A fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle target attack control method

Abstract

The application discloses a fixed-wing unmanned plane given target attack control method, belongs to the fixed-wing unmanned plane technical field, including the ground station adds the accurate coordinate of multiple possible attack target points to the navigation point and inputs into the flight control system; when the unmanned plane enters the cruising stage and flies along the predetermined route, the ground station sends the attack instruction to the flight control system; the flight control system executes the target attack strategy after receiving the attack instruction. The application is not limited by space and time, can make the fixed-wing unmanned plane satisfy the terminal guidance control condition, and thus successfully completes the target attack.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, and more particularly to a method for controlling a fixed-wing UAV to attack a given target. Background Technology

[0002] For targeted strikes, fixed-wing UAVs are similar to missiles. Their flight process can generally be divided into stages such as launch, cruise flight, and attack. The following is a detailed introduction to each stage.

[0003] Launch phase: Common launch methods include tube launch, box launch, vehicle-mounted launch, and airborne launch. The launch phase primarily provides the drone with initial velocity, thus meeting the conditions for takeoff.

[0004] Cruise flight phase: After the UAV takes off, it flies along the predetermined route and can make real-time adjustments to the route through the ground station according to mission requirements;

[0005] Attack phase: When the drone cruises close to the target, the loitering munition will dive downwards at a large angle to increase the kinetic energy and accuracy of the attack and strike the target.

[0006] The commonly used targeted attack strategies are as follows:

[0007] (1) Pre-programmed target attack: Ground station operators first input the precise coordinates of the known target into the UAV's control system via the ground station. After launch, the UAV relies on satellite navigation, inertial navigation, and other systems to fly towards the target area along a pre-programmed route. When approaching the target, the UAV switches to terminal guidance and performs a dive attack. The disadvantage of this method is that it can only fly along a set route and ultimately attack the target according to the designed route; when the target changes, not only does the ground station need to retransmit the target coordinates, but manual adjustment of the flight path is also required based on the target point.

[0008] (2) Human-in-the-loop target attack: As the UAV flies toward a known target, it transmits its position, attitude, and speed information to a ground control station via data link. At the ground control station, operators control the UAV's flight path, attitude, and speed. When the UAV approaches the known target, an attack command is sent, and the UAV switches to terminal guidance to perform a dive attack or ram attack. The disadvantage of this method is that ground operators need to adjust the UAV's position, attitude, and speed in real time to guide it closer to the target before sending the attack command.

[0009] Both strategies use a fixed throttle for terminal guidance. This means that if the fixed throttle is set too low, the drone is prone to stalling initially. If the throttle is set too high, the drone will experience a large overload during the final dive attack phase.

[0010] Based on this, the present invention provides a method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on a given target. Summary of the Invention

[0011] This invention addresses the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a method for controlling the attack on a given target by a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0012] The technical solution of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows:

[0013] In a first aspect, the present invention discloses a method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to attack a given target.

[0014] A method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on a given target includes:

[0015] Step 1: The ground station adds the precise coordinates of multiple potential attack targets to the waypoints and inputs them into the flight control system;

[0016] Step 2: When the UAV enters the cruise phase and flies along the predetermined route, the ground station sends an attack command to the flight control system;

[0017] Step 3: After receiving the attack command, the flight control system executes the target attack strategy.

[0018] The following is a detailed explanation of each step.

[0019] Step 3 specifically includes the following sub-steps:

[0020] Step 31: Establish a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system with the current real-time position of the UAV as the origin, the direction from the UAV position to the target position as the positive half-axis of the X-axis, the positive half-axis of the Y-axis rotated 90 degrees clockwise along the horizontal plane as the positive half-axis of the Y-axis, and the vertical downward position of the UAV position as the positive half-axis of the Z-axis.

[0021] Step 32: Real-time calculation of the position, velocity, and attitude of the UAV and the target point in the coordinate system;

[0022] Step 33: Determine whether the UAV meets the optimal attack distance and optimal attack altitude based on the calculation results. When the UAV meets the optimal attack distance and optimal attack altitude, the UAV begins terminal guidance control, dives to attack, and performs closed-loop control of the throttle. The UAV gradually reduces the throttle to 0 and finally dives to the target point to complete the target strike.

[0023] Furthermore, step 32 specifically includes the following sub-steps:

[0024] Step 321: Determine if the distance between the drone and the target point is greater than 1.5 times the optimal attack distance;

[0025] Step 322: If yes, calculate whether the angle between the UAV's horizontal ground speed direction and the positive half-axis of the X-axis is between -60° and 60°.

[0026] Step 323: If yes, the drone begins to fly straight along the target line, where the target line is the line connecting the drone and the target point;

[0027] Step 324: If not, the drone will begin to circle to the left at a fixed angle until the included angle condition is met before flying straight.

[0028] Furthermore, in step 321, if the judgment result is negative, then on the reverse extension line between the UAV and the target point, with the position 1.5 times the optimal attack distance from the target point as the center and the fixed-point hovering radius R1 as the radius, the UAV will perform fixed-point hovering flight until the angle between the horizontal ground speed direction of the UAV and the positive half-axis of the X-axis is between -60° and 60°. Then the UAV will exit the circling and start flying straight along the line connecting the current position and the target point.

