UAV Obstacle Avoidance Method and System Applicable to Flying in Channels

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an obstacle avoidance method and system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) suitable for flying in a channel. The UAV is provided with a flight controller, a laser dot matrix ranging sensor, an obstacle avoidance controller, and an infrared fill light. The method includes: in response to the UAV entering the channel, using the infrared fill light for filling light; using the laser dot matrix ranging sensor to collect the obstacle dot matrix information in the channel; transmitting the obstacle dot matrix information to the obstacle avoidance controller through the laser dot matrix ranging sensor, so that the obstacle avoidance controller processes the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information; sending the processed obstacle information to the flight controller through the obstacle avoidance controller; and using the flight controller to control the flight of the UAV based on the processed obstacle information. Through the above, comprehensive measurement of obstacles in all directions of the UAV within a larger range is achieved, and the obstacle avoidance problem in a complex environment is effectively solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and more particularly, to an obstacle avoidance method and system for an unmanned aerial vehicle flying in a channel. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous improvement of the urbanization level, the construction of power cable channels has been accelerating. However, due to the extension of the service time, the change of influencing factors, and the unreasonable prevention and control means, more and more problems occur inside the channels, and the destructive power of these problems continues to increase, which in turn affects the normal operation of the power cable channels and puts forward higher requirements for the maintenance of the cable channels. Many urban areas are located along the coast or rivers, so the water level below the ground surface is relatively high. Since the power cable channels are generally built underground, leakage accidents often occur inside the channels, making it difficult for maintenance personnel to enter.

[0003] Nowadays, unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly applied to the field of cable channel maintenance. However, in actual use, the following problems are often faced. First, there is no Global Positioning System (GPS) positioning information and no visible light illumination inside the cable channels, so the unmanned aerial vehicle cannot use conventional GPS positioning means. Second, the space inside the cable channels is narrow, and the cable supports are crisscrossed, which requires the maintenance unmanned aerial vehicle to be small in size and have sufficient obstacle avoidance ability to ensure that the unmanned aerial vehicle will not collide and cause damage or crash during flight. Third, the inside of the cable channel is narrow. When the unmanned aerial vehicle penetrates into it, the strong blade wind may cause sundries such as sand and gravel to fall, which may cause misjudgment of the obstacle avoidance sensor of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and then cause an overreaction and collision with other obstacles. Fourth, under the limitation of the volume of the unmanned aerial vehicle, if it is desired to increase the detection time as much as possible, the weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle needs to be further reduced. Therefore, sensors with relatively large weights such as binocular cameras and millimeter wave radars are not suitable for the obstacle avoidance and positioning solutions under this condition. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an obstacle avoidance method and system for an unmanned aerial vehicle suitable for flying in a channel.

[0005] One aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides an obstacle avoidance method for an unmanned aerial vehicle suitable for flying in a channel. The unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with a flight controller, a laser dot matrix ranging sensor, an obstacle avoidance controller, and an infrared fill light. The method includes:

[0006] In response to the unmanned aerial vehicle entering the channel, using the infrared fill light for light filling;

[0007] Collecting the obstacle dot matrix information in the channel by using the laser dot matrix ranging sensor;

[0008] Transmit the above obstacle dot matrix information to the above obstacle avoidance controller through the above laser dot matrix ranging sensor, so that the above obstacle avoidance controller processes the above obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information;

[0009] Send the processed obstacle information to the above flight controller through the above obstacle avoidance controller;

[0010] Use the above flight controller to control the flight of the above UAV based on the processed obstacle information.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above UAV is further provided with an optical flow sensor, and the above method further includes:

[0012] Collect the optical flow positioning information in the above channel by using the above optical flow sensor;

[0013] Send the optical flow positioning information to the above flight controller through the above optical flow sensor, so that the UAV can be positioned in the above channel.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above UAV is further provided with a laser ranging sensor, and the above method further includes:

[0015] Collect the distance information between the top of the above channel and the above UAV by using the above laser ranging sensor;

[0016] Send the above distance information to the above flight controller through the above laser ranging sensor, so that the position of the UAV in the above channel can be kept stable.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above obstacle avoidance controller processes the above obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information, including:

[0018] Compare the above obstacle dot matrix information with a preset value to obtain a comparison result, where the above obstacle dot matrix information represents the distance between the UAV and the detection object;

[0019] When the above comparison result indicates that at most one point in the above obstacle dot matrix information is less than the above preset value, it is determined that there is no obstacle in the target direction;

[0020] When the above comparison result indicates that at least two points in the above obstacle dot matrix information are less than the above preset value and there are adjacent points among the points less than the preset value, it is determined that there is an obstacle in the above target direction;

[0021] Determine the dot matrix information corresponding to the above adjacent points as the processed obstacle information.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above flight controller and the above obstacle avoidance controller are placed inside the UAV body.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there are six of the above laser dot matrix ranging sensors, and each of the above laser dot matrix ranging sensors is respectively placed in the due front, due rear, due left, due right, directly above and directly below the drone body, so as to obtain obstacle information in each direction.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above laser ranging sensor and the above optical flow sensor are placed directly above the drone body to obtain positioning information.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the laser dot matrix ranging sensors placed in the due front, due rear, due left and due right are on the same horizontal plane and the included angle between each two of them is 90 degrees;

[0026] The horizontal measurement angle of each of the above laser dot matrix ranging sensors is 45 degrees, and the vertical measurement angle is 45 degrees.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there are four of the above infrared supplementary lights, which are respectively placed at the four upper corners of the drone body, and a 120-degree transparent scattering lens is installed outside each of the above infrared supplementary lights.

[0028] Another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides an obstacle avoidance system for a drone suitable for flying in a channel, including:

[0029] A drone, a flight controller, a laser dot matrix ranging sensor, an obstacle avoidance controller and an infrared supplementary light;

[0030] Wherein, the above flight controller, the above laser dot matrix ranging sensor, the above obstacle avoidance controller and the above infrared supplementary light are arranged on the above drone;

[0031] The above infrared supplementary light is used for supplementary lighting when the above drone enters the channel;

[0032] The above laser dot matrix ranging sensor is used for collecting the obstacle dot matrix information in the above channel and transmitting the obstacle dot matrix information to the above obstacle avoidance controller;

[0033] The above obstacle avoidance controller is used for processing the above obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information and sending the processed obstacle information to the flight controller;

[0034] The above flight controller is used for controlling the flight of the above drone based on the processed obstacle information.

[0035] Another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides an obstacle avoidance device for a drone suitable for flying in a channel, including:

[0036] A supplementary lighting module, configured to respond to the above-mentioned drone entering the channel and use an infrared supplementary light to provide supplementary lighting;

[0037] An information acquisition module, configured to collect obstacle dot matrix information in the channel by using a laser dot matrix ranging sensor;

[0038] A transmission module, configured to transmit the above-mentioned obstacle dot matrix information to the above-mentioned obstacle avoidance controller through the above-mentioned laser dot matrix ranging sensor, so that the above-mentioned obstacle avoidance controller processes the above-mentioned obstacle dot matrix information to obtain processed obstacle information;

[0039] An information sending module, configured to send the above-mentioned processed obstacle information to the flight controller through the above-mentioned obstacle avoidance controller;

[0040] A control module, configured to use the above-mentioned flight controller to control the flight of the above-mentioned drone based on the above-mentioned processed obstacle information.

[0041] Another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides an electronic device, including: one or more processors; a memory, configured to store one or more programs, wherein when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors are caused to implement the method as described above.

[0042] Another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium, storing computer-executable instructions, and the instructions are used to implement the method as described above when executed.

[0043] Another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a computer program product, the computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, and the instructions are used to implement the method as described above when executed.

[0044] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, because a laser dot matrix ranging sensor is used to collect obstacle information in the channel to obtain obstacle dot matrix information, it at least partially overcomes the problem that other sensors have insufficiently comprehensive measurement of obstacles around the drone, and thus achieves comprehensive measurement of obstacles in all directions of the drone within a larger range; after using an obstacle avoidance controller to process the obstacle dot matrix information collected by the laser dot matrix ranging sensor and then sending it to the flight controller, the problem of obstacle avoidance in a complex environment can be solved, and the phenomenon that the obstacle avoidance sensor of the drone is misjudged due to the falling of sundries such as sand and gravel caused by the strong blade wind can be effectively avoided, thereby reducing the problem of collision with other obstacles caused by the overreaction of the drone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] Through the following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings, the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become clearer. In the drawings:

