Unmanned aerial vehicle and operation method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle and an operation method thereof. The unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a fuselage body. The power flight module is coupled to the fuselage main body; the first inertia measurement module is coupled to the machine main body through a damping element; the second inertia measurement module is directly connected with the fuselage main body without any damping element, and the second inertia measurement module is used for detecting the vibration value of the fuselage main body after the power flight module is started; the control module is electrically connected with the power flight module, the first inertia measurement module and the second inertia measurement module, and the control module is used for judging whether the pre-flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle is abnormal or not based on the vibration value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and particularly to an unmanned aerial vehicle and an operation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The key to maintaining the stable flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle involves components such as propellers, motor motors, and arms. Especially when the arms of the unmanned aerial vehicle are foldable, it is crucial to ensure that all arms are fully extended and positioned before flight. Before the unmanned aerial vehicle is ready to fly, users generally only rely on visual inspection to determine whether there are any abnormalities in the unmanned aerial vehicle, and can start the flight mission only after the inspection is completed. However, through visual and manual inspections, it is impossible to completely detect all factors that may lead to flight failure without omission, such as: the arms are not fully extended to the position, the propeller screws are loose, the motor thrust is abnormal, etc., which may cause serious damage when the unmanned aerial vehicle is flying.

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to design a new type of unmanned aerial vehicle and an operation method thereof to overcome the above defects and further ensure the flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle and an operation method thereof, which can provide a detection mechanism before the unmanned aerial vehicle is ready to fly to ensure the flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle. It can solve the problem in the prior art that only through manual visual inspection, it is impossible to completely detect all factors that may lead to flight failure.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle and an operation method thereof. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes:

[0006] A fuselage main body;

[0007] A power flight module, coupled to the fuselage main body;

[0008] A first inertial measurement module, coupled to the fuselage main body through a damping element;

[0009] A second inertial measurement module, directly connected to the fuselage main body without passing through any damping element. The second inertial measurement module is used to detect the vibration value of the fuselage main body after the power flight module is started; and

[0010] A control module, electrically connected to the power flight module, the first inertial measurement module, and the second inertial measurement module. The control module is used to judge whether the pre-flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle is abnormal based on the vibration value.

[0011] Preferably, the control module is used to compare the vibration value with a threshold value;

[0012] In response to the vibration value being less than the threshold value, the control module determines that the pre-flight state is normal, and the drone is allowed to take off; in response to the vibration value being equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control module determines that the pre-flight state is abnormal.

[0013] Preferably, it further includes a reminder module, which is used to issue a warning when it is determined that the pre-flight state is abnormal in response thereto.

[0014] Preferably, the first inertial measurement module is used to detect the flight attitude of the fuselage main body under the buffering action provided by the damping element.

[0015] Preferably, the control module is used to compare the vibration value with the threshold value after the power flight module has been started for a period of time.

[0016] Preferably, the control module is electrically connected to the power flight module. In response to the pre-flight state being determined to be abnormal, the control module shuts down the power flight module and / or prohibits the power flight module from providing the power for the drone to take off.

[0017] Preferably, the second inertial measurement module is used to detect the vibration value of the fuselage main body along at least one of a first axis, a second axis, and a third axis, and the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis are perpendicular to each other.

[0018] Preferably, a circuit carrier board is included in the fuselage main body, the first inertial measurement module is mounted on the circuit carrier board through the damping element, and the second inertial measurement module is fixedly joined to the circuit carrier board.

[0019] Preferably, an operation method of a drone includes the following steps:

[0020] Provide a drone, where the drone includes a fuselage main body, a power flight module, a first inertial measurement module, a second inertial measurement module, and a control module. The power flight module is coupled to the fuselage main body, the first inertial measurement module is coupled to the fuselage main body through a damping element, the second inertial measurement module is directly connected to the fuselage main body without passing through any damping element, and the control module is electrically connected to the power flight module, the first inertial measurement module, and the second inertial measurement module;

[0021] The second inertial measurement module detects the vibration value of the fuselage main body after the power flight module is started; and

[0022] The control module determines whether the pre-flight state of the drone is abnormal based on the vibration value.

