Unmanned aerial vehicle waypoint generation method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle waypoint generation method and device. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a target object position and target inspection time; determining a target projection point position according to the target object position and the target inspection time; determining a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the target object position, the adjacent object position of the target object and the target projection point position; and determining an unmanned aerial vehicle waypoint matched with the target object according to a predetermined shooting direction and a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object. According to the technical scheme, the problem of unclear shot images caused by insufficient unmanned aerial vehicle waypoint planning flexibility is solved, the unmanned aerial vehicle waypoints are planned object by object by determining the relative position relation between the sun projection point and the inspection object, the imaging influence of sun illumination on unmanned aerial vehicle shooting equipment can be avoided, and clear imaging of the inspection object is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of patrol inspection technology, and in particular to a method and device for generating waypoints of an unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] When a drone is inspecting an object to be inspected, the inspectors plan the flight route of the drone based on the route to be inspected. The objects to be inspected may include power transmission lines, urban buildings, power equipment, etc. The inspectors usually plan the drone waypoints based on the inspection tasks on the route to be inspected. For the same object to be inspected, the flight route of the drone is generally fixed. However, the inspection time of the object to be inspected is not fixed. Therefore, during the actual inspection process, the camera carried by the drone is easily affected by sunlight, resulting in unclear image capture and even damage to the camera lens. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention provides a method and device for generating waypoints for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to solve the problem of unclear captured images caused by insufficient flexibility in UAV waypoint planning. By determining the relative position relationship between the sun projection point and the inspected object and planning the UAV waypoints object by object, the influence of sunlight on the imaging of the UAV shooting equipment can be avoided, thereby ensuring clear imaging of the inspected object.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for generating a waypoint of an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided, the method comprising:

[0005] Obtaining the position of the target object and the target inspection time; the target inspection time is the inspection time of the target object;

[0006] Determine the position of the target projection point according to the position of the target object and the target inspection time; the target projection point is the projection point of the sun at the target inspection time observed from the position of the target object as the observation point;

[0007] Determine the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the position of the target object, the positions of the adjacent objects of the target object and the position of the target projection point;

[0008] According to a predetermined shooting direction and a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object, a drone waypoint matching the target object is determined; the shooting direction includes a forward light direction and a backward light direction.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, a device for generating a waypoint of an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided, the device comprising:

[0010] An information acquisition module, used to acquire the position of a target object and a target inspection time; the target inspection time is the inspection time of the target object;

[0011] A projection point position determination module, used to determine the target projection point position according to the target object position and the target inspection time; the target projection point is the projection point of the sun at the target inspection time observed from the target object position as the observation point;

[0012] A position relationship determination module, used to determine the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the position of the target object, the positions of the adjacent objects of the target object and the position of the target projection point;

[0013] The UAV waypoint determination module is used to determine the UAV waypoint matching the target object according to a predetermined shooting direction and the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object; the shooting direction includes a forward light direction and a backward light direction.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device, the electronic device comprising:

[0015] At least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores a computer program executable by the at least one processor, and the computer program is executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute the drone waypoint generation method described in any embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions are used to enable a processor to implement the drone waypoint generation method described in any embodiment of the present invention when executed.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method for generating a waypoint for a drone according to any embodiment of the present invention is implemented.

[0018] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention is to obtain the position of the target object and the target inspection time; the target inspection time is the inspection time of the target object; according to the position of the target object and the target inspection time, determine the position of the target projection point; the target projection point is the projection point of the sun at the target inspection time observed with the position of the target object as the observation point; according to the position of the target object, the positions of the adjacent objects of the target object and the position of the target projection point, determine the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object; according to the predetermined shooting direction and the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object, determine the drone waypoint matching the target object; the shooting direction includes the light direction and the backlight direction. This technical solution solves the problem of unclear shooting images caused by insufficient flexibility in drone waypoint planning. By determining the relative position relationship between the sun projection point and the inspection object, and planning the drone waypoint object by object, the imaging effect of sunlight on the drone shooting equipment can be avoided, and clear imaging of the inspection object can be ensured.

