propellers, and the stop propeller instruction can be used to control at least one propeller to stop rotating, preferably, the stop propeller instruction can be used to control all propellers on the UAV to stop rotating.

[0057] The propeller control unit 12, for example, is an electronic speed controller, is configured to send a stop-propeller signal to a propeller driving mechanism (for example, a motor) on the UAV in response to receiving a stop-propeller instruction. The propeller driving mechanism is configured to drive the propeller to stop rotating in response to receiving the stop-propeller signal.

[0058] The parachute control unit 11 is further configured to determine whether the rotating state of the propeller meets a preset deceleration requirement after sending the stop-propeller instruction, and send a trigger signal for controlling parachute opening to the parachute opening trigger unit 13 in response to determining that the rotating state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement.

[0059] The preset deceleration requirement can include that a preset time period has elapsed since sending the stop-propeller instruction, and / or the rotating speed of the propeller is lower than a preset rotating speed threshold. For example, the preset deceleration requirement can include that a preset time period has elapsed since sending the stop-propeller instruction, wherein the rotating speed of the propeller gradually decreases after the parachute control unit 11 sends the stop-propeller instruction, and if a preset time period has elapsed since sending the stop-propeller instruction, it indicates that the propeller has been decelerating for a period of time, and at this time, the rotating speed of the propeller is relatively low or the propeller has stopped rotating. For example, the preset deceleration requirement can include that the rotating speed of the propeller is lower than a preset rotating speed threshold, wherein the power module of the propeller has a feedback function, and a rotating speed sensor for detecting the rotating speed of the propeller can send the detected rotating speed to the parachute control unit 11 in real time, and the parachute control unit 11 can determine whether the rotating speed of the propeller is lower than the preset rotating speed threshold. For another example, the preset deceleration requirement can include that a preset time period has elapsed since sending the stop-propeller instruction, and the rotating speed of the propeller is lower than a preset rotating speed threshold. The preset time period and the preset rotating speed threshold can be pre-calibrated, and the present disclosure does not make specific limitations.

[0060] In response to determining that the rotating state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, the parachute control unit 11 can determine that the rotating speed of the propeller is relatively low or the propeller has stopped rotating, and at this time, the parachute opening trigger unit 13 is sent the trigger signal for controlling parachute opening, so that the parachute lines do not entangle with the propeller when the parachute opens, thereby ensuring that the parachute can open normally and reducing the risk of the UAV crashing.

[0061] By the technical solution, when the parachute control unit obtains the parachute opening instruction indicating to open the parachute on the unmanned aerial vehicle, the parachute control unit can send a propeller stopping instruction to the propeller control unit for controlling the propeller on the unmanned aerial vehicle to stop rotating. When the propeller control unit receives the propeller stopping instruction, the propeller control unit can send a propeller stopping signal to the propeller driving mechanism, and the propeller driving mechanism can drive the propeller to stop rotating. When the parachute control unit determines that the rotating state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, it means that the rotating speed of the propeller is low or the propeller has stopped rotating, and the parachute control unit can further send a trigger signal for controlling the parachute to open to the parachute opening trigger unit. In this way, when the parachute is opened, the parachute rope will not be entangled with the propeller, avoiding the problem that the parachute cannot be normally opened due to the entanglement of the parachute rope with the propeller, ensuring that the parachute can be normally opened, thereby reducing the descending speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle, reducing the risk of the unmanned aerial vehicle crashing, and improving the safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0062] In the present disclosure, the parachute control unit 11 can also be used to obtain the current flight characteristic information of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time from the flight controller or the pose sensor. The pose sensor can include a height detection sensor and an attitude detection sensor. The height detection sensor can include, for example, a barometer, a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic radar, a camera, etc. The attitude detection sensor can include, for example, a pitch angle detection sensor, a roll angle detection sensor, a yaw angle detection sensor, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, etc. The current flight characteristic information can include the current flight attitude information and the current flight height of the unmanned aerial vehicle. For example, after the pose sensor detects the current flight characteristic information of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the pose sensor can send the current flight characteristic information to the parachute control unit 11, i.e., the parachute control unit 11 can obtain the current flight characteristic information of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time from the pose sensor. For example, after the pose sensor detects the current flight characteristic information of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the pose sensor can send the current flight characteristic information to the flight controller, and the flight controller can send the current flight characteristic information to the parachute control unit 11, i.e., the parachute control unit 11 can obtain the current flight characteristic information of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time from the flight controller. The current flight characteristic information changes in real time with the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the operation of the parachute control unit 11 to obtain the current flight characteristic information of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be performed in real time.

