Unmanned system cluster heterogeneous communication method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses an unmanned system cluster heterogeneous communication method and device. The method comprises the following steps: defining input parameters and output parameters of a plurality of processing links in an unmanned cluster; publishing a data subscription relationship among the processing links; acquiring input parameters and output parameters of each processing link by utilizing the Datamortal SDK, calculating the input parameters and the output parameters, and issuing a calculation result to a data center by utilizing the Datamortal SDK; and after the data subscription relationship and the calculation result among the processing links are received, starting the sub-processing links of the processing links, obtaining the required data from the data center based on the data subscription relationship by the sub-processing links, calculating the data, and releasing the calculation result to the data center after the calculation is completed. According to the invention, a unified specification is provided, the problem of inconsistency of communication protocols is solved, and the integration efficiency of the cluster heterogeneous module of the unmanned system is improved; on the basis of a non-centralized data bus, the delay and robustness of communication between heterogeneous modules are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of unmanned system clusters, and in particular to a heterogeneous communication method and device for unmanned system clusters. Background Art

[0002] An unmanned system cluster refers to a technology in which multiple unmanned systems (such as unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned vehicles, unmanned ships, etc.) cooperate to work and perform tasks in a cluster manner. This technology has broad application prospects in multiple fields such as military, civilian, and scientific research. The working mode of unmanned system clusters is developing towards informatization, intelligence, and unmannedness. Existing unmanned system clusters are composed of various unmanned equipment. The heterogeneity of unmanned system cluster devices and sensors leads to the following problems in communication between unmanned system clusters:

[0003] Consistency of data format and protocol: Since heterogeneous devices use different data formats and communication protocols, it is impossible to ensure the consistency of data and its correct interpretation.

[0004] Real-time performance and latency issues: In some application scenarios, such as robot cooperation or autonomous driving, high real-time performance requirements for communication are needed.

[0005] System complexity and management: The management and maintenance of heterogeneous communication systems are very complex, including hardware and software management, configuration, troubleshooting, etc.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a solution for a heterogeneous communication method and device for unmanned system clusters. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the technical solution of the present invention provides a heterogeneous communication method and device for unmanned system clusters, which can provide a unified specification to solve the problem of inconsistent communication protocols.

[0008] According to the first aspect embodiment of the technical solution of the present invention, a heterogeneous communication method for unmanned system clusters is provided, including:

[0009] Step S1, defining input parameters and output parameters of multiple processing links in the unmanned cluster;

[0010] Step S2, publishing data subscription relationships between each processing link;

[0011] Step S3, using the Dataportal SDK to obtain the input parameters and output parameters of each processing link, calculating the input parameters and output parameters, and publishing the calculation results to the data center using the Dataportal SDK;

[0012] Step S4: After receiving the data subscription relationships and calculation results between the processing links, start the sub-processing links of each processing link. These sub-processing links obtain the required data from the data center based on the data subscription relationships, calculate the data, and publish the calculation results to the data center after the calculation is completed.

[0013] In the above solution, the processing link is a domain module, and the sub-processing link is a sub-module of the domain module.

[0014] In the above solution, step S1 includes: defining the source and parameter type of the input parameters, defining the parameter type of the output parameters. The source of the input parameters includes: from the upstream link of the processing link and from the current interaction interface.

[0015] In the above solution, in step S2, connect to each processing link through the data flow orchestration device, and use the data flow orchestration device to publish the data subscription relationships between the processing links.

[0016] In the above solution, step S2 includes: selecting the output connection stub of a processing link, and using the data flow orchestration device to connect to the input connection stub of another processing link to form a data subscription relationship.

[0017] In the above solution, in step S3, the Dataportal SDK uses the data subscription relationships provided by the data flow orchestration device to obtain the input parameters and output parameters.

[0018] In the above solution, in step S4, start each sub-module in the order of data subscription.

[0019] In the above solution, the input parameters are bound to the input connection stub, and the output parameters are bound to the output connection stub.

