Online test method for loop delay of command and control system of unmanned aerial vehicle
By inserting the ‘time probe counter’ into the air-to-ground transmission link of the drone system, accurate online testing and real-time display of the drone control loop delay is achieved, and the problem of inability to accurately reflect the real delay in the prior art is solved, and the real-time and quality of control is improved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411913665.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-24
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-15
AI Technical Summary
When testing loop delays, existing drone systems cannot accurately reflect the real real-time delay, and are greatly affected by distance and environmental factors, resulting in poor control quality and task execution results.
By inserting a ‘time probe counter’ into the air-ground transmission link, the airborne loopback method is used to accurately test the drone control loop delay in online mode, and push and display it to the operator in real time.
It realizes accurate online testing and real-time display of drone control loop delay, helping operators understand the real-time delay under the current system operating conditions and improves the real-time and quality of control.
Smart Images

Figure CN119828645A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle control and relates to an online testing method for loop delay of an unmanned aerial vehicle command and control system. Background Art
[0002] In the UAV system, time delay means the time from the input of the ground operator to the time when he feels the corresponding information of the UAV. According to the composition of the UAV system, the loop delay of the UAV system includes the time delay of ground remote control signal acquisition and processing, ground-to-air link data transmission, UAV platform response, air-to-ground link data transmission, and ground acquisition and display of telemetry data. Loop delay is an extremely important indicator in the field of UAV command and control. It reflects the control quality of the UAV, directly affects the operator's operating experience, and may affect the execution of the task. In the past, the loop delay of UAVs was often tested on the ground stage to give a typical UAV link time delay interval. The real UAV real-time delay is often affected by many factors such as distance, electromagnetic environment, and surrounding environment. Different distances and different surrounding environments have different effects and interference on radio communications, resulting in different link loop delays of UAVs. Fixed UAV control according to the link delay interval of the ground test cannot fully reflect the real-time delay of the UAV and cannot better control the UAV. Summary of the invention
[0003] Purpose of the Invention
[0004] The present invention discloses an online testing method for loop delay of a UAV command and control system. By inserting a "time probe counter" in an air-to-ground transmission link and using an airborne loopback, the control loop delay of the UAV can be accurately tested in an online mode, and the delay can be pushed and displayed to the operator in real time, so that the operator can understand the real-time delay under the current working condition of the UAV system and better control the UAV.
[0005] Technical Solution
[0006] An online testing method for loop delay of an unmanned aerial vehicle command and control system is disclosed. The present invention adopts a method of adding a "time probe counter" to a real-time command and control system and looping back the "time probe counter" in an unmanned aerial vehicle airborne platform to realize the "time and space travel" of the time probe counter in the entire unmanned aerial vehicle information collection and transmission process. The time delay of the entire command and control system of the unmanned aerial vehicle is calculated based on the time probe counter, so as to achieve the purpose of online and real-time knowledge of the control delay under the current system working conditions.
[0007] An online test method for loop delay of an unmanned aerial vehicle command and control system comprises the following steps:
[0008] Step 1: The real-time control software inserts the online test frame number ("time probe counter") into the remote control frame, records the sending time, and records the online test frame number and sending time locally;
[0009] Step 2: The remote control encoding device encodes the remote control frame sent by the real-time control software, and the encoded data contains the online test frame number;
[0010] Step 3: The link ground terminal receives the drone remote control frame encoded by the remote control encoding device and transmits it to the link airborne terminal via wireless mode;
[0011] Step 4: The link airborne terminal receives the drone remote control frame and sends it to the drone airborne platform;
[0012] Step 5: The UAV airborne platform receives the UAV remote control frame, responds to the required remote control operation on the ground, and loops back the online test frame number ("time probe counter") in the UAV remote control frame into the UAV telemetry frame and sends it to the link airborne terminal;
[0013] Step 6: The link airborne terminal sends the UAV telemetry frame to the link ground terminal;
[0014] Step 7: The link ground terminal sends the UAV telemetry frame to the telemetry decoding device;
[0015] Step 8: The real-time control software receives the decoded UAV telemetry frame sent by the telemetry decoding device, records the reception time, extracts the online test frame sequence number ("time probe counter") in the UAV telemetry frame, matches the sequence number recorded locally, and calculates the loop delay time based on the recorded transmission time and reception time;
[0016] Furthermore, the method also includes step 9: the real-time control software displays the calculated loop delay time in a prominent position on the software interface in real time for the operator to use.