[0029] Furthermore, in step 323, when the UAV begins to fly straight along the target line, the UAV's cruise speed is adjusted to 1.2 times its stall airspeed.

[0030] Furthermore, if the altitude between the drone and the target point does not meet the optimal attack altitude during flight, the drone will climb or descend until it reaches the optimal attack altitude.

[0031] Furthermore, in step 33, the UAV enters the terminal guidance phase at 1.2 times the stall airspeed, and the terminal guidance uses a closed-loop control of the engine throttle at 1.1 times the stall airspeed.

[0032] Secondly, the present invention also discloses an electronic device.

[0033] An electronic device includes at least one processor and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions being executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the aforementioned fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) target attack control method.

[0034] Thirdly, the present invention also discloses a computer program product.

[0035] A computer program product includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the aforementioned method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on a given target.

[0036] In summary, compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the above technical solution are:

[0037] This invention provides a target attack control method for a fixed-wing UAV. After the UAV enters the cruise phase, the ground operator does not need to constantly monitor and adjust the UAV's status and can send attack commands anytime and anywhere. The autopilot, following the strategy of this patent, enables the fixed-wing UAV to meet the terminal guidance control entry conditions. During the terminal guidance phase, the engine is controlled with optimal throttle, thereby successfully completing the target attack. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a target attack control method for a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the waypoint coordinates of a fixed-wing UAV in a target attack control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying according to a target attack control method of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) starting to fly straight towards waypoint 5, according to an embodiment of the present invention, which describes a target attack control method for a given fixed-wing UAV. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The principles and features of the present invention are described below with reference to all the accompanying drawings. The examples given are only for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0043] This invention discloses a method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on a given target.

[0044] Reference Figure 1 In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention disclose a method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on a given target.

[0045] A method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on a given target includes:

[0046] Step 1: The ground station adds the precise coordinates of multiple potential attack targets to the waypoints and inputs them into the flight control system;

[0047] Step 2: When the UAV enters the cruise phase and flies along the predetermined route, the ground station sends an attack command to the flight control system;

[0048] Step 3: After receiving the attack command, the flight control system executes the target attack strategy.

[0049] The present invention provides a target attack control method for a fixed-wing UAV that is not limited by space and time, enabling the fixed-wing UAV to meet the terminal guidance control conditions and thus successfully complete the target attack.

[0050] Furthermore, step 3 specifically includes:

[0051] Step 31: Establish a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system with the current real-time position of the UAV as the origin, the direction from the UAV position to the target position as the positive half-axis of the X-axis, the positive half-axis of the Y-axis rotated 90 degrees clockwise along the horizontal plane as the positive half-axis of the Y-axis, and the vertical downward position of the UAV position as the positive half-axis of the Z-axis.

[0052] Step 32: Real-time calculation of the position, velocity, and attitude of the UAV and the target point in the coordinate system;

[0053] Step 33: Based on the calculation results, determine whether the UAV meets the optimal attack range and optimal attack altitude. When the UAV meets the optimal attack range and optimal attack altitude, the UAV begins terminal guidance control, dives to attack, and performs closed-loop control of the throttle. The UAV enters the terminal guidance phase at 1.2 times the stall airspeed. The terminal guidance uses closed-loop control of the engine throttle at 1.1 times the stall airspeed. The UAV gradually reduces the throttle to 0 at the tail and finally dives to the target point to complete the target strike.

[0054] Furthermore, step 32 specifically includes the following sub-steps:

[0055] Step 321: Determine if the distance between the drone and the target point is greater than 1.5 times the optimal attack distance;

[0056] Step 322: If yes, calculate whether the angle between the UAV's horizontal ground speed direction and the positive half-axis of the X-axis is between -60° and 60°; where the angle is obtained by the flight control system from its own position through GPS data, and then calculated in real time according to the target position;

[0057] Step 323: If yes, the drone begins to fly straight along the target line, where the target line is the line connecting the drone and the target point; when the drone begins to fly straight along the target line, adjust the drone's cruise speed to 1.2 times the stall speed.

[0058] Step 324: If not, the drone begins to hover to the left at a fixed angle until the included angle condition is met, at which point it will fly straight. In this embodiment, the fixed angle is set to -15°, which means the fixed angle of the flight control system is -15°. This is equivalent to the aircraft rolling at -15°, and the flight path is a hovering motion.

[0059] Furthermore, in step 321, if the judgment result is negative, then on the reverse extension line between the UAV and the target point, with the position 1.5 times the optimal attack distance from the target point as the center and the fixed-point hovering radius R1 as the radius, the UAV will perform fixed-point hovering flight until the angle between the horizontal ground speed direction of the UAV and the positive half-axis of the X-axis is between -60° and 60°. Then the UAV will exit the circling and start flying straight along the line connecting the current position and the target point.

[0060] If the altitude between the drone and the target point does not meet the optimal attack altitude during flight, the drone will climb or descend until it reaches the optimal attack altitude.

[0061] The following examples will illustrate this in detail.

