A self-checking method and system for equipment in an unmanned aerial vehicle system

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for self-testing equipment within an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system. The method sequentially follows the following steps: The internal space of an existing three-dimensional map is completely divided into cube grids and numbered, and the locations of all communication base stations are marked and numbered to obtain a system equipment self-test map; After the UAV is launched and powered on for takeoff, a UAV flight log and a base station transmission test log are generated and stored in the UAV's storage device; and each time the UAV enters a cube grid, a base station transmission speed test is performed on n nearby communication base stations and recorded in the base station transmission test log. The present invention utilizes the brief time during the UAV inspection process to obtain a small amount of key information about the equipment within the system, enabling self-tests of the performance of all equipment within the system, particularly communication performance, at an appropriate frequency while minimizing the use of communication resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the fields of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control and wireless communication technology, and in particular to a method and system for self-checking equipment in an UAV system. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of technology, drones are increasingly being used in daily life, especially in environmental monitoring scenarios. For example, in provinces with dense rivers and coastal areas, drones are frequently used for water environment inspections. These include monitoring incoming and outgoing ships, collecting geomorphological data around the water environment, monitoring suspected illegally detained vessels, biodiversity monitoring, collecting evidence of illegal activities on the water, and inspecting navigation marks. These scenarios often require the use of small or medium-sized drones for regular or irregular inspections.

[0003] Compared to the traditional method of deploying cameras around water environments for surveillance, drone inspections offer many irreplaceable advantages. They are flexible and maneuverable, have a wide monitoring range, can approach targets for monitoring, and can carry a variety of different monitoring equipment as needed. When deploying drones, all that is required is to set up launch and recovery points around the water environment and deploy mobile or fixed communication base stations at a certain density around the water environment. Drone operators can then remotely control the drones from indoors through the communication base stations to conduct inspections. Drones can even conduct inspections autonomously using pre-programmed programs and planned routes. Upon detecting a target, the drone transmits this information back through the communication base stations. After the inspection, the drone returns to the recovery site via manual remote control or autonomous flight. After inspection and refueling, it can be released again. This entire process eliminates the need for personnel to physically travel to the inspection waters, significantly reducing the workload of environmental inspectors and significantly improving inspection efficiency. Several patent applications have disclosed similar drone system configurations, such as the patent application "A UAV-Based Automatic Inspection System for Distribution Networks" (Publication No. CN119370357A).

[0004] However, with the development of inspection drones, the types of detection equipment they carry are increasing, detection accuracy is constantly improving, the amount of data they transmit is also increasing, and the stability requirements of the equipment within the system are also increasing. For example, the system needs to monitor the stability of the drone's equipment, interference, and remaining power / fuel in real time. It needs to monitor the signal coverage of communication base stations at all locations in the inspection area, such as the wireless signal strength and data transmission rate at each location, and it needs to monitor various parameters of the communication base stations' own data transmission. In traditional wireless communication equipment networking systems, such as mobile phone communication networks, each of the above devices is operated by humans. Therefore, when a device serving as a communication node fails, the user of the device will immediately discover the failure and correct it promptly. However, when using a patrol drone system, especially when there are multiple drones that can autonomously fly, cruise, and recover in the system, the number of system operators is far less than the number of devices in the system. Therefore, when the drone's equipment is unstable, the communication base station fails, or the density of communication base stations in the local inspection area is low, resulting in low communication signal strength, low data transmission rate, and heavy communication load on a single base station, since the drone operator spends most of his time at the console paying attention to the data content sent back by the drone and the working status of the drone itself and its onboard equipment, it is likely that the following situation will occur: the staff can only detect failures in the drone and its carried equipment in a timely manner, and it is difficult to detect and promptly eliminate communication failures in various communication nodes in the drone system, which in turn leads to long-term local communication interruptions in the drone system.

[0005] Therefore, in order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, it is necessary to provide a drone system that can perform self-inspection on each device in the system during the drone inspection process, especially self-inspection of the communication status between devices in the system. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a method and system for self-checking equipment in a drone system.

[0007] A method for self-testing equipment in an unmanned aerial vehicle system, the method is performed in sequence according to the following steps:

[0008] Step S1: Divide the internal space of the existing three-dimensional map into cube grids and number them, mark the locations of all communication base stations and number them, and obtain a system equipment self-test map;

[0009] Step S2: Launch the drone. After the drone starts and takes off, a drone flight log and a base station transmission test log are generated. The drone performs unified energy consumption management on all the devices it carries and records the remaining energy information of the drone in the drone flight log at a fixed frequency.