[0023] Preferably, the step in which the control module determines whether the pre-flight state of the drone is abnormal based on the vibration value specifically includes:

[0024] The control module compares the vibration value with a threshold value. Specifically, the control module compares the vibration value with the threshold value after the power flight module has been started for a period of time; and

[0025] In response to the vibration value being less than the threshold value, the control module determines that the pre-flight state is normal and allows the drone to take off; in response to the vibration value being equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control module determines that the pre-flight state is abnormal.

[0026] Compared with the prior art:

[0027] For the drone and its operation method proposed by the present invention, through the setting of the dual inertial measurement modules, one inertial measurement module that does not need to be coupled through a damping element is used to detect the vibration value of the drone before flight for the control module to determine whether it is suitable for takeoff, and the other inertial measurement module that needs to be coupled through a damping element is used to detect the attitude information of the drone during flight for the control module to perform flight control. Thus, the drone and its operation method proposed by the present invention can solve the problem in the prior art that only through manual visual inspection, factors that may lead to flight failure cannot be completely detected. Description of the Drawings

[0028] Figure 1 Shows a schematic external view of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 Shows a system block diagram of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 Shows a partial internal configuration diagram of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 4 And Figure 5 Shows a flowchart of an operation method of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 6 Shows a partial flowchart of an operation method of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0033] To further understand the purpose, structure, features, and functions of the present invention, the following is a detailed description in conjunction with embodiments.

[0034] Certain words are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those with ordinary knowledge in the field should understand that manufacturers may use different terms to refer to the same component. This specification and claims do not use differences in names as a way to distinguish components, but rather use differences in components' functions as the criteria for distinction. The term "including" mentioned throughout the specification and claims is an open-ended term and should be interpreted as "including but not limited to".

[0035] Please refer to this application Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the appearance of a drone 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 A system block diagram of the drone 100 is shown. Figure 3 A partial configuration diagram of the interior of the drone 100 is shown.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the drone 100 includes a fuselage body 110, and four arms 101 are connected to the drone 100, for example, and each arm 101 is provided with a propeller 102. The propeller 102 can be configured to rotate to generate lift so that the drone 100 can fly off the ground. With the fuselage body 110 as a reference, a first axial direction x, a second axial direction y, and a third axial direction z can be defined, wherein the first axial direction x, the second axial direction y, and the third axial direction z are perpendicular to each other. The third axial direction z is a certain direction parallel to the direction of gravity, and the surface formed by the first axial direction x and the second axial direction y constitutes a horizontal plane perpendicular to the direction of gravity.

[0037] like Figure 2As shown, the drone 100 includes a first inertial measurement module 121, a second inertial measurement module 122, a control module 130, a power flight module 140, and a reminder module 150. The control module 130 is electrically connected to the first inertial measurement module 121, the second inertial measurement module 122, the power flight module 140, and the reminder module 150. The first inertial measurement module 121 and the second inertial measurement module 122 are components that can measure three-axis attitude angles or angular rates and accelerations. The first inertial measurement module 121 and the second inertial measurement module 122 can be implemented, for example, by any one or a combination of a gyroscope and an acceleration sensor. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and more sensors that can be used for inertial measurement (such as to improve reliability) can be combined according to practical requirements, which are not listed one by one here. The control module 130 is implemented, for example, by using a chip, a circuit block in the chip, a firmware circuit, or a circuit board containing several electronic components and wires. The power flight module 140 may include the aforementioned propeller 102 and a motor (not shown), and the motor can be started by the control module 130 to drive the propeller 102 to rotate to provide flight power for the drone 100. The reminder module 150 is a component that provides warnings in the form of sound or images, and is implemented, for example, by a buzzer disposed in the fuselage main body 110 or a display screen on a remote controller configured for the drone 100.

