Method and system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and a system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned equipment, which are applied to the technical field of unmanned communication, and comprise a storage and forwarding module, a first communication module connected with a first serial port communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, and a second communication module connected with a second serial port communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, the first communication module is connected with the second serial port communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, and the third communication module is connected with the third serial port communication interface of the storage and forwarding module. The data storage and communication link extension module which is low in cost and convenient to use is adopted, and data storage and communication link extension are simplified.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The application number of the original application is 202011581599.4, the application date is December 28, 2020, and the name of the invention is "A communication link redundancy and data storage device and method for unmanned driving equipment." Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of unmanned driving communication technology, and more specifically, to a method and system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment. Background Art

[0003] When unmanned ships and drones realize automatic driving, it is necessary to establish a reliable communication link between the automatic driving equipment on the unmanned ship (drone) and the ground monitoring station. The autopilot sends the navigation status information of the unmanned ship (drone) to the ground monitoring station at regular intervals, and the ground monitoring station sends control commands and planned routes to the autopilot, so that the unmanned ship (drone) can navigate according to the commands and routes given by the ground monitoring station. Even in the autonomous navigation system to be developed in the future, although the automatic driving equipment of the unmanned ship (drone) can make autonomous decisions and set the navigation route according to the pre-set tasks and surrounding environment, it is also necessary to establish a reliable communication link with the ground monitoring station to transmit the mission data.

[0004] At present, the most common communication link between the autopilot equipment and the ground monitoring station is the use of open frequency band digital radio. Its advantages are free use and its communication distance can meet the general regional operations. In some long-distance navigation (flight) missions, communication links such as 4G radio or Beidou short message can be used. The characteristics of these communication links are long communication distance, but there is a usage fee.

[0005] Normally, the autopilot can achieve reliable communication connection by connecting to a data transmission radio. However, considering the communication distance, the impact of the equipment's surrounding environment on communication, and the communication reliability of a single data transmission radio, communication on a single communication link may be intermittent or interrupted. Therefore, in the case of high-reliability communication, redundant processing of the communication link is required. The general redundant processing method is to add communication links between the autopilot and the ground station, such as 4G communication links, Beidou short message links, etc.

[0006] Existing data storage and link redundancy methods have the following main problems:

[0007] When implementing data storage and increasing communication redundancy within the autopilot and ground station software, it is necessary to add implementation code, which increases the complexity of the software and is prone to cause software abnormalities; when adding storage devices and redundant communication devices externally, the hardware resources of the autopilot and ground station will also be occupied; when adding serial port storage devices and redundant communication modules externally at the same time, the wiring is not simple enough.

[0008] Therefore, providing a low-cost, easy-to-use data storage and communication link expansion module and simplifying the method of data storage and communication link expansion are problems that technicians in this field urgently need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0009] In view of this, the present invention provides a method and system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0011] An unmanned driving equipment communication link redundancy and data storage device, comprising:

[0012] A storage and forwarding module, used for storing and forwarding received data;

[0013] A first communication module, connected to the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, for sending driving status data of the unmanned driving device, and receiving control commands and driving route data;

[0014] A second communication module, connected to the second serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, for receiving the driving state data, sending the control command and the driving route data;

[0015] The third communication module is connected to the third serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module and is used to implement link redundancy of the storage and forwarding module.

[0016] Preferably, the storage and forwarding module comprises: a micro control unit and a data storage unit;

[0017] The micro control unit is used to receive the driving status data and send control commands and driving route data, and store the received driving status data in the data storage unit.

[0018] Preferably, the micro control unit is provided with: a first serial port communication interface of the micro control unit, a second serial port communication interface of the micro control unit and a third serial port communication interface of the micro control unit.

[0019] Preferably, the first communication module is provided with: a first communication module transmitting end, a first communication module receiving end and a first communication module grounding end;

[0020] The second communication module is provided with: a second communication module transmitting end, a second communication module receiving end, and a second communication module grounding end;

[0021] The third communication module is provided with: a third communication module transmitting end, a third communication module receiving end and a third communication module grounding end;

[0022] The first serial communication interface, the second serial communication interface and the third serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding device module are all provided with a receiving end, a transmitting end and a grounding end.

