Flight control system and control method of high-speed ground-effect unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a flight control system and control method of a high-speed ground-effect unmanned aerial vehicle. The flight control system comprises a control module, an energy module, a sensor module, an execution mechanism module, a communication module and a navigation module. The flight control method comprises the following steps: (1) performing dynamic modeling including ground effect flight on the unmanned aerial vehicle; (2) resetting data of each sensor, performing self-inspection, inputting coordinates of a preset destination after the self-inspection is completed, and comparing and analyzing an actual topographic map to plan an ideal route; (3) the unmanned aerial vehicle autonomously takes off according to a preset program; (4) the unmanned aerial vehicle flies in a maneuvering mode according to a preset route; and (5) the unmanned aerial vehicle autonomously lands according to a preset program after arriving at the destination. The unmanned aerial vehicle has the characteristics of automatic obstacle avoidance, automatic balance of external disturbance and the like, the safety and stability of flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be kept to the maximum extent, and maneuverability is considered.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and relates to a flight control system and a control method for a high-speed ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] A ground effect vehicle, also known as a wing-in-ground effect vehicle, is an aircraft that utilizes the wing-in-ground effect to fly. Ground effect vehicles mainly fly in the ground effect region, that is, close to the ground or water surface. In addition to the lift generated by the wings and fuselage, a ground effect vehicle can also generate an upward lifting force between the wings and the ground or water surface. This lifting force can easily lift the aircraft off the ground or water surface. The resistance suffered by a ground effect vehicle during flight is much smaller than that of a ship sailing in water, so its speed is much faster. As a means of transportation traveling at high speed close to the sea surface or water surface, a ground effect vehicle combines the characteristics of both a ship and an aircraft and has a wide range of applications in offshore military operations.

[0003] In recent years, with the development of unmanned aerial vehicle technology, the unmanned operation of ground effect vehicles has become one of the important directions for the development of the unmanned aerial vehicle industry. Under the background of the low-altitude economy, more and more ground effect unmanned aerial vehicles have been developed. Among them, there are some high-speed ground effect unmanned aerial vehicles powered by aviation turbofan engines. Such unmanned aerial vehicles can fly at high subsonic speeds within their flight envelopes and have great application prospects in aspects such as river and lake water conservancy inspection, disaster relief, material delivery, and signal relay. However, when such ultra-low altitude high-subsonic unmanned aerial vehicles are flying in ground effect, there are problems such as difficult control of flight attitude, inability to effectively avoid obstacles in a timely manner when encountering obstacles, and delay in flight operation of the ground station due to excessive flight speed. These problems are closely related to the safe flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle. If not resolved reasonably, it will lead to major safety hazards and huge economic losses.

[0004] Chinese Patent with publication number CN119079112A discloses a large-scale passenger and cargo ground effect vehicle and its obstacle avoidance method. This invention elaborates an obstacle avoidance method applied to a large-scale ground effect vehicle, which is applicable to high-speed ground effect vehicles powered by aviation turbofan engines. Its obstacle avoidance mainly relies on 3 radar wave receivers, the second and third engines, a deceleration parachute, an engine reverse thrust device, etc. It requires a large number of mechanical structures and related electronic devices, the obstacle avoidance process is complex, mechanical failures are likely to occur, and it also requires manual control by the pilot, and there may be problems such as human operation errors, and the degree of intelligence is insufficient. Although this method can solve the obstacle avoidance problem of high-speed ground effect vehicles to a certain extent, this set of obstacle avoidance methods is not applicable to highly intelligent and integrated unmanned equipment.

[0005] Chinese Patent No. CN119645029 discloses a control method for an unmanned wing-in-ground effect vehicle. The invention elaborates a control method applicable to an unmanned wing-in-ground effect vehicle. By introducing the differential control logic of an aero-engine, this method effectively resists external environmental interference during the takeoff and landing stages of the unmanned wing-in-ground effect vehicle, especially when the speed is low and the rudder surface efficiency is insufficient. However, as an unmanned wing-in-ground effect vehicle using an aero-engine, its sea-skimming flight speed is extremely fast. Without considering the emergency obstacle avoidance system, it will pose a great safety hazard. Moreover, in order to achieve the differential control of the engine, the application condition of this invention is a wing-in-ground effect vehicle with left and right dual aero-engines, and its applicability is not wide. In addition, neither of the above two patents discloses the relevant flight control hardware system, and the description of the corresponding flight method is not complete enough. Therefore, at present, there is no reasonable flight control system and control method for wing-in-ground effect unmanned aerial vehicles powered by aero-turbine engines.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a flight control method and a flight control system applicable to wing-in-ground effect unmanned aerial vehicles powered by aero-turbine engines. This system can guide the unmanned aerial vehicle to perform high-speed wing-in-ground flight in a semi-autonomous navigation mode, and at the same time has characteristics such as automatic obstacle avoidance and automatic balancing of external disturbances, and can maximize the safety and stability of the unmanned aerial vehicle flight while taking into account maneuverability. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Aiming at the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a flight control system and a control method for a high-speed wing-in-ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle, which simultaneously has characteristics such as automatic obstacle avoidance and automatic balancing of external disturbances, and can maximize the safety and stability of the unmanned aerial vehicle flight while taking into account maneuverability.

