Unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned vehicle full-autonomous linkage inspection system and cooperative control method

Abstract

The unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned vehicle full-autonomous linkage inspection system comprises an electric power company intranet platform, an unmanned aerial vehicle library inspection system and a third-party unmanned vehicle control platform, and the electric power company intranet platform issues an unmanned aerial vehicle inspection instruction to the unmanned aerial vehicle library inspection system; the unmanned aerial vehicle warehouse inspection system carries out control operation on the unmanned vehicle and the unmanned aerial vehicle through instructions of the third-party unmanned vehicle control platform and the electric power company intranet platform. The third-party unmanned vehicle control platform performs instruction scheduling on the unmanned vehicle to control the operation of the unmanned vehicle; according to the invention, cooperative operation of dynamic adjustment of the inspection position of the unmanned vehicle and autonomous inspection of the unmanned aerial vehicle is realized, environmental adaptability detection and task closed-loop management are completed through multi-platform information interaction, and the unmanned aerial vehicle inspection system is high in adaptability and high in reliability. And the automation level and the safety of power equipment inspection are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) automated inspection technology, and more specifically, to a fully autonomous joint inspection system and collaborative control method of UAV + unmanned vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Drone inspections offer several significant advantages: high efficiency, enabling rapid coverage of large areas; strong safety, avoiding human involvement in high-risk environments (such as high-voltage power towers and chemical industrial parks) or operations in extreme weather, reducing accident risks; accurate data, utilizing infrared thermal imaging and AI recognition technologies to accurately identify potential hazards such as road damage and equipment overheating; low cost, saving on manpower and equipment expenses; and flexibility to adapt to complex scenarios, handling environments difficult to access manually, such as mountainous areas, waterways, and nighttime conditions, and extending to areas like traffic management and emergency response. Furthermore, combined with cloud management and automation technologies, real-time data transmission, intelligent analysis, and rapid response are achieved, driving the transformation of inspections towards intelligence and demonstrating broad application prospects in the field of power grid safety operations.

[0003] In existing technologies, traditional drone inspections rely on manual operation, which is inefficient and costly. Drones lack obstacle avoidance capabilities in complex environments (such as high-voltage lines and dense obstacles), and task allocation and communication synchronization are difficult during multi-drone collaborative inspections. Automatic inspections using drones on fixed routes cannot dynamically respond to sudden obstacles or task changes. Therefore, it is necessary to research fully autonomous mobile inspection methods based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a fully autonomous joint inspection system and collaborative control method for drones and unmanned vehicles. By integrating unmanned driving technology, multi-machine collaborative control algorithms and cloud-based intelligent decision-making modules, when a fault occurs, the unmanned vehicle receives the task instruction and automatically arrives at the fault location. The drone's hive plans the route and performs the task of inspecting the fault location. The inspection results are then transmitted back, and the two platforms are jointly scheduled to achieve fully autonomous inspection of drones and unmanned vehicles in complex environments.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a fully autonomous joint inspection system combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned vehicles (UAVs), comprising a power company intranet platform, an UAV hangar inspection system, and a third-party UAV control platform.

[0007] The power company's intranet platform generates drone inspection tasks through routine inspection planning and fault information analysis. It generates the inspection route by binding the task content with the flight path, issues the inspection route, issues drone inspection instructions to the drone hangar inspection system, and collects drone inspection data, drone hangar status information and drone status information. It also identifies defects and faults in the inspection data.

[0008] The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hangar inspection system is used to receive inspection tasks from the power company's intranet platform, receive inspection task routes issued by the power company's intranet platform, command UAVs to conduct inspections through UAV nests, transmit unmanned vehicle task instructions to a third-party unmanned vehicle control platform via voice, and control the unmanned vehicle and UAVs respectively through instructions from the third-party unmanned vehicle control platform and the power company's intranet platform.

[0009] The third-party unmanned vehicle control platform schedules and controls the operation of the unmanned vehicles by issuing commands; after the unmanned vehicles have completed their operation, they feed back the status commands of the unmanned vehicles to the unmanned hangar inspection system via voice signals to coordinate tasks.

