Target tracking guidance method and platform for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and discloses a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle target tracking guidance method and platform, and the method comprises the following steps: carrying out the power-on self-inspection of a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle, carrying out the power-on self-inspection of a visible light fixed lens, and carrying out the normal communication of an image transmission module ground end and an image transmission module sky end; the fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle flies to a designated position to circle or patrol; according to the image acquired by the fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle, the ground station clicks a target needing to be tracked; after the target is clicked and selected, the fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle enters a guidance mode and starts guidance; and after the fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle fails in guidance or succeeds in guidance, the guidance state is ended. Target real-time tracking is achieved, an algorithm does not need to be trained in advance, any target can be tracked, tracking is stable, and the target is not prone to being lost; the guidance method is simplified, guidance is directly carried out by manually clicking and selecting the target, automatic guidance of the unmanned aerial vehicle is achieved, and meanwhile one-person-controlled multi-mechanism guidance operation is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and in particular to a target tracking and guidance method and platform for a fixed-wing UAV. Background Art

[0002] With the development of science and technology, drones have been widely used in various fields. Due to their compact and flexible features, drones can perform a large number of tasks. For attacks on important facilities and vehicle targets, combined with the excellent reconnaissance capabilities of drones, a single drone can achieve both detection and strike. Compared with multi-rotor drones, fixed-wing drones have higher maneuverability, faster speed and longer endurance. For air-to-ground or air-to-air strike targets, fixed-wing drones have better performance. In the field of drone tracking and guidance, guided strikes on target facilities, equipment, and vehicles are mainly based on manual control. In actual application, manual guidance has the following problems:

[0003] (1) It is difficult to make a fixed-wing UAV accurately hit the target at high speed through manual control;

[0004] (2) One pilot can only manually control the guidance of one aircraft, and the guidance of multiple drones requires multiple people to operate. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] A fixed-wing UAV target tracking and guidance platform comprises a fixed-wing UAV: ​​used for flying and carrying a missile;

[0007] Visible light fixed lens: fixedly installed on the fixed-wing UAV, used to collect image information around the fixed-wing UAV;

[0008] Flight control module: installed in fixed-wing UAV to control the movement of fixed-wing UAV;

[0009] Tracking algorithm board: The visible light fixed lens and flight control module are electrically connected to the tracking algorithm board through the serial port. The tracking algorithm board is used to control the flight control module and the visible light fixed lens, allowing the fixed-wing drone to track the target in real time;

[0010] The image transmission module sky unit is electrically connected to the tracking algorithm board through the serial port, and is used to receive image information from the visible light fixed lens and send image information to the image transmission module ground unit.

[0011] Image transmission module ground terminal: receives image information sent by the image transmission module sky terminal through wireless transmission and sends commands to the image transmission module sky terminal;

[0012] Ground station: The ground station is connected to the ground end of the image transmission module through a serial port. It is used to display the received image information in real time and send commands to the ground end of the image transmission module.

[0013] A fixed-wing UAV target tracking and guidance method comprises the following steps:

[0014] S1. Power-on self-test of the fixed-wing UAV, power-on self-test of the visible light fixed lens, and normal communication between the ground and sky ends of the image transmission module.

[0015] S2, fixed-wing UAV flies to a designated location and hovers or patrols;

[0016] S3. Based on the images collected by the fixed-wing UAV, the ground station selects the target to be tracked;

[0017] S4. After selecting the target, the fixed-wing UAV enters the guidance mode and starts guidance;

[0018] S5. When the fixed-wing UAV guidance fails or succeeds, the guidance state ends.

[0019] Furthermore, the step S1 includes the following sub-steps:

[0020] S1.1. The fixed-wing drone uses an onboard battery to power the fixed-wing drone, flight control module, visible light fixed lens, image transmission module sky end, and tracking algorithm board.

[0021] S1.2, the fixed-wing UAV is a three-axis small vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing UAV;

[0022] S1.3. Power on the fixed-wing drone and perform a self-test to ensure that its built-in compass, GPS, airspeed meter, and motor module are functioning properly. Power on the visible light fixed lens and perform a self-test. The ground station operator receives images from the fixed-wing drone via the image transmission module on the ground terminal to ensure that the ground station obtains images of the fixed-wing drone in real time.

