Unmanned aerial vehicle flight path planning method suitable for soil and water conservation supervision of mountain wind power construction project

Abstract

This invention discloses a drone aerial photography path planning method applicable to soil and water conservation supervision of mountain wind power construction projects, belonging to the field of drone inspection technology. It mainly includes a drone, a base, and a system server. The base is connected to the system server and adapted to the drone, enabling it to charge the drone and transmit flight control command sets. The drone interacts with the base via a 5G mobile communication network. This invention can automatically plan and optimize the drone aerial photography path for soil and water conservation supervision of mountain wind power construction projects based on the location of inspection points, combined with the drone's endurance and the characteristics of the supervision point type, and generate an aerial photography path control command set. The command set is loaded into the drone through the base, enabling automatic control of image capture of key elements of soil and water conservation supervision at the inspection points. This invention can greatly improve the on-site supervision efficiency of soil and water conservation supervisors and effectively avoid the safety risks of mountain road inspections after rain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a drone aerial photography path planning method based on a partitioned ant colony algorithm, applicable to soil and water conservation supervision in mountainous wind power construction projects, belonging to the field of drone inspection technology. Background Technology

[0002] Due to the terrain conditions, mountain wind power projects involve extensive earthwork excavation and temporary soil stockpiling during road construction and turbine installation, which can easily lead to soil erosion. Therefore, it is essential to strengthen the supervision and management of soil and water conservation in construction projects to promote the high-quality development of mountain wind power.

[0003] Currently, the primary responsibility of construction units for soil and water conservation is clear; they are accountable for the quality of soil and water conservation facility construction and the authenticity of their self-inspection upon completion. However, judging from the implementation of soil and water conservation work in construction projects, there are widespread issues such as untimely implementation of temporary soil and water conservation measures like intercepting ditches, sedimentation basins, temporary barriers, and coverings, as well as inadequate implementation of engineering and vegetation measures. Construction units need to strengthen their supervision and management of soil and water conservation during project construction.

[0004] The primary method of supervision currently involves regular inspections of disturbed areas by relevant management personnel from the construction unit. Mountain wind power projects are typically characterized by dispersed work areas and long inspection distances. While on-site inspections can provide a direct and relatively comprehensive view of problems, they are inefficient, and the safety risks of driving through the mountains increase after rain. With the increasing maturity of drone aerial photography technology, it has been applied to some mountain wind power projects, effectively compensating for the shortcomings of on-site inspections in terms of efficiency and personnel safety risks.

[0005] Currently, drone aerial photography is used only as a supplementary means of on-site inspection for soil and water conservation supervision, with very limited workload replacement and effectiveness. This is mainly due to the high requirements placed on drone operators: first, they must be familiar with drone flight operations to ensure they fly along the required routes and capture effective video information; second, they must have a comprehensive understanding of the construction project, be familiar with the construction area and the location of key soil and water conservation facilities; third, they must possess knowledge of relevant soil and water conservation engineering construction standards, understand the key technical requirements for the construction and implementation of soil and water conservation facilities, and know the key points to be observed during on-site supervision; fourth, they must have the ability to optimize flight routes to avoid missing important information or repetitive flight paths, and to obtain more useful information more efficiently within the drone's range. For these reasons, drone aerial photography in the field of soil and water conservation supervision for construction projects is merely an added bonus, failing to truly realize its engineering role and commercial value as a "supervisory tool." Some organizations and personnel have explored automatic planning of drone aerial photography paths, but the overall results are not ideal. Some have not optimized the shortest path, some have not considered the situation where there are many inspection points and a single flight cannot cover them all, and some have not considered the characteristics of soil and water conservation supervision needs, focusing only on "passing by" rather than capturing "important information". These problems seriously restrict the realization of the automatic planning effect. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings in the prior art and to provide a drone aerial photography path planning method based on the partitioned ant colony algorithm for soil and water conservation supervision in mountainous wind power construction projects, thereby improving the scientificity and convenience of drone aerial photography path planning.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above problems is: a drone aerial photography path planning method applicable to soil and water conservation supervision of mountain wind power construction projects, characterized in that the equipment includes a drone, a base and a system server, the base is connected to the system server, the base is adapted to the drone, and can charge the drone and transmit flight control command sets, and the drone interacts with the base through a 5G mobile communication network.

