A method for controlling the heading of an unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a storage medium

Abstract

The present invention discloses a UAV heading control method, a UAV, and a storage medium, belonging to the technical field of UAV heading control. The UAV heading control method includes: obtaining target plane information through a sensing unit, and calculating the plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information; solving the target heading angle of the UAV based on the plane normal vector and the current heading of the UAV; and controlling the UAV to fly toward the target plane based on the target heading angle. This technical solution uses a sensing unit to detect a target plane (such as a building plane) that requires firefighting operations, such as a house, and solves the target plane normal vector to obtain the target heading angle. The UAV is then controlled to automatically fly toward the target plane based on the target heading angle, without the need for human intervention. This reduces the difficulty of operating the UAV and is conducive to the application and promotion of firefighting UAVs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and in particular to a UAV heading control method, a UAV, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the urban effect of dense crowds has become increasingly pronounced, with the proliferation of high-rise buildings. Fires in these buildings often require firefighters to extinguish them, posing a significant threat to their lives. Firefighting drones offer advantages such as rapid deployment, vertical takeoff and landing, single-person control, and precise firefighting. They can effectively extinguish high-rise fires without risking injury or even death to firefighters.

[0003] Currently, firefighting drones typically rely on operators manually planning their target course at a ground station. This process involves taking off and aligning the drone towards the building where the firefighting operation is to be carried out, allowing for subsequent guided flight. This target course alignment method is cumbersome and requires excessive manual effort, hindering the widespread adoption and adoption of firefighting drones. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a UAV heading control method, a UAV and a storage medium to solve the technical problems that the current fire-fighting UAV target heading alignment method has a cumbersome operation process and too high requirements for manual operation, which affects the application and promotion of fire-fighting UAVs.

[0005] The technical solutions adopted by the present invention to solve the above technical problems are as follows:

[0006] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling the heading of an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided, the method comprising: acquiring target plane information through a sensing unit, and calculating a plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information;

[0007] Calculate the target heading angle of the drone based on the plane normal vector and the current heading of the drone;

[0008] The UAV is controlled to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angle.

[0009] Optionally, the perception unit includes a visual sensor or a multi-line laser radar.

[0010] Optionally, calculating a plane normal vector of a target plane corresponding to the target plane information includes:

[0011] Calculate the plane normal vector of the center of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information.

[0012] Optionally, calculating the target heading angle of the drone based on the plane normal vector and the current heading of the drone includes:

[0013] Projecting the plane normal vector onto a horizontal plane;

[0014] Obtaining a current optical axis normal vector through the sensing unit, and subtracting the optical axis normal vector from the projection of the plane normal vector on the horizontal plane to obtain a yaw angle error;

[0015] The yaw angle error is added to the current heading of the UAV to obtain the target heading angle of the UAV.

[0016] Optionally, controlling the UAV to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angle includes:

[0017] Obtain the heading angle observation information of the UAV;

[0018] Calculating the target heading angular velocity according to the target heading angle and the heading angle observation information;

[0019] Obtain the UAV's heading angular velocity observation information;

[0020] Calculating the target heading angular acceleration according to the target heading angular velocity and the heading angular velocity observation information;

[0021] The UAV is controlled to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angular acceleration.

[0022] Optionally, calculating the target heading angular velocity according to the target heading angle and the heading angle observation information includes:

[0023] A heading angle error is obtained by subtracting the observed heading angle corresponding to the heading angle observation information from the target heading angle, and the heading angle error is controlled using a first control method to obtain a target heading angular velocity with the minimum heading angle error.

[0024] Optionally, calculating the target heading angular acceleration according to the target heading angular velocity and the heading angular velocity observation information includes:

[0025] The observed heading angular velocity corresponding to the heading angular velocity observation information is subtracted from the target heading angular velocity to obtain a heading angular velocity error. The heading angular velocity error is controlled using a second control method to obtain a target heading angular acceleration with the minimum heading angular velocity error.

[0026] Optionally, the first control method and the second control method include PID (Proportional Integral Derivative, proportional integral differential control method), an optimal control method, a robust control method, an active disturbance rejection control method or an adaptive control method.

[0027] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a drone is provided, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program implements the steps of the above-mentioned drone heading control method when executed by the processor.

[0028] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a drone heading control program is stored. When the drone heading control program is executed by a processor, the steps of the above-mentioned drone heading control method are implemented.

