A method and device for generating waypoints for a drone

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of unmanned aerial vehicle waypoint generation method and device, it is related to unmanned aerial vehicle technical field.Based on bridge boundary point set determines inspection area topological boundary, constructs minimum closed inspection area;In the minimum closed inspection area minimum closed circumscribed rectangle, generate parallel scanning line, obtain each scanning line and the intersection point of minimum closed inspection area boundary and obstacle polygon each edge line, obtain the safety interval and obstacle interval on each scanning line by judging intersection point position;Safety interval navigation point is generated in the safety interval on scanning line, and obstacle avoidance navigation point is generated at the boundary of obstacle interval, form preliminary navigation point sequence;Using alternate scanning mode generates covering path, interpolation and deduplication processing are carried out to preliminary navigation point sequence, generate final navigation point sequence, output as navigation point file, and realize autonomous inspection flight by interface and unmanned aerial vehicle flight control system docking.Solve the problem that the prior art sets low efficiency and there is security risk.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for generating UAV waypoints. Background Technology

[0002] As a critical infrastructure for transportation, the safety of bridges directly affects the smoothness and safety of traffic. Regular, comprehensive, and meticulous inspections of bridges to promptly identify potential safety hazards and take corresponding measures are essential for ensuring the safe operation of bridges.

[0003] In automated bridge inspection, the intelligence and reliability of waypoint planning algorithms are crucial, but existing technologies have significant shortcomings: manual waypoint setting is inefficient and time-consuming, prone to blind spots or overlapping coverage, and difficult to meet the needs of large-scale, high-frequency inspections; most route planning systems lack forward-looking static obstacle avoidance capabilities and rely on UAVs for real-time dynamic obstacle avoidance, which poses safety hazards in areas with dense obstacles and poor GPS signals. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In this embodiment of the application, a method for generating waypoints for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is provided, which solves the problems of low efficiency and safety hazards in setting waypoints in the prior art.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a method for generating waypoints for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This method includes: determining the topological boundary of an inspection area based on a bridge boundary point set, and constructing a minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight; generating parallel scan lines at preset intervals within the minimum closed bounding rectangle of the minimum closed inspection area, obtaining the intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and each edge of the obstacle polygon, and determining the safe zone and obstacle zone on each scan line by judging the intersection point positions; generating safe zone waypoints within the safe zone on the scan line, and generating obstacle avoidance waypoints at the boundary of the obstacle zone, forming a preliminary waypoint sequence; generating a coverage path using an alternating scanning method, interpolating and deduplicating the preliminary waypoint sequence based on the coverage path, and generating a final waypoint sequence; outputting the final waypoint sequence as a waypoint file, and interfacing with the UAV flight control system via an interface to achieve autonomous inspection flight.

[0006] In one possible implementation, the step of determining the topological boundary of the inspection area based on the bridge boundary point set and constructing the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight includes: selecting the point with the smallest ordinate in the bridge boundary point set as a reference point; for other points in the bridge boundary point set besides the reference point, based on... Calculate its polar angle relative to the reference point; where, The polar angle of other points relative to the reference point. The coordinates of the reference point, The coordinates of points other than the reference point are given; the points are sorted according to the calculated polar angles to determine the vertex sequence; the polygon formed by the vertex sequence is the topological boundary of the inspection area, and the area enclosed by the topological boundary is the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight.

[0007] In one possible implementation, generating parallel scan lines at preset intervals within the minimum closed bounding rectangle of the minimum closed inspection area includes: obtaining the minimum abscissa, minimum ordinate, maximum abscissa, and maximum ordinate from the coordinates of all points within the minimum closed inspection area, and using these four coordinates as the coordinates of the four vertices of the minimum closed bounding rectangle to determine the minimum closed bounding rectangle of the minimum closed inspection area; generating parallel scan lines at preset intervals within the determined minimum closed bounding rectangle; based on... Determine the preset spacing; among which, For preset spacing, The overlap coefficient, The altitude at which the drone flies. This refers to the field of view of the drone camera.

