Control method and device of inspection system, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a control method and device of an inspection system, equipment and a storage medium. According to the scheme, an unmanned vehicle which moves along with an unmanned aerial vehicle and can provide extra electric quantity for the unmanned aerial vehicle is arranged in the inspection system. According to the current electric quantity and the first current position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, determining a target inspection point for the next inspection task of the unmanned aerial vehicle from the to-be-inspected point set; the electric quantity required for completing the inspection task for the target inspection point is not greater than the current electric quantity; and if the target inspection point of the unmanned aerial vehicle cannot be determined from the to-be-inspected point set, indicating the unmanned aerial vehicle to park at the unmanned vehicle. When the electric quantity of the unmanned aerial vehicle is insufficient to complete the inspection task, providing electric quantity support for the unmanned aerial vehicle through an unmanned aerial vehicle airport on the unmanned aerial vehicle; therefore, the geographical limitation of a fixed airport is broken through, the inspection range of the unmanned aerial vehicle is increased, the flight distance of the unmanned aerial vehicle during electric quantity supplementation is reduced, and the inspection efficiency of the unmanned aerial vehicle is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of drone control technology, and specifically to a control method and device, equipment and storage medium for an inspection system. Background Art

[0002] Drone inspection refers to the use of drone technology to conduct periodic or non-periodic inspections of specific areas or facilities. These drones can be equipped with high-precision instruments such as high-definition cameras, infrared thermal imagers and multi-spectral sensors to achieve detailed observation and comprehensive data collection of ground conditions, building structures and infrastructure health. Compared with traditional manual inspections, drone inspections have significant advantages in speed, coverage, reduced operational risks and improved work efficiency.

[0003] With the development of technology, modern drone inspection systems have been able to achieve highly automated operations. After completing the designated inspection tasks, the drone can automatically return to the preset airport for charging or battery replacement. The entire process does not require human intervention, realizing a truly all-weather unattended inspection mode. This level of automation not only further improves inspection efficiency, but also effectively reduces labor costs, making drone inspection an important means for many industries to improve operation and maintenance management.

[0004] However, the communication distance between drones and airports, as well as the range of drones, limit the inspection range of drones. In inspection scenarios that require covering a large area, such as photovoltaics, multiple fixed airports need to be deployed to ensure service continuity and coverage, which increases the initial construction cost and operating cost of the system. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, the embodiments of the present application are committed to providing a control method and device, equipment and storage medium of a patrol system, which can increase the patrol range of the drone.

[0006] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a control method of an inspection system is provided, comprising:

[0007] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a control device of a patrol inspection system is provided, comprising:

[0008] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a processor; a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor; and the processor is used to execute the method described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to execute the method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0010] The embodiment of the present application provides a control method and device, equipment and storage medium for an inspection system, and the scheme includes: the inspection system is provided with an unmanned vehicle that accompanies the movement of the unmanned aircraft, and the unmanned vehicle can provide additional power for the unmanned aircraft. According to the first current position and current power of the unmanned aircraft, the target inspection point for the next inspection task of the unmanned aircraft is determined from the set of inspection points to be inspected; wherein, the power required to complete the inspection task for the target inspection point is not greater than the current power; if the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of inspection points to be inspected, the unmanned aircraft is instructed to dock at the unmanned vehicle. Thus, when the power of the unmanned aircraft is insufficient to complete the inspection task, the unmanned aircraft is provided with power support by the unmanned aircraft on the unmanned aircraft airport. In this way, not only the geographical restrictions of fixed airports are broken through, the inspection range of unmanned aircraft is increased, but also the flight distance of the unmanned aircraft when replenishing power is reduced, thereby improving the inspection efficiency of the unmanned aircraft. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic diagram of an implementation environment provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0012] Figure 2 The figure is a flow chart of a control method of an inspection system provided in one embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Figure 3 Shown is a block diagram of a control device of an inspection system provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Figure 4 Shown is a structural block diagram of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] 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.

[0016] Application Overview

[0017] Photovoltaic power stations are usually located in remote areas, such as barren mountains, wastelands or deserts, where signal coverage is poor and it is difficult to meet the needs of drone control and data transmission. Therefore, in drone inspections, it is usually necessary to rely on drone airports to control drones. The communication between drones and ground stations or fixed airports relies on specific radio frequency bands, and the transmission distance of these frequency bands is often affected by the physical environment and electromagnetic interference, thus limiting the inspection range of drones.

[0018] In addition, the flight time of drones is limited by the battery capacity. Even with high-performance lithium polymer batteries, the flight time of drones is usually only a few dozen minutes. This means that after performing a certain distance flight mission, the drone must return to the airport to charge or replace the battery, otherwise it will face the risk of running out of power and being unable to continue the mission.

