Relay communication system based on intelligent unmanned platform

Abstract

The invention discloses an intelligent unmanned platform-based relay communication system, which comprises an intelligent unmanned platform, a mooring unmanned aerial vehicle system, a relay communication load and a control system, and is characterized in that the intelligent unmanned platform comprises a chassis, a sensing unit and a control unit, and the sensing unit and the control unit are arranged on the chassis; the control unit further comprises a central controller and an area controller. The mooring unmanned aerial vehicle system comprises a multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle, a cable take-up and pay-off unit, an unmanned aerial vehicle power supply, an unmanned aerial vehicle storage cabin and a load controller which are all arranged on the chassis; the relay communication load comprises a ground relay communication load and an airborne relay communication load, the ground relay communication load is arranged on the intelligent unmanned platform, and the airborne relay communication load unit is arranged on the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle; and the control system is used for communicating with the intelligent unmanned platform or the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle. According to the invention, intellectualization and unmanned relay communication are realized, and two relay communication modes are combined.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform. Background Art

[0002] In the field of communications, due to the influence of complex terrain environments such as mountains, jungles, and cities, the communication distance and bandwidth are severely reduced. As a means of extending the communication distance and alleviating the insufficient bandwidth, relay communication has received great attention and application. Relay communication is to set up one or more relay stations between two terminal stations. After the relay station amplifies, shapes, and converts the carrier frequency of the received signal, it forwards the signal to the next station, thereby extending the communication distance and maintaining good communication quality. Relay communication includes but is not limited to fixed relay, mobile relay, and satellite relay. According to requirements and actual situations, and considering factors such as cost and maintenance, the mobile relay method is more suitable for application in complex terrains. Mobile relay includes ground relay communication and aerial relay communication. Ground relay communication usually sets up a relay station on a mobile vehicle or ship and other carriers to forward signals during the movement. Aerial relay communication is to set up a relay station on a flying tool such as a tethered balloon, high-altitude airship, or tethered unmanned aerial vehicle to forward signals in the air. Tethered balloons have low costs and long staying times in the air, but their flight trajectories are difficult to control, and their flight heights and positions are greatly affected by external wind speeds; airships have the advantages of large communication payloads and wide communication coverage, but they have high costs and complex controls; while tethered unmanned aerial vehicles have been widely used due to their long staying times in the air, controllable hovering, and flexible deployment.

[0003] Currently, the relay communication systems based on tethered unmanned aerial vehicles mainly have three methods: portable, ground-fixed, and vehicle-mounted mobile, which can meet the basic requirements, but there is still room for improvement. Existing vehicle-mounted mobile platforms require human driving and usually only serve as transportation tools. After arriving at the relay communication location, the tethered unmanned aerial vehicle will move to the ground and take off from the ground; when the tethered unmanned aerial vehicle needs to be recovered, it also first lands on the ground and then is carried into the mobile platform by the ground, and it cannot complete the intelligent takeoff, recovery, and storage of the tethered unmanned aerial vehicle. Moreover, in the vehicle-mounted mobile relay communication system, the unmanned aerial vehicle serves as the aerial bearing platform for the relay communication payload, while the vehicle-mounted mobile platform mainly serves as the transportation platform for the tethered unmanned aerial vehicle system, and there is a lack of information interaction and cooperative control mechanism between the two. In addition, existing relay communication systems are either ground-ground relay communication, or ground-air relay communication, or both, but cannot be effectively switched and used between the two relay communication methods.

[0004] The relay channel types and relay positions of existing tethered unmanned aerial vehicle relay communication systems are all estimated by personnel according to the on-site situation, and the autonomous and intelligent relay communication cannot be realized. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to overcome at least one defect of the above-mentioned prior art, and provides a relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform, which is used to solve the problems that the vehicle-mounted mobility is not intelligent, autonomous and unmanned enough.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is a relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform, which includes an intelligent unmanned platform, a tethered drone system, a relay communication payload and a control system. The intelligent unmanned platform includes a chassis, a sensing unit and a control unit. The sensing unit and the control unit are both arranged on the chassis. The control unit includes a central controller and a regional controller. The central controller is used for understanding and making decisions on tasks, and after receiving a relay task, it is used for performing wireless communication network topology simulation on the relay vehicle, presenting signal-free or weak-signal areas, combining vehicle position, action route and map information, calculating the relay position according to the network topology structure and link quality; then according to the electronic map situation, analyzing the best driving route in combination with the terrain. The regional controller is used for controlling the vehicle to automatically drive to the destination position according to the control instruction or the planned driving route.

