A method for wireless maintenance of a drone on-board equipment

Abstract

This application discloses a wireless maintenance method for UAV onboard equipment. The method includes the following steps: Step S1. Installing a first wireless device and a second wireless device on a comprehensive testing equipment and a UAV respectively, with the two wireless devices communicating via a first wireless communication link; Step S2. Powering on the comprehensive testing equipment and the UAV, establishing a connection between them via the first and second wireless devices; Step S3. Sending and receiving service data between the comprehensive testing equipment and the UAV via the first wireless communication link, achieving wireless maintenance of the UAV onboard equipment; Step S4. After maintenance of the UAV onboard equipment is completed, the comprehensive testing equipment disconnects from the UAV, and the UAV equipment returns to a wireless silent state. This application uses a wireless communication link instead of wired cables, enabling a power-on connection and connection-based maintenance application scenario, and achieving the effect of simultaneous inspection and maintenance of multiple UAVs by the comprehensive testing equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system support technology, specifically to a wireless maintenance method for UAV onboard equipment. Background Technology

[0002] An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system comprises a UAV control station and the UAV itself. The pre-flight and post-flight maintenance preparation processes for a UAV system involve two crucial stages: a pre-flight power-on check and a post-landing power-on check. Through these processes, maintenance personnel inspect the UAV's electronic equipment and assess its operational readiness. Currently, the main steps of this process are as follows: 1) The integrated testing vehicle / equipment is pre-positioned at a certain distance from the UAV; 2) Maintenance personnel bring tools to the UAV and use them to remove the UAV maintenance port cover; 3) Maintenance personnel connect the integrated testing vehicle / equipment and the maintenance interface inside the UAV maintenance port cover using a cable of a certain length (several meters); 4) After confirming that the cable connection is correct, maintenance personnel start checking the status of the UAV's electronic equipment by running maintenance software (the software runs on the integrated testing vehicle / equipment); 5) After confirming that the check is correct, maintenance personnel remove and retrieve the cable; 6) Maintenance personnel bring tools and use them to reinstall the maintenance port cover, and confirm that the installation is reliable; 7) After completion, other stages of work are performed. If it is necessary to power on other UAVs for testing, the integrated testing vehicle / equipment is moved to a suitable location, and the same steps are repeated.

[0003] Current unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems perform pre-flight and post-landing power-on checks by removing and installing maintenance access panels and connecting wired cables. This process is repeated when switching between different UAVs. Therefore, the current method is cumbersome, time-consuming, and labor-intensive, hindering rapid inspection and maintenance, and making it difficult to simultaneously inspect and maintain multiple UAVs, severely limiting the flexibility of UAV inspection and maintenance.

[0004] Utility model patent CN203232559U discloses an aircraft wireless maintenance system. This system includes a ground wireless component and an onboard wireless component. Each component consists of a central processing unit (CPU) with an SPI interface and a UART serial port, and a wireless module. The CPU is connected to the wireless module's SPI interface. The CPU of the ground wireless component is connected to a USB socket via a cable, while the onboard wireless component is powered by the aircraft's power supply through an external communication socket. This invention utilizes short-range wireless communication technology, using the ISM common frequency band and GFSK modulation to achieve transparent data transmission. Only one onboard wireless component needs to be installed on the aircraft, and each component is assigned a unique code. Communication with the onboard flight control computer is achieved simply by establishing a connection through code matching, allowing access to parameters from the flight control system or other integrated management data systems. This invention overcomes the drawbacks of relying on cable-based communication for ground maintenance and testing of flight control systems.

[0005] The prior art described above is a wireless connection component and its internal structure, used for wireless connection between a flight control system or other integrated management data system and ground equipment. This system is not suitable for one-to-many application scenarios and is only suitable for one-to-one connections based on the connection of the flight control system or other integrated management data system. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the problems and shortcomings of the existing technologies, this application proposes a wireless maintenance method for UAV onboard equipment. This method uses wireless communication links instead of wired cables, enabling applications where connection is achieved upon power-on and maintenance is performed immediately upon connection. This allows for the simultaneous inspection and maintenance of multiple UAVs by a comprehensive testing device.

