Mooring unmanned aerial vehicle control method and system

Abstract

The invention discloses a control method and system for a mooring unmanned aerial vehicle, and belongs to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle control. The working requirements and working environments of the unmanned aerial vehicle and a power supply vehicle are analyzed, so that the working area of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the running path of the power supply vehicle are planned in advance; the future position of the power supply vehicle is predicted according to the planning content in combination with the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the power supply vehicle, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle can make movement preparation in advance in the process of following the power supply vehicle, and the situation that the unmanned aerial vehicle flies unstably in a short time due to sudden movement of the power supply vehicle is avoided; in the process that the unmanned aerial vehicle moves along with the power supply vehicle, normal flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle is not affected on the premise of ensuring stable power supply by controlling winding and unwinding of the mooring line, and the following sensitivity and flight stability of the unmanned aerial vehicle are remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control, and in particular to a tethered UAV control method and system. Background Art

[0002] With the development of drone technology, drones play various roles in daily life, such as lighting drones and dust removal drones and other application scenarios. Dust removal drones are used to remove dust from photovoltaic panels. Therefore, in order to improve the cleaning effect, they need to be able to hover stably above the photovoltaic panels. Lighting drones are currently used in construction sites at night. Mobile power supplies are usually used to power lighting equipment to achieve lighting on the construction site. However, these lighting equipment are mostly high-power bulbs and other types, which need to be fixed to achieve stable lighting. However, as the construction process changes, the construction area is usually changed. At this time, the original fixed equipment needs to be dismantled and moved to the next construction area for reconstruction. This process is very labor-intensive and resource-intensive. Not only are the replacement steps cumbersome, but the construction cost is also increased. Therefore, drones are used to carry lighting equipment, and the power supply vehicle provides power to the drone through a tethered line to solve the problem of the inconvenience of moving the lighting equipment. However, in order to maintain smooth power supply, the drone needs to move with the power supply vehicle, which is usually achieved by manually controlling the movement of the drone. However, during manual control, since the tethered line is connected to the drone, when the drone moves too fast or has a large position deviation from the power supply vehicle, the drone will not be able to fly stably and supply power stably, thereby affecting the operation effect. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the drone can follow the power supply vehicle in real time while ensuring stable flight and stable power supply.

[0003] Chinese patent, publication number: CN214929257U, publication date: November 30, 2021, discloses an automatic following tethered drone system, in which a vehicle-mounted base station and a control host are set on a ground vehicle. The control host is connected to the aircraft through a tethering line to power the aircraft. The control host is connected to the aircraft through a tethering line or a wireless communication module to communicate with the aircraft, thereby realizing the drone following the vehicle. However, it only considers the position relationship between the drone and the vehicle, and does not consider the adjustment of the drone's position under various influencing factors that need to meet application requirements in actual application scenarios, thereby affecting the specific application effect of the drone during flight. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve the problem that existing tethered drones are difficult to simultaneously ensure that they can move following a power supply vehicle while maintaining stable flight, resulting in poor tethering effect of the tethered drone. The present invention provides a tethered drone control method and system. By analyzing the working requirements and working environment of the drone and the power supply vehicle, the working area of the drone and the operating path of the power supply vehicle are planned in advance, and the future position of the power supply vehicle is predicted based on the planning content and the position information of the drone and the power supply vehicle, so that the drone can make preparations for movement in advance when following the power supply vehicle, thereby avoiding the situation where the drone becomes unstable in flight in a short period of time due to sudden movement of the power supply vehicle. When the drone follows the power supply vehicle, the retraction and extension of the tether line is controlled, so that the normal flight of the drone can be not affected while ensuring stable power supply, thereby significantly improving the following sensitivity and flight stability of the drone.

[0005] In a first aspect, a technical solution provided in an embodiment of the present invention is: a tethered drone control method, comprising the following steps: S1. Plan the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone based on business needs, and generate a work execution file; collect the location information of the drone and the power supply vehicle in real time to obtain the location coordinates of the drone and the power supply vehicle; S2. The UAV uses the power supply vehicle's position coordinates as its flight target and reads the work execution file to predict the power supply vehicle's position. Based on the prediction result, the UAV position following amount is obtained, and the UAV position is adjusted based on the UAV position following amount. S3. When the position coordinates of the UAV change, the operating parameters of the mooring line are detected in real time, and the mooring line control rules adjust the winding and releasing of the mooring line in response to the mooring line operating parameters.