[0010] The satellite positioning module of the drone determines the satellite positioning data of the drone in real time to determine the location of the drone. The drone records the satellite positioning data of the drone's location in the drone flight log at a fixed frequency;

[0011] The drone monitors the operating status of all devices it carries and the surrounding environment, and records abnormal device behavior data, body vibration data, and electromagnetic interference parameters in the drone flight log at a fixed frequency;

[0012] The drone flight log and base station transmission test log are stored in the drone’s storage device;

[0013] Step S3: When the UAV flies over the boundary of the cube grid, the UAV communication module tests the transmission rate and / or signal strength of n nearby communication base stations, sorts the transmission rate and / or signal strength of the n nearby communication base stations from high to low, and records them in the base station transmission test log together with the corresponding cube grid number;

[0014] Step S4: When the UAV is hovering in the cube grid, it sends base station network test data to the n communication base stations in descending order according to the transmission rates and / or signal strengths obtained when entering the cube grid. After receiving the network test data, the n communication base stations generate base station network test information based on the reception situation and send the base station network test information to the UAV. The base station network test information includes the transmission rate of the communication base station. The UAV records the base station network test information corresponding to the n communication base stations in the base station transmission test log.

[0015] Based on the transmission rate in the received base station network test information, the drone uploads the drone flight log and base station transmission test log to the server through the communication base station with the highest transmission rate;

[0016] Step S5: After receiving the UAV flight log and the base station transmission test log, the server sends feedback information to the UAV and analyzes the UAV flight log and the base station transmission test log;

[0017] When the analysis results show that the remaining energy is lower than the threshold, or the drone equipment exhibits abnormal behavior, or the vibration level of the drone body exceeds the threshold, or the electromagnetic interference received by the drone exceeds the threshold, a return command is issued to the drone and an alarm is sent to the drone system control platform;

[0018] When the analysis results show that a communication base station has failed, the communication base station is marked in the system equipment self-test map; when it is found that the highest transmission rate and / or signal strength in a square grid is lower than the preset value, the square grid is marked;

[0019] Step S6: After the drone is recovered, return to step S2 and start executing in sequence.

[0020] Furthermore, in step S1, the side length of the cube grid is less than or equal to 100 meters.

[0021] Furthermore, the base station network test information also includes the signal strength, transmission error rate, delay, and data loss rate of the communication base station.

[0022] The present invention also provides a self-checking system for equipment in a drone system, the system comprising:

[0023] One or more drones, a server, multiple communication base stations, and a control console;

[0024] The drone includes a processor, a satellite positioning module, a communication module and a storage device;

[0025] The UAV system control platform is used to display the system equipment self-test map and alarm information stored in the server;

[0026] The equipment self-test system in the drone system executes the above method.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0028] The present invention provides a system-wide device self-test method and system, independent of the drone inspection control system. It utilizes the brief time during drone inspections to acquire a small amount of critical information about system-wide devices and complete self-tests. During drone flight, a simple, rapid signal test is performed on each grid in a gridded map and recorded. While the drone is hovering, a detailed, comprehensive self-test is performed on the drone and its nearby base station equipment, taking advantage of longer periods of relatively stable signal conditions. The relevant reports are quickly uploaded to a server. This allows for self-tests of the performance of all system-wide devices, particularly communication performance, to be performed at an appropriate frequency while minimizing communication resource usage. The test results are visually displayed to personnel in the form of a map. An alarm is immediately issued when a system-wide device malfunction is detected. UAVs are automatically recalled when a malfunction occurs, and personnel can promptly repair a communication base station if a malfunction occurs. The drone continuously records the signal strength and data transmission rate of the grids it flies over, uploads the data to the server, and records and annotates the data on a self-test map. This self-test map allows personnel to visually identify when the signal level in one or more grids is consistently below transmission requirements. As needed, they can then add or replace existing communication base stations near these grids. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a method for self-checking equipment in a drone system according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the map drawing process in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] Refer to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 and Figure 2 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for self-testing equipment in a drone system, wherein:

[0033] The first step is to generate a system equipment self-test map. Pre-process the existing 3D map and divide the existing 3D map into cube grids. Figure 2 The diagram is presented from a bird's-eye view, with each grid edge represented by a dotted line. The specific geographic context is not shown. Grid sides are less than 100 meters long. Each grid is numbered, and satellite positioning data is calculated for each grid boundary to create a system equipment self-inspection map. The next step is to begin drone inspections.