[0019] It should be understood that the contents described in this section are not intended to identify the key or important features of the embodiments of the present invention, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Other features of the present invention will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0021] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a method for generating a waypoint for a drone according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a method for generating a waypoint for a drone according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a method for generating a waypoint for a drone provided in accordance with Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 is an angle schematic diagram provided according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a UAV waypoint generating device provided according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device for implementing the method for generating a waypoint for a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the scheme of the present invention, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings 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 should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices. The acquisition, storage, use, processing, etc. of data in the technical solution of this application comply with the relevant provisions of national laws and regulations.

[0029] Embodiment 1

[0030] Figure 1 A flowchart of a method for generating a waypoint for a drone is provided for the first embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is applicable to the scenario of drone power inspection, especially the situation of drone waypoint planning. The method can be executed by a drone waypoint generating device, which can be implemented in the form of hardware and / or software, and the device can be configured in an electronic device. Figure 1 As shown, the method includes:

[0031] S110, acquiring the position of the target object and the target inspection time; the target inspection time is the inspection time of the target object.

[0032] This solution can be executed by the drone control platform, and the target object can be an object to be inspected, such as a pole, equipment and other objects. The drone control platform can obtain the location of the target object and the inspection time of the target object. The location of the target object can be a geographical location, represented by longitude and latitude coordinates. The inspection time of the target object can be estimated based on information such as the inspection start time of the inspection task, the inspection duration of each object to be inspected, the distance between adjacent objects, and the flight speed of the drone. The inspection time of the target object can include year, month, day, hour, minute and second. The drone control platform can start from the first object to be inspected in the inspection task, and take each object to be inspected as the target object in turn, and plan waypoints one by one.

[0033] In a specific example, the target object is a pole tower in the line to be inspected. The drone control platform can obtain the location of each pole tower in the line to be inspected and the inspection time of each pole tower from the power management system. The location of each pole tower can be the geographical location of each tower, which can be represented by longitude and latitude coordinates. The inspection time of each tower can be estimated based on the inspection start time of the line to be inspected, the inspection time of each tower, the distance between adjacent towers, and the flight speed of the drone. The drone control platform can start from the first pole tower in the line to be inspected, and take each tower as the target tower in turn, and plan the waypoints one by one.

[0034] S120. Determine a target projection point position according to the target object position and the target inspection time; the target projection point is a projection point of the sun at the target inspection time observed with the target object position as the observation point.

[0035] Since the earth and the sun are constantly moving, the drone control platform needs to determine the direction of the target object when the drone is inspecting the target object, so as to prevent the lens of the camera carried by the drone from being directly exposed to the sunlight. The drone control platform can use the target object position as the observation point and the target inspection time as the observation time to determine the position of the sun's projection point.

[0036] Specifically, the UAV control platform can obtain the sun position according to the target inspection time, and obtain the solar altitude angle of the target object position through coordinate conversion. The UAV control platform can determine the target projection point position based on the solar altitude angle of the target inspection time and the height of the reference object at the observation point.

[0037] S130, determining a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the position of the target object, positions of adjacent objects of the target object, and the position of the target projection point.

[0038] The UAV control platform can connect the target object and its adjacent objects to obtain a straight line, and based on the positional relationship between the point and the straight line, obtain the relative positional relationship between the target projection point and the target object.

[0039] Specifically, the UAV control platform can regard the ground as a plane, and the position of the target object, the position of the adjacent object of the target object, and the position of the target projection point as three points in the plane, which are respectively represented as points A, B, and C. According to the position of the target object and the position of the adjacent object of the target object, the linear equation of the straight line where points A and B are located is determined, and according to the position of the target projection point, point C is substituted into the linear equation of the straight line where points A and B are located. According to the calculation result of the equation, the positional relationship between point C and the straight line where points A and B are located is determined, thereby obtaining the relative positional relationship between the target projection point and the target object.

[0040] For example, the linear equation of the line where points A and B lie can be expressed as , , and They represent the coefficients of the equation, represents the horizontal coordinate in the plane rectangular coordinate system, represents the ordinate in the plane rectangular coordinate system, and the coordinates of point C are ,like , then point C is on the right side of the straight line between points A and B. If , then point C is on the left side of the straight line between points A and B. , then point C is on the straight line where points A and B are located.

[0041] S140, determining a drone waypoint matching the target object according to a predetermined shooting direction and a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object; the shooting direction includes a forward light direction and a backward light direction.

[0042] The UAV control platform determines the front-lit side or back-lit side of the target object based on the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object, and then sets the corresponding UAV waypoint of the target object on the front-lit side or back-lit side of the target object according to the shooting direction of the shooting equipment during the UAV flight, so as to avoid unclear imaging of the shooting equipment during the UAV inspection.