[0006] In this solution, by planning the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone based on business needs and generating work execution files, the orderly progress of the operation can be ensured, unnecessary waiting and repetitive work can be reduced, and the overall operation efficiency can be improved; by predicting the position of the power supply vehicle and adjusting the position of the drone accordingly, the drone can be prepared to follow in advance before the power supply vehicle moves, thereby avoiding the deviation between the sudden movement of the power supply vehicle and the response speed of the drone, which causes the drone to fly unstable in a short period of time, thereby ensuring the operation stability of the drone during the operation; by precisely controlling the drone to follow the power supply vehicle, the errors and uncertainties of human operation can be reduced, and the risk of accidents can be reduced. At the same time, real-time detection of the working parameters of the tethering line and timely adjustment can ensure the safe and stable operation of the tethering line, which not only provides stable energy for the drone, but also allows the drone to minimize the flight burden caused by the connection with the tethering line.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment, in S1, the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone are planned based on business needs, and a work execution file is generated, including the following steps: The power supply vehicle's operating path is planned based on the vehicle's service area, performance parameters, and geographic parameters within the service area. The drone's operating area is determined within the vehicle's service area based on the drone's configuration parameters, flight-suitable area, and environmental parameters within the flight-suitable area. The working area of the UAV and the operating path of the power supply vehicle are integrated to obtain the work execution file.

[0008] In this solution, by accurately planning the operation path of the power supply vehicle based on clear business needs, it can be ensured that the power supply vehicle performs its tasks in the optimal path, reducing unnecessary driving time and energy consumption, thereby improving operational efficiency. At the same time, reasonable planning of the drone's working area can maximize the efficiency of drone use and avoid ineffective flights and repeated operations; by integrating the drone's working area and the power supply vehicle's operation path, potential conflicts and safety hazards can be avoided, ensuring the safety of the operation process; path planning and determination of the work area take into account geographical parameters and environmental factors, such as road conditions, weather conditions, etc., which helps to reduce the risks of power supply vehicles and drones when performing tasks, making mission execution more flexible and controllable, and also provides reference data for subsequent adjustments to the drone's position.

[0009] Preferably, the performance parameters of the power supply vehicle include at least the maximum driving distance, load capacity and power supply; the configuration parameters of the UAV include at least the flight speed, flight altitude, load capacity and communication range.

[0010] In this solution, during the flight, the drone needs to analyze its own configuration parameters and plan an area suitable for the drone to fly on the premise that the drone can work normally, avoiding entering no-fly zones (such as airports, military bases, etc.) and controlled areas (such as urban core areas). The drone's take-off point, landing point and flight route can be planned within the suitable flying area. At the same time, in order to ensure that the drone can obtain stable power supply from the power supply vehicle, it is necessary to maintain communication with the power supply vehicle at all times so that the drone always follows the power supply vehicle. Therefore, it is also necessary to control the movement of the drone according to the communication range of the drone. By analyzing the performance parameters of the power supply vehicle and the configuration parameters of the drone, a hardware foundation is provided for planning the power supply vehicle's operating path and controlling the drone, thereby ensuring the operating stability of the drone and the power supply vehicle.

[0011] Preferably, in S1, the real-time acquisition of the position information of the UAV and the power supply vehicle to obtain the position coordinates of the UAV and the power supply vehicle includes the following steps: The signal base station receives the positioning information sent by the navigation satellite in real time, performs differential calculation on the positioning information to obtain differential data, and sends the differential data to the mobile station installed on the UAV and the power supply vehicle; The mobile station performs carrier phase differential calculation on the differential data and eliminates its common error to obtain the position coordinates of the UAV and the power supply vehicle.

[0012] In this solution, based on RTK positioning technology, the signal base station receives the positioning information sent by the navigation satellite and performs differential calculations, which can significantly reduce positioning errors. Differential positioning technology calculates errors by comparing the known position of the base station with the received satellite signal, and sends these error correction information to the mobile station (UAV and power supply vehicle). This can greatly improve the positioning accuracy of UAVs and power supply vehicles, usually achieving centimeter-level or even millimeter-level accuracy, and also provides a position basis for subsequent UAVs to follow the power supply vehicle.

[0013] Preferably, in S2, the UAV takes the position coordinates of the power supply vehicle as a flight target and reads the work execution file to predict the position of the power supply vehicle, including the following steps: The relative distance between the UAV and the power supply vehicle is obtained based on the UAV position coordinates and the power supply vehicle position coordinates; When the relative distance between the drone and the power supply vehicle exceeds the set threshold, the drone reads the running path of the power supply vehicle in the work execution file and combines the current power supply vehicle's movement speed and working time, and uses a linear interpolation algorithm to predict the position change of the power supply vehicle in the future to obtain the predicted coordinates of the power supply vehicle.