[0008] In one possible implementation, obtaining the intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and each edge of the obstacle polygon, and determining the safe zone and obstacle zone on each scan line by judging the position of the intersection points, includes: based on Determine the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and the edges of each obstacle polygon; among which... The ordinate of the point on the calculated line. The coordinates of the reference point, and These are the coordinates of two distinct points on the same straight line. The x-coordinate of any point on the line is given; the intersection of each scan line with the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and the edges of the obstacle polygon is obtained; an interval is formed between two adjacent intersection points, and the interval type is determined by judging the position of the midpoint of the interval; if the midpoint of the interval is within the minimum closed inspection area and not inside any obstacle polygon, the interval is a safe interval; if the midpoint of the interval is on or inside the boundary of the obstacle polygon, the interval is an obstacle interval.

[0009] In one possible implementation, generating safe zone waypoints within the safe zone on the scan line and generating obstacle avoidance waypoints at the boundary of obstacle zones to form a preliminary waypoint sequence includes: generating safe zone waypoints within the safe zone on the scan line according to a preset step size; converting obstacle zones on the scan line into avoidance points, based on... Set the scan line height for the avoidance point; where, To avoid the height of the scan line at the point of collision, The maximum value of the scan line in the obstacle interval where the avoidance point is located. As a preset safety margin; during the generation of safe zone waypoints, if an obstacle zone is encountered, multiple boundary following waypoints are generated along the boundary of the obstacle zone. These boundary following waypoints are used as part of the obstacle avoidance waypoints and are inspected closely to the obstacle boundary. During the generation of boundary following waypoints, it is continuously determined whether the line connecting the current point and the target point intersects the current obstacle. Once the line does not intersect the current obstacle, it indicates that the obstacle has been successfully bypassed. At this time, the obstacle zone boundary is left, and safe zone waypoints are generated again along the scan line direction to form a preliminary waypoint sequence.

[0010] In one possible implementation, starting from the first waypoint in the initial waypoint sequence, the Euclidean distance between that waypoint and subsequent waypoints is obtained sequentially, and waypoints with an Euclidean distance less than a preset threshold are merged.

[0011] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a UAV waypoint generation device, which includes: a construction module, used to determine the topological boundary of the inspection area based on the bridge boundary point set, and construct the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight; an acquisition module, used to generate parallel scan lines at preset intervals within the minimum closed bounding rectangle of the minimum closed inspection area, acquire the intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and each edge of the obstacle polygon, and obtain the safe zone and obstacle zone on each scan line by judging the position of the intersection points; a generation module, used to generate safe zone waypoints within the safe zone on the scan line, and generate obstacle avoidance waypoints at the boundary of the obstacle zone, forming a preliminary waypoint sequence; a processing module, used to generate a coverage path using an alternating scanning method, and perform interpolation and deduplication processing on the preliminary waypoint sequence based on the coverage path to generate a final waypoint sequence; and an output module, used to output the final waypoint sequence as a waypoint file, and connect with the UAV flight control system through an interface to achieve autonomous inspection flight.

[0012] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a UAV waypoint generation server, including a memory and a processor; the memory is used to store computer-executable instructions; the processor is used to execute the computer-executable instructions to implement the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0013] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions, which, when executed by a computer, enable the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0014] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application have at least the following technical effects:

[0015] This application provides a method for generating waypoints for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The method determines the topological boundary of the inspection area based on a bridge boundary point set, constructing a minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight. Parallel scan lines are generated at preset intervals within the minimum closed bounding rectangle of the minimum closed inspection area. The intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and the edges of the obstacle polygon are obtained. The safe zone and obstacle zone on each scan line are determined by judging the intersection point positions. Safe zone waypoints are generated within the safe zones on the scan lines, and obstacle avoidance waypoints are generated at the boundaries of the obstacle zones, forming a preliminary waypoint sequence. An alternating scan method is used to generate a coverage path. Based on the coverage path, the preliminary waypoint sequence is interpolated and deduplicated to generate a final waypoint sequence. The final waypoint sequence is output as a waypoint file and interfaced with the UAV flight control system to achieve autonomous inspection flight. This invention achieves fully automated, comprehensive waypoint coverage within the smallest closed inspection area. Obstacle avoidance logic is embedded at the route generation source, generating a waypoint sequence with inherent safety, reducing reliance on real-time obstacle avoidance during flight. An efficient scanline strategy ensures continuous and minimally maneuverable routes, improving inspection efficiency. Furthermore, this invention is easily integrated with various flight control systems. It solves the problems of low efficiency and safety hazards associated with existing waypoint setting technologies. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of this application or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method for generating waypoints for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provided in this application embodiment;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a rendering of waypoint generation in the ROS system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a UAV waypoint generation device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a UAV waypoint generation server provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0022] The following description of some technologies involved in the embodiments of this application is provided to aid understanding and should be considered merely exemplary. Therefore, those skilled in the art should recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of this application. Similarly, for clarity and brevity, some descriptions of well-known functions and structures are omitted in the following description.

