Infrared beacon system for precise landing of unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle accurate landing infrared beacon system disclosed by the present invention comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle landing platform, the top of the unmanned aerial vehicle landing platform is fixedly embedded with three infrared beacon lamp panels, one side of each infrared beacon lamp panel is fixedly provided with a state indicating lamp and an infrared LED array, and the other side of each infrared beacon lamp panel is fixedly provided with a camera. An LED driving circuit and a monitoring circuit are arranged on the other side of the infrared beacon lamp panel, the LED driving circuit is used for supplying power to the infrared LED array, and the monitoring circuit is used for monitoring the state of the LED driving circuit; according to the infrared beacon system for precise landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the three groups of infrared beacon lamp panels are arranged on the unmanned aerial vehicle landing platform, and the infrared LED arrays and the state indicator lamps are arranged on the infrared beacon lamp panels respectively, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle can realize more precise positioning and efficient landing, and the infrared beacon system has intelligent monitoring and self-diagnosis functions; therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle landing system is more stable and reliable in use, and is easier to integrate and popularize.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of UAV navigation and positioning, and specifically to an infrared beacon system for precise landing of UAVs. Background Art

[0002] As is well known, in the field of modern UAV applications, landing accuracy is one of the important parameters to measure the autonomous flight ability of UAVs; when a UAV returns to the base or a specific platform for landing after completing a mission, it usually relies on a high-precision positioning system to ensure safety and reduce the landing deviation; among many positioning technologies, the vision-based navigation method is widely favored due to its cost-effectiveness and flexibility; traditional vision navigation systems mostly adopt pattern recognition technologies such as two-dimensional codes, and the UAV completes the final positioning and landing by identifying the patterns preset on the ground through the on-board camera.

[0003] Although this method is simple, it has several deficiencies. First, the recognition rate of two-dimensional codes is unstable under conditions such as strong daylight or insufficient light at night, and factors such as direct sunlight, reflection, or shadow are extremely likely to affect the ability of the camera to capture patterns. Second, two-dimensional codes are easily affected by environmental conditions such as rain, snow, and dust, and may also be worn or damaged after long-term exposure, thus affecting the recognition effect. Moreover, two-dimensional codes have high requirements for the angle and distance of the camera, and the error tolerance rate is not high. In addition to two-dimensional codes, alternative technologies such as RFID and lidar can provide high-precision positioning in specific environments, but usually have high equipment costs, complex installations, and limited environmental adaptability, making it difficult to meet the requirements of the continuously developing UAV industry for economy, stability, and versatility. To address these challenges, researchers have begun to explore more stable beacon technologies, and infrared beacons have gradually become a research hotspot due to their unique advantages. Infrared rays have strong penetration ability and are not easily interfered by natural light, thus ensuring the operation stability of UAVs in various climate environments and time periods. Compared with ordinary light sources, infrared LEDs used as beacons can be accurately captured by specific sensors, greatly improving the signal-to-noise ratio of images and the accuracy and speed of the recognition process. However, existing infrared beacon systems still have certain limitations. These include insufficient stability of the lamp group drive circuit, which cannot maintain the same beacon brightness when the power supply voltage fluctuates, thereby affecting the image clarity and recognition results. In addition, existing systems are difficult to detect and alarm in a timely manner when the beacon lamp group is damaged or fails, posing a potential safety hazard to the landing of UAVs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an infrared beacon system for precise landing of UAVs to solve the problems raised in the above background art.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an infrared beacon system for precise landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: a landing platform for the unmanned aerial vehicle, on the top of which three infrared beacon lamp boards are fixedly embedded. On one side of each infrared beacon lamp board, a status indicator light and an infrared LED array are respectively fixedly installed. On the other side of each infrared beacon lamp board, an LED driving circuit and a monitoring circuit are respectively arranged. The LED driving circuit is used to supply power to the infrared LED array, and the monitoring circuit is used to monitor the status of the LED driving circuit.

