Drone Control Method, System and Drone for Paraglider Towing

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and in particular to a control method, system and unmanned aerial vehicle for paraglider towing. The control method, system and unmanned aerial vehicle control the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly horizontally in front of the paraglider; obtain the relative position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider in the air; obtain the height direction offset between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider through the relative position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider in the air; set an offset threshold, compare the height direction offset with the offset threshold in real time, and obtain a comparison result; according to the comparison result, when the height direction offset between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider is greater than the offset threshold, control the unmanned aerial vehicle to lift or lower to adjust the height. By controlling the relative height of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider, the paraglider can obtain the maximum horizontal traction force provided by the unmanned aerial vehicle, improving the towing efficiency of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Under the condition of providing the same traction force, the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle is minimized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and in particular to a control method, system and unmanned aerial vehicle for paraglider towing. Background Art

[0002] With the development of unmanned aerial vehicle technology, the application fields and application methods of unmanned aerial vehicles have also been greatly expanded. The applicant disclosed an unmanned aerial vehicle that can be used to tow a paraglider in a patent application with the publication number of 118701323A. In practical applications, the paraglider-towing unmanned aerial vehicle provides a horizontal traction force to the unmanned aerial vehicle through a towing rope. Under the action of the forward horizontal traction force, the paraglider combines its own aerodynamic force to generate an upward force and enters the flight state, so as to replace the existing manual running or ground traction vehicle towing. At the same time, towing the paraglider by the unmanned aerial vehicle can also provide continuous and stable power during the flight of the paraglider, avoiding the influence of insufficient wind force or wind force change on the flight of the paraglider, reducing the strict requirements of paragliding on the climate, and thus improving the safety.

[0003] When using an unmanned aerial vehicle to tow a paraglider, the unmanned aerial vehicle mainly provides a horizontal traction force. When providing the horizontal traction force, the maximum traction force can only be provided when the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider are at the same height. Correspondingly, when providing the same horizontal traction force to the unmanned aerial vehicle, when the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider are at the same height, the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle is the smallest. Existing unmanned aerial vehicle operators often cannot accurately observe the accurate relative height between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider during ground operation, resulting in problems such as low towing efficiency of the unmanned aerial vehicle and large load of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an unmanned aerial vehicle control method that can effectively improve the paraglider towing efficiency and reduce the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0005] The method includes the steps of:

[0006] Connect the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider through a towing rope, and control the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly horizontally in front of the paraglider to lift the paraglider into the air;

[0007] Obtain the relative position in the air between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider;

[0008] Obtain the height direction offset between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider through the relative position in the air between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the paraglider;

[0009] Set an offset threshold, compare the height direction offset with the offset threshold in real time, and obtain a comparison result;

[0010] According to the comparison result, when the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is greater than the offset threshold, control the drone to lift or descend to adjust the height so that the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is within the offset threshold.

[0011] Due to the adoption of the above method, when the drone provides horizontal traction to the paraglider and the paraglider flies by means of the horizontal traction and the aerodynamic lift, by controlling the relative height of the drone and the paraglider, the drone and the paraglider can be in a horizontal state or close to a horizontal state. At this time, the paraglider can obtain the maximum horizontal traction provided by the drone, improving the traction efficiency of the drone. Under the condition of providing the same traction, the load of the drone is minimized.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner, the obtaining of the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air includes:

[0013] Monitoring the relative height of the drone and the paraglider;

[0014] The relative height includes the difference between the absolute heights of the drone end and the paraglider end, or the height of the paraglider measured with the drone end as the horizontal reference.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner, the obtaining of the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air includes:

[0016] Monitoring the deflection angle of the towing rope in the vertical plane;

[0017] Obtaining the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air through the deflection angle.

[0018] In a possible implementation manner, the monitoring of the disposal deflection angle of the towing rope further includes:

[0019] Setting a deflection reference object that deflects synchronously with the towing rope in the vertical plane;

[0020] Obtaining the deflection angle of the deflection reference object in the vertical plane.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner, the obtaining of the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air includes:

[0022] Setting a visual recognition center;

[0023] Obtaining the visual imaging of the paraglider;

[0024] Monitoring the offset in the height direction between the visual imaging of the paraglider and the visual recognition center.