[0023] This application provides a method for generating waypoints for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as... Figure 1 As shown, the method includes steps S101 to S105. Wherein, Figure 1 This is merely one execution order shown in the embodiments of this application and does not represent the only execution order for a UAV waypoint generation method. Where the final result can be achieved, Figure 1 The steps shown can be performed in parallel or in reverse order.

[0024] S101: Determine the topological boundary of the inspection area based on the bridge boundary point set, and construct the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight.

[0025] Specifically, before S101, an input parameter initialization operation needs to be performed to receive a series of key parameters, including the boundary information of the minimum closed inspection area, obstacle area data, and flight altitude parameters, and to format the data.

[0026] Based on the bridge boundary point set, the topological boundary of the inspection area is determined, and the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight is constructed, including the following:

[0027] The point with the smallest ordinate in the bridge boundary point set is selected as the reference point.

[0028] For the points in the bridge boundary point set other than the reference point, based on Calculate its polar angle relative to the reference point. Wherein, The polar angle of other points relative to the reference point. The coordinates of the reference point, The x-coordinate of the reference point The ordinate of the reference point, The coordinates of points other than the reference point. The x-coordinates of points other than the reference point. The ordinates are the ordinates of points other than the reference point.

[0029] The vertex sequence is determined by sorting the points according to their calculated polar angles. The polygon formed by the vertex sequence is the topological boundary of the inspection area, and the area enclosed by the topological boundary is the minimum closed inspection area for the UAV flight.

[0030] Specifically, the sorting method can employ common ascending or descending order. Sorting clearly determines the relative position order of each point in a polar coordinate system centered on the reference point. Based on this sorting result, the vertex sequence is determined sequentially. The polygon formed by this vertex sequence is the topological boundary of the inspection area. It precisely delineates the minimum closed inspection area that the UAV needs to cover, enabling efficient and accurate bridge inspection. For example, by arranging the calculated polar angles in ascending order and connecting the corresponding points sequentially, a closed polygon is formed. This polygon is the topological boundary of the inspection area. The UAV will conduct inspection flights within this closed area according to the planned route, ensuring that no area that needs to be inspected is missed, while also avoiding unnecessary expansion of the flight range, thus improving inspection efficiency and accuracy.

[0031] S102: Generate parallel scan lines at preset intervals within the minimum closed bounding rectangle of the minimum closed inspection area, obtain the intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and each edge of the obstacle polygon, and obtain the safe zone and obstacle zone on each scan line by judging the position of the intersection points.

[0032] Parallel scan lines are generated within the smallest closed bounding rectangle of the smallest closed inspection area according to a preset spacing, including the following:

[0033] By obtaining the minimum x-coordinate, minimum y-coordinate, maximum x-coordinate, and maximum y-coordinate among all points within the minimum closed inspection area, these four coordinates are used as the coordinates of the four vertices of the minimum closed circumscribed rectangle to determine the minimum closed circumscribed rectangle of the minimum closed inspection area.

[0034] Specifically, the coordinates of the four vertices of the smallest closed circumrectangle can be... .in, The minimum x-coordinate among all points within the minimum closed inspection area. It is the minimum ordinate among all point coordinates within the minimum closed inspection area. The maximum x-coordinate among all points within the minimum closed inspection area. It is the maximum ordinate among all points within the smallest closed inspection area.