[0008] The present invention is realized through the following technical solutions.

[0009] A flight control method for a high-speed wing-in-ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle, the flight control method is applied to a high-speed wing-in-ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle uses an aero-turbine engine as a power source, and the flight cruising speed is greater than 500 km / h, and the method includes the following steps:

[0010] (1) Perform dynamic modeling of the unmanned aerial vehicle including ground effect flight to obtain an unmanned aerial vehicle aerodynamic model, an aero-turbine engine working model, and an engine vector power model;

[0011] (2) Clear the data of each sensor and perform self-check. After completing the self-check, input the preset destination coordinates, compare and analyze the actual topographic map to plan an ideal route, and define a plane rectangular coordinate system established at the centroid of the unmanned aerial vehicle, with the x-axis as the roll axis of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the y-axis as the pitch axis of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the z-axis as the yaw axis of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

[0012] (3) The UAV takes off autonomously according to a predetermined program. The aero-engine starts and enters the idle state. The UAV's flaps are opened. The UAV sails on water, gradually increasing the fuel supply of the engine. The UAV takes off from the water surface. After the engine reaches the cruise state, the flaps are retracted, and the UAV gradually reaches the cruise speed.

[0013] (4) The UAV maneuvers flight according to a predetermined route. When taking off, landing, and cruising, the elevator and rudder of the UAV's tail are locked. When the UAV is not disturbed and flying normally, the flight control system disengages the control of the tail rudder surface. When the UAV is disturbed, the flight control system has the authority to take over the elevator and rudder of the tail.

[0014] (5) When the UAV reaches the destination, it lands autonomously according to a predetermined program. When the UAV is 3 km away from the destination, the engine speed of the aero-engine is gradually reduced to the idle state. When the speed drops below 150 km / h, the flaps are lowered, and the speed is gradually reduced until the UAV touches the water surface. At this time, the distance from the destination is less than 1 km, and the remaining journey is completed by water navigation.

[0015] Furthermore, in step (4), the mechanical control of the UAV's attitude is jointly managed by the ailerons, flaps, and aero-turbine engine. After the UAV leaves the water surface, the pitot tube obtains the speed v, and the acceleration sensor obtains the accelerations a of the x, y, and z axes x 、a y 、a z ; The near-ground microwave radar obtains the height h from the ground or water surface, and the gyroscope obtains the attitude angles θ of the x, y, and z axes x 、θ y 、θ z ; The aero-turbine engine ecu obtains the current engine speed N and the engine fuel consumption Q. The lidar scans for obstacles in the direction of the preset route. The preset scanning distance is 1.5 km. If the closest distance of the obstacle to the UAV's preset route is within 15 m and the projected area in the positive x-axis direction of the UAV exceeds 1 m 2 , or the maximum height of the obstacle from the water surface is more than 0.3 m, the flight control system adopts a detour obstacle avoidance strategy.

[0016] Furthermore, in step (4), when the UAV is disturbed during flight, if the engine speed N is abnormal, it indicates that the engine is malfunctioning. At this time, the flaps should be lowered, and the UAV should make an emergency landing nearby and send a positioning signal through the satellite positioning device. If the UAV is disturbed by a crosswind (in the y-axis direction), then a y shows abnormality. At this time, the flight control system takes over the tail rudder surface and adjusts the yaw angle θ z and the roll angle θ x to balance the crosswind. If the UAV is disturbed by a longitudinal wind (in the z-axis direction), then a zThe display is abnormal. At this time, the flight control system takes over the elevator control surface of the tail wing and adjusts the pitch angle θ in combination with the flaps. y Balance the longitudinal wind and keep the flight altitude h within a safe range greater than 0.7m; if the UAV is disturbed by the forward wind (in the x-axis direction), then a x The display is abnormal. At this time, the flight control system controls and adjusts the engine fuel electromagnetic throttle valve to finely adjust the fuel supply, thereby compensating for or reducing the thrust; if the UAV is affected by eddy currents, the flight control system will orthogonally decompose the disturbance into abnormal data including a x 、a y 、a z 、θ x 、θ y 、θ z according to the data of each sensor, and then respectively according to a x 、a y 、a z abnormalities, control the ailerons, flaps, engine, elevator of the tail wing and rudder respectively, and further control the roll angle θ x 、pitch angle θ y 、yaw angle θ z 、engine speed N, flight altitude h, and finally eliminate the abnormal data including a x 、a y 、a z 、θ x 、θ y 、θ z ; all the sensor data during the above control process and flight process are monitored in real time and data is packed every 10s and sent to the ground station through satellite relay.

