Rotor unmanned aerial vehicle remote start-stop and charging system and control method

Abstract

According to the remote start-stop and charging system for the rotor unmanned aerial vehicle and the control method provided by the invention, a module with a networking function and a relay control capability is used as a charging control module of a nest, and the nest is in contact with a port contact of the rotor unmanned aerial vehicle, so that a relay with a time delay function carried on the rotor unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled; switching of a charging mode and a discharging mode of a battery of the unmanned rotorcraft is achieved, starting, stopping and charging of the unmanned rotorcraft can be remotely controlled, and meanwhile, a common model airplane battery at present can be compatible to serve as a main power source of the unmanned rotorcraft; the method has great flexibility and extremely high reliability. According to the invention, the problems of remote start and stop and automatic charging during unmanned normalized deployment of a traditional rotor unmanned aerial vehicle in an indoor application scene are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of robot control technology and relates to a remote control system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, and in particular to a remote start / stop and charging system and control method for a rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of technologies including artificial intelligence, autonomous robots including drones have become an important direction for future development, and have been widely used in fields such as outdoor inspection, security, aerial photography, search and rescue. Limited by battery technology, the battery life of most rotary-wing drones is often short. Therefore, robots such as inspection robots that need to be deployed for a long time and perform tasks frequently often need to have a nest with automatic charging function and the ability to start and stop remotely. Although some big-name manufacturers provide universal automatic nests that support DJI series drones, and many other manufacturers also provide corresponding nests for their own drones, such drones are mostly only suitable for outdoor application scenarios, and the applicable drone models are limited. Therefore, in many application scenarios where drones need to be used indoors, the existing procureable nest systems cannot fully meet the remote start and stop and automatic charging of rotary-wing drones.

[0003] Therefore, designing a system with simple structure, light weight, small size, high reliability, and remote control of the start, stop and charging of rotary-wing UAVs is a necessary condition for solving the large-scale normalized deployment of rotary-wing UAVs in indoor application scenarios, and is an important direction for the development of rotary-wing UAVs.

[0004] Traditional assembled rotor drones all use hot-swappable start and stop, while professional drones including DJI and Dotronics often use smart batteries equipped with power management chips, and usually use a special way of pressing the battery power button to start and stop. Therefore, this requires the machine nest to have a mechanical arm to achieve remote start and stop and charging of the rotor drone, which makes the machine nest complex, bulky and costly.

[0005] Therefore, in the existing rotor UAV control technology, how to solve the problem of remote start and stop and automatic charging of traditional rotor UAVs during unmanned regular deployment in indoor application scenarios is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art mentioned above, the purpose of the present application is to provide a remote start / stop and charging system and control method for a rotary-wing UAV, which is used to solve the problems of remote start / stop and automatic charging of traditional rotary-wing UAVs in the existing rotary-wing UAV control technology when they are deployed in an unmanned and normalized manner in indoor application scenarios.

[0007] In the first aspect, the present application provides a remote start / stop and charging system for a rotorcraft UAV, the system comprising: a machine nest remote control module, which is automatically connected to a remote server, and is used to send a heartbeat command to the remote server after the connection, and receive a rotorcraft UAV start command, stop command and charging command sent by the remote service, and control the rotorcraft UAV according to these commands to achieve connection to a machine nest charging and start port, so that the voltage is switched between VCC and 0; the remote server is used to send control commands to the machine nest remote control module; the control commands include: power-on start, inspection task issuance; a machine nest charging power supply module is connected to the machine nest charging port, and is used to provide the machine nest remote control module and the machine nest charging port with power. Power supply; an input end of a rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is respectively connected to the output end of the machine nest charging and starting port and the output end of the machine nest charging port, so as to realize the switching of battery power supply and charging state on the rotor UAV; the input end of the machine nest charging and starting port is connected to the output end of the machine nest remote control module, so as to control the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay on the rotor UAV, and the internal switch of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is switched by controlling the machine nest charging and starting port to connect VCC and 0 voltage respectively; a rotor UAV power supply port is connected to the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay, so as to continuously power the UAV with the rotor UAV battery.

[0008] In an implementation of the first aspect, the machine nest remote control module adopts an internet-connected programmable relay; the machine nest remote control module can be connected to the remote server through the network, and can control the charging and starting port of the machine nest by receiving control instructions sent by the remote server, thereby realizing remote start and stop and automatic charging control of the rotorcraft UAV.

[0009] In an implementation of the first aspect, the machine nest charging port includes: a machine nest charging VCC port and a machine nest charging ground port; the machine nest charging VCC port is connected to the machine nest charging power module, and is used to provide power VCC voltage input when the rotorcraft UAV and the machine nest are in a charging state; the machine nest charging ground port is connected to the machine nest charging power module, and is used as a common ground port.