[0017] Furthermore, the remote control frame sending in step 1 is in a regular sending mode, and the remote control frame is sent regularly.
[0018] Furthermore, in step 1, the real-time control software maintains a "time probe counter" time map (Map) locally. The time map can store 256 groups of data, each of which is a data item consisting of a time probe counter and its corresponding sending timestamp and validity.
[0019] Furthermore, the validity data item in the local time map is set to be valid when the real-time control software sends remote control data in step 1, and is set to be invalid after the real-time control software receives the telemetry data and calculates the loop delay in step 8.
[0020] Furthermore, in step 5, the drone telemetry frame sent by the drone airborne platform is also in the regular sending mode. When the "time probe counter" backfills the telemetry frame, it selects the drone's fast frame telemetry frame for backfilling, ensuring that the "time probe counter" can be transmitted back to the ground as soon as possible.
[0021] Furthermore, when the real-time control software receives the telemetry data to calculate the loop delay in step 8, if the validity of the data is invalid, the loop delay time is displayed as “—”.
[0022] The beneficial effects of this application are:
[0023] The method is simple to implement and has strong versatility. Only by optimizing and changing the software, a relatively accurate and online real-time loop delay test of the entire control loop of the UAV can be realized, which has high practical value and economic value. The loop delay calculated by the method can be pushed to the operator in real time and intuitively, helping the operator to understand the real-time delay status of the entire UAV system. The operator can intervene in the UAV control strategically and selectively according to the real-time loop delay situation, thereby improving the real-time, timeliness and control quality of the UAV control. The method does not rely on time system equipment, and only requires the equipment where the real-time control software is located to have a time acquisition function, and the time acquisition and calculation have good consistency. The method helps the UAV system to understand the communication delay characteristics of the wireless link at various distances and in various different environments in real time, and assists in improving and optimizing the control quality of the entire control loop of the UAV. The method is simple and easy to use, has strong scalability, only requires minimal optimization of the software, has low modification cost, and can be extended to various different UAVs and other control systems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] Figure 1 A flow chart of an online testing method for loop delay of UAV command and control system is given. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the implementation of the present invention clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail in combination with the embodiment of the present invention. In the example, the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar originals or elements with the same or similar functions. The described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. The embodiments described below by reference are exemplary and intended to be used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without making creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present invention. The following is a detailed description in combination with the embodiments of the present invention.
[0026] An implementation method of an online test method for loop delay of a UAV command and control system is as follows:
[0027] a) Start the control system, link system and UAV system;
[0028] b) After the real-time control software is started, a time map is initialized locally, and the validity of each data item in the time map is set to invalid (False);
[0029] c) The real-time control software collects data according to the system logic, obtains the local system time when sending remote control data, generates a "time probe counter", stores the "time probe counter" and the sending time in the time map, and sets the validity of the data to valid (True);
[0030] d) After the remote control data is encoded by the encoding system, it forms the final remote control frame for the drone, which contains the "time probe counter" issued by the real-time control software;
[0031] e) The remote control frame passes through the link ground terminal and the link airborne terminal and finally reaches the UAV platform;
[0032] f) After receiving the remote control frame, the UAV platform parses the remote control frame and executes the corresponding system logic according to the remote control data requirements of the remote control frame. At the same time, the "time probe counter" in the remote control data area is filled into the fast frame telemetry frame to be transmitted intact;
[0033] g) Fast telemetry frames go through the link airborne terminal, link ground terminal, telemetry decoding equipment, and finally reach the real-time control software;
[0034] h) The real-time control software determines the telemetry frame identification code. When the frame identification code is the telemetry frame corresponding to the "time probe counter", the receiving timestamp is recorded and the "time probe counter" is extracted from it;
[0035] i) The real-time control software indexes the "time probe counter" from the time map, determines that the data is valid, and takes out the corresponding sending timestamp, and calculates the time delay of the entire drone system control: receiving timestamp - sending timestamp, and sets the validity of the data to invalid (False); if the data validity is invalid, the loop delay is recorded as "-";
[0036] j) The real-time control software displays the calculated real-time loop delay to the operator through the software control interface;
[0037] k) Repeat the above process logic, where sending and receiving are independent and parallel, and the sending process does not need to wait for the receiving process to complete before starting.