[0063] In an embodiment, the parachute control unit 11 can send a propeller stopping instruction to the propeller control unit 12 for controlling the propeller on the unmanned aerial vehicle to stop rotating when the parachute control unit 11 obtains the parachute opening instruction. The parachute control unit 11 can be further used to determine whether the unmanned aerial vehicle meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight characteristic information when it is determined that the rotating state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, and send a trigger signal for controlling the parachute to open to the parachute opening trigger unit 13 when it is determined that the unmanned aerial vehicle meets the parachute opening condition.

[0064] For example, the current flight attitude information can include a current pitch angle and a current roll angle of the UAV; the parachute control unit 11 can be further configured to determine that the UAV meets the parachute opening condition if the current pitch angle is less than a first preset angle threshold, the current roll angle is less than a second preset angle threshold, and the current flight height is greater than a preset height threshold.

[0065] In the above technical solution, the parachute can be arranged above the UAV. Under normal circumstances, upward opening of the parachute can slow down the UAV by air resistance. The current flight attitude of the UAV is an important factor for controlling the parachute to open. If the current pitch angle of the UAV is greater than the first preset angle threshold or the current roll angle is greater than the second angle threshold, the parachute may open downward if controlled to open, which not only fails to work normally but also accelerates the UAV to crash. In addition, the parachute needs a certain opening height to slow down by air resistance, otherwise the expected slowing effect cannot be achieved. Therefore, the current flight height of the UAV needs to be greater than the preset height threshold. The first preset angle threshold, the second preset angle threshold and the preset height threshold can be preset.

[0066] If the UAV does not meet the parachute opening condition, the parachute control unit 11 can not control the parachute to open. At this time, the propeller control unit 12 can control the propeller to continue rotating to continue controlling the UAV when the UAV is in a flight state. At this time, the UAV can send an alarm information to the server to prompt the background staff that the UAV may have a dangerous event and does not meet the parachute opening condition at present, so as to prompt the staff to control the UAV manually in time.

[0067] Through the above technical solution, the parachute control unit 11 can obtain the current flight characteristic information of the UAV from the flight controller or the pose sensor in real time. When the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset slowing requirement, the parachute control unit 11 can first determine whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight characteristic information before sending the trigger signal for controlling the parachute to open to the parachute opening trigger unit 13. When the UAV meets the parachute opening condition, the parachute control unit 11 sends the trigger signal to the parachute opening trigger unit 13 to trigger the parachute to open, so as to ensure the normal unfolding of the parachute, thereby effectively reducing the risk of UAV crash.

[0068] In another embodiment, the parachute control unit 11 can be further configured to determine whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight characteristic information when an opening instruction for opening the parachute on the UAV is obtained, and send a propeller stopping instruction to the propeller control unit 12 when it is determined that the UAV meets the parachute opening condition.

[0069] The purpose of controlling the propeller to stop rotating is to avoid the parachute rope from being entangled with the propeller when the parachute is deployed. When the parachute control unit 11 obtains the parachute deployment instruction, it can first determine whether the UAV meets the parachute deployment condition according to the current flight characteristic information before sending the propeller stop instruction to the propeller control unit 12. The current flight characteristic information refers to the flight characteristic information of the UAV when the parachute control unit 11 obtains the parachute deployment instruction. If the UAV meets the parachute deployment condition, the parachute deployment is controlled, and the propeller stop instruction is sent to the propeller control unit 12. If the UAV does not meet the parachute deployment condition, the parachute deployment is not controlled, and the parachute control unit 11 does not send the propeller stop instruction to the propeller control unit 12. An exemplary embodiment of the parachute control unit 11 determining whether the UAV meets the parachute deployment condition according to the current flight characteristic information is described above.