[0006] By adopting the above technical solution, the emission wavelength of the infrared LED lamp beads in the infrared LED array can be set at 940 nm, which is a relatively weak band in the sunlight spectrum, effectively avoiding the interference of natural light, thus ensuring the reliable positioning of the unmanned aerial vehicle under different weather and light conditions. In addition, when the LED driving circuit is in use, when there are fluctuations in the external power supply or the system needs to access power supplies with different voltages, constant current driving can ensure that the brightness of each LED lamp bead remains unchanged, so as to maintain the recognition effect of the beacon unaffected. Moreover, the monitoring circuit can reliably detect short circuits, open circuits or burned-out lamp beads and the aging of lamp beads in the LED, so as to ensure that when the lamp beads work abnormally, abnormal information is output through the communication interface and the status indicator light for timely maintenance operations.

[0007] Preferably, the LED driving circuit is set as a four-way current sampling circuit.

[0008] By adopting the above technical solution, the microprocessor can judge through logical judgment the difference between the maximum and minimum values among the four-way current samplings. When it is greater than the value of the normal sample, it is determined that the LED lamp group has an abnormality.

[0009] Preferably, two thermistor temperature sensors are fixedly installed on the infrared beacon lamp board.

[0010] By adopting the above technical solution, the temperature alarm can be activated in time to avoid circuit damage or lamp bead failure caused by overheating.

[0011] Preferably, a first interface is fixedly arranged on one side of the infrared beacon lamp board.

[0012] By adopting the above technical solution, it can be conveniently connected to the PLC system and can output a low level in case of an abnormality.

[0013] Preferably, a second interface is fixedly arranged on the side of the infrared beacon lamp board close to the first interface.

[0014] By adopting the above technical solution, it is convenient to output the current temperature, current and cumulative operation time to the upper-level controller, so as to realize the functions of regular maintenance and real-time display of the health status.

[0015] Preferably, the infrared LED array is a rectangular array arranged in twelve rows and twelve columns.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, the infrared LED array can form a clearly distinguishable geometric pattern.

[0017] In summary, the present application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0018] The infrared beacon system for precise landing of the present unmanned aerial vehicle can realize more precise positioning and efficient landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle by arranging three groups of infrared beacon light boards on the landing platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and respectively arranging an infrared LED array and a status indicator light on the infrared beacon light board, and has intelligent monitoring and self-diagnosis functions, so that the landing system of the unmanned aerial vehicle is more stable and reliable during use, and is also easier to integrate and promote. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the infrared beacon system for precise landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the first interface and the second interface in the infrared beacon system for precise landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the landing platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the infrared beacon light board in the infrared beacon system for precise landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention.

[0022] In the figure: 1, infrared beacon light board; 2, first interface; 3, LED driving circuit; 4, second interface; 5, monitoring circuit; 6, status indicator light; 7, infrared LED array; 8, landing platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0024] Please refer to Figures 1-3 , the present invention provides a technical solution: an infrared beacon system for precise landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle, including: a landing platform 8 of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

[0025] First, in order to set the emission wavelength of the infrared LED beads in the infrared LED array 7 at 940 nm, which is a relatively weak band in the sunlight spectrum, effectively avoiding the interference phenomenon of natural light, thus ensuring the reliable positioning of the drone under different weather and light conditions; in addition, when the LED driving circuit 3 is in use, when the external power supply fluctuates or the system needs to access power supplies with different voltages, constant current driving can ensure that the brightness of each LED bead remains unchanged, so as to maintain the recognition effect of the beacon unaffected; moreover, the monitoring circuit 5 can reliably detect LED short circuits, open circuits, or bead burnout and bead aging, so as to ensure that when the beads operate abnormally, abnormal information is output through the communication interface and the status indicator light 6 for timely maintenance operations; on the top of the drone landing platform 8, three infrared beacon lamp boards 1 are fixedly embedded. On one side of the infrared beacon lamp board 1, a status indicator light 6 and an infrared LED array 7 are respectively fixedly installed. On the other side of the infrared beacon lamp board 1, an LED driving circuit 3 and a monitoring circuit 5 are respectively arranged. The LED driving circuit 3 is used to supply power to the infrared LED array 7, and the monitoring circuit 5 is used to monitor the status of the LED driving circuit 3;