[0019] In summary, communication distance limitations and battery life greatly restrict the inspection efficiency and range of drones.

[0020] In order to solve the above technical problems, the drone airport is set on the unmanned vehicle that accompanies the drone in this application. When the drone power is insufficient to complete the inspection task, the drone airport on the unmanned vehicle provides power support for the drone. In this way, not only the geographical restrictions of fixed airports are broken through, the inspection range of drones is increased, but also the flight distance of drones during round-trip charging is reduced, thereby improving the inspection efficiency of drones.

[0021] After introducing the basic principles of the present application, various non-limiting embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Exemplary Systems

[0023] Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic diagram of an implementation environment provided by an embodiment of the present application. The implementation environment includes a drone 110, an unmanned vehicle 120 and a computing device 130. The drone 110 is used to perform inspection tasks and collect inspection data. The drone 110 can be connected to the unmanned vehicle 120 through a communication network. The computing device 130 can be connected to the unmanned vehicle 120 through a communication network. The computing device 130 can obtain inspection data from the drone 110 through the unmanned vehicle 120. Optionally, the communication network is a wired network or a wireless network.

[0024] The drone 110 may be equipped with high-precision equipment such as a high-definition camera, an infrared thermal imager, and a multi-spectral sensor, which are used to conduct detailed observation and data collection of target areas such as photovoltaic power stations. It can autonomously fly to a designated area, perform inspection tasks, and transmit the collected inspection data to the unmanned vehicle 120 in real time.

[0025] As a mobile drone airport, the unmanned vehicle 120 can not only provide power support and maintenance for the drone 110, but also serve as a relay station to enhance the communication connection between the drone and the computing device 130. The unmanned vehicle 120 can move on the ground to adapt to different inspection needs, ensuring that the drone 110 can obtain continuous communication and power support when performing tasks.

[0026] The computing device 130 may be a general-purpose computer or a computer device composed of a dedicated integrated circuit, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the computing device 130 may be a mobile terminal device such as a tablet computer, or may also be a personal computer (PC), such as a laptop computer and a desktop computer, etc. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the number of the computing devices 130 may be one or more, and the types thereof may be the same or different. For example, the computing device 130 may be one, or the computing device 130 may be dozens or hundreds, or more. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number and device type of the computing devices 130.

[0027] Exemplary Methods

[0028] Figure 2 It is a flow chart of a control method of an inspection system provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 The method is performed by a drone, an unmanned vehicle, or a computing device connected to the data of the drone or the unmanned vehicle, and the present application embodiment does not limit this. The inspection system includes an unmanned vehicle and a drone for performing inspection tasks; the unmanned vehicle is used to accompany the drone to move and increase the power of the drone;

[0029] like Figure 2 As shown, the method includes the following contents:

[0030] Step S210: Acquire a set of points to be inspected consisting of the points to be inspected.

[0031] In the embodiments of the present application, the UAV is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which refers to an unmanned aircraft controlled by a radio remote control device and a self-contained program control device, or is completely or intermittently autonomously operated by an onboard computer. UAV is actually a general term for unmanned aerial vehicles, including unmanned fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned vertical take-off and landing aircraft, unmanned airships, unmanned helicopters, unmanned multi-rotor aircraft, unmanned paragliders, etc.

[0032] In an embodiment of the present application, the drone may be equipped with inspection equipment such as a high-definition camera, an infrared thermal imager, a multi-spectral sensor, etc., for inspecting and collecting data at inspection points waiting for inspection in photovoltaic power stations.

[0033] In the embodiments of the present application, the unmanned vehicle, also known as an automatic driving vehicle, an unmanned vehicle, a computer-driven vehicle or a wheeled mobile robot, is an intelligent vehicle that mainly relies on an intelligent driving instrument based on a computer system in the vehicle to achieve unmanned driving. It can sense the surrounding environment through various sensors equipped with itself (such as cameras, laser radars, millimeter-wave radars, GPS, inertial sensors, etc.) without human manipulation, identify the surrounding environment and state of the vehicle, and autonomously make analysis and judgment based on the environmental information obtained (including road information, traffic information, vehicle location and obstacle information, etc.), thereby autonomously controlling the movement of the vehicle and finally achieving unmanned driving.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present application, the unmanned vehicle can provide additional power for the drone, and the method of providing additional power may include: charging through a power cord, wireless charging and replacing the battery.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present application, the unmanned vehicle may be provided with a drone airport for charging or replacing batteries of drones; the drone airport includes not only an airport warehouse, an upper door, a lifting platform, and a mechanical structure for fixing the drone, but may also include an automatic charging system, an automatic battery replacement system, etc.