[0023] S1.4. For the image transmission module described in S1.3, the ground station software is connected to the ground end of the image transmission module through the network port to receive images from the fixed-wing UAV.

[0024] Furthermore, step S2 includes the following sub-steps:

[0025] S2.1. The ground station checks whether all modules of the fixed-wing drone are normal. If the inspection passes, the fixed-wing drone is unlocked.

[0026] S2.2. Set a waypoint route to a designated location via the ground station;

[0027] S2.3. After the fixed-wing UAV reaches the designated location, it begins to hover or patrol in a circle;

[0028] S2.4. For S2.3, after the fixed-wing UAV reaches a certain altitude, it switches to fixed-wing configuration and hovers to a specified altitude, then flies to a specified location according to the route and hovers or patrols in circles.

[0029] Furthermore, step S3 includes the following sub-steps:

[0030] S3.1. The ground station receives images from the ground end of the image transmission module through the network port and displays them on the screen in real time.

[0031] S3.2. Find the target to be guided based on the image in S3.1 and select it.

[0032] S3.3. In step S3.2, since the visible light fixed lens has a high image jitter frequency, a large tracking frame is selected to improve the success rate of target selection;

[0033] S3.4. For step S3.2, the ground station selects the target, and the target coordinate information and tracking instructions are transmitted to the ground end of the image transmission module through the serial port. The ground end of the image transmission module transmits the information to the sky end of the image transmission module. The sky end of the image transmission module sends the information and instructions to the tracking algorithm board through the serial port.

[0034] Furthermore, step S4 includes the following sub-steps:

[0035] S4.1. The fixed-wing UAV enters the guidance mode and uses PI to control the roll and pitch angles of the fixed-wing UAV based on the target miss distance to keep the target in the center of the camera.

[0036] S4.2. If the target is lost or the target is locked incorrectly, repeat step S3 until the target is locked successfully;

[0037] S4.3 During guidance, to prevent the target from being lost due to severe image jitter, the maximum roll angle of the fixed-wing UAV shall not exceed 5 degrees, the maximum pitch angle shall not exceed 8 degrees, and the throttle opening shall be 50%;

[0038] S4.4. If a fixed-wing UAV loses its target during guidance, it will continue to maintain the last control command before losing the target until it finds and locks the target again or reselects the target.

[0039] S4.5. When the fixed-wing UAV is close enough to the target, the target occupies too large an area of ​​the image, exceeding the tracking frame size, and the target is lost. The fixed-wing UAV executes the last instruction before the target is lost.

[0040] S4.6. For step S4.1, the fixed-wing UAV control program is completed in C++ programming language and calls the MAVSDK library to control the fixed-wing UAV.

[0041] Furthermore, step S5 includes the following sub-steps:

[0042] S5.1. If the fixed-wing UAV hits the target and does not crash, the ground station issues a return command, and the fixed-wing UAV returns to the take-off position and locks.

[0043] S5.2: If the fixed-wing UAV misses the target, the ground station issues a return command, and the fixed-wing UAV returns to the take-off position and locks.

[0044] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0045] 1. Real-time target tracking, no need to train the algorithm in advance, can track any target, and the tracking is stable and not easy to lose the target;

[0046] 2. The present invention simplifies the guidance method and directly guides the drone by manually selecting the target, thus realizing automatic guidance of the drone and achieving one person controlling multiple drone guidance operations.

[0047] 3. Use fixed-wing drone guidance, which is faster, more maneuverable, and has longer endurance, so it can conduct reconnaissance in the air for longer periods of time and hit targets more easily and quickly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0049] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0050] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the process of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 3 This is an example of guidance targeting a ground target. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0054] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure should have the usual meanings understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which this disclosure belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0055] A fixed-wing UAV target tracking and guidance platform comprises a fixed-wing UAV: ​​used for flying and carrying a missile;

[0056] Visible light fixed lens: fixedly installed on the fixed-wing UAV, used to collect image information around the fixed-wing UAV;

[0057] Flight control module: installed in fixed-wing UAV to control the movement of fixed-wing UAV;

[0058] Tracking algorithm board: The visible light fixed lens and flight control module are electrically connected to the tracking algorithm board through the serial port. The tracking algorithm board is used to control the flight control module and the visible light fixed lens, allowing the fixed-wing drone to track the target in real time;

[0059] The image transmission module sky unit is electrically connected to the tracking algorithm board through the serial port, and is used to receive image information from the visible light fixed lens and send image information to the image transmission module ground unit.