[0035] Parallel scan lines are generated within the defined minimum closed bounding rectangle according to a preset spacing.

[0036] based on Determine the preset spacing. Among them, For preset spacing, The overlap coefficient, The altitude at which the drone flies. This refers to the field of view of the drone camera.

[0037] Specifically, the preset spacing is calculated based on key parameters such as the UAV camera's field of view, the UAV's flight altitude, and the overlap coefficient. The preset spacing is the vertical distance between two adjacent scan lines. The overlap coefficient... The value range is usually between 0.6 and 0.8. This coefficient is set to ensure that there is enough overlap between two adjacent images when the drone flies along the generated route, thereby avoiding blind spots in the inspection and ensuring that the entire inspection area is covered without omission.

[0038] Obtain the intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and each edge of the obstacle polygon. By determining the position of the intersection points, obtain the safe zone and obstacle zone on each scan line, including the following:

[0039] based on Determine the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and the edges of each obstacle polygon. Among them, The ordinate of the point on the calculated line. The coordinates of the reference point, and These are the coordinates of two distinct points on the same straight line. Let x be the x-coordinate of any point on the line.

[0040] Obtain the intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and the edges of the obstacle polygon.

[0041] An interval is formed between two adjacent intersection points, and the type of interval is determined by judging the position of the midpoint of the interval.

[0042] If the midpoint of an interval is within the smallest closed inspection area and not within any obstacle polygon, the interval is a safe interval.

[0043] If the midpoint of an interval is on or inside the boundary of an obstacle polygon, the interval is an obstacle interval.

[0044] S103: Generate safe zone waypoints within the safe zone on the scan line, and generate obstacle avoidance waypoints at the boundary of the obstacle zone to form a preliminary waypoint sequence.

[0045] Generate safe zone waypoints within the safe zone on the scan line, and generate obstacle avoidance waypoints at the boundary of the obstacle zone to form a preliminary waypoint sequence, including the following:

[0046] Within the safe zone on the scan line, safe zone waypoints are generated according to a preset step size. The preset step size depends on the payload requirements; for example, it may be necessary to specify exactly how many steps the camera should take to ensure no area is missed during inspection. A preset step size can be 1 meter.

[0047] Transform obstacle zones on the scan line into avoidance points, based on Set the scan line height for the avoidance point. Among them, To avoid the height of the scan line at the point of collision, The maximum value of the scan line in the obstacle interval where the avoidance point is located. This is a preset safety margin.

[0048] Specifically, the setting of the preset safety margin needs to take into account factors such as the safe flight distance of the drone, the shape and size of obstacles.

[0049] During the process of generating safe zone waypoints, if an obstacle zone is encountered, multiple boundary following waypoints are generated along the boundary of the obstacle zone. These boundary following waypoints are used as part of the obstacle avoidance waypoints and are inspected closely to the obstacle boundary.

[0050] For example, when encountering a bridge pillar during bridge inspection, if the scan line intersects with the pillar area to form an obstacle zone, the UAV generates multiple boundary following waypoints along the pillar's boundary. These waypoints are generated based on the pillar's geometry. By obtaining the coordinates of these waypoints, the UAV can fly along the pillar's outline, achieving a comprehensive inspection of the pillar.

[0051] During the process of generating boundary following waypoints, it continuously determines whether the line connecting the current point and the target point intersects with the current obstacle.

[0052] Once the line does not intersect with the current obstacle, it indicates that the obstacle has been successfully bypassed. At this point, leave the boundary of the obstacle zone and continue to generate safe zone waypoints along the scan line direction to form a preliminary waypoint sequence.

[0053] S104: An alternating scanning method is used to generate a coverage path. Based on the coverage path, the preliminary waypoint sequence is interpolated and deduplicated to generate the final waypoint sequence.