[0025] Second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a drone control system for paraglider towing, the system comprising:

[0026] A drone flight control module for controlling the flight of the drone;

[0027] A relative position monitoring module for obtaining the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air, and obtaining the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider based on the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air;

[0028] An offset comparison module for storing a relative offset threshold, communicating with the relative position monitoring module, obtaining the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider, and outputting a comparison result of the height direction offset and the offset threshold;

[0029] A height execution module for obtaining the comparison result of the offset comparison module. When the height direction offset is greater than the offset threshold, a flight height adjustment instruction is sent to the drone flight control module to control the lifting of the drone to adjust the height, so that the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is within the offset threshold.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the relative position monitoring module includes an angle sensing unit for the tow rope of the drone and the paraglider in the vertical direction;

[0031] The offset comparison module includes an offset angle threshold storage unit and an offset angle threshold comparison unit.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the relative position monitoring module includes a visual imaging unit, a center marking unit, a paraglider marking unit, and a marking offset calculation unit,

[0033] The visual imaging unit obtains a visual image of the paraglider from the drone side;

[0034] The center marking unit marks the imaging center on the visual image and obtains the center marking;

[0035] The paraglider marking unit marks the paraglider on the visual image and obtains the paraglider marking;

[0036] The marking offset calculation unit calculates the offset of the paraglider marking relative to the center marking in the vertical direction on the visual image to generate a marking offset;

[0037] The offset comparison module includes a marking offset threshold storage unit and a marking offset comparison unit.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the relative position monitoring module includes a first altimeter unit, a second altimeter unit, and a height difference calculation unit;

[0039] The first altimeter unit is disposed on the UAV side and is used to measure the height of the UAV;

[0040] The second altimeter unit is disposed on the paraglider side and is used to measure the height of the paraglider;

[0041] The height difference calculation unit obtains the height of the UAV and the height of the paraglider, and calculates the difference between the height of the UAV and the height of the paraglider to obtain a height offset;

[0042] The offset comparison module includes a height offset threshold storage unit and a height offset amount comparison unit.

[0043] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a UAV for paraglider towing. The UAV includes a fuselage and rotors mounted on the fuselage.

[0044] A towing rope connection mechanism is provided on the fuselage. The towing rope is installed through the towing rope connection mechanism to connect the UAV and the paraglider, and the UAV is controlled to fly horizontally in front of the paraglider to lift the paraglider into the air;

[0045] The towing rope connection mechanism includes a towing seat. A towing rope guiding tube is connected to the towing seat through a rotating shaft. The towing rope guiding tube rotates in the vertical direction with the rotating shaft as the central axis, and an angle sensor is installed on the steering shaft;

[0046] The angle sensor collects the deflection angle of the towing rope guiding tube relative to the horizontal direction, and this deflection angle is used to obtain the relative position of the UAV and the paraglider in the air;

[0047] The height direction offset amount between the UAV and the paraglider is obtained through the relative position of the UAV and the paraglider in the air;

[0048] An offset threshold is set, and the height direction offset amount is compared with the offset threshold in real time;

[0049] When the height direction offset amount between the UAV and the paraglider is greater than the offset threshold, the UAV is controlled to ascend or descend to adjust the height so that the height direction offset amount between the UAV and the paraglider is within the offset threshold. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] Figure 1 is the overall flowchart of the first embodiment;

[0051] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the states of the UAV and the paraglider when providing horizontal traction during takeoff in the first embodiment;

[0052] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the state when the paraglider takes off in the first embodiment;

[0053] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the state after the paraglider ascends in the first embodiment;

[0054] Figure 5 Flow chart for obtaining the relative position in the air between the drone and the paraglider in the second embodiment;

[0055] Figure 6 Flow chart for obtaining the relative position in the air between the drone and the paraglider in the third embodiment;