[0023] Preferably, the first serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the transmitting end of the first communication module through the receiving end of the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module; the first serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the receiving end of the second communication module through the transmitting end of the second serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module;

[0024] The second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the receiving end of the first communication module through the transmitting end of the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module; the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the transmitting end of the second communication module through the receiving end of the second serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module;

[0025] The third serial communication interface of the micro control unit is connected to the third communication module through the third serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module.

[0026] Preferably, the second serial port communication interface of the micro control unit is provided with: a second serial port communication interface receiving end of the micro control unit and a second serial port communication interface sending end of the micro control unit.

[0027] Preferably, a switching switch is connected between the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit and the transmitting end of the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, the receiving end of the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the normally closed pin of the switching switch, and the transmitting end of the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the normally open pin of the switching switch.

[0028] Preferably, the third communication module is one or more of 4G communication and Beidou communication.

[0029] A method for communication link redundancy and data storage of unmanned driving equipment, comprising the following steps:

[0030] S1. Configure device parameters to enable the device to store communication data and identify communication data;

[0031] S2, the microcontroller unit determines the communication of the first serial communication interface. If the microcontroller unit receives data sent by the first communication module, the process proceeds to step S3; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S4;

[0032] S3, the micro control unit forwards the received data through the third communication module via the third serial communication interface of the micro control unit, and stores the data in the data storage unit after adding a time stamp;

[0033] S4, the microcontroller unit determines the communication of the second serial communication interface. If the microcontroller unit receives data sent by the second communication module, the process proceeds to step S5; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S6;

[0034] S5, the micro control unit adds a time stamp to the received data and stores it in the data storage unit;

[0035] S6, the microcontroller unit determines the communication of the third serial communication interface. If the microcontroller unit receives data sent by the third communication module, the process proceeds to step S7; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S2;

[0036] S7, confirming the data receiving result of the second serial communication interface of the micro control unit and the third serial communication interface of the micro control unit;

[0037] S8, if the third serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit receives data, but the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit does not receive data, then proceed to step S9; otherwise, proceed to step S2;

[0038] S9, the microcontroller unit controls the switch to send the data received by the third serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit to the first communication module, stores the data in the data storage unit, and issues a communication channel switching instruction;

[0039] S10, the switch is reset, and the second communication module is used as the main communication object.

[0040] Preferably, in step S1, the configured parameters include one or more of a communication baud rate, a data start mark, a data end mark, a data length bit, and a data check bit.

[0041] It can be seen from the above technical solution that compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a method and system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment. The low-cost and easy-to-use data storage and communication link expansion module of the present invention simplifies data storage and communication link expansion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying creative work.

[0043] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the communication link redundancy and data storage device of the unmanned driving equipment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the storage and forwarding module of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 3 It is a connection diagram of communication link redundancy and data storage device of unmanned driving equipment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 4 The internal structure diagram of the storage and forwarding module structure of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 5 This is a flow chart of the communication link redundancy and data storage method for unmanned driving equipment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0049] Example 1

[0050] See attached Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment discloses an unmanned driving equipment communication link redundancy and data storage device, including:

[0051] A storage and forwarding module, used for storing and forwarding received data;

[0052] A first communication module, connected to the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, for sending driving status data of the unmanned driving device, and receiving control commands and driving route data;

[0053] A second communication module, connected to the second serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, for receiving driving status data, sending control commands and driving route data;

[0054] The third communication module is connected to the third serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module and is used to achieve link redundancy of the storage and forwarding module.

[0055] In a specific embodiment, referring to the attached Figure 2 As shown, a storage and forwarding module is disclosed, comprising: a micro control unit and a data storage unit;

[0056] The micro control unit is used for receiving driving status data and sending control commands and driving route data, and storing the received driving status data in the data storage unit.