[0038] In addition, unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the description of this application shall be the common meanings understood by the general technicians in the field to which this application belongs. The words "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "center", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside" and other words indicating orientation used in the description of this application are only used to indicate the relative direction or positional relationship, and do not imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. When the absolute position of the described object changes, its relative positional relationship may also change accordingly, so it cannot be understood as a limitation on this application. The "first", "second", "third" and similar terms used in the description of this application are only used for descriptive purposes to distinguish different components, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. The similar words "one", "one" or "the" used in the description of this application should not be understood as an absolute limitation on quantity, but should be understood as the existence of at least one. The similar words "including" or "comprising" used in the description of this application mean that the elements or objects appearing in front of the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects.
[0039] In addition, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the words "installed", "connected", "connected" and similar terms used in the description of this application should be understood in a broad sense. For example, the connection can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or the internal connection of two components. Technical personnel in the field can understand their specific meanings in this application according to the specific circumstances.
[0040] The above description is only a specific implementation mode of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Within the spirit and principle of the present invention, any technician familiar with the profession may use the technical content disclosed above to change or modify it into an equivalent embodiment with equivalent changes and apply it to other fields. However, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments according to the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the technical solution content of the present invention, any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. An online test method for loop delay of an unmanned aerial vehicle command and control system, characterized in that: By adding a "time probe counter" to the real-time command and control system and looping the "time probe counter" in the UAV airborne platform, the "time and space travel" of the time probe counter in the entire UAV information collection and transmission process is realized. The time delay of the entire UAV command and control system is calculated based on the time probe counter, so as to achieve the purpose of online real-time knowledge of the control delay under the current system working conditions.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The steps include: Step 1: The real-time control software inserts the online test frame number into the remote control frame, records the sending time, and records the online test frame number and sending time locally; Step 2: The remote control encoding device encodes the remote control frame sent by the real-time control software, and the encoded data contains the online test frame number; Step 3: The link ground terminal receives the drone remote control frame encoded by the remote control encoding device and transmits it to the link airborne terminal via wireless mode; Step 4: The link airborne terminal receives the drone remote control frame and sends it to the drone airborne platform; Step 5: The UAV airborne platform receives the UAV remote control frame, responds to the required remote control operation on the ground, and loops back the online test frame number ("time probe counter") in the UAV remote control frame into the UAV telemetry frame and sends it to the link airborne terminal; Step 6: The link airborne terminal sends the UAV telemetry frame to the link ground terminal; Step 7: The link ground terminal sends the UAV telemetry frame to the telemetry decoding device; Step 8: The real-time control software receives the decoded UAV telemetry frame sent by the telemetry decoding device, records the reception time, extracts the online test frame sequence number in the UAV telemetry frame, matches the sequence number recorded locally, and calculates the loop delay time based on the recorded transmission time and reception time.
3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that It also includes step 9: the real-time control software displays the calculated loop delay time in real time at a prominent position on the software interface for the operator to use.
4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The remote control frame sending in step 1 is in a regular sending mode, and the remote control frame is sent regularly.
5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that In step 1, the real-time control software maintains a "time probe counter" time map (Map) locally. The time map can store 256 groups of data, each of which is a data item consisting of a time probe counter and its corresponding sending timestamp and validity.
6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The validity data item in the local time map is set to be valid when the real-time control software sends remote control data in step 1, and is set to be invalid after the real-time control software receives the telemetry data and calculates the loop delay in step 8.
7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that In step 5, the drone telemetry frame sent by the drone airborne platform is also in the regular sending mode. When the "time probe counter" backfills the telemetry frame, it selects the drone's fast frame telemetry frame for backfilling to ensure that the "time probe counter" can be transmitted back to the ground as soon as possible.
8. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that In step 8, when the real-time control software receives telemetry data to calculate the loop delay, if the validity of the data is invalid, the loop delay time is displayed as "—".