[0007] The tethered drone system includes a multi-rotor drone, a cable retraction unit, a drone power supply, a drone storage compartment and a payload controller. The drone power supply and the drone storage compartment are both arranged on the chassis. The multi-rotor drone is arranged in the drone storage compartment. The cable retraction device is used for retracting and releasing the cable. The multi-rotor drone is connected to the intelligent unmanned platform through the cable, which is used for supplying power and communication to the multi-rotor drone. The payload control unit is used for receiving and parsing instructions from the control unit of the intelligent unmanned platform, and sending them to the multi-rotor drone or the drone storage compartment for execution. The relay communication payload includes a ground relay communication payload and an airborne relay communication payload. The ground relay communication payload is arranged inside the intelligent unmanned platform, and the airborne relay communication payload is arranged on the multi-rotor drone. The control system is used for sending instructions to the intelligent unmanned platform and the multi-rotor drone, and receiving the status information of the intelligent unmanned platform and the multi-rotor drone.

[0008] Among them, the central controller of the control unit includes intelligent decision-making software and intelligent relay communication software, and the regional controller contains intelligent driving software.

[0009] The sensing unit on the intelligent unmanned platform senses the surrounding environment, transmits the collected information to the control unit, and then the control unit transmits it to the control system. Or the operator sends instructions through the control system, which are sent to the control unit of the intelligent unmanned platform through the control system. The control unit analyzes and forwards them to the chassis or relay communication payload for execution; when the communication node or environment changes and it is necessary to calculate a new relay communication position, the intelligent unmanned platform receives the position information and link quality information of other vehicles in the communication guarantee area, performs wireless communication network topology simulation on the positions of each vehicle through the wireless channel propagation model, presents the signal-free and weak-signal areas in the communication guarantee area, and then combines the positions, movement routes of each vehicle and the map of the communication guarantee area to calculate a reasonable relay position according to the network topology structure and link quality. When the multi-rotor UAV performs an aerial communication mission, the cable winding and unwinding device extends the cable, which is respectively connected to the intelligent unmanned platform and the multi-rotor UAV for power supply and communication of the multi-rotor UAV. When the operator needs to remotely send instructions to control the multi-rotor UAV, the instructions are sent to the intelligent unmanned platform through the control system. After the intelligent unmanned platform understands the task, it sends them to the payload controller. The payload controller receives and analyzes the instructions, and the multi-rotor UAV executes the instructions; after the multi-rotor UAV finishes the mission, the multi-rotor UAV flies back to the intelligent unmanned platform, and at the same time the cable winding and unwinding device synchronously winds back the cable of the multi-rotor UAV to ensure that the multi-rotor UAV lands at a specific position on the intelligent unmanned platform; the UAV storage compartment is used to store the multi-rotor UAV. The ground relay communication payload is mainly that the intelligent unmanned platform acts as a relay station for relay communication. Similarly, the airborne relay communication payload unit is mainly that the multi-rotor UAV acts as a relay station for relay communication.

[0010] To better capture information about the surrounding environment, the sensing unit includes a radar, a camera, an integrated inertial navigation device, and a measurement and control link radio station. The radar and the camera are arranged around the intelligent unmanned platform, and the integrated inertial navigation device and the measurement and control link radio station are arranged on the intelligent unmanned platform. The radar is used to detect the distance between the vehicle body and obstacles, enabling the intelligent unmanned platform to avoid obstacles; the cameras are distributed around the intelligent unmanned platform, providing a 360° panoramic view. Through image recognition algorithms, they can capture and analyze environmental details in real time, enhancing the visual perception ability of the intelligent unmanned platform. They can also transmit the collected video back to the control terminal for remote control; the integrated inertial navigation device is located inside the intelligent unmanned platform. By combining multiple sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers, it can measure the position, speed, and attitude, ensuring stable navigation of the platform even in the absence of external signals; the measurement and control link radio station uses appropriate communication protocols and encryption technologies to perform real-time data transmission with the control terminal, achieving efficient and secure remote monitoring and control.

[0011] In order to be able to carry a multi-rotor UAV, release the multi-rotor UAV when needed or place it inside an intelligent unmanned platform, the UAV storage compartment includes a chassis, a hatch, a lifting mechanism, a landing pad, and a deviation corrector. The chassis and the hatch are used to construct the space of the UAV storage compartment. The lifting mechanism is used to lift the multi-rotor UAV from inside the UAV storage compartment or lower it into the UAV storage compartment. The landing pad is used to park the multi-rotor UAV, and the deviation corrector is used to center and fix the position of the multi-rotor UAV. The multi-rotor UAV is parked on the landing pad and fixed by the deviation corrector to prevent the multi-rotor UAV from being collided during the driving process of the intelligent unmanned platform.