[0057] In a specific embodiment, referring to the attached Figure 3The micro control unit disclosed in the figure is provided with: a first serial port communication interface of the micro control unit, a second serial port communication interface of the micro control unit and a third serial port communication interface of the micro control unit.

[0058] In a specific embodiment, referring to the attached Figure 3 The disclosure shown is:

[0059] The first communication module is provided with: a first communication module transmitting end, a first communication module receiving end and a first communication module grounding end;

[0060] The second communication module is provided with: a second communication module transmitting end, a second communication module receiving end, and a second communication module grounding end;

[0061] The third communication module is provided with: a third communication module transmitting end, a third communication module receiving end and a third communication module grounding end;

[0062] The first serial communication interface, the second serial communication interface and the third serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding device module are all provided with a receiving end, a transmitting end and a grounding end.

[0063] In a specific embodiment, referring to the attached Figure 4 As shown, it is disclosed that the first serial communication interface of the micro control unit is connected to the sending end of the first communication module through the receiving end of the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module; the first serial communication interface of the micro control unit is connected to the receiving end of the second communication module through the sending end of the second serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module;

[0064] The second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the receiving end of the first communication module through the transmitting end of the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module; the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the transmitting end of the second communication module through the receiving end of the second serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module;

[0065] The third serial communication interface of the micro control unit is connected to the third communication module through the third serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module.

[0066] In a specific embodiment, the second serial port communication interface of the micro control unit is provided with: a second serial port communication interface receiving end of the micro control unit and a second serial port communication interface sending end of the micro control unit.

[0067] In a specific embodiment, a switching switch is connected between the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit and the transmitting end of the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, the receiving end of the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the normally closed pin of the switching switch, and the transmitting end of the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the normally open pin of the switching switch.

[0068] In another specific embodiment, the first communication module is an autopilot or a ground station, the second communication module is a receiving station, and the third communication module is other communication modes such as 4G communication and Beidou communication.

[0069] Take the installation on the autopilot side as an example, refer to the attached Figure 4 As shown,

[0070] The device includes a microcontroller (such as a single-chip microcomputer) inside, which contains three serial communication interfaces, which are connected as shown in the figure (the level conversion chip is omitted in the wiring diagram). The RX of serial port 1 (UART1) is connected to the transmitter of the autopilot, which is used to store the data sent by the autopilot to the radio; the RX of serial port 2 (UART2) is connected to the transmitter of the radio, which is used to store the data sent by the digital radio to the autopilot. The data received by these two serial ports will be saved in the storage module to realize real-time communication data storage.

[0071] At the same time, the transmitting end (TX) of the serial port 2 of the MCU is connected to the normally open (NO) pin of the switch, the transmitting end of the digital radio is connected to the normally closed (NC) pin of the switch, and the receiving end of the autopilot is connected to the common end (COM) of the switch. The MCU can control the switch action to select whether to transmit the data received by the digital radio to the autopilot or to transmit the data received by the 4G module to the autopilot. Under normal circumstances, the switch is in the normally closed state, that is, the data of the digital radio is the valid communication data by default. When the digital radio has not received data for a long time, but the 4G module can receive communication data, it is considered that the communication of the digital radio is abnormal, and the switch can be controlled to transmit the data of the 4G module to the autopilot.

[0072] Before using the device normally, you need to configure its parameters so that the device can store communication data and identify normal communication messages. The configured parameters include: communication baud rate, message start flag, end flag, message length bit, message check bit light and other information. After determining the above information, this module can normally receive the communication data between the autopilot and the data transmission radio, and can identify the message, so that the message can be effectively compared and forwarded.