[0010] The power company's intranet platform includes a data intelligence hub, a provincial company drone platform, and a third-party drone platform. The data intelligence hub is communicatively connected to the provincial company drone platform, and the provincial company drone platform is communicatively connected to the third-party drone platform.

[0011] The specific process for implementing the functions of the power company's intranet platform is as follows:

[0012] Step 1.1: Generate this UAV inspection mission by analyzing the routine inspection plan and fault information;

[0013] Step 1.2: Send the inspection task generated in Step 1.1 to the UAV hangar inspection system and wait for the UAV inspection operation to be carried out.

[0014] Step 1.3: After the inspection work in Step 1.2 is accepted, the returned inspection images and fault location videos will be used for image recognition and analysis to determine whether the equipment at the inspection location has a fault or defect, and the recognition results will be saved to the intranet platform.

[0015] The drone hangar inspection system includes a drone nest, drones, unmanned vehicles, and an unmanned vehicle control terminal. The drone nest is connected to the power company's intranet platform to receive drone inspection instructions and control the drones to perform inspections according to the instructions. The drone nest also communicates with the unmanned vehicle control terminal via a LoRa device. The unmanned vehicle control terminal receives instructions from a third-party unmanned vehicle control platform to control the unmanned vehicles to perform inspections.

[0016] The specific process for implementing the functions of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hangar inspection system is as follows:

[0017] Step 2.1: Receive the inspection task issued by the power company's intranet platform, plan the unmanned vehicle route, and bind the task to the route.

[0018] The generated flight path and mission information are sent to a third-party autonomous vehicle control platform, while feedback information is received from the third-party autonomous vehicle control platform.

[0019] Step 2.3: Judge the information returned in Step 2.2, confirm that the inspection location is correct and the environment is suitable for takeoff, then operate the drone to take off and carry out automatic inspection operations;

[0020] In step 2.2 of the unmanned vehicle hangar inspection system, the feedback information from the third-party unmanned vehicle control platform includes: the latitude and longitude information of the location of the unmanned vehicle on site, and the on-site environmental assessment information.

[0021] The implementation method of the third-party unmanned vehicle control platform includes the following steps:

[0022] Step 3.1: Receive the inspection route task issued by the drone warehouse inspection system and direct the drone vehicle to the designated location;

[0023] Step 3.2: After arriving at the destination, send the relevant environmental information and the latitude and longitude information of the unmanned vehicle to the unmanned vehicle hangar inspection system;

[0024] Step 3.3: Receive confirmation information from the drone hangar inspection system regarding whether takeoff conditions are met. If takeoff conditions are not met, instruct the drone to adjust its destination and then conduct takeoff testing. If takeoff conditions are met, remain stationary and wait for the drone to complete the inspection operation.

[0025] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a collaborative control method for a fully autonomous joint inspection system combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned vehicles (UAVs), comprising the following specific steps:

[0026] By planning routine inspections and analyzing fault information, a drone inspection task is generated, and the task route for this inspection is generated by binding the task content with the flight path.

[0027] The relevant task information is transmitted to a third-party unmanned vehicle control platform through the unmanned vehicle hangar inspection system. The control platform then controls the autonomous unmanned vehicle to reach the destination according to the instructions.

[0028] The drone hangar inspection system determines whether the destination is ready for takeoff. If not, it issues a position adjustment command. After adjusting to a suitable position, it determines whether the conditions are met based on the return position and then takes off. If the conditions are met, it takes off directly.

[0029] The drones execute flight path missions and upload real-time video and inspection photos to the power company's intranet platform through the drone warehouse inspection system.

[0030] The power company's intranet platform performs fault video analysis and image analysis on the transmitted real-time video and inspection images respectively, and then conducts equipment fault assessment.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0032] This invention combines the autonomous inspection operations of drone airports with the automatic arrival at task points by unmanned vehicles. Through a fully autonomous collaborative operation mode of "drone + unmanned vehicle" based on fault tasks, it realizes large-scale unmanned autonomous inspection of distribution network line faults, reduces labor costs, improves inspection efficiency, and enhances the quality and efficiency of distribution network operation and maintenance.