[0010] In an implementation of the first aspect, the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay includes: a control grounding port, a control VCC port, a power supply input port, a VCC normally-on port, and a battery charging VCC switching input port; the input end of the control grounding port is connected to the machine nest charging grounding port, and is used to provide grounding for the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay and the battery grounding port; the input end of the control VCC port is connected to the machine nest charging and starting port, and is used to switch the switch position in the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay to realize the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay. The power supply input port is controllably switched with the VCC normally-on port and the battery charging VCC switching input port, thereby realizing the control switching of starting and charging the rotor UAV; the power supply input port is connected with the rotor UAV power supply port, and is used to directly provide power to the UAV through the battery when the rotor UAV is in the starting state; the VCC normally-on port is connected with the rotor UAV power supply VCC port, and is used to provide power input for the UAV; the battery charging VCC switching input port is connected with the machine nest charging VCC port, and is used to provide charging power to the battery when the rotor UAV is in the charging state.

[0011] In an implementation of the first aspect, when the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is powered on, the VCC normally-on port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay remains connected to the power supply input port, and the UAV is battery-powered.

[0012] In an implementation of the first aspect, the rotorcraft UAV charging and starting control relay carried on the rotorcraft UAV can control its internal switching circuit through the machine nest charging and starting port to achieve switching between the rotorcraft UAV power supply port and the machine nest charging port, thereby achieving control of the rotorcraft UAV power-on starting and power-off shutdown charging.

[0013] In an implementation of the first aspect, the rotor UAV power supply port includes: a rotor UAV battery VCC port and a rotor UAV power supply VCC port; the rotor UAV battery VCC port is used to output a power supply voltage when the battery is powered and provide a charging power supply voltage when the battery is charged; the rotor UAV power supply VCC port is connected to the VCC normally-on port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay, and is used to maintain connection with the VCC normally-on port through the power supply input port when the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is not powered on, so as to achieve continuous power supply of the rotor UAV battery to the UAV.

[0014] In an implementation of the first aspect, when the rotorcraft drone lands on the charging position of the machine nest, the machine nest charging and starting port on the machine nest, and the machine nest charging port are respectively connected to the ports in the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay on the rotorcraft drone, and by controlling the voltage of the machine nest charging and starting port, the power circuit switching of the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay of the rotorcraft drone is remotely controlled to achieve remote start and stop and automatic charging of the rotorcraft drone.

[0015] In an implementation of the first aspect, the system also includes: a battery grounding port; the battery grounding port is connected to the output end of the rotorcraft UAV charging and starting control relay, used to provide a grounding terminal for the battery of the rotorcraft UAV, and connected to the nest charging grounding port when the rotorcraft UAV lands.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present application provides a remote start-stop and charging control method for a rotary-wing UAV, the method comprising: a control method for stopping charging and starting the UAV and a control method for stopping the UAV and starting charging; the control method for stopping charging and starting the UAV comprises:

[0017] The remote server sends a power-on start control command for the rotorcraft drone to the machine nest remote control module, and the machine nest remote control module activates the machine nest charging and start port, causing its voltage to drop from the VCC voltage of the machine nest charging power module to 0;

[0018] The control VCC port voltage of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay connected to the charging and starting port of the machine nest will also be 0, and the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay will be powered off. At this time, the power supply input port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is connected to the VCC normally-on port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay instead of being connected to the battery charging VCC switching input port;

[0019] The rotor drone starts to be powered by the battery and starts up;

[0020] The method for stopping the drone and starting charging control comprises the following steps:

[0021] After the rotorcraft drone lands on the machine nest, the machine nest charging and starting port and the machine nest charging port will be connected to the control VCC port of the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay, the control ground port of the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay and the battery charging VCC switching input port respectively;

[0022] Since the charging and starting port of the machine nest is connected to the VCC voltage by default, the charging and starting control relay of the rotorcraft drone starts a 10-second delay;

[0023] After a 10-second delay, the internal power supply of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is switched, the power supply input port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay and the VCC normally-on port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay are disconnected, and the rotor UAV is powered off and stops working; at the same time, it is connected to the battery charging VCC switching input port, and the rotor UAV starts charging.

[0024] As described above, the remote start / stop and charging system and control method of the rotary-wing UAV described in the present application have the following beneficial effects:

[0025] The remote start / stop and charging system for the rotorcraft UAV adopted in the present application utilizes a module with networking function and relay control capability as the charging control module of the machine nest, and utilizes the contact between the machine nest and the port contacts of the rotorcraft UAV to realize the control of the relay with delay function carried on the rotorcraft UAV, thereby realizing the switching of the charging and discharging mode of the rotorcraft UAV battery, thereby realizing remote control of the start / stop and charging of the rotorcraft UAV, and at the same time being compatible with the currently common model aircraft batteries as the main power source for the rotorcraft UAV. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic diagram of the structural framework of the remote start / stop and charging system for the rotary-wing UAV described in an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 2 Shown is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the remote start / stop and charging system for the rotary-wing UAV described in an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Figure 3 Shown is a flow chart of S1 in one embodiment of the remote start / stop and charging control method for a rotary-wing UAV described in an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Figure 4 Shown is a schematic diagram of the control process of starting a drone in one embodiment of the remote start / stop and charging control method for a rotorcraft drone described in an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 5 Shown is a flow chart of S2 in one embodiment of the remote start / stop and charging control method for a rotary-wing UAV described in an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Figure 6 Shown is a schematic diagram of the process of controlling a drone to stop and automatically charge in one embodiment of the remote start / stop and charging control method for a rotary-wing drone described in an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Component number description