[0036] In the embodiment of the present application, the inspection point may be a geographical location pre-set according to the inspection task. The process of the drone inspecting the preset area may be that the drone flies to each inspection point in turn and collects inspection data (such as taking photos, collecting videos, radar scanning, etc.) at each inspection point.

[0037] In the embodiment of the present application, the set of points to be inspected is a set consisting of the points to be inspected.

[0038] Step S220: According to the first current position and current power of the drone, determine the target inspection point for the next inspection task of the drone from the set of points to be inspected; wherein the power required to complete the inspection task for the target inspection point is not greater than the current power.

[0039] In the embodiment of the present application, the first current position may refer to the current position of the drone. In practical applications, the first current position and the current power level may be updated in real time at a preset frequency.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present application, the target inspection point may be the inspection point to be inspected by the next inspection task of the drone. Furthermore, if the power required by the drone to perform the inspection task for a certain inspection point is greater than the current power of the drone, the inspection point cannot be determined as the target inspection point. That is, the target inspection point can only be the inspection point that the current power of the drone can complete the inspection.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present application, the target inspection point may be the inspection point closest to the first current position, or may be the inspection point determined according to a preset inspection sequence, which is not specifically limited here.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present application, before the drone begins to perform an inspection task, each time the drone completes an inspection task for an inspection point, and each time the drone replenishes power from the unmanned vehicle, the target inspection point of the drone is determined from the set of points to be inspected based on the current power of the drone and the first current position.

[0043] Step S230: If the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of inspection points, a first instruction is generated; the first instruction is used to instruct the drone to stop at the unmanned vehicle.

[0044] In the embodiment of the present application, the inability to determine the target inspection point from the set of inspection points includes at least the following two situations: ① There are still inspection points in the set of inspection points, but the current power of the drone is insufficient to complete the inspection task for any inspection point; ② There are no inspection points in the set of inspection points, that is, the drone has completed all inspection tasks. In both cases, an instruction is generated to the drone to land at the unmanned vehicle. Then the unmanned vehicle charges the drone, or the unmanned vehicle replaces the battery at the drone.

[0045] In the embodiment of the present application, after determining the target inspection point of the drone from the set of inspection points according to the current power of the drone and the first current position, the method further includes: if the target inspection point of the drone is determined from the set of inspection points, an instruction is generated; the instruction is used to instruct the drone to move to the target inspection point and perform an inspection task for the target inspection point. If the drone completes the inspection task for the inspection point, the inspection point is removed from the set of inspection points.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present application, an unmanned vehicle that moves with the drone is provided in the inspection system, and the unmanned vehicle can provide additional power for the drone. According to the first current position of the drone and the current power, the target inspection point for the next inspection task of the drone is determined from the set of points to be inspected; wherein, the power required to complete the inspection task for the target inspection point is not greater than the current power; if the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of points to be inspected, the drone is instructed to dock at the unmanned vehicle. Thus, when the drone power is insufficient to complete the inspection task, the drone is provided with power support by the unmanned vehicle on the drone airport. In this way, not only the geographical limitations of fixed airports are broken through, the inspection range of drones is increased, but also the flight distance of drones when replenishing power is reduced, thereby improving the inspection efficiency of drones.

[0047] based on Figure 2 The method in this specification also provides some specific implementation plans of the method, which are described below.

[0048] Optionally, determining a target inspection point of the drone from the set of inspection points according to the current power of the drone and the first current position includes:

[0049] Calculating the amount of power required to complete an inspection task for each of the points to be inspected in the set of points to be inspected according to the first current position;

[0050] Add the inspection points whose required power is not greater than the current power to the set of feasible inspection points;

[0051] The inspection point to be inspected that is closest to the first current position is determined from the feasible inspection point set to obtain the target inspection point.

[0052] In the embodiment of the present application, the feasible inspection point set includes: the inspection points to be inspected that the current power of the drone is sufficient to complete the inspection. If the feasible inspection point set is an empty set, the target inspection point cannot be determined from the inspection point set, and the first instruction for instructing the drone to stop at the unmanned vehicle is subsequently generated.

[0053] The method of calculating the amount of power required to complete the inspection task for each of the points to be inspected in the set of points to be inspected based on the first current position includes: for each of the points to be inspected in the set of points to be inspected, calculating the amount of power required to complete the inspection task for the point to be inspected based on the distance between the first current position and the inspection point, and the inspection task at the point to be inspected.

[0054] In an embodiment of the present application, firstly, the inspection points for which the current power of the drone is sufficient to complete the inspection are screened out, and then the inspection points closest to the drone are selected as the target inspection points; thereby, the target inspection points are reasonably selected so that the inspection tasks of all target points in the entire inspection area can be completed as efficiently as possible.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present application, the step of determining the inspection point to be inspected that is closest to the first current position from the set of feasible inspection points to obtain the target inspection point includes: determining the inspection point to be inspected that is closest to the first current position from the set of feasible inspection points to obtain the nearest feasible point; if the distance between the nearest feasible point and the first current position is not greater than a preset distance threshold, determining the nearest feasible point as the target inspection point. If the distance between the nearest feasible point and the first current position is greater than the preset distance threshold, the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of inspection points to be inspected, and subsequently generating the first instruction for instructing the drone to stop at the unmanned vehicle.