[0007] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the technical solution of this application is as follows:

[0008] A method for wireless maintenance of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) onboard equipment includes the following steps:

[0009] Step S1. Install a first wireless device and a second wireless device on the integrated testing equipment and the drone respectively, and communicate with the first wireless device and the second wireless device through a first wireless communication link;

[0010] Step S2. Power on the integrated testing equipment and the drone respectively, and establish a connection between them through the first wireless device and the second wireless device;

[0011] Step S3. The integrated testing equipment and the UAV communicate and receive service data through the first wireless communication link to achieve wireless maintenance of the UAV's onboard equipment;

[0012] Step S4. After the maintenance of the UAV's onboard equipment is completed, the integrated testing equipment disconnects from the UAV, and the UAV equipment returns to a wireless silent state after disconnection.

[0013] Preferably, step S2 specifically includes:

[0014] The integrated testing equipment and the drone are powered on. The first wireless device on the integrated testing equipment is in wireless search mode after being powered on, while the second wireless device on the drone is in wireless silent mode after being powered on.

[0015] The first wireless device searches for the second wireless device within its wireless signal coverage area and broadcasts the search signal to the second wireless device within its wireless signal coverage area through the first wireless communication link at a certain period. After receiving the signal, the second wireless device within its wireless signal coverage area switches from wireless silent state to wireless transceiver state.

[0016] The UAV verifies the information received from the broadcast search signal by the second wireless device. After successful verification, the second wireless device sends a response request to join the first wireless device via the first wireless communication link. The integrated testing equipment completes authentication and authorization based on the signal message received by the first wireless device, and simultaneously allocates wireless resources to the UAV. The integrated testing equipment sends a response request result message to the second wireless device through the first wireless device. After receiving the message, the UAV successfully connects with the integrated testing equipment, and the two can send and receive service data through the first wireless communication link.

[0017] Preferably, step S3 further includes:

[0018] When the underlying layer of the first wireless communication link detects that there is no service data transmission or reception between the integrated detection equipment and the UAV within a certain time period, the two wireless devices send heartbeat packets in their respective transmission time slots at certain time intervals to maintain the first wireless communication link.

[0019] Preferably, the broadcast search signal emitted by the integrated testing device includes the ID of the integrated testing device, the connection authentication password, the key, and maintenance permissions.

[0020] Preferably, the response request signal transmitted by the UAV includes the UAV ID, key comparison result, connection authentication password result, and wireless resource request.

[0021] The beneficial effects of this application are:

[0022] (1) The method of this application can be used to help realize the use scenario of replacing wired cables with wireless links. For example, in the process of power-on inspection before takeoff and power-on inspection after landing in the UAV system, the wireless maintenance connection and control method can reduce the workload of maintenance personnel (disassembling the cover, connecting the cable, disassembling the cable, installing the cover, etc.), reduce the maintenance and inspection preparation process, reduce the investment of maintenance personnel, and save the time of power-on inspection.

[0023] (2) The method of this application can be used to help realize application scenarios where integrated testing equipment can simultaneously inspect and maintain multiple UAVs, such as application scenarios where multiple UAVs or UAV clusters need to be inspected and maintained at the same time. By adopting the wireless maintenance method of this application, multiple UAVs can be inspected and maintained at the same time, which greatly improves the efficiency of inspection and maintenance work, saves inspection and maintenance time, changes the inspection and maintenance method, and reduces the investment of maintenance personnel. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The foregoing and hereinafter detailed description of this application becomes clearer when read in conjunction with the following figures, in which:

[0025] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the method in this application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the establishment of the wireless communication link in this application;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the wireless communication link maintenance and service data transmission and reception of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this application, the following will further illustrate the technical solutions for achieving the inventive objectives of this application through several specific embodiments. It should be noted that the technical solutions claimed in this application include, but are not limited to, the following embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort should fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0029] Current unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems perform pre-flight and post-landing power-on checks by removing and installing maintenance access panels and connecting wired cables. This process is repeated when switching between different UAVs. Therefore, current UAV onboard equipment maintenance methods are cumbersome, time-consuming, and labor-intensive, hindering rapid inspection and maintenance, and making it difficult to simultaneously inspect and maintain multiple UAVs, severely limiting the flexibility of UAV inspection and maintenance.

[0030] Based on this, embodiments of this application propose a wireless maintenance method for UAV onboard equipment. By replacing existing wired cables with wireless communication links, it enables applications where connection is achieved upon power-on and maintenance is performed immediately upon connection. This allows for the simultaneous inspection and maintenance of multiple UAVs by a comprehensive testing vehicle / equipment.

[0031] This embodiment discloses a wireless maintenance method for UAV onboard equipment, as detailed in the appendix of the specification. Figure 1 This method mainly includes the following steps.

[0032] Step S1. First, install a first wireless device and a second wireless device on the integrated testing vehicle / equipment and the drone respectively. The first wireless device is configured to communicate with the second wireless device through the first wireless communication link according to the first wireless communication link protocol. That is, the first wireless device and the second wireless device can communicate with each other through the first wireless communication link to realize data transmission and reception.

[0033] Step S2. Power on the integrated testing equipment and the drone respectively, and establish a connection between them through the first wireless device and the second wireless device.

[0034] In this embodiment, it should be noted that the specific process of establishing a connection between the integrated testing equipment and the UAV is as follows:

[0035] Step S21. Power on both the integrated testing equipment and the drone. After powering on, the first wireless device on the integrated testing equipment is in wireless search mode, and the second wireless device on the drone is in wireless silent mode.

[0036] Step S22. The first wireless device on the integrated testing equipment first searches for the second wireless device within its wireless signal coverage range. It broadcasts a search signal to the second wireless device within its wireless signal coverage range through the first wireless communication link at a certain period. After receiving the signal, the second wireless device within the wireless signal coverage range of the first wireless device switches from wireless silent state to wireless transceiver state.

[0037] In this embodiment, the search signal broadcast by the first wireless device includes information such as the ID of the integrated detection device, connection authentication password, key, and maintenance permissions.

[0038] Step S23. The UAV verifies the information received by the second wireless device from the broadcast search signal. After successful verification, the second wireless device sends a response request to join the first wireless device through the first wireless communication link. The integrated testing device completes authentication and authorization based on the signal message received by the first wireless device, and simultaneously allocates wireless resources to the UAV. The integrated testing device sends a response request result message to the second wireless device through the first wireless device. After the UAV receives the message, the integrated testing device and the UAV are successfully connected, and the two can send and receive service data through the first wireless communication link.

[0039] In this embodiment, it should be noted that the message verified by the drone mainly includes the ID of the integrated testing device, the transmission key, the connection authentication password, and whether the device has maintenance authority. When the drone fails to verify the message, it will not transmit a response signal and will return to the wireless silent state.

[0040] In this embodiment, it should be noted that the ground layer of the first wireless communication link will monitor the resources of the wireless communication link, so that when the UAV transmits the response request to join signal, it is transmitting the signal in the time slot broadcast, thus avoiding signal conflicts.

[0041] In this embodiment, it should also be noted that when the integrated testing device fails to authenticate and authenticate based on the signal message received by the first wireless device, the drone and the integrated testing device will not establish a connection, and the drone will return from the wireless transceiver state to the wireless silent state.

