Small unmanned aircraft electronic system communication architecture for swarm coordination

Abstract

The application provides a small unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system communication architecture facing cluster cooperation, comprising a flight control computer, a satellite receiver, a data link and a remaining computer, wherein the flight control computer, the satellite receiver, the data link and the remaining computer communicate through a time-triggered protocol bus network; the flight control computer is a communication control center in the communication architecture and is used for performing communication control in the system; the satellite receiver is a centralized timing center in the communication architecture and is used for providing a main clock source for each node in the system, so that each node obtains an accurate local clock and time; and the data link is an information exchange center for internal communication of the unmanned aerial vehicle and communication between multiple unmanned aerial vehicles in the communication architecture. The application realizes the functions of real-time information sharing in the unmanned aerial vehicle, between unmanned aerial vehicles, time synchronization of each functional module, high-performance data transmission and flexible power-on sequence of the module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of distributed embedded computing systems and devices for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and specifically to a communication architecture for a small UAV electronic system oriented towards cluster collaboration. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, swarm collaboration among unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is becoming a development trend. Swarm collaboration requires UAVs to share internal information in real time, thereby achieving more precise control, multi-source information fusion, and coordinated guidance and control among multiple UAVs. This necessitates the synchronization of information acquisition and the timeliness of information sharing among UAVs in swarm mode.

[0003] Currently, there are many types of internal buses for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), mainly ARINC429 / RS422 / LVDS / SPI / RS485 / 1553B. Among them, ARINC429 / RS422 / LVDS / SPI adopt single-redundant point-to-point communication, which has problems such as many internal cables, complex system interconnection, low information exchange efficiency, untimely information sharing, and inability to provide system synchronization. Meanwhile, 1553B has problems such as low communication speed, high cost per node, and inability to provide system time synchronization. Furthermore, FC-AE-1553 has problems such as large node size and high cost (requiring a switch), which is not suitable for the small size and low cost requirements of small, low-cost UAV computers.

[0004] Currently, time-triggered communication architectures have become mainstream in control systems. They can rationally and statically allocate available communication resources to each node within the system, eliminating resource sharing conflicts and recovery operations that event-triggered communication protocols must consider, thus improving system determinism and security. Mainstream time-triggered buses include ARINC659, MIL-1394B, TTP, TTE, and TSN. TTE and TSN buses require switches, increasing cost and size. MIL-1394B has long power-on startup and dynamic adaptation times, which cannot meet the rapid payload startup requirements during flight. ARINC659 also suffers from numerous cables, complex interconnections, and high costs. TTP bus-type networks offer dual redundancy, fewer cables, better security support, and low cost, making them suitable for data transmission in networked real-time control systems. Existing TTP protocol chips (such as AS8202B) have been successfully applied in aviation, aerospace, automotive, and industrial fields, but they suffer from low bus speeds (5Mbps in asynchronous mode, 20Mbps in synchronous mode), lack of autonomous control, and inability to synchronize with a single master clock node (such as GPS / BeiDou). Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the embodiments of this application provide a communication architecture for the electronic system of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) oriented towards cluster collaboration, which solves the problems of existing UAVs such as numerous internal bus cables, complex system interconnection, low communication reliability, low information interaction efficiency, untimely information sharing, and lack of support for distributed time synchronization under cluster collaboration, so as to achieve autonomous controllability, low cost, simplification of internal system interconnection of UAVs, and support for distributed time synchronization under cluster collaboration.

[0006] This application provides the following technical solution: a communication architecture for a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) electronic system oriented towards cluster collaboration, comprising: a flight control computer, a satellite receiver, a data link, and other computers, wherein the other computers are the remaining computers in the UAV electronic system other than the flight control computer; the flight control computer, the satellite receiver, the data link, and the other computers communicate through a time-triggered protocol bus network;

[0007] The flight control computer is connected to an external transmitting device and serves as the communication control center in this communication architecture, used for communication control within the system. The satellite receiver serves as the centralized time synchronization center in this communication architecture, used to provide a master clock source for each node in the system, enabling each node to obtain an accurate local clock and time based on the master clock source. The data link serves as the information exchange center for communication within the unmanned aerial vehicle and communication between multiple unmanned aerial vehicles in this communication architecture.

[0008] According to one embodiment of this application, the flight control computer includes a mode control unit for controlling the determination and change of the time-triggered protocol bus network communication mode; it also includes a power-on control unit for controlling the power-on of each node in the system via a power supply.

[0009] According to one embodiment of this application, the data link includes an information transceiver unit and a processing unit. The information transceiver unit is used to automatically collect sensor information from various devices inside the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) through the time-triggered protocol bus network. The processing unit is used to encrypt the information and upload the encrypted information to an external platform by the information transceiver unit. The information transceiver unit is also used to automatically collect downlink information from the external platform through the time-triggered protocol bus network, decrypt the downlink information by the processing unit, and directly broadcast the information to various devices inside the UAV.