[0008] The planning method includes the following steps:

[0009] a. Upon first use, perform initial configuration: Enter the information and attribute settings of the points to be inspected, including point coordinates, area type of the point (including wind turbine engineering area, road engineering area, power collection and transmission line engineering area, slag yard and temporary storage area, substation and construction site area), aerial photography method (including surround shooting, regular shooting, etc.), point validity (including activation, freezing, etc.).

[0010] b. Eliminate invalid points: If the time difference between the total flight duration t from the starting point to this point and the drone's endurance duration T is less than the endurance margin A (i.e., T - t < A), it is regarded as an invalid point beyond the drone's endurance ability and is eliminated, and an elimination mark is made.

[0011] c. Calculate the aerial photography停留 time for each point according to the "aerial photography method" attribute setting of the point.

[0012] d. Calculate the total area inspection duration: Use the ant colony algorithm to optimize the shortest flight route of the area inspection points, and find the total flight duration t (i.e., the sum of the flight durations of each segment and the aerial photography停留 time of each point); Points with the point effectiveness in the "frozen" state do not participate in the calculation.

[0013] e. Determine the size of the first partition according to the drone's endurance ability: If t < T - A, the whole area is regarded as a single partition; If t > T - A, rays are drawn from the starting point to each inspection point, and the area covered by the largest included angle α formed by any two adjacent rays is regarded as the blank area, and vice versa as the inspection area. The starting boundary of the inspection area is used as the starting boundary of the first partition, and it is rotated clockwise by an angle θ (θ = (360 - α) × (T - A) ÷ t) as the termination boundary of the first partition. Use the ant colony algorithm to optimize the shortest flight route of the inspection points within the partition, and find the total flight duration t1. Adjust the termination boundary according to the size of t1 to make the iteratively calculated t1 close to T - A.

[0014] f. Generate the first set of aerial photography path control instructions and load the instruction set into the drone.

[0015] g. When there are multiple flight paths, it can be completed by a single drone looping multiple times, or by multiple drones respectively.

[0016] h. If there are still inspection points not covered, loop through the same method as above for the uninspected points to generate the second, third sets of aerial photography path instructions until all inspection points are included in the aerial photography path.

[0017] i. When necessary, the drone can synchronously send image data back to the system server through the 5G mobile network during aerial photography; To save the drone's battery power, the synchronous transmission function is default not enabled under normal circumstances.

[0018] j. For some points where the water and soil conservation facilities are completed and meet the specification requirements, the point effectiveness can be set to "frozen", and this point will not be involved in the subsequent line planning by default, unless the effectiveness attribute of this point is "activated" again.

[0019] k. According to the work needs, inspection points can be added and relevant attributes can be configured according to the method in step a; Or the attributes such as the "aerial photography method" of each point can be modified. The newly added points and the modified point attributes are incorporated into the next path planning.

[0020] l. The system service can "revert with one click"; after receiving the revert command, the drone in the aerial photography operation will immediately stop aerial photography and return to the starting point.

[0021] Furthermore, the drone is equipped with automatic obstacle avoidance, flight control programming, and automatic battery life analysis.

[0022] Furthermore, the default setting for aerial photography at each location is "surround shooting," but it can also be manually changed to "normal shooting."

[0023] Furthermore, the validity attribute of newly added locations is set to "activated" by default, but can also be manually changed to "frozen".

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and effects:

[0025] 1. Supervisors do not need to master the skills of drone remote control or drone flight control programming. The system can automatically generate drone aerial photography flight control commands based on the settings of the inspection points.

[0026] 2. It has the function of optimizing the flight path of drones. Under the premise of meeting the requirements of aerial photography of inspection points, it can analyze and formulate the shortest flight path to improve the efficiency of supervision.

[0027] 3. A point zoning method is proposed when the single flight endurance of a UAV is insufficient to complete the inspection of all points.

[0028] 4. Multiple aerial photography modes have been considered, and the configuration can be differentiated according to the distribution of supervisory elements and physical shape characteristics of different inspection points to ensure that aerial images capture important on-site information of concern for soil and water conservation supervision. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the UAV aerial photography path planning system in this invention.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the drone aerial photography path planning method in this invention.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the inspection domain partitioning in this invention.