[0056] Optionally, determining a target inspection point of the drone from the set of inspection points according to the current power of the drone and the first current position includes:

[0057] Determine, from the set of points to be inspected, the nearest point to be inspected that is closest to the first current position;

[0058] Calculate the amount of power required to complete the inspection task for the nearest inspection point according to the first current position;

[0059] If the power required to complete the inspection task for the nearest inspection point is not greater than the current power, the nearest inspection point is determined as the target inspection point.

[0060] In the embodiment of the present application, the nearest point to be inspected may be a point to be inspected that is determined to be closest to the first current position in the set of points to be inspected.

[0061] In an embodiment of the present application, the calculation of the amount of electricity required to complete the inspection task for the nearest point to be inspected includes: calculating the amount of electricity required to complete the inspection task for the point to be inspected based on the distance between the first current position and the nearest point to be inspected, and the inspection task at the nearest point to be inspected.

[0062] In an embodiment of the present application, if the power required to complete the inspection task for the nearest inspection point is greater than the current power, the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of inspection points, and the first instruction is subsequently generated to instruct the drone to dock at the unmanned vehicle.

[0063] In the embodiment of the present application, the nearest inspection point to be inspected that is closest to the first current position is first determined, and if the power required to complete the inspection task for the nearest inspection point is not greater than the current power, the nearest inspection point is determined as the target inspection point. In this way, the target inspection point is reasonably selected so that the inspection tasks of all target points in the entire inspection area can be completed as efficiently as possible.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present application, determining the target inspection point of the drone from the set of inspection points according to the current power of the drone and the first current position also includes:

[0065] The method of determining the inspection point closest to the first current position from the set of feasible inspection points to obtain the target inspection point includes: if the distance between the nearest inspection point and the first current position is not greater than a preset distance threshold, the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of inspection points, and subsequently generating the first instruction for instructing the drone to stop at the unmanned vehicle.

[0066] In an embodiment of the present application, obtaining a set of points to be inspected consisting of points to be inspected includes: obtaining a sequence of points to be inspected consisting of points to be inspected; the sequence of points to be inspected is used to indicate the order in which the UAV goes from an initial position to each point to be inspected for inspection; determining the target inspection point of the UAV from the set of points to be inspected includes: if the current power of the UAV is sufficient to complete the inspection task for the first point to be inspected in the sequence of points to be inspected, determining the first point to be inspected in the sequence of points to be inspected as the target inspection point; the method also includes: if the UAV completes the inspection task for the point to be inspected, removing the point to be inspected from the sequence of points to be inspected.

[0067] Optionally, the power required to complete the inspection task for any inspection point is calculated, including:

[0068] Obtaining a first amount of electricity required by the drone to inspect the point to be inspected at the point to be inspected;

[0069] Calculating a second amount of power required for the drone to move to the point to be inspected according to the distance between the first current position and the point to be inspected;

[0070] The sum of the first power and the second power is calculated to obtain the power required to complete the inspection task for any point to be inspected.

[0071] In an embodiment of the present application, obtaining the first amount of electricity required for the drone to inspect the point to be inspected at the point to be inspected may include: obtaining the inspection time required for the drone to inspect the point to be inspected at the point to be inspected, and the first unit time electricity consumption of the drone during the inspection; calculating the product of the inspection time and the first unit time electricity consumption to obtain the first amount of electricity.

[0072] In an embodiment of the present application, the second amount of electricity required for the drone to move to the point to be inspected is calculated based on the distance between the first current position and the point to be inspected, including: based on the distance between the first current position and the point to be inspected, the moving time required for the drone to move to the point to be inspected, and the second unit time electricity consumption of the drone when moving; calculating the product of the moving time and the first unit time electricity consumption to obtain the second amount of electricity.

[0073] In practical applications, if the power consumption per unit time is close to the power consumption per unit time, the sum of the inspection time and the moving time can be calculated to obtain the operation time, and the product of the power consumption per unit time of the operation time can be calculated to obtain the power required to complete the inspection task for any inspection point.

[0074] In an embodiment of the present application, the second amount of electricity required for the drone to move to the point to be inspected is calculated based on the distance between the first current position and the point to be inspected, including: based on the first distance between the first current position and the point to be inspected, and the power consumption per unit distance of the drone when moving; calculating the product of the first distance and the first power consumption per unit time to obtain the second amount of electricity.

