UAV positioning method, device, equipment and medium for beamforming communication

Abstract

The embodiments of this specification disclose a method for positioning a UAV using beamforming communication, the method comprising: determining the arrangement rule of an antenna array used for positioning the UAV according to the frequency band of the UAV; performing beam direction scanning by changing specific information of the antenna array to receive signals from a UAV using beamforming communication; wherein the specific information is the angle between the direction of the receiving beam and the antenna surface; calculating the receiving power of the received signal, and determining the position of the UAV according to the specific information when the receiving power is maximum.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of drone positioning technology, and in particular to a drone positioning method, device, equipment and medium for beamforming communication. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, the drone uses an omnidirectional broadcast mode to communicate with the remote controller, and existing drone positioning equipment, such as TDOA equipment, can receive drone signals at any location.

[0003] However, with the continuous development of drone remote control technology, drone remote control methods are gradually changing to beamforming methods. The drone and the remote controller use beamforming technology for communication, such as Figure 1 When the drone uses beamforming communication, existing positioning equipment such as TDOA will fail because the beam is mainly concentrated in the direction of the remote control and the drone, rather than omnidirectional broadcasting, which brings new problems and challenges to drone positioning. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of this specification provide a method, device, equipment and medium for positioning a UAV using beamforming communication, so as to solve the technical problem of how to position a UAV using beamforming communication.

[0005] The embodiment of this specification provides a method for positioning a UAV for beamforming communication, the method comprising:

[0006] Determine the layout rules of the antenna array used for UAV positioning according to the frequency band of the UAV;

[0007] Scanning the beam direction by changing specific information of the antenna array to receive a signal from a drone using beamforming communication; wherein the specific information is an angle between the direction of the receiving beam and the antenna surface;

[0008] The received power of the received signal is calculated, and the position of the drone is determined based on the specific information when the received power is maximum.

[0009] Optionally, the arrangement rule of the antenna array includes an antenna spacing of the antenna array, and the antenna spacing of the antenna array is greater than 1 / 4 wavelength and less than 1 / 2 wavelength.

[0010] Optionally, wavelength λ=C / f, where C is the speed of light and f is the center frequency.

[0011] Optionally, the arrangement rule of the antenna array includes the number of antennas in the antenna array, and the number of antennas in the antenna array is determined according to the wave characteristics of the frequency band of the drone.

[0012] Optionally, the antenna array is arranged linearly.

[0013] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0014] Beam switching is performed according to the energy change of the received signal.

[0015] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0016] The signal of the drone is reflected by the RIS reflector to receive the signal reflected from the RIS reflector.

[0017] The embodiment of this specification provides a UAV positioning device for beamforming communication, the device comprising:

[0018] The antenna determination module is used to determine the layout rules of the antenna array used for positioning the UAV according to the frequency band of the UAV;

[0019] A signal receiving module, used to scan the beam direction by changing the specific information of the antenna array to receive the signal of the drone using beamforming communication; wherein the specific information is the angle between the direction of the receiving beam and the antenna surface;

[0020] The signal positioning module is used to calculate the received power of the received signal and determine the position of the drone based on the specific information when the received power is maximum.

[0021] The embodiment of this specification provides a UAV positioning device for beamforming communication, including:

[0022] at least one processor;

[0023] as well as,

[0024] a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor;

[0025] in,

[0026] The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, so that the at least one processor can execute the above-mentioned drone positioning method for beamforming communication.

[0027] An embodiment of the present specification provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the above-mentioned drone positioning method for beamforming communication is implemented.

[0028] At least one of the above technical solutions adopted in the embodiments of this specification can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0029] For drones using beamforming communication, the layout rules of the antenna array are determined according to the frequency band of the drone, and the drone signal can be received more efficiently by changing the specific information of the antenna array. The received power of the received signal is calculated, and the position of the drone can be determined more accurately based on the specific information of the antenna array when the received power is maximum, thereby improving the positioning effect and efficiency of drones using beamforming communication. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification or the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of this specification or the prior art description are briefly described below. Obviously, the following only describes the drawings required for use in some embodiments of this application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative labor.

