Unmanned aerial vehicle service area organization method and system

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle service areas, in particular to an unmanned aerial vehicle service area organization method and system. The method comprises the following steps: when an unmanned aerial vehicle has a demand, the unmanned aerial vehicle sends a signal for requesting to stay to an unmanned aerial vehicle service area organization system; the unmanned aerial vehicle service area organization system carries out self-inspection on the managed service areas and judges whether the service areas meeting the requirements exist or not; the unmanned aerial vehicle service area organization system sends a landing allowing signal and service area information to the unmanned aerial vehicle; the unmanned aerial vehicle service area organization system distributes a mobile parking apron for the unmanned aerial vehicle, the mobile parking apron sends the unmanned aerial vehicle to a service station, and the demand problem of the unmanned aerial vehicle is solved on the service station; after the unmanned aerial vehicle demand problem is solved, the mobile parking apron sends the unmanned aerial vehicle to a take-off area; and after the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off, the mobile parking apron waits for executing the next task. According to the unmanned aerial vehicle service area organization method, the problem that the unmanned aerial vehicle is difficult to execute a flight task due to self and environmental factors can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of drone service areas, and in particular to a drone service area organization method and system. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, unmanned driving technology, intelligent navigation systems and artificial intelligence technology have gradually matured, the low-altitude economy has huge room for development, and manned and cargo drones have developed rapidly.

[0003] Since the flight distance of drones is limited by energy sources such as fuel and batteries, their flight distance is short and they cannot fly long distances. In particular, small cargo drones have a small flight radius and are only used for short-distance point-to-point transportation. Drones need to provide space for battery replacement, cargo loading and unloading, repair and maintenance, etc., and need to improve service efficiency and reduce costs. Drone service areas have come into being.

[0004] Therefore, the present invention provides a method and system for organizing a UAV service area to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention develops a method and system for organizing drone service areas. The main purpose is to propose a method for organizing drone service areas to solve the problem of limited drone flight distance under energy supply constraints.

[0006] The present invention provides a method for organizing a UAV service area, comprising the following steps: S1. When a drone has a demand, it needs to find the nearest service area to meet the demand. The drone sends a signal to the drone service area organization system requesting to stay; S2. After receiving information from the drone, the drone service area organization system conducts a self-inspection of the managed service areas based on the needs of the drone to determine whether there is a service area that meets the drone's needs; S3. After determining the service area where the drone can land, the drone service area organization system sends a landing permission signal and service area information to the drone, and the drone sends a landing confirmation signal to the drone service area organization system; S4. After confirming that the drone is about to land, the drone service area organization system allocates a mobile landing pad for the drone and sends the drone the serial number and coordinate location of the mobile landing pad, as well as the route information after entering the service area. After the drone arrives within the service area, the mobile landing pad and the drone communicate in real time. After the drone lands on the mobile landing pad, the mobile landing pad transports the drone to the service station, where the drone's needs are addressed; S5. After the drone demand is resolved, the mobile landing pad will transport the drone to the takeoff area, where the drone will take off vertically and return to the original route or perform a new flight mission. S6. After the drone takes off, the helipad moves back to the drone landing area and waits for the next drone to land.

[0007] S1 is as follows: The UAV service area organization system uses the MAVLink communication protocol. The MAVLink communication protocol stands for Micro Air Vehicle Link Communication Protocol. UAVs use the same communication protocol. The UAV establishes a communication data link with the UAV service area organization system; The signal sent by the drone to request to stay includes the drone’s requirements, the drone’s model information, the drone’s total weight, the drone’s wingspan, and the dynamic coordinates of the drone’s location; UAV needs include low fuel, battery replacement, loading and unloading, and equipment maintenance; The GPS module on the drone obtains the current longitude, latitude and altitude position information by communicating with satellites, and sends the dynamic coordinates of the drone's position to the drone service area organization system in real time.

[0008] In a specific implementation, the drone service area organization system has a one-to-many data link communication system and an RTK precise spatial positioning system, and sends the three-dimensional spatial coordinates of the mobile apron to the drone in real time through the data link communication system.

[0009] S2 is as follows: The drone service area organization system follows the distance priority principle when conducting self-inspections of the service area, and adjusts the recommended service area path in real time based on the dynamic coordinates of the drone's location. When there are vacancies in the priority recommended service area, the current service area information is locked. When there are no vacancies in the priority recommended service area, the search continues for other service areas with vacancies until a service area with vacancies and closest to the drone is found.