[0034] Launch one or more drones into the sky. Figure 2In the figure, the drone launch point is within the circle on the west side of the map. The drone carries the observation equipment, power supply, satellite positioning device, and storage device required for inspection. The drone's processor runs the management and control program used for the inspection and independently performs the self-test steps for the drone's internal equipment. After the drone is powered on and takes off, it generates a drone flight log and a base station transmission test log, which are stored in the drone's storage device. The drone flight log is used to store information such as the drone's flight path, faults involving the drone's own equipment, and external interference. All equipment carried by the drone has unified energy consumption management. The drone monitors remaining energy and energy consumption rate information at a fixed frequency, and records this information in the drone flight log. Each remaining energy and energy consumption rate record corresponds to the time of the measurement. The drone's satellite positioning module determines the drone's satellite positioning data in real time to determine the drone's location. The drone records satellite positioning data of its location in the drone flight log at a fixed frequency, and each satellite positioning data record corresponds to the time of the measurement. The drone monitors the operating status of all devices it carries and the surrounding environment. It records data on abnormal device behavior, vibration, and electromagnetic interference parameters in the drone's flight log at a fixed frequency, with each record corresponding to the moment of detection. This information, both about the drone itself and external interference, is independent of the drone's inspection objectives. Immediately after powering on, the drone begins performing detections and independently recording them at a fixed frequency to ensure proper monitoring of its own status. This monitoring information, in a simplified format and content, is temporarily stored in the drone's storage device during flight to minimize the drone's communication overhead. To prevent log files from becoming too large and resulting in extended transmission times, a new drone flight log can be generated at a fixed frequency (e.g., every 30 minutes). Subsequent steps are then executed.

[0035] In order to facilitate the display of the UAV's communication process in the surveying area, the grids outside the surveying area are not shown. The UAV flies from the west side of the map to the east and flies in from the west edge of grid 1B. Based on the UAV satellite positioning data determined in real time by the satellite positioning module and the boundary positioning data of the square grid in the system equipment self-test map, the UAV determines that the UAV has flown into the cube grid. The UAV begins to perform a simple signal test on the cube grid, that is, the UAV communication module tests the transmission rate and signal strength of the three nearby communication base stations a, b, and c, and sorts the transmission rate and signal strength of the three nearby communication base stations from high to low and records them in the base station transmission test log. In the flight state, only one test is performed for each entry into a cube grid. Each record corresponds to the cube grid number. Figure 2In the figure, following the drone's flight path, indicated by the solid line, the drone performs simple signal tests on grids B1, B2, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, and A7. This is then used to calculate signal strength statistics for each cube grid. Because the drone is in motion and its position is not fixed during flight, signal tests of nearby base stations may be inaccurate, so detailed testing is not performed. To avoid excessive usage of the drone's communication channel during flight, the base station's simple signal test results and base station transmission test logs are not uploaded to the server at this time. When the drone is hovering, proceed to the next step.

[0036] In this embodiment, the drone hovers at the scattered marks in grid A7. When the drone is hovering, for example, if the drone needs to collect evidence of certain stationary targets within the range of grid A7, or if it needs to collect evidence of the environment within grid A7 for a long time, the drone's position is fixed, and the communication rate and communication content are relatively stable. A detailed base station transmission test of the cube grid where the drone is located is started. The drone performs base station transmission tests on three nearby communication base stations and records them in the base station transmission test log. The specific method is as follows:

[0037] Based on the transmission rate and / or signal strength of the three communication base stations tested upon entering cube grid A7, the drone sends base station network test data to these base stations in descending order, performing a network test on the three base stations. After receiving the network test data, the three base stations generate base station network test information based on the reception status and feedback this information to the drone. This base station network test information is relatively comprehensive, including the base station's transmission rate, signal strength, bit error rate, latency, and data loss rate. After receiving this network test information, the drone records the base station network test information corresponding to the three base stations in the base station transmission test log. Each piece of information corresponds to the grid number and the number of the base station being tested. Based on the transmission rate in the received base station network test information, the drone uploads the generated drone flight log and base station transmission test log to the server via the base station with the highest transmission rate. In this case, the base station with the highest transmission rate is base station b. If the drone hovers in one location for a long time, when the time exceeds the set threshold, repeat this step, that is, perform a second full-scale base station network test on the three base stations near the cube grid again, and then repeat this step every time the threshold time to test the long-term stability of the drone communication.

[0038] Afterwards, when the drone transitions from hovering to flight, it moves from grid A7 to grid A8 and continues flying. The drone then performs a simple base station transmission test. A detailed base station transmission test is then performed while hovering in grid F4 until the drone completes its flight. Then, perform the following steps on the server.

[0039] After receiving the drone flight log and base station transmission test log, the server sends feedback information to the drone, analyzes the flight log and base station transmission test log, determines whether there are any faults and interference between the drone and the base station, and analyzes the working status of the drone and the base station.

[0040] If the analysis results indicate that the remaining energy is below a threshold, or the drone exhibits abnormal behavior, or the drone's body vibration exceeds a threshold, or the drone receives electromagnetic interference above a threshold, a return command is issued to the drone, and an alarm is sent to the drone system control platform. The drone then stops its inspection and returns to the recovery site, where personnel can inspect and repair it.