[0054] Specifically, a zigzag alternating scanning method can be used to connect waypoints on adjacent scan lines. This ensures that the UAV can effectively avoid obstacles while fully covering the entire inspection area during flight, and simultaneously records the waypoint sequence and flight altitude information in detail, thus forming a complete inspection task sequence. Based on the generated coverage path, interpolation and deduplication are performed on the preliminary waypoint sequence. Iso-interpolation can be performed on the determined safety interval according to a preset step size to generate the actual required waypoints. Deduplication includes: starting from the first waypoint in the preliminary waypoint sequence, obtaining the Euclidean distance between that waypoint and subsequent waypoints, and merging waypoints with an Euclidean distance less than a preset threshold. The preset threshold can be 0.3m.

[0055] S105: Outputs the final waypoint sequence as a waypoint file and connects with the UAV flight control system via an interface to achieve autonomous inspection flight.

[0056] Specifically, considering the differences in data compatibility between different flight control systems and ground stations, the final waypoint sequence provides two output formats: binary and text. This diverse output method can be widely adapted to various flight control systems and ground stations, ensuring that waypoint data can be accurately received and parsed, laying a solid foundation for subsequent autonomous inspection flights.

[0057] To achieve efficient communication and collaborative operation between the UAV and the ground station, ROS or other compatible flight control interfaces are provided. Specifically, when using the ROS interface, it has the ability to receive specific messages (such as Createyaml messages) from the ground station. Once such a message is received, the waypoint generation process is triggered. After successful waypoint generation, the interface immediately returns a CreateOk message to confirm to the ground station that the waypoint generation task has been completed.

[0058] Furthermore, the ROS interface not only provides the aforementioned message receiving and acknowledgment functions, but also supports comprehensive task interaction with the ground station. It can receive task parameters from the ground station, ensuring that inspection tasks are executed accurately according to preset requirements; simultaneously, it transmits the drone's flight status back to the ground station in real time, allowing operators to monitor the drone's operation at any time; after an inspection task is generated and completed, it can also receive a completion confirmation message from the ground station, forming a complete closed-loop task management system. Through these functions, the drone can autonomously perform obstacle avoidance inspections based on the generated flight path, greatly improving the automation and efficiency of inspection tasks.

[0059] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating the generation of waypoints using the ROS system provided in this embodiment. The blue box represents the bridge inspection area, the red box represents the obstacle zone, and the green dots represent the final generated waypoints.

[0060] This application also provides a UAV waypoint generation device 300, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the device includes: a construction module 301, an acquisition module 302, a generation module 303, a processing module 304, and an output module 305.

[0061] Module 301 is used to determine the topological boundary of the inspection area based on the bridge boundary point set and to construct the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight.

[0062] The acquisition module 302 is used to generate parallel scan lines at preset intervals within the minimum closed bounding rectangle of the minimum closed inspection area, acquire the intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and each edge of the obstacle polygon, and obtain the safe zone and obstacle zone on each scan line by judging the position of the intersection points.

[0063] The generation module 303 is used to generate safe zone waypoints within the safe zone on the scan line and obstacle avoidance waypoints at the boundary of the obstacle zone, forming a preliminary waypoint sequence.

[0064] The processing module 304 is used to generate a coverage path using an alternating scanning method, and to perform interpolation and deduplication processing on the preliminary waypoint sequence based on the coverage path to generate the final waypoint sequence.

[0065] The output module 305 is used to output the final waypoint sequence as a waypoint file and to interface with the UAV flight control system to achieve autonomous inspection flight.

[0066] Some modules in the apparatus described in this application can be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions that are executed by a computer, such as program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, classes, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. This application can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected via a communication network. In distributed computing environments, program modules can reside in local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices.

[0067] The apparatus or module described in the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer chip or physical entity, or by a product with a certain function. For ease of description, the above apparatus is described by dividing it into various modules according to their functions. When implementing the embodiments of this application, the functions of each module can be implemented in one or more software and / or hardware. Of course, a module that implements a certain function can also be implemented by combining multiple sub-modules or sub-units.