[0010] S4 is as follows: The service area information includes the sequence number, spatial location, communication number, service sequence of the mobile landing pad in the service area, and the service station that solves the needs of drones; The upper surface of the mobile helipad is equipped with obvious bull's-eye and numbered marks to facilitate visual identification of drones.

[0011] In a specific implementation, the mobile helipad receives instructions from the drone service area organization system and transmits its own spatial position, working status, and work completion status to the drone service area organization system in real time; The drone lands on the mobile helipad, and the drone is bound to the mobile helipad information. In the service area, the service area system sorts the order in which the mobile helipad sends the drone to the service station based on the drone's demand information and plans the shortest movement path.

[0012] In a specific embodiment, the specific process of the drone landing on the mobile landing pad is as follows: First determine the drone's own position coordinates , and then determine the position coordinates of the mobile apron as , and then take the difference between the two coordinate positions to get the coordinate deviation 、 and , 、 and Respectively represent the longitude, latitude and altitude information of the drone, 、 and Respectively represent the longitude, latitude and altitude information of the mobile apron, 、 and They represent the longitude difference, latitude difference and altitude difference between the drone and the mobile landing pad respectively; The drone then confirms its own position coordinates and the position coordinates of the mobile parking level in real time, and obtains the coordinate difference between the two position coordinates that changes in real time. The drone then and The positive and negative size of the horizontal movement in the four directions of front, back, left and right, when it moves to the horizontal deviation When the expected value is reached, the horizontal movement can be stopped, and then the The drone will descend according to the size of the target and judge whether it has reached the target location. If it has arrived, the drone has landed successfully; if not, the drone will continue to descend until it reaches the target location.

[0013] In a specific embodiment, the process of moving the helipad to deliver the drone to the assigned service station is as follows: First, determine the location of the mobile apron, and then determine the location of the assigned service station. Then, based on the ground beacon sequence, the drone service area organization system plans the optimal path for the mobile apron to transport the drone to the service station. During this process, the mobile apron sends location information to the drone service area organization system in real time. The drone service area organization system adjusts the path planning in real time according to the current situation in the service area, and determines whether the mobile apron has reached the target location. If it has arrived, the mobile apron stops moving and displays that the allocation is successful. If it has not arrived, the mobile apron continues to move and monitors its position in real time until it reaches the assigned apron location.

[0014] The present invention also provides a drone service area organization system, which implements a drone service area organization method: The UAV service area organization system includes: a signal transceiver module and multiple service area management modules; Among them, the signal transceiver module is used to receive signals sent by the drone and send a signal to the drone whether it can land; the service area management module is used to self-check all service areas within the drone service area according to the needs of the drone to determine whether there is a service area suitable for the drone to land; Each service area management module includes a mobile parking apron management module, a drone demand processing module, and a route planning module; Among them, the mobile apron management module moves according to the route given by the route planning module, transports the drone to the service station, and mobilizes resources through the unmanned and demand processing module to meet the needs of the drone.

[0015] The effects provided in the summary of the invention are only the effects of the embodiments, rather than all the effects of the invention. The above technical solution has the following advantages or beneficial effects: The method for organizing the UAV service area proposed in the present invention solves the problem that UAVs are limited in flight distance due to energy sources such as fuel and batteries, and are unable to fly long distances. From the overall perspective of the plan: (1) The present invention can improve efficiency and reduce costs. The UAV service area can greatly improve logistics efficiency through automated flight and transportation systems, reduce manual operations and transit time, and significantly reduce transportation costs, especially in the delivery of goods in remote or remote areas; (2) This invention can promote technological innovation and industrial development. The drone service area will help promote the research and development and application of drone technology and promote the development of the drone industry chain; (3) The present invention can optimize airspace resources and management, the planning and management of UAV service areas, and can reasonably utilize and allocate airspace resources, avoid conflicts between UAV flights and other aircraft, and improve airspace utilization.

[0016] From the specific steps: (1) Planning and design stage: The UAV service system of the present invention plans infrastructure such as UAV parking aprons, service facilities, and data processing centers, which can improve the operational efficiency of the service area; (2) Technology integration and system construction stage: The present invention uses a public communication protocol as a message transmission mechanism. After receiving the drone's stop information, it assigns a unique system ID to the drone to avoid conflicts. It adjusts the sending frequency of different types of messages according to the different needs of the drone to avoid communication congestion. It follows the distance priority principle to ensure the optimal path from the drone to the helipad. In actual application, the waypoints can be adjusted or existing waypoints can be modified according to needs. (3) Operational implementation: After the drone stops, the drone service area will plan the path to the carrier aircraft apron and take the optimal path to the service station; after the service is completed, the drone will be sent to the take-off area and returned to ensure flight safety and avoid conflicts with other aircraft, which can effectively improve airspace utilization and reduce safety accidents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings are used to provide further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. They are used to explain the present invention together with the embodiments of the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the method of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 Flowchart for landing a drone on a mobile landing pad.