[0046] Figure 1 Schematically shows a flowchart of a method for obstacle avoidance of an unmanned aerial vehicle suitable for flying in a channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] Figure 2 Schematically shows a flowchart of an optical flow sensor positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] Figure 3 Schematically shows a flowchart of a laser dot matrix ranging sensor positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0049] Figure 4 Schematically shows a schematic diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle obstacle avoidance system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0050] Figure 5 Schematically shows a schematic diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle obstacle avoidance device suitable for flying in a channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0051] Figure 6 Schematically shows a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed implementation manners

[0052] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that these descriptions are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In the following detailed description, for the sake of explanation, many specific details are set forth to provide a comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, obviously, one or more embodiments can also be implemented without these specific details. In addition, in the following description, descriptions of well-known structures and technologies are omitted to avoid unnecessarily confusing the concepts of the present disclosure.

[0053] The terms used herein are merely for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The terms "including", "comprising", etc. used herein indicate the presence of the described features, steps, operations, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, or components.

[0054] All terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art, unless otherwise defined. It should be noted that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the context of this specification and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly rigid manner.

[0055] In the case of using an expression such as "at least one of A, B, and C, etc.", generally, it should be interpreted according to the meaning that a person skilled in the art usually understands this expression (for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" should include, but not be limited to, a system having only A, only B, only C, having A and B, having A and C, having B and C, and / or having A, B, and C, etc.). In the case of using an expression such as "at least one of A, B, or C, etc.", generally, it should be interpreted according to the meaning that a person skilled in the art usually understands this expression (for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" should include, but not be limited to, a system having only A, only B, only C, having A and B, having A and C, having B and C, and / or having A, B, and C, etc.).

[0056] In the process of implementing this application, it is found that there is no visible GPS positioning information in the channel, no visible light illumination, and common GPS positioning means cannot be used; the channel is narrow and idle, with obstacles crisscrossing, for example: in the power cable channel, the cable brackets crisscross. If the UAV is large in size and does not have sufficient obstacle avoidance ability, it will be very difficult to fly smoothly; the inside of the cable channel is narrow. When the UAV penetrates into it, the strong blade wind may cause sundries such as sand and gravel to fall. If the UAV does not have sufficient obstacle avoidance ability, it is very easy to cause misjudgment; in the case where a large volume cannot be designed for the UAV, if the flight speed of the UAV is to be increased, the weight of the UAV itself needs to be reduced. Therefore, binocular cameras or millimeter-wave radars cannot be used for obstacle avoidance and positioning.

[0057] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for a UAV to avoid obstacles when flying in a channel. Among them, the UAV is provided with a flight controller, a laser dot matrix ranging sensor, an obstacle avoidance controller, and an infrared fill light. The method for the UAV to avoid obstacles includes: in response to the UAV entering the channel, using the infrared fill light for filling light; using the laser dot matrix ranging sensor to collect the obstacle dot matrix information in the channel; transmitting the obstacle dot matrix information to the obstacle avoidance controller through the laser dot matrix ranging sensor, so that the obstacle avoidance controller processes the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information; sending the processed obstacle information to the flight controller through the obstacle avoidance controller; and using the flight controller to control the flight of the UAV based on the processed obstacle information.

[0058] Figure 1 A flowchart of a method for a UAV to avoid obstacles when flying in a channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0059] As Figure 1 shown, the method includes operations S101 to S105.

[0060] In operation S101, in response to the UAV entering the channel, an infrared fill light is used for fill lighting.

[0061] In the related art, since channels are generally built underground and there is serious water seepage and leakage inside, it is difficult for maintenance personnel to enter and exit. Therefore, it is necessary to use a UAV for detection. Since it is usually relatively dark underground, it is necessary to fill light the channel. When the UAV enters the channel, the infrared fill light is turned on to fill light the inside of the channel. Among them, the channel can be a power cable channel. When entering the channel, the infrared fill light will automatically turn on.

[0062] In some embodiments, there are four infrared fill lights, which are respectively placed at the four corners directly above the UAV fuselage, and a 120-degree transparent scattering lens is installed outside each infrared fill light.