[0020] According to the second aspect embodiment of the technical solution of the present invention, a heterogeneous communication device for an unmanned system cluster is provided. The device is used to implement the heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster as described in any one of the above, and the device includes:

[0021] A definition module, used to define the input parameters and output parameters of multiple processing links in the unmanned cluster;

[0022] An orchestration module, used to publish the data subscription relationships between the processing links;

[0023] A publishing module, used to obtain the input parameters and output parameters of each processing link by using the Dataportal SDK, calculate the input parameters and output parameters, and publish the calculation results to the data center by using the Dataportal SDK;

[0024] A calculation module, which is configured to start sub - processing links of each processing link after receiving the data subscription relationships and calculation results between the processing links. These sub - processing links obtain the required data from the data center based on the data subscription relationships, calculate the data using a calculation unit, and publish the calculation results to the data center after the calculation is completed.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the third aspect of the technical solution of the present invention, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes:

[0026] A memory storing executable instructions;

[0027] A processor that runs the executable instructions in the memory to implement the heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster as described in any one of the above.

[0028] Advantages of the present invention:

[0029] A heterogeneous communication method and device for an unmanned system cluster disclosed by the present invention provide a unified specification to solve the problem of inconsistent communication protocols, and improve the integration efficiency of heterogeneous modules in the unmanned system cluster; define the parameters of the module in the form of a human - machine delivery interface, improve the access accuracy while enhancing the user experience, and reduce the integration threshold of heterogeneous modules in the unmanned system cluster; arrange the data flow between each sub - module in a graphical manner, reducing the system integration complexity; based on a decentralized data bus, improve the communication latency and robustness between heterogeneous modules. Description of the Drawings

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative efforts.

[0031] Figure 1 It is a flowchart of the heterogeneous communication method for the unmanned system cluster of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 It is an architecture diagram of the data flow arrangement device in the heterogeneous communication method for the unmanned system cluster of the present invention.

[0033] The realization, functional features, and advantages of the object of the present invention will be further described in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the drawings. Detailed Embodiments

[0034] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, and examples thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. On the contrary, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0035] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present disclosure are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein can be implemented, for example, in an order other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0036] In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0037] A plurality, including two or more.

[0038] And / or, it should be understood that for the term "and / or" used in the present disclosure, it is merely an association relationship describing associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

[0039] As Figure 1 shown, an embodiment of the technical solution of the present invention provides a heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster. This method is executed on a human-machine interface and uses an unmanned system data bus for data distribution and real-time communication, including:

[0040] Step S1, define the input parameters and output parameters of multiple processing links in the unmanned cluster;

[0041] Step S2, publish the data subscription relationships between the processing links;

[0042] Step S3, use the Dataportal SDK to obtain the input parameters and output parameters of each processing link, calculate the input parameters and output parameters, and publish the calculation results to the data center using the Dataportal SDK;

[0043] Step S4: After receiving the data subscription relationships and calculation results between the processing links, start the sub-processing links of each processing link. These sub-processing links obtain the required data from the data center based on the data subscription relationships, calculate the data, and publish the calculation results to the data center after the calculation is completed.

[0044] In the present invention, the processing link is a domain module, and the sub-processing flow is a sub-module of the domain module.

[0045] The present invention provides data subscription between different domain modules through a data flow orchestration device, solves the problem of inconsistent communication protocols, and improves the integration efficiency of heterogeneous modules in an unmanned system cluster; defines the parameters of the module in the form of a human-machine delivery interface, improves the access accuracy while enhancing the user experience, and reduces the integration threshold of heterogeneous modules in the unmanned system cluster; no longer relies on a single central node, and realizes communication based on a decentralized data bus through the data subscription relationships formed between multiple domain modules, improving the latency and robustness of communication between heterogeneous modules.

[0046] Preferably, in this embodiment, FastDDS (Fast Distributed Data System) is used as an open-source system for a decentralized distributed message queue. Specifically, the RTPS (Real-Time Publish-Subscribe) protocol is used as the publish-subscribe protocol for real-time systems. The RTPS protocol provides a standardized mechanism that enables DDS (Data Distribution Service) implementations from different vendors to communicate with each other. RTPS is usually implemented using protocols such as UDP or shared memory, and has characteristics such as high performance, low latency, and strong scalability. The RTPS protocol provides functions such as data discovery, data exchange, and data transmission, and supports the reliability and real-time requirements of messages.

[0047] In FastDDS, an Interface Description Language (IDL) is used to define the message types to be transmitted. By using the command-line tool fastddsgen (Fast Generate Data Definition and Storage) provided by FastDDS, the input string can be generated into C++ code recognized by the FastDDS system.

[0048] In a specific implementation, an automatic conversion module from parameter definition to IDL is designed. After the user defines various types of parameters, the conversion module will automatically convert the input and output parameters defined by the user into the IDL language standard of FastDDS, and automatically call fastddsgen to generate the C++-format code of FastDDS, realizing the seamless connection from the user-defined parameters to the FastDDS message. This avoids the problem that the definition of messages in the IDL language is still too complex.

