A long-endurance drone intelligent inspection method in railway tunnels

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for intelligent inspection of long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles in railway tunnels, comprising the following steps: 1) presetting inspection tracks, inspection cycles and inspection heights for unmanned aerial vehicle groups based on an ant colony algorithm to obtain an optimal planned inspection track; 2) after receiving an inspection instruction, the unmanned aerial vehicle group is divided into two echelons according to functional differences, and respectively carries out normalized and uninterrupted intelligent inspections during the window period for railway track flaw detection, contact network line detection, cable line inspection, tunnel geothermal abnormality detection, tunnel earthquake early warning and tunnel icing detection; 3) the unmanned aerial vehicle group uploads the collected image materials to a big data integrated cloud processing platform in real time. If an abnormal situation occurs, the unmanned aerial vehicle group sends an alarm to a control center and releases the information to relevant units. At the same time, a corresponding solution is formulated through the big data integrated cloud processing platform, and the unmanned aerial vehicle group links with relevant units to take safety protection measures.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle inspection technology, and in particular to an intelligent inspection method for unmanned aerial vehicles with long endurance in railway tunnels. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid advancement of my country's railway construction, the construction of railway tunnels has shown a blowout development. In recent years, the number and scale of my country's long and large railway tunnels have continued to grow. Due to the special environment in railway tunnels, disasters caused by geological effects, climatic conditions, human errors, and economic activities are prone to occur, which seriously threaten people's lives and property safety. Uninterrupted inspections during the window period of railway tunnels can timely discover safety hazards and take measures to quickly deal with them to avoid accidents.

[0003] Traditional inspection technology in railway tunnels requires inspectors to carry detection instruments deep into the tunnel and use manual inspection to confirm abnormal conditions. On the one hand, this inspection method has a long cycle, low efficiency, and the risk of false alarms and missed reports; on the other hand, the space in the railway tunnel is closed and narrow, the heat and humidity environment is harsh, and there are harmful gases, dust, radioactive pollution, etc. that are harmful to human health. Improper operation is very likely to cause major safety accidents. In recent years, there has been a serious shortage of inspection and operation and maintenance technicians.

[0004] Nowadays, drone technology has been widely used in environmental protection, agricultural production, resource management and other fields, especially in power transmission line inspection and forest fire prevention inspection in mountainous areas. However, there is no multifunctional long-endurance drone for intelligent inspection in railway tunnels. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a long-endurance drone intelligent inspection method in railway tunnels that is intelligent, efficient, long-endurance, and capable of regular inspection of the entire line.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A long-endurance UAV intelligent inspection method in a railway tunnel comprises the following steps:

[0008] (1) Based on the ant colony algorithm, the inspection track, inspection cycle and inspection height are preset for the drone group to obtain the optimal inspection track;

[0009] (2) After receiving the inspection command, the drone swarm is divided into two echelons according to their functions, and respectively carries out normalized, uninterrupted intelligent inspections during the window period for railway track flaw detection, overhead line inspection, cable line inspection, tunnel geothermal abnormality detection, tunnel earthquake early warning, and tunnel icing detection;

[0010] (3) The drone swarm uploads the collected image materials to the big data integrated cloud processing platform in real time. If any abnormal situation occurs, the drone swarm sends an alarm to the control center and releases the information to relevant units. At the same time, a corresponding solution is formulated through the big data integrated cloud processing platform, and the drone swarm coordinates with relevant units to take safety protection measures.

[0011] As a further improvement of the above technical solution:

[0012] The drone swarm has:

[0013] LiDAR sensors for automatic obstacle avoidance during inspections;

[0014] Ultra-high-definition image camera to collect image information during the inspection process;

[0015] The lighting system supplements light to facilitate the ultra-high-definition image camera to capture images.

[0016] The first drone docking station and the second drone docking station are respectively provided at the entrance and the exit of the tunnel. The drone groups in the first drone docking station and the second drone docking station are started together and are divided into two echelons. The first echelon drone group sails toward the top of the tunnel, and the second echelon drone group sails toward the track.

[0017] The first echelon is mainly used for patrolling and inspecting contact lines and cable lines; the second echelon is mainly used for patrolling and inspecting railway track flaw detection, track geothermal anomalies, tunnel earthquake early warning and tunnel icing detection.