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of the present invention to generate aerial photography paths in an embodiment.

[0033] In the diagram: 1. Drone; 2. Base; 3. System server; 4. Substation; 5. Wind turbine location; 6. Soil dump; 7. Road location; 8. Power collection tower base. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through embodiments. The following embodiments are explanations of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0035] Embodiment

[0036] Refer to Figure 1 , in this embodiment, a method for planning the aerial photography path of an unmanned aerial vehicle applicable to soil and water conservation supervision in mountain wind power construction projects mainly includes an unmanned aerial vehicle 1, a base 2, and a system server 3, and the base 2 is connected to the system server 3.

[0037] In this embodiment, the system server 3 can be connected to multiple bases 2. The base 2 can be "one-to-one" adapted to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 to charge the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and transmit a flight control instruction set; a single base 2 can also be adapted to multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 1. The communication synchronization between the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the base 2 adopts 5G mobile communication technology and short-range wireless high-speed transmission technology.

[0038] Refer to Figure 2 , in this embodiment, the method for planning the aerial photography path of an unmanned aerial vehicle mainly includes the following steps:

[0039] a. When used for the first time, perform initialization configuration: input the point information to be inspected and attribute settings, including point coordinates, the type of area where the point is located (including wind turbine project area, road project area, collector and transmission line project area, slag yard and temporary stacking area, booster station and construction site area), aerial photography method (including surrounding shooting, conventional shooting, etc.), point validity (including activation, freezing), etc.

[0040] b. Eliminate invalid points: The time difference between the total flight duration t from the starting point to this point and the endurance duration T of the unmanned aerial vehicle is less than the endurance margin A (i.e., T - t < A), and it is eliminated as an invalid point beyond the endurance ability of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and an elimination mark is made.

[0041] c. Calculate the aerial photography stay time of each point according to the "aerial photography method" attribute setting of the point.

[0042] d. Calculate the total area inspection duration; use the ant colony algorithm to optimize the shortest flight route of the points to be inspected in the total area, and obtain the total flight duration t (that is, the sum of the flight durations of each segment and the aerial photography stay durations of each point); points with "frozen" point validity do not participate in the calculation.

[0043] e. Determine the size of the first partition based on the endurance of the UAV: If t < T - A, the entire area is regarded as a single partition; if t > T - A, draw rays from the starting point to each inspection point. The area covered by the maximum included angle α formed by any two adjacent rays is regarded as the blank area, and vice versa for the inspection area. Use the starting boundary of the inspection area as the starting boundary of the first partition, and rotate clockwise by an angle θ (θ = (360 - α) × (T - A) ÷ t) as the termination boundary of the first partition. Use the ant colony algorithm to optimize the shortest flight route of the inspection points within the partition, calculate the total flight duration t1, and adjust the termination boundary according to the size of t1 to make the iteratively calculated t1 close to T - A.

[0044] f. Generate the first set of aerial photography path control instructions and load the instructions into the UAV.

[0045] g. When there are multiple flight paths, it can be completed by a single UAV in multiple cycles or by multiple UAVs separately.

[0046] h. If there are still inspection points not covered, repeat the above method for the uninspected points to generate the second, third sets of aerial photography path instructions until all inspection points are included in the aerial photography path.

[0047] i. When necessary, the UAV can synchronously send the image data back to the system server 3 via the 5G mobile network during aerial photography; to save the battery power of the UAV, the synchronous transmission function is default not enabled under normal circumstances.

[0048] j. For some points where the soil and water conservation facilities are completed and meet the specification requirements, the validity of these points can be set to "frozen", and these points will not be involved in the line planning by default in the future, unless the validity attribute of these points is "activated" again.

[0049] k. According to the work needs, inspection points can be added and relevant attributes can be configured according to the method in step a; or the attributes such as "aerial photography method" of each point can be modified. The newly added points and the modified point attributes are included in the next path planning.

[0050] l. The system service can perform a "one-key withdrawal": After the UAV 1 in the aerial photography operation receives the withdrawal instruction, it immediately terminates the aerial photography and returns to the starting point.