[0012] In order to provide stable and high-quality communication services and meet the communication requirements in various complex environments, both the ground relay communication payload and the airborne relay communication payload include a measurement and control link, a self-organizing network module, and an antenna. The measurement and control link is used for data transmission. The self-organizing network module is used to construct a network. The antenna is used to transmit or receive signals from the measurement and control link equipment and the self-organizing network equipment, and the antenna is easy to replace. The measurement and control link equipment is responsible for real-time monitoring and controlling the working state of the relay communication payload, including key parameters such as signal strength and transmission rate, to ensure the high quality and stability of the communication link. The self-organizing network module can quickly construct a stable communication network in a complex communication environment. It supports multiple network topologies and communication protocols, can adapt to different communication requirements and scenarios, and realizes seamless connection and data exchange between relay communication payloads. The antenna has certain gain performance, directivity, and anti-interference ability, can effectively receive and transmit signals, and ensure the accurate transmission and reception of communication data. And when the antenna is damaged, it is simple to replace.

[0013] In order to achieve remote control, the control system includes a control terminal, measurement and control link equipment, and an antenna. The measurement and control link equipment is used for data transmission. The antenna is used to receive signals transmitted from the ground relay communication payload or the airborne relay communication payload, or transmit signals to the ground relay communication payload or the airborne relay communication payload. The control terminal is used for the operator to remotely control the intelligent unmanned platform or the tethered UAV system. When the environment changes, the operator can control the intelligent unmanned platform to drive to the target relay position through the control terminal, and the intelligent unmanned platform will send videos in real time for the operator to view so that the operator can adjust in time. Or when the multi-rotor UAV is hovering in the air to perform the relay communication task, the operator can send instructions to change the height and hovering position of the multi-rotor UAV. Or when the multi-rotor UAV follows the intelligent unmanned platform in flight, the operator can send instructions to change the flight speed and direction of the multi-rotor UAV to better perform the relay communication task.

[0014] To achieve unmanned and intelligent operation of the intelligent unmanned platform, the intelligent unmanned platform further includes a driving module, which is used to process the information collected by the sensing unit during the driving process of the intelligent unmanned platform, analyze obstacles and avoid them. During the driving process of the intelligent unmanned platform, the sensing unit collects the surrounding environment in real time, sends the environmental video data to the control unit, and the control unit analyzes the obstacles through image processing and sends instructions to control the intelligent unmanned platform to actively avoid them.

[0015] To adapt to various situations, the tethered drone system further includes a parking tethering module and a driving tethering module. The parking tethering module is used for the multi-rotor drone to perform relay communication tasks suspended in the air when the intelligent unmanned platform is stationary; the driving tethering sub-module is used for the multi-rotor drone to follow and fly to perform relay communication tasks when the intelligent unmanned platform is driving. When the intelligent unmanned platform is stationary, the multi-rotor drone is in the parking tethering mode. The multi-rotor drone takes off from the drone storage compartment of the intelligent unmanned platform at a set speed, flies to a specified height and then enters the hovering flight state and continues to perform relay communication tasks. At this time, the operator can monitor the working state of the multi-rotor drone through the remote terminal. When the multi-rotor drone is hovering, the operator can input height or heading instructions as needed to control the multi-rotor drone to change the hovering height or heading. After the task is completed, the multi-rotor drone autonomously lands on the intelligent unmanned platform. During the landing process, the cable retraction device automatically retracts the cable, and the multi-rotor drone lands synchronously. After landing, the drone storage compartment fixes the multi-rotor drone and then lowers it into the compartment to complete the autonomous recovery of the multi-rotor drone. When the multi-rotor drone enters the hovering state and the intelligent unmanned platform receives an instruction to travel to a new relay position, the multi-rotor drone enters the driving tethering mode. In the driving tethering mode, the intelligent unmanned platform travels at a certain speed. The multi-rotor drone uses the Beidou differential base station installed on the intelligent unmanned platform and its own inertial navigation unit, and at the same time fuses the vehicle-mounted integrated navigation information to calculate the relative position and speed between the multi-rotor drone and the drone storage compartment on the intelligent unmanned platform in real time. The fusion adopts an adaptive control algorithm to correct its own attitude, speed and position in real time, so as to ensure that the multi-rotor drone is always in a dynamic following working state with the intelligent unmanned platform, and realize the functions of stable, reliable and uninterrupted relay communication. After the task is completed, the multi-rotor drone descends and accurately locates the helipad of the drone storage compartment of the intelligent unmanned platform so that the multi-rotor drone can land on the helipad to achieve autonomous recovery.