[0049] Step S1 includes: defining the source and parameter type of the input parameter, and defining the parameter type of the output parameter. Define the message transmission mode of the current module. Among them, the source of the input parameter includes: from the upstream module and from the current interaction interface.

[0050] Multiple domain modules are multiple independent modules, such as: a video stream acquisition module, a target recognition module.

[0051] Since in a heterogeneous communication scenario, different transmission methods can be selected according to different application scenarios, the message transmission mode of the current module can be defined as blocking data transmission or non-blocking data transmission.

[0052] For example: in some embodiments, the processing speed of the payload data may not be able to keep up with the generation speed of the payload data, and the data sent by the sending end needs to be discarded in the receiving module of the payload data. Therefore, non-blocking data transmission is required; in some embodiments, it is required that the upstream data be strictly synchronously transmitted to the downstream nodes. For example, in a command and control node, the sent command signal data must be strictly transmitted to the downstream nodes, otherwise the unmanned system terminal device may get out of control. Therefore, blocking data transmission is required.

[0053] The definition of the input and output parameters of the module actually pre-specifies the data types that the module can receive for each module, as well as the data types output to the downstream module after the module calculation is completed. When a module receives the input parameters of the previous module, their data types must be strictly matched, otherwise the system will report an error.

[0054] In step S2, the data flow orchestration device is connected to each processing link, and the data subscription relationship between each processing link is published by using the data flow orchestration device.

[0055] The data flow orchestration device can define the connection relationship of data between modules. It standardizes the data flow between modules through some logical settings. For example, only the output of one module can be connected to the input of another module, and data connection is not allowed in other cases. The execution logic of the module is controlled by the data flow orchestration device. The information generated by the data flow orchestration device will be passed to the Dataportal SDK, which will parse the data flow mapping relationship to realize data exchange between modules. Such asFigure 2 As shown in Figure 2 , further, to facilitate the integration of heterogeneous modules among unmanned system clusters, module parameterization tools and data flow orchestration tools are used to define input and output parameters for business code and define the data publishing and subscribing relationships among various modules. During system operation, a distributed message queue is used to transfer data, and the data latency performance, data conversion, etc. are implemented by the distributed message queue and the Dataportal SDK.

[0056] Step S2 further includes: selecting an output connection stub of a processing link and using the data flow orchestration device to connect to the input connection stub of another processing link to form a data subscription relationship.

[0057] Since the modules in the unmanned cluster have different parameter configuration requirements, they depend on both the data of upstream modules and the parameters configured through the interface. Therefore, a human-machine interaction interface is required to subscribe to the upstream-dependent data and the current page data, and while configuring the parameters, the parameters are bound to the code of the cluster modules to achieve parameter binding.

[0058] For data mapping between modules, the connection relationship between the input parameters of each module and the output parameters of upstream modules needs to be specified. The data flow orchestration device uses a graphical connection method to define the data flow direction between modules. At runtime, the engine parses the data flow dependency relationship, that is, obtains the data publishing and subscribing relationship between modules, and calls the methods in the Dataportal SDK to automatically subscribe to data from the data bus and publish the module calculation results to the data bus.

[0059] In actual use, by selecting the output connection stub on one of the domain modules with the mouse and connecting it to the input connection stub on another domain module, each connection represents the mapping relationship of the data flow. And the input parameters are bound to the input connection stub, and the output parameters are bound to the output connection stub.

[0060] In step S3, the Dataportal SDK uses the data subscription relationship provided by the data flow orchestration device to obtain the input and output parameters.

[0061] In the FastDDS decentralized distributed message queue open-source system provided by this embodiment, data description and transmission are defined through topics. The data types that can be transmitted by topics are rich. In addition to supporting basic data types, arrays, Maps, structures, etc. can also be transmitted. Since each business module of the unmanned system may be developed in multiple languages, such as C++, Java, Python, etc., in these business codes, it is desired to directly use the native data structures in various languages, rather than directly obtaining data through the FastDDS interface. Therefore, the DataPortal layer is designed, which is a data conversion layer between FastDDS and the business codes of the unmanned system, and is used to convert the topic data in FastDDS into the data structures required in the business codes of the unmanned system under specific language types.

[0062] In step S4, each sub-module is started in the order of data subscription.

