Unmanned aerial vehicle data transmission system

Abstract

The invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle data transmission system comprising a plurality of fixed signal stations used for sending and receiving wireless signals so as to establish communication connection with an unmanned aerial vehicle, and each fixed signal station is in wired communication connection with at least one other fixed signal station so as to form an ad hoc network data link; and a plurality of fixed control stations, each fixed control station is connected to the ad hoc network data chain, and the fixed control stations send control instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle through the fixed control stations of the ad hoc network data chain and receive sensing data returned by the unmanned aerial vehicle. According to the method, the data link coverage range of the unmanned aerial vehicle is expanded, comprehensive signal coverage can be realized in various terrains and environments theoretically, the task execution capability and the working flexibility of the unmanned aerial vehicle are remarkably improved, and meanwhile, the efficiency loss caused by limitation of traditional point-to-point communication is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of aviation technology, and in particular to a data transmission system for unmanned aerial vehicles. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing UAVs have developed rapidly and are playing an increasingly important role in aerial photography, surveying and mapping, power inspection, agricultural plant protection, logistics and transportation, disaster relief and other fields. With the increasing number of application scenarios of fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing UAVs, the terrain environment of flight has the greatest impact on the link system of the UAV, and in severe cases, the UAV will lose the signal. However, since some application scenarios require UAVs to perform long-distance flight operations, the UAVs are unable to complete long-distance tasks due to the limitations of data link transmission distance and terrain obstruction. Therefore, there is room for improvement. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a UAV data transmission system for solving the technical problem in the prior art that UAVs are unable to perform long-distance flight operations due to limitations in signal transmission distance and terrain obstruction.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives and other related objectives, the present invention provides a drone data transmission system, comprising:

[0005] A plurality of fixed signal stations, the fixed signal stations are used to send and receive wireless signals to establish a communication connection with the drone, and each fixed signal station is connected to at least one other fixed signal station by wired communication to form an ad hoc data link;

[0006] Multiple fixed control stations, each fixed control station is connected to the self-organizing network data link respectively, and the fixed control station sends control instructions to the drone through the fixed control station of the self-organizing network data link, and receives sensor data returned by the drone.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixed control station is equipped with an uplink silent switch;

[0008] When the uplink silent switch is in the off state, the fixed control station sends control instructions to the UAV through the fixed control station of the ad hoc network data link, and receives sensor data returned by the UAV;

[0009] When the uplink silent switch is in the on state, the fixed control station receives the sensor data returned by the UAV only through the fixed control station of the ad hoc network data link.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, in the drone data transmission system, only one fixed control station has an uplink silent switch in an off state, and the uplink silent switches of other fixed control stations are in an on state.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the UAV is simultaneously within the signal coverage of multiple fixed signal stations, the fixed control station with the uplink mute switch in the off state selects a fixed signal station to communicate with the UAV based on the flight direction of the UAV, the location of the fixed signal station relative to the UAV, and the signal strength.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the drone data transmission system further includes:

[0013] A mobile signal station for sending and receiving wireless signals to establish a communication link with the drone;

[0014] The mobile control station is communicatively connected with the mobile signal station. The mobile control station sends control instructions to the UAV through the mobile signal station and receives sensor data returned by the UAV.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the UAV is outside the signal coverage of the plurality of fixed signal stations, the mobile signal station establishes a communication connection with the UAV;

[0016] The mobile control station sends control instructions to the UAV through the mobile signal station, and receives sensor data returned by the UAV.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, once the UAV controlled by the mobile control station is connected to the self-organizing network data link, the fixed control station with the uplink silent switch in the off state automatically takes over the UAV through the fixed signal station of the self-organizing network data link.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixed signal station is an omnidirectional antenna, and the communication distance between the fixed signal station and the drone is greater than or equal to 100 km.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, there is a signal coverage overlap area between two adjacent fixed signal stations, and the width of the signal coverage overlap area is in the range of 5 km to 10 km.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixed signal station and the drone communicate with each other using a 1.4 GHz transmission frequency.