[0029] In the drone heading control method, drone, and storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present invention, target plane information is acquired through a sensing unit, and the plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information is calculated; the drone's target heading angle is calculated based on the plane normal vector and the drone's current heading; and the drone is controlled to fly toward the target plane based on the target heading angle. This technical solution uses a sensing unit to detect a target plane (such as a building plane) requiring firefighting operations, such as a house, and calculates the target plane normal vector, thereby obtaining the target heading angle. The drone is then controlled to automatically fly toward the target plane based on the target heading angle, without the need for human intervention. This reduces the difficulty of drone control and is conducive to the application and promotion of firefighting drones. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which:

[0031] Figure 1 This is a flow chart of a method for controlling the heading of a UAV provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 is a flow chart of another UAV heading control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of another method for controlling the heading of a UAV provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of a UAV provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0036] Example 1

[0037] Figure 1This is a flow chart of a method for controlling the heading of a drone provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The method of this embodiment is automatically executed by a drone, wherein each step can be performed sequentially in the order shown in the flow chart, or multiple steps can be performed simultaneously depending on the actual situation, which is not limited here. The method for controlling the heading of a drone provided by the present invention includes:

[0038] Step S100, obtaining target plane information through a sensing unit, and calculating a plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information;

[0039] Step S200, calculating the target heading angle of the drone based on the plane normal vector and the current heading of the drone;

[0040] Step S300: Control the UAV to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angle.

[0041] Through the above implementation, first, the target plane information is obtained through the perception unit, and the plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information is calculated; then, the target heading angle of the drone is calculated based on the plane normal vector and the current heading of the drone; finally, the drone is controlled to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angle.

[0042] In this embodiment, it should be noted first that, considering the technical problems in the prior art, the target heading alignment method for firefighting drones has a cumbersome operation process and too high requirements for manual operation, which affects the application and promotion of firefighting drones. Therefore, in order to solve the above technical problems, in this embodiment, the target plane information is obtained through the perception unit, and the plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information is calculated; the target heading angle of the drone is solved according to the plane normal vector and the current heading of the drone; and the drone is controlled to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angle. This drone heading control method detects the plane of a building such as a house through the perception unit, solves the building plane normal vector, and then obtains the target heading angle, thereby controlling the drone to automatically fly toward the building plane according to the target heading angle. No manual intervention is required, which reduces the difficulty of controlling the drone and is conducive to the application and promotion of firefighting drones.

[0043] The above steps will be described in detail below in conjunction with specific implementation methods.

[0044] In step S100, target plane information is acquired through a perception unit, and a plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information is calculated.

[0045] Specifically, the target plane includes the plane of the building where the drone needs to perform firefighting operations, such as the plane of a building. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the drone can begin acquiring target plane information through its perception unit upon receiving a command to acquire target plane information, or it can automatically begin acquiring target plane information through its perception unit after a preset time has passed since the drone took off. The drone acquires target plane information through the perception unit and calculates the plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information, thereby further calculating the drone's target heading angle based on the plane normal vector.

[0046] Optionally, the perception unit includes a visual sensor or a multi-line laser radar.

[0047] Specifically, the perception unit may be, but is not limited to, a visual sensor or a multi-line laser radar, and may also be other devices that can automatically acquire target plane information. The visual sensor includes a monocular camera or a multi-camera.

[0048] Optionally, calculating the plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information includes: calculating the plane normal vector of the center of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information.

[0049] In step S200, the target heading angle of the UAV is calculated based on the plane normal vector and the current heading of the UAV.

[0050] Specifically, the angle between the plane normal vector and the current heading of the drone is calculated, and then the target heading angle of the drone is calculated.

[0051] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 Flowchart of another method for controlling the heading of a UAV provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Calculating the target heading angle of the UAV based on the plane normal vector and the current heading of the UAV includes:

[0052] Step S210, projecting the plane normal vector onto a horizontal plane;

[0053] Step S220, obtaining a current optical axis normal vector through the sensing unit, and subtracting the optical axis normal vector from the projection of the plane normal vector on the horizontal plane to obtain a yaw angle error;

[0054] Step S230: superimpose the yaw angle error on the current heading of the UAV to obtain the target heading angle of the UAV.

[0055] In this embodiment, the drone subtracts the current optical axis normal vector obtained by the perception unit from the projection of the plane normal vector on the horizontal plane to obtain a yaw angle error, and then superimposes the yaw angle error on the current heading of the drone to obtain the target heading angle of the drone.