[0070] In this embodiment, the parachute control unit 11 can be further configured to determine whether the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement after sending the propeller stop instruction, and determine whether the UAV meets the parachute deployment condition according to the current flight characteristic information when it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, and send the trigger signal for controlling the parachute deployment to the parachute deployment trigger unit 13 when it is determined that the UAV meets the parachute deployment condition.

[0071] The current flight characteristic information refers to the flight characteristic information of the UAV when the parachute control unit 11 determines that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement. The flight characteristic information of the UAV changes in real time during flight. Therefore, the flight characteristic information of the UAV when the parachute control unit 11 obtains the parachute deployment instruction can be different from the flight characteristic information of the UAV when the parachute control unit 11 determines that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, for example, the flight altitude of the UAV can be different. Therefore, the result of determining whether the UAV meets the parachute deployment condition by the parachute control unit 11 when it obtains the parachute deployment instruction can be different from the result of determining whether the UAV meets the parachute deployment condition by the parachute control unit 11 when it determines that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement.

[0072] For example, when the parachute control unit 11 obtains the parachute opening instruction, the parachute control unit 11 determines whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information. If the UAV meets the parachute opening condition, the parachute control unit 11 sends a propeller stopping instruction to the propeller control unit 12 to control the propeller to stop rotating. The propeller has a process of slowing down, for example, the flight height of the UAV decreases during the process of slowing down of the propeller. When the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, the current flight height of the UAV is less than the preset height threshold. Then, the parachute control unit 11 determines whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information. If the UAV does not meet the parachute opening condition, the parachute control unit 11 does not send a trigger signal to the parachute opening trigger unit 13.

[0073] According to the above technical solution, when the parachute control unit 11 obtains the parachute opening instruction, the parachute control unit 11 can first determine whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information of the UAV. If the UAV meets the parachute opening condition, the parachute control unit 11 sends a propeller stopping instruction to the propeller control unit 12 to control the propeller to stop rotating. Then, the parachute control unit 11 determines whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information of the UAV when the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement. If the UAV meets the parachute opening condition, the parachute control unit 11 sends a trigger signal to the parachute opening trigger unit 13 to control the parachute to open. In this way, the parachute can be normally deployed, thereby effectively reducing the risk of UAV crash.

[0074] Optionally, the parachute control unit 11 can also be configured to determine the predicted landing point information of the UAV after the parachute opens according to the current wind speed, the current wind direction, and the weight of the UAV, and send the identification information and the predicted landing point information of the UAV to the server.

[0075] For example, the identification information of the UAV can refer to the ID of the UAV. The server can record the state of the UAV and the background staff can know the predicted landing point of the UAV in time, so that the staff can process the crashed UAV in time.

[0076] The present disclosure also provides a UAV control method, Figure 2 is a flowchart of a UAV control method according to an example embodiment. The method can be applied to an electronic device with processing capability, such as a computer or a mobile phone. Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1, the parachute control unit 11 can include S101-S103. Figure 2

[0077] ​In S101, in a case where an opening parachute instruction for instructing to open a parachute on the unmanned aerial vehicle is acquired, a propeller stopping instruction for controlling the propeller on the unmanned aerial vehicle to stop is sent to a propeller control unit, so that the propeller control unit sends a propeller stopping signal to a propeller driving mechanism on the unmanned aerial vehicle in a case where the propeller stopping instruction is received.

[0078] For example, the opening parachute instruction is received from a remote controller of the unmanned aerial vehicle, or the opening parachute instruction is generated by a flight controller of the unmanned aerial vehicle in a case where it is determined that a dangerous event has occurred or is about to occur on the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0079] In S102, after the propeller stopping instruction is sent, it is determined whether a rotation state of the propeller meets a preset deceleration requirement.