[0021] As described above, the data transmission system for unmanned aerial vehicles of the present invention has the following beneficial effects: the present invention utilizes the existing ground network infrastructure to expand the data link coverage of unmanned aerial vehicles, and can theoretically achieve comprehensive signal coverage in various terrains and environments. In addition, the data transmission system of the present invention can significantly improve the mission execution capability and work flexibility of unmanned aerial vehicles, while reducing the efficiency loss caused by the limitation of traditional point-to-point communication. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a drone data transmission system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 Shown is another schematic diagram of a drone data transmission system provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] In the figure:

[0025] 100, server; 200, fixed signal station; 201, first signal station; 202, second signal station; 300, fixed control station; 301, first control station; 302, second control station; 303, third control station; 400, drone; 500, mobile signal station; 600, mobile control station; 700, obstacle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention by specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention 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 invention. It should be noted that the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0027] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic illustrations of the basic concept of the present invention, and thus the drawings only show components related to the present invention 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 arbitrarily, and the component layout may also be more complicated.

[0028] In the following description, numerous details are discussed to provide a more thorough explanation of the embodiments of the present invention. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented without these specific details. In other embodiments, well-known structures and devices are shown in the form of block diagrams rather than in detail to avoid making the embodiments of the present invention difficult to understand.

[0029] First of all, it should be noted that in the prior art, drones usually use a point-to-point data link method to connect single or multiple drones through a single data link to perform tasks. Depending on the different requirements of the communication distance, the frequency bands used include 840MHz, 1.4GHz, 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz. Although these frequency bands have their own advantages and limitations, they have a common problem: when the drone exceeds the coverage of the data link or encounters signal obstruction, it will cause communication interruption, causing the drone to lose contact with the control station and trigger the automatic return mechanism. This problem greatly limits the working efficiency of the drone. In order to solve the signal obstruction problem, some manufacturers have adopted the method of using additional drones as aerial relay stations. However, this method not only increases the complexity and cost of operation, but also cannot continuously provide signal relay services due to the power limit of the drone.

[0030] The present invention provides a data transmission system for unmanned aerial vehicles, which adopts a self-organizing network data link technology based on the 1.4GHz frequency band. In a local area network or a deployment environment with a fixed public network IP address, the present invention uses the existing ground network infrastructure to expand the data link coverage of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The data transmission system of the present invention can theoretically achieve comprehensive signal coverage in various terrains and environments. In addition, the data transmission system of the present invention can significantly improve the mission execution capability and work flexibility of the unmanned aerial vehicle, while reducing the efficiency loss caused by the limitation of traditional point-to-point communication. The following is a detailed description through specific embodiments.

[0031] See also Figure 1 In one embodiment of the present invention, the UAV data transmission system may include a fixed signal station 200 and a fixed control station 300. The number of fixed signal stations 200 may be multiple, and multiple fixed signal stations 200 are distributed in the target area to expand the signal coverage. The fixed signal station 200 may be used to send and receive wireless signals to establish a communication connection with the UAV. Each fixed signal station 200 may be connected to at least one other fixed signal station 200 by wired communication, thereby forming an ad hoc data link. The ad hoc data link may be used to establish a communication connection with the UAV 400. The fixed control station 300 is the main interface for the operator to interact with the UAV 400, and the number of the fixed control station 300 may be multiple. Each fixed control station 300 may be connected to the ad hoc data link. The fixed control station 300 may send control instructions to the UAV 400 through the fixed control station 300 of the ad hoc data link, and receive sensor data returned by the UAV 400. The sensor data may include high-definition images and videos collected by the high-definition camera carried by the UAV, as well as remote sensing data collected by various sensors.

[0032] In this embodiment, a server 100 can be used as an intermediate node between multiple fixed signal stations 200 to form a stable private network. The server 100 can be used as a data center to handle data storage, forwarding and management tasks. The server 100 can be a local area network server or a public network server with a fixed IP address. The fixed signal station 200 can be connected to the server 100 by wired communication, and can also be interconnected with other fixed signal stations 200 to form an ad hoc network data link. Ad hoc network technology allows signal stations to automatically adjust the network structure without central control to adapt to environmental changes or partial node failures. In this network, each node can actively initiate communication and can serve as a data forwarding point for other nodes. Each fixed control station 300 can be connected to the server 100 in communication, thereby further realizing a communication connection with the ad hoc network data link. When the UAV 400 is within the signal coverage of the ad hoc network data link, the fixed control station 300 can send control instructions to the UAV 400 through the ad hoc network data link, such as flight path, scanning task instructions, etc., and can also receive sensor data sent back by the UAV 400 through the ad hoc network data link, such as video streams, sensor data and other information.