[0075] In the embodiment of the present application, the first power required for the drone to inspect the point to be inspected at the point to be inspected, and the second power required for the drone to move to the point to be inspected are obtained; the sum of the first power and the second power is calculated to obtain the power required to complete the inspection task for any point to be inspected. Accurately calculating the power required to complete the inspection task for any point to be inspected helps to avoid the drone losing connection due to insufficient power during the inspection process.

[0076] Optionally, after determining the target inspection point of the drone from the set of inspection points according to the current power of the drone and the first current position, the method further includes:

[0077] If the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of inspection points, a second instruction is generated; the second instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to move to the first current position.

[0078] In an embodiment of the present application, the second instruction is used to make the unmanned vehicle greet the unmanned vehicle.

[0079] In actual applications, the unmanned vehicle obtains its own second current position and the first current position of the unmanned aerial vehicle in real time, and updates the path planning from the second current position to the first current position in real time.

[0080] In an embodiment of the present application, when the current power of the drone is insufficient to complete the inspection task for any inspection point, the drone and the unmanned vehicle are instructed to move toward each other to further reduce the flight distance of the drone for round-trip charging, thereby improving the inspection efficiency of the drone.

[0081] Optionally, after generating the first instruction, the method further includes:

[0082] After the drone stops at the unmanned vehicle, a third instruction is generated; the third instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to charge the drone, or to instruct the unmanned vehicle to replace a battery of the drone;

[0083] When the current power of the drone meets the preset power threshold condition, the target inspection point of the drone is determined again from the set of inspection points.

[0084] In an embodiment of the present application, the unmanned vehicle is used to charge the drone or to replace the battery of the drone. Specifically, the drone airport set up on the unmanned vehicle has an automatic charging system or an automatic battery replacement system. The third instruction is used to instruct the automatic charging system at the unmanned vehicle to charge the drone or to instruct the automatic battery replacement system at the unmanned vehicle to replace the battery of the drone.

[0085] In an embodiment of the present application, the preset power threshold can be used to limit the current power of the drone to be greater than or equal to a preset ratio; or, the preset power threshold can be used to limit the current power of the drone to be greater than or equal to completing the inspection task for all points to be inspected.

[0086] In an embodiment of the present application, when the unmanned vehicle charges the drone, the first time required for charging the drone is calculated according to the current power of the drone, the preset power threshold and the charging power. After waiting for the first time, it is determined that the current power of the drone meets the preset power threshold condition.

[0087] In the embodiment of the present application, after the target inspection point of the drone is determined again from the set of inspection points, the method further includes: if the target inspection point of the drone is determined from the set of inspection points, an instruction is generated; the instruction is used to instruct the drone to move to the target inspection point and perform an inspection task for the target inspection point. If the drone completes the inspection task for the inspection point, the inspection point is removed from the set of inspection points.

[0088] In an embodiment of the present application, an unmanned vehicle is used to recharge the power of the drone, and after the power is restored, the unfinished inspection task is continued, thereby breaking the geographical limitations of fixed airports, increasing the inspection range of the drone, and reducing the flight distance of the drone during round-trip charging, thereby improving the inspection efficiency of the drone.

[0089] Optionally, after generating the first instruction, the method further includes:

[0090] When the unmanned vehicle is charging the drone, if the set of points to be inspected is not an empty set, the nearest point to be inspected that is closest to the unmanned vehicle is determined from the set of points to be inspected, and a fourth instruction is generated; the fourth instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to move to the nearest point to be inspected.

[0091] In the embodiment of the present application, the nearest inspection point is the inspection point in the set of inspection points that is closest to the unmanned vehicle (and also closest to the unmanned aerial vehicle).

[0092] In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the fourth instruction, the unmanned vehicle generates a path plan from the second current position of the unmanned vehicle to the nearest inspection point. The unmanned vehicle drives to the nearest inspection point based on the path plan.

[0093] In an embodiment of the present application, when the unmanned vehicle is charging the drone, the unmanned vehicle is instructed to go to the nearest inspection point, thereby reducing the flight time of the drone and improving the inspection efficiency of the drone.

[0094] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0095] Obtaining a second current position of the unmanned vehicle;

[0096] Calculating a horizontal distance between the UAV and the unmanned vehicle according to the first current position and the second current position;

[0097] If the horizontal distance is greater than the first preset distance, a fifth instruction is generated; the fifth instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to move to the first current position.

[0098] In an embodiment of the present application, the horizontal distance can be calculated based on the longitude and latitude coordinates of the first current position and the second current position.

[0099] In the embodiment of the present application, the first preset distance can be set according to actual conditions and can be set to a smaller distance, such as 10 meters, 50 meters, 100 meters, etc., and no specific limitation is made here.