[0042] In this embodiment, the response request signal transmitted by the UAV includes information such as UAV ID, key comparison result, connection authentication password result, and wireless resource request. The integrated detection device completes the final authentication and authorization based on the UAV ID, key comparison result, and connection authentication password result transmitted by the UAV, and completes the wireless resource allocation of the UAV based on the wireless resource request sent by the UAV.

[0043] In this embodiment, the business data between the integrated testing equipment and the UAV mainly includes some indicator parameters of the UAV's onboard equipment, information such as whether the equipment is functioning properly.

[0044] Step S3. The integrated testing equipment and the UAV transmit and receive service data through the first wireless communication link between the two wireless devices to realize wireless maintenance of the UAV's onboard equipment.

[0045] In this embodiment, it should also be noted that the underlying layer of the first wireless communication link will periodically monitor and detect the link. When it is detected that there is no service data transmission or reception between the two wireless devices within a certain time period (i.e., there is no service data transmission or reception between the integrated detection device and the UAV), the two wireless devices will send heartbeat packet messages in their respective transmission time slots at certain time intervals, thereby realizing the maintenance of the first wireless communication link and ensuring the connectivity of the link between the two.

[0046] Step S4. After the maintenance of the UAV's onboard equipment is completed, the integrated testing equipment disconnects from the UAV, and the UAV equipment returns to a wireless silent state after disconnection.

[0047] In this embodiment, it should be noted that after the maintenance of the UAV's onboard equipment is completed, the integrated testing equipment releases the wireless communication link connected to it. This not only allows the UAV to no longer occupy the communication link, enabling other UAVs awaiting maintenance to reconnect and use it at different times, but also reduces the radiation of communication electromagnetic waves.

[0048] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to hinder this application in any way. Any simple modifications or equivalent changes made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this application shall fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for wireless maintenance of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) onboard equipment, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step S1. Install a first wireless device and a second wireless device on the integrated testing equipment and the drone respectively, and communicate with the first wireless device and the second wireless device through a first wireless communication link; Step S2. Power on the integrated testing equipment and the drone respectively, and establish a connection between them through the first wireless device and the second wireless device; Step S3. The integrated testing equipment and the UAV communicate and receive service data through the first wireless communication link to achieve wireless maintenance of the UAV's onboard equipment; Step S4. After the maintenance of the UAV onboard equipment is completed, the integrated testing equipment disconnects from the UAV. After disconnection, the UAV equipment returns to wireless silent state. Step S2 specifically includes: The integrated testing equipment and the drone are powered on. The first wireless device on the integrated testing equipment is in wireless search mode after being powered on, while the second wireless device on the drone is in wireless silent mode after being powered on. The first wireless device searches for the second wireless device within its wireless signal coverage area and broadcasts the search signal to the second wireless device within its wireless signal coverage area through the first wireless communication link at a certain period. After receiving the signal, the second wireless device within its wireless signal coverage area switches from wireless silent state to wireless transceiver state. The UAV verifies the information based on the broadcast search signal received by the second wireless device. After successful verification, the second wireless device sends a response request to join the first wireless device through the first wireless communication link. The integrated testing equipment completes authentication and authorization based on the signal message received by the first wireless device, and simultaneously allocates wireless resources to the UAV. The integrated testing equipment sends a response request result message to the second wireless device through the first wireless device. After receiving the message, the UAV successfully connects with the integrated testing equipment, and the two establish a connection and send and receive service data through the first wireless communication link. Step S3 further includes: When the underlying layer of the first wireless communication link detects that there is no service data transmission between the integrated detection equipment and the UAV within a certain time period, the two wireless devices send heartbeat packets in their respective transmission time slots at certain time intervals to maintain the first wireless communication link. The broadcast search signal emitted by the integrated testing equipment includes the ID of the integrated testing equipment, connection authentication password, key, and maintenance permissions.

2. The wireless maintenance method for UAV onboard equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The response request signal transmitted by the drone includes the drone ID, key comparison result, connection authentication password result, and wireless resource request.

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