[0031] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of beamforming in the prior art.

[0032] Figure 2 It is a flowchart of a method for positioning a UAV for beamforming communication provided in the first embodiment of this specification.

[0033] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of antenna array scanning in the first embodiment of this specification.

[0034] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the reflection signal of the RIS reflection plate in the first embodiment of this specification.

[0035] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of a UAV positioning device for beamforming communication provided in the first embodiment of this specification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this specification, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments involved in the specific implementation methods are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments in the specific implementation methods without making creative work should belong to the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] The first embodiment of this specification (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment 1") provides a method for positioning a UAV for beamforming communication. The execution subject of embodiment 1 includes but is not limited to a terminal or a server or an operating system or an application program, that is, the execution subject can be various and can be set, used or changed as needed. In addition, a third-party application program can also assist the execution subject in executing embodiment 1.

[0038] In particular, the execution subject of the first embodiment may be a ground base station or a drone positioning device or other subject that can be used for drone positioning.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, the UAV positioning method for beamforming communication provided in the first embodiment includes:

[0040] S101: Determine, according to the frequency band of the UAV, a layout rule of an antenna array used for positioning the UAV;

[0041] In the first embodiment, for a UAV that uses beamforming communication (i.e., a UAV that uses beamforming to communicate with ground equipment including a remote controller), the layout rules of the antenna array used for UAV positioning can be determined according to the frequency band of the UAV.

[0042] Embodiment 1 proposes that, limited by the size of the drone and the frequency band of the drone, if the drone uses beamforming communication, a higher frequency band will usually be used. Millimeter wave technology can form an extremely small beam and can meet the fuselage size requirements, but LOS must be the main communication between the drone and the remote control. If centimeter wave technology is used, beamforming can also be achieved, but due to the size of the fuselage, the beam will be wider. Based on this, in Embodiment 1, a variety of frequency bands are fully considered, and the corresponding "arrangement rules for antenna arrays for drone positioning" are determined according to various frequency bands.

[0043] The arrangement rules of the antenna array may include the antenna spacing and / or the number of antennas and / or the antenna formation of the antenna array, which are described below respectively:

[0044] Antenna spacing

[0045] In the first embodiment, the antenna spacing of the antenna array is greater than 1 / 4 wavelength and less than 1 / 2 wavelength. Specifically, the wavelength λ=C / f; where C is the speed of light and f is the center frequency. For example, within the bandwidth of 100M, the center frequency of the bandwidth can be directly used as f.

[0046] The frequency of the drone may be adjusted in many cases, and the corresponding antenna spacing can be determined according to each frequency band. For example, the frequency of the drone may be 700M, 900M, 1.2G, 1.4G, 2.4G, 5.8G, etc., and the corresponding antenna spacing can be determined for these 6 frequency bands.

[0047] Number of antennas

[0048] In the first embodiment, in order to achieve directional beam reception, a linear antenna array may be used, wherein the number of antennas in the antenna array may be determined according to the wave characteristics of the frequency band of the drone.

[0049] There may be many situations for the frequency modulation of drones, and the corresponding number of antennas can be determined according to each frequency band. For example, the frequency modulation of drones may be 700M, 900M, 1.2G, 1.4G, 2.4G, 5.8G, millimeter wave, etc., then the corresponding number of antennas can be determined for these 6 frequency bands according to the wave characteristics of different frequency bands. For example, the number of antennas corresponding to millimeter waves is 256, arranged into a 256-antenna matrix; the number of antennas corresponding to 5.8G is 8, arranged into an 8-antenna array; the number of antennas corresponding to 2.4G is 4, arranged into a 4-antenna array; the number of antennas corresponding to 900M is 1, arranged into a single antenna array.