[0051] Among them, when configuring the inspection point information, the point coordinates can be obtained on-site at the point through the GPS positioning device, or the inspection location can be directly marked on the map. The default setting of the validity attribute of the newly added points is "activated", and it can also be manually modified to "frozen". The default setting of the aerial photography method for each point is "circumferential shooting" (the circumferential flight diameter is default 20m under normal conditions and can also be modified according to actual needs), and it can also be manually modified to "conventional shooting".

[0052] During the aerial photography, the GPS location information of UAV 1 is recorded simultaneously, which makes it easy to intuitively reflect the construction status of soil and water conservation facilities and the implementation status of soil and water conservation measures at different inspection points.

[0053] See Figure 4 In this embodiment, the inspection points include substation 4, wind turbine location 5, soil dump 6, road location 7, and power collection tower base 8. Using the UAV aerial photography path planning method in this embodiment, aerial photography inspection path I and aerial photography inspection path II for UAV 1 are generated.

[0054] Any content not described in detail in this specification is prior art known to those skilled in the art.

[0055] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications and refinements made by those skilled in the art without departing from the concept and scope of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for planning drone aerial photography paths for monitoring soil and water conservation in mountainous wind power projects, characterized in that, The device includes a drone (1), a base (2), and a system server (3). The base (2) is connected to the system server (3), and the base (2) is adapted to the drone (1) and can charge the drone (1) and transmit a flight control instruction set to the drone (1). The drone (1) conducts data interaction with the base (2). The planning method includes the following steps: a. During the first use, perform initialization configuration: enter the point information to be inspected and attribute settings, including point coordinates, the type of area where the point is located, the aerial photography method, and the point validity. b. Eliminate invalid points: If the time difference between the total flight duration t from the starting point to this point and the drone endurance duration T is less than the endurance margin A, that is, T - t < A, it is eliminated as an invalid point beyond the drone's endurance ability, and an elimination mark is made. c. Calculate the aerial photography stay time for each point according to the "aerial photography method" attribute setting of the point. d. Calculate the total duration of the whole area inspection: Use the ant colony algorithm to optimize the shortest flight route of the whole area inspection points, and obtain the total flight duration t, that is, the sum of the flight durations of each segment and the aerial photography stay duration of each point; points with "frozen" point validity do not participate in the calculation. e. Determine the size of the first partition according to the drone's endurance ability: If t < T - A, the whole area is used as a single partition; if t > T - A, rays are drawn from the starting point to each inspection point, and the area covered by the maximum included angle α formed by any two adjacent rays is used as the blank area, otherwise it is the inspection area. The starting boundary of the inspection area is used as the starting boundary of the first partition, and it rotates clockwise by an angle θ, where θ = (360 - α) × (T - A) ÷ t as the termination boundary of the first partition; use the ant colony algorithm to optimize the shortest flight route of the inspection points within the partition, and obtain the total flight duration t1; adjust the termination boundary according to the size of t1 to make the iteratively calculated t1 close to T - A. f. Generate the first aerial photography path control instruction set and load the instruction set into the drone. g. When there are multiple flight paths, it can be completed by a single drone looping multiple times, or by multiple drones respectively. h. If there are still inspection points not involved, for the uninspected points, loop through steps a - g to generate the second, third aerial photography path instruction sets until all inspection points have been included in the aerial photography path. i. When the drone conducts aerial photography, the image data is sent back to the system server (3) through the mobile network synchronously; to save the drone's battery power, the synchronous transmission function is default not enabled under normal circumstances. j. For some points where the water and soil conservation facilities are completed and meet the specification requirements, set their point validity to "frozen", and these points will not participate in the line planning by default in the future, unless the validity attribute of the point is "activated" again. k. According to the work needs, add inspection points and configure relevant attributes according to the method in step a; or modify the "aerial photography method" attribute of each point; the newly added points and the modified point attributes are included in the next path planning. l. The system service can "withdraw at one key": After receiving the withdrawal instruction, the drone (1) during the aerial photography operation immediately aborts the aerial photography and returns to the starting point.

2. The UAV aerial photography path planning method for soil and water conservation supervision of mountain wind power construction projects according to claim 1, characterized in that, The UAV (1) has automatic obstacle avoidance function, flight control programming function and automatic battery life analysis function.

Images