[0038] As Figure 3 shown, the first inertial measurement module 121 can be coupled to the fuselage main body 110 through a damping element DE, while the second inertial measurement module 122 is directly connected to the fuselage main body 110 without passing through any damping element. The damping element DE can absorb the vibration of the fuselage main body 110, that is, the first inertial measurement module 121 can be used to detect the flight attitude of the fuselage main body 110 under the buffering effect provided by the damping element DE and provide it to the control module 130 for flight control. The fuselage main body 110 may include a circuit carrier board CB, and the circuit carrier board CB can be fixed to the fuselage main body 110 by, but not limited to, screws S. The first inertial measurement module 121 is mounted on the circuit carrier board CB through the damping element DE, so that a gap g can be formed between the first inertial measurement module 121 and the circuit carrier board CB.

[0039] Different from the use of the first inertial measurement module 121 to detect the flight attitude, the second inertial measurement module 122 is used to detect the vibration value of the fuselage main body 110, so it must be directly connected to the fuselage main body 110, where the unit of measurement of the vibration value is standard gravity, that is, about 9.8 m / s 2. If the body 110 is coupled through a damping element, the damping element will absorb the vibration of the body 110 itself, which will hinder the second inertial measurement module 122 from performing vibration detection. In detail, the second inertial measurement module 122 is fixedly coupled to the circuit carrier. In other words, the second inertial measurement module 122 is coupled to the circuit carrier CB in a non-movable manner. In the present embodiment, the second inertial measurement module 122 is coupled to the circuit carrier CB through surface mount technology (surface mount technology, SMT), and the second inertial measurement module 122 can be called a surface mount device (surface mount device, SMD). However, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition to surface mount technology, the non-movable method may also include fixing (such as screw) locking technology.

[0040] Please refer to this application Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 A flowchart of a method S100 for operating a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 6 A flowchart of sub-steps of step S130 of the drone operation method S100 is shown. The operation method S100 corresponds to the process of operating the drone 100 described above.

[0041] In step S110, a drone 100 is provided. The drone 100 may be, for example, in a powered-on state and placed on the ground, that is, the powered flight module 140 is in an activated state. In step S120, the vibration value of the fuselage body 110 is detected by the second inertial measurement module 122. At this time, the second inertial measurement module 122 detects the vibration value of the drone 100 before taking off from the ground. In detail, the second inertial measurement module 122 detects the vibration value of the fuselage body 110 along at least one of the first axial direction x, the second axial direction y, and the third axial direction z.

[0042] In step S130, the control module 130 determines whether the pre-flight state of the drone 100 is abnormal based on the vibration value detected by the second inertial measurement module 122. Figure 6As shown, in sub-step S1301, the control module 130 compares the vibration value detected by the second inertial measurement module 122 with a threshold value, that is, it determines whether the vibration value detected by the second inertial measurement module 122 is less than a threshold value. This threshold value is a threshold value pre-stored in the drone 100, and the specific value can be adjusted according to actual needs. Specifically, the control module 130 compares the vibration value detected by the second inertial measurement module 122 with the threshold value after the power flight module 140 has been started for a period of time. That is, the vibration value detected after the power flight module 140 has been started for a period of time is the value of the drone 100 when it is in a stable state waiting for flight on the ground, which is more valuable as a reference, so that the judgment result of the pre-flight state obtained by the control module 130 through comparison is more accurate.

[0043] In sub-step S1302, in response to the vibration value detected by the second inertial measurement module 122 being less than the threshold value, the control module 130 determines that the pre-flight state of the drone 100 is normal, and the drone 100 is allowed to take off.

[0044] When the drone 100 takes off to start flying, as Figure 5 shown, in step S140, through the first inertial measurement module 121, the flight attitude of the fuselage main body 110 is detected under the buffering action provided by the damping element DE, that is, the inertial measurement during the flight of the drone 100 is performed after ensuring that the drone 100 passes the pre-flight detection mechanism.

[0045] Conversely, in sub-step S1303, in response to the vibration value detected by the second inertial measurement module 122 being equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control module 130 determines that the pre-flight state of the drone 100 is abnormal. The situations that cause the pre-flight state of the drone 100 to be abnormal may be that the arm 101 is not unfolded to the correct position resulting in unbalanced thrust, the screws of the propeller 102 are loose, or the thrust of the motor is abnormal, etc., so that the vibration of the fuselage main body 110 is too large and unstable. Such situations may cause harm during the flight of the drone 100.