[0018] After the inspection is completed, the drone swarm started from the first drone docking station docks at the second drone docking station for charging and maintenance, completing an inspection cycle; after the inspection is completed, the drone swarm started from the second drone docking station docks at the first drone docking station for charging and maintenance, completing an inspection cycle.

[0019] The drone group is equipped with a flaw detection device, a contact network line precision detection device, a cable precision detection device, an ultra-clear camera and a data feedback system.

[0020] The drone swarm is equipped with an earthquake detection device, an earthquake exploration data acquisition system and an early warning device. When the drone swarm detects an earthquake, the early warning device is immediately activated to send an emergency alarm to the control center, and the collected earthquake data is uploaded in real time.

[0021] The drone swarm is provided with an ice sensor and an ice melting device. When the drone swarm detects ice, the ice melting device is immediately activated to melt the ice in the tunnel.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0023] The present invention discloses a long-endurance UAV intelligent inspection method in a railway tunnel. First, based on the ant colony algorithm, the inspection track, inspection cycle and inspection height are preset for the UAV, and the UAV group is divided into two echelons according to function, and the railway track flaw detection, contact network line detection, cable line inspection, tunnel geothermal abnormality detection, tunnel earthquake early warning and tunnel icing are detected respectively, and the optimal inspection planning track is obtained, so that the UAV group can continuously inspect the railway tunnel during the skylight period, and the collected image materials are uploaded to the big data integrated cloud processing platform in real time. If an abnormal situation occurs, such as fire, earthquake, etc., the UAV group inspection After detection, an alarm is issued to the control center, and the information is released to relevant units, such as the railway dispatching department, railway communication department, etc., so that the relevant units can receive the information. At the same time, corresponding solutions are formulated through the big data integrated cloud processing platform, and the drone group is intelligently linked with the relevant units to take appropriate protective measures to avoid accidents. In general, the long-endurance drone intelligent inspection method of the present invention performs normalized inspections through a set of process-based, efficient and economical intelligent inspection methods such as the path planning stage, the automatic inspection stage and the linkage stage. The inspection method is intelligent and efficient, and the drone inspection is flexible, has a wide viewing angle and a long endurance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the process of the intelligent inspection method of a long-endurance drone swarm in a tunnel according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal cross-sectional structure of the intelligent inspection of a swarm of long-endurance drones in a tunnel according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 It is a side view structural schematic diagram of the intelligent inspection of a swarm of long-endurance drones in a tunnel according to the present invention.

[0027] The symbols in the figure represent:

[0028] 1. Drone swarm; 2. Tunnel; 3. Track; 4. First drone docking station; 5. Second drone docking station; 6. Track separation point. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0030] Figures 1 to 3 An embodiment of a long-endurance UAV intelligent inspection method in a railway tunnel of the present invention is shown, comprising the following steps:

[0031] (1) Preset the inspection track, inspection cycle, and inspection height for drone group 1 based on the ant colony algorithm to obtain the optimal inspection track;

[0032] (2) After receiving the inspection command, the drone group 1 is divided into two echelons according to their functions, and conducts regular, uninterrupted intelligent inspections during the window period for railway track 3 flaw detection, contact network line inspection, cable line inspection, tunnel 2 geothermal anomaly detection, tunnel 2 earthquake early warning, and tunnel 2 icing detection;

[0033] (3) Drone Group 1 uploads the collected image materials to the big data integrated cloud processing platform in real time. If any abnormal situation occurs, Drone Group 1 will issue an alarm to the control center and release the information to relevant units. At the same time, corresponding solutions will be formulated through the big data integrated cloud processing platform, and Drone Group 1 will work with relevant units to take safety protection measures.