[0033] In this embodiment, when the operator issues control instructions through the fixed control station 300, these instructions are first sent to the nearest fixed signal station 200. The fixed signal station 200 transmits the instructions to the signal coverage range of the drone 400 through the self-organizing network data link, and finally the fixed signal station 200 within the range sends the instructions to the drone 400. Similarly, the sensor data (such as images, location information, etc.) collected by the drone 400 will first be sent to the nearest fixed signal station 200, and then transmitted back to the fixed control station 100 through the self-organizing network data link.

[0034] See also Figure 1 In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixed signal station 200 uses an omnidirectional antenna, so the fixed signal station 200 can provide stable signal coverage within a 360-degree range. The omnidirectional antenna design eliminates the need to switch antenna modes during flight. In the omnidirectional mode, there is no need to specifically adjust the direction of the fixed signal station 200 to face the drone 400. By using an omnidirectional antenna and combining it with ad hoc networking technology, the performance of the drone communication system can be significantly improved, which not only enhances the coverage and stability of the communication, but also simplifies the operation process.

[0035] See also Figure 1In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixed signal station 200 can be installed on a signal tower, and a higher installation position can expand its signal coverage. The fixed signal station 200 can achieve a signal coverage range of 100km radius under the condition of ideal installation height and unobstructed line of sight. There may be a signal coverage overlap area between adjacent fixed signal stations 200, and the width of the overlap area may be between 5km-10km, so that the drone 400 can switch the data source in the overlap area. In this embodiment, the fixed control station 300 can select a fixed signal station 200 to communicate with the drone 400 according to the flight direction of the drone 400, the location of the fixed signal station 200 relative to the drone 400, and the signal strength, and actively switch the signal source after the drone 400 reaches the coverage range of the next fixed signal station 200. Furthermore, the drone 400 can automatically switch the signal source in the signal coverage overlap area.

[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, the transmission frequency between the drone 400 and the fixed signal station 200 is 1.4 GHz, and the automatic frequency hopping function is provided. The 1.4 GHz frequency band has a lower frequency and a longer wavelength than 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz, so the signal attenuation is small and a longer transmission distance can be achieved. As mentioned above, the maximum coverage range of a single fixed signal station 200 can reach a radius of 100 kilometers, which extends the operating range of the drone 400. The 1.4 GHz frequency band is less subject to interference than the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequency bands, because these high frequency bands are widely used in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other consumer electronic devices, and are prone to channel congestion and interference. The 1.4 GHz frequency band has relatively less interference, thereby providing a more stable communication environment. In addition, through the automatic frequency hopping (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum, FHSS) technology, the system can quickly switch to another unoccupied frequency point when interference is detected at the current frequency point, further enhancing the anti-interference ability of the system. This technology not only improves the reliability of communication, but also maintains good connection quality in a complex electromagnetic environment.

[0037] In one embodiment of the present invention, for fixed-location operation scenarios, the server 100 may use a local area network server, thereby connecting the fixed signal station 200 to the existing local area network to form a closed and controlled communication environment. This method is suitable for industrial inspections, forestry monitoring and other fields. For example, in oil well inspections, the drone 400 can quickly cover a wide area of ​​a large oil well group, can continuously cross multiple checkpoints, and provide continuous video streaming and telemetry data; in forest patrols, the drone 400 can easily traverse complex terrain, transmit forest area images in real time, and help monitoring personnel detect abnormal situations in a timely manner.

[0038] Furthermore, the server 100 may also adopt a public network server with a fixed IP (Internet Protocol) address, and establish an encrypted tunnel to simulate a private network environment by utilizing public infrastructure, thereby maintaining a high level of security even when transmitting data on the public network.

[0039] See also Figure 1 In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixed control station 300 can also be directly connected to the fixed signal station 200 through a network cable, thereby establishing a direct connection from the drone 400 to the fixed control station 300. This connection method can improve safety and enhance signal coverage and stability.

[0040] As can be seen from the above, the fixed control station 300 can directly import the sensor data sent back by the drone 400 into the private network, which can enhance the security of the system and improve the overall communication quality and operation efficiency. It is suitable for application scenarios involving sensitive information or requiring high reliability.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, when multiple fixed control stations 300 perform multi-terminal control, in order to avoid command conflicts, the fixed control stations 300 are equipped with an uplink silent switch. After this switch is turned on, it can only receive data sent back by the drone 400 but cannot send control commands to the drone 400. Each end negotiates to decide who will turn off the uplink silent, that is, in the drone data transmission system, only one fixed control station 300 has its uplink silent switch turned off, and the uplink silent switches of other fixed control stations 300 are turned on.