[0033] The hierarchical collaborative control architecture of this invention significantly reduces operational risks. The distributed control structure enhances the system's robustness, ensuring overall operation can be maintained even in the event of a single machine failure through task reallocation.

[0034] This invention supports flexible adaptation to multiple scenarios. It utilizes cloud-based AI algorithms to perform real-time analysis of inspection data (such as automatically generating defect reports) and optimizes task strategies based on deep learning. Furthermore, the system is compatible with various sensors and mobile hubs (vehicle-mounted and fixed), extending to multiple fields such as power, transportation, and energy. It achieves all-terrain coverage through heterogeneous unmanned system collaborative control technology (drone + unmanned vehicle), while the modular communication protocol design ensures the universality and security of cross-industry applications. Attached Figure Description

[0035] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a system structure diagram of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the method of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following drawings indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.

[0039] The terms “comprising,” “including,” or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase “comprising one…” does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0040] The terms “first,” “second,” etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor as requiring or implying any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations.

[0041] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, this application provides a fully autonomous joint inspection system combining drones and unmanned vehicles, including a power company intranet platform 100, a drone warehouse inspection system 200, and a third-party unmanned vehicle control platform 300.

[0042] The power company's intranet platform 100 generates drone inspection tasks through routine inspection planning and fault information analysis. It generates the inspection route by binding the task content with the flight path, issues the inspection route, issues drone inspection instructions to the drone hangar inspection system 200, and collects drone inspection data, drone hangar status information and drone status information. It also identifies defects and faults in the inspection data.

[0043] The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hangar inspection system 200 is used to receive inspection tasks from the power company's intranet platform, receive inspection task routes issued by the power company's intranet platform, command UAVs to conduct inspections through UAV nests, transmit unmanned vehicle task instructions to a third-party unmanned vehicle control platform via voice, and control the unmanned vehicle and UAVs respectively through instructions from the third-party unmanned vehicle control platform and the power company's intranet platform.

[0044] The third-party unmanned vehicle control platform 300 schedules and controls the operation of the unmanned vehicle by issuing commands; after the unmanned vehicle completes its operation, it feeds back the unmanned vehicle status command to the unmanned hangar inspection system via voice signal to coordinate tasks.

[0045] See further Figure 1 The power company's intranet platform includes a digital intelligence hub, a provincial company drone platform, and a third-party drone platform. The digital intelligence hub is communicatively connected to the provincial company drone platform, and the provincial company drone platform is communicatively connected to the third-party drone platform.

[0046] The specific process for implementing the functions of the power company's intranet platform is as follows:

[0047] Step 1.1: Generate this UAV inspection mission by analyzing the routine inspection plan and fault information;

[0048] Step 1.2: Send the inspection task generated in Step 1.1 to the UAV hangar inspection system and wait for the UAV inspection operation to be carried out.

[0049] Step 1.3: After the inspection work in Step 1.2 is accepted, the returned inspection images and fault location videos will be used for image recognition and analysis to determine whether the equipment at the inspection location has a fault or defect, and the recognition results will be saved to the intranet platform.

[0050] See further Figure 1 The drone hangar inspection system includes a drone nest, drones, unmanned vehicles, and an unmanned vehicle control terminal. The drone nest is connected to the power company's intranet platform to receive drone inspection instructions and control the drones to perform inspections according to the instructions. The drone nest also communicates with the unmanned vehicle control terminal via a LoRa device. The unmanned vehicle control terminal receives instructions from a third-party unmanned vehicle control platform to control the unmanned vehicles to perform inspections.

[0051] The specific process for implementing the functions of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hangar inspection system is as follows:

[0052] Step 2.1: Receive the inspection task issued by the power company's intranet platform, plan the unmanned vehicle route, and bind the task to the route.

[0053] The generated flight path and mission information are sent to a third-party autonomous vehicle control platform, while feedback information is received from the third-party autonomous vehicle control platform.

