Unmanned aerial vehicle communication method, related device and system

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle communication method, a related device and a system, and the unmanned aerial vehicle communication method for a server comprises the following steps: receiving first protocol data sent by two communication terminals needing to communicate, and obtaining public network I P addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals; checking whether the public network IP addresses and the port numbers of the two communication ends are consistent with historical records or not, if not, sending the public network IP addresses and the port numbers of the two communication ends to the opposite end through second protocol data, and informing the two communication ends of sending third protocol data to the opposite end; if yes, public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication ends are sent to the opposite end through fourth protocol data, and the two communication ends are informed to request connection to the opposite end; wherein the communication end is an unmanned aerial vehicle or a ground station. According to the method, when the unmanned aerial vehicle repeatedly enters the range of the communication base station, the address negotiation link is skipped, point-to-point communication with the opposite terminal is directly established, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and in particular to a communication method and related devices for unmanned aerial vehicles. Background Art

[0002] In a drone system consisting of multiple drones and ground stations, drones need to establish point-to-point communication with ground stations or other drones within range to efficiently realize information exchange between drones and ground stations or other drones. Before establishing a point-to-point connection with a ground station or other drones, drones need to first establish a connection with the server through the NAT server of the base station, obtain the public IP address and port number, and obtain the public IP address and port number of the other end. Since the NAT server generally restricts the IP addresses that have been accessed by the intranet host to access the intranet host, before establishing a point-to-point connection, the two ends of the communication need to send data packets to each other and leave a mapping relationship on the mapping table of the NAT on the other end, so that the NAT server on this end can allow the data sent by the other end to pass, that is, the two devices need to negotiate addresses before establishing a point-to-point connection. Since drones have a wide range of motion and move at a high speed, they often repeatedly enter and exit the range of a base station, and the mapping of the NAT server is dynamically allocated, which will recycle IP addresses and port numbers that have not been used for a long time. Therefore, when the drone returns to the range of the base station, it needs to re-acquire the public IP address and port number, and re-negotiate the address with the other end before re-establishing point-to-point communication with the other end, affecting the efficiency of drones to re-establish point-to-point communication with other drones or ground stations. As a result, when the drone system is used in application scenarios of long-distance, large-scale, high-speed operations, there will be communication delays when the drone frequently crosses regions. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a drone communication method that can avoid re-address negotiation when the drone frequently enters and exits the base station range, thereby improving the communication efficiency of the drone system in scenarios of long-distance, large-scale and high-speed operations.

[0004] To solve the above problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A drone communication method, applied to a server, comprises the following steps:

[0005] Receiving first protocol data sent by two communication terminals that need to communicate, and obtaining public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals;

[0006] Check whether the public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals are consistent with the historical records. If they are inconsistent, the public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals are sent to the other end through the second protocol data, and the two communication terminals are informed to send the third protocol data to the other end; if they are consistent, the public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals are sent to the other end through the fourth protocol data, and the two communication terminals are informed to request a connection to the other end;

[0007] Among them, the communication end is a drone or a ground station.

[0008] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effect of the present invention is that: by recording the public IP addresses and port numbers of the communication terminals that have established a connection, and when receiving the first protocol data of the two communication terminals that need to establish a connection, the public IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals are compared with the original records to determine whether the communication terminal has ever connected to the NAT server of the base station. If the public IP address and port number of the communication terminal are consistent with the historical records, it means that the communication terminal is a drone that has returned to the range of the base station, and the local NAT servers of the two communication terminals have mapping entries of the public IP addresses and port numbers of the other end. The data packets of the two communication terminals can directly pass through the local NAT server of the other end. Then the server informs the two communication terminals to directly request to establish a connection with the other end, thereby avoiding repeated address negotiation processes and improving communication efficiency.

[0009] The above-mentioned drone communication method also includes: periodically sending fifth protocol data to the recorded public network IP address and port number.