[0033] 1. Remote start / stop and charging system for rotary-wing drones

[0034] 11 Machine Nest Remote Control Module

[0035] 12 Remote Server

[0036] 13. Machine Nest Charging Power Module

[0037] 14 Machine Nest Charging and Starting Port

[0038] 15 Machine Nest Charging Port

[0039] 151 Machine Nest charging VCC port

[0040] 152 Machine Nest Charging Ground Port

[0041] 16 Rotor UAV charging and starting control relay

[0042] 161 Control ground port

[0043] 162 Control VCC port

[0044] 163 Power supply input port

[0045] 164 VCC always-on port

[0046] 165 Power charging VCC switching input port

[0047] 17 Rotor UAV power supply port

[0048] 171 Rotor drone battery VCC port

[0049] 172 Rotor UAV power supply VCC port

[0050] 18 Battery ground terminal DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The following describes the embodiments of the present application through specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present application. It should be noted that the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0052] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic illustrations of the basic concept of the present application, and thus the drawings only show components related to the present application rather than being drawn according to the number, shape and size of components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component may be changed at will, and the component layout may also be more complicated.

[0053] The following embodiments of the present application provide a remote start / stop and charging system for a rotorcraft UAV. First, a control module that can be networked and has relay control capability is added to the machine nest part, and a machine nest charging and starting port is led out by the module. After the rotorcraft UAV lands, the machine nest charging and starting port will be connected to the control VCC port of the rotorcraft UAV charging and starting control relay, and at the same time, the rotorcraft UAV battery grounding port is connected to the UAV grounding port and the machine nest charging grounding port. In addition, the battery VCC port on the rotorcraft UAV and the rotorcraft UAV power supply input port are kept in a normally open state through the rotorcraft UAV charging and starting control relay, that is, the rotorcraft UAV remains in a started state. By changing the voltage of the machine nest charging and starting port, the rotorcraft UAV charging and starting control relay can freely switch the connection state between the battery VCC port of the rotorcraft UAV and the rotorcraft UAV power supply input port and the machine nest charging VCC port, thereby realizing the start / stop and power-on of the UAV. At the same time, since the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay has a 10-second delayed power-on function, that is, after the charging and starting port of the machine nest switches the voltage according to the stop / charge command, the rotor UAV will be powered off and stopped after 10 seconds because the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay disconnects the rotor UAV power input port from the battery VCC port. At the same time, the battery VCC port is connected to the machine nest charging VCC port, and the rotor UAV battery starts to charge. This application uses a module with networking function and relay control capability as the charging control module of the machine nest, and uses the contact between the machine nest and the port contacts of the rotor UAV to control the relay with a delay function on the rotor UAV, and realize the switching of the charging and discharging mode of the rotor UAV battery, so as to realize remote control of the start and stop and charging of the rotor UAV, and at the same time, it can be compatible with the currently common model aircraft batteries as the main power source of the rotor UAV; it has great flexibility and extremely high reliability.

[0054] The following will describe in detail the principles and implementation methods of a remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary-wing UAV of this embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can understand the remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary-wing UAV of this embodiment without creative work.

[0055] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 , respectively showing a schematic diagram of the structural framework of the remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary-wing UAV according to an embodiment of the present application and a schematic diagram of the overall structural structure of the remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary-wing UAV according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1As shown, the remote start-stop and charging system 1 for a rotary-wing UAV includes: a machine nest remote control module 11, a machine nest charging power module 13, a machine nest charging and starting port 14, a machine nest charging port 15, a rotary-wing UAV charging and starting control relay 16, a rotary-wing UAV power supply port 17, a battery grounding port 18, and a remote server 12. Among them, the machine nest charging port 15 includes: a machine nest charging VCC port 151 and a machine nest charging grounding port 152; the rotary-wing UAV charging and starting control relay 16 includes: a control grounding port 161, a control VCC port 162, a power supply input port 163, a VCC normally open port 164, and a battery charging VCC switching input port 165; the rotary-wing UAV power supply port 17 includes: a rotary-wing UAV battery VCC port 171 and a rotary-wing UAV power supply VCC port 172.