[0063] The data subscription relationship is a description information of json type. Specifically, the parameterized definition of the domain module and the data flow mapping relationship of the connection will ultimately be converted into a json type description file for learning. During runtime, after receiving the above json description information, the execution engine starts each sub-module in the order of data subscription. After the sub-module subscribes to data from the data center, calculates it, and then publishes the data to the data center to achieve data communication between heterogeneous modules.

[0064] In the second aspect embodiment of the technical solution of the present invention, a heterogeneous communication device for an unmanned system cluster is provided. The device is used to implement the heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster as described in any one of the above, and the device includes:

[0065] A definition module, used to define the input parameters and output parameters of multiple processing links in the unmanned cluster;

[0066] An orchestration module, used to publish the data subscription relationships between each processing link;

[0067] A publishing module, used to obtain the input parameters and output parameters of each processing link by using the Dataportal SDK, calculate the input parameters and output parameters, and publish the calculation results to the data center by using the Dataportal SDK;

[0068] A calculation module, used to start the sub-processing links of each processing link after receiving the data subscription relationships and calculation results between each processing link. These sub-processing links obtain the required data from the data center based on the data subscription relationships, calculate the data, and publish the calculation results to the data center after the calculation is completed.

[0069] According to the third aspect embodiment of the technical solution of the present invention, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes:

[0070] A memory that stores executable instructions;

[0071] A processor that runs the executable instructions in the memory to implement the heterogeneous communication method for the unmanned system cluster as described in any one of the above.

[0072] It should be noted that in this article, the term "including", "comprising" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or further includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "including a..." does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or device including that element.

[0073] The serial numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are only for description and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0074] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above implementation methods can be realized by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform. Of course, they can also be realized by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions for causing a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in various embodiments of the present invention.

[0075] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments. The above specific embodiments are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the inspiration of the present invention, those of ordinary skill in the art can also make many forms without departing from the spirit and scope protected by the claims of the present invention. These all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster, characterized in that Including: Step S1: Define the input parameters and output parameters of multiple processing links in the unmanned cluster; Step S2: Publish the data subscription relationships between the processing links; Step S3: Use the Dataportal SDK to obtain the input parameters and output parameters of each processing link, calculate the input parameters and output parameters, and publish the calculation results to the data center using the Dataportal SDK; Step S4: After receiving the data subscription relationships and calculation results between the processing links, start the sub-processing links of each processing link. These sub-processing links obtain the required data from the data center based on the data subscription relationships, calculate the data, and publish the calculation results to the data center after the calculation is completed.

2. The heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster according to claim 1, wherein The processing link is a domain module, and the sub-processing link is a sub-module of the domain module.

3. The heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster according to claim 1, characterized in that, In Step S1, it includes: defining the source and parameter type of the input parameters, defining the parameter type of the output parameters. The source of the input parameters includes: from the upstream link of the processing link and from the current interaction interface.

4. The heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster according to claim 1, characterized in that In Step S2, connect to each processing link through the data flow orchestration device, and use the data flow orchestration device to publish the data subscription relationships between the processing links.

5. The heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster according to claim 4, wherein Step S2 includes: Select the output connection stub of a processing link, and use the data flow orchestration device to connect to the input connection stub of another processing link to form a data subscription relationship.

6. The heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster according to claim 4, characterized in that, In Step S3, the Dataportal SDK uses the data subscription relationships provided by the data flow orchestration device to obtain the input parameters and output parameters.

7. The heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster according to claim 1, characterized in that In Step S4, start each sub-module in the order of data subscription.

8. The heterogeneous communication method for an unmanned system cluster according to claim 5, characterized in that, The input parameters are bound to the input connection stub, and the output parameters are bound to the output connection stub.

9. An unmanned system cluster heterogeneous communication device, characterized in that, The device is used to implement the heterogeneous communication method of the unmanned system cluster described in any one of claims 1-8. The device includes: A definition module, used to define the input parameters and output parameters of multiple processing links in the unmanned cluster; An orchestration module, used to publish the data subscription relationships between the processing links; A publishing module, used to use the Dataportal SDK to obtain the input parameters and output parameters of each processing link, calculate the input parameters and output parameters, and publish the calculation results to the data center using the Dataportal SDK; A calculation module, used to start the sub-processing links of each processing link after receiving the data subscription relationships and calculation results between the processing links. These sub-processing links obtain the required data from the data center based on the data subscription relationships, calculate the data, and publish the calculation results to the data center after the calculation is completed.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes: A memory, storing executable instructions; A processor, the processor runs the executable instructions in the memory to implement the method described in any one of claims 1-8.

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