[0068] The methods, apparatus, or modules described in this application can be implemented in a computer-readable program code manner. The controller can be implemented in any suitable manner, for example, as a microprocessor or processor and a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable program code (e.g., software or firmware) executable by the (micro)processor, logic gates, switches, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic controllers, and embedded microcontrollers. Examples of controllers include, but are not limited to, the following microcontrollers: ARC 625D, Atmel AT91SAM, Microchip PIC18F26K20, and Silicon Labs C8051F320. A memory controller can also be implemented as part of the control logic of a memory. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that, in addition to implementing the controller in purely computer-readable program code manner, the same functionality can be achieved by logically programming the method steps to make the controller take the form of logic gates, switches, application-specific integrated circuits, programmable logic controllers, and embedded microcontrollers. Therefore, such a controller can be considered a hardware component, and the means included within it for implementing various functions can also be considered as structures within the hardware component. Alternatively, the device used to implement various functions can be viewed as either a software module that implements the method or a structure within a hardware component.

[0069] like Figure 4 As shown in the figure, this application embodiment also provides a UAV waypoint generation server, including a memory 401 and a processor 402; the memory 401 is used to store computer-executable instructions; the processor 402 is used to execute computer-executable instructions to implement the UAV waypoint generation method described above in this application embodiment.

[0070] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions, which, when executed by a computer, can implement the UAV waypoint generation method described above in this application.

[0071] As can be seen from the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that this application can be implemented by means of software plus necessary hardware. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product, or it can be embodied in the process of data migration. The computer software product can be stored in a storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc., and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, mobile terminal, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the embodiments of this application.

[0072] The various embodiments described in this specification are presented in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. Each embodiment focuses on its differences from other embodiments. All or part of this application can be used in numerous general-purpose or special-purpose computer system environments or configurations.

[0073] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit this application. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of this application.

Claims

1. A method for generating waypoints for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), characterized in that, include: Based on the bridge boundary point set, the topological boundary of the inspection area is determined, and the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight is constructed. Parallel scan lines are generated at preset intervals within the smallest closed bounding rectangle of the smallest closed inspection area. The intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the smallest closed inspection area and each edge of the obstacle polygon are obtained. The safe zone and obstacle zone on each scan line are obtained by judging the position of the intersection points. Generate safe zone waypoints within the safe zone on the scan line, and generate obstacle avoidance waypoints at the boundary of the obstacle zone to form a preliminary waypoint sequence; An alternating scanning method is used to generate a coverage path. Based on the coverage path, the preliminary waypoint sequence is interpolated and deduplicated to generate the final waypoint sequence. The final waypoint sequence is output as a waypoint file, and then connected to the UAV flight control system via an interface to achieve autonomous inspection flight. The process of determining the topological boundary of the inspection area based on the bridge boundary point set and constructing the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight includes: The point with the smallest ordinate in the bridge boundary point set is selected as the reference point. For the points in the bridge boundary point set other than the reference point, based on Calculate its polar angle relative to the reference point; where, The polar angle of other points relative to the reference point. The coordinates of the reference point, These are the coordinates of points other than the reference point; The vertex sequence is determined by sorting the points according to the calculated polar angles. The polygon formed by the vertex sequence is the topological boundary of the inspection area, and the area enclosed by the topological boundary is the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight. The step of generating parallel scan lines at preset intervals within the smallest closed circumscribed rectangle of the smallest closed inspection area includes: By obtaining the minimum x-coordinate, minimum y-coordinate, maximum x-coordinate, and maximum y-coordinate among all points within the minimum closed inspection area, these four coordinates are used as the coordinates of the four vertices of the minimum closed bounding rectangle to determine the minimum closed bounding rectangle of the minimum closed inspection area. Parallel scan lines are generated within the defined minimum closed bounding rectangle according to a preset spacing. based on Determine the preset spacing; among which, For preset spacing, The overlap coefficient, The altitude at which the drone flies. This refers to the field of view of the drone camera.

2. The UAV waypoint generation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of obtaining the intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and each edge of the obstacle polygon, and determining the safe zone and obstacle zone on each scan line by judging the position of the intersection points, includes: based on Determine the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and the edges of each obstacle polygon; among which... The ordinate of the point on the calculated line. The coordinates of the reference point, and These are the coordinates of two distinct points on the same straight line. Let x be the x-coordinate of any point on the line; Obtain the intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the minimum closed inspection area and each edge of the obstacle polygon; An interval is formed between two adjacent intersection points, and the type of interval is determined by judging the position of the midpoint of the interval. If the midpoint of an interval is within the smallest closed inspection area and is not within any obstacle polygon, the interval is a safe interval. If the midpoint of an interval is on or inside the boundary of an obstacle polygon, the interval is an obstacle interval.