[0054] Step 2.3: Judge the information returned in Step 2.2, confirm that the inspection location is correct and the environment is suitable for takeoff, then operate the drone to take off and carry out automatic inspection operations;

[0055] In step 2.2 of the unmanned vehicle hangar inspection system, the feedback information from the third-party unmanned vehicle control platform includes: the latitude and longitude information of the location of the unmanned vehicle on site, and the on-site environmental assessment information.

[0056] The implementation method of the third-party unmanned vehicle control platform includes the following steps:

[0057] Step 3.1: Receive the inspection route task issued by the drone warehouse inspection system and direct the drone vehicle to the designated location;

[0058] Step 3.2: After arriving at the destination, send the relevant environmental information and the latitude and longitude information of the unmanned vehicle to the unmanned vehicle hangar inspection system;

[0059] Step 3.3: Receive confirmation information from the drone hangar inspection system regarding whether takeoff conditions are met. If takeoff conditions are not met, instruct the drone to adjust its destination and then conduct takeoff testing. If takeoff conditions are met, remain stationary and wait for the drone to complete the inspection operation.

[0060] like Figure 2 As shown in the figure, this application provides a collaborative control method for a fully autonomous joint inspection system combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned vehicles (UAVs), including the following specific steps:

[0061] By planning routine inspections and analyzing fault information, a drone inspection task is generated, and the task route for this inspection is generated by binding the task content with the flight path.

[0062] The relevant task information is transmitted to a third-party unmanned vehicle control platform through the unmanned vehicle hangar inspection system. The control platform then controls the autonomous unmanned vehicle to reach the destination according to the instructions.

[0063] The drone hangar inspection system determines whether the destination is ready for takeoff. If not, it issues a position adjustment command. After adjusting to a suitable position, it determines whether the conditions are met based on the return position and then takes off. If the conditions are met, it takes off directly.

[0064] The drones execute flight path missions and upload real-time video and inspection photos to the power company's intranet platform through the drone warehouse inspection system.

[0065] The power company's intranet platform performs fault video analysis and image analysis on the transmitted real-time video and inspection images respectively, and then conducts equipment fault assessment.

[0066] This invention combines the autonomous inspection operations of drone airports with the automatic arrival at task points by unmanned vehicles. Through a fully autonomous collaborative operation mode of "drone + unmanned vehicle" based on fault tasks, it realizes large-scale unmanned autonomous inspection of distribution network line faults, reduces labor costs, improves inspection efficiency, and enhances the quality and efficiency of distribution network operation and maintenance.

[0067] The hierarchical collaborative control architecture of this invention significantly reduces operational risks. The distributed control structure enhances the system's robustness, ensuring overall operation can be maintained even in the event of a single machine failure through task reallocation.

[0068] This invention supports flexible adaptation to multiple scenarios. It utilizes cloud-based AI algorithms to perform real-time analysis of inspection data (such as automatically generating defect reports) and optimizes task strategies based on deep learning. Furthermore, the system is compatible with various sensors and mobile hubs (vehicle-mounted and fixed), extending to multiple fields such as power, transportation, and energy. It achieves all-terrain coverage through heterogeneous unmanned system collaborative control technology (drone + unmanned vehicle), while the modular communication protocol design ensures the universality and security of cross-industry applications.

[0069] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A fully autonomous joint inspection system combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned vehicles (UAVs), characterized in that: This includes the power company's intranet platform, the drone warehouse inspection system, and a third-party drone control platform. The power company's intranet platform generates drone inspection tasks through routine inspection planning and fault information analysis. It generates the inspection route by binding the task content with the flight path, issues the inspection route, issues drone inspection instructions to the drone hangar inspection system, and collects drone inspection data, drone hangar status information and drone status information. It also identifies defects and faults in the inspection data. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hangar inspection system is used to receive inspection tasks from the power company's intranet platform, receive inspection task routes issued by the power company's intranet platform, command UAVs to conduct inspections through UAV nests, transmit unmanned vehicle task instructions to a third-party unmanned vehicle control platform via voice, and control the unmanned vehicle and UAVs respectively through instructions from the third-party unmanned vehicle control platform and the power company's intranet platform. The third-party unmanned vehicle control platform schedules and controls the operation of the unmanned vehicles by issuing commands; after the unmanned vehicles have completed their operation, they feed back the status commands of the unmanned vehicles to the unmanned hangar inspection system via voice signals to coordinate tasks.