[0063] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the installation method of the infrared fill light includes installing one at each of the four corners directly above the UAV fuselage, and installing a 120-degree transparent scattering lens outside each infrared fill light, so as to achieve a better fill light effect.

[0064] In operation S102, a laser dot matrix ranging sensor is used to collect the obstacle dot matrix information in the channel.

[0065] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an obstacle avoidance controller is used to send a command to obtain obstacle information to the laser dot matrix ranging sensor, and then the laser dot matrix ranging sensor is used to collect the obstacle information in the channel to obtain the obstacle dot matrix information. Among them, the obstacle dot matrix information can be an 8*8 distance dot matrix between the UAV and the detection object.

[0066] In the above process, compared with using other sensors, using a laser dot matrix ranging sensor to measure the obstacles on the UAV fuselage in the channel will be more comprehensive in measuring the obstacles in all directions around the UAV, and the measurement range will also be wider.

[0067] In some embodiments, there can be six laser dot matrix ranging sensors, and each laser dot matrix ranging sensor is respectively placed in the front, rear, left, right, above and below the UAV body to obtain obstacle information in all directions.

[0068] In some embodiments, the laser dot matrix ranging sensors placed in the front, rear, left and right are on the same horizontal plane and the included angle between each two is 90 degrees; the horizontal measurement angle of each laser dot matrix ranging sensor is 45 degrees, and the vertical measurement angle is 45 degrees.

[0069] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a laser dot matrix ranging sensor is installed at each of the six directions of the due front, due rear, due left, due right, directly above, and directly below the UAV body. By using the laser dot matrix sensor to obtain the obstacle information in the six directions respectively, all the obstacle information around the UAV can be collected more comprehensively.

[0070] In some embodiments, the laser dot matrix ranging sensors at the due front, due rear, due left, and due right of the UAV body need to be arranged on the same horizontal plane and the angle between each two of them is 90 degrees. In addition, the horizontal measurement angle of each laser dot matrix ranging sensor is 45 degrees, and the vertical measurement angle is 45 degrees.

[0071] According to the placement position and angle setting of the above laser dot matrix ranging sensors, the occurrence of measurement dead angles can be avoided as much as possible, ensuring that all directions of the UAV body can be detected.

[0072] In operation S103, the obstacle dot matrix information is transmitted to the obstacle avoidance controller through the laser dot matrix ranging sensor, so that the obstacle avoidance controller processes the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information.

[0073] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the laser dot matrix ranging sensor transmits the obstacle dot matrix information to the obstacle avoidance controller through a serial port, and the obstacle avoidance controller then processes the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information.

[0074] In some embodiments, the obstacle avoidance controller processes the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information, including: comparing the obstacle dot matrix information with a preset value to obtain a comparison result, where the obstacle dot matrix information represents the distance between the UAV and the detection object; when the comparison result indicates that at most one point in the obstacle dot matrix information is less than the preset value, it is determined that there is no obstacle in the target direction; when the comparison result indicates that at least two points in the obstacle dot matrix information are less than the preset value and there are adjacent points among the points less than the preset value, it is determined that there is an obstacle in the target direction; and determining the dot matrix information corresponding to the adjacent points as the processed obstacle information.

[0075] In specific implementation, when the comparison result indicates that at least two points in the obstacle dot matrix information are less than the preset value and there is no obstacle among the points less than the preset value, it is determined that there is no obstacle in the target direction, where the preset value is set according to specific circumstances. For example, the preset value is 20 cm.

[0076] In the above operation, the obstacle avoidance controller processes the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain whether there is an obstacle in the target direction. If there are more than two points less than the preset value in the obstacle dot matrix information and there are adjacent points among the points less than the preset value, it is determined that there is an obstacle in the target direction. The specific orientation and distance of the obstacle relative to the UAV are determined by using the obstacle points, that is, the obstacle dot matrix information corresponding to the adjacent points. According to the above method, the UAV obstacle avoidance problem in a complex environment can be solved, effectively avoiding the phenomenon that the UAV obstacle avoidance sensor generates misjudgment due to the falling of sundries such as sand and gravel caused by the narrow channel space and the strong blade wind, and further avoiding the problem that the UAV overreacts and collides with other obstacles.