[0010] According to one embodiment of this application, the control protocol of the time-triggered protocol bus network is implemented using FPGA IP.

[0011] According to one embodiment of this application, the time-triggered protocol bus network supports no more than 32 network nodes, and Cat-5e cables are used for signal transmission between nodes. A 100Ω terminating resistor is arranged at the end of each bus, and the bus speed is no less than 50Mbps.

[0012] According to one embodiment of this application, the encoding / decoding layer in the time-triggered protocol bus network protocol is implemented using differential Manchester encoding / Manchester II.

[0013] According to one embodiment of this application, the bus driver of the time-triggered protocol bus network is implemented using two types of M-LVDS drivers with glitch-free power-on / shutdown functions, and the driver switching rate is not less than 200Mbps (100MHz).

[0014] The present invention provides a communication architecture for a small unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system oriented towards swarm collaboration, the advantages of which are:

[0015] 1. This architecture can effectively support time synchronization and information sharing within and between unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a cluster-based collaborative environment, shortening information transmission paths, simplifying system interconnection, and reducing system costs;

[0016] 2. High-speed and reliable information transmission of the internal bus of the unmanned aerial vehicle is achieved by adopting dual redundant bus, differential Manchester encoding and high-speed M-LVDS receiver;

[0017] 3. The M-LVDS driver, which adopts flight control-centric power control and glitch-free power-on, supports flexible power-on sequence of payloads and is suitable for various types of unmanned aerial vehicles, making it highly versatile. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a communication architecture diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system for cluster collaboration, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a general bus architecture communication architecture diagram in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a simplified bus architecture communication architecture diagram in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4This is a system architecture diagram of a bus communication node in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, providing a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] In the communication architecture of the electronic system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) proposed in this invention, devices within and between UAVs can share data conveniently and in real time, and time synchronization can be performed between devices within and between UAVs. The invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment of the invention provides a communication architecture for a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) electronic system oriented towards cluster collaboration, including: a flight control computer, a satellite receiver, a data link, and other computers, wherein the other computers are the remaining computers in the UAV electronic system other than the flight control computer; the flight control computer, the satellite receiver, the data link, and the other computers communicate through a Time Triggered Protocol (TTP) bus network;

[0027] The flight control computer is connected to an external transmitting device and serves as the communication control center in this communication architecture, used for communication control within the system. The satellite receiver (GPS / BeiDou) serves as the centralized time synchronization center in this communication architecture, used to provide a master clock source for each node in the system, enabling each node to obtain an accurate local clock and time based on this master clock source. The data link serves as the information exchange center for internal communication within the unmanned aerial vehicle and communication between multiple unmanned aerial vehicles in this communication architecture.

[0028] The flight control computer node is directly connected to the external transmitter via buses such as 1553B / FC-AE-1553, and the data link supports wireless network communication between unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0029] In practical applications, the time-triggered communication architecture of this invention is divided into two types: a general version and a simplified version. The general version (suitable for medium- and long-range unmanned aerial vehicles) includes connected devices such as payloads, flight control computers, satellite receivers, data links, inertial navigation systems, and servo motors. Figure 2 As shown. In the general communication architecture, the payload is not operational when on standby, but is powered on and operational within a designated area. The simplified communication architecture (suitable for short-range unmanned aerial vehicles) reduces the number of nodes, such as satellite receivers, compared to the general architecture. Figure 3 As shown.

[0030] In this embodiment of the invention, the flight control computer includes a mode control unit for controlling the determination and change of the time-triggered protocol bus network communication mode; it also includes a power-on control unit for controlling the power-on of each node in the system via a power supply.

[0031] Specifically, the aforementioned flight control computer is the communication control center in the communication architecture. It is responsible for communicating with all subsystems inside the unmanned aerial vehicle, determining and changing the TTP bus network communication mode, and controlling the power-on of other nodes through the power supply. Other nodes are connected to the onboard TTP bus network through the TTP bus interface. After power-on, they complete system synchronization and automatic data transmission and reception according to the TTP bus working mode (cluster cycle, TDMA cycle, Slot) set by the flight control computer.

[0032] According to one embodiment of this application, the data link includes an information transceiver unit and a processing unit. The information transceiver unit is used to automatically collect sensor information from various devices inside the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) through the time-triggered protocol bus network. The processing unit is used to encrypt the information and upload the encrypted information to an external platform by the information transceiver unit. The information transceiver unit is also used to automatically collect downlink information from the external platform through the time-triggered protocol bus network, decrypt the downlink information by the processing unit, and directly broadcast the information to various devices inside the UAV.