[0050] Generally speaking, the higher the frequency band, the higher the number of corresponding antennas. According to the size of the drone itself, the number of antennas does not need to be too many, and the specific number of antennas is not limited in the first embodiment.

[0051] Antenna array

[0052] In the first embodiment, the antenna array can be arranged linearly, that is, the antennas are arranged linearly. For example, if directional beam reception is to be achieved, a linear antenna array is preferably used. Alternatively, the antenna formation can be determined based on regional factors. For example, if a certain area is an area where drone prevention and control is required, a corresponding number of antennas can be arranged linearly or in other formations according to the shape of the area, and the specific number of antennas is determined as above.

[0053] S103: Scanning the beam direction by changing specific information of the antenna array to receive a signal from a drone using beamforming communication; wherein the specific information is an angle between the direction of the receiving beam and the antenna surface;

[0054] In the first embodiment, the antenna array beam direction scanning follows phi = 2*pi*d cos(theta) / lambd (recorded as formula 1). Among them, Pi is the mathematical constant 3.1415926, d is the distance between the two antennas; theta (ie θ) is the angle between the direction of the receiving beam and the antenna surface, lambd is the wavelength λ, and phi is the corresponding phase deviation between the two antennas.

[0055] The angle between the direction of the receiving beam and the antenna surface is used as the specific information of the antenna array. When scanning the beam direction, the beam direction is scanned by changing the specific information of the antenna array, so that the signal of the drone using beamforming communication can be received.

[0056] refer to Figure 3 , taking 4 antennas as an example, 4 antennas can take into account both simplicity of layout and high positioning accuracy. 4 points and lines are arranged linearly, the antenna spacing between adjacent antennas is d, the direction of the antenna receiving beam is shown by the arrow, and the angle between the receiving beam direction and the point line surface is theta. Changing theta also changes the beam receiving direction. When the antenna beam receiving direction is within the beam azimuth between the drone and the remote controller using beamforming communication, the drone's signal can be received.

[0057] The layout rules of antennas are variable. However, for the control area, if the position of the antenna is fixed after layout, and only the above-mentioned theta is changed for scanning, it is preferred to arrange the basic positioning equipment in a circle around the drone control area (the basic positioning equipment may refer to the existing drone positioning equipment or positioning site), for example, arranging 4-9 basic positioning equipment, ensuring that each basic positioning equipment can scan an angle range of 40-90 degrees, thereby ensuring omnidirectional scanning and improving the positioning effect of the drone. In addition, the basic positioning equipment can be arranged with a large baseline (for example, a radius of 2-3 kilometers), so that when the drone enters the control area, it can be scanned and subsequently positioned. Alternatively, after the antenna array is arranged, once the drone enters the scanning range of the antenna array, it can be positioned by the following content. The area covered by the scanning range of the antenna array is formed based on the antenna formation of the antenna array.

[0058] In the first embodiment, the antenna array can use the DFT method to scan the beam in order to receive the drone signal, and use the DFT method to process the signal after reception. The width of the scanned beam changes with the number of antennas and the above-mentioned theta angle. In addition, the beam width can be controlled by adjusting the number of DFT points (the change in the number of DFT points is the change in the number of antennas). Of course, other suitable beam reception methods can also be used to receive drone signals, which are not limited to the first embodiment.

[0059] S105: Calculate the received power of the received signal, and determine the position of the drone based on the specific information when the received power is maximum.

[0060] After receiving the drone signal, the drone signal may be processed to determine the location of the drone. Processing the drone signal may include calculating the received power of the received drone signal and determining the specific information when the received power is maximum. In this way, the location of the drone may be determined based on the specific information when the received power is maximum.

[0061] Specifically, by changing the above-mentioned theta angle of the antenna array, based on receiving the drone signal, the received power of the drone signal may also change with the change of theta.