[0073] Example 2

[0074] See attached Figure 5 As shown, this embodiment discloses a method for communication link redundancy and data storage of an unmanned driving device, comprising the following steps:

[0075] S1. Configure device parameters to enable the device to store communication data and identify communication data;

[0076] S2, the microcontroller unit first serial communication interface UART1_RX communication judgment, if the data RX1 sent by the first communication module is received, then go to step S3; otherwise, go to step S4;

[0077] S3, the micro control unit forwards the received data through the third communication module via the third serial communication interface UART3_RX of the micro control unit, and stores the data in the data storage unit after adding a time stamp to the data;

[0078] S4, the microcontroller unit determines the communication of the second serial communication interface UART2_RX. If the data RX2 sent by the second communication module is received, the process proceeds to step S5; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S6;

[0079] S5, the micro control unit adds a time stamp to the received data and stores it in the data storage unit;

[0080] S6, the microcontroller unit determines the communication of the third serial communication interface UART3_RX. If the data RX3 sent by the third communication module is received, the process proceeds to step S7; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S2;

[0081] S7, confirming the data receiving result of the second serial communication interface UART2_RX of the micro control unit and the third serial communication interface UART3_RX of the micro control unit;

[0082] S8, if the third serial communication interface UART3_RX of the microcontroller unit receives the data RX3, and the second serial communication interface UART2_RX of the microcontroller unit does not receive the data, then proceed to step S9; otherwise, proceed to step S2;

[0083] S9, the microcontroller controls the switch to send the data RX3 received by the third serial communication interface UART3_RX of the microcontroller to the first communication module, stores the data in the data storage unit, and issues a communication channel switching instruction;

[0084] S10, the switch is reset, and the second communication module is used as the main communication object.

[0085] In a specific embodiment, in step S1, the configured parameters include one or more of a communication baud rate, a data start mark, a data end mark, a data length bit, and a data check bit.

[0086] In a specific embodiment, the microcontroller controls the action of the switching switch to select whether to transmit the data received by the second communication module to the first communication module, or to transmit the data received by the third communication module to the first communication module. Under normal circumstances, the switching switch is in a normally closed state, that is, the data of the second communication module is assumed to be valid communication data. When the second communication module has not received data for a long time, and the third communication module can receive communication data, it is considered that the communication of the second communication module is abnormal, and the switching switch can be controlled so that the data of the 4G module is transmitted to the autopilot.

[0087] In a specific embodiment, the specific content of step S7 is:

[0088] The judgment method for the part of "judging whether the data received by the third serial port communication interface UART3_RX of the microcontroller unit within a certain time range is also received by the second serial port communication interface UART2_RX of the microcontroller unit" is as follows:

[0089] Whether the frequency of receiving data by the second communication module (i.e., the communication module connected to the second serial communication interface UART2_RX of the microcontroller unit) is greater than a set threshold (the threshold can be set, and this description sets it to 1 data per second);

[0090] If the frequency is greater than the threshold, it is considered that the communication of the second communication module is reliable, and the data received by the third communication module (i.e., the module connected to the third serial communication interface UART3_RX of the microcontroller unit) is not processed, and only the communication data of the second communication module is used;

[0091] If the frequency is less than the threshold, and the second communication module does not receive data within the range exceeding the time threshold (the time threshold calculated according to the frequency threshold, the frequency threshold used here is 1 data per second, that is, the period is 1 second, then the time threshold can be set to 2 times the period, that is, 2 seconds), but the third communication module receives new data and the data is valid, then it is considered that the data of the second communication module is lost, that is: within a certain time range, the data received by the third serial port communication interface UART3_RX of the micro control unit is not received by the second serial port communication interface UART2_RX of the micro control unit.