[0056] The machine nest remote control module 11 is automatically connected to the remote server 12, and is used to send a heartbeat command to the remote server 12 after the connection, and receive the rotor UAV start command, stop command and charging command sent by the remote service, and control the rotor UAV according to these commands to achieve the connection to a machine nest charging and start port 14, so that the voltage is switched between VCC and 0.

[0057] Specifically, the machine nest remote control module 11 is used to connect to the remote server 12 and send a connection status heartbeat packet to it, while receiving the rotor UAV start / stop and charging instructions sent by the remote server 12, and controlling the machine nest charging and start port 14 according to the instructions to switch its voltage between VCC and 0.

[0058] The machine nest remote control module 11 uses a networked programmable relay. The machine nest remote control module 11 can be connected to the remote server 12 through the network, and can control the machine nest charging and starting port 14 by receiving control instructions sent by the remote server 12, thereby realizing remote start and stop and automatic charging control of the rotorcraft drone.

[0059] In this embodiment, the remote server 12 is used to send control instructions to the machine nest remote control module 11. The control instructions include but are not limited to: power-on startup, inspection task issuance, etc.

[0060] The machine nest charging power supply module 13 is connected to the machine nest charging port 15 and is used to provide power to the machine nest remote control module 11 and the machine nest charging port 15 .

[0061] Specifically, the output end of the machine nest charging power supply module 13 is respectively connected to the input ends of the machine nest charging VCC port 151 and the machine nest charging ground port 152, and provides power for the machine nest remote control module 11, the machine nest charging VCC port 151, and the machine nest charging ground port 152.

[0062] The input end of the machine nest charging and starting port 14 is connected to the output end of the machine nest remote control module 11, and is used to control the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 on the rotor UAV. By controlling the machine nest charging and starting port 14 to connect VCC and 0 voltage respectively, the internal switch of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 can be switched.

[0063] Specifically, the machine nest charging and starting port 14 is used to control the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 on the rotor UAV. By controlling the machine nest charging and starting port 14 to connect to VCC or 0 voltage respectively, the internal switch of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 can be switched, thereby realizing the controllable switching of the power supply input port 163 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 and the VCC normally-on port 164 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 and the rotor UAV battery charging VCC switching input port 165.

[0064] The machine nest charging port 15 includes: a machine nest charging VCC port 151 and a machine nest charging ground port 152. The machine nest charging VCC port 151 is connected to the machine nest charging power module 13, and is used to provide power VCC voltage input when the rotor UAV and the machine nest are in a charging state; the machine nest charging ground port 152 is connected to the machine nest charging power module 13, and is used as a common ground port.

[0065] In this embodiment, the nest charging ground port 152 is used to connect the rotor UAV charging and start control relay 16 control ground port 161 and the rotor UAV battery ground port 18, and is a common ground port. The nest charging VCC port 151 is used to connect the rotor UAV battery charging VCC switching input port 165 to provide power supply VCC voltage input when the rotor UAV and the nest are in the charging state.

[0066] The input end of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is respectively connected to the output end of the machine nest charging and starting port 14 and the output end of the machine nest charging port 15, so as to realize the switching of the battery power supply and charging state on the rotor UAV. The rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 includes: a control grounding port 161, a control VCC port 162, a power supply input port 163, a VCC normally open port 164 and a battery charging VCC switching input port 165.

[0067] In this embodiment, the input end of the control grounding port 161 is connected to the machine nest charging grounding port 152 to provide grounding for the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 and the battery grounding port 18 .

[0068] The input end of the control VCC port 162 is connected to the machine nest charging and starting port 14, and is used to switch the switch position in the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16, thereby realizing the controllable switching of the power supply input port 163 and the VCC normally-on port 164 and the battery charging VCC switching input port 165 in the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16, thereby realizing the control switching of the rotor UAV starting and charging.

[0069] The power supply input port 163 is connected to the power supply port 17 of the rotary wing UAV, and is used to directly provide power supply to the UAV through the battery when the rotary wing UAV is in the startup state. When the power supply input port 163 of the rotary wing UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is powered on, the VCC normally open port 164 of the rotary wing UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is connected to the power supply input port 163, and the UAV is powered by the battery.

[0070] The VCC normally-on port 164 is connected to the rotor UAV power supply VCC port 172 to provide power input for the UAV.

[0071] The battery charging VCC switching input port 165 is connected to the nest charging VCC port 151, and is used to provide charging power to the battery when the rotorcraft is in a charging state. The rotorcraft charging and starting control relay 16 carried on the rotorcraft can control its internal switch circuit through the nest charging and starting port 14 to achieve switching between the rotorcraft power supply port 17 and the nest charging port 15, thereby achieving control of the rotorcraft power-on start and power-off shutdown charging.

[0072] At the same time, the delay function of the relay effectively avoids the impact current caused by the broken contact during the landing process, ensuring the smoothness of the power-off shutdown.

[0073] In addition, it should be noted that since the power supply input port 163 of the rotorcraft UAV charging and starting control relay 16 and the VCC normally-on port 164 of the rotorcraft UAV charging and starting control relay 16 remain connected by default, the possible sudden power failure of the UAV due to the cutting off of the control signal is avoided, thereby ensuring the safety of the flight.