[0017] Furthermore, the specific control method for detouring and obstacle avoidance is as follows: the control module controls the electromagnetic reversing valve and the electromagnetic throttle valve to reduce the engine fuel consumption Q, and the excess fuel flows back to the fuel tank until the engine speed N drops to 60% of the cruise state, lower the flaps, reduce the speed v, control the ailerons to make the UAV turn and detour to avoid obstacles, and reposition the relative position of the UAV and the preset destination coordinates, re-plan the flight route by comparing the actual topographic map. When detouring and avoiding obstacles, the control rudder amount of the flight control system for the ailerons is 30% of the maximum rudder amount. When detouring is impossible, the control rudder amount of the flight control system for the ailerons is 60% of the maximum rudder amount. When performing normal flight maneuvers, the control rudder amount of the flight control system for the ailerons is 100% of the maximum rudder amount.

[0018] Further, if the current obstacle can no longer be bypassed, the control module immediately controls the engine to quickly reduce its speed. When the speed of the UAV is lower than 250 km / h, the deceleration parachute at the tail of the UAV opens, and the UAV quickly decelerates and makes a rapid forced landing. After the forced landing, the system conducts a self-check. If an abnormality occurs, it means that the UAV cannot fly maneuverably, and then a satellite positioning signal is sent to the ground station to wait for rescue; if the self-check is normal, it means that the UAV is in good condition and can perform a reflight. However, since the deceleration parachute has been used, it is necessary for the ground station control personnel to decide whether to perform a reflight. If a reflight is not carried out, the UAV switches to water navigation and safely leaves the forced landing area.

[0019] Further, when the ground station can rely on video transmission to control the UAV during water navigation, the engine is in the idle state, the flaps, ailerons, and elevators are all locked, and only the rudder controls the UAV to turn. The flight control system no longer performs attitude adjustment, and the ground station control personnel control the UAV to travel on the water surface relying on real-time image transmission.

[0020] A flight control system for a high-speed ground effect UAV, comprising a control module, an energy module, a sensor module, an actuator module, a communication module, and a navigation module. The control module includes a flight control chip and a memory; the energy module includes an aeroengine, a battery, a generator, and a transformer (electronic speed controller); the sensor module includes a pitot tube, an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope, a near-ground microwave radar, a lidar, and a camera; the actuator module includes an electromagnetic throttle valve, an electromagnetic reversing valve, an aileron servo, a flap servo, an elevator servo, and a rudder servo; the communication module includes a satellite antenna, a relay satellite, and a ground station; the navigation module includes a navigation chip, a map storage, and a satellite positioning device; each module is coupled to each other. The flight control chip of the control module receives data from the energy module, the communication module, and the sensor module (specifically including the aeroengine ecu data in the energy module, including the aeroengine speed N, fuel consumption Q, the pitot tube speed data v of the sensor module, and the acceleration data a x 、a y 、a z , the gyroscope angle data θ x , θ y , θ z, the near - ground microwave radar altitude data h, lidar obstacle data, and ground station command data uploaded by the satellite antenna in the communication module. The flight control chip of the control module supplies power to the actuator module, sensor module, communication module, and navigation module (specifically, to the aileron servo, flap servo, elevator servo, and rudder servo in the actuator, to the satellite antenna in the communication module, and to the pitot tube, acceleration sensor, gyroscope, near - ground microwave radar, lidar, and camera in the sensor module). The flight control chip of the control module also provides control signals to the actuator module (specifically, provides control signals to the electromagnetic throttle valve, electromagnetic reversing valve, aileron servo, flap servo, elevator servo, and rudder servo in the actuator module). The flight control chip of the control module provides the data sent back to the ground station for the satellite antenna; the flight control chip and the memory in the control module are connected through the bus on the integrated circuit board.

[0021] Furthermore, the energy module itself completes the conversion, storage, and transmission of mechanical energy into electrical energy (specifically, the generator converts the mechanical energy of the aircraft engine's main shaft into electrical energy. Part of the converted electrical energy is stored in the battery, and the other part is input into the electronic speed controller (ESC), which distributes it to each module. The ESC mainly supplies power to the flight control chip in the control module, and additionally supplies power to the electromagnetic throttle valve and electromagnetic reversing valve in the actuator module; the aircraft engine in the energy module also provides thrust to the UAV).