[0043] Specifically, the drone control platform uses the target object position as a reference point, and uses the light-side position that maintains a preset safety distance from the reference point as the drone waypoint. After obtaining the drone waypoints that match the towers in the route to be inspected, the drone control platform can plan the drone inspection route according to the inspection order of the towers in the route to be inspected.

[0044] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention is to obtain the position of the target object and the target inspection time; the target inspection time is the inspection time of the target object; according to the position of the target object and the target inspection time, determine the position of the target projection point; the target projection point is the projection point of the sun at the target inspection time observed with the position of the target object as the observation point; according to the position of the target object, the positions of the adjacent objects of the target object and the position of the target projection point, determine the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object; according to the predetermined shooting direction and the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object, determine the drone waypoint matching the target object; the shooting direction includes the light direction and the backlight direction. This technical solution solves the problem of unclear shooting images caused by insufficient flexibility in drone waypoint planning. By determining the relative position relationship between the sun projection point and the inspection object, and planning the drone waypoint object by object, the imaging effect of sunlight on the drone shooting equipment can be avoided, and clear imaging of the inspection object can be ensured.

[0045] Embodiment 2

[0046] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of a method for generating a UAV waypoint provided in the second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment refines the process of determining the position of the target projection point and the process of determining the UAV waypoint based on the above embodiment. Figure 2 As shown, the method includes:

[0047] S210, acquiring the position of the target object and the target inspection time; the target inspection time is the inspection time of the target object.

[0048] S220: Determine the solar altitude angle according to the target object position and the target inspection time.

[0049] In this solution, the UAV control platform can obtain the sun position corresponding to the target inspection time, and determine the solar altitude angle of the target object position based on the sun position corresponding to the target inspection time.

[0050] S230: Determine the position of the target projection point according to the solar altitude angle and the preset reference object height.

[0051] The UAV control platform can determine the target projection point position based on the solar altitude angle at the target inspection time and the height of the reference object at the observation point.

[0052] In order to ensure the accuracy of the target projection point position, the UAV control platform can also consider the impact of the earth's rotation on the target projection point position, and calculate the earth's rotation speed at the target object position according to the latitude coordinates of the target object. According to the earth's rotation speed at the target object position and the horizontal distance from the target object position to the target projection point position, the longitude offset of the target projection point position is calculated. The longitude offset of the target projection point position is used to correct the target projection point position.

[0053] This scheme can accurately locate the position of the target projection point and reduce the position calculation error of the target projection point.

[0054] S240: Determine a direction vector according to the position of the target object and positions of adjacent objects of the target object.

[0055] In this solution, the drone control platform can determine the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object by constructing a vector. The direction vector can be a direction vector with the target object position as the vector starting point and the target object's adjacent object position as the vector end point.

[0056] Specifically, the UAV control platform can regard the ground as a plane, and the position of the target object, the position of the adjacent objects of the target object, and the position of the target projection point as three points in the plane. The position can be expressed as , target object Neighboring objects The position can be expressed as , target projection point The position can be expressed as , the direction vector of the target object matching can be expressed as .

[0057] S250: Determine the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the direction vector and the position of the target projection point.

[0058] In this solution, determining the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the direction vector and the position of the target projection point includes:

[0059] Determine a perpendicular vector of the direction vector and determine a reference vector; the reference vector is one of a first reference vector and a second reference vector; the first reference vector is a direction vector from the target projection point position to the target object position; the second reference vector is a direction vector from the target projection point position to the position of an adjacent object of the target object;

[0060] The relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object is determined according to the inner product of the perpendicular vector of the direction vector and the reference vector.

[0061] The drone control platform can calculate the perpendicular vector of the direction vector, and determine the direction vector from the target projection point position to the target object position or the direction vector from the target projection point position to the position of the adjacent object of the target object. The direction vector from the target projection point position to the target object position is recorded as the first reference vector, and the direction vector from the target projection point position to the position of the adjacent object of the target object is recorded as the second reference vector. The drone control platform can calculate the inner product of the perpendicular vector of the direction vector and the first reference vector, or calculate the inner product of the perpendicular vector of the direction vector and the second reference vector. According to the inner product of the perpendicular vector of the direction vector and the first reference vector, or calculating the inner product of the perpendicular vector of the direction vector and the second reference vector, the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object is determined.