[0100] In the embodiment of the present application, the first current position is the current position of the drone, and the fifth instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to move with the drone, and instruct the unmanned vehicle to stop moving after the distance between the two is no greater than a first preset distance.

[0101] In the embodiment of the present application, when the horizontal distance between the drone and the unmanned vehicle is greater than the first preset distance, the unmanned vehicle moves toward the drone to reduce the distance between the two. This helps to enhance the reliability and stability of communication between the two. It also helps to reduce the flight distance of the drone when replenishing power, and improves the inspection efficiency of the drone.

[0102] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0103] Calculating a vehicle-machine distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the unmanned vehicle according to the first current position and the second current position;

[0104] If the vehicle-machine distance is greater than the second preset distance, a sixth instruction is generated; the second preset distance is determined based on the maximum communication distance between the drone and the unmanned vehicle; the second preset distance is greater than the first preset distance; the sixth instruction is used to instruct the drone to pause moving, or to instruct the drone to move to reduce the vehicle-machine distance.

[0105] In the embodiment of the present application, the vehicle-machine distance is the distance between the drone and the unmanned vehicle. In most cases (except for complex scenes such as mountainous areas and hills), the vehicle-machine distance can also be the horizontal distance between the two.

[0106] In the embodiment of the present application, the second preset distance can be set according to the maximum communication distance between the drone and the unmanned vehicle, for example, 80% of the maximum communication distance. In practical applications, the second preset distance is usually much larger than the first preset distance; for example, the second preset distance is 3 kilometers and the first preset distance is 30 meters.

[0107] In an embodiment of the present application, the sixth instruction is used to avoid interruption of the communication connection between the drone and the unmanned vehicle. In general, the sixth instruction is used to instruct the drone to suspend movement (e.g., hover). In practical applications, in special cases where the communication quality between the two is further deteriorated due to the unmanned vehicle moving toward the drone, the sixth instruction can be used to instruct the drone to move to reduce the vehicle-machine distance; for example, when the unmanned vehicle needs to take a detour to move toward the drone, the unmanned vehicle moving toward the drone will increase the vehicle-machine distance between the two, or when an obstacle (mountain or building) appears between the two.

[0108] In the embodiment of the present application, when the distance between the drone and the unmanned vehicle is greater than the first preset distance, the unmanned vehicle moves with the drone; when the distance between the two is greater than the second preset distance, the drone stops moving or moves toward the unmanned vehicle to ensure stable communication between the two. This allows the unmanned vehicle to facilitate the drone in performing inspection tasks as much as possible, which helps to improve inspection efficiency and safety, reduce the risk of task interruption or failure due to communication interruption, and ensure the reliability of data transmission.

[0109] Exemplary Devices

[0110] The device embodiments of the present application can be used to execute the method embodiments of the present application. For details not disclosed in the device embodiments of the present application, please refer to the method embodiments of the present application.

[0111] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control device of an inspection system provided by an embodiment of the present application. The inspection system includes an unmanned vehicle and a drone for inspection; the unmanned vehicle is used to move with the drone and increase the power of the drone; Figure 3 As shown, the device 300 includes:

[0112] An acquisition module 310 is used to acquire a set of points to be inspected consisting of points to be inspected;

[0113] The inspection target module 320 is used to determine the target inspection point for the next inspection task of the drone from the set of inspection points according to the first current position and the current power of the drone; wherein the power required to complete the inspection task for the target inspection point is not greater than the current power;

[0114] The instruction generation module 330 is used to generate a first instruction if the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of inspection points; the first instruction is used to instruct the drone to stop at the unmanned vehicle.

[0115] Optionally, the inspection target module 320 includes:

[0116] A power calculation unit, configured to calculate the power required to complete the inspection task for each of the points to be inspected in the set of points to be inspected according to the first current position;

[0117] A feasible point determination unit, used for adding the to-be-inspected points whose required power is not greater than the current power to the feasible inspection point set;

[0118] A target inspection point determination unit, configured to determine the inspection point to be inspected that is closest to the first current position from the set of feasible inspection points, to obtain the target inspection point;

[0119] Optionally, determining a target inspection point of the drone from the set of inspection points according to the current power of the drone and the first current position includes:

[0120] A nearest point determination unit, used to determine the nearest point to be inspected that is closest to the first current position from the set of points to be inspected;

[0121] A power calculation unit, used for calculating the power required to complete the inspection task for the nearest inspection point according to the first current position;

[0122] The target inspection point determination unit is used to determine the nearest inspection point as the target inspection point if the power required to complete the inspection task for the nearest inspection point is not greater than the current power.