[0022] The sensor module receives external environmental data, transmits the data to the control module and the communication module, and at the same time receives power supply from the control module. Among them, the data of the pitot tube, acceleration sensor, gyroscope, near - ground microwave radar, and lidar are sent back to the control module, while the image data of the camera is directly sent back to the communication module for transmission.

[0023] The actuator module receives the control signal from the control module, demodulates it and converts it into mechanical actuation. The aileron servo in the actuator differentially controls the left and right ailerons of the UAV, the flap servo controls the left and right flaps, the elevator servo controls the tail elevator, and the rudder servo controls the tail rudder; the electromagnetic reversing valve controls the main fuel flow by switching the input channels of different fuel distributors, and the electromagnetic throttle valve finely adjusts the fuel flow output from the fuel distributor. The two work together to control the operation of the aircraft engine.

[0024] The communication module is mainly responsible for the data interaction between the UAV and the ground station. The satellite antenna in the communication module, on the one hand, receives and transmits the real - time graphic data from the camera, and on the other hand, receives and transmits the packaged data from the control module. The satellite antenna uploads the data to the relay satellite, and the relay satellite then downloads the data to the ground station to complete the information feedback. When the ground station gives command data, the command data will be uploaded to the relay satellite, and the relay satellite will then download the command data to the UAV to complete the transmission of the ground station command information.

[0025] The navigation module interacts with the control module, receives destination coordinate information from the control module, receives UAV coordinate information from the satellite positioning device, and receives map information from the map storage. The navigation chip combines the above information to generate a preset flight route, and then imports the route information into the control module to generate maneuver command information to control the maneuver of the UAV. The satellite positioning device can also send UAV positioning information through the satellite antenna.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0027] 1. A flight control method and a flight control system applicable to an unmanned ground effect wing aircraft powered by an aero-turbine engine are pioneered, with a wider applicability.

[0028] 2. By combining the flight control method and the obstacle avoidance method, not only can the flight stability of the unmanned ground effect wing aircraft be ensured, but also its flight safety can be guaranteed. By combining the aero-engine control and the aerodynamic rudder surface control, the ability to resist external interference is stronger.

[0029] 3. By designing the flight control system to be tightly coupled, the system response is rapid. Using an electromagnetic directional control valve to control the aero-engine has the characteristic of rapid response compared with the traditional control of the fuel pump to control the aero-engine. By directly sending the camera image data, it is beneficial to reduce the delay of image transmission, which is crucial for a high-speed flying unmanned device.

[0030] 4. Through the flight navigation design of semi-autonomous navigation, on the one hand, it can reduce flight accidents caused by human operation errors, and on the other hand, it can allow people to intervene in time in case of emergencies and execute instructions according to the decisions of UAV operators. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 It is an architecture diagram of a flight control system of a high-speed ground effect UAV provided in the specific implementation manner.

[0032] Figure 2 It is a flowchart of a flight control method of a high-speed ground effect UAV provided in the specific implementation manner. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement conditions between components in a specific posture (as shown in the drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0034] In addition, the descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the present invention are for descriptive purposes only, and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In addition, "and / or" throughout the text includes three scenarios. Taking A and / or B as an example, it includes the technical solution of A, the technical solution of B, and the technical solution where both A and B are satisfied simultaneously. In addition, the technical solutions between various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of those of ordinary skill in the art to implement. When the combination of technical solutions results in contradictions or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0035] A flight control method for a high-speed ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle. The flight control method is applied to a high-speed ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle, which uses an aviation turbofan engine as a power source and has a flight cruising speed greater than 500 km / h. The method includes the following steps:

[0036] (1) Perform dynamic modeling of the unmanned aerial vehicle including ground effect flight to obtain the unmanned aerial vehicle aerodynamic model, the aviation turbofan engine working model, and the engine vector power model;

[0037] (2) Clear the data of each sensor and perform self-check. After completing the self-check, input the preset destination coordinates, compare and analyze the actual topographic map to plan the ideal flight route, and define a planar rectangular coordinate system established at the centroid of the unmanned aerial vehicle, where the x-axis is the roll axis of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the y-axis is the pitch axis of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the z-axis is the yaw axis of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

[0038] (3) The unmanned aerial vehicle takes off autonomously according to a predetermined program. The aviation engine starts and enters the idle state. The flaps of the unmanned aerial vehicle are opened. The unmanned aerial vehicle sails on water, gradually increasing the engine fuel supply. The unmanned aerial vehicle takes off from the water surface. After the engine reaches the cruise state, the flaps are retracted, and the unmanned aerial vehicle gradually reaches the cruise speed;