[0062] Specifically, taking the determination of the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object based on the inner product of the perpendicular vector of the direction vector and the first reference vector as an example, the first reference vector can be expressed as , the perpendicular vector of the direction vector can be expressed as:

[0063] ;

[0064] like , then it is determined that the target projection point is located on the right side of the target object. If , then it is determined that the target projection point is located on the left side of the target object. If , it is determined that the target projection point, the target object, and the adjacent objects of the target object are on the same straight line.

[0065] S260, determining a drone waypoint matching the target object according to a predetermined shooting direction and a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object, the target object position and a preset safety distance; the shooting direction includes a forward light direction and a backward light direction.

[0066] The drone control platform determines the light-side or backlight side of the target object based on the relative positional relationship between the target projection point and the target object, and sets the drone waypoint corresponding to the target object on the light-side or backlight side of the target object according to the shooting direction of the shooting device during the drone flight. Specifically, the drone control platform can translate the target object in the light-side direction by a preset safety distance to obtain the drone waypoint corresponding to the target object when the shooting direction is the light-side direction. Similarly, the drone control platform can translate the target object in the backlight direction by a preset safety distance to obtain the drone waypoint corresponding to the target object when the shooting direction is the backlight direction.

[0067] Optionally, the drone waypoints matched by the target object are represented by three-dimensional coordinates in a pre-established spatial rectangular coordinate system;

[0068] If the shooting direction is the front light direction, the drone waypoint matching the target object is expressed as:

[0069] ;

[0070] ;

[0071] ;

[0072] If the shooting direction is the backlight direction, the drone waypoint matching the target object is expressed as:

[0073] ;

[0074] ;

[0075] ;

[0076] in, Indicates the horizontal coordinate of the drone waypoint that matches the target object, represents the horizontal coordinate of the target object, The ordinate of the drone waypoint that represents the target object. represents the ordinate of the target object, Indicates the vertical coordinate of the drone waypoint that matches the target object, Indicates the preset safety distance. Represents the direction vector from the target projection point position to the target object position, The perpendicular vector to the direction vector of the target object match, express The lateral component of express The longitudinal component of Indicates the height of the target object. It should be noted that the preset safety distance can be determined according to the wheelbase of the UAV and the imaging parameters of the shooting device.

[0077] This solution can quickly determine the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object by constructing a vector. Planning the UAV waypoint on the light-facing side of the target object can avoid the influence of sunlight on the imaging of the UAV shooting equipment and ensure clear imaging of the inspection target.

[0078] Embodiment 3

[0079] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of a method for generating a waypoint for a drone provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention. This embodiment is refined based on the above embodiment. Figure 3As shown, the method includes:

[0080] S310, acquiring the position of the target object and the target inspection time; the target inspection time is the inspection time of the target object.

[0081] S320. Determine the position of a target projection point according to the position of the target object and the target inspection time; the target projection point is a projection point of the sun at the target inspection time observed with the position of the target object as the observation point.

[0082] S330, determining a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the position of the target object, positions of adjacent objects of the target object, and the position of the target projection point.

[0083] S340, determining a drone waypoint matching the target object according to a predetermined shooting direction and a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object; the shooting direction includes a forward light direction and a backward light direction.

[0084] S350: If the shooting direction is a backlight direction, obtain the nose orientation angle of the drone, the offset angle between the shooting device and the nose, the sun's horizontal angle at the inspection time, and the field of view angle of the shooting device.

[0085] In order to ensure the reliability of the imaging of the shooting equipment, after determining the drone waypoints that match the target object, the drone control platform can determine the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, and communicate with the drone to obtain data such as the drone's nose heading angle, the offset angle between the shooting equipment and the nose, and the field of view angle of the shooting equipment. It can be understood that the sun's horizontal angle and the sun's altitude angle are complementary, and the drone control platform can calculate the sun's horizontal angle based on the sun's altitude angle at the time of inspection. Figure 4 is an angle diagram provided according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, Figure 4 The middle triangle represents the drone, the large circle represents the sun position observed by the observation point, the small circle represents the shooting target on the center line of the field of view, the solid arrow represents the coordinate axis, and the dotted arrow is used to indicate the direction of the angle boundary. A plane rectangular coordinate system is established with the drone as the origin, the direction parallel to the ground as the first coordinate axis, and the direction perpendicular to the ground as the second coordinate axis. The offset angle between the shooting device and the nose, the nose orientation angle of the drone, the horizontal angle of the sun at the time of inspection, and the field of view of the shooting device can be as follows: Figure 4 middle , , and express.