[0020] Figure 3 Flowchart for delivering a drone to an assigned service bay for a mobile helipad. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to clearly illustrate the technical features of this solution, the present invention is described in detail below through specific implementation methods and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Example 1 like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, a method for organizing a drone service area includes the following steps: S1. When a drone has a demand, it needs to find the nearest service area to meet the demand. The drone sends a signal to the drone service area organization system requesting to stay; S2. After receiving information from the drone, the drone service area organization system conducts a self-inspection of the managed service areas based on the needs of the drone to determine whether there is a service area that meets the drone's needs; S3. After determining the service area where the drone can land, the drone service area organization system sends a landing permission signal and service area information to the drone, and the drone sends a landing confirmation signal to the drone service area organization system; S4. After confirming that the drone is about to land, the drone service area organization system allocates a mobile landing pad for the drone and sends the drone the serial number and coordinate location of the mobile landing pad, as well as the route information after entering the service area. After the drone arrives within the service area, the mobile landing pad and the drone communicate in real time. After the drone lands on the mobile landing pad, the mobile landing pad transports the drone to the service station, where the drone's needs are addressed; S5. After the drone demand is resolved, the mobile landing pad will transport the drone to the takeoff area, where the drone will take off vertically and return to the original route or perform a new flight mission. S6. After the drone takes off, the helipad moves back to the drone landing area and waits for the next drone to land.

[0023] S1 is as follows: The UAV service area organization system uses the MAVLink communication protocol. The MAVLink communication protocol stands for Micro Air Vehicle Link Communication Protocol. UAVs use the same communication protocol. The UAV establishes a communication data link with the UAV service area organization system; The signal sent by the drone to request to stay includes the drone’s requirements, the drone’s model information, the drone’s total weight, the drone’s wingspan, and the dynamic coordinates of the drone’s location; UAV needs include low fuel, battery replacement, loading and unloading, and equipment maintenance; The GPS module on the drone obtains the current longitude, latitude and altitude position information by communicating with satellites, and sends the dynamic coordinates of the drone's position to the drone service area organization system in real time.

[0024] In a specific implementation, the drone service area organization system has a one-to-many data link communication system and an RTK precise spatial positioning system, and sends the three-dimensional spatial coordinates of the mobile apron to the drone in real time through the data link communication system.

[0025] S2 is as follows: The drone service area organization system follows the distance priority principle when conducting self-inspections of the service area, and adjusts the recommended service area path in real time based on the dynamic coordinates of the drone's location. When there are vacancies in the priority recommended service area, the current service area information is locked. When there are no vacancies in the priority recommended service area, the search continues for other service areas with vacancies until a service area with vacancies and closest to the drone is found.

[0026] S4 is as follows: The service area information includes the sequence number, spatial location, communication number, service sequence of the mobile landing pad in the service area, and the service station that solves the needs of drones; The upper surface of the mobile helipad is equipped with obvious bull's-eye and numbered marks to facilitate visual identification of drones.

[0027] In a specific implementation, the mobile helipad receives instructions from the drone service area organization system and transmits its own spatial position, working status, and work completion status to the drone service area organization system in real time; The drone lands on the mobile helipad, and the drone is bound to the mobile helipad information. In the service area, the service area system sorts the order in which the mobile helipad sends the drone to the service station based on the drone's demand information and plans the shortest movement path.

[0028] In a specific embodiment, the specific process of the drone landing on the mobile landing pad is as follows: First determine the drone's own position coordinates , and then determine the position coordinates of the mobile apron as , and then take the difference between the two coordinate positions to get the coordinate deviation 、 and , 、 and Respectively represent the longitude, latitude and altitude information of the drone, 、 and Respectively represent the longitude, latitude and altitude information of the mobile apron, 、 and They represent the longitude difference, latitude difference and altitude difference between the drone and the mobile landing pad respectively; The drone then confirms its own position coordinates and the position coordinates of the mobile parking level in real time, and obtains the coordinate difference between the two position coordinates that changes in real time. The drone then and The positive and negative size of the horizontal movement in the four directions of front, back, left and right, when it moves to the horizontal deviation When the expected value is reached, the horizontal movement can be stopped, and then the The drone will descend according to the size of the target and judge whether it has reached the target location. If it has arrived, the drone has landed successfully; if not, the drone will continue to descend until it reaches the target location.