[0010] A UAV communication method, applied to a UAV or a ground station, comprises the following steps:

[0011] Periodically sending first protocol data to the server;

[0012] If the second protocol data is received, the second protocol data is parsed to obtain the public IP address and port number of the other end, and the third protocol data is sent to the other end according to the public IP address and port number of the other end;

[0013] If the third protocol data is received, the public IP address and port number of the third protocol data are obtained, and a mapping table entry of the public IP address and port number of the third protocol data is left on the local NAT server;

[0014] If the fourth protocol data is received, the fourth protocol data is parsed to obtain the public IP address and port number of the other end, and a connection request is sent to the other end according to the public IP address and port number of the other end.

[0015] In the above-mentioned UAV communication method, the steps of sending data from the UAV or ground station to the server or the other end include:

[0016] The application writes the data identifier in the application layer data;

[0017] The processing module performs IP protocol processing on the application layer data to obtain IP protocol data, and sends the IP protocol data to the wireless communication module;

[0018] The wireless communication module processes the IP protocol data at the link layer and physical layer, and sends it to the communication base station through the antenna.

[0019] In the above-mentioned drone communication method, the wireless communication module includes a radio module and a network communication module, and the radio module is registered as a network card device. The wireless communication module processes the IP protocol data at the link layer and the physical layer, and sends the data to the communication base station through the antenna. The steps include:

[0020] Make a copy of the IP protocol data, and send the IP protocol data to the radio module and the network communication module synchronously;

[0021] The radio module and the network communication module process the IP protocol data at the link layer and the physical layer respectively, and send them to the corresponding communication base station through the antenna respectively.

[0022] In the above-mentioned UAV communication method, the steps of the UAV or the ground station receiving data sent by the server or the peer include:

[0023] Receive data sent by the server or the other end through the antenna, and send the received data to the wireless communication module, which parses the received data to obtain IP protocol data;

[0024] Send the IP protocol data to the processing module for IP protocol parsing to obtain the original application layer data;

[0025] It is determined whether the data packet has been received based on the data identifier in the original application layer data. If it has been received, the duplicate data packet is discarded.

[0026] In the above-mentioned drone communication method, the wireless communication module includes a radio module and a network communication module, and the radio module is registered as a network card device. In the step of receiving data sent by a server or a peer through an antenna, and sending the received data to the wireless communication module, the wireless communication module parses the received data to obtain IP protocol data, and at the same time, the data sent by the server or the peer is received through the radio module and the network communication module, and the received data is respectively parsed through the radio module and the network communication module to obtain IP protocol data. In the step of sending the IP protocol data to the processing module for IP protocol parsing to obtain the original application layer data, duplicate data packets are discarded according to the duplicate data processing strategy of the IP protocol.

[0027] A drone communication server includes a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is electrically connected to the memory, and the processor can implement the above-mentioned drone communication method applied to the server by calling and executing a computer program in the memory.

[0028] A communication control device for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or a ground station comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is electrically connected to the memory, and the processor can implement the above-mentioned UAV communication method applied to the UAV or the ground station by calling and executing a computer program in the memory.

[0029] A drone communication system, characterized in that it includes multiple drones, multiple ground stations and the drone communication server described above, wherein both the drones and the ground stations include the communication control device described above.

[0030] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a drone communication method for a server according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a UAV communication method for a communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 4 is a system block diagram of a UAV communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Figure 1 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a drone communication method for a server in a drone communication system, comprising the following steps:

[0035] Receiving first protocol data sent by two communication terminals that need to communicate, and obtaining public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals;

[0036] Check whether the public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals are consistent with the historical records. If they are inconsistent, the public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals are sent to the other end through the second protocol data, and the two communication terminals are informed to send the third protocol data to the other end; if they are consistent, the public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals are sent to the other end through the fourth protocol data, and the two communication terminals are informed to request a connection to the other end;

[0037] Among them, the communication end is a drone or a ground station.