[0086] The UAV control platform can determine whether there is any overlap between the field of view angle of the shooting device and the horizontal angle of the sun when the UAV reaches the UAV waypoint matching the target object based on the UAV's nose heading angle, the offset angle between the shooting device and the nose, the horizontal angle of the sun at the inspection time, and the field of view angle of the shooting device.

[0087] S360: Determine whether the nose orientation angle of the drone, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the camera meet preset angle constraints.

[0088] The drone control platform can pre-set angle constraints so that the camera carried by the drone is not directly exposed to sunlight. The drone control platform can determine whether the drone's nose heading angle, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, and the field of view of the camera meet the preset angle constraints. If not, execute S370; if yes, execute S380.

[0089] In a feasible solution, the preset angle constraint includes that the nose orientation angle of the drone, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, the horizontal angle of the sun at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the camera satisfy a first angle relationship, or the nose orientation angle of the drone, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, the horizontal angle of the sun at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the camera satisfy a second angle relationship;

[0090] The first angle relationship is: ;

[0091] The second angle relationship is: ;

[0092] in, Indicates the offset angle between the camera and the nose. Indicates the heading angle of the drone. Indicates the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, Indicates the field of view of the camera.

[0093] like Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, the nose orientation angle of the drone, the sun horizontal angle at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the camera can be respectively calculated by , , and express. The size can be used to indicate direction 1, The size can be used to indicate direction 2, which should be offset from direction 1 by at least half the field of view of the shooting device to avoid direct sunlight on the lens of the shooting device.

[0094] In another feasible scheme, the preset angle constraint includes a target angle difference being smaller than the field of view angle of the shooting device, and the target angle difference being larger than a preset angle threshold; the target angle difference is the difference between the nose heading angle of the UAV and the horizontal angle of the sun at the inspection time; and the preset angle threshold is determined based on the nose heading angle of the UAV.

[0095] like Figure 4 As shown, The positive or negative value can be used to indicate whether direction 1 is on the left or right side of the target. The positive or negative value can be used to indicate whether direction 2 is on the left or right side of the target. If direction 1 and direction 2 are on the same side of the target and the angle between them is less than the preset angle difference, the drone control platform can increase the The size of the image sensor is increased to enlarge the angle between direction 1 and direction 2 to prevent the camera from being directly exposed to sunlight.

[0096] Specifically, , and The following quantitative relationship should be satisfied:

[0097] ,and , Indicates the preset angle difference.

[0098] Therefore, the UAV control platform can be set , represents a preset angle threshold, which can be determined based on the nose heading angle of the drone and the preset angle difference, and can usually be set to At the same time, the object should be within the field of view of the camera, so .In summary, , , and The quantitative relationship should be satisfied This solution can set angle constraints in backlit shooting scenarios to check whether the shooting equipment carried by the drone is directly exposed to sunlight, so as to ensure clear backlit imaging while protecting the shooting equipment.

[0099] S370: Based on the preset angle constraint, adjust the target turning angle of the UAV.

[0100] If the UAV's nose heading angle, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, and the field of view of the camera do not meet the preset angle constraints, the angle adjustment parameters of the UAV are determined to adjust the target turning angle of the UAV so that the camera is not directly exposed to the sun's rays. The target turning angle of the UAV may include the UAV's nose heading angle, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, and other adjustable turning angles.

[0101] S380. Maintain the nose orientation angle of the drone and the offset angle between the camera and the nose.

[0102] If the UAV's nose heading angle, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, and the field of view of the camera meet the preset angle constraints, there is no need to adjust the adjustable angle in the UAV. When the UAV reaches the UAV waypoint that matches the target object, it can directly perform inspection and shooting.

[0103] After the drone waypoint matching the target object is determined, this solution can further check whether the lens of the shooting equipment is directly exposed to sunlight, which is helpful to avoid the problem of overexposure of the image caused by the drone shooting equipment when shooting against the light, and improves the reliability of the drone shooting equipment's imaging.