[0056] Figure 7 Flow chart for obtaining the relative position in the air between the drone and the paraglider in the fourth embodiment;

[0057] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the module structure of the fifth embodiment;

[0058] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the module structure of the sixth embodiment;

[0059] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the module structure of the seventh embodiment;

[0060] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the module structure of the eighth embodiment;

[0061] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the structure of the ninth embodiment;

[0062] Figure 13 For Figure 12 Enlarged view of area A in

[0063] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the connection structure between the ninth embodiment and the paraglider. Detailed implementation manners

[0064] The following further detailed description is made in conjunction with specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the following embodiments, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts also fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0065] It should be understood that the controllers and control circuits involved in the embodiments are conventional control technologies or units in the art. For example, the control circuits of the controllers can be implemented by those of ordinary skill in the art using existing technologies.

[0066] The disclosure of the embodiments provides many different implementation manners or examples for implementing different solutions of the present invention. To simplify the disclosure of the present invention, components and settings of specific examples are described in the embodiments. Of course, they are only examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, reference numerals and / or reference letters may be repeated in different examples in the embodiments. Such repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, and does not itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, if examples of various specific processes and materials are provided in the embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art can realize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0067] To clearly illustrate the detailed working principle of the embodiments of the present application, the working mode of a general paraglider is first described. The flight principle of the paraglider is mainly based on the balance of lift and drag provided by the air. During flight, the main wing of the paraglider contacts the air and generates lift. By utilizing the atmospheric flow, the flyer can obtain a continuous flight time and distance.

[0068] Existing gliders generally take off on the ground with a downward slope and face the windward direction. By running, the glider generates a certain speed. The paraglider generates lift with the help of the wind, enabling the paraglider and the passenger to leave the ground. With the help of the downward slope, the paraglider can fly forward. Along with the flyer's operation of the paraglider, actions such as ascending, descending, and turning of the paraglider are realized. This operation mode has relatively high requirements for geographical and climatic conditions and requires a terrain and weather condition with a downward slope on the windward side to perform well. Therefore, there are many limitations.

[0069] To expand the feasible scenarios of paragliding, there has emerged on the market a method of using power to tow a paraglider to provide the forward power of the paraglider, enabling it to have a relatively large initial speed. Even when the wind is relatively small, it can also have a relatively large lift to make the paraglider take off. At the same time, it also reduces the requirements for the terrain, and paragliding can also be carried out on flat terrain. However, when providing traction to the paraglider on the ground through, for example, a vehicle, the traction provided to the paraglider can only be maximally applied to the paraglider when the tow rope is close to the horizontal state. As the paraglider takes off, the angle between the tow rope and the ground gradually increases, and the traction obtained by the paraglider gradually decreases. At this time, the lift obtained by the paraglider and the height of the paraglider may not be sufficient to support the continuous flight of the paraglider. Therefore, the paraglider will quickly land on the ground, affecting the experience of paragliding and also posing a certain safety risk.

[0070] To solve the above problems, as Figure 1 shown, the first embodiment of the present application provides a drone control method that can effectively improve the towing efficiency of a paraglider and reduce the load of the drone. The method includes the steps:

[0071] S1. Connect the drone and the paraglider through a tow rope, and control the drone to fly horizontally in front of the paraglider to lift the paraglider into the air;

[0072] S2. Obtain the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air;

[0073] S3. Obtain the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider through the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air;

[0074] S4. Set an offset threshold, compare the height direction offset with the offset threshold in real time, and obtain a comparison result;

[0075] S5. According to the comparison result, when the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is greater than the offset threshold, control the drone to ascend or descend to adjust the height so that the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is within the offset threshold.