[0080] For example, the preset deceleration requirement can include that a preset time length has elapsed since the propeller stopping instruction is sent, and / or a rotating speed of the propeller is lower than a preset rotating speed threshold.

[0081] In S103, in a case where it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, a trigger signal for controlling the parachute to open is sent to a parachute opening trigger unit.

[0082] Through the above technical solution, in a case where an opening parachute instruction for instructing to open a parachute on the unmanned aerial vehicle is acquired, a propeller stopping instruction for controlling the propeller on the unmanned aerial vehicle to stop is sent to a propeller control unit, so that the propeller control unit sends a propeller stopping signal to a propeller driving mechanism on the unmanned aerial vehicle in a case where the propeller stopping instruction is received, and the propeller driving mechanism can drive the propeller to stop. In a case where it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, it is indicated that the rotating speed of the propeller is low or has stopped rotating, and then a trigger signal for controlling the parachute to open is sent to a parachute opening trigger unit. In this way, when the parachute is unfolded, the parachute rope will not be entangled with the propeller, avoiding the problem that the parachute cannot be normally unfolded due to the entanglement of the parachute rope with the propeller, ensuring that the parachute can be normally opened, thereby reducing the descending speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle, reducing the risk caused by the unmanned aerial vehicle crashing, and improving the safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0083] The unmanned aerial vehicle control method provided by the present disclosure can further include: acquiring current flight characteristic information of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time from a flight controller or a pose sensor. The current flight characteristic information can include current flight attitude information and a current flight height of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The operation of acquiring the current flight characteristic information of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be performed in real time, and the present disclosure does not make specific limitations on the execution order of the operation of acquiring the current flight characteristic information of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the unmanned aerial vehicle control method.

[0084] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a kind of unmanned aerial vehicle control method according to another exemplary embodiment, as shown inFigure 3 As shown in FIG. 1, the method can comprise S201-S204, wherein S103 can comprise S203 and S204.

[0085] In S201, in a case where a parachute opening instruction for instructing to open a parachute on the unmanned aerial vehicle is acquired, a propeller stopping instruction for controlling the propeller on the unmanned aerial vehicle to stop is sent to a propeller control unit, so as to send a propeller stopping signal to a propeller driving mechanism on the unmanned aerial vehicle by the propeller control unit in a case where the propeller stopping instruction is received.

[0086] In S202, after the propeller stopping instruction is sent, it is judged whether the rotation state of the propeller meets a preset deceleration requirement.

[0087] The implementation of S201 can refer to S101, and the implementation of S202 can refer to S102.

[0088] In S203, in a case where it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, it is judged whether the unmanned aerial vehicle meets a parachute opening condition according to current flight feature information.

[0089] For example, the current flight attitude information can comprise a current pitch angle and a current roll angle of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and an exemplary implementation of judging whether the unmanned aerial vehicle meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information can be: if the current pitch angle is less than a first preset angle threshold, the current roll angle is less than a second preset angle threshold, and the current flight height is greater than a preset height threshold, it is determined that the unmanned aerial vehicle meets the parachute opening condition.

[0090] In S204, in a case where it is determined that the unmanned aerial vehicle meets the parachute opening condition, a trigger signal for controlling the parachute to open is sent to a parachute opening trigger unit.

[0091] Through the above technical solution, the current flight feature information of the unmanned aerial vehicle is acquired in real time, in a case where it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, it can be firstly judged whether the unmanned aerial vehicle meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information before the trigger signal for controlling the parachute to open is sent to the parachute opening trigger unit, so that in a case where the unmanned aerial vehicle meets the parachute opening condition, the trigger signal is sent to the parachute opening trigger unit again to trigger the parachute to open, so as to ensure the normal unfolding of the parachute, thereby effectively reducing the risk caused by the unmanned aerial vehicle crashing.