[0016] To achieve the autonomy and intelligence of the takeoff and recovery of multi-rotor UAVs, the tethered UAV system further includes a takeoff and recovery module for taking off and recovering multi-rotor UAVs. The specific takeoff process is as follows: when the "one-key takeoff" instruction of the UAV is received, the hatch of the UAV storage compartment automatically opens, and the lifting mechanism slowly rises under the drive of the lifting motor, lifting the multi-rotor UAV parked on the apron to the top of the compartment. The aligner fixing the UAV landing gear is loosened, and the antenna lies down. The UAV starts to power on and take off. When the multi-rotor UAV rises to 10 meters high, the antenna stands up again. The recovery process is as follows: when the "one-key landing and retracting the compartment" instruction of the UAV is received, the antenna lies down. After the multi-rotor UAV slowly stops on the UAV apron, the aligner of the UAV storage compartment first pushes the multi-rotor UAV to the central position of the apron and locks the UAV landing gear. Then the lifting mechanism starts to descend, lowering the multi-rotor UAV to the bottom of the compartment. Finally, the hatch closes, and the antenna stands up again, completing the recovery and storage of the multi-rotor UAV.

[0017] To cope with the unstable communication environment, the relay communication payload further includes a relay communication mode switching module, which is used to select ground-ground relay communication or ground-air relay communication according to the network topology and link conditions by the operator or intelligent unmanned platform when the communication node or environment changes. When the communication node or environment changes and the intelligent unmanned platform does not calculate a suitable relay communication position on the ground, the ground-ground relay communication can be switched to ground-air relay communication at this time. By using the multi-rotor UAV as a new relay position, adding a relay station or changing the position of the relay station to achieve better communication effects. The ground relay communication payload unit uses the intelligent unmanned platform as a relay station to achieve ground-ground relay communication, and the airborne relay communication payload unit uses the multi-rotor UAV as a relay station to achieve ground-air relay communication. Due to the large signal attenuation affected by the terrain, buildings and other environments in ground-ground relay communication, the relay communication distance is relatively short; while in ground-air relay communication, due to fewer obstacles on its propagation path and smaller signal attenuation, the relay communication distance is much larger than that of ground-ground relay communication. The operator selects to use ground-ground relay communication or ground-air relay communication according to the distance of the communication node to be relayed and the surrounding geographical environment. During the relay communication process, when the position of the communication node changes or the environment changes, the operator or intelligent unmanned platform will switch to the appropriate relay communication mode according to the current network topology and link quality conditions to ensure the stability and reliability of the relay communication in the area.

[0018] To ensure that the intelligent unmanned platform can accurately reach the target relay position, the control system includes a manual control module and an automatic control module. The manual control module is used for the operator to remotely control the intelligent unmanned platform to drive to the target relay position; the automatic control module is used for the intelligent unmanned platform to drive to the target relay position according to the target relay position and the planned route. When the manual control module is used, the intelligent unmanned platform will real-time feedback the environmental information around the vehicle body sensed by the sensing unit, including obstacles on the road, and transmit it back to the control terminal through vehicle video. The operator remotely controls the intelligent unmanned platform to avoid obstacles according to the transmitted video information. When the target relay position is in a complex terrain, the intelligent unmanned platform can reach the target relay position to complete the communication task through the manual control mode; when the automatic control mode is selected, the operator sends the target relay position and the planned driving path to the intelligent unmanned platform through the control terminal. When the intelligent unmanned platform receives the information, it drives according to the planned path, and the sensing module senses the environment in real time, automatically identifies the obstacles on the path and bypasses them until it drives to the target relay position. The automatic control mode is commonly used in the case of a relatively flat or safe planned path, realizing the unmanned and intelligent operation of the intelligent unmanned platform.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are mainly reflected in the following aspects: 1. Intelligence and unmanned operation of relay communication By mounting the tethered drone system on the intelligent unmanned platform and carrying out relay communication guarantee tasks through remote control or autonomous driving of the intelligent unmanned platform, the intelligence and unmanned operation of relay communication can be realized.

[0020] 2. Improving the flexibility of the drone The drone storage compartment can automatically lift and unlock the drone from the compartment according to instructions such as the takeoff and landing of the drone, or automatically lock and lower the drone into the compartment after the drone lands on the apron, realizing the automatic release and storage of the drone and improving the takeoff and landing efficiency of the tethered drone; The multi-rotor drone can adjust its own position and attitude according to the speed and direction of the intelligent unmanned platform, always follow the intelligent unmanned platform, and ensure the uninterrupted relay communication task during the movement of the intelligent unmanned platform, greatly improving the flexibility of relay communication applications.