[0076] In the above step S1, as Figure 2 shown, connect the drone and the paraglider through a tow rope to establish a connection between the drone and the paraglider, and control the drone to fly horizontally in front of the paraglider so that regardless of whether it is on a flat terrain or a descending slope, the drone can exert the maximum horizontal traction force on the paraglider. The maximum horizontal traction force refers to the traction force provided by the drone that can provide the maximum horizontal traction force for the paraglider. In the case of a descending slope terrain, providing traction force to the paraglider through a vehicle actually exerts a downward traction force while exerting a horizontal traction force on the paraglider, reducing the efficiency of the traction force. As Figure 3 shown, in this embodiment, the horizontal traction force provided by the drone to the paraglider causes the paraglider to interact with the air at a certain speed and convert into lift force, and the paraglider gradually ascends into the air.

[0077] As Figure 4 shown, during the process of the paraglider gradually ascending into the air, if the height of the drone remains unchanged and the angle between the connection line of the drone and the paraglider and the horizontal plane increases, the traction force provided by the drone to the paraglider will gradually change into a resultant force of forward and downward, and the efficiency of the traction force will decrease at this time.

[0078] Therefore, in this embodiment, by step S2. Obtain the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air to monitor the height change of the paraglider, and then through step S3. Obtain the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider through the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air to obtain the height direction offset, and the obtained height direction offset can provide a reference for adjusting the height of the drone in the subsequent steps.

[0079] Since in actual operation, it is difficult for the drone and the paraglider to reach an absolutely horizontal height. Or rather, the state where the drone and the paraglider are absolutely horizontal is often an instantaneous state. Most of the time, controlling the drone and the paraglider to a nearly horizontal state can be regarded as providing the maximum horizontal traction force. Therefore, when judging whether it is close to horizontal, it is necessary to set and process a threshold. In this embodiment, step S4. Set an offset threshold, and compare the height direction offset with the offset threshold in real time to obtain a comparison result. Generally, the comparison result here is either that the height direction offset is greater than the offset threshold or that the height direction offset is less than or equal to the offset threshold. Then, through step S5. According to the comparison result, when the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is greater than the offset threshold, control the drone to lift or lower to adjust the height so that the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is within the offset threshold.

[0080] Due to the adoption of the above method, when the drone provides horizontal traction force to the paraglider and the paraglider flies with the help of the horizontal traction force and the air lift force, by controlling the relative height of the drone and the paraglider, the drone and the paraglider can be in a horizontal state or a nearly horizontal state. At this time, the paraglider can obtain the maximum horizontal traction force provided by the drone, improving the traction efficiency of the drone. Under the condition of providing the same traction force, the load of the drone is minimized.

[0081] The above-mentioned execution steps are abstract expressions of the processing logic of program execution. The execution process of this program can be carried out in various software and hardware environments with program execution capabilities. For example, in the software system of the drone itself, in the software system of the remote control operation terminal of the drone, and it can also be the mobile phone software, applet that communicates with the drone terminal, as well as the execution programs in computers, servers and various cloud computing platforms.

[0082] It should be noted that during the above process, as the paraglider rises, the drone rises accordingly to adjust the horizontal traction force, and then the paraglider rises further, and the drone rises again. At this time, it will cause the paraglider and the drone to keep rising. Therefore, after the paraglider reaches the predetermined height, the connection between the drone and the paraglider is disengaged, and the paraglider controls its flight state by itself, and the drone returns to the designated position to wait for the next traction work.

[0083] In the above step S2, when obtaining the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air, there can be various data setting and processing methods. The following provides the second to fourth embodiments to implement the method of the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air.

[0084] Such as Figure 5As shown, in the second embodiment, it is achieved by using height as the target parameter. When using height as the target parameter, the obtaining of the relative position between the drone and the paraglider in the above step S2 includes:

[0085] S21. Monitoring the relative height between the drone and the paraglider;

[0086] S22. The relative height includes the difference between the absolute heights of the drone end and the paraglider end, or

[0087] S23. The height of the paraglider measured with the drone end as the horizontal reference.

[0088] As Figure 6 shown, in the third embodiment, it is achieved by using angle as the target parameter. When using angle as the target parameter, the obtaining of the relative position between the drone and the paraglider in the above step S2 includes:

[0089] S24. Monitoring the deflection angle of the tow rope in the vertical plane;

[0090] S25. Obtaining the relative position between the drone and the paraglider in the air through the deflection angle.