[0014] In this solution, in order to allow the drone to hover stably at a specified position, the power supply vehicle does not always stay in the same place and may have some slight position changes due to environmental factors. If the drone also follows in real time at this time, not only will the small position change lead to redundant control, but it will also affect the ongoing work of the drone while hovering. Therefore, when the power supply vehicle moves in a small range, the drone can remain hovering and only the working parameters of the tethering line are adjusted to ensure the normal operation of the drone. When the power supply vehicle moves in a large range, the position change of the power supply vehicle is predicted, and preparations are made in advance to adjust the position of the drone, so that the impact of the drone's position change on flight operations is greatly reduced.

[0015] Preferably, in S2, obtaining the drone position following amount based on the prediction result, and adjusting the drone position based on the drone position following amount include the following steps: The horizontal following value is calculated based on the horizontal difference between the current position coordinates of the UAV and the predicted coordinates of the power supply vehicle. The vertical following value is calculated based on the vertical difference between the current position coordinates of the UAV and the predicted coordinates of the power supply vehicle. The horizontal following value and the vertical following value are used as the UAV position following value. The drone adjusts its horizontal position based on the horizontal following amount and adjusts its flight altitude based on the vertical following amount until the relative distance between the drone and the power supply vehicle is within the set threshold.

[0016] In this solution, by calculating the horizontal and vertical differences between the drone's current position and the power supply vehicle's predicted position (i.e., the horizontal following amount and the vertical following amount), the drone can more accurately adjust its position to ensure that it maintains a set relative distance from the power supply vehicle. This helps prevent the drone and the power supply vehicle from being too close, thereby affecting the drone's flight operations. It also ensures that the drone can stably provide the necessary support or services to the power supply vehicle. Since the drone adjusts its position based on the predicted results, it can, to a certain extent, foresee the future position of the power supply vehicle and make corresponding position adjustments in advance. This predictive adjustment helps reduce the drone's rapid position changes during the following process, thereby improving the stability of the drone's flight operations. By precisely controlling the drone's position and flight altitude, unnecessary flight movements and energy consumption can be reduced, helping to extend the drone's flight time and mission execution efficiency.

[0017] Preferably, in S3, when the position coordinates of the UAV change, the operating parameters of the tethering line are detected in real time, and the tethering line control rule adjusts the winding and releasing of the tethering line in response to the tethering line operating parameters, including the following steps: Based on the changes in the UAV's position coordinates, the UAV's movement speed, movement direction, and relative distance from the power supply vehicle are obtained. Based on the relative distance between the UAV and the power supply vehicle, the reference length range of the tethered line is obtained. Based on the UAV's movement speed and movement direction, the reference angle range formed by the tethered line and the horizontal plane is obtained. The tether line tension change is detected when the drone moves. If the tension is not within the preset tension range, the tether line is wound or released within the tether line reference length range and the tether line reference angle range until the tension is within the preset tension range.

[0018] In this solution, when the position coordinates of the drone change, the system can detect the working parameters of the tether line in real time and respond quickly according to these parameters, ensuring that the tether line can always maintain a suitable working state during the movement of the drone, avoiding potential problems caused by delays or incorrect adjustments; by adjusting the winding and release of the tether line in real time, the system can ensure that the tension of the tether line is always maintained within the preset range, avoiding the breakage or relaxation of the tether line due to excessive or insufficient tension, thereby improving the safety of the entire system; by precisely controlling the length and angle of the tether line, it can ensure that the drone always has a stable energy supply during movement, avoiding energy waste and unnecessary energy loss, and improving the operational stability of the drone's flight operations.

[0019] Preferably, the operating parameters of the mooring line include the length of the mooring line, the angle formed by the mooring line and the horizontal plane, and the catenary tension.

[0020] In this scheme, the influence of the tether line on the drone mainly comes from three aspects: the length of the tether line, the angle formed by the tether line and the horizontal plane, and the catenary tension. This aspect affects the pulling force of the tether line on the drone. If the pulling force is too large, it will make it difficult for the drone to maintain balance during flight, thereby affecting the flight operation effect.

[0021] In a second aspect, a technical solution provided in an embodiment of the present invention is: a tethered drone control system, comprising a parameter setting module, a positioning module, a drone control module, and a tether line control module; The parameter setting module plans the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone based on business needs, and generates a work execution file; The positioning module collects the position information of the UAV and the power supply vehicle in real time to obtain the position coordinates of the UAV and the power supply vehicle; the UAV control module controls the UAV to use the position coordinates of the power supply vehicle as the flight target and reads the work execution file to predict the position of the power supply vehicle, obtains the UAV position following amount based on the prediction result, and adjusts the UAV position based on the UAV position following amount; The mooring line control module detects the working parameters of the mooring line in real time when the position coordinates of the UAV change, and adjusts the winding and releasing of the mooring line based on the mooring line control rules.