[0092] Figure 4 is a flow chart of a method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle according to another exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the method can comprise S301-S305, wherein S101 can comprise S301 and S302, and S103 can comprise S304 and S305. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 3, the method can comprise S301-S305, wherein S101 can comprise S301 and S302, and S103 can comprise S304 and S305.

[0093] In S301, in a case where the opening command for instructing opening of the parachute on the UAV is acquired, it is determined whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information.

[0094] In S302, in a case where it is determined that the UAV meets the parachute opening condition, a stop-rotation command for controlling the propeller to stop rotating is sent to the propeller control unit.

[0095] An exemplary embodiment of determining whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information has been described above.

[0096] In S303, after the stop-rotation command is sent, it is determined whether the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement. The implementation of this step S303 can refer to S102.

[0097] In S304, in a case where it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, it is determined whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information.

[0098] The current flight feature information refers to the flight feature information of the UAV when it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement. The flight feature information of the UAV changes in real time during flight, so the current flight feature information of the UAV in S304 can be different from the current flight feature information of the UAV mentioned in S301, for example, the flight height of the UAV can be different. Therefore, the result obtained by determining whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information in S301 can be different from the result obtained by determining whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information in S304.

[0099] In S305, in a case where it is determined that the UAV meets the parachute opening condition, a trigger signal for controlling the parachute to open is sent to the parachute opening trigger unit.

[0100] Through the above technical solution, in a case where the opening command is acquired, it can be firstly determined whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information of the UAV. If yes, a stop-rotation command for controlling the propeller to stop rotating is sent to the propeller control unit. Then, in a case where it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, it is determined again whether the UAV meets the parachute opening condition according to the current flight feature information of the UAV. If yes, a trigger signal for controlling the parachute to open is sent to the parachute opening trigger unit, so as to ensure the normal unfolding of the parachute, thereby effectively reducing the risk caused by the UAV crashing.

[0101] Optionally, the UAV control method provided by the present disclosure can further comprise:

[0102] According to the current wind speed, the current wind direction, the weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the expected landing point information of the unmanned aerial vehicle after the parachute opens is determined; the identification information and the expected landing point information of the unmanned aerial vehicle are sent to the server.

[0103] As to the method in the above-mentioned embodiments, the specific way in which each step performs operations has been described in detail in the embodiments related to the device, and will not be described in detail here.

[0104] The present disclosure also provides an unmanned aerial vehicle, which can comprise the unmanned aerial vehicle control device provided by the present disclosure.

[0105] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an electronic device 500 according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, the electronic device 500 can be provided as a control unit. Referring to Figure 5 , the electronic device 500 includes a processor 522, the number of which can be one or more, and a memory 532 for storing a computer program executable by the processor 522. The computer program stored in the memory 532 can include one or more modules each corresponding to a set of instructions. In addition, the processor 522 can be configured to execute the computer program to perform the unmanned aerial vehicle control method described above.

[0106] In addition, the electronic device 500 can further include a power supply component 526, which can be configured to perform power management of the electronic device 500, and a communication component 550, which can be configured to implement communication of the electronic device 500, such as wired or wireless communication. In addition, the electronic device 500 can further include an input / output (I / O) interface 558. The electronic device 500 can operate based on an operating system stored in the memory 532, such as Windows Server TM , Mac OSX TM , Unix TM , Linux TM , etc.

[0107] In another exemplary embodiment, a computer readable storage medium including program instructions is also provided, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the unmanned aerial vehicle control method described above. For example, the computer readable storage medium can be the above-mentioned memory 532 including program instructions, and the above-mentioned program instructions can be executed by the processor 522 of the electronic device 500 to complete the unmanned aerial vehicle control method described above.

[0108] In another exemplary embodiment, a computer program product is also provided, which contains a computer program executable by a programmable device, the computer program having code portions for performing the unmanned aerial vehicle control method described above when executed by the programmable device.