[0021] 3. Stability of relay communication The intelligent unmanned platform can select an appropriate relay communication method and carry out relay communication guarantee tasks under the remote control of the operator or under the perception of the intelligent unmanned platform of the surrounding environment; The intelligent unmanned platform can autonomously sense the signal - free and weak - signal areas within the protection region, plan reasonable relay communication positions based on the locations of each communication node and the map, and autonomously drive to that position to carry out the relay communication guarantee task.

[0022] 4. Realize ground - to - ground relay communication and ground - to - air relay communication The operator can choose to use ground - to - ground relay communication or ground - to - air relay communication according to the distance of the communication node to be relayed and the surrounding geographical environment. During the relay communication process, when the position of the communication node changes or the environment changes, the operator or the intelligent unmanned platform will switch to a suitable relay communication method according to the current network topology and link quality conditions to ensure stable and reliable relay communication within the region. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] Figure 1 It is the structural diagram of the present invention.

[0024] Figures 2-3 It is the structural diagram of the intelligent unmanned platform of the present invention.

[0025] Figures 4-6 It is the structural diagram of the tethered drone of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 7 It is the structural diagram of the sensing unit of the intelligent unmanned platform of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 8 It is the take - off flow chart of the multi - rotor drone of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 9 It is the recovery flow chart of the multi - rotor drone of the present invention. Detailed Embodiments

[0029] The drawings of the present invention are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. To better illustrate the following embodiments, some components in the drawings will be omitted, enlarged or reduced, which do not represent the dimensions of the actual product; for those skilled in the art, it is understandable that some well - known structures and their descriptions in the drawings may be omitted.

[0030] Embodiment 1 As Figures 1 to 7As shown in the figure, a relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform in this embodiment includes an intelligent unmanned platform 100, a tethered drone system 200, a relay communication payload, and a control system. The intelligent unmanned platform 100 includes a wheeled light chassis 110, a sensing unit 120, and a control unit. The wheeled chassis is mainly driven by an extended-range hybrid power to realize the driving function of the vehicle. The sensing unit consists of cameras 123, radars 121, and integrated inertial navigation 122 devices around the chassis, which are used to monitor and sense the environment around the vehicle body, dynamically capture and detect distances, and sense the vehicle's own position, speed, and direction. The control unit, as the core component of autonomous driving, mainly completes functions such as vehicle driving control and safety, control decision-making and logical operations, and environmental perception and deep learning. At the same time, according to the instructions from the remote control terminal, it completes the judgment and control of the vehicle-end remote control or autonomous driving mode, feedbacks information to the remote control terminal, and has the ability of in-vehicle information fusion perception processing, out-of-vehicle information interaction, and vehicle-to-vehicle information collaboration and task collaboration. The control unit includes a central controller (including intelligent decision-making software and intelligent relay communication software) and a regional controller (including intelligent driving software). The central controller is used for the understanding and decision-making of manipulation tasks, and after receiving a relay task, it is used to perform wireless communication network topology simulation on the relay vehicle, present signal-free or weak-signal areas, combine vehicle position, action route, and map information, calculate the relay position according to the network topology structure and link quality, and then analyze the best driving route according to the electronic map situation. The regional controller is used to control the vehicle to automatically drive to the destination position according to the manipulation instructions or the planned driving route. The tethered drone system includes a drone storage cabin 210, a multi-rotor drone 220, a cable retraction device 250, a power supply, and a payload controller. The drone storage cabin mainly consists of a cabin door 211, a chassis 212, a landing pad 213, a lifting mechanism (not marked), a deviation corrector (not marked), etc. The chassis 212 and the cabin door 211 construct the storage space of the drone storage cabin 210. The function of the lifting mechanism is to lift or lower the drone from the drone storage cabin 210 into or out of the drone storage cabin. The landing pad 213 is mainly used for the parking of the drone, and the deviation corrector is used for the position centering and fixing of the drone to prevent the drone from shaking and colliding with the inner wall of the drone storage cabin 210 when being recovered into the drone storage cabin 210 or when the intelligent unmanned platform 100 is driving, resulting in damage to the drone. The relay communication payload is divided into a ground relay communication payload 140 and an airborne relay communication payload 240. The ground relay communication payload 140 is installed on the intelligent unmanned platform 100, and the airborne relay communication payload 240 is installed on the multi-rotor drone 220. Both the ground relay communication payload 140 and the airborne relay communication payload 240 include communication devices such as a measurement and control link and a self-organizing network, as well as antennas to provide multi-channel relay services.The control system mainly consists of a control terminal, a measurement and control link device, and an antenna. It can be installed on a command vehicle or in a portable form by hand. It is mainly used to remotely control and monitor the status of intelligent unmanned platforms. The UAV storage compartment 210, the cable winding and unwinding device 250, the ground relay communication payload 140, and the antenna 150 are installed at appropriate positions above the outside of the intelligent unmanned platform 100. The power supply is installed at an appropriate position inside the intelligent unmanned platform 100, and the multi-rotor UAV 220 is installed in the UAV storage compartment 210 above the intelligent unmanned platform 100. The airborne relay communication payload 240 is fixed to the bottom of the body of the multi-rotor UAV 220 through a mounting plate.