[0091] Among them, when monitoring the tow rope, since the length of the tow rope is relatively large and not convenient for monitoring, the further obtaining of the disposal deflection angle of the tow rope includes:

[0092] S241. Setting a deflection reference object that deflects synchronously with the tow rope in the vertical plane;

[0093] S242. Obtaining the deflection angle of the deflection reference object in the vertical plane.

[0094] Preferably, the deflection reference is a section of the tow rope or a setting member that deflects synchronously with a section of the tow rope, and the specific form of this setting member will be further described in the embodiments of the design structure below.

[0095] As Figure 7 shown, in the third embodiment, it is achieved by means of visual recognition. When using visual recognition to achieve it, the obtaining of the relative position between the drone and the paraglider in the above step S2 includes:

[0096] S26. Setting the visual recognition center;

[0097] S27. Obtaining the visual imaging of the paraglider;

[0098] S28. Monitoring the offset in the height direction between the visual imaging of the paraglider and the visual recognition center.

[0099] After obtaining the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air through the above three methods, the subsequent steps S3 - S5 can be implemented to control the drone.

[0100] Based on the above method, as Figure 8 shown, the fifth embodiment of the present application provides a drone control system for paraglider towing, and the system includes:

[0101] A drone flight control module 1, configured to control the flight of the drone;

[0102] A relative position monitoring module 2, configured to obtain the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air, and obtain the height direction offset amount between the drone and the paraglider through the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air;

[0103] An offset comparison module 3, configured to store a relative offset threshold, communicate with the relative position monitoring module, obtain the height direction offset amount between the drone and the paraglider, and output a comparison result between the height direction offset amount and the offset threshold;

[0104] A height execution module 4, obtaining the comparison result of the offset comparison module. When the height direction offset amount is greater than the offset threshold, a flight height adjustment instruction is sent to the drone flight control module to control the lifting of the drone to adjust the height, so that the height direction offset amount between the drone and the paraglider is within the offset threshold.

[0105] Referring to the methods in the second to fourth embodiments, the following provides three specific compositions and working principles of the relative position monitoring module 2 through the sixth to eighth embodiments.

[0106] As Figure 9 shown, in the sixth embodiment, the relative position monitoring module 2 includes an angle sensing unit 21 for the towing rope of the drone and the paraglider in the vertical direction;

[0107] The offset comparison module 3 includes an offset angle threshold storage unit 31 and an offset angle threshold comparison unit 32.

[0108] As Figure 10 shown, in the seventh embodiment, the relative position monitoring module 2 includes a visual imaging unit 22, a center marking unit 23, a paraglider marking unit 24, and a marking offset measurement unit 25;

[0109] The visual imaging unit 22 obtains a visual image of the paraglider from the drone side;

[0110] The center marking unit 23 marks the imaging center on the visual image to obtain a center mark;

[0111] The paraglider marking unit 24 marks the paraglider on the visual imaging to obtain a paraglider mark;

[0112] The marking offset measurement unit 25 measures the offset of the paraglider mark on the visual imaging relative to the center mark in the vertical direction to generate a marking offset;

[0113] The offset comparison module 3 includes a marking offset threshold storage unit 33 and a marking offset comparison unit 34.

[0114] As Figure 11 shown, in the eighth embodiment, the relative position monitoring module 2 includes a first altimeter unit 26, a second altimeter unit 27, and a height difference calculation unit 28;

[0115] The first altimeter unit 26 is arranged at the UAV end and is used to measure the UAV height;

[0116] The second altimeter unit 27 is arranged at the paraglider end and is used to measure the paraglider height;

[0117] The height difference calculation unit 28 obtains the UAV height and the paraglider height, and calculates the difference between the UAV height and the paraglider height to obtain a height offset;

[0118] The offset comparison module 3 includes a height offset threshold storage unit 35 and a height offset comparison unit 36.