[0022] In this solution, the positioning module can collect the position information of the drone and the power supply vehicle in real time, which helps the system to accurately grasp the current status of the two. The drone control module can predict the position of the power supply vehicle based on the real-time position information and adjust the position of the drone accordingly, thereby achieving effective following and support for the power supply vehicle. The adjustment of the drone position following amount based on the prediction results enables the drone to follow the power supply vehicle more smoothly and accurately, reducing the impact of the violent movement of the drone when following when the power supply vehicle moves, affecting the work effect; according to the change of the drone's position coordinates, the tethering line control module can dynamically adjust the winding and release of the tethering line to ensure that the connection between the drone and the power supply vehicle is stable and reliable, while avoiding operational inconvenience or safety hazards caused by the tethering line being too long or too short.

[0023] Preferably, the positioning module includes a satellite signal receiving unit, a satellite signal analysis unit and a coordinate generation unit; the satellite signal receiving unit receives the positioning information sent by the navigation satellite in real time and performs differential calculation on the positioning information through the satellite signal analysis unit to obtain differential data, and sends the differential data to the coordinate generation unit respectively arranged on the UAV and the power supply vehicle, and the coordinate generation unit performs carrier phase differential calculation on the differential data and eliminates its common error to obtain the UAV position coordinates and the power supply vehicle position coordinates.

[0024] In this solution, the coordinate generation unit performs carrier phase differential calculation on the differential data. This is a high-precision positioning method that can further eliminate common errors (such as integer ambiguity, etc.), thereby improving positioning accuracy. Through this processing method, the system can generate very accurate drone position coordinates and power supply vehicle position coordinates, providing a data basis for subsequent drones to accurately follow the power supply vehicle.

[0025] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: (1) By predicting the position of the power supply vehicle and adjusting the position of the UAV accordingly, the present invention can prepare the UAV to follow the power supply vehicle in advance before the power supply vehicle moves, thereby avoiding the UAV's unstable flight in a short period of time due to the deviation between the sudden movement of the power supply vehicle and the response speed of the UAV, thereby ensuring the operational stability of the UAV during the operation process; (2) The present invention can reduce the errors and uncertainties of human operation and reduce the risk of accidents by precisely controlling the UAV to follow the power supply vehicle. At the same time, the working parameters of the tethering line are detected in real time and adjusted in time, which can ensure the safe and stable operation of the tethering line, not only providing stable energy for the UAV, but also allowing the UAV to minimize the flight burden caused by the connection with the tethering line; (3) The present invention plans the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone based on business needs and generates a work execution file, which can ensure the orderly progress of the work, reduce unnecessary waiting and repetitive work, and thus improve the overall work efficiency.

[0026] The above content of the invention is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present invention are listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the detailed description of the non-limiting embodiments made with reference to the following drawings. The drawings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments only and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. Like reference characters are used throughout the drawings to designate like parts.

[0028] Figure 1This is a flow chart of a tethered drone control method of the present invention; Figure 2 The following is a system block diagram of a tethered drone control system according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific implementation method described herein is only an optimal embodiment of the present invention, which is only used to explain the present invention and does not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] Before discussing the exemplary embodiments in more detail, it should be mentioned that some exemplary embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flow charts. Although the flow charts describe the operations (or steps) as sequential processes, many of the operations (or steps) therein can be performed in parallel, concurrently, or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the operations can be rearranged. The process can be terminated when its operations are completed, but can also have additional steps not included in the figures; the process can correspond to a method, function, procedure, subroutine, subprogram, etc.

[0031] Example 1: Figure 1 As shown, in order to solve the problem that the existing tethered drone is difficult to move with the power supply vehicle while ensuring stable flight, resulting in poor tethering effect of the tethered drone, this embodiment provides a tethered drone control method, including the following steps: S1: Plan the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone based on business needs, and generate a work execution file; collect the location information of the drone and the power supply vehicle in real time to obtain the drone location coordinates and the power supply vehicle location coordinates.

[0032] In this embodiment, the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone are planned based on business needs, and a work execution file is generated, including the following steps: The power supply vehicle's operating path is planned based on the vehicle's service area, performance parameters, and geographic parameters within the service area. The drone's operating area is determined within the vehicle's service area based on the drone's configuration parameters, flight-suitable area, and environmental parameters within the flight-suitable area. The working area of the UAV and the operating path of the power supply vehicle are integrated to obtain the work execution file.