[0109] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details in the above-described embodiments. Various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present disclosure within the technical concept of the present disclosure, and all of these simple modifications shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0110] In addition, it should be noted that each specific technical feature described in the above-described specific embodiments can be combined in any appropriate manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, various possible combinations are not described again in the present disclosure.

[0111] In addition, various different embodiments of the present disclosure can also be combined in any manner, as long as it does not deviate from the idea of the present disclosure, and it should be considered as disclosed in the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A drone control device, characterized in that, The device includes: a parachute control unit, a propeller control unit, and a parachute deployment trigger unit; The parachute control unit is configured to send a stop command to the propeller control unit to control the propellers on the drone to stop rotating when it receives a parachute opening command to instruct the drone to open the parachute. The propeller control unit is used to send a stop signal to the propeller drive mechanism on the UAV when it receives the stop command. The parachute control unit is also used to determine whether the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement after sending the propeller stop command, and if it is determined that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, send a trigger signal to the parachute deployment trigger unit to control the parachute deployment, wherein the preset deceleration requirement includes the propeller speed being lower than a preset speed threshold. The parachute control unit is also used to acquire the current flight characteristic information of the UAV in real time from the flight controller or attitude sensor, wherein the current flight characteristic information includes the current flight attitude information and current flight altitude of the UAV; The parachute control unit is further configured to, when determining that the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, determine whether the UAV meets the parachute deployment conditions based on the current flight characteristic information, and when determining that the UAV meets the parachute deployment conditions, send a trigger signal to the parachute deployment trigger unit to control the parachute deployment. The current flight attitude information includes the current pitch angle and current roll angle of the UAV; The parachute control unit is further configured to determine that the UAV meets the parachute deployment conditions if the current pitch angle is less than a first preset angle threshold, the current roll angle is less than a second preset angle threshold, and the current flight altitude is greater than a preset altitude threshold.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The parachute control unit is further configured to, upon receiving the parachute deployment command, determine whether the UAV meets the parachute deployment conditions based on the current flight characteristic information, and, if it is determined that the UAV meets the parachute deployment conditions, send the propeller stop command to the propeller control unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The parachute deployment command is received from the drone remote controller; or, The parachute deployment command is generated by the UAV's flight controller when it determines that the UAV has experienced or is about to experience a dangerous event.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The parachute control unit is also used to determine the expected landing point information of the drone after the parachute opens, based on the current wind speed, current wind direction, and the weight of the drone, and to send the drone's identification information and the expected landing point information to the server.

5. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), characterized in that, The method includes: Upon receiving a parachute deployment command to instruct the opening of the parachute on the drone, a stop command is sent to the propeller control unit to control the propellers on the drone to stop rotating, so that the propeller control unit can send a stop signal to the propeller drive mechanism on the drone upon receiving the stop command. After sending the stop command, determine whether the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirements; When it is determined that the rotational state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, a trigger signal for controlling the deployment of the parachute is sent to the parachute deployment trigger unit, wherein the preset deceleration requirement includes the propeller speed being lower than a preset speed threshold. The method further includes: The current flight characteristic information of the UAV is obtained in real time from the flight controller or pose sensor, wherein the current flight characteristic information includes the current flight attitude information and current flight altitude of the UAV; If the rotation state of the propeller meets the preset deceleration requirement, the drone is judged to meet the parachute deployment conditions based on the current flight characteristic information. If the drone meets the parachute deployment conditions, a trigger signal for controlling the parachute deployment is sent. The current flight attitude information includes the current pitch angle and current roll angle of the UAV; If the current pitch angle is less than a first preset angle threshold, the current roll angle is less than a second preset angle threshold, and the current flight altitude is greater than a preset altitude threshold, then the UAV is determined to meet the parachute deployment conditions.

6. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the method of claim 5.

7. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: A memory on which computer programs are stored; A processor for executing the computer program in the memory to implement the steps of the method of claim 5.

8. A drone, characterized in that, include: The unmanned aerial vehicle control device as described in any one of claims 1-4.

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