[0074] Specifically, the rotorcraft UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is used to realize the switching of battery power supply and charging status on the rotorcraft UAV, and includes a total of 5 ports, namely, the control ground port 161, the control VCC port 162, the power supply input port 163, the VCC normally-on port 164 and the battery charging VCC switching input port 165.

[0075] The control grounding port 161 of the rotary-wing UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is used to provide grounding for the rotary-wing UAV charging and starting control relay 16 and the rotary-wing UAV battery grounding port 18 .

[0076] The rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 controls the VCC port 162, which is used to connect the machine nest charging and starting port 14, to realize the switching of the switch position in the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16, and to realize the controllable switching of the power supply input port 163 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 and the VCC normally-on port 164 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 and the rotor UAV battery charging VCC switching input port 165, thereby realizing the control switching of the rotor UAV starting and charging.

[0077] The power supply input port 163 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is connected to the rotor UAV battery VCC port 171. When the rotor UAV is in the starting state, the battery directly provides power for the UAV.

[0078] The VCC normally-connected port 164 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is used to connect to the rotor UAV power supply VCC port 172 to provide power input for the UAV. When the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is powered on, the VCC normally-connected port 164 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is connected to the power supply input port 163 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16, and the UAV is powered by a battery.

[0079] The rotor UAV battery charging VCC switching input port 165 is used to connect to the machine nest charging VCC port 151 to provide charging power for the battery when the rotor UAV is in a charging state.

[0080] To sum up, when the rotorcraft drone lands on the charging position of the nest, the nest charging and starting port 14 on the nest, and the nest charging port are respectively connected to the ports in the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay 16 on the rotorcraft drone. By controlling the voltage of the nest charging and starting port 14, the power circuit switching of the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay 16 of the rotorcraft drone is realized by remotely controlling the rotorcraft drone, thereby realizing remote start and stop and automatic charging of the rotorcraft drone.

[0081] The rotary-wing UAV power supply port 17 is connected to the rotary-wing UAV charging and starting control relay 16 for continuously supplying power to the UAV from the rotary-wing UAV battery.

[0082] In this embodiment, the rotor UAV power supply port 17 includes: a rotor UAV battery VCC port 171 and a rotor UAV power supply VCC port 172. The rotor UAV battery VCC port 171 is used to output the power supply voltage when the battery is powered and provide the charging power supply voltage when the battery is charged; the rotor UAV power supply VCC port 172 is connected to the VCC normally-on port 164 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16, and is used to maintain connection with the VCC normally-on port 164 through the power supply input port 163 when the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is not powered, so as to realize the continuous power supply of the rotor UAV battery to the UAV.

[0083] Specifically, the rotor drone battery VCC port 171 is used to output a power supply voltage when the battery is powered and provide a charging power supply voltage when the battery is charged. It is connected to the power supply input port 163 of the rotor drone charging and starting control relay 16.

[0084] Specifically, the rotor UAV power supply VCC port 172 is used to connect to the VCC normally-on port 164 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16. When the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is not powered on, the power supply input port 163 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16 is connected to the VCC normally-on port 164 of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16, thereby achieving continuous power supply of the rotor UAV battery to the UAV.

[0085] The system 1 further includes a battery grounding port 18. The battery grounding port 18 is connected to the output end of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay 16, and is used to provide a grounding terminal for the battery of the rotor UAV, and is connected to the nest charging grounding port 152 when the rotor UAV lands.

[0086] Specifically, the rotorcraft drone battery grounding port 18 is used to provide a grounding terminal for the battery of the rotorcraft drone, and is connected to the nest charging grounding port 152 when the rotorcraft drone lands.

[0087] The following is an explanation using the actual deployment of two implemented systems as an example.

[0088] In the actual deployment of this embodiment, a complete communication protocol is used. At the same time, after the deployment of this application is completed, two experimental verifications are carried out at two locations. Please refer to Table 1, Table 2 and Table 3 for the complete standard communication protocol.

[0089] Table 1 Server-side standard communication protocol definition table

[0090]

[0091]

[0092] Table 2 Definition of client standard communication protocol

[0093]

[0094] Table 3 Machine Nest Transmission-Client Sending Image Communication Protocol Definition Table

[0095]

[0096] In the experiment at experimental site 1:

[0097] The rotor drone is placed in the nest and charged by default. The server first sends a power-on command, and the rotor drone completes the power-on. Then the drone sends a heartbeat packet to the server after completing the self-check. The server then sends an inspection task and starts the drone to start the inspection. After completing the inspection, the rotor drone autonomously lands on the nest. After a delay of 10 seconds, the rotor drone automatically powers off and starts charging.