[0033] This embodiment accurately plans the operation path of the power supply vehicle by clarifying business needs, ensuring that the power supply vehicle performs its tasks along the optimal path, reducing unnecessary driving time and energy consumption, and thus improving operational efficiency. At the same time, reasonable planning of the drone's working area can maximize the efficiency of the drone's use and avoid ineffective flights and repeated operations. By integrating the drone's working area with the power supply vehicle's operation path, potential conflicts and safety hazards can be avoided, ensuring the safe progress of the operation process. Path planning and work area determination take into account geographical parameters and environmental factors, such as road conditions and weather conditions. This helps reduce the risks faced by power supply vehicles and drones when performing missions, making mission execution more flexible and controllable, and also provides reference data for subsequent adjustments to the drone's position.

[0034] In this embodiment, the performance parameters of the power supply vehicle include at least the maximum driving distance, load capacity and power supply; the configuration parameters of the UAV include at least the flight speed, flight altitude, load capacity and communication range.

[0035] During the flight of the drone in this embodiment, it is necessary to analyze the configuration parameters of the drone itself, and plan an area suitable for the drone to fly on the premise that the drone can work normally, and avoid entering no-fly zones (such as airports, military bases, etc.) and controlled areas (such as urban core areas). The take-off point, landing point and flight route of the drone can be planned within the suitable flying area. At the same time, in order to ensure that the drone can obtain stable power supply from the power supply vehicle, it is necessary to maintain communication with the power supply vehicle at all times so that the drone always follows the power supply vehicle. Therefore, it is also necessary to control the movement of the drone according to the communication range of the drone. By analyzing the performance parameters of the power supply vehicle and the configuration parameters of the drone, a hardware foundation is provided for planning the power supply vehicle's operating path and controlling the drone, thereby ensuring the operating stability of the drone and the power supply vehicle.

[0036] In this embodiment, real-time acquisition of the position information of the drone and the power supply vehicle to obtain the drone position coordinates and the power supply vehicle position coordinates includes the following steps: The signal base station receives the positioning information sent by the navigation satellite in real time, performs differential calculation on the positioning information to obtain differential data, and sends the differential data to the mobile station installed on the UAV and the power supply vehicle; The mobile station performs carrier phase differential calculation on the differential data and eliminates its common error to obtain the position coordinates of the UAV and the power supply vehicle.

[0037] This embodiment uses RTK positioning technology, in which the signal base station receives the positioning information sent by the navigation satellite and performs differential calculations, which can significantly reduce positioning errors. The differential positioning technology calculates the error by comparing the known position of the base station with the received satellite signal, and sends this error correction information to the mobile station (UAV and power supply vehicle). This can greatly improve the positioning accuracy of the UAV and power supply vehicle, usually achieving centimeter-level or even millimeter-level accuracy, and also provides a position basis for subsequent UAVs to follow the power supply vehicle.

[0038] S2: The UAV takes the position coordinates of the power supply vehicle as the flight target and reads the work execution file to predict the position of the power supply vehicle. Based on the prediction result, the UAV position following amount is obtained, and the UAV position is adjusted based on the UAV position following amount.

[0039] In this embodiment, the drone uses the position coordinates of the power supply vehicle as a flight target and reads the work execution file to predict the position of the power supply vehicle, including the following steps: The relative distance between the UAV and the power supply vehicle is obtained based on the UAV position coordinates and the power supply vehicle position coordinates; When the relative distance between the drone and the power supply vehicle exceeds the set threshold, the drone reads the running path of the power supply vehicle in the work execution file and combines the current power supply vehicle's movement speed and working time, and uses a linear interpolation algorithm to predict the position change of the power supply vehicle in the future to obtain the predicted coordinates of the power supply vehicle.

[0040] In this embodiment, the UAV can hover stably at a designated position, and the power supply vehicle does not always stay in the same place. There may be some slight position changes due to environmental factors. If the UAV also follows in real time at this time, not only will the control be redundant due to the small position change, but it will also affect the ongoing work of the UAV while hovering. Therefore, when the power supply vehicle moves in a small range, the UAV can remain hovering, and only the working parameters of the tethering line are adjusted to ensure the normal operation of the UAV. When the power supply vehicle moves in a large range, the position change of the power supply vehicle is predicted, and preparations are made in advance to adjust the position of the UAV, so that the impact of the UAV's position change on flight operations is greatly reduced.

[0041] In this embodiment, obtaining the drone position following amount based on the prediction result and adjusting the drone position based on the drone position following amount include the following steps: The horizontal following value is calculated based on the horizontal difference between the current position coordinates of the UAV and the predicted coordinates of the power supply vehicle. The vertical following value is calculated based on the vertical difference between the current position coordinates of the UAV and the predicted coordinates of the power supply vehicle. The horizontal following value and the vertical following value are used as the UAV position following value. The drone adjusts its horizontal position based on the horizontal following amount and adjusts its flight altitude based on the vertical following amount until the relative distance between the drone and the power supply vehicle is within the set threshold.