[0062] Reference Figures 2-4 The two potential attack targets are added to waypoints 3 and 5 of flight path 2. When the UAV is launched normally and enters the cruise phase, the UAV flies to waypoint 2 along waypoint 1 of flight path 2. At this time, waypoint 5 is selected as the attack target and an attack command is sent.

[0063] Taking the line connecting the UAV's position and waypoint 5 as the positive half-axis of the X-axis, and rotating the X-axis clockwise by 90° as the positive half-axis of the Y-axis, the angle between the UAV's velocity direction and the positive half-axis of the X-axis is 107°, exceeding the range of -60° to 60°. At this point, the UAV is 3009 meters away from waypoint 5, while the optimal attack distance from the UAV to the target point is 1300 meters. The UAV then begins to hover with a roll angle of -15°.

[0064] During the drone's hovering process, the angle between the drone and waypoint 5 is monitored in real time. When the angle between the drone and waypoint 5 is less than 60°, the drone begins to fly straight along the line connecting the current position and waypoint 5, with a flight airspeed of 22.8 m / s (the stall airspeed is 19 m / s, and the flight airspeed is 1.2 times the stall airspeed). At the same time, the drone's altitude is controlled at the optimal altitude, which is 1000 meters, and the altitude difference between the drone and waypoint 5 is 500 meters.

[0065] When the UAV is 1300 meters away from waypoint 5, it automatically enters terminal guidance control. At the same time, the desired airspeed is 20.9 m / s (the stall airspeed is 19 m / s, and the airspeed is 1.1 times the stall airspeed). The UAV begins to dive, and at this time the throttle control of the UAV is gradually reduced to 0. Finally, the UAV dives to waypoint 5 at a -30° angle of fall, with a miss distance of less than 1 meter.

[0066] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the drone's landing angle is set to 30°, which means that the drone is expected to hit the target in a certain posture. In this embodiment, the drone hits the target with its head tilted down at 30°.

[0067] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention also disclose an electronic device.

[0068] An electronic device includes at least one processor and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions being executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the aforementioned fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) target attack control method.

[0069] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention also disclose a computer program product.

[0070] A computer program product includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the aforementioned method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on a given target.

[0071] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to attack a given target, characterized in that, include: Step 1: The ground station adds the precise coordinates of multiple potential attack targets to the waypoints and inputs them into the flight control system; Step 2: When the UAV enters the cruise phase and flies along the predetermined route, the ground station sends an attack command to the flight control system; Step 3: After receiving the attack command, the flight control system executes the target attack strategy; Step 3 specifically includes the following sub-steps: Step 31: Establish a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system with the current real-time position of the UAV as the origin, the direction from the UAV position to the target position as the positive half-axis of the X-axis, the positive half-axis of the Y-axis rotated 90 degrees clockwise along the horizontal plane as the positive half-axis of the Y-axis, and the vertical downward position of the UAV position as the positive half-axis of the Z-axis. Step 32: Real-time calculation of the position, velocity, and attitude of the UAV and the target point in the coordinate system; Step 33: Determine whether the UAV meets the optimal attack distance and optimal attack altitude based on the calculation results. When the UAV meets the optimal attack distance and optimal attack altitude, the UAV begins terminal guidance control, dives to attack, and performs closed-loop control of the throttle. The UAV gradually reduces the throttle to 0 and finally dives to the target point to complete the target strike.

2. The fixed-wing UAV target attack control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 32 specifically includes the following sub-steps: Step 321: Determine if the distance between the drone and the target point is greater than 1.5 times the optimal attack distance; Step 322: If yes, calculate whether the angle between the UAV's horizontal ground velocity direction and the positive half-axis of the X-axis is between -60° and 60°. Step 323: If yes, the drone begins to fly straight along the target line, where the target line is the line connecting the drone and the target point; Step 324: If not, the drone will begin to circle to the left at a fixed angle until the included angle condition is met before flying straight.

3. The fixed-wing UAV target attack control method according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step 321, if the judgment result is negative, then on the reverse extension line between the UAV and the target point, with the position 1.5 times the optimal attack distance from the target point as the center and the fixed-point hovering radius R1 as the radius, the UAV will perform fixed-point hovering flight until the angle between the horizontal ground speed direction of the UAV and the positive half axis of the X-axis is between -60° and 60°. Then the UAV will exit the circling and start flying straight along the line connecting the current position and the target point.

4. The fixed-wing UAV target attack control method according to claim 3, characterized in that, In step 323, when the drone begins to fly straight along the target line, the drone's cruise speed is adjusted to 1.2 times its stall airspeed.

5. The fixed-wing UAV target attack control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, If the altitude between the drone and the target point does not meet the optimal attack altitude during flight, the drone will climb or descend until it reaches the optimal attack altitude.

6. The fixed-wing UAV target attack control method according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step 33, the UAV enters the terminal guidance phase at 1.2 times the stall airspeed, and the terminal guidance uses a closed-loop control of the engine throttle at 1.1 times the stall airspeed.

7. An electronic device, characterized in that: The device includes at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions being executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform a fixed-wing UAV target attack control method according to any one of claims 1-6.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) target attack control method according to any one of claims 1-6.

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