[0056] In step S300, the UAV is controlled to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angle.

[0057] Specifically, the drone controls its flight direction based on the target heading angle, causing it to fly toward the target plane. For example, the drone automatically controls its nose to align with the target plane based on the target heading angle. Thus, the drone uses its sensing unit to detect a target plane (e.g., a building plane) where firefighting operations are required, such as a house, and calculates the target plane normal vector to obtain the target heading angle. Based on this target heading angle, the drone is then automatically controlled to fly toward the target plane, eliminating the need for human intervention. This reduces the difficulty of drone control and facilitates the application and promotion of firefighting drones.

[0058] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flow chart of another method for controlling the heading of a UAV provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The method of controlling the UAV to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angle includes:

[0059] Step S310, obtaining the heading angle observation information of the UAV;

[0060] Step S320, calculating the target heading angular velocity according to the target heading angle and the heading angle observation information;

[0061] Step S330, obtaining the heading angular velocity observation information of the UAV;

[0062] Step S340, calculating the target heading angular acceleration according to the target heading angular velocity and the heading angular velocity observation information;

[0063] Step S350: Control the UAV to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angular acceleration.

[0064] In this embodiment, the drone obtains its heading angle observation information through its sensors, obtains a corresponding observed heading angle based on the observed heading angle information, and then calculates a target heading angular velocity based on the target heading angle and the observed heading angle. The drone obtains its heading angular velocity observation information through its sensors, obtains a corresponding observed heading angular velocity based on the observed heading angular velocity information, and then calculates a target heading angular acceleration based on the target heading angular velocity and the observed heading angular velocity. Finally, the drone is controlled to fly toward the target plane based on the target heading angular acceleration.

[0065] In one embodiment, obtaining the heading angle observation information of the UAV includes:

[0066] Step S311: acquiring magnetic information through a sensor magnetometer of the drone, and filtering and estimating the magnetic information through a first combined navigation algorithm to obtain the heading angle observation information.

[0067] In this embodiment, the first combined navigation algorithm is used to filter the magnetic information obtained by the sensor magnetometer of the drone and estimate the heading angle observation information to obtain the current actual heading angle of the drone.

[0068] Optionally, the first combined navigation algorithm can be a filter estimation algorithm such as EKF (Extended Kalman Filter) or UKF (Unscented Kalman Filter), or other filter estimation algorithms. This embodiment does not limit the specific type of the first filter estimation algorithm.

[0069] In one embodiment, calculating the target heading angular velocity according to the target heading angle and the heading angle observation information includes:

[0070] Step S321: Subtract the observed heading angle corresponding to the heading angle observation information from the target heading angle to obtain a heading angle error, and control the heading angle error using a first control method to obtain a target heading angular velocity with the minimum heading angle error.

[0071] In this embodiment, the UAV controls the heading angle error using the first control method to obtain a target heading angular velocity corresponding to the minimum heading angle error. Optionally, the minimum heading angle error is 0.

[0072] Optionally, the first control method includes PID, an optimal control method, a robust control method, an active disturbance rejection control method or an adaptive control method.

[0073] Specifically, the first control method may be, but is not limited to, PID, an optimal control method, a robust control method, an active disturbance rejection control method, or an adaptive control method.

[0074] In one embodiment, obtaining the heading angular velocity observation information of the UAV includes:

[0075] Step S331: acquiring magnetic information through a sensor magnetometer of the drone, filtering the magnetic information through a second combined navigation algorithm, and estimating the heading angular velocity observation information.

[0076] In this embodiment, the second combined navigation algorithm is used to filter the magnetic information obtained by the sensor magnetometer of the UAV and estimate the heading angular velocity observation information to obtain the current target heading angular acceleration of the UAV.

[0077] Optionally, the second combined navigation algorithm may be a filter estimation algorithm such as EKF or UKF, or other filter estimation algorithms. This embodiment does not limit the specific type of the second filter estimation algorithm.

[0078] In one embodiment, calculating the target heading angular acceleration according to the target heading angular velocity and the heading angular velocity observation information includes:

[0079] Step S341: Subtract the observed heading angular velocity corresponding to the heading angular velocity observation information from the target heading angular velocity to obtain a heading angular velocity error, and control the heading angular velocity error using a second control method to obtain a target heading angular acceleration with the minimum heading angular velocity error.

[0080] In this embodiment, the UAV controls the heading angular velocity error using the second control method to obtain a target heading angular acceleration corresponding to the minimum heading angular velocity error. Optionally, the minimum heading angular velocity error is 0.