[0104] Embodiment 4

[0105] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a UAV waypoint generation device provided by the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 As shown, the device comprises:

[0106] The information acquisition module 410 is used to acquire the position of the target object and the target inspection time; the target inspection time is the inspection time of the target object;

[0107] The projection point position determination module 420 is used to determine the target projection point position according to the target object position and the target inspection time; the target projection point is the projection point of the sun at the target inspection time observed from the target object position as the observation point;

[0108] A position relationship determination module 430 is used to determine the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the position of the target object, the positions of the adjacent objects of the target object and the position of the target projection point;

[0109] The drone waypoint determination module 440 is used to determine the drone waypoint matching the target object according to a predetermined shooting direction and the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object; the shooting direction includes a forward light direction and a backward light direction.

[0110] In this solution, the projection point position determination module 420 is specifically used to:

[0111] Determining the solar altitude angle according to the target object position and the target inspection time;

[0112] The target projection point position is determined according to the solar altitude angle and the preset reference object height.

[0113] Based on the above solution, the position relationship determination module 430 is specifically used to:

[0114] Determining a direction vector according to the position of the target object and the positions of adjacent objects of the target object;

[0115] The relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object is determined according to the direction vector and the target projection point position.

[0116] Based on the above solution, the position relationship determination module 430 includes:

[0117] A vector determination unit, used to determine a perpendicular vector of the direction vector and determine a reference vector; the reference vector is one of a first reference vector and a second reference vector; the first reference vector is a direction vector from the target projection point position to the target object position; the second reference vector is a direction vector from the target projection point position to the position of an adjacent object of the target object;

[0118] The position relationship determination unit is used to determine the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the vertical vector of the direction vector and the inner product of the reference vector.

[0119] In a feasible solution, the drone waypoint determination module 440 is specifically used to:

[0120] The drone waypoint matching the target object is determined according to a predetermined shooting direction, a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object, the target object position and a preset safety distance.

[0121] Based on the above scheme, the drone waypoints matched by the target object are represented by three-dimensional coordinates in a pre-established spatial rectangular coordinate system;

[0122] If the shooting direction is the front light direction, the drone waypoint matching the target object is expressed as:

[0123] ;

[0124] ;

[0125] ;

[0126] If the shooting direction is the backlight direction, the drone waypoint matching the target object is expressed as:

[0127] ;

[0128] ;

[0129] ;

[0130] in, Indicates the horizontal coordinate of the drone waypoint that matches the target object, represents the horizontal coordinate of the target object, The ordinate of the drone waypoint that represents the target object. represents the ordinate of the target object, Indicates the vertical coordinate of the drone waypoint that matches the target object, Indicates the preset safety distance. Represents the direction vector from the target projection point position to the target object position, The perpendicular vector to the direction vector of the target object match, express The lateral component of express The longitudinal component of Indicates the height of the target object. Represents a symbolic function.

[0131] In a preferred embodiment, the device further comprises:

[0132] An angle information acquisition module is used to obtain the drone's nose heading angle, the offset angle between the shooting device and the nose, the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the shooting device after determining the drone waypoint that matches the target object, if the shooting direction is a backlight direction;

[0133] Angle constraint judgment module, used to judge whether the nose orientation angle of the drone, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the camera meet the preset angle constraints;

[0134] The angle adjustment module is used to adjust the target turning angle of the drone based on the preset angle constraint if the preset angle constraint is not met.

[0135] In a first feasible solution, the preset angle constraint includes that the nose orientation angle of the drone, the offset angle between the shooting device and the nose, the horizontal angle of the sun at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the shooting device satisfy a first angle relationship, or the nose orientation angle of the drone, the offset angle between the shooting device and the nose, the horizontal angle of the sun at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the shooting device satisfy a second angle relationship;

[0136] The first angle relationship is: ;

[0137] The second angle relationship is: ;

[0138] in, Indicates the offset angle between the camera and the nose. Indicates the heading angle of the drone. Indicates the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, Indicates the field of view of the camera.

[0139] In another feasible scheme, the preset angle constraint includes a target angle difference being smaller than the field of view angle of the shooting device, and the target angle difference being larger than a preset angle threshold; the target angle difference is the difference between the nose heading angle of the UAV and the horizontal angle of the sun at the inspection time; and the preset angle threshold is determined based on the nose heading angle of the UAV.

[0140] The UAV waypoint generation device provided in the embodiment of the present invention can execute the UAV waypoint generation method provided in any embodiment of the present invention, and has the corresponding functional modules and beneficial effects of the execution method.