[0039] (4) The unmanned aerial vehicle maneuvers along the predetermined flight route, keeping the elevators and rudders of the tail fin of the unmanned aerial vehicle locked during takeoff, landing, and cruise flight. When the unmanned aerial vehicle is not disturbed and is flying normally, the flight control system disengages the control of the tail fin control surfaces. When the unmanned aerial vehicle is disturbed, the flight control system has the authority to take over the elevators and rudders of the tail fin;

[0040] (5) After the unmanned aerial vehicle reaches the destination, it lands autonomously according to a predetermined program. When the unmanned aerial vehicle is 3 km away from the destination, the engine speed of the aviation engine is gradually reduced to the idle state. When the speed drops below 150 km / h, the flaps are lowered, and the speed is gradually reduced until the unmanned aerial vehicle touches the water surface. At this time, the distance from the destination is less than 1 km, and the remaining journey is completed by sailing on water.

[0041] Further, in step (4), the mechanical control of the UAV attitude is jointly managed by the aileron, flap, and aviation turbine engine; after the UAV takes off from the water surface, the pitot tube obtains the speed v, and the acceleration sensor obtains the accelerations a in the x, y, and z axes x 、a y 、a z ; the near-earth microwave radar obtains the height h from the ground or water surface, and the gyroscope obtains the attitude angles θ in the x, y, and z axes x 、θ y 、θ z ; the ecu of the aviation turbine engine obtains the current engine speed N and the engine fuel consumption Q, and the lidar scans the obstacles in the direction of the preset route. The preset scanning distance is 1.5 km. If the closest distance of the obstacle to the UAV preset route is within 15 m and the orthographic projection area in the x-axis direction of the UAV exceeds 1 m 2 ², or the maximum height of the obstacle from the water surface is more than 0.3 m, the flight control system adopts a detour obstacle avoidance strategy.

[0042] Further, in step (4), when the UAV flight is disturbed externally, if the engine speed N is abnormal, it indicates that the engine is malfunctioning. At this time, the flap should be lowered, and the UAV should make an emergency landing nearby and send a positioning signal through the satellite positioning device; if the UAV is disturbed by a crosswind (y-axis direction), then a y shows abnormality. At this time, the flight control system takes over the rudder surface of the tail wing and adjusts the yaw angle θ z and the roll angle θ x to balance the crosswind; if the UAV is disturbed by a longitudinal wind (z-axis direction), then a z shows abnormality. At this time, the flight control system takes over the elevator surface of the tail wing and adjusts the pitch angle θ y to balance the longitudinal wind and keep the flight height h within a safe range greater than 0.7 m; if the UAV is disturbed by a forward wind (x-axis direction), then a x shows abnormality. At this time, the flight control system controls and adjusts the fuel electromagnetic throttle valve of the engine to finely adjust the fuel supply, thereby compensating for or reducing the thrust; if the UAV is affected by eddy currents, the flight control system decomposes the disturbance orthogonally based on the data of each sensor into abnormal data including a x 、a y 、a z 、θ x 、θ y 、θ z , and then respectively responds to the abnormalities of a x 、a y 、a z to regulate the aileron, flap, engine, elevator and rudder of the tail wing respectively, and further regulate the roll angle θ x 、the pitch angle θ y 、the yaw angle θz , the engine speed N, and the flight altitude h, ultimately eliminating the abnormal data including a x , a y , a z , θ x , θ y , θ z . The data of each sensor in the above control process and flight process are monitored in real time and data is packed every 10 s, and sent to the ground station through satellite relay.

[0043] Furthermore, the specific control method for detouring and avoiding obstacles is as follows: The control module controls the electromagnetic reversing valve and the electromagnetic throttle valve to reduce the fuel consumption Q of the engine. The excess fuel flows back into the fuel tank until the engine speed N drops to 60% of the cruise state. The flap is lowered, the speed v is reduced, the aileron is controlled to make the UAV turn and detour to avoid obstacles, and the relative position of the UAV and the preset destination coordinates is repositioned. The flight route is replanned by comparing the actual topographic map. When detouring and avoiding obstacles, the control rudder amount of the flight control system for the aileron is 30% of the maximum rudder amount. When detouring is impossible, the control rudder amount of the flight control system for the aileron is 60% of the maximum rudder amount. When performing normal flight maneuvers, the control rudder amount of the flight control system for the aileron is 100% of the maximum rudder amount.