[0034] The long-endurance UAV intelligent inspection method in the railway tunnel 2 first presets the inspection track, inspection cycle and inspection height for the UAV based on the ant colony algorithm, and divides the UAV group 1 into two echelons according to function, respectively performing inspections on railway track 3 flaw detection, contact network line detection, cable line inspection, tunnel 2 geothermal anomaly detection, tunnel 2 earthquake warning and tunnel 2 icing, and obtaining the optimal inspection planning track, so as to realize the uninterrupted inspection of the UAV group 1 in the railway tunnel 2 during the skylight period, and upload the collected image materials to the big data integrated cloud processing platform in real time. If any abnormal situation occurs, such as fire, earthquake, etc., the UAV group 1 After detection, an alarm is issued to the control center, and the information is released to relevant units, such as the railway dispatching department, the railway communication department, etc., so that the relevant units can receive the information. At the same time, corresponding solutions are formulated through the big data integrated cloud processing platform, and the drone group 1 is intelligently linked with the relevant units to take appropriate protective measures to avoid accidents. In general, the long-endurance drone intelligent inspection method of the present invention performs normalized inspections through a set of process-based, efficient and economical intelligent inspection methods such as the path planning stage, the automatic inspection stage and the linkage stage. The inspection method is intelligent and efficient, and the drone inspection is flexible, has a wide viewing angle and a long endurance.

[0035] In this embodiment, the drone group 1 is equipped with a laser radar sensor, an ultra-high-definition image camera and a lighting system. During the automatic inspection process of the drone group 1, the laser radar sensor is used to sense the surrounding environment in the tunnel 2, thereby realizing automatic obstacle avoidance in the railway tunnel 2. The ultra-high-definition image camera is used to shoot videos during the inspection process, and the collected image materials are uploaded to the big data analysis integration platform and the control center in real time; the lighting system is used to supplement the light to prevent the image materials from being blurred and out of focus due to the dark light in the railway tunnel 2.

[0036] Among them, drone group 1 is made of high-hardness, light-weight, high-temperature-resistant materials, and is equipped with rubber anti-collision strips and rubber anti-collision corner guards. When not working, the drones can be set to an automatic folding structure for easy storage.

[0037] Furthermore, the communication distance of drones in the railway tunnel 2 is short and the GPS signal is weak. Positioning tags are installed at equal intervals in the railway tunnel 2, and the drone swarm 1 obtains its own flight data, such as speed, altitude, heading angle, etc., and uses 5G communication technology to establish mobile communication between the drone swarm 1 in the tunnel 2 and the control center, and transmit the flight status of the drone swarm 1 to the control center in real time.

[0038] In this embodiment, a first drone docking station 4 and a second drone docking station 5 are respectively provided at the entrance and the exit of the tunnel 2. The drone swarm 1 in the first drone docking station 4 and the second drone docking station 5 are started together. After receiving the inspection command, the drone swarm 1 is divided into two echelons according to the functional area when it travels to the track separation point 6. The first echelon drone swarm 1 sails toward the top of the tunnel 2. This echelon is mainly used for inspecting contact lines, cable lines, etc.; the second echelon drone swarm 1 sails toward the track 3, which is mainly used for inspecting railway track 3 flaw detection, track 3 geothermal anomalies, tunnel 2 earthquake early warning and tunnel 2 ice detection, etc. The two echelons of drone swarms 1 are equipped with different sensors and detection devices according to functional requirements, and the drone swarm 1 cooperates to complete the intelligent detection of the tunnel 2.

[0039] In this embodiment, the drone group 1 started from the first drone docking station 4 docks at the second drone docking station 5 for charging and maintenance after the inspection is completed, completing an inspection cycle; the drone group 1 started from the second drone docking station 5 docks at the first drone docking station 4 for charging and maintenance after the inspection is completed, completing an inspection cycle.

[0040] For the above-mentioned inspection of contact network lines and cable lines, drone swarm 1 is equipped with contact network line precision detection devices, cable precision detection devices, ultra-clear cameras and data feedback systems. Drone swarm 1 automatically conducts routine inspections on various abnormal conditions that may exist in the contact network lines and cable lines along the preset inspection path on the top of tunnel 2, and provides real-time feedback of inspection data and photos.

[0041] For the above-mentioned inspection of the railway track 3, the drone group 1 is equipped with an efficient and precise flaw detection device, which automatically detects the damage of the external and internal structures of the track 3, and feeds back the detected damage data to the control center in real time. The drone group 1 runs along the preset path close to the rails to ensure the accuracy of the inspection measurement.