[0119] As Figures 12 to 14 shown, the ninth embodiment of the present application provides a UAV for paraglider towing. The UAV includes a fuselage 100 and a rotor 200 mounted on the fuselage,

[0120] A tow rope connection mechanism 300 is provided on the fuselage 100. The tow rope is installed through the tow rope connection mechanism 300 to connect the UAV and the paraglider, and the UAV is controlled to fly horizontally in front of the paraglider to lift the paraglider into the air;

[0121] The tow rope connection mechanism 300 includes a tow seat 310. A tow rope guide tube 330 is connected in the tow seat 310 through a rotating shaft 320. The tow rope guide tube 330 rotates in the vertical direction with the rotating shaft 320 as the central axis, and an angle sensor 340 is installed on the rotating shaft 320;

[0122] The angle sensor 340 collects the deflection angle of the tow rope guide tube 330 relative to the horizontal direction, and this deflection angle is used to obtain the relative position of the UAV and the paraglider in the air;

[0123] Obtain the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider through the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air;

[0124] Set an offset threshold, and compare the height direction offset with the offset threshold in real time;

[0125] When the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is greater than the offset threshold, control the drone to ascend or descend to adjust the height so that the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is within the offset threshold.

[0126] Wherein, the angle sensor 340 can be a Hall sensor. A magnetic pole is set on the rotating shaft 320. The Hall sensor can sense the magnetic force change generated by the magnetic pole when the rotating shaft rotates, so that the Hall sensor generates a signal to reflect the rotation angle of the rotating shaft.

[0127] In addition to the Hall sensor, the rotation angle of the rotating shaft can also be obtained through devices such as an angle gauge and a gyroscope, so as to obtain the rotation angle of the tow rope guide tube 330.

[0128] Setting the tow rope guide tube 330 also has an important function. That is, after the paraglider flies to a predetermined height, the user on the paraglider needs to release the tow rope to release the traction force of the drone, so as to avoid the paraglider continuing to rise to an unsafe height. Since during the drone towing process, under the mutual influence of the traction force of the drone and the reaction force of the paraglider, the tow rope is taut. When the user releases the tow rope at the paraglider end, the tow rope will bounce back towards the drone under the action of its own tension. This bounce is disorderly and uncontrollable, and it is easy to hit the propeller, damage the propeller, and affect the power and stability-keeping ability of the drone. Therefore, after setting the tow rope guide tube 330, the contraction force generated after the free release of the tow rope acts on the tow rope away from the drone. Even if the tow rope guide tube is affected and moves, it will only swing in the vertical direction and will not hit the drone propeller.

[0129] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the disclosure scope of the embodiments of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made by using the embodiment description and drawings of the present application, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are equally included in the patent protection scope supported by the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle for paraglider towing, characterized in that, The method includes the steps of: Connecting a drone and a paraglider through a towing rope, controlling the drone to fly horizontally in front of the paraglider to lift the paraglider into the air; Obtaining the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air; Obtaining the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider based on the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air; Setting an offset threshold, comparing the height direction offset with the offset threshold in real time, and obtaining a comparison result; According to the comparison result, when the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is greater than the offset threshold, controlling the drone to ascend or descend to adjust the height so that the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is within the offset threshold; A towing rope connection mechanism is provided on the fuselage of the drone, and the towing rope is installed to connect the drone and the paraglider through the towing rope connection mechanism; The towing rope connection mechanism includes a towing seat, in which a towing rope guiding tube is connected through a rotating shaft, and the towing rope guiding tube takes the rotating shaft as the central axis and drives the rotating shaft to rotate in the vertical direction.

2. The method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle for paraglider towing according to claim 1, wherein The obtaining the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air includes: Monitoring the relative height of the drone and the paraglider; The relative height includes the difference between the absolute heights of the drone end and the paraglider end, or the height of the paraglider measured with the drone end as the horizontal reference.

3. The drone control method for paraglider towing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The obtaining the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air includes: Monitoring the deflection angle of the towing rope in the vertical plane; Obtaining the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air based on the deflection angle.

4. The method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle for paraglider towing according to claim 3, wherein, The monitoring the disposal deflection angle of the towing rope further includes: Setting a deflection reference object that deflects synchronously with the towing rope in the vertical plane; Obtaining the deflection angle of the deflection reference object in the vertical plane.