[0044] Furthermore, if the current obstacle cannot be detoured and avoided, the control module immediately controls the engine to quickly reduce the speed. When the UAV speed is lower than 250 km / h, the tail deceleration parachute opens, the UAV quickly decelerates, and makes a rapid forced landing. After the forced landing, the system performs self-check. If an abnormality occurs, it means that the UAV cannot perform maneuvering flight, and a satellite positioning signal is sent to the ground station to wait for rescue; if the self-check is normal, it means that the UAV is in good condition and can perform a reflight. However, since the deceleration parachute has been used, it is necessary for the ground station control personnel to decide whether to perform a reflight. If a reflight is not performed, it will switch to water navigation and safely leave the forced landing area.

[0045] Furthermore, when the ground station can rely on video transmission to control the UAV for water navigation, the engine is in the idle state, the flap, aileron, and elevator are all locked, and only the rudder controls the UAV to turn. The flight control system no longer performs attitude adjustment, and the ground station control personnel control the UAV to travel on the water surface relying on real-time image transmission.

[0046] A flight control system for a high-speed ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising a control module, an energy module, a sensor module, an actuator module, a communication module, and a navigation module. The control module includes a flight control chip and a memory; the energy module includes an aeroengine, a battery, a generator, and a transformer (electronic speed controller); the sensor module includes a pitot tube, an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope, a near-ground microwave radar, a lidar, and a camera; the actuator module includes an electromagnetic throttle valve, an electromagnetic reversing valve, an aileron servo, a flap servo, an elevator servo, and a rudder servo; the communication module includes a satellite antenna, a relay satellite, and a ground station; the navigation module includes a navigation chip, a map storage, and a satellite positioning device; each module is coupled to each other. The flight control chip of the control module receives data from the energy module, the communication module, and the sensor module (specifically including the aeroengine ecu data in the energy module, including the aeroengine speed N, fuel consumption Q, the pitot tube speed data v in the sensor module, the acceleration data a of the acceleration sensor x 、a y 、a z , the gyroscope angle data θ x , θ y , θ z , the near-ground microwave radar altitude data h, the lidar obstacle data, and the ground station command data uploaded by the satellite antenna in the communication module). The flight control chip of the control module supplies power to the actuator module, the sensor module, the communication module, and the navigation module (specifically for the aileron servo, flap servo, elevator servo, and rudder servo in the actuator module, the satellite antenna in the communication module, and the pitot tube, acceleration sensor, gyroscope, near-ground microwave radar, lidar, and camera in the sensor module). The flight control chip of the control module also provides control signals to the actuator module (specifically providing control signals to the electromagnetic throttle valve, electromagnetic reversing valve, aileron servo, flap servo, elevator servo, and rudder servo in the actuator module). The flight control chip of the control module provides data sent back to the ground station for the satellite antenna; the flight control chip and the memory in the control module are connected through a bus on the integrated circuit board.

[0047] Furthermore, the energy module itself completes the conversion, storage, and transmission of mechanical energy into electrical energy (specifically, the generator converts the mechanical energy of the aeroengine main shaft into electrical energy. A part of the converted electrical energy is stored in the battery, and the other part is input into the electronic speed controller, which distributes it to each module. The electronic speed controller mainly supplies power to the flight control chip in the control module and additionally supplies power to the electromagnetic throttle valve and electromagnetic reversing valve in the actuator module; the aeroengine in the energy module also provides thrust to the unmanned aerial vehicle);

[0048] The sensor module receives external environmental data, transmits the data to the control module and the communication module, and simultaneously receives power supply from the control module. Among them, the data of the pitot tube, acceleration sensor, gyroscope, near-earth microwave radar, and lidar are sent back to the control module, while the image data of the camera is directly sent back to the communication module for transmission;

[0049] The actuator module receives the control signal from the control module, demodulates it and converts it into mechanical actuation. In the actuator, the aileron servo differentially controls the left and right ailerons of the UAV, the flap servo controls the left and right flaps, the elevator servo controls the tail elevator, and the rudder servo controls the tail rudder; the electromagnetic directional valve controls the main fuel flow by switching the input channels of different fuel distributors, and the electromagnetic throttle valve finely adjusts the fuel flow output from the fuel distributor. The two work together to control the operation of the aeroengine;

[0050] The communication module is mainly responsible for the data interaction between the UAV and the ground station. One aspect of the satellite antenna in the communication module receives and transmits the real-time graphic data from the camera, and on the other hand, receives and sends the packaged data from the control module. The satellite antenna uploads the data to the relay satellite, and the relay satellite then downloads the data to the ground station to complete the information feedback. When the ground station gives command data, the command data will be uploaded to the relay satellite, and the relay satellite will then download the command data to the UAV to complete the transmission of the ground station command information;

[0051] The navigation module interacts with the control module, receives the destination coordinate information from the control module, the UAV coordinate information from the satellite positioning device, and the map information from the map storage. The navigation chip combines the above information to generate a preset flight path, and then imports the flight path information into the control module to generate maneuver command information to control the maneuver of the UAV. The satellite positioning device can also send the UAV positioning information through the satellite antenna.