[0098] In this experiment, the performance and status of the rotorcraft UAV and the machine nest were consistent with expectations. The rotorcraft UAV successfully completed the remote control automatic power-on startup, and automatically powered off and charged after completing the mission and landing on the machine nest, verifying the effectiveness of the system and control method proposed in this application.

[0099] In the experiment at experimental site 2:

[0100] The rotor drone is also first placed in the nest for charging by default. After the server sends a power-on command, the rotor drone completes power-on and startup. After the rotor drone completes the self-check, it sends a heartbeat packet to the server. After receiving the heartbeat packet, the server immediately issues an inspection task and starts the drone to start the inspection task. After completing the inspection task, the rotor drone autonomously lands on the nest, automatically powers off after a 10-second delay, and starts charging at the same time.

[0101] In this experiment, the performance and status of the rotorcraft UAV and the machine nest were completely consistent with expectations. The rotorcraft UAV successfully completed the remote control automatic power-on startup, and automatically powered off and charged after the mission was completed and landed on the machine nest, once again verifying the effectiveness of the system and control method proposed in this application.

[0102] From the above, it can be seen that by adopting a remote start-stop and charging system and control method for a rotary-wing UAV of the present application, experimental verification was carried out on two actually deployed inspection robot systems to verify the remote controllable start and charging functions of a remote start-stop and charging system and control method for a rotary-wing UAV of the present application under the conditions of inspection UAV deployment in an indoor environment, proving that a remote start-stop and charging system and control method for a rotary-wing UAV of the present application and its control method have good feasibility, effectiveness and reliability.

[0103] To summarize, the remote start / stop and charging system for the rotorcraft UAV described in the present application first adds a control module that can be networked and has relay control capability to the machine nest part, and a machine nest charging and starting port is led out by the module; after the rotorcraft UAV lands, the machine nest charging and starting port will be connected to the control VCC port of the rotorcraft UAV charging and starting control relay, and at the same time, the rotorcraft UAV battery grounding port is connected to the UAV grounding port and the machine nest charging grounding port; in addition, the battery VCC port on the rotorcraft UAV and the rotorcraft UAV power supply input port are kept in a normally open state through the rotorcraft UAV charging and starting control relay, that is, the rotorcraft UAV remains in a started state; by changing the voltage of the machine nest charging and starting port, the rotorcraft UAV charging and starting control relay can freely switch the connection state between the battery VCC port of the rotorcraft UAV and the rotorcraft UAV power supply input port and the machine nest charging VCC port, thereby realizing the start and stop and power-on of the UAV. At the same time, since the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay has a 10-second delayed power-on function, that is, after the charging and starting port of the machine nest switches the voltage according to the stop / charge command, the rotor UAV will be powered off and stopped after 10 seconds because the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay disconnects the rotor UAV power input port from the battery VCC port. At the same time, the battery VCC port is connected to the machine nest charging VCC port, and the rotor UAV battery starts to charge. This application uses a module with networking function and relay control capability as the charging control module of the machine nest, and uses the contact between the machine nest and the port contacts of the rotor UAV to control the relay with a delay function on the rotor UAV, and realize the switching of the charging and discharging mode of the rotor UAV battery, so as to realize remote control of the start and stop and charging of the rotor UAV, and at the same time, it can be compatible with the currently common model aircraft batteries as the main power source of the rotor UAV; it has great flexibility and extremely high reliability.

[0104] It should be noted that it should be understood that the division of the various modules of the above system is only a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. And these modules can all be implemented in the form of software called by processing elements; they can also be all implemented in the form of hardware; some modules can also be implemented in the form of software called by processing elements, and some modules can be implemented in the form of hardware. For example, the x module can be a separately established processing element, or it can be integrated in a certain chip of the above system for implementation. In addition, it can also be stored in the memory of the above system in the form of program code, and called and executed by a certain processing element of the above system. The implementation of other modules is similar. In addition, these modules can be fully or partially integrated together, or they can be implemented independently. The processing element described here can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method or each module above can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor element or instructions in the form of software.

[0105] The above modules may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), or one or more digital signal processors (DSP), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA). For another example, when a module is implemented in the form of a processing element scheduling program code, the processing element may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processor that can call program code. For another example, these modules may be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0106] See also Figures 2 to 6 .like Figures 2 to 6 As shown, this embodiment provides a method for remote start / stop and charging control of a rotary-wing UAV.

[0107] The remote start / stop and charging control method for a rotary-wing UAV includes: a control method for stopping charging and starting the UAV and a control method for stopping the UAV and starting charging.