[0038] The drone communication method for the server compares the public network IP address and port number of the accessed communication terminal with the previous record, and determines whether the communication terminal is a drone that has re-entered the range of the base station by determining whether the public network IP address and port number of the communication terminal have changed. If it is consistent with the record, it means that the two communication terminals that need to communicate have accessed the base station and have established a point-to-point communication connection with the other end, and data communication can be directly carried out without address negotiation. The server sends the fourth protocol data to the communication terminal to inform the two communication terminals that they can skip the address negotiation link, directly request connection with the other end and exchange data. If it is inconsistent with the record, it means that the communication terminal has come to the range of the base station for the first time, and needs to send the third protocol data to the other end, leaving a mapping table entry on the NAT server of the other end, so that the data sent by this end can be allowed to pass by the NAT server of the other end, completing the address negotiation with the other end, and then communicating data with the other end. By adopting this method to control the communication between the drone and the ground station of the drone communication system, and by retaining the public IP address and port number when the drone accesses the NAT server of the base station, when the drone leaves the base station range and then returns to the base station range again, the drone can quickly establish point-to-point communication with the ground station that has been connected before, avoiding repeated address negotiation, thereby reducing communication delays. It is suitable for high-speed operation scenarios over long distances and large areas.

[0039] In some possible implementations, since the NAT server will periodically recycle IP addresses and port numbers that have not been used for a long time, in order to recycle the public IP address and port number of the drone, the server periodically sends the fifth protocol data to the recorded IP address and port number to maintain the recorded IP address and port number, ensuring that when the drone returns to the coverage of the base station, the NAT mapping is still in effect, and communication can be carried out directly through the mapping relationship originally recorded by the NAT server, without the need for address negotiation again, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0040] Reference Figure 2 Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a UAV communication method for a communication terminal such as a UAV or a ground station, comprising the following steps:

[0041] Periodically sending first protocol data to the server;

[0042] If the second protocol data is received, the second protocol data is parsed to obtain the public IP address and port number of the other end, and the third protocol data is sent to the other end according to the public IP address and port number of the other end;

[0043] If the third protocol data is received, the public IP address and port number of the third protocol data are obtained, and a mapping table entry of the public IP address and port number of the third protocol data is left on the local NAT server;

[0044] If the fourth protocol data is received, the fourth protocol data is parsed to obtain the public IP address and port number of the other end, and a connection request is sent to the other end according to the public IP address and port number of the other end.

[0045] This method periodically sends the first protocol data to the server, allowing the server to detect whether the IP address and port number of the drone or ground station are consistent with the original record, so as to determine whether the mapping of the NAT server of the base station in the range of the drone or ground station is updated, and whether the address negotiation needs to be re-performed. If address negotiation is required, the second protocol data sent by the server and the public network IP address and port number of the other end will be received, and then the third protocol data will be sent to the other end to leave a mapping table entry on the NAT server of the other end, and after receiving the third protocol data of the other end, the mapping table entry of the address of the other end will be left on the NAT server of this end, and the address mapping and communication authority will be updated. After completing the address negotiation, point-to-point communication can be established with the other end, and data communication can be carried out directly. If negotiation is not required, the fourth protocol data sent by the server will be received, and then a connection request can be directly sent to the other end, and point-to-point data communication can be carried out directly with the other end, skipping the address negotiation process and improving communication efficiency.

[0046] In this embodiment, the drone or ground station sends protocol data to the other end through the following process:

[0047] The processing module performs IP protocol processing on the application layer data to obtain IP protocol data, and sends the IP protocol data to the wireless communication module; it is understandable that the IP protocol can adopt TCP / IP protocol or UDP protocol, etc.

[0048] The wireless communication module processes the IP protocol data at the link layer and physical layer, and sends it to the communication base station through the antenna.

[0049] After the data is sent to the communication base station, the NAT server of the local base station converts the private IP address and port number of the drone or ground station into a public IP address and port number, and sends it to the other end according to the public IP address and port number of the other end.

[0050] The process of receiving protocol data is vice versa. The data packet received from the antenna is first sent to the wireless communication module for IP protocol parsing to obtain IP protocol data, and then the IP protocol data is sent to the processing module for IP protocol parsing to obtain the original application layer data.