[0077] In operation S104, the processed obstacle information is sent to the flight controller by the obstacle avoidance controller.

[0078] If the obstacle avoidance controller identifies that there is an obstacle in the target direction, the processed obstacle information is sent to the flight controller. If the obstacle avoidance controller identifies that there is no obstacle in the target direction, the reaction method can be set according to the specific situation. The instruction that there is no obstacle in the target direction can be sent to the flight controller, or the distance between the UAV and the obstacle in the target direction can be sent to the flight controller, or no information can be sent to the flight controller. The distance between the UAV and the obstacle in the target direction refers to the distance between the UAV and the detection object greater than the preset value in a certain direction.

[0079] In some embodiments, the flight controller and the obstacle avoidance controller are placed inside the UAV body.

[0080] Both the flight controller and the obstacle avoidance controller are installed inside the UAV body, and the flight controller and the obstacle avoidance controller communicate through a serial port.

[0081] The use of the flight controller is not specifically limited. For example, the Pixhawk open-source UAV flight control hardware can be used, and the APM open-source flight control system runs inside it. The chip of the obstacle avoidance controller is not specifically limited. For example, the STM32F407 chip can be used. A 1200-byte circular receive buffer is set in the STM32F407 chip program, and the serial port DMA and idle interrupt methods are used to receive the relatively large amount of distance point matrix information.

[0082] In operation S105, the flight controller controls the flight of the UAV based on the processed obstacle information.

[0083] In the above operation, the flight of the drone is controlled according to the processed obstacle information, so that the obstacles near the fuselage can be avoided without dead angles. At the same time, the method of using the preset value to enable the obstacle avoidance controller to process the obstacle dot matrix information can solve the obstacle avoidance problem in a complex environment, effectively eliminate the interference caused by the falling of sundries such as sand and gravel due to the strong blade wind, and perform accurate obstacle avoidance, so that the drone can achieve a comprehensive and accurate obstacle avoidance effect in the channel.

[0084] In some embodiments, in response to the first laser dot matrix ranging sensor obtaining obstacle information, and according to the methods of S101-S105, the drone completes obstacle avoidance in the direction of the first laser dot matrix ranging sensor, and then continues to enable the second laser dot matrix ranging sensor to obtain obstacle information, and enables the drone to complete obstacle avoidance in the second direction according to the methods of S101-S105, until the drone completes obstacle avoidance in all directions.

[0085] Figure 2 Schematically shows a flowchart of an optical flow sensor positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0086] According to an embodiment of the present application, the drone is further provided with an optical flow sensor, and the optical flow sensor positioning method includes operations S201-S202.

[0087] In operation S201, the optical flow sensor is used to collect optical flow positioning information in the channel.

[0088] In operation S202, the optical flow positioning information is sent to the flight controller through the optical flow sensor, so that the drone can be positioned in the channel.

[0089] In specific implementation, the optical flow sensor and the flight controller transmit the optical flow positioning information through a serial port. The specific use of the optical flow sensor is not limited, and it can be a UPixels optical flow sensor. Among them, the mass of the UPixels optical flow sensor is small, and the product quality on the market can reach only 3 grams.

[0090] Figure 3 Schematically shows a flowchart of a laser dot matrix ranging sensor positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0091] According to an embodiment of the present application, the drone is further provided with a laser ranging sensor, and the laser dot matrix ranging sensor positioning method includes operations S301-S302.

[0092] In operation S301, the laser ranging sensor is used to collect the distance information between the top of the channel and the drone.

[0093] In operation S302, the distance information is sent to the flight controller through the laser ranging sensor, so that the position of the drone in the channel can be kept stable.

[0094] In specific implementation, the laser ranging sensor transmits the distance information from the drone to the top of the ditch to the flight controller through the serial port. The specific use of the laser ranging sensor is not limited. For example, it can be a TF-LUNA sensor. The mass of the TF-LUNA sensor is relatively small, and the mass of the products on the market can reach only 3 grams.

[0095] In some embodiments, the laser ranging sensor and the optical flow sensor are placed directly above the drone body to obtain positioning information.