[0108] (1) The control method of stopping charging and starting the drone includes the following steps:

[0109] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4, respectively showing a flow chart of S1 in one embodiment of the method for remote start / stop and charging control of a rotary-wing UAV described in an embodiment of the present application and a flow chart of controlling the start of a UAV in one embodiment of the method for remote start / stop and charging control of a rotary-wing UAV described in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the S1 comprises the following steps:

[0110] S11, the remote server sends a power-on start control instruction of the rotorcraft UAV to the machine nest remote control module, and the machine nest remote control module activates the machine nest charging and start port, so that its voltage drops from the VCC voltage of the machine nest charging power module to 0;

[0111] S12, the control VCC port voltage of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay connected to the charging and starting port of the machine nest will also be 0, and the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay will be powered off. At this time, the power supply input port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is changed from being connected to the battery charging VCC switching input port to being connected to the VCC normally-on port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay;

[0112] S13, the rotor drone begins to be powered by the battery and completes the startup.

[0113] At this point, the startup and operation of the rotorcraft drone is completed.

[0114] (ii) The method for stopping the drone and starting charging comprises the following steps:

[0115] See below Figure 5 and Figure 6 , respectively showing a flow chart of S2 in one embodiment of the method for remotely starting and stopping and charging a rotary-wing drone described in an embodiment of the present application and a flow chart of controlling a drone to stop and automatically charge in one embodiment of the method for remotely starting and stopping and charging a rotary-wing drone described in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, S2 comprises the following steps:

[0116] S21, after the rotorcraft drone lands on the machine nest, the machine nest charging and starting port and the machine nest charging port are respectively connected to the control VCC port of the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay, the control ground port of the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay and the battery charging VCC switching input port;

[0117] S22, since the charging and starting port of the machine nest is connected to the VCC voltage by default, the charging and starting control relay of the rotor UAV starts a 10-second delay;

[0118] S23, after a delay of 10 seconds, the internal power supply of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is switched, the power supply input port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay and the VCC normally-on port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay are disconnected, and the rotor UAV is powered off and stops working; at the same time, it is connected to the battery charging VCC switching input port, and the rotor UAV starts charging.

[0119] In this embodiment, after the rotorcraft drone lands on the machine nest, the machine nest charging and starting port, the machine nest charging ground port and the machine nest charging VCC port will be respectively connected to the control VCC port of the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay, the control ground port of the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay and the rotorcraft drone battery charging VCC switching input port.

[0120] Next, since the charging and starting port of the machine nest is connected to the VCC voltage by default, the charging and starting control relay of the rotorcraft drone starts a 10-second delay.

[0121] Finally, after a 10-second delay, the internal power supply of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is switched, and the power supply input port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay and the VCC normally-on port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay are disconnected, and the rotor UAV is powered off and stops working; at the same time, it is connected to the rotor UAV battery charging VCC switching input port, and the rotor UAV starts charging.

[0122] As can be seen from the above, the remote start-stop and charging control method of the rotary-wing UAV described in this application uses a programmable relay module as the remote control module and a high-current delay relay module to realize the ability to remotely control the start and stop of the rotary-wing UAV and automatically start charging at the same time. The system structure is simple, the modification of the rotary-wing UAV is small, the control idea is clear, and it ensures that the control signal input does not need to be maintained when the UAV is powered on, avoiding the situation where the UAV suddenly loses power in the air due to misoperation, and ensuring the flight safety of the system.

[0123] In summary, the remote start / stop and charging system and control method of the rotary-wing UAV provided in this application have the following beneficial effects:

[0124] The remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary-wing UAV provided in the present application utilizes a module with networking function and relay control capability as a charging control module of a machine nest, utilizes the contact between the machine nest and the port contacts of the rotary-wing UAV to realize the control of a relay with a delay function carried on the rotary-wing UAV, and realizes the switching of the charging and discharging modes of the battery of the rotary-wing UAV, thereby realizing remote control of the start / stop and charging of the rotary-wing UAV, and at the same time being compatible with currently common model aircraft batteries as the main power source for the rotary-wing UAV; it has great flexibility and extremely high reliability.

[0125] The descriptions of the processes or structures corresponding to the above-mentioned figures have different emphases. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain process or structure, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other processes or structures.

[0126] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Anyone familiar with the technology may modify or change the above embodiments without violating the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical ideas disclosed in the present application shall still be covered by the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary wing UAV, characterized in that: The system comprises: A machine nest remote control module, which automatically connects to a remote server, is used to send a heartbeat command to the remote server after the connection, and receive a rotor UAV start command, a stop command and a charging command sent by the remote service, and control the rotor UAV according to these commands to achieve the connection to a machine nest charging and start port, so that the voltage is switched between VCC and 0; The remote server is used to send control instructions to the remote control module of the machine nest; the control instructions include: power-on startup and inspection task issuance; A machine nest charging power supply module is connected to the machine nest charging port and is used to provide power for the machine nest remote control module and the machine nest charging port; An input end of a rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay is respectively connected to an output end of the machine nest charging and starting port and an output end of the machine nest charging port, so as to realize the switching of battery power supply and charging state on the rotorcraft drone; The input end of the machine nest charging and starting port is connected to the output end of the machine nest remote control module, and is used to control the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay on the rotor UAV, and the internal switch of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is switched by controlling the machine nest charging and starting port to connect VCC and 0 voltage respectively; A rotor drone power supply port is connected to the rotor drone charging and starting control relay and is used for continuously supplying power to the drone from the rotor drone battery.