[0026] Secondly, in order to enable the logical judgment in the microprocessor to judge the difference between the maximum and minimum values in the four-channel current sampling, when it is greater than the value of the normal sample, it is determined that the LED lamp group is abnormal, and the LED driving circuit 3 is set as a four-channel current sampling circuit; in order to activate the temperature alarm in time to avoid circuit damage or bead failure caused by overheating, two thermistor temperature sensors are fixedly installed on the infrared beacon lamp board 1; in order to be conveniently connected to the PLC system and output a low level in case of abnormality, a first interface 2 is fixedly arranged on one side of the infrared beacon lamp board 1; in order to facilitate outputting the current temperature, current, and cumulative operation time to the upper-level controller to realize the functions of regular maintenance and real-time health status display, a second interface 4 is fixedly arranged on the side of the infrared beacon lamp board 1 close to the first interface 2; in order to enable the infrared LED array 7 to form a clearly distinguishable geometric pattern, the infrared LED array 7 is a rectangular array arranged in twelve rows and twelve columns.

[0027] Summarize and sort out the working steps of this solution according to the above technical solution: When the drone executes the return and landing instruction, the visual recognition module under the fuselage starts to scan and analyze the infrared signal; the 940nm infrared light emitted by the infrared LED array 7 forms a clear and sharp square image on the sensor of the visual module. After the computing unit of the drone processes the acquired beacon image, it determines its relative position to the beacon; by calculating the flight trajectory in real time, the drone can achieve precise landing on the hangar platform; three light panels are placed on the drone landing platform 8, which can output the rotation angle through the asymmetry of the pattern; thus, the heading angle of the drone relative to the landing platform is obtained, and by aligning the control, the angle of each landing of the drone is made consistent, which can facilitate the contact of the automatic charging and battery replacement mechanism.

[0028] In summary: This precise landing infrared beacon system for drones enables the drone to achieve more precise positioning and efficient landing by setting three groups of infrared beacon light panels 1 on the drone landing platform 8, and respectively setting infrared LED arrays and status indicators 6 on the infrared beacon light panels 1. It also has intelligent monitoring and self-diagnosis functions, making the drone landing system more stable and reliable during use, and also easier to integrate and promote.

[0029] Parts not involved in the present invention are the same as or can be implemented using existing technologies. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An infrared beacon system for precise landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that, Including: A drone landing platform (8), on the top of which three infrared beacon light boards (1) are fixedly embedded. On one side of each infrared beacon light board (1), a status indicator light (6) and an infrared LED array (7) are respectively fixedly installed. On the other side of each infrared beacon light board (1), an LED driving circuit (3) and a monitoring circuit (5) are respectively arranged. The LED driving circuit (3) is used to supply power to the infrared LED array (7), and the monitoring circuit (5) is used to monitor the status of the LED driving circuit (3).

2. The infrared beacon system for precise landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The LED driving circuit (3) is set as a four-way current sampling circuit.

3. The infrared beacon system for precise landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two thermistor temperature sensors are fixedly installed on the infrared beacon light board (1).

4. The infrared beacon system for precise landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 3, wherein: A first interface (2) is fixedly arranged on one side of the infrared beacon light board (1).

5. The infrared beacon system for precise landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that: A second interface (4) is fixedly arranged on the side of the infrared beacon light board (1) close to the first interface (2).

6. The infrared beacon system for precise landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The infrared LED array (7) is a rectangular array arranged in twelve rows and twelve columns.

Images