[0062] In the first embodiment, the specific value of theta can be changed according to a preset amplitude (that is, theta can change regularly, and changing the value of theta can be achieved by setting the value of theta or by physically changing the angle of the antenna). For example, the value of theta is changed by 3 degrees each time. Assuming that the value of theta is 10 degrees at the beginning, the next time it is 13 degrees, and the next time it is 16 degrees, and so on, until the maximum scanning angle of the antenna array is reached, that is, the maximum value of theta is reached, for example, the maximum value is 40 degrees. Theta can then be changed in the opposite direction, that is, the value of theta gradually changes from 40 degrees to 37 degrees, 34 degrees, ..., 10 degrees. It can be seen that the value of theta can change regularly within a preset range. The change of the value of theta can be carried out according to a preset period, that is, the value of theta is switched every other period.

[0063] Each time the value of theta is determined, the received power of the drone signal at that value can be calculated (if the drone signal is not received when theta is a certain value, the received power can be ignored or considered zero). As the value of theta changes, the received power of the drone signal may change, so the value of theta when the received power of the drone signal is maximum can be determined. The value of theta when the received power of the drone signal is maximum can be called the target value, which represents the beam scanning direction of the antenna. After determining the target value, the phase deviation can be calculated based on the target value and the aforementioned formula 1, and the azimuth position of the drone can be determined, thereby realizing drone positioning.

[0064] In the first embodiment, beam switching can be performed according to the energy change of the received drone signal. Specifically, since the drone is constantly moving, the next beam can be predicted or selected according to the change of the received drone signal energy or received power. According to the change of the received drone signal energy or received power, the drone flight direction can be predicted, and then the beam switching can be performed. For example, when the drone signal becomes weak, it can be inferred that the drone is flying to the next adjacent beam position, so that theta can be directly switched to the new value, that is, the beam can be directly switched without waiting for the above cycle to switch.

[0065] In the first embodiment, when determining the beam angle (ie, the angle at which the drone transmits a signal, such as a 30-degree beam or a 60-degree beam), the beam angle can be determined according to the frequency band used by the drone, thereby expanding or reducing the beam search range.

[0066] In addition, in actual situations, the pilot's position may change, or the pilot may enter the grid range of the antenna array, resulting in blind spots that the antenna array cannot scan. Therefore, when arranging the antenna array, it is necessary to add antennas for the blind spots. Once a certain angle or direction is found to be a blind spot, the blind spot can be scanned and covered by increasing the number of antennas or increasing the density of positioning base stations.

[0067] In the first embodiment, the signal of the drone can also be reflected by the RIS reflector to receive the signal reflected from the RIS reflector. That is, beam reception is not limited to direct reception by the antenna. The 6G RIS technology can be used to reflect the beam by the RIS reflector and then receive the beam by the antenna. When the maximum receiving power of the drone signal is determined, the drone position is determined by converting the angle from the drone to the RIS reflector and the angle from the RIS reflector to the antenna, for example Figure 4 shown.

[0068] The specific form of the antenna described in the first embodiment is not limited, and the antenna can be set on a base station or other suitable equipment as long as it meets the corresponding scanning and signal receiving functions.

[0069] Embodiment 1 can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0070] For drones using beamforming communication, the layout rules of the antenna array are determined according to the frequency band of the drone, and the drone signal can be received more efficiently by changing the specific information of the antenna array. The received power of the received signal is calculated, and the position of the drone can be determined more accurately based on the specific information of the antenna array when the received power is maximum, thereby improving the positioning effect and efficiency of drones using beamforming communication.

[0071] By changing the direction of the receiving beam and the angle between the antenna surface, the width of the scanning beam can be changed or the beam can be switched without performing complex mathematical calculations, further improving the computing efficiency and reducing the amount of calculation, thereby improving the positioning effect and efficiency of drones using beamforming communications.