2. The remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The machine nest remote control module adopts a networkable programmable relay; The machine nest remote control module can be connected to the remote server via the network, and can control the charging and starting port of the machine nest by receiving control instructions sent by the remote server, thereby realizing remote start and stop and automatic charging control of the rotorcraft UAV.

3. The remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The machine nest charging port includes: a machine nest charging VCC port and a machine nest charging ground port; The machine nest charging VCC port is connected to the machine nest charging power supply module, and is used to provide power supply VCC voltage input when the rotor UAV and the machine nest are in a charging state; The machine nest charging ground port is connected to the machine nest charging power supply module and is used as a common ground port.

4. The remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotor UAV charging and starting control relay includes: a control ground port, a control VCC port, a power supply input port, a VCC normally open port and a battery charging VCC switching input port; The input end of the control grounding port is connected to the nest charging grounding port, and is used to provide grounding for the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay and the battery grounding port; The input end of the control VCC port is connected to the charging and starting port of the machine nest, and is used to switch the switch position in the charging and starting control relay of the rotor UAV, so as to realize the controllable switching of the power supply input port in the charging and starting control relay of the rotor UAV and the VCC normally open port and the battery charging VCC switching input port, thereby realizing the control switching of starting and charging of the rotor UAV; The power supply input port is connected to the power supply port of the rotary-wing UAV, and is used to directly provide power supply to the UAV through the battery when the rotary-wing UAV is started; The VCC normally open port is connected to the power supply VCC port of the rotor UAV, and is used to provide power input for the UAV; The battery charging VCC switching input port is connected to the machine nest charging VCC port, and is used to provide charging power to the battery when the rotorcraft is in a charging state.

5. The remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary wing UAV according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is powered on, the VCC normally-on port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay remains connected to the power supply input port, and the UAV is battery-powered.

6. The remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotor UAV charging and starting control relay carried on the rotor UAV can control its internal switch circuit through the machine nest charging and starting port to realize the switching between the rotor UAV power supply port and the machine nest charging port, thereby realizing the control of the rotor UAV power-on start and power-off shutdown charging.

7. The remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotor UAV power supply port includes: a rotor UAV battery VCC port and a rotor UAV power supply VCC port; The rotor drone battery VCC port is used to output a power supply voltage when the battery is powered, and to provide a charging power supply voltage when the battery is charged; The rotor UAV power supply VCC port is connected to the VCC normally-on port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay, and is used to maintain connection between the power supply input port and the VCC normally-on port when the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is not powered on, so as to achieve continuous power supply of the UAV by the rotor UAV battery.

8. The remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the rotorcraft drone lands on the charging position of the nest, the nest charging and starting port on the nest, and the nest charging port are respectively connected to the ports in the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay on the rotorcraft drone, and by controlling the voltage of the nest charging and starting port, the power circuit switching of the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay of the rotorcraft drone is remotely controlled to realize remote start and stop and automatic charging of the rotorcraft drone.

9. The remote start / stop and charging system for a rotary wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system further comprises: a battery grounding port; The battery grounding port is connected to the output end of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay, and is used to provide a grounding terminal for the battery of the rotor UAV. When the rotor UAV lands, it is connected to the nest charging grounding port.

10. A remote start / stop and charging control method for a rotary wing UAV, characterized in that: The method includes: a control method for stopping charging and starting the drone and a control method for stopping the drone and starting charging; The control method of stopping charging and starting the drone includes: The remote server sends a power-on start control command for the rotorcraft drone to the machine nest remote control module, and the machine nest remote control module activates the machine nest charging and start port, causing its voltage to drop from the VCC voltage of the machine nest charging power module to 0; The control VCC port voltage of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay connected to the charging and starting port of the machine nest will also be 0, and the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay will be powered off. At this time, the power supply input port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is connected to the VCC normally-on port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay instead of being connected to the battery charging VCC switching input port; The rotor drone starts to be powered by the battery and starts up; The method for stopping the drone and starting charging control comprises the following steps: After the rotorcraft drone lands on the machine nest, the machine nest charging and starting port and the machine nest charging port will be connected to the control VCC port of the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay, the control ground port of the rotorcraft drone charging and starting control relay and the battery charging VCC switching input port respectively; Since the charging and starting port of the machine nest is connected to the VCC voltage by default, the charging and starting control relay of the rotorcraft drone starts a 10-second delay; After a 10-second delay, the internal power supply of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay is switched, the power supply input port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay and the VCC normally-on port of the rotor UAV charging and starting control relay are disconnected, and the rotor UAV is powered off and stops working; at the same time, it is connected to the battery charging VCC switching input port, and the rotor UAV starts charging.

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