[0042] In one embodiment of the present invention, when a drone 400 is simultaneously within the signal coverage of multiple fixed signal stations 200, a fixed control station 300 whose uplink mute switch is in the off state may select a fixed signal station 200 to communicate with the drone based on the flight direction of the drone 400, the position of the fixed signal station 200 relative to the drone 400, and the signal strength.

[0043] See also Figure 2In one embodiment of the present invention, a first signal station 201 and a first control station 301 are provided at point A, and a second signal station 202 and a second control station 302 are provided at point B. The first signal station 201 and the second signal station 202 are directly connected to the server 100 through a wired connection to form an ad hoc network data link. The first control station 301 is connected to the first signal station 201 by wired communication. The second control station 302 is connected to the second signal station 202 by wired communication. The third control station 303 is connected to the server 100 by wired communication. The drone 400 communicates with the first signal station 201 and / or the second signal station 202 using a 1.4 GHz radio signal. The first control station 301 and the second control station 302 are connected to the ad hoc network data link.

[0044] In this embodiment, when the drone 400 needs to perform cross-regional inspection, first, the drone 400 takes off from the signal coverage of the first signal station 201, and the operator controls the drone 400 through the first control station 301. The uplink silent switch of the first control station 301 is in the off state, and its uplink and downlink links are both in normal use, while the uplink silent switches of the second control station 302 and the third control station 303 are in the on state, and only the downlink is available. The sensor data of the drone 400 can be directly transmitted to the server 100 through the network cable of the first signal station 201, and the second control station 302 and the third control station 303 can receive the sensor data of the drone 400 through the self-organizing data link. When the drone 400 reaches the overlapping signal coverage area of ​​the first signal station 201 and the second signal station 202, the drone 400 can automatically connect to the second signal station 202. At this time, the first control station 301 can make a judgment based on the flight direction of the drone 400, the position of the signal station relative to the drone 400 and the signal strength, and choose to communicate with the drone 400 through the second signal station 202. After that, the first control station 301 turns on the uplink silent switch and the second control station 302 turns off the uplink silent switch. At this time, the uplink and downlink links of the second control station 302 can be used normally. The first control station 301 and the third control station 303 only have downlink available, and can only perform aircraft data monitoring, and cannot send commands to the aircraft, thereby avoiding multi-terminal command conflicts.

[0045] See also Figure 2 In one embodiment of the present invention, the UAV data transmission system further includes a mobile signal station 500 and a mobile control station 600. The mobile signal station 500 has the same hardware as the fixed signal station 200. The mobile signal station 500 can be deployed movably, while the fixed signal station 200 is deployed fixedly. The mobile signal station 500 can be used to send and receive wireless signals to establish a communication connection with the UAV. The mobile control station 600 can be connected to the mobile signal station 500 in communication. In this embodiment, the mobile control station 600 can send control instructions to the UAV through the mobile signal station 500, and receive sensor data sent back by the UAV.

[0046] See also Figure 2 In one embodiment of the present invention, due to the obstruction of the obstacle 700 on the ground, the take-off area of ​​the drone 400 is not within the signal coverage area of ​​the first signal station 201 or the second signal station 202, that is, the drone 400 cannot communicate with the self-organizing network data link at the height of the ground. It can be understood that when the drone 400 takes off and reaches a certain height, it can avoid the obstruction of the obstacle 700 and establish a communication connection with the self-organizing network data link. Therefore, when the drone 400 is outside the signal coverage range of multiple fixed signal stations 200, the mobile control station 600 can be used to send a control instruction to the drone 400 through the mobile signal station 500 to control the drone 400 to take off. When the drone 400 reaches a certain height and enters the signal coverage range of the self-organizing network data link, the first signal station 201 or the second signal station 202 detects the drone 400 and can automatically establish a communication connection with the drone 400. At this time, the mobile control station 600 can transfer the control authority of the drone 400 to the first control station 301, the second control station 302 or the third control station 303, that is, once the drone 400 controlled by the mobile control station 600 is connected to the ad hoc network data link, the fixed control station 300 with the uplink silent switch in the off state can automatically take over the drone 400 through the fixed signal station 200 of the ad hoc network data link. At this time, other operators can send control instructions to the drone 400 through multiple fixed control stations 300 connected to the ad hoc network data link, and receive sensor data sent back by the drone 400. The present invention solves the technical problem that the drone cannot communicate with the ad hoc network data link due to signal shielding in a specific environment. The present invention uses the mobile signal station 500 and the mobile control station 600 to take off the drone 400 and leave the shielding area, so as to establish a communication connection with the ad hoc network data link. This solution enables the drone 400 to transmit data back to the server or command center in any area and position, realizing operation without blind spots.