[0033] In this embodiment, the aforementioned data link serves as an information exchange node for communication within and between unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the communication architecture. It automatically acquires communication data from other devices within the UAV via the TTP bus, extracts key information necessary for inter-UAV collaboration (such as the UAV's own attitude, speed, acceleration, and angular velocity, and the target's location and speed), encrypts the information, and wirelessly transmits it to other UAVs. Simultaneously, the data link node, according to the SLOT slots allocated in the MEDL table, periodically and automatically collects information transmitted from other UAVs via the wireless network, decrypts it, and broadcasts it to each device within the UAV via the TTP bus network.

[0034] In this embodiment, the satellite receiver serves as the centralized time synchronization center in the communication architecture (its internal clock has the highest accuracy). Each node obtains its precise local clock and time via the TTP bus using the satellite receiver (GPS / BeiDou) as the master clock source. In the simplified communication architecture, as follows... Figure 3 As shown, there is no satellite receiver node. The flight control computer (whose internal clock has the highest accuracy) is used as the master clock node, the seeker, inertial navigation node, and servo node are used as backup master clock nodes, and the remaining nodes are used as slave time nodes to participate in the distributed clock synchronization of the time triggering protocol.

[0035] The aforementioned inertial navigation nodes are slave devices for onboard communication. They periodically start collecting and processing information from gyroscopes, accelerometers, etc., according to a set timing cycle, and periodically broadcast the inertial measurement information to other nodes via the bus according to the SLOT slots allocated in the MEDL table.

[0036] like Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment of the invention, the control protocol of the time-triggered protocol bus network is implemented using FPGA IP, which can be deeply embedded in each computing node, supports no more than 32 network nodes, has dual redundancy, uses Cat-5e cables for signal transmission between nodes, and arranges a 100Ω terminating resistor at the end of each bus, with a bus speed of no less than 50Mbps.

[0037] In this embodiment, the encoding / decoding layer of the TTP bus-type network protocol is implemented using differential Manchester encoding / Manchester II. At a communication rate of 100Mbps, the encoding clock frequency is 200MHz, and the decoding clock frequency is 400MHz.

[0038] The TTP bus network uses a Class II M-LVDS driver with glitch-free power-on / shutdown functionality, and the driver switching rate is no less than 200 Mbps (100 MHz). In this embodiment, Analog Devices' ADN4697E multipoint LVDS transceiver chip is selected as the M-LVDS interface driver. The DE signal input terminal (driver enable pin) of the ADN4697E chip is pulled down by a resistor to ensure that the signal is low during power-on. The resistor value is selected as 1KΩ, and the signal level is ≤0.8V during power-on. The TTP bus network in this embodiment can effectively improve the transmission rate and support dynamic load power-on.

[0039] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication architecture for a small unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system oriented towards swarm collaboration, characterized in that, include: The system includes a flight control computer, a satellite receiver, a data link, and other computers, wherein the other computers are the remaining computers in the unmanned aerial vehicle's electronic system besides the flight control computer; the flight control computer, the satellite receiver, the data link, and the other computers communicate via a time-triggered protocol bus network. The flight control computer is connected to an external transmitting device and serves as the communication control center in this communication architecture, used for communication control within the system. The satellite receiver serves as the centralized time synchronization center in this communication architecture, used to provide a master clock source for each node in the system, enabling each node to obtain an accurate local clock and time based on the master clock source. The data link serves as the information exchange center for communication within the unmanned aerial vehicle and communication between multiple unmanned aerial vehicles in this communication architecture. The data link includes an information transceiver unit and a processing unit. The information transceiver unit is used to automatically collect sensor information from various devices inside the UAV through the time-triggered protocol bus network. The processing unit is used to encrypt the information and then upload the encrypted information to an external platform. The information transceiver unit is also used to automatically collect downlink information from the external platform through the time-triggered protocol bus network, decrypt the downlink information through the processing unit, and then directly broadcast the information to various devices inside the UAV.

2. The communication architecture of a small unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system for swarm collaboration as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The flight control computer includes a mode control unit for controlling the determination and change of the time-triggered protocol bus network communication mode; it also includes a power-on control unit for controlling the power-on of each node in the system via a power supply.

3. The communication architecture of a small unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system for swarm collaboration as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control protocol of the time-triggered protocol bus network is implemented using FPGA IP.

4. The communication architecture of a small unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system for swarm collaboration as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The time-triggered protocol bus network supports no more than 32 network nodes. Cat-5e cables are used for signal transmission between nodes. A 100Ω terminating resistor is placed at the end of each bus. The bus speed is no less than 50Mbps.

5. The communication architecture of a small unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system for swarm collaboration as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The encoding / decoding layer in the time-triggered bus network protocol is implemented using differential Manchester encoding / Manchester II.

6. The communication architecture of a small unmanned aerial vehicle electronic system for swarm collaboration as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The bus driver of the time-triggered protocol bus network is implemented using two types of M-LVDS drivers with glitch-free power-on / shutdown functions, and the driver switching rate is not less than 200Mbps.

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