[0096] In the above operations, the positioning problem in the ditch with no GPS and serious water accumulation environment is solved by the optical flow sensor, laser ranging sensor and infrared fill light with the upward direction, and the use of the laser ranging sensor and optical flow sensor with small volume and light mass can effectively reduce the overall volume of the drone, reduce its own gravity, improve the flight speed, and thus improve the detection efficiency of the drone in the ditch.

[0097] Figure 4 Schematically shows a schematic diagram of an obstacle avoidance system for a drone suitable for flying in a ditch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0098] As Figure 4 , an obstacle avoidance system 400 for a drone suitable for flying in a ditch includes a drone 410, a flight controller 420, a laser dot matrix ranging sensor 430, an obstacle avoidance controller 440, and an infrared fill light 450.

[0099] Among them, the flight controller 420, the laser dot matrix ranging sensor 430, the obstacle avoidance controller 440, and the infrared fill light 450 are provided on the drone 410;

[0100] The infrared fill light 450 is used for filling light when the drone enters the ditch;

[0101] The laser dot matrix ranging sensor 430 is used for collecting the obstacle dot matrix information in the ditch and transmitting the obstacle dot matrix information to the obstacle avoidance controller;

[0102] The obstacle avoidance controller 440 is used for processing the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information and sending the processed obstacle information to the flight controller;

[0103] The flight controller 420 is used for controlling the flight of the drone based on the processed obstacle information.

[0104] It should be noted that the part of the UAV obstacle avoidance system applicable to flying in a channel in the embodiments of the present disclosure corresponds to the part of the UAV obstacle avoidance method applicable to flying in a channel in the embodiments of the present disclosure. For the description of the part of the UAV obstacle avoidance system applicable to flying in a channel, reference may be specifically made to the part of the UAV obstacle avoidance method applicable to flying in a channel, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0105] Figure 5 FIG. schematically shows a block diagram of a UAV obstacle avoidance device applicable to flying in a channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0106] As Figure 5 shown, the UAV obstacle avoidance device 500 applicable to flying in a channel includes a supplementary lighting module 510, an information acquisition module 520, a transmission module 530, an information sending module 540, and a control module 550.

[0107] The supplementary lighting module 510 is configured to perform supplementary lighting using an infrared supplementary light when the UAV enters the channel.

[0108] The information acquisition module 520 is configured to collect the obstacle dot matrix information in the channel using a laser dot matrix ranging sensor.

[0109] The transmission module 530 is configured to transmit the obstacle dot matrix information to an obstacle avoidance controller through the laser dot matrix ranging sensor, so that the obstacle avoidance controller processes the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information.

[0110] The information sending module 540 is configured to send the processed obstacle information to a flight controller through the obstacle avoidance controller.

[0111] The control module 550 is configured to control the flight of the UAV using the flight controller based on the processed obstacle information.

[0112] Any of a plurality of modules, sub-modules, units, and sub-units according to embodiments of the present disclosure, or at least part of the functions of any of the above can be implemented in one module. Any one or more of the modules, sub-modules, units, and sub-units according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be split into multiple modules for implementation. Any one or more of the modules, sub-modules, units, and sub-units according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be at least partially implemented as a hardware circuit, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Array (PLA), a system on chip, a system on substrate, a system on package, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or can be implemented by any other reasonable way of integrating or packaging circuits, in hardware or firmware, or implemented in any one of the three implementation manners of software, hardware, and firmware, or in an appropriate combination of any several of them. Alternatively, one or more of the modules, sub-modules, units, and sub-units according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be at least partially implemented as a computer program module, and when the computer program module is run, the corresponding functions can be executed.

[0113] It should be noted that the part of the obstacle avoidance device for drones flying in a channel in the embodiments of the present disclosure corresponds to the part of the obstacle avoidance method for drones flying in a channel in the embodiments of the present disclosure. For the description of the part of the obstacle avoidance device for drones flying in a channel, please refer to the part of the obstacle avoidance method for drones flying in a channel for details, and will not be elaborated here.