2. The fully autonomous joint inspection system of UAV + unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power company's intranet platform includes a data intelligence hub, a provincial company drone platform, and a third-party drone platform. The data intelligence hub is communicatively connected to the provincial company drone platform, and the provincial company drone platform is communicatively connected to the third-party drone platform.

3. The fully autonomous joint inspection system of UAV + unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specific process for implementing the functions of the power company's intranet platform is as follows: Step 1.1: Generate this UAV inspection mission by analyzing the routine inspection plan and fault information; Step 1.2: Send the inspection task generated in Step 1.1 to the UAV hangar inspection system and wait for the UAV inspection operation to be carried out. Step 1.3: After the inspection work in Step 1.2 is accepted, the returned inspection images and fault location videos will be used for image recognition and analysis to determine whether the equipment at the inspection location has a fault or defect, and the recognition results will be saved to the intranet platform.

4. The fully autonomous joint inspection system of UAV + unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drone hangar inspection system includes a drone nest, drones, unmanned vehicles, and an unmanned vehicle control terminal. The drone nest is connected to the power company's intranet platform to receive drone inspection instructions and control the drones to perform inspections according to the instructions. The drone nest also communicates with the unmanned vehicle control terminal via a LoRa device. The unmanned vehicle control terminal receives instructions from a third-party unmanned vehicle control platform to control the unmanned vehicles to perform inspections.

5. The fully autonomous joint inspection system of UAV + unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specific process for implementing the functions of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hangar inspection system is as follows: Step 2.1: Receive the inspection task issued by the power company's intranet platform, plan the unmanned vehicle route, and bind the task to the route. The generated flight path and mission information are sent to a third-party autonomous vehicle control platform, while feedback information is received from the third-party autonomous vehicle control platform. Step 2.3: Judge the information returned in Step 2.2, confirm that the inspection location is correct and the environment is suitable for takeoff, then operate the drone to take off and carry out automatic inspection operations; In step 2.2 of the unmanned vehicle hangar inspection system, the feedback information from the third-party unmanned vehicle control platform includes: the latitude and longitude information of the location of the unmanned vehicle on site, and the on-site environmental assessment information.

6. The fully autonomous joint inspection system of UAV + unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The implementation method of the third-party unmanned vehicle control platform includes the following steps: Step 3.1: Receive the inspection route task issued by the drone warehouse inspection system and direct the drone vehicle to the designated location; Step 3.2: After arriving at the destination, send the relevant environmental information and the latitude and longitude information of the unmanned vehicle to the unmanned vehicle hangar inspection system; Step 3.3: Receive confirmation information from the drone hangar inspection system regarding whether takeoff conditions are met. If takeoff conditions are not met, instruct the drone to adjust its destination and then conduct takeoff testing. If takeoff conditions are met, remain stationary and wait for the drone to complete the inspection operation.

7. A collaborative control method for a fully autonomous joint inspection system combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned vehicles (UAVs), characterized in that, The specific steps include the following: By planning routine inspections and analyzing fault information, a drone inspection task is generated, and the task route for this inspection is generated by binding the task content with the flight path. The relevant task information is transmitted to a third-party unmanned vehicle control platform through the unmanned vehicle hangar inspection system. The control platform then controls the autonomous unmanned vehicle to reach the destination according to the instructions. The drone hangar inspection system determines whether the destination is ready for takeoff. If not, it issues a position adjustment command. After adjusting to a suitable position, it determines whether the conditions are met based on the return position and then takes off. If the conditions are met, it takes off directly. The drones execute flight path missions and upload real-time videos and inspection photos to the power company's intranet platform through the drone warehouse inspection system. The power company's intranet platform performs fault video analysis and image analysis on the transmitted real-time video and inspection images respectively, and then conducts equipment fault assessment.

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