[0042] For the inspection of geothermal anomalies in the above-mentioned tunnel 2, the drone swarm 1 is equipped with high-performance temperature sensors, temperature detection devices and feedback systems, which automatically detect the horizontal and vertical temperature distribution of the tunnel 2 along the inspection path and monitor temperature anomalies in real time.

[0043] For the earthquake warning of the above-mentioned tunnel 2, the drone swarm 1 is equipped with an earthquake detection device, a seismic exploration data acquisition system and an early warning device. The drone swarm 1 runs close to the track 3 for routine detection. If an earthquake is detected, the early warning device is immediately activated to send an emergency alarm to the control center, and the collected earthquake data is uploaded in real time.

[0044] For the ice detection of the above-mentioned tunnel 2, the drone group 1 is equipped with an ice sensor and an ice melting device. When the drone group 1 detects ice, the ice melting device is immediately activated to melt the ice in the tunnel 2.

[0045] Drone swarm 1 is equipped with an alarm system with preset safety thresholds. When the detected data exceeds the preset safety threshold (such as temperature, smoke concentration, etc.), a warning is issued and the collected image materials are uploaded to the big data integrated cloud processing platform.

[0046] Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any technician familiar with the art can make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the present invention by using the technical content disclosed above without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention, or modify it into an equivalent embodiment of equivalent changes. Therefore, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments according to the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention should fall within the scope of protection of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A long-endurance UAV intelligent inspection method in a railway tunnel, characterized by: The following steps are involved: 1) Preset the inspection track, inspection cycle and inspection height for the drone group (1) based on the ant colony algorithm to obtain the optimal inspection planning track; the drone group (1) has: LiDAR sensors for automatic obstacle avoidance during inspections; Ultra-high-definition image camera to collect image information during the inspection process; A lighting system to supplement light to facilitate the ultra-high-definition image camera to capture images; 2) After receiving the inspection command, the drone group (1) is divided into two echelons according to their functions, and respectively carries out normalized, uninterrupted intelligent inspections during the window period for railway track flaw detection, overhead line inspection, cable line inspection, tunnel geothermal abnormality detection, tunnel earthquake early warning, and tunnel icing detection; 3) The drone group (1) uploads the collected image materials to the big data integrated cloud processing platform in real time. If an abnormal situation occurs, the drone group (1) sends an alarm to the control center, releases the information to relevant units, and formulates corresponding solutions through the big data integrated cloud processing platform. The drone group (1) links with relevant units to take safety protection measures; A first drone docking station (4) and a second drone docking station (5) are respectively provided at the entrance and exit of the tunnel (2); the first drone docking station (4) and the drone group (1) in the second drone docking station (5) are started together and are divided into two echelons, the first echelon drone group (1) sails toward the top of the tunnel (2), and the second echelon drone group (1) sails toward the track (3); after the drone group (1) started from the first drone docking station (4) completes the inspection, it docks at the second drone docking station (5) for charging and maintenance, completing a patrol cycle; after the drone group (1) started from the second drone docking station (5) completes the inspection, it docks at the first drone docking station (4) for charging and maintenance, completing a patrol cycle.

2. The method for intelligent inspection of a long-endurance drone in a railway tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first echelon is mainly used for patrolling and inspecting contact lines and cable lines; the second echelon is mainly used for patrolling and inspecting railway track flaw detection, track geothermal anomalies, tunnel earthquake early warning and tunnel icing detection.

3. The method for intelligent inspection of a long-endurance drone in a railway tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drone group (1) is provided with a flaw detection device, a contact network line precision detection device, a cable precision detection device, an ultra-high-definition camera, and a data feedback system.

4. The method for intelligent inspection of a long-endurance drone in a railway tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drone group (1) is provided with an earthquake detection device, an earthquake exploration data acquisition system and an early warning device. When the drone group (1) detects an earthquake, the early warning device is immediately activated to send an emergency alarm to the control center, and the collected earthquake data is uploaded in real time.

5. The method for intelligent inspection of a long-endurance drone in a railway tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drone group (1) is provided with an ice sensor and an ice melting device. When the drone group (1) detects ice, the ice melting device is immediately activated to melt the ice in the tunnel (2).

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