[0047] In summary, the present invention discloses a drone data transmission system, which solves the technical problem that the drone cannot perform long-distance flight operations due to the limitation of signal transmission distance and terrain shielding in the prior art. The present invention adopts the 1.4GHz frequency band and has an automatic frequency hopping function to deal with interference. Compared with the 2.4G and 5G frequency bands, it has a longer transmission distance and stronger anti-interference performance. At the same time, the fixed signal station in the present invention is equipped with an omnidirectional 100-kilometer antenna, and there is no need to switch the antenna mode during flight, ensuring all-round stable communication without special adjustment of the antenna direction. The drone data backhaul data can be directly connected to a dedicated network, which improves the security and reliability of data transmission. At the same time, drone communication is not affected by terrain and building shielding, and can maintain stable data transmission in various environments. In addition, in areas that fixed base stations cannot reach, mobile base stations can be used to support drone take-off and landing, solving the problem of fixed base station coverage blind spots and achieving comprehensive coverage of drone signals. Therefore, the present invention effectively overcomes the various shortcomings in the prior art and has a high industrial utilization value.

[0048] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed by the present invention shall still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drone data transmission system, characterized in that: include: A plurality of fixed signal stations, the fixed signal stations are used to send and receive wireless signals to establish a communication connection with the drone, and each fixed signal station is connected to at least one other fixed signal station by wired communication to form an ad hoc data link; Multiple fixed control stations, each fixed control station is connected to the self-organizing network data link respectively, and the fixed control station sends control instructions to the drone through the fixed control station of the self-organizing network data link, and receives sensor data returned by the drone.

2. The drone data transmission system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed control station is equipped with an uplink silent switch; When the uplink silent switch is in the off state, the fixed control station sends control instructions to the UAV through the fixed control station of the ad hoc network data link, and receives sensor data returned by the UAV; When the uplink silent switch is in the on state, the fixed control station receives the sensor data returned by the UAV only through the fixed control station of the ad hoc network data link.

3. The drone data transmission system according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the UAV data transmission system, only one fixed control station's uplink silent switch is in a closed state, and the uplink silent switches of other fixed control stations are in an open state.

4. The drone data transmission system according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the UAV is within the signal coverage of multiple fixed signal stations at the same time, the fixed control station with the uplink mute switch turned off selects a fixed signal station to communicate with the UAV based on the flight direction of the UAV, the position of the fixed signal station relative to the UAV, and the signal strength.

5. The drone data transmission system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unmanned aerial vehicle data transmission system further comprises: A mobile signal station for sending and receiving wireless signals to establish a communication link with the drone; The mobile control station is communicatively connected with the mobile signal station. The mobile control station sends control instructions to the UAV through the mobile signal station and receives sensor data returned by the UAV.

6. The drone data transmission system according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the UAV is outside the signal coverage of the plurality of fixed signal stations, the mobile signal station establishes a communication connection with the UAV; The mobile control station sends control instructions to the UAV through the mobile signal station, and receives sensor data returned by the UAV.

7. The drone data transmission system according to claim 6, characterized in that: Once the UAV controlled by the mobile control station is connected to the self-organizing network data link, the fixed control station with the uplink silent switch in the off state automatically takes over the UAV through the fixed signal station of the self-organizing network data link.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle data transmission system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed signal station is an omnidirectional antenna, and the communication distance between the fixed signal station and the drone is greater than or equal to 100 km.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle data transmission system according to claim 1, characterized in that: There is a signal coverage overlap area between two adjacent fixed signal stations, and the width of the signal coverage overlap area is between 5km and 10km.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle data transmission system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed signal station and the drone communicate with each other using a 1.4 GHz transmission frequency.

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