[0141] Embodiment 5

[0142] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device 510 that can be used to implement an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The electronic device is intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptop computers, desktop computers, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframe computers, and other suitable computers. The electronic device can also represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital processing, cellular phones, smart phones, wearable devices (such as helmets, glasses, watches, etc.) and other similar computing devices. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions are merely examples and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present invention described and / or required herein.

[0143] like Figure 6As shown, the electronic device 510 includes at least one processor 511, and a memory connected to the at least one processor 511 in communication, such as a read-only memory (ROM) 512, a random access memory (RAM) 513, etc., wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be executed by at least one processor, and the processor 511 can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to the computer program stored in the read-only memory (ROM) 512 or the computer program loaded from the storage unit 518 to the random access memory (RAM) 513. In the RAM 513, various programs and data required for the operation of the electronic device 510 can also be stored. The processor 511, the ROM 512, and the RAM 513 are connected to each other via a bus 514. An input / output (I / O) interface 515 is also connected to the bus 514.

[0144] A number of components in the electronic device 510 are connected to the I / O interface 515, including: an input unit 516, such as a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output unit 517, such as various types of displays, speakers, etc.; a storage unit 518, such as a disk, an optical disk, etc.; and a communication unit 519, such as a network card, a modem, a wireless communication transceiver, etc. The communication unit 519 allows the electronic device 510 to exchange information / data with other devices through a computer network such as the Internet and / or various telecommunication networks.

[0145] The processor 511 may be a variety of general and / or special processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of the processor 511 include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), various special artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips, various processors running machine learning model algorithms, a digital signal processor (DSP), and any appropriate processor, controller, microcontroller, etc. The processor 511 executes the various methods and processes described above, such as a drone waypoint generation method.

[0146] In some embodiments, the drone waypoint generation method may be implemented as a computer program, which is tangibly contained in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a storage unit 518. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program may be loaded and / or installed on the electronic device 510 via the ROM 512 and / or the communication unit 519. When the computer program is loaded into the RAM 513 and executed by the processor 511, one or more steps of the drone waypoint generation method described above may be performed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the processor 511 may be configured to execute the drone waypoint generation method in any other appropriate manner (e.g., by means of firmware).

[0147] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described above herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuit systems, integrated circuit systems, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on chips (SOCs), load programmable logic devices (CPLDs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations can include: being implemented in one or more computer programs that can be executed and / or interpreted on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which can be a special purpose or general purpose programmable processor that can receive data and instructions from a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device, and transmit data and instructions to the storage system, the at least one input device, and the at least one output device.

[0148] The computer programs for implementing the methods of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These computer programs may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable drone waypoint generation device, so that when the computer program is executed by the processor, the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram are implemented. The computer program may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, partially on the machine as a stand-alone software package and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0149] In the context of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium may be a tangible medium that may contain or store a computer program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or equipment. A computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Alternatively, a computer-readable storage medium may be a machine-readable signal medium. A more specific example of a machine-readable storage medium may include an electrical connection based on one or more lines, a portable computer 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 foregoing.

[0150] To provide interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described herein may be implemented on an electronic device having: a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user; and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackball) through which the user can provide input to the electronic device. Other types of devices may also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, the feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user may be received in any form (including acoustic input, voice input, or tactile input).

[0151] The systems and techniques described herein may be implemented in a computing system that includes backend components (e.g., as a data server), or a computing system that includes middleware components (e.g., an application server), or a computing system that includes frontend components (e.g., a user computer with a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with implementations of the systems and techniques described herein), or a computing system that includes any combination of such backend components, middleware components, or frontend components. The components of the system may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include: a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a blockchain network, and the Internet.

[0152] A computing system may include a client and a server. The client and the server are generally remote from each other and usually interact through a communication network. The client and server relationship is generated by computer programs running on the corresponding computers and having a client-server relationship with each other. The server may be a cloud server, also known as a cloud computing server or cloud host, which is a host product in the cloud computing service system to solve the defects of difficult management and weak business scalability in traditional physical hosts and VPS services.

[0153] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used to reorder, add or delete steps. For example, the steps described in the present invention can be executed in parallel, sequentially or in different orders, as long as the desired results of the technical solution of the present invention can be achieved, and this document does not limit this.