[0060] Image transmission module ground terminal: receives image information sent by the image transmission module sky terminal through wireless transmission and sends commands to the image transmission module sky terminal;

[0061] Ground station: The ground station is connected to the ground end of the image transmission module through a serial port. It is used to display the received image information in real time and send commands to the ground end of the image transmission module.

[0062] A fixed-wing UAV target tracking and guidance method comprises the following steps:

[0063] S1. Power-on self-test of the fixed-wing UAV, power-on self-test of the visible light fixed lens, and normal communication between the ground and sky ends of the image transmission module.

[0064] S2, fixed-wing UAV flies to a designated location and hovers or patrols;

[0065] S3. Based on the images collected by the fixed-wing UAV, the ground station selects the target to be tracked;

[0066] S4. After selecting the target, the fixed-wing UAV enters the guidance mode and starts guidance;

[0067] S5. When the fixed-wing UAV guidance fails or succeeds, the guidance state ends.

[0068] Furthermore, the step S1 includes the following sub-steps:

[0069] S1.1. The fixed-wing drone uses an onboard battery to power the fixed-wing drone, flight control module, visible light fixed lens, image transmission module sky end, and tracking algorithm board.

[0070] S1.2, the fixed-wing UAV is a three-axis small vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing UAV;

[0071] S1.3. Power on the fixed-wing drone and perform a self-test to ensure that its built-in compass, GPS, airspeed meter, and motor module are functioning properly. Power on the visible light fixed lens and perform a self-test. The ground station operator receives images from the fixed-wing drone via the image transmission module on the ground terminal to ensure that the ground station obtains images of the fixed-wing drone in real time.

[0072] S1.4. For the image transmission module described in S1.3, the ground station software is connected to the ground end of the image transmission module through the network port to receive images from the fixed-wing UAV.

[0073] Furthermore, step S2 includes the following sub-steps:

[0074] S2.1. The ground station checks whether all modules of the fixed-wing drone are normal. If the inspection passes, the fixed-wing drone is unlocked.

[0075] S2.2. Set a waypoint route to a designated location via the ground station;

[0076] S2.3. After the fixed-wing UAV reaches the designated location, it begins to hover or patrol in a circle;

[0077] S2.4. For S2.3, after the fixed-wing UAV reaches a certain altitude, it switches to fixed-wing configuration and hovers to a specified altitude, then flies to a specified location according to the route and hovers or patrols in circles.

[0078] Specifically, a waypoint is set and the fixed-wing drone is unlocked. The fixed-wing drone enters automatic mode and first ascends to a height of 20m. Then it switches to fixed-wing mode and climbs in a spiral with a radius of 40m to a height of 60m relative to the ground. The fixed-wing drone then flies to the next waypoint and performs a circling action with a radius of 100m at that waypoint. The trajectory of the fixed-wing drone is checked through the ground station to determine whether the fixed-wing drone is already on the established route.

[0079] Furthermore, step S3 includes the following sub-steps:

[0080] S3.1. The ground station receives images from the ground end of the image transmission module through the network port and displays them on the screen in real time.

[0081] S3.2. Find the target to be guided based on the image in S3.1 and select it.

[0082] S3.3. In step S3.2, since the visible light fixed lens has a high image jitter frequency, a large tracking frame is selected to improve the success rate of target selection;

[0083] S3.4. For step S3.2, the ground station selects the target, and the target coordinate information and tracking instructions are transmitted to the ground end of the image transmission module through the serial port. The ground end of the image transmission module transmits the information to the sky end of the image transmission module. The sky end of the image transmission module sends the information and instructions to the tracking algorithm board through the serial port.

[0084] Specifically, when the fixed-wing drone is at an altitude of 60m and has a hovering radius of 100m, due to its larger hovering radius, the fixed-wing drone has a smaller roll angle and a more stable image. When a ground target appears in the field of view, click on the target.

[0085] Furthermore, step S4 includes the following sub-steps:

[0086] S4.1. The fixed-wing UAV enters the guidance mode and uses PI to control the roll and pitch angles of the fixed-wing UAV based on the target miss distance to keep the target in the center of the camera.