5. The method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle for paraglider towing according to claim 1, wherein The obtaining the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air includes: Setting a visual recognition center; Obtaining the visual imaging of the paraglider; Monitoring the offset in the height direction between the visual imaging of the paraglider and the visual recognition center.

6. An unmanned aerial vehicle control system for paraglider towing, characterized in that, The system includes: A drone flight control module for controlling the flight of the drone; A relative position monitoring module for obtaining the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air, and obtaining the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider based on the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air; An offset comparison module for storing a relative offset threshold, communicating with the relative position monitoring module, obtaining the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider, and outputting the comparison result of the height direction offset and the offset threshold; A height execution module obtains the comparison result of the offset comparison module. When the height direction offset is greater than the offset threshold, it sends a flight height adjustment instruction to the drone flight control module, controls the drone to ascend or descend to adjust the height so that the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is within the offset threshold; To adjust the height so that the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is within the offset threshold; The fuselage of the drone is provided with a towing rope connection mechanism, and a towing rope is installed through the towing rope connection mechanism to connect the drone and the paraglider. The towing rope connection mechanism includes a towing seat, in which a towing rope guiding tube is connected through a rotating shaft. The towing rope guiding tube takes the rotating shaft as the central axis and drives the rotating shaft to rotate in the vertical direction.

7. The drone control system for paraglider towing according to claim 6, characterized in that The relative position monitoring module includes an angle sensing unit for the angle of the towing rope between the drone and the paraglider in the vertical direction. The offset comparison module includes an offset angle threshold storage unit and an offset angle threshold comparison unit.

8. The drone control system for paraglider towing according to claim 6, characterized in that The relative position monitoring module includes a visual imaging unit, a center marking unit, a paraglider marking unit, and a marking offset calculation unit. The visual imaging unit obtains the visual image of the paraglider from the drone side. The center marking unit marks the imaging center on the visual image to obtain the center mark. The paraglider marking unit marks the paraglider on the visual image to obtain the paraglider mark. The marking offset calculation unit calculates the offset amount of the paraglider mark relative to the center mark on the visual image in the vertical direction to generate a marking offset amount. The offset comparison module includes a marking offset threshold storage unit and a marking offset amount comparison unit.

9. The drone control system for paraglider towing according to claim 6, characterized in that The relative position monitoring module includes a first altitude measurement unit, a second altitude measurement unit, and an altitude difference calculation unit. The first altitude measurement unit is arranged at the drone end and is used to measure the altitude of the drone. The second altitude measurement unit is arranged at the paraglider end and is used to measure the altitude of the paraglider. The altitude difference calculation unit obtains the altitude of the drone and the altitude of the paraglider, and calculates the difference between the altitude of the drone and the altitude of the paraglider to obtain an altitude offset amount. The offset comparison module includes an altitude offset threshold storage unit and an altitude offset amount comparison unit.

10. A drone for paraglider towing, the drone includes a fuselage and rotors installed on the fuselage, characterized in that The fuselage of the drone is provided with a towing rope connection mechanism, and a towing rope is installed through the towing rope connection mechanism to connect the drone and the paraglider, and the drone is controlled to fly horizontally in front of the paraglider to lift the paraglider into the air. The towing rope connection mechanism includes a towing seat, in which a towing rope guiding tube is connected through a rotating shaft. The towing rope guiding tube takes the rotating shaft as the central axis and drives the rotating shaft to rotate in the vertical direction, and an angle sensor is installed on the rotating shaft. The angle sensor collects the deflection angle of the towing rope guiding tube relative to the horizontal direction, and this deflection angle is used to obtain the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air. The altitude direction offset amount between the drone and the paraglider is obtained through the relative position of the drone and the paraglider in the air. An offset amount threshold is set, and the altitude direction offset amount is compared with the offset amount threshold in real time. When the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is greater than the offset threshold, control the drone to ascend or descend to adjust the height so that the height direction offset between the drone and the paraglider is within the offset threshold.

Images