[0123] Optional, power calculation unit, used to:

[0124] Obtaining a first amount of electricity required by the drone to inspect the point to be inspected at the point to be inspected;

[0125] Calculating a second amount of power required for the drone to move to the point to be inspected according to the distance between the first current position and the point to be inspected;

[0126] The sum of the first power and the second power is calculated to obtain the power required to complete the inspection task for any point to be inspected.

[0127] Optionally, the instruction generation module 330 is further used to generate a second instruction if the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of inspection points; the second instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to move to the first current position.

[0128] Optionally, the instruction generating module 330 is further used to:

[0129] After the drone stops at the unmanned vehicle, a third instruction is generated; the third instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to charge the drone, or to instruct the unmanned vehicle to replace a battery of the drone;

[0130] The inspection target module 320 is also used to determine the target inspection point of the drone from the set of inspection points again when the current power of the drone meets the preset power threshold condition.

[0131] Optionally, the instruction generating module 330 is further used to:

[0132] When the unmanned vehicle is charging the drone, if the set of points to be inspected is not an empty set, the nearest point to be inspected that is closest to the unmanned vehicle is determined from the set of points to be inspected, and a fourth instruction is generated; the fourth instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to move to the nearest point to be inspected.

[0133] Optionally, the device 300 further includes:

[0134] A distance calculation module, used to obtain a second current position of the unmanned vehicle; and calculate a horizontal distance between the drone and the unmanned vehicle according to the first current position and the second current position;

[0135] The instruction generation module 330 is further used to generate a fifth instruction if the horizontal distance is greater than a first preset distance; the fifth instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to move to the first current position.

[0136] Optionally, the distance calculation module is further used to calculate the vehicle-machine distance between the drone and the unmanned vehicle according to the first current position and the second current position;

[0137] The instruction generation module 330 is also used to generate a sixth instruction if the vehicle-machine distance is greater than a second preset distance; the second preset distance is determined based on the maximum communication distance between the drone and the unmanned vehicle; the second preset distance is greater than the first preset distance; the sixth instruction is used to instruct the drone to pause moving, or to instruct the drone to move to reduce the vehicle-machine distance.

[0138] Exemplary Electronic Devices

[0139] Below, reference Figure 4 To describe an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 A block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application is illustrated.

[0140] like Figure 4 As shown, electronic device 400 includes one or more processors 410 and memory 420 .

[0141] The processor 410 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or other forms of processing units having data processing capabilities and / or instruction execution capabilities, and may control other components in the electronic device 400 to perform desired functions.

[0142] The memory 420 may include one or more computer program products, and the computer program product may include various forms of computer-readable storage media, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, for example, random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory (cache), etc. The non-volatile memory may include, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. One or more computer program instructions may be stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor 410 may run the program instructions to implement the control method of the inspection system of each embodiment of the present application described above and / or other desired functions. Various contents such as category correspondences may also be stored in the computer-readable storage medium.

[0143] In one example, the electronic device 400 may further include: an input device 430 and an output device 440 , and these components are interconnected via a bus system and / or other forms of connection mechanisms (not shown).

[0144] In addition, the input device 430 may also include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. The output device 440 may output various information to the outside. The output device 440 may include, for example, a display, a speaker, a printer, a communication network and a remote output device connected thereto, etc.

[0145] Of course, to simplify, Figure 4 Only some of the components related to the present application in the electronic device 400 are shown, and components such as a bus, an input / output interface, etc. are omitted. In addition, according to specific application conditions, the electronic device 400 may also include any other appropriate components.

[0146] Exemplary computer program products and computer-readable storage media

[0147] In addition to the above-mentioned methods and devices, an embodiment of the present application may also be a computer program product, which includes computer program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, enable the processor to execute the steps of the control method of the inspection system according to various embodiments of the present application described in the above-mentioned "Exemplary Method" section of this specification.

[0148] The computer program product may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages ​​to write program codes for performing the operations of the embodiments of the present application, including object-oriented programming languages, such as Java, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages, such as "C" language or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user computing device, partially on the user device, as an independent software package, partially on the user computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server.

[0149] In addition, an embodiment of the present application may also be a computer-readable storage medium on which computer program instructions are stored. When the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the steps of the control method of the inspection system according to various embodiments of the present application described in the above "Exemplary Method" section of this specification.

[0150] The computer readable storage medium can adopt any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium can be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium can include, for example, but is not limited to, a system, device or device of electricity, magnetism, light, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor, or any combination of the above. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of readable storage media include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0151] The basic principles of the present application are described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, effects, etc. mentioned in the present application are only examples and not limitations, and it cannot be considered that these advantages, strengths, effects, etc. are required by each embodiment of the present application. In addition, the specific details disclosed above are only for the purpose of illustration and ease of understanding, not for limitation, and the above details do not limit the present application to being implemented by adopting the above specific details.