[0046] In addition, in sub-step S1304, in response to the pre-flight state of the drone 100 being determined to be abnormal, the reminder module 150 can issue a warning (such as in the form of sound or image) to remind the user that the current state of the drone 100 is not suitable for takeoff.

[0047] Then, in sub-step S1305, in response to the pre-flight state of the drone 100 being determined to be abnormal, the control module 130 can prohibit the power flight module 140 from providing the power for the drone 100 to take off, and / or even the control module 130 can directly shut down the power flight module 140.

[0048] In summary, for the drone and its operation method proposed by the present invention, through the setting of the dual inertial measurement modules, one inertial measurement module that does not need to be coupled through a damping element is used to detect the vibration value before the drone takes off for the control module to determine whether it is suitable to take off, and the other inertial measurement module that needs to be coupled through a damping element is used to detect the attitude information during the flight of the drone for the control module to perform flight control. Thus, the drone and its operation method proposed by the present invention can solve the problem in the prior art that only through manual visual inspection, the factors that may cause flight failure cannot be completely detected.

[0049] The present invention has been described by the above related embodiments. However, the above embodiments are only examples for implementing the present invention. It must be pointed out that the disclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. On the contrary, modifications and refinements made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention fall within the scope of patent protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drone, characterized in that, Comprising: The fuselage main body; A power flight module, coupled to the fuselage main body; A first inertial measurement module, coupled to the fuselage main body through a damping element; A second inertial measurement module, directly connected to the fuselage main body without passing through any damping element, and the second inertial measurement module is used to detect the vibration value of the fuselage main body after the power flight module is started; And A control module, electrically connected to the power flight module, the first inertial measurement module and the second inertial measurement module, and the control module is used to judge whether the pre-flight state of the drone is abnormal based on the vibration value.

2. The drone according to claim 1, wherein The control module is used to compare the vibration value with a threshold value; In response to the vibration value being less than the threshold value, the control module judges that the pre-flight state is normal and the drone is allowed to take off; in response to the vibration value being equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control module judges that the pre-flight state is abnormal.

3. The drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a reminder module, which is used to issue a warning when the pre-flight state is judged to be abnormal in response thereto.

4. The drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first inertial measurement module is used to detect the flight attitude of the fuselage main body under the buffering action provided by the damping element.

5. The drone according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control module is used to compare the vibration value with the threshold value after the power flight module is started for a period of time.

6. The drone according to claim 1, wherein, The control module is electrically connected to the power flight module. In response to the pre-flight state being judged to be abnormal, the control module shuts down the power flight module and / or prohibits the power flight module from providing the power for the drone to take off.

7. The drone according to claim 1, wherein, Wherein the second inertial measurement module is used to detect the vibration value of the fuselage main body along at least one of a first axis, a second axis and a third axis, and the first axis, the second axis and the third axis are perpendicular to each other.

8. The drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, A circuit carrier board is included in the fuselage main body, the first inertial measurement module is mounted on the circuit carrier board through the damping element, and the second inertial measurement module is fixedly joined to the circuit carrier board.

9. An operating method of a drone, characterized in that, Including the following steps: Providing a drone, wherein the drone includes a fuselage main body, a power flight module, a first inertial measurement module, a second inertial measurement module and a control module, the power flight module is coupled to the fuselage main body, the first inertial measurement module is coupled to the fuselage main body through a damping element, the second inertial measurement module is directly connected to the fuselage main body without passing through any damping element, and the control module is electrically connected to the power flight module, the first inertial measurement module and the second inertial measurement module; The second inertial measurement module detects the vibration value of the fuselage main body after the power flight module is started; And The control module judges whether the pre-flight state of the drone is abnormal based on the vibration value.

10. The operating method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The step in which the control module judges whether the pre-flight state of the drone is abnormal based on the vibration value specifically includes: The control module compares the vibration value with a threshold value, wherein the control module compares the vibration value with the threshold value after the power flight module is started for a period of time; and The control module judges that the pre-flight state is normal and allows the drone to take off in response to the vibration value being less than the threshold value; the control module judges that the pre-flight state is abnormal in response to the vibration value being equal to or greater than the threshold value.

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