[0031] Among them, devices such as the UAV storage compartment 210, the multi-rotor UAV 220, the cable winding and unwinding device 250, the UAV power supply, the ground relay communication payload 140, and the antenna are all on the chassis 110 and are reasonably arranged and installed. The airborne relay communication payload 240 and the antenna 230 are reasonably arranged and installed on the multi-rotor UAV 220. In this embodiment, the intelligent unmanned platform 100 has the function of remote communication. The control system communicates with the intelligent unmanned platform 100 through the measurement and control link device. The control terminal in the control system sends control commands to the intelligent unmanned platform 100 through the measurement and control link device. The intelligent unmanned platform 100 decomposes and executes the control tasks according to the control commands. At the same time, the intelligent UAV platform 100 transmits the sensed video information around the vehicle, its own position, speed, direction and other information, as well as the status information of the intelligent unmanned platform 100 back to the control terminal through the measurement and control link device, so as to facilitate the operator to master the working and fault status of the vehicle and the information of the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

[0032] The intelligent unmanned platform 100 has two working modes. One is the manual control mode: the operator remotely controls the intelligent unmanned platform 100 to drive to the target relay position through the control terminal. The other is the automatic control mode: the operator uses the control terminal to send the target relay position and the planned driving path to the intelligent unmanned platform through the measurement and control link device, and the intelligent unmanned platform 100 autonomously drives to the target relay position. During the process of manually controlling the intelligent unmanned platform, the obstacles on the driving path are transmitted back to the control terminal through the vehicle video, and the operator remotely controls the intelligent unmanned platform to avoid the obstacles according to the transmitted video information. During the process of the intelligent unmanned platform autonomously driving along the planned path, the intelligent unmanned platform will autonomously identify the obstacles and avoid them, and finally drive to the target relay position.

[0033] The process of relaying communication in the automatic control mode is specifically as follows. The intelligent unmanned platform 100 receives the position information and link quality information of other vehicles in the communication guarantee area, conducts wireless communication network topology simulation on the positions of each vehicle through a wireless channel propagation model, presents the signal-free and weak-signal areas in the communication guarantee area, and then combines the positions, movement routes of each vehicle and the communication guarantee area map, calculates a reasonable relay position according to the network topology structure and link quality, and autonomously drives to the relay position to carry out the relay communication guarantee task, so as to ensure the connectivity of each vehicle in the communication area.

[0034] In this embodiment, as Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown, the entire process of launching and recovering the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle is unmanned. The control of the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220 and the unmanned aerial vehicle storage compartment 210 is executed by the payload controller. When the control terminal issues an instruction for the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220 to take off or land, the control system transmits the instruction to the intelligent unmanned platform 100 through the TT&C link device. After receiving the instruction, the TT&C link device of the intelligent unmanned platform sends the instruction to the control unit of the intelligent unmanned platform 100. The control unit judges, makes decisions and decomposes the instruction and then sends the instruction to the payload controller. The payload controller completes the parsing of the instruction and sends the instruction to the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220 or the unmanned aerial vehicle storage compartment 210 for execution. At the same time, the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220 and the unmanned aerial vehicle storage compartment 210 will report their own status information to the payload controller, and the payload controller reports it to the control terminal through the control unit, which is convenient for the operator to monitor the status of the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220 and the unmanned aerial vehicle storage compartment. The working process of the unmanned aerial vehicle storage compartment during the takeoff and landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle is as follows: When receiving the "one-key takeoff" instruction of the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220, the hatch 211 of the unmanned aerial vehicle storage compartment 210 automatically opens, and the lifting mechanism slowly rises under the drive of the lifting motor, lifting the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220 parked on the apron 213 to the top of the compartment. The deviator fixing the landing gear of the unmanned aerial vehicle loosens, the antenna lies down, the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220 starts to be powered on and take off. When the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220 flies to a height of 10 meters, the antenna stands up again.