[0029] In a specific embodiment, the process of moving the helipad to deliver the drone to the assigned service station is as follows: First, determine the location of the mobile apron, and then determine the location of the assigned service station. Then, based on the ground beacon sequence, the drone service area organization system plans the optimal path for the mobile apron to transport the drone to the service station. During this process, the mobile apron sends location information to the drone service area organization system in real time. The drone service area organization system adjusts the path planning in real time according to the current situation in the service area, and determines whether the mobile apron has reached the target location. If it has arrived, the mobile apron stops moving and displays that the allocation is successful. If it has not arrived, the mobile apron continues to move and monitors its position in real time until it reaches the assigned apron location.

[0030] Example 2 A drone service area organization system implements a drone service area organization method: The UAV service area organization system includes: a signal transceiver module and multiple service area management modules; Among them, the signal transceiver module is used to receive signals sent by the drone and send a signal to the drone whether it can land; the service area management module is used to self-check all service areas within the drone service area according to the needs of the drone to determine whether there is a service area suitable for the drone to land; Each service area management module includes a mobile parking apron management module, a drone demand processing module, and a route planning module; Among them, the mobile apron management module moves according to the route given by the route planning module, transports the drone to the service station, and mobilizes resources through the unmanned and demand processing module to meet the needs of the drone.

[0031] Example 3 Take a common drone brand on the market as an example. The drone model is Matrice 300 RTK drone. When the drone is performing a data delivery flight mission, due to the influence of bad weather, its battery consumption is large and it cannot complete the flight mission directly. It needs to request a battery replacement from the drone service area. Therefore, the drone sends a request to the four nearby drone service areas A, B, C, and D through the MAVLink communication protocol. Since service areas C and D have no vacant service stations after self-inspection, they only get responses from two drone service areas A and B. The coordinates of service areas A and B are A (24, 33, 550) and B (26, 35, 600) respectively. The GPS coordinates of the drone itself are (23, 35, 900), which are consistent with the two service areas. The coordinate deviations of the service areas are A (1, 2, 350) and B (3, 0, 300). Based on the distance-priority principle, service area B is identified as the target service area. After confirmation, the service area assigns a mobile landing pad to the drone and sends the landing pad's serial number 3-5, the target's center coordinates (25, 35, 580), and the route information after entering the service area to the drone. Once the drone arrives within the service area, mobile landing pad 3-5 communicates with the drone in real time. After the drone lands on mobile landing pad 3-5, mobile landing pad 3-5 delivers the drone to a service station using the route provided by the service area. There, the 15.4V Li-ion 4S battery is replaced according to the model. Once the drone's problem is resolved, mobile landing pad 3-5 delivers the drone to the takeoff area, where the drone takes off vertically and returns to its original route to continue its mission. Mobile landing pad 3-5 returns to its designated location to await further deployment.

[0032] Although the above describes the specific implementation methods of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it does not limit the scope of protection of the invention. Based on the technical solution of the present invention, various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art without creative work are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for organizing a drone service area, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. When a drone has a demand, it needs to find the nearest service area to meet the demand. The drone sends a signal to the drone service area organization system requesting to stay; S2. After receiving the information from the drone, the drone service area organization system conducts a self-inspection of the managed service area according to the needs of the drone to determine whether there is a service area that meets the needs of the drone; S3. After determining the service area where the drone can land, the drone service area organization system sends a landing permission signal and service area information to the drone, and the drone sends a landing confirmation signal to the drone service area organization system; S4. After confirming that the drone is going to land, the drone service area organization system allocates a mobile apron for the drone, and sends the serial number and coordinate position of the mobile apron, as well as the route information after entering the service area to the drone. After the drone arrives at the service area, the mobile apron communicates with the drone in real time. After the drone lands on the mobile apron, the mobile apron sends the drone to the service station, where the drone's needs are resolved; S5. After the drone demand problem is solved, the mobile landing pad will send the drone to the take-off area, where the drone will take off vertically and return to the original route or perform a new flight mission; S6. After the drone takes off, the mobile helipad returns to the drone landing area and waits for the next drone to land.