[0051] In some possible implementations, reference Figure 3In order to ensure the stability of communication, the wireless communication module includes a radio module such as LoRa and a network communication module such as a 4G module or a 5G module. When sending protocol data, a copy of the IP protocol data obtained by the IP protocol processing of the processing module is made, and the two copies of the IP protocol data are synchronously sent to the radio module and the network communication module, and the link layer and physical layer processing are performed respectively, and then sent to the communication base station through their respective antennas.

[0052] In some possible implementations, in order to facilitate the distinction of whether a received data packet has been received repeatedly, the application software of the application layer writes a data identifier in the application layer data. After parsing the received data packet, the drone or ground station determines whether the data packet has been received through the data identifier in the original application layer data. If it is a duplicate data packet, the data packet is discarded to further improve communication efficiency.

[0053] In some possible implementations, in order to further improve the processing efficiency of duplicate data packets, the radio module is registered as a network card device by modifying the driver of the radio module. The processing module merges and processes the IP protocol data received in the radio module and the network communication module according to the duplicate data processing strategy of the TCP / IP protocol or the UDP protocol, discards duplicate data packets, and obtains the original application layer data.

[0054] In some possible implementations, various aspects of the drone communication method provided by the present invention can also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes a program code. When the program product is run on the device, the program code is used to enable the control device to execute the steps of the drone communication method according to various exemplary embodiments of the present application described above in this specification.

[0055] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a drone communication server, including a processor and a memory, the memory is electrically connected to the processor, and the processor is used to execute a computer program stored in the memory to implement the above-mentioned drone communication method for the server.

[0056] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a communication control device for an unmanned aerial vehicle or a ground station, including a processor and a memory, the processor being electrically connected to the memory, and the processor being used to execute a computer program stored in the memory to implement the above-mentioned unmanned aerial vehicle communication method for the unmanned aerial vehicle and the ground station.

[0057] In one possible design, the processor may include one or more processing units, and the processor and memory may be implemented on the same chip or on separate chips. The processor may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, which may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the drone communication method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0058] As a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, the memory can be used to store non-volatile software programs, non-volatile computer executable programs and modules. The memory can include at least one type of storage medium, such as a flash memory, a hard disk, a multimedia card, a card-type memory, a random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), a static random access memory (Static Random Access Memory, SRAM), a programmable read-only memory (Programmab le Read On ly Memory, PROM), a read-only memory (Read On ly Memory, ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (Electrically Erasable Programmab l eRead-Only Memory, EEPROM), a magnetic memory, a disk, an optical disk, etc. The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store a desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application can also be a circuit or any other device that can realize a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0059] By designing and programming the processor, the code corresponding to the drone communication method described in the above embodiment can be fixed into the chip, so that the chip can execute the steps of the drone communication method of the embodiment shown in the present invention when running. How to design and program the processor is a technology well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described here.

[0060] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention also provides a drone communication system, including multiple drones, multiple ground stations and the above-mentioned drone communication server, wherein the above-mentioned communication control device is provided on both the drone and the ground station. Under the control of the above-mentioned communication control device, the drone and the ground station control the processing module and the wireless communication module to execute the above-mentioned drone communication method for the drone and the ground station, and respond to various protocol data sent by the drone communication server through the communication base station to achieve point-to-point data communication with other drones or ground stations that need to communicate. This drone communication system can avoid re-negotiation of addresses with the other end when the drone repeatedly enters and exits the coverage of different communication base stations, thereby improving communication efficiency and reducing communication delay, and is suitable for high-speed operations over long distances and a large range.

[0061] In some possible implementations, the wireless communication module includes a radio module and a network communication module. The drone or ground station sends each data packet to the other end synchronously through the radio module and the network communication module respectively, and discards duplicate data packets through the duplicate data processing strategy of the IP protocol by setting a data identifier or registering the wireless point module as a network card device, thereby ensuring stable communication while avoiding duplicate data packets affecting communication efficiency.