3. The UAV waypoint generation method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The process of generating safe zone waypoints within the safe zone on the scan line and obstacle avoidance waypoints at the boundary of the obstacle zone to form a preliminary waypoint sequence includes: Within the safe zone on the scan line, safe zone waypoints are generated according to a preset step size; Transform obstacle zones on the scan line into avoidance points, based on Set the scan line height for the avoidance point; where, To avoid the height of the scan line at the point of collision, The maximum value of the scan line in the obstacle interval where the avoidance point is located. This is a preset safety margin; During the process of generating safe zone waypoints, if an obstacle zone is encountered, multiple boundary following waypoints are generated along the boundary of the obstacle zone. These boundary following waypoints are used as part of the obstacle avoidance waypoints and are inspected closely to the obstacle boundary. During the process of generating boundary following waypoints, it continuously determines whether the line connecting the current point and the target point intersects with the current obstacle; Once the line does not intersect with the current obstacle, it indicates that the obstacle has been successfully bypassed. At this point, leave the boundary of the obstacle zone and continue to generate safe zone waypoints along the scan line direction to form a preliminary waypoint sequence.

4. The UAV waypoint generation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The deduplication process includes: starting from the first waypoint in the initial waypoint sequence, obtaining the Euclidean distance between the waypoint and subsequent waypoints in sequence, and merging waypoints whose Euclidean distance is less than a preset threshold.

5. A UAV waypoint generation device, characterized in that, include: The module is used to determine the topological boundary of the inspection area based on the bridge boundary point set and to construct the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight. The acquisition module is used to generate parallel scan lines at preset intervals within the smallest closed bounding rectangle of the smallest closed inspection area, acquire the intersection points of each scan line with the boundary of the smallest closed inspection area and each edge of the obstacle polygon, and obtain the safe zone and obstacle zone on each scan line by judging the position of the intersection points. The generation module is used to generate safe zone waypoints within the safe zone on the scan line and obstacle avoidance waypoints at the boundary of the obstacle zone, forming a preliminary waypoint sequence; The processing module is used to generate a coverage path using an alternating scanning method, and to perform interpolation and deduplication processing on the preliminary waypoint sequence based on the coverage path to generate the final waypoint sequence. The output module is used to output the final waypoint sequence as a waypoint file and connect with the UAV flight control system through an interface to achieve autonomous inspection flight. The process of determining the topological boundary of the inspection area based on the bridge boundary point set and constructing the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight includes: The point with the smallest ordinate in the bridge boundary point set is selected as the reference point. For the points in the bridge boundary point set other than the reference point, based on Calculate its polar angle relative to the reference point; where, The polar angle of other points relative to the reference point. The coordinates of the reference point, These are the coordinates of points other than the reference point; The vertex sequence is determined by sorting the points according to the calculated polar angles. The polygon formed by the vertex sequence is the topological boundary of the inspection area, and the area enclosed by the topological boundary is the minimum closed inspection area for UAV flight. The step of generating parallel scan lines at preset intervals within the smallest closed circumscribed rectangle of the smallest closed inspection area includes: By obtaining the minimum x-coordinate, minimum y-coordinate, maximum x-coordinate, and maximum y-coordinate among all points within the minimum closed inspection area, these four coordinates are used as the coordinates of the four vertices of the minimum closed bounding rectangle to determine the minimum closed bounding rectangle of the minimum closed inspection area. Parallel scan lines are generated within the defined minimum closed bounding rectangle according to a preset spacing. based on Determine the preset spacing; among which, For preset spacing, The overlap coefficient, The altitude at which the drone flies. This refers to the field of view of the drone camera.

6. A UAV waypoint generation server, characterized in that, Including memory and processor; The memory is used to store computer-executable instructions; The processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-4.

7. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores executable instructions, which, when executed by a computer, enable the implementation of the method as described in any one of claims 1-4.

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