[0092] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is provided in a progressive manner to enable those skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment, characterized in that: The steps include: S1. Configure device parameters to enable the device to store communication data and identify communication data; S2, the microcontroller unit first serial communication interface UART1_RX communication judgment, if the data RX1 sent by the first communication module is received, then go to step S3; otherwise, go to step S4; S3, the micro control unit forwards the received data through the third communication module via the third serial communication interface UART3_RX of the micro control unit, and stores the data in the data storage unit after adding a time stamp to the data; S4, the microcontroller unit determines the communication of the second serial communication interface UART2_RX. If the data RX2 sent by the second communication module is received, the process proceeds to step S5; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S6; S5, the micro control unit adds a time stamp to the received data and stores it in the data storage unit; S6, the microcontroller unit determines the communication of the third serial communication interface UART3_RX. If the data RX3 sent by the third communication module is received, the process proceeds to step S7; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S2; S7, confirming the data receiving result of the second serial communication interface UART2_RX of the micro control unit and the third serial communication interface UART3_RX of the micro control unit; S8, if the third serial communication interface UART3_RX of the micro control unit receives the data RX3, and the second serial communication interface UART2_RX of the micro control unit does not receive the data, then proceed to step S9; Otherwise, go to step S2; S9, the microcontroller controls the switch to send the data RX3 received by the third serial communication interface UART3_RX of the microcontroller to the first communication module, stores the data in the data storage unit, and issues a communication channel switching instruction; S10, the switch is reset, and the second communication module is used as the main communication object.

2. The method for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S1, the configured parameters include one or more of a communication baud rate, a data start mark, a data end mark, a data length bit, and a data correction bit.

3. The method for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific content of step S7 is: determine whether the data received by the third serial port communication interface UART3_RX of the micro control unit is also received by the second serial port communication interface UART2_RX of the micro control unit within a certain time range; the determination method is as follows: Determine whether the frequency of receiving data by the second communication module is greater than a set threshold; If the frequency is greater than the threshold, it is considered that the communication of the second communication module is reliable, and the data received by the third communication module is not processed, and only the communication data of the second communication module is used; If the frequency is less than the threshold and exceeds the time threshold range, the second communication module has not received data but the third communication module has received new data and the data is valid, then it is considered that the data of the second communication module is lost, that is: within a certain time range, the data received by the third serial port communication interface UART3_RX of the microcontroller unit is not received by the second serial port communication interface UART2_RX of the microcontroller unit.

4. A system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment, used to implement the method for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: include: A storage and forwarding module, used for storing and forwarding received data; The first serial communication interface, the second serial communication interface and the third serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module are all provided with a receiving end, a transmitting end and a grounding end; A first communication module, connected to the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, for sending driving status data of the unmanned driving device, and receiving control commands and driving route data; A second communication module, connected to the second serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, for receiving driving status data, sending control commands and driving route data; The third communication module is connected to the third serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module and is used to achieve link redundancy of the storage and forwarding module.

5. A system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The store and forward module includes: a micro control unit and a data storage unit; The micro control unit is used for receiving driving status data and sending control commands and driving route data, and storing the received driving status data in the data storage unit.

6. The system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first communication module is provided with: a first communication module transmitting end, a first communication module receiving end and a first communication module grounding end; The second communication module is provided with: a second communication module transmitting end, a second communication module receiving end, and a second communication module grounding end; The third communication module is provided with: a third communication module sending end, a third communication module receiving end and a third communication module grounding end.

7. A system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: The micro control unit is provided with: a first serial communication interface of the micro control unit, a second serial communication interface of the micro control unit and a third serial communication interface of the micro control unit; The first serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the transmitting end of the first communication module through the receiving end of the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module; the first serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the receiving end of the second communication module through the transmitting end of the second serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module; The second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the receiving end of the first communication module through the transmitting end of the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module; the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the transmitting end of the second communication module through the receiving end of the second serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module; The third serial communication interface of the micro control unit is connected to the third communication module through the third serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module.

8. The system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The second serial port communication interface of the micro control unit is provided with: a second serial port communication interface receiving end of the micro control unit and a second serial port communication interface sending end of the micro control unit.

9. A system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: A switching switch is connected between the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit and the transmitting end of the first serial communication interface of the storage and forwarding module, the receiving end of the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the normally closed pin of the switching switch, and the transmitting end of the second serial communication interface of the microcontroller unit is connected to the normally open pin of the switching switch.

10. A system for data storage and communication link redundancy of unmanned driving equipment according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that: The first communication module is an autopilot or a ground station, the second communication module is a receiving station, and the third communication module is one or more of 4G communication and Beidou communication.

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