[0087] S4.2. If the target is lost or the target is locked incorrectly, repeat step S3 until the target is locked successfully;

[0088] S4.3 During guidance, to prevent the target from being lost due to severe image jitter, the maximum roll angle of the fixed-wing UAV shall not exceed 5 degrees, the maximum pitch angle shall not exceed 8 degrees, and the throttle opening shall be 50%;

[0089] S4.4. If a fixed-wing UAV loses its target during guidance, it will continue to maintain the last control command before losing the target until it finds and locks the target again or reselects the target.

[0090] S4.5. When the fixed-wing UAV is close enough to the target, the target occupies too large an area of ​​the image, exceeding the tracking frame size, and the target is lost. The fixed-wing UAV executes the last instruction before the target is lost.

[0091] S4.6. For step S4.1, the fixed-wing UAV control program is completed in C++ programming language and calls the MAVSDK library to control the fixed-wing UAV.

[0092] Specifically, after receiving the selected target coordinates and tracking frame position, the onboard program begins controlling the drone's guidance. Based on the miss distance between the target coordinates and the center point, the drone adjusts its flight attitude, flies toward the target, and then departs the flight path. At this point, the drone is at a relative altitude of 58 meters and a relative horizontal distance of 400 meters from the ground target. The drone's maximum roll angle is set to no more than 5 degrees, and its maximum pitch angle is set to no more than 8 degrees. The roll and pitch angles are adjusted in small increments to prevent excessive movement and loss of the target in the image. The throttle is set to 50% to prevent excessive or inadequate throttle from increasing or decreasing the height, which could affect guidance. A PID control algorithm is used to calculate the roll and pitch angles required to control the drone's guidance to the target. The roll and pitch angles are then set and controlled using the MAVSDK library functions in the C++ programming language, ensuring a smoother flight and better targeting of the target. When the fixed-wing drone was 30 meters away from the ground target, the target was too large and exceeded the maximum limit of the tracking frame, so it lost the target. At this time, the target was in the upper right corner of the image. The fixed-wing drone continued to execute the final attitude of rolling to the right at a 2-degree angle, maintaining a pitch angle of 7 degrees, and continuing to fly at a speed of 25m / s until it hit the target.

[0093] Furthermore, step S5 includes the following sub-steps:

[0094] S5.1. If the fixed-wing UAV hits the target and does not crash, the ground station issues a return command, and the fixed-wing UAV returns to the take-off position and locks.

[0095] S5.2: If the fixed-wing UAV misses the target, the ground station issues a return command, and the fixed-wing UAV returns to the take-off position and locks.

[0096] (1) Unless otherwise defined, in the embodiments of the present disclosure and the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same meanings.

[0097] (2) In the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure, only the structures related to the embodiments of the present disclosure are involved, and other structures can refer to the general design.

[0098] (3) For the sake of clarity, components or regions are exaggerated in the drawings used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure. It is understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” or “under” another element, the element may be “directly on” or “under” the other element, or intervening elements may be present.

[0099] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, but the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A fixed-wing UAV target tracking and guidance platform, characterized by: These include fixed-wing drones: used to fly and carry missiles; Visible light fixed lens: fixedly installed on the fixed-wing UAV, used to collect image information around the fixed-wing UAV; Flight control module: installed in fixed-wing UAV to control the movement of fixed-wing UAV; Tracking algorithm board: The visible light fixed lens and flight control module are electrically connected to the tracking algorithm board through the serial port. The tracking algorithm board is used to control the flight control module and the visible light fixed lens, allowing the fixed-wing drone to track the target in real time; The image transmission module sky unit is electrically connected to the tracking algorithm board through the serial port, and is used to receive image information from the visible light fixed lens and send image information to the image transmission module ground unit. Image transmission module ground terminal: receives image information sent by the image transmission module sky terminal through wireless transmission and sends commands to the image transmission module sky terminal; Ground station: The ground station is connected to the ground end of the image transmission module through a serial port. It is used to display the received image information in real time and send commands to the ground end of the image transmission module.