[0035] When receiving the "one-key landing and storing the compartment" instruction of the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220, the antenna lies down. After the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220 slowly stops on the unmanned aerial vehicle apron 213, the deviator of the unmanned aerial vehicle storage compartment 210 first pushes the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220 to the central position of the apron 213 and locks the landing gear of the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220, and then the lifting mechanism starts to descend, lowering the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220 to the bottom of the compartment. Finally, the hatch 211 closes and the antenna stands up again, completing the recovery and storage of the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle 220.

[0036] In this embodiment, when the multi-rotor UAV 220 carries the airborne relay communication payload to perform the relay communication task in the air, it takes off from the apron 213 of the UAV storage compartment 210 of the intelligent unmanned platform 100 at a set speed, enters the hover flight state after flying to the specified altitude and performs the relay communication task. The intelligent unmanned platform 100 powers the multi-rotor UAV 220 through the tethered cable. At the same time, the remote control instructions of the remote control terminal are uploaded to the multi-rotor UAV 220 through the tethered cable, and the information such as the state of the multi-rotor UAV 220 is also transmitted back to the control terminal through the tethered cable.

[0037] When the multi-rotor UAV performs the aerial relay task, there are two modes, one is the parking and tethering mode, and the other is the driving and tethering mode. When the intelligent unmanned platform 100 is stationary, the multi-rotor UAV 220 is in the parking and tethering mode, and the flight controller of the multi-rotor UAV 220 will ensure that the multi-rotor UAV 220 always hovers stably above the take-off position. The operator can monitor the working state of the multi-rotor UAV 220 through the remote control terminal. When the multi-rotor UAV 220 hovers, the operator can input altitude or heading instructions as needed to control the multi-rotor UAV 220 to change the working altitude or heading. After the task is completed, the multi-rotor UAV 220 autonomously lands on the intelligent unmanned platform 100. During the landing process, the tethered cable retracting device 250 automatically retracts the cable and keeps synchronized with the landing of the multi-rotor UAV 220. After landing, the UAV storage compartment 210 fixes the multi-rotor UAV 220 and then lowers it into the compartment to complete the autonomous recovery of the multi-rotor UAV 220.

[0038] When the intelligent unmanned platform 100 receives an instruction to travel to a new relay position, the multi-rotor drone 220 will enter the driving and tethering mode. The intelligent unmanned platform 100 and the multi-rotor drone 220 work together. The multi-rotor drone 220 realizes the working state of following and accompanying the intelligent unmanned platform 100 by controlling its relative flight speed and position with respect to the intelligent unmanned platform 100. When the intelligent unmanned platform 100 travels at a certain speed, the multi-rotor drone 220 uses the Beidou differential base station installed on the intelligent unmanned platform 100 and its own inertial navigation unit, and at the same time integrates the vehicle-mounted integrated navigation information to calculate in real time the accurate relative position and speed between the multi-rotor drone 220 and the apron 213 of the drone storage compartment 210 on the intelligent unmanned platform 100. Then, an adaptive control algorithm is used to correct its own attitude, speed and position in real time, so as to ensure that the multi-rotor drone 220 is always in dynamic following of the intelligent unmanned platform 100, realizing the stable, reliable and uninterrupted function of relay communication. During the driving and tethering process, the multi-rotor drone 220 continuously performs position and attitude control according to its relative position and speed with respect to the intelligent unmanned platform 100, and cooperates with the carried relay communication payload to execute tasks. After the task is completed, the multi-rotor drone 220 descends and accurately locates the apron 213 of the drone storage compartment 210 of the intelligent unmanned platform 100, so that the multi-rotor drone 220 can land on the apron to achieve autonomous recovery.

[0039] In this embodiment, the relay communication methods include ground-ground relay communication and ground-air relay communication. Ground-ground relay communication refers to relay communication through the ground relay communication payload on the intelligent unmanned platform 100, and ground-air relay communication refers to relay communication through the airborne relay communication payload on the multi-rotor drone 220. Due to the large signal attenuation affected by the terrain, buildings and other environments in ground-ground relay communication, the relay communication distance is relatively short; while in ground-air relay communication, due to fewer obstacles in its propagation path and smaller signal attenuation, the relay communication distance is much larger than that of ground-ground relay communication. The operator selects to use ground-ground relay communication or ground-air relay communication according to the distance of the communication node to be relayed and the surrounding geographical environment. During the relay communication process, when the position of the communication node changes or the environment changes, the operator or the intelligent unmanned platform 100 will switch to a suitable relay communication method according to the current network topology and link quality conditions to ensure the stable and reliable relay communication in the area.