[0042] In this embodiment, by calculating the horizontal and vertical differences between the current position of the drone and the predicted position of the power supply vehicle (i.e., the horizontal following amount and the vertical following amount), the drone can adjust its position more accurately to ensure that it maintains a set relative distance from the power supply vehicle, which helps to avoid the distance between the drone and the power supply vehicle being too close, thereby affecting the drone's flight operations, while also ensuring that the drone can stably provide the necessary support or services to the power supply vehicle; since the drone adjusts its position based on the predicted results, it can foresee the future position of the power supply vehicle to a certain extent and make corresponding position adjustments in advance. This predictive adjustment helps to reduce the drone's drastic position changes during the following process, thereby improving the stability of the drone's flight operations; by precisely controlling the drone's position and flight altitude, unnecessary flight actions and energy consumption can be reduced, helping to extend the drone's flight time and mission execution efficiency.

[0043] S3. When the position coordinates of the UAV change, the operating parameters of the mooring line are detected in real time, and the mooring line control rules adjust the winding and releasing of the mooring line in response to the mooring line operating parameters.

[0044] In this embodiment, when the position coordinates of the drone change, the operating parameters of the tethering line are detected in real time, and the tethering line control rules adjust the winding and releasing of the tethering line in response to the tethering line operating parameters, including the following steps: Based on the changes in the UAV's position coordinates, the UAV's movement speed, movement direction, and relative distance from the power supply vehicle are obtained. Based on the relative distance between the UAV and the power supply vehicle, the reference length range of the tethered line is obtained. Based on the UAV's movement speed and movement direction, the reference angle range formed by the tethered line and the horizontal plane is obtained. The tether line tension change is detected when the drone moves. If the tension is not within the preset tension range, the tether line is wound or released within the tether line reference length range and the tether line reference angle range until the tension is within the preset tension range.

[0045] In this embodiment, when the position coordinates of the drone change, the system can detect the working parameters of the tether line in real time and respond quickly according to these parameters, ensuring that the tether line can always maintain a suitable working state during the movement of the drone, avoiding potential problems caused by delays or incorrect adjustments; by adjusting the winding and release of the tether line in real time, the system can ensure that the tension of the tether line is always maintained within a preset range, avoiding the breakage or relaxation of the tether line due to excessive or insufficient tension, thereby improving the safety of the entire system; by precisely controlling the length and angle of the tether line, it can ensure that the drone always has a stable energy supply during movement, avoiding energy waste and unnecessary energy loss, and improving the operational stability of the drone's flight operations.

[0046] In this embodiment, the operating parameters of the mooring line include the length of the mooring line, the angle formed by the mooring line and the horizontal plane, and the catenary tension.

[0047] The influence of the mooring line on the drone in this embodiment mainly comes from three aspects: the length of the mooring line, the angle formed by the mooring line and the horizontal plane, and the catenary tension. This aspect affects the pulling force of the mooring line on the drone. If the pulling force is too large, it will make it difficult for the drone to maintain balance during flight, thereby affecting the flight operation effect.

[0048] Example 2: Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a tethered drone control system, including a parameter setting module, a positioning module, a drone control module, and a tether line control module; The parameter setting module plans the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone based on business needs, and generates a work execution file; The positioning module collects the position information of the UAV and the power supply vehicle in real time to obtain the position coordinates of the UAV and the power supply vehicle; the UAV control module controls the UAV to use the position coordinates of the power supply vehicle as the flight target and reads the work execution file to predict the position of the power supply vehicle, obtains the UAV position following amount based on the prediction result, and adjusts the UAV position based on the UAV position following amount; The mooring line control module detects the working parameters of the mooring line in real time when the position coordinates of the UAV change, and adjusts the winding and releasing of the mooring line based on the mooring line control rules.

[0049] This embodiment can collect the position information of the UAV and the power supply vehicle in real time through the positioning module, which helps the system to accurately grasp the current status of the two. The UAV control module can predict the position of the power supply vehicle based on the real-time position information and adjust the position of the UAV accordingly, thereby achieving effective following and support for the power supply vehicle. The adjustment of the UAV position following amount based on the prediction result enables the UAV to follow the power supply vehicle more smoothly and accurately, reducing the impact of the violent movement of the UAV when following when the power supply vehicle moves, affecting the work effect; according to the change of the UAV position coordinates, the tethering line control module can dynamically adjust the winding and release of the tethering line to ensure that the connection between the UAV and the power supply vehicle is stable and reliable, while avoiding the operational inconvenience or safety hazards caused by the tethering line being too long or too short.