[0072] By reflecting the beam through the RIS reflector, the number of antennas or basic positioning equipment used for drone positioning can be reduced, reducing the cost of network deployment.

[0073] like Figure 5 As shown, the second embodiment of this specification provides a UAV positioning device for beamforming communication corresponding to the method described in the first embodiment, and the device includes:

[0074] The antenna determination module 202 is used to determine the layout rule of the antenna array used for positioning the drone according to the frequency band of the drone;

[0075] The signal receiving module 204 is used to scan the beam direction by changing the specific information of the antenna array to receive the signal of the drone using beamforming communication; wherein the specific information is the angle between the direction of the receiving beam and the antenna surface;

[0076] The signal positioning module 206 is used to calculate the received power of the received signal and determine the position of the drone based on the specific information when the received power is maximum.

[0077] Optionally, the arrangement rule of the antenna array includes an antenna spacing of the antenna array, and the antenna spacing of the antenna array is greater than 1 / 4 wavelength and less than 1 / 2 wavelength.

[0078] Optionally, wavelength λ=C / f, where C is the speed of light and f is the center frequency.

[0079] Optionally, the arrangement rule of the antenna array includes the number of antennas in the antenna array, and the number of antennas in the antenna array is determined according to the wave characteristics of the frequency band of the drone.

[0080] Optionally, the antenna array is arranged linearly.

[0081] Optionally, the signal receiving module 204 is further configured to perform beam switching according to energy changes of the received signal.

[0082] Optionally, the signal receiving module 204 is also used to receive signals reflected from a RIS reflector, where the RIS reflector is used to reflect signals from the drone.

[0083] The third embodiment of this specification provides a UAV positioning device for beamforming communication, including:

[0084] at least one processor;

[0085] as well as,

[0086] a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor;

[0087] in,

[0088] The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, so that the at least one processor can execute the drone positioning method for beamforming communication described in Example 1.

[0089] The fourth embodiment of the present specification provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the method for positioning a drone for beamforming communication described in the first embodiment is implemented.

[0090] The above embodiments can achieve the same technical effect, and the embodiments can be used in combination.

[0091] The above is only an embodiment of this specification and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for positioning a UAV for beamforming communication, characterized in that: The method comprises: Determine the layout rules of the antenna array used for UAV positioning according to the frequency band of the UAV; Scanning the beam direction by changing specific information of the antenna array to receive a signal from a drone using beamforming communication; wherein the specific information is an angle between the direction of the receiving beam and the antenna surface; The received power of the received signal is calculated, and the position of the drone is determined based on the specific information when the received power is maximum.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The arrangement rule of the antenna array includes an antenna spacing of the antenna array, and the antenna spacing of the antenna array is greater than 1 / 4 wavelength and less than 1 / 2 wavelength.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Wavelength λ = C / f; where C is the speed of light and f is the center frequency.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The arrangement rule of the antenna array includes the number of antennas in the antenna array, and the number of antennas in the antenna array is determined according to the wave characteristics of the frequency band of the drone.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The antenna array is arranged linearly.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Beam switching is performed according to the energy change of the received signal.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The signal of the drone is reflected by the RIS reflector to receive the signal reflected from the RIS reflector.

8. A UAV positioning device for beamforming communication, characterized in that: The device comprises: The antenna determination module is used to determine the layout rules of the antenna array used for positioning the UAV according to the frequency band of the UAV; A signal receiving module, used to scan the beam direction by changing the specific information of the antenna array to receive the signal of the drone using beamforming communication; wherein the specific information is the angle between the direction of the receiving beam and the antenna surface; The signal positioning module is used to calculate the received power of the received signal and determine the position of the drone based on the specific information when the received power is maximum.

9. UAV positioning device for beamforming communication, characterized in that: include: at least one processor; as well as, a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; in, The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, enabling the at least one processor to execute the drone positioning method for beamforming communication described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the method for positioning a drone for beamforming communication according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

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