2. A method for organizing a drone service area according to claim 1, characterized in that: S1 is as follows: The UAV service area organization system uses the MAVLink communication protocol. The MAVLink communication protocol represents the micro-aircraft connection communication protocol. UAVs use the same communication protocol. The UAV establishes a communication data link with the UAV service area organization system; The signal sent by the drone to request to stay includes the drone’s requirements, the drone’s model information, the drone’s total weight, the drone’s wingspan, and the dynamic coordinates of the drone’s location; The needs of drones include low fuel, battery replacement, loading, unloading, and equipment maintenance; The GPS module on the drone communicates with satellites to obtain the current longitude, latitude and altitude location information, and sends the dynamic coordinates of the drone's location to the drone service area organization system in real time.

3. A method for organizing a drone service area according to claim 2, characterized in that: The UAV service area organization system has a one-to-many data link communication system and an RTK precise spatial positioning system, and sends the three-dimensional spatial coordinates of the mobile apron to the UAV in real time through the data link communication system.

4. A method for organizing a drone service area according to claim 3, characterized in that: S2 is as follows: The drone service area organization system follows the distance priority principle when conducting self-inspections of the service area, and adjusts the recommended service area path in real time based on the dynamic coordinates of the drone's location. When the priority recommended service area has vacancies, the current service area information is locked. When the priority recommended service area has no vacancies, the search continues for other service areas with vacancies until a service area with vacancies and closest to the drone is found.

5. A method for organizing a drone service area according to claim 4, characterized in that: S4 is as follows: The information of the service area includes the sequence number, spatial location, communication number, service sequence of the mobile apron in the service area, and the service station that solves the demand problems for the drone; The upper surface of the mobile apron is equipped with obvious bull's-eye and numbered marks for easy visual identification of drones.

6. A method for organizing a drone service area according to claim 5, characterized in that: The mobile apron receives instructions from the drone service area organization system and transmits its spatial position, working status, and work completion status to the drone service area organization system in real time; The drone lands on the mobile apron, and the drone is bound to the mobile apron information. In the service area, the service area system sorts the order in which the mobile apron sends the drone to the service station based on the drone's demand information, and plans the shortest movement path.

7. The method for organizing a drone service area according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific process of the drone landing on the mobile helipad is as follows: First determine the drone's own position coordinates , and then determine the location coordinates of the mobile apron as , and then subtract the two coordinate positions to get the coordinate deviation , and , , and Respectively represent the longitude, latitude and altitude information of the drone, , and Respectively represent the longitude, latitude and altitude information of the mobile apron, , and They represent the longitude difference, latitude difference and altitude difference between the drone and the mobile landing pad respectively; The drone then confirms its own position coordinates and the position coordinates of the mobile landing platform in real time, and obtains the coordinate difference based on the real-time changes of the two position coordinates. and The positive and negative size of the horizontal movement in the four directions of front, back, left, and right. When it moves to the horizontal deviation When the expected value is reached, the horizontal movement can be stopped, and then The drone descends according to the size of the object and determines whether it has reached the target location. If it has, the drone has landed successfully. If it fails to reach the target location, the drone will continue to descend until it reaches the target location.

8. The method for organizing a drone service area according to claim 1, characterized in that: The process of moving the helipad to deliver the drone to the assigned service station is as follows: First determine the location of the mobile apron, then determine the location of the assigned service station, and then according to the ground beacon sequence, the drone service area organization system plans the optimal path for the mobile apron to transport the drone to the service station. During this process, the mobile apron sends location information to the drone service area organization system in real time. The drone service area organization system adjusts the path planning in real time according to the current situation in the service area, and determines whether the mobile apron has reached the target location. If it has arrived, the mobile apron stops moving and displays a successful allocation. If it has not arrived, the mobile apron continues to move and monitors its position in real time until it reaches the assigned apron location.

9. A drone service area organization system, executing a drone service area organization method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The drone service area organization system includes: a signal transceiver module and multiple service area management modules; Among them, the signal transceiver module is used to receive the signal sent by the drone and send a signal to the drone whether it can land; the service area management module is used to self-check all service areas within the drone service area according to the needs of the drone to determine whether there is a service area suitable for the drone to land; Each service area management module includes a mobile apron management module, a drone demand processing module, and a route planning module; Among them, the mobile apron management module moves according to the route given by the route planning module, transports the drone to the service station, and mobilizes resources through the unmanned and demand processing module to meet the needs of the drone.

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