[0052] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not limit the implementation manners and protection scope of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, it should be able to realize that all the equivalent replacements and obvious changes made by using the description and illustrations of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flight control method for a high-speed ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that It includes the following steps: (1) Conduct dynamic modeling of the drone including ground effect flight to obtain the drone's aerodynamic model, the operating model of the aviation turbine engine, and the engine vector power model; (2) Clear the data of each sensor and perform self-check. After completing the self-check, input the preset destination coordinates, compare and analyze the actual topographic map to plan the ideal route, and define a plane rectangular coordinate system established at the centroid of the drone, with the x-axis as the roll axis of the drone, the y-axis as the pitch axis of the drone, and the z-axis as the yaw axis of the drone; (3) The drone takes off autonomously according to the predetermined program. The aviation engine starts and enters the idle state. The drone's flaps are opened. The drone sails on the water, gradually increasing the engine fuel supply. The drone takes off from the water surface. After the engine reaches the cruise state, the flaps are retracted, and the drone gradually reaches the cruise speed; (4) The drone maneuvers and flies according to the predetermined route. Keep the elevator and rudder of the drone's tail locked during takeoff, landing, and cruise flight. When the drone is not disturbed and flying normally, the flight control system disengages the control of the tail fin control surface. When the drone is disturbed, the flight control system has the authority to take over the elevator and rudder of the tail; (5) When the drone reaches the destination, it lands autonomously according to the predetermined program. When the drone is 3 km away from the destination, gradually reduce the rotational speed of the aviation engine to the idle state. When the speed drops below 150 km / h, lower the flaps, gradually decelerate until the drone touches the water surface. At this time, the distance from the destination is less than 1 km, and the remaining journey is completed by sailing on the water.

2. The flight control method of a high-speed ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (4), the mechanical control of the UAV attitude is jointly managed by ailerons, flaps, and an aero-turbine engine; after the UAV takes off from the water surface, a pitot tube obtains the speed v, and an acceleration sensor obtains the accelerations ax, ay, and az along the x, y, and z axes. x 、ay y 、az z ; a near-earth microwave radar obtains the height h from the ground or water surface, and a gyroscope obtains the attitude angles θx, θy, and θz along the x, y, and z axes. x 、θy y 、θz z ; the ECU of the aero-turbine engine obtains the current engine speed N and the engine fuel consumption Q. The lidar scans for obstacles in the direction of the preset flight path, and the preset scanning distance is 1.5 km. If the closest distance of an obstacle to the UAV's preset flight path is within 15 m and the orthographic projection area of the obstacle in the x-axis direction of the UAV exceeds 1 m 2 , or the maximum height of the obstacle from the water surface is above 0.3 m, the flight control system adopts a detour obstacle avoidance strategy.

3. A flight control method for a high-speed ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (4), when the flight of the drone is disturbed externally, if the engine speed N is abnormal, it indicates that the engine is malfunctioning. At this time, the flap should be lowered, and the drone should make an emergency landing nearby and send a positioning signal through the satellite positioning device; if the drone is disturbed by a crosswind, then a y shows an abnormality. At this time, the flight control system takes over the rudder surface of the tail wing and adjusts the yaw angle θ z and the roll angle θ x to balance the crosswind; if the drone is disturbed by a longitudinal wind, then a z shows an abnormality. At this time, the flight control system takes over the elevator surface of the tail wing and adjusts the pitch angle θ y to balance the longitudinal wind and keep the flight altitude h within a safe range greater than 0.7 m; if the drone is disturbed by a forward wind, then a x shows an abnormality. At this time, the flight control system controls and adjusts the engine fuel electromagnetic throttle valve to finely adjust the fuel supply, thereby compensating for or reducing the thrust; if the drone is affected by eddy currents, the flight control system decomposes the disturbance into abnormal data containing a x , a y , a z , θ x , θ y , θ z through comprehensive analysis of the data of each sensor, and then adjusts the aileron, flap, engine, elevator and rudder of the tail wing respectively according to the a x , a y , a z abnormal response, further adjusting the roll angle θ x , the pitch angle θ y , the yaw angle θ z , the engine speed N, and the flight altitude h, and finally eliminating the abnormal data containing a x , a y , a z , θ x , θ y , θ z ; all the sensor data during the above control process and flight process are monitored in real time and data is packed every 10 s and sent to the ground station through satellite relay.