[0114] Figure 6 A block diagram of an electronic device suitable for implementing the method described above according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. Figure 6 The shown electronic device is only an example and should not impose any limitation on the functions and usage scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0115] As Figure 6As shown, the electronic device 600 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a processor 601, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 602 or a program loaded from a storage section 508 into a random access memory (RAM) 603. The processor 601 can include, for example, a general microprocessor (e.g., CPU), an instruction set processor, and / or a related chipset, and / or a dedicated microprocessor (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), and so on. The processor 601 can also include on-board memory for caching purposes. The processor 601 can include a single processing unit or multiple processing units for performing different actions of the method flow according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0116] In the RAM 603, various programs and data required for the operation of the electronic device 600 are stored. The processor 601, the ROM 602, and the RAM 603 are connected to each other via a bus 604. The processor 601 performs various operations of the method flow according to an embodiment of the present disclosure by executing programs in the ROM 602 and / or the RAM 603. It should be noted that the program can also be stored in one or more memories other than the ROM 602 and the RAM 603. The processor 601 can also perform various operations of the method flow according to an embodiment of the present disclosure by executing programs stored in one or more memories.

[0117] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device 600 can further include an input / output (I / O) interface 605, and the input / output (I / O) interface 605 is also connected to the bus 604. The system 600 can further include one or more of the following components connected to the I / O interface 605: an input section 606 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 607 including, for example, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 608 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 609 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, etc. The communication section 609 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 610 is also connected to the I / O interface 605 as needed. A removable medium 611, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc., is installed on the drive 610 as needed so that a computer program read from it can be installed into the storage section 608 as needed.

[0118] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method flow according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented as a computer software program. For example, an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a computer program product, which includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program includes program code for executing the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network through a communication part 609, and / or installed from a removable medium 611. When the computer program is executed by a processor 601, the above functions defined in the system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are executed. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-described system, device, apparatus, module, unit, etc. can be implemented by computer program modules.

[0119] The present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which can be included in the device / device / system described in the above embodiments; or can exist alone without being assembled into the device / device / system. The above computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs, and when the above one or more programs are executed, the method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is implemented.

[0120] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the computer-readable storage medium can be a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. For example, it can include but is not limited to: portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, EPROM) or flash memory), portable compact disk read-only memory (Computer Disc Read-Only Memory, CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present disclosure, the computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program, and the program can be used by or combined with an instruction execution system, device, or device.

[0121] For example, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the computer-readable storage medium can include the above-described ROM 602 and / or RAM 603 and / or one or more memories other than ROM 602 and RAM 603.

[0122] An embodiment of the present disclosure also includes a computer program product, which includes a computer program, and the computer program includes program code for executing the method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. When the computer program product runs on an electronic device, the program code is used to cause the electronic device to implement the method for obstacle avoidance of an unmanned aerial vehicle suitable for flying in a channel provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0123] When the computer program is executed by the processor 601, the above functions defined in the system / apparatus of the embodiments of the present disclosure are executed. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the systems, apparatuses, modules, units, etc. described above can be implemented by computer program modules.

[0124] In one embodiment, the computer program can rely on tangible storage media such as optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, etc. In another embodiment, the computer program can also be transmitted and distributed in the form of signals on a network medium, and be downloaded and installed through the communication part 609, and / or be installed from the removable medium 611. The program code included in the computer program can be transmitted by any suitable network medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wired, etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0125] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the program code for executing the computer program provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. Specifically, these computing programs can be implemented using high-level procedures and / or object-oriented programming languages, and / or assembly / machine languages. Programming languages include but are not limited to, such as Java, C++, python, the "C" language or similar programming languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user computing device, partially on the user device, partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In the case of a remote computing device, the remote computing device can be connected to the user computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., by using an Internet service provider to connect through the Internet).