[0152] The block diagrams of the devices, apparatuses, equipment, and systems involved in this application are only illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, and configured in the manner shown in the block diagram. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, these devices, apparatuses, equipment, and systems can be connected, arranged, and configured in any manner. Words such as "including", "comprising", "having", etc. are open words, referring to "including but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably with them. The words "or" and "and" used here refer to the words "and / or" and can be used interchangeably with them, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The words "such as" used here refer to the phrase "such as but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably with them.

[0153] It should also be noted that in the apparatus, device and method of the present application, each component or each step can be decomposed and / or recombined. Such decomposition and / or recombination should be regarded as equivalent solutions of the present application.

[0154] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present application. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0155] It should be understood that the qualifiers "first", "second", "third", "fourth", "fifth" and "sixth" used in the description of the embodiments of the present application are only used to more clearly explain the technical solutions and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0156] The above description has been given for the purpose of illustration and description. In addition, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the forms disclosed herein. Although multiple example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, changes, additions and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A control method for an inspection system, characterized in that: The inspection system includes an unmanned vehicle and a drone for performing inspection tasks; the unmanned vehicle is used to move with the drone and provide power for the drone; the method includes: Get a set of points to be inspected consisting of the points to be inspected; According to the first current position and current power of the drone, a target inspection point for the next inspection task of the drone is determined from the set of inspection points; wherein the power required to complete the inspection task for the target inspection point is not greater than the current power; If the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of inspection points, a first instruction is generated; the first instruction is used to instruct the drone to stop at the unmanned vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of determining a target inspection point of the drone from the set of inspection points according to the current power level of the drone and the first current position includes: Calculating the amount of power required to complete an inspection task for each of the points to be inspected in the set of points to be inspected according to the first current position; Add the inspection points whose required power is not greater than the current power to the set of feasible inspection points; Determine the inspection point to be inspected that is closest to the first current position from the set of feasible inspection points to obtain the target inspection point; or, Determine, from the set of points to be inspected, the nearest point to be inspected that is closest to the first current position; Calculate the amount of power required to complete the inspection task for the nearest inspection point according to the first current position; If the power required to complete the inspection task for the nearest inspection point is not greater than the current power, the nearest inspection point is determined as the target inspection point.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Calculate the power required to complete the inspection task for any inspection point, including: Obtaining a first amount of electricity required by the drone to inspect the point to be inspected at the point to be inspected; Calculating a second amount of power required for the drone to move to the point to be inspected according to the distance between the first current position and the point to be inspected; The sum of the first power and the second power is calculated to obtain the power required to complete the inspection task for any point to be inspected.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After determining the target inspection point of the drone from the set of inspection points according to the current power of the drone and the first current position, the method further includes: If the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of inspection points, a second instruction is generated; the second instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to move to the first current position.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 or 4, characterized in that: After generating the first instruction, the method further includes: After the drone stops at the unmanned vehicle, a third instruction is generated; the third instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to charge the drone, or to instruct the unmanned vehicle to replace a battery of the drone; When the current power of the drone meets the preset power threshold condition, the target inspection point of the drone is determined again from the set of inspection points.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that After generating the first instruction, the method further includes: When the unmanned vehicle is charging the drone, if the set of points to be inspected is not an empty set, the nearest point to be inspected that is closest to the unmanned vehicle is determined from the set of points to be inspected, and a fourth instruction is generated; the fourth instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to move to the nearest point to be inspected.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtaining a second current position of the unmanned vehicle; Calculating a horizontal distance between the UAV and the unmanned vehicle according to the first current position and the second current position; If the horizontal distance is greater than the first preset distance, a fifth instruction is generated; the fifth instruction is used to instruct the unmanned vehicle to move to the first current position.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: Calculating a vehicle-machine distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the unmanned vehicle according to the first current position and the second current position; If the vehicle-machine distance is greater than the second preset distance, a sixth instruction is generated; the second preset distance is determined based on the maximum communication distance between the drone and the unmanned vehicle; the second preset distance is greater than the first preset distance; the sixth instruction is used to instruct the drone to pause moving, or to instruct the drone to move to reduce the vehicle-machine distance.

9. A control device for a patrol inspection system, characterized in that: The inspection system includes an unmanned vehicle and a drone for inspection; the unmanned vehicle is used to move with the drone and increase the power of the drone; the device includes: An acquisition module, used for acquiring a set of points to be inspected consisting of points to be inspected; The inspection target module is used to determine the target inspection point for the next inspection task of the drone from the set of inspection points according to the first current position and current power of the drone; wherein the power required to complete the inspection task for the target inspection point is not greater than the current power; The instruction generation module is used to generate a first instruction if the target inspection point cannot be determined from the set of inspection points; the first instruction is used to instruct the drone to dock at the unmanned vehicle.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: processor; a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor; The processor is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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