4. A flight control method for a high-speed ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specific control method for detouring and avoiding obstacles is as follows: The control module controls the electromagnetic reversing valve and the electromagnetic throttle valve to reduce the engine fuel consumption Q. The excess fuel flows back into the fuel tank until the engine speed N drops to 60% of the cruise state. Lower the flaps, reduce the speed v, control the ailerons to turn the drone to detour and avoid obstacles, and reposition the relative position of the drone and the preset destination coordinates. Compare the actual topographic map and re-plan the route for flight. When detouring and avoiding obstacles, the control rudder amount of the flight control system for the ailerons is 30% of the maximum rudder amount. When detouring is not possible, the control rudder amount of the flight control system for the ailerons is 60% of the maximum rudder amount. When performing normal flight maneuvers, the control rudder amount of the flight control system for the ailerons is 100% of the maximum rudder amount.

5. A flight control method for a high-speed wing-in-ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that, If the current obstacle can no longer be detoured and avoided, the control module immediately controls the engine to quickly reduce the speed. When the drone speed is lower than 250 km / h, the tail deceleration parachute opens, and the drone quickly decelerates and makes a rapid forced landing. After the forced landing, the system performs a self-check. If an abnormality occurs, it means the drone cannot maneuver and fly, and a satellite positioning signal is sent to the ground station to wait for rescue; if the self-check is normal, it means the drone is in good condition and can perform a re-flight. However, since the deceleration parachute has been used, it is necessary for the ground station control personnel to decide whether to perform a re-flight. If a re-flight is not performed, it switches to sailing on the water and safely leaves the forced landing area.

6. A flight control method for a high-speed wing-in-ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that The ground station can rely on image transmission to control the UAV when it is sailing on the water. The engine is in slow mode, the flaps, ailerons, and elevators are all locked, only the rudder controls the UAV's steering, and the flight control system no longer adjusts the attitude. The ground station control personnel rely on real-time image transmission to control the UAV's surface navigation.

7. A flight control system for a high-speed ground effect unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that, It includes a control module, an energy module, a sensor module, an actuator module, a communication module, and a navigation module. The control module includes a flight control chip and a memory. The energy module includes an aircraft engine, a battery, a generator, and a transformer. The sensor module includes a pitot tube, an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope, a near-ground microwave radar, a lidar, and a camera. The actuator module includes an electromagnetic throttle valve, an electromagnetic reversing valve, an aileron servo, a flap servo, an elevator servo, and a rudder servo. The communication module includes a satellite antenna, a relay satellite, and a ground station. The navigation module includes a navigation chip, a map storage, and a satellite positioning device. The flight control chip of the control module receives data from the energy module, the communication module, and the sensor module, provides power for the actuator module, the sensor module, the communication module, and the navigation module, and also provides control signals for the actuator module. The flight control chip of the control module provides data for the satellite antenna to send back to the ground station. The flight control chip and the memory in the control module are connected via a bus on an integrated circuit board.

8. According to the flight control system of a high-speed ground-effect UAV as claimed in claim 7, the energy module itself completes the conversion, storage and transmission of mechanical energy to electrical energy; The sensor module receives external environment data and transmits the data to the control module and the communication module, and receives power supply from the control module. The data of the pitot tube, acceleration sensor, gyroscope, near-ground microwave radar, and laser radar are transmitted back to the control module, and the image data of the camera is directly transmitted back to the communication module for transmission; The actuator module receives the control signal of the control module, and converts it into mechanical actuation after demodulation. The aileron servo in the actuator differentially controls the left and right ailerons of the UAV, the flap servo controls the left and right flaps, the elevator servo controls the tail elevator, and the rudder servo controls the tail rudder; the electromagnetic reversing valve controls the main fuel flow by switching the input channels of different fuel distributors, and the electromagnetic throttle valve fine-tunes the fuel flow output from the fuel distributor, and the two are linked to control the operation of the aircraft engine; The communication module is mainly responsible for the data interaction between the UAV and the ground station. The satellite antenna in the communication module receives and generates real-time graphic data from the camera on the one hand, and receives and sends packaged data from the control module on the other hand. The satellite antenna uplinks the data to the relay satellite, and the relay satellite then downlinks the data to the ground station to complete the information return. When the ground station gives command data, the command data is uplinked to the relay satellite, and the relay satellite then downlinks the command data to the UAV to complete the sending of the ground station command information. The navigation module interacts with the control module, receives destination coordinate information from the control module, receives the UAV coordinate information from the satellite positioning device, and receives the map information from the map storage. The navigation chip combines the above information to generate a preset flight path, and then imports the flight path information into the control module to generate maneuver command information to control the UAV's maneuver. The satellite positioning device can also send the UAV positioning information through the satellite antenna.

Images