[0041] When the analysis results show that a communication base station has a communication failure, the communication base station is marked in the system equipment self-test map, and an alarm is sent to the drone system control platform. The staff analyzes the source of the failure based on the collected information and goes to the base station location for inspection. When the analysis results show that the highest transmission rate and / or signal strength in a square grid is lower than the preset value, for example, the signal strength of grids E8 and E7 is lower than the threshold, grids E8 and E7 are marked. After multiple drones conduct multiple round-trip inspections, based on the accumulated annotation information in the system equipment self-test map, it is determined which square grids have long-term low maximum transmission rates and / or signal strengths. Based on the actual situation, the staff can replace the corresponding communication base stations near these square grids with communication base stations with higher power and wider coverage, or add new communication base stations near these square grids, such as adding a new communication base station near grid F10 in the southeast of the map, to ensure full signal coverage. After troubleshooting a device within the system, staff can manually clear the historical information marked for the corresponding square grids in the device self-test map. Subsequent drone inspections can then be used to continuously collect and analyze information for these square grids. This will then lead to the next step.

[0042] When the drone is recovered due to low energy, failure, interference, etc., the process returns to step S2 and begins to execute in sequence, i.e., launching a new drone or drones for a new round of inspection.

[0043] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Thus, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0044] The present invention is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, as well as combinations of processes and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, 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 produce 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 flowcharts and / or block diagrams. 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.

[0045] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work 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 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0046] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device for implementing the process. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A step that specifies a function in one or more boxes.

[0047] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for clarity of explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other variations or modifications based on the above descriptions are possible. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all implementation methods here. Obvious variations or modifications arising therefrom remain within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for self-checking equipment in a drone system, characterized in that: The method is performed in the following steps: Step S1: Divide the internal space of the existing three-dimensional map into cube grids and number them, mark the locations of all communication base stations and number them, and obtain a system equipment self-test map; Step S2: Launch the drone. After the drone starts and takes off, a drone flight log and a base station transmission test log are generated. The drone performs unified energy consumption management on all the devices it carries and records the remaining energy information of the drone in the drone flight log at a fixed frequency. The satellite positioning module of the drone determines the satellite positioning data of the drone in real time to determine the location of the drone. The drone records the satellite positioning data of the drone's location in the drone flight log at a fixed frequency; The drone monitors the operating status of all devices it carries and the surrounding environment, and records abnormal device behavior data, body vibration data, and electromagnetic interference parameters in the drone flight log at a fixed frequency; The drone flight log and base station transmission test log are stored in the drone’s storage device; Step S3: When the UAV flies over the boundary of the cube grid, the UAV communication module tests the transmission rate and / or signal strength of n nearby communication base stations, sorts the transmission rate and / or signal strength of the n nearby communication base stations from high to low, and records them in the base station transmission test log together with the corresponding cube grid number; Step S4: When the UAV is hovering in the cube grid, it sends base station network test data to the n communication base stations in descending order according to the transmission rates and / or signal strengths obtained when entering the cube grid. After receiving the network test data, the n communication base stations generate base station network test information based on the reception situation and send the base station network test information to the UAV. The base station network test information includes the transmission rate of the communication base station. The UAV records the base station network test information corresponding to the n communication base stations in the base station transmission test log. Based on the transmission rate in the received base station network test information, the drone uploads the drone flight log and base station transmission test log to the server through the communication base station with the highest transmission rate; Step S5: After receiving the UAV flight log and the base station transmission test log, the server sends feedback information to the UAV and analyzes the UAV flight log and the base station transmission test log; When the analysis results show that the remaining energy is lower than the threshold, or the drone equipment exhibits abnormal behavior, or the vibration level of the drone body exceeds the threshold, or the electromagnetic interference received by the drone exceeds the threshold, a return command is issued to the drone and an alarm is sent to the drone system control platform; When the analysis results show that a communication base station has a fault, the communication base station will be marked in the system equipment self-check map; When it is found that the highest transmission rate and / or signal strength in a certain square grid is lower than a preset value, the square grid is marked; Step S6: After the drone is recovered, return to step S2 and start executing in sequence.

2. The method for self-checking equipment in a drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S1, the side length of the cube grid is less than or equal to 100 meters.

3. The method for self-checking equipment in a drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base station network test information also includes the signal strength, transmission error rate, delay, and data loss rate of the communication base station.

4. A self-checking system for equipment in a drone system, characterized in that: The system comprises: One or more drones, a server, multiple communication base stations, and a control console; The drone includes a processor, a satellite positioning module, a communication module and a storage device; The UAV system control platform is used to display the system equipment self-test map and alarm information stored in the server; The equipment self-checking system in the drone system executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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