2. A fixed-wing UAV target tracking and guidance platform according to claim 1, providing a fixed-wing UAV target tracking and guidance method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. Power-on self-test of the fixed-wing UAV, power-on self-test of the visible light fixed lens, and normal communication between the ground and sky ends of the image transmission module. S2, fixed-wing UAV flies to a designated location and hovers or patrols; S3. Based on the images collected by the fixed-wing UAV, the ground station selects the target to be tracked; S4. After selecting the target, the fixed-wing UAV enters the guidance mode and starts guidance; S5. When the fixed-wing UAV guidance fails or succeeds, the guidance state ends.

3. The method for tracking and guiding a fixed-wing UAV target according to claim 2, wherein: The step S1 includes the following sub-steps: S1.

1. The fixed-wing drone uses an onboard battery to power the fixed-wing drone, flight control module, visible light fixed lens, image transmission module sky end, and tracking algorithm board. S1.2, the fixed-wing UAV is a three-axis small vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing UAV; S1.

3. Power on the fixed-wing drone and perform a self-test to ensure that its built-in compass, GPS, airspeed meter, and motor module are all functioning properly. The visible light fixed lens performs a power-on self-test, and the ground station operator receives images from the fixed-wing drone through the image transmission module on the ground end, ensuring that the ground station obtains images of the fixed-wing drone in real time; S1.

4. For the image transmission module described in S1.3, the ground station software is connected to the ground end of the image transmission module through the network port to receive images from the fixed-wing UAV.

4. The method for tracking and guiding a fixed-wing UAV target according to claim 2, wherein: The step S2 includes the following sub-steps: S2.

1. The ground station checks whether all modules of the fixed-wing drone are normal. If the inspection passes, the fixed-wing drone is unlocked. S2.

2. Set a waypoint route to a designated location via the ground station; S2.

3. After the fixed-wing UAV reaches the designated location, it begins to hover or patrol in a circle; S2.

4. For S2.3, after the fixed-wing UAV reaches a certain altitude, it switches to fixed-wing configuration and hovers to a specified altitude, then flies to a specified location according to the route and hovers or patrols in circles.

5. The fixed-wing UAV target tracking and guidance method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step S3 includes the following sub-steps: S3.

1. The ground station receives images from the ground end of the image transmission module through the network port and displays them on the screen in real time. S3.

2. Find the target to be guided based on the image in S3.1 and select it. S3.

3. In step S3.2, since the visible light fixed lens has a high image jitter frequency, a large tracking frame is selected to improve the success rate of target selection; S3.

4. For step S3.2, the ground station selects the target, and the target coordinate information and tracking instructions are transmitted to the ground end of the image transmission module through the serial port. The ground end of the image transmission module transmits the information to the sky end of the image transmission module. The sky end of the image transmission module sends the information and instructions to the tracking algorithm board through the serial port.

6. The fixed-wing UAV target tracking and guidance method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step S4 includes the following sub-steps: S4.

1. The fixed-wing UAV enters the guidance mode and uses PI to control the roll and pitch angles of the fixed-wing UAV based on the target miss distance to keep the target in the center of the camera. S4.

2. If the target is lost or the target is locked incorrectly, repeat step S3 until the target is locked successfully; S4.3 During guidance, to prevent the target from being lost due to severe image jitter, the maximum roll angle of the fixed-wing UAV shall not exceed 5 degrees, the maximum pitch angle shall not exceed 8 degrees, and the throttle opening shall be 50%; S4.

4. If a fixed-wing UAV loses its target during guidance, it will continue to maintain the last control command before losing the target until it finds and locks the target again or reselects the target. S4.

5. When the fixed-wing UAV is close enough to the target, the target occupies too large an area of ​​the image, exceeding the tracking frame size, and the target is lost. The fixed-wing UAV executes the last instruction before the target is lost. S4.

6. For step S4.1, the fixed-wing UAV control program is completed in C++ programming language and calls the MAVSDK library to control the fixed-wing UAV.

7. The fixed-wing UAV target tracking and guidance method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step S5 includes the following sub-steps: S5.

1. If the fixed-wing UAV hits the target and does not crash, the ground station issues a return command, and the fixed-wing UAV returns to the take-off position and locks. S5.2: If the fixed-wing UAV misses the target, the ground station issues a return command, and the fixed-wing UAV returns to the take-off position and locks.

Images