[0081] Optionally, the second control method includes PID, an optimal control method, a robust control method, an active disturbance rejection control method or an adaptive control method.

[0082] Specifically, the second control method may be, but is not limited to, PID, an optimal control method, a robust control method, an active disturbance rejection control method, or an adaptive control method.

[0083] In an embodiment of the present invention, target plane information is acquired through a sensing unit, and a plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information is calculated; the target heading angle of the drone is calculated based on the plane normal vector and the drone's current heading; and the drone is controlled to fly toward the target plane based on the target heading angle. This drone heading control method uses a sensing unit to detect the plane of a building, such as a house, and calculates the building plane normal vector to obtain the target heading angle. Based on this target heading angle, the drone is then controlled to automatically fly toward the building plane, eliminating the need for human intervention. This reduces the difficulty of drone control and facilitates the application and promotion of firefighting drones.

[0084] Example 2

[0085] Please refer to Figure 4An embodiment of the present invention further provides a drone 400, which includes a memory 401, a processor 402, and a computer program (not shown in the figure) stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the computer program is executed by the processor 402, the steps of the drone heading control method described in the first embodiment are implemented.

[0086] The drone of the embodiment of the present invention and the drone heading control method of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 have the same concept. The specific implementation process is detailed in the corresponding method embodiment, and the technical features in the method embodiment are applicable to the drone embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0087] Example 3

[0088] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a drone heading control program. When the drone heading control program is executed by a processor, the steps of the drone heading control method as described in the above embodiment 1 are implemented.

[0089] The computer-readable storage medium of the embodiment of the present invention and the method of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 belong to the same concept. The specific implementation process is detailed in the corresponding method embodiment, and the technical features in the method embodiment are applicable in this computer-readable storage medium embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0090] The corresponding technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments can be used interchangeably without causing contradiction or impracticality of the solutions.

[0091] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0092] The serial numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0093] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above embodiment methods can be implemented by means of software plus the necessary general hardware platform, and of course, by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better embodiment. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, disk, CD), and includes a number of instructions for enabling a drone to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present invention.

[0094] The embodiments of the present invention are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present invention, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention and the claims, all of which are protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the heading of an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that: The method comprises: Acquire target plane information through the perception unit, and calculate the plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information; Calculate the target heading angle of the drone based on the plane normal vector and the current heading of the drone; Controlling the UAV to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angle; Calculating the target heading angle of the drone based on the plane normal vector and the current heading of the drone includes: Projecting the plane normal vector onto a horizontal plane; Obtaining a current optical axis normal vector through the sensing unit, and subtracting the optical axis normal vector from the projection of the plane normal vector on the horizontal plane to obtain a yaw angle error; The yaw angle error is added to the current heading of the UAV to obtain the target heading angle of the UAV.

2. The UAV heading control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The perception unit includes a visual sensor or a multi-line laser radar.

3. The UAV heading control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Calculating the plane normal vector of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information includes: Calculate the plane normal vector of the center of the target plane corresponding to the target plane information.

4. The UAV heading control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Controlling the UAV to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angle includes: Obtain the heading angle observation information of the UAV; Calculating the target heading angular velocity according to the target heading angle and the heading angle observation information; Obtain the UAV's heading angular velocity observation information; Calculating the target heading angular acceleration according to the target heading angular velocity and the heading angular velocity observation information; The UAV is controlled to fly toward the target plane according to the target heading angular acceleration.

5. The UAV heading control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: Calculating the target heading angular velocity according to the target heading angle and the heading angle observation information includes: A heading angle error is obtained by subtracting the observed heading angle corresponding to the heading angle observation information from the target heading angle, and the heading angle error is controlled using a first control method to obtain a target heading angular velocity with the minimum heading angle error.

6. The UAV heading control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: Calculating the target heading angular acceleration according to the target heading angular velocity and the heading angular velocity observation information includes: The observed heading angular velocity corresponding to the heading angular velocity observation information is subtracted from the target heading angular velocity to obtain a heading angular velocity error. The heading angular velocity error is controlled using a second control method to obtain a target heading angular acceleration with the minimum heading angular velocity error.

7. The UAV heading control method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The first control method and the second control method include PID, an optimal control method, a robust control method, an active disturbance rejection control method, or an adaptive control method.

8. A drone, characterized in that: The drone includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the drone heading control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 are implemented.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a UAV heading control program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the UAV heading control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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