[0050] In this embodiment, the positioning module includes a satellite signal receiving unit, a satellite signal analyzing unit and a coordinate generating unit; The satellite signal receiving unit receives the positioning information sent by the navigation satellite in real time and performs differential calculation on the positioning information through the satellite signal analysis unit to obtain differential data, and sends the differential data to the coordinate generation unit respectively set on the UAV and the power supply vehicle. The coordinate generation unit performs carrier phase differential calculation on the differential data and eliminates its common error to obtain the UAV position coordinates and the power supply vehicle position coordinates.

[0051] This embodiment performs carrier phase differential calculation on the differential data through the coordinate generation unit. This is a high-precision positioning method that can further eliminate common errors (such as integer ambiguity, etc.), thereby improving positioning accuracy. Through this processing method, the system can generate very accurate drone position coordinates and power supply vehicle position coordinates, providing a data basis for subsequent drones to accurately follow the power supply vehicle.

[0052] Example 3: In this embodiment, a tethered drone is equipped with dust removal equipment, such as a jet device, a water spray device and other cleaning equipment, and is applied to the dust removal work of photovoltaic panels. When working, the number and specific locations of the photovoltaic panels that need to be dusted are first determined according to the dust removal needs, and the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone are planned with the shortest cleaning route as the goal, and a work execution file is generated. The power supply vehicle is controlled to move to the dust removal work area, and the position information of the drone and the power supply vehicle is collected in real time to obtain the drone position coordinates and the power supply vehicle position coordinates. The drone position coordinates are compared with the drone's initial working coordinates in the work execution file. Based on the comparison result, the drone is started to take off and is controlled to move to the initial working coordinates. When the drone moves to the initial working coordinates, the current area is sequentially moved according to the work execution file. The photovoltaic panels are dusted, and the working parameters of the tethering line are detected in real time. The tethering line is wound and released according to the working parameters to ensure that the tension, length and angle of the tethering line with the horizontal plane are all within the preset range. When the dust removal work in the area is about to be completed, such as there is only one photovoltaic panel left to be dusted, the path and speed of the power supply vehicle to the next dust removal work area are predicted to obtain the drone position following amount. When the dust removal work is completed, the drone position and movement speed are adjusted based on the drone position following amount. When the power supply vehicle arrives at the next dust removal work area, the drone continues to perform the dust removal work. The above process is repeated until the dust removal work in all areas is completed. The coordinates of the drone parking point on the power supply vehicle are used as the target to control the drone to land at the parking point. At this time, the degree of release of the tethering line is minimized.

[0053] It can be seen from the above embodiments that at least the following substantial effects are achieved: (1) By predicting the position of the power supply vehicle and adjusting the position of the UAV accordingly, the present invention can prepare the UAV to follow the power supply vehicle in advance before the power supply vehicle moves, thereby avoiding the UAV's unstable flight in a short period of time due to the deviation between the sudden movement of the power supply vehicle and the UAV's response speed, thereby ensuring the UAV's operational stability during the operation process; (2) The present invention can reduce errors and uncertainties in human operation and lower the risk of accidents by precisely controlling the UAV to follow the power supply vehicle. At the same time, the present invention can detect the working parameters of the tethering line in real time and adjust them in time to ensure the safe and stable operation of the tethering line, which not only provides stable energy for the UAV but also allows the UAV to minimize the flight burden caused by the connection with the tethering line. (3) The present invention plans the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone based on business needs and generates a work execution file, which can ensure the orderly progress of the work, reduce unnecessary waiting and repetitive work, and thus improve the overall work efficiency.

[0054] The specific embodiment described above is a preferred embodiment of a tethered drone control method and system of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the specific implementation scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention includes but is not limited to this specific embodiment. Any equivalent changes made in accordance with the shape and structure of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tethered drone control method, applicable to tethered drones, characterized by: The following steps are involved: S1. Plan the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone based on business needs, and generate work execution documents; Collect the location information of the UAV and the power supply vehicle in real time to obtain the location coordinates of the UAV and the power supply vehicle; S2. The UAV uses the power supply vehicle's position coordinates as its flight target and reads the work execution file to predict the power supply vehicle's position. Based on the prediction result, the UAV position following amount is obtained, and the UAV position is adjusted based on the UAV position following amount. S3. When the position coordinates of the UAV change, the operating parameters of the mooring line are detected in real time, and the mooring line control rules adjust the winding and releasing of the mooring line in response to the mooring line operating parameters.