[0154] The above specific implementations do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modification, equivalent substitution and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for generating a waypoint of an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that: The method comprises: Obtaining the position of the target object and the target inspection time; the target inspection time is the inspection time of the target object; Determine the position of the target projection point according to the position of the target object and the target inspection time; the target projection point is the projection point of the sun at the target inspection time observed from the position of the target object as the observation point; Determine the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the position of the target object, the positions of the adjacent objects of the target object and the position of the target projection point; According to a predetermined shooting direction and a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object, a drone waypoint matching the target object is determined; the shooting direction includes a forward light direction and a backward light direction.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Determining the target projection point position according to the target object position and the target inspection time includes: Determining the solar altitude angle according to the target object position and the target inspection time; The target projection point position is determined according to the solar altitude angle and the preset reference object height.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Determining the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the position of the target object, the positions of the adjacent objects of the target object and the position of the target projection point includes: Determining a direction vector according to the position of the target object and the positions of adjacent objects of the target object; The relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object is determined according to the direction vector and the target projection point position.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Determining the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the direction vector and the position of the target projection point includes: Determine a perpendicular vector of the direction vector and determine a reference vector; the reference vector is one of a first reference vector and a second reference vector; the first reference vector is a direction vector from the target projection point position to the target object position; the second reference vector is a direction vector from the target projection point position to the position of an adjacent object of the target object; The relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object is determined according to the inner product of the perpendicular vector of the direction vector and the reference vector.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Determining a drone waypoint matching the target object according to a predetermined shooting direction and a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object includes: The drone waypoint matching the target object is determined according to a predetermined shooting direction, a relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object, the target object position and a preset safety distance.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The drone waypoint matched by the target object is represented by three-dimensional coordinates in a pre-established spatial rectangular coordinate system; If the shooting direction is the front light direction, the drone waypoint matching the target object is expressed as: ； ； ； If the shooting direction is the backlight direction, the drone waypoint matching the target object is expressed as: ； ； ； in, Indicates the horizontal coordinate of the drone waypoint that matches the target object, represents the horizontal coordinate of the target object, The ordinate of the drone waypoint that represents the target object. represents the ordinate of the target object, Indicates the vertical coordinate of the drone waypoint that matches the target object, Indicates the preset safety distance. Represents the direction vector from the target projection point position to the target object position, The perpendicular vector to the direction vector of the target object match, express The lateral component of express The longitudinal component of Indicates the height of the target object. Represents a symbolic function.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After determining the drone waypoints matching the target object, the method further includes: If the shooting direction is the backlight direction, the nose orientation angle of the drone, the offset angle between the shooting device and the nose, the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the shooting device are obtained; Determine whether the nose orientation angle of the drone, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the camera meet the preset angle constraints; If the preset angle constraint is not met, the target turning angle of the drone is adjusted based on the preset angle constraint.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The preset angle constraint includes that the nose orientation angle of the drone, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, the sun horizontal angle at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the camera satisfy a first angle relationship, or that the nose orientation angle of the drone, the offset angle between the camera and the nose, the sun altitude angle at the time of inspection, and the field of view angle of the camera satisfy a second angle relationship; The first angle relationship is: ; The second angle relationship is: ; in, Indicates the offset angle between the camera and the nose. Indicates the heading angle of the drone. Indicates the sun's horizontal angle at the time of inspection, Indicates the field of view of the camera.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The preset angle constraint includes that the target angle difference is less than the field of view angle of the shooting device, and the target angle difference is greater than the preset angle threshold; the target angle difference is the difference between the nose heading angle of the drone and the horizontal angle of the sun at the inspection time; the preset angle threshold is determined based on the nose heading angle of the drone.

10. A UAV waypoint generation device, characterized in that: The device comprises: An information acquisition module, used to acquire the position of a target object and a target inspection time; the target inspection time is the inspection time of the target object; A projection point position determination module, used to determine the target projection point position according to the target object position and the target inspection time; the target projection point is the projection point of the sun at the target inspection time observed from the target object position as the observation point; A position relationship determination module, used to determine the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object according to the position of the target object, the positions of the adjacent objects of the target object and the position of the target projection point; The UAV waypoint determination module is used to determine the UAV waypoint matching the target object according to a predetermined shooting direction and the relative position relationship between the target projection point and the target object; the shooting direction includes a forward light direction and a backward light direction.

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