[0062] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, if there are any orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., the orientations or positional relationships indicated are all based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed or operated in a specific orientation, and cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0063] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0064] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0065] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0066] In the description of the present invention, "several" means one or more, "more" means two or more, "greater than", "less than", "exceed" etc. are understood to exclude the number itself, and "above", "below", "within" etc. are understood to include the number itself. If there is a description of "first" or "second", it is only used to distinguish the technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0067] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0068] The above-mentioned embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any non-substantial changes and substitutions made by technicians in this field on the basis of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Claims

1. A drone communication method, applied to a server, characterized in that: The steps include: Receiving first protocol data sent by two communication terminals that need to communicate, and obtaining public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals; Check whether the public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals are consistent with the historical records. If they are inconsistent, the public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals are sent to the other end through the second protocol data, and the two communication terminals are informed to send the third protocol data to the other end; if they are consistent, the public network IP addresses and port numbers of the two communication terminals are sent to the other end through the fourth protocol data, and the two communication terminals are informed to request a connection to the other end; Among them, the communication end is a drone or a ground station.

2. The drone communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: Periodically send the fifth protocol data to the recorded public network IP address and port number.

3. A UAV communication method, applied to a UAV or a ground station, characterized in that: The steps include: Periodically sending first protocol data to the server; If the second protocol data is received, the second protocol data is parsed to obtain the public IP address and port number of the other end, and the third protocol data is sent to the other end according to the public IP address and port number of the other end; If the third protocol data is received, the public IP address and port number of the third protocol data are obtained, and a mapping table entry of the public IP address and port number of the other end is left on the local NAT server to complete the address negotiation and exchange data with the other end; If the fourth protocol data is received, the fourth protocol data is parsed to obtain the public IP address and port number of the other end, and a connection request is sent to the other end according to the public IP address and port number of the other end to directly interact with the data of the other end.

4. The UAV communication method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The steps for a drone or ground station to send data to a server or peer include: The application writes the data identifier in the application layer data; The processing module performs IP protocol processing on the application layer data to obtain IP protocol data, and sends the IP protocol data to the wireless communication module; The wireless communication module processes the IP protocol data at the link layer and physical layer, and sends it to the communication base station through the antenna.

5. The drone communication method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The wireless communication module includes a radio module and a network communication module, and the radio module is registered as a network card device. The wireless communication module processes the link layer and the physical layer of the IP protocol data and sends it to the communication base station through the antenna. The steps include: Make a copy of the IP protocol data, and send the IP protocol data to the radio module and the network communication module synchronously; The radio module and the network communication module process the IP protocol data at the link layer and the physical layer respectively, and send them to the corresponding communication base station through the antenna respectively.

6. The UAV communication method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The steps for a drone or ground station to receive data sent by a server or peer include: Receive data sent by the server or the other end through the antenna, and send the received data to the wireless communication module, which parses the received data to obtain IP protocol data; Send the IP protocol data to the processing module for IP protocol parsing to obtain the original application layer data; It is determined whether the data packet has been received based on the data identifier in the original application layer data. If it has been received, the duplicate data packet is discarded.

7. The UAV communication method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The wireless communication module includes a radio module and a network communication module, and the radio module is registered as a network card device. In the step of receiving data sent by a server or a peer through an antenna, sending the received data to the wireless communication module, and parsing the received data to obtain IP protocol data, the data sent by the server or the peer is received through the radio module and the network communication module at the same time, and the received data is parsed through the radio module and the network communication module respectively to obtain IP protocol data. In the step of sending the IP protocol data to the processing module for IP protocol parsing to obtain original application layer data, duplicate data packets are discarded according to the duplicate data processing strategy of the IP protocol.

8. A drone communication server, characterized in that: It includes a processor and a memory, the processor is electrically connected to the memory, and the processor can implement the drone communication method according to claim 1 or 2 by calling and executing a computer program in the memory.

9. A communication control device for an unmanned aerial vehicle or a ground station, characterized in that: It includes a processor and a memory, the processor is electrically connected to the memory, and the processor can implement the drone communication method according to any one of claims 3 to 7 by calling and executing a computer program in the memory.

10. A drone communication system, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of drones, a plurality of ground stations and a drone communication server according to claim 8, wherein the drones and the ground stations both comprise a communication control device according to claim 9.

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