2. A tethered drone control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S1, the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone are planned based on business needs, and a work execution file is generated. The following steps are included: The power supply vehicle's operating path is planned based on the vehicle's service area, performance parameters, and geographic parameters within the service area. The drone's operating area is determined within the vehicle's service area based on the drone's configuration parameters, flight-suitable area, and environmental parameters within the flight-suitable area. The working area of the UAV and the operating path of the power supply vehicle are integrated to obtain the work execution file.

3. A tethered drone control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The performance parameters of the power supply vehicle include at least the maximum driving distance, load capacity and power supply; the configuration parameters of the UAV include at least the flight speed, flight altitude, load capacity and communication range.

4. The method for controlling a tethered drone according to claim 1, wherein: In S1, the position information of the UAV and the power supply vehicle is collected in real time to obtain the position coordinates of the UAV and the power supply vehicle, including the following steps: The signal base station receives the positioning information sent by the navigation satellite in real time, performs differential calculation on the positioning information to obtain differential data, and sends the differential data to the mobile station installed on the UAV and power supply vehicle; The mobile station performs carrier phase differential calculation on the differential data and eliminates its common error to obtain the position coordinates of the UAV and the power supply vehicle.

5. The method for controlling a tethered drone according to claim 1, wherein: In S2, the UAV uses the power supply vehicle's position coordinates as the flight target and reads the work execution file to predict the power supply vehicle's position, including the following steps: The relative distance between the UAV and the power supply vehicle is obtained based on the UAV position coordinates and the power supply vehicle position coordinates; When the relative distance between the drone and the power supply vehicle exceeds the set threshold, the drone reads the running path of the power supply vehicle in the work execution file and combines the current power supply vehicle's movement speed and working time, and uses a linear interpolation algorithm to predict the position change of the power supply vehicle in the future to obtain the predicted coordinates of the power supply vehicle.

6. A tethered drone control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: In S2, the drone position following amount is obtained based on the prediction result, and the drone position is adjusted based on the drone position following amount, including the following steps: The horizontal following value is calculated based on the horizontal difference between the current position coordinates of the UAV and the coordinates predicted by the power supply vehicle. The vertical following value is calculated based on the vertical difference between the current position coordinates of the UAV and the coordinates predicted by the power supply vehicle. The horizontal following value and the vertical following value are used as the UAV position following value. The drone adjusts its horizontal position based on the horizontal following amount and adjusts its flight altitude based on the vertical following amount until the relative distance between the drone and the power supply vehicle is within the set threshold.

7. The method for controlling a tethered drone according to claim 1, wherein: In S3, when the position coordinates of the UAV change, the operating parameters of the tethering line are detected in real time, and the tethering line control rules adjust the winding and releasing of the tethering line in response to the tethering line operating parameters, including the following steps: Based on the changes in the UAV's position coordinates, the UAV's movement speed, movement direction, and relative distance from the power supply vehicle are obtained. Based on the relative distance between the UAV and the power supply vehicle, the reference length range of the tethered line is obtained. Based on the UAV's movement speed and movement direction, the reference angle range formed by the tethered line and the horizontal plane is obtained. The tether line tension change is detected when the drone moves. If the tension is not within the preset tension range, the tether line is wound or released within the tether line reference length range and the tether line reference angle range until the tension is within the preset tension range.

8. The method for controlling a tethered drone according to claim 7, wherein: The working parameters of the mooring line include the length of the mooring line, the angle formed by the mooring line and the horizontal plane, and the catenary tension.

9. A tethered drone control system, applicable to the tethered drone control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: It includes parameter setting module, positioning module, drone control module and tether line control module; The parameter setting module plans the operation path of the power supply vehicle and the working area of the drone based on business needs, and generates a work execution file; The positioning module collects the position information of the UAV and the power supply vehicle in real time to obtain the position coordinates of the UAV and the power supply vehicle; The UAV control module controls the UAV to take the position coordinates of the power supply vehicle as the flight target and reads the work execution file to predict the position of the power supply vehicle, obtains the UAV position following amount based on the prediction result, and adjusts the UAV position based on the UAV position following amount; The mooring line control module detects the working parameters of the mooring line in real time when the position coordinates of the UAV change, and adjusts the winding and releasing of the mooring line based on the mooring line control rules.

10. The tethered drone control system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The positioning module includes a satellite signal receiving unit, a satellite signal analyzing unit and a coordinate generating unit; The satellite signal receiving unit receives the positioning information sent by the navigation satellite in real time and performs differential calculation on the positioning information through the satellite signal analysis unit to obtain differential data, and sends the differential data to the coordinate generation unit respectively set on the UAV and the power supply vehicle. The coordinate generation unit performs carrier phase differential calculation on the differential data and eliminates its common error to obtain the UAV position coordinates and the power supply vehicle position coordinates.

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