[0126] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a segment of a program, or a portion of code that contains one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur in a different order than noted in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks shown may actually be executed substantially in parallel, or they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in the block diagram or flowchart, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified functions or operations, or by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions. Those skilled in the art will understand that the features recited in the various embodiments and / or claims of the present disclosure can be combined and / or combined in various ways, even if such combinations or combinations are not explicitly recited in the present disclosure. In particular, without departing from the spirit and teachings of the present disclosure, the features recited in the various embodiments and / or claims of the present disclosure can be combined and / or combined in various ways. All such combinations and / or combinations fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0127] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above. However, these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Although the embodiments have been described separately above, this does not mean that the measures in each embodiment cannot be used advantageously in combination. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art can make various substitutions and modifications, and all such substitutions and modifications should fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An obstacle avoidance method for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) suitable for flying in a channel, wherein, the UAV is provided with a flight controller, a laser dot matrix ranging sensor, an obstacle avoidance controller, and an infrared fill light, and the method includes: responding to the UAV entering the channel, and using the infrared fill light for fill light; using the laser dot matrix ranging sensor to collect the obstacle dot matrix information in the channel; transmitting the obstacle dot matrix information to the obstacle avoidance controller through the laser dot matrix ranging sensor, so that the obstacle avoidance controller processes the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information; sending the processed obstacle information to the flight controller through the obstacle avoidance controller; using the flight controller to control the flight of the UAV based on the processed obstacle information; wherein, the UAV is further provided with a laser ranging sensor, and the method further includes: using the laser ranging sensor to collect the distance information between the top of the channel and the UAV; sending the distance information to the flight controller through the laser ranging sensor, so that the position of the UAV in the channel remains stable; wherein, the obstacle avoidance controller processes the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information, including: comparing the obstacle dot matrix information with a preset value to obtain a comparison result, wherein the obstacle dot matrix information represents the distance between the UAV and the detection object; when the comparison result indicates that at most one point in the obstacle dot matrix information is less than the preset value, determining that there is no obstacle in the target direction; when the comparison result indicates that at least two points in the obstacle dot matrix information are less than the preset value and there are adjacent points among the points less than the preset value, determining that there is an obstacle in the target direction; determining the dot matrix information corresponding to the adjacent points as the processed obstacle information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the UAV is further provided with an optical flow sensor, and the method further includes: using the optical flow sensor to collect the optical flow positioning information in the channel; sending the optical flow positioning information to the flight controller through the optical flow sensor, so that the UAV is positioned in the channel.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the flight controller and the obstacle avoidance controller are placed inside the UAV body.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, there are six laser dot matrix ranging sensors, and each laser dot matrix ranging sensor is respectively placed in the front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom of the UAV body, so as to obtain the obstacle information in each direction.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein, the laser ranging sensor and the optical flow sensor are placed above the UAV body, so as to obtain the positioning information.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein, the laser dot matrix ranging sensors placed in the front, rear, left, and right are on the same horizontal plane and the angle between each two is 90 degrees; The horizontal measurement angle of each of the laser dot matrix ranging sensors is 45 degrees, and the vertical measurement angle is 45 degrees.

7. According to the method described in claim 1, the infrared supplementary light includes four, which are respectively placed at the four corners of the upper part of the drone fuselage, and a 120-degree transparent scattering lens is installed outside each of the infrared supplementary lights.

8. A drone obstacle avoidance system suitable for flying in a channel, adopting the method for avoiding obstacles of a drone suitable for flying in a channel as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: a drone, a flight controller, a laser dot matrix ranging sensor, an obstacle avoidance controller, and an infrared supplementary light; wherein, the flight controller, the laser dot matrix ranging sensor, the obstacle avoidance controller, and the infrared supplementary light are arranged on the drone; the infrared supplementary light is used for supplementary lighting when the drone enters the channel; the laser dot matrix ranging sensor is used for collecting the obstacle dot matrix information in the channel and transmitting the obstacle dot matrix information to the obstacle avoidance controller; the obstacle avoidance controller is used for processing the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information and sending the processed obstacle information to the flight controller; the flight controller is used for controlling the flight of the drone based on the processed obstacle information; wherein, the drone is further provided with a laser ranging sensor, and the method further includes: collecting the distance information between the top of the channel and the drone by using the laser ranging sensor; sending the distance information to the flight controller through the laser ranging sensor so that the position of the drone in the channel remains stable; wherein, the obstacle avoidance controller processes the obstacle dot matrix information to obtain the processed obstacle information, including: comparing the obstacle dot matrix information with a preset value to obtain a comparison result, wherein the obstacle dot matrix information represents the distance between the drone and the detection object; when the comparison result indicates that at most one point in the obstacle dot matrix information is less than the preset value, it is determined that there is no obstacle in the target direction; when the comparison result indicates that at least two points in the obstacle dot matrix information are less than the preset value and there are adjacent points among the points less than the preset value, it is determined that there is an obstacle in the target direction; determining the dot matrix information corresponding to the adjacent points as the processed obstacle information.

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