[0040] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are only examples for clearly explaining the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not limitations on the specific implementation manners of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the claims of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform, characterized in that: Includes intelligent unmanned platforms, tethered drone systems, relay communication payloads and control systems; The intelligent unmanned platform includes a chassis, a sensing unit and a control unit. The sensing unit and the control unit are both arranged on the chassis. The control unit includes a central controller and a regional controller. The central controller is used to understand and make decisions on the control task, and after receiving the relay task, to simulate the wireless communication network topology of the relay vehicle, present the area with no signal or weak signal, and calculate the relay position according to the network topology structure and link quality in combination with the vehicle position, action route and map information; and then analyze the best driving route according to the electronic map and the terrain; The regional controller is used to control the vehicle to automatically drive to the destination along the predetermined route according to the control instruction or the planned driving route; The tethered drone system includes a multi-rotor drone, a cable retracting unit, a drone power supply, a drone storage compartment and a load controller, wherein the drone power supply and the drone storage compartment are both arranged on a chassis, the multi-rotor drone is arranged in the drone storage compartment, the cable retracting device is used to retract and release the cable, the multi-rotor drone is connected to the intelligent unmanned platform via the cable, and is used to power and communicate with the multi-rotor drone, and the load controller is used to receive and parse instructions from the control unit of the intelligent unmanned platform, and send them to the multi-rotor drone or the drone storage compartment for execution; The relay communication load includes a ground relay communication load and an airborne relay communication load, wherein the ground relay communication load is arranged inside the intelligent unmanned platform, and the airborne relay communication load is arranged on the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle; The control system is used to send instructions to the intelligent unmanned platform or the multi-rotor drone, and receive status information of the intelligent unmanned platform or the multi-rotor drone.

2. According to claim 1, a relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform is characterized in that: The perception unit includes a radar, a camera, a combined inertial navigation device and a measurement and control chain radio station. The radar and the camera are arranged around the intelligent unmanned platform, and the combined inertial navigation device and the measurement and control chain radio station are arranged on the intelligent unmanned platform.

3. The relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drone storage cabin comprises a chassis, a cabin door, a lifting mechanism, a helipad and a deviation corrector, wherein the chassis and the cabin door are used to construct a space for the drone storage cabin, and the lifting mechanism is used to lift the multi-rotor drone from the bottom of the drone storage cabin or lower it to the bottom of the drone storage cabin; The helipad is used for parking a multi-rotor UAV, and the deviation corrector is used for centering and fixing the position of the multi-rotor UAV.

4. The relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ground relay communication payload and the airborne relay communication payload both include a measurement and control chain device, a self-organizing network device and an antenna. The measurement and control chain device is used for data transmission, the self-organizing network device is used to build a network environment and transmit information of each communication node, and the antenna is used to receive signals transmitted from a control system or transmit signals to the control system.

5. The relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform according to claim 4, characterized in that: The control system includes a control terminal, a measurement and control chain device and an antenna. The measurement and control chain device is used for data transmission. The antenna is used to receive signals transmitted from the measurement and control chain device of the perception unit of the intelligent unmanned platform, or to transmit signals to the measurement and control chain device of the perception unit of the intelligent unmanned platform. The control terminal is used by the control personnel to remotely control the intelligent unmanned platform or the tethered drone system.

6. A relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The intelligent unmanned platform also includes a driving module, which is used to process information collected by the perception unit, analyze obstacles and avoid them during the driving process of the intelligent unmanned platform.

7. The relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform according to claim 6, characterized in that: The tethered drone system also includes a parking tethered module and a driving tethered module. The parking tethered submodule is used to enable the multi-rotor drone to perform relay communication tasks in mid-air when the intelligent unmanned platform is stationary; the driving tethered submodule is used to enable the multi-rotor drone to perform relay communication tasks while following the intelligent unmanned platform in flight when the intelligent unmanned platform is driving.

8. The relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform according to claim 7, characterized in that: The tethered drone system also includes a takeoff and recovery module, which is used for taking off and recovering the multi-rotor drone.

9. The relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform according to claim 8, characterized in that: The relay communication payload also includes a relay communication mode switching module, which is used for the operator or the intelligent unmanned platform to select ground-to-ground relay communication or ground-to-air relay communication according to the network topology and link conditions when the communication node or environment changes.

10. A relay communication system based on an intelligent unmanned platform according to claim 9, characterized in that: The control system includes a manual control module and an automatic control module. The manual control module is used by the operator to remotely control the intelligent unmanned platform to drive to the target relay position; the automatic control module is used for the intelligent unmanned platform to automatically drive to the target relay position according to the target relay position and the planned route.

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