Oil and gas facility inspection system and method based on cooperation of Beidou satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to an oil and gas facility inspection system and method based on cooperation of a Beidou satellite and unmanned aerial vehicles. The oil and gas facility inspection system comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle group, a relay station, a ground control terminal and a cloud database, wherein unmanned aerial vehicles in the unmanned aerial vehicle group carry a flight control system, and a positioning module, a signal acquisition module and a communication module which are connected with the flight control system; the relay station is a relay station supporting Beidou short message encryption communication; the ground control terminal comprises an industrial personal computer; the information of the unmanned aerial vehicle group is transmitted to the cloud database through the relay station and the ground control terminal in sequence, and the information of the ground control terminal is reversely transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle group. According to the invention, the efficient, safe and intelligent oil and gas facility inspection effect is finally achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of intelligent inspection technology for oil and gas facilities. Specifically, it relates to a method and system for safety inspection of high-risk areas such as oil and gas pipelines and oil depots based on the collaboration of the Beidou satellite navigation system and UAVs. It achieves efficient and safe automated inspection through multi-sensor fusion, dynamic path planning and real-time data transmission. Background Technology

[0002] In current safety inspections of high-risk areas such as oil and gas pipelines and oil depots, traditional methods mainly rely on regular manual inspections or fixed monitoring equipment. This approach suffers from slow response times, limited coverage, and significant susceptibility to environmental influences. With the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellite navigation technologies, some companies have attempted to use UAVs equipped with sensors for remote inspections. However, due to poor communication stability, insufficient path planning flexibility, and low efficiency in multi-UAV collaboration, significant limitations remain in practical applications.

[0003] Especially in remote areas or complex terrain conditions, conventional communication links are prone to interruption, and data feedback is not timely, making it difficult to achieve all-weather autonomous inspection. At the same time, the lack of a rapid response mechanism for emergencies fails to meet the high-precision and high-reliability safety monitoring requirements of modern oil and gas facilities. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new type of inspection system that can integrate high-precision positioning, stable communication, intelligent path planning, and real-time early warning functions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention solves the technical problems of poor communication stability, inflexible path planning, and low efficiency of multi-machine collaboration in existing oil and gas facility inspection systems, thereby achieving the goal of all-weather autonomous inspection and real-time safety early warning.

[0005] The technical solution of this invention is as follows: (i) This invention proposes an oil and gas facility inspection system based on the collaboration of Beidou satellite and UAV.

[0006] The oil and gas facility inspection system based on BeiDou satellite and UAV collaboration includes a UAV group, a relay station, a ground control terminal, and a cloud database. Each UAV in the UAV group is equipped with a flight control system and a positioning module, signal acquisition module, and communication module connected to the flight control system. The relay station supports BeiDou short message encrypted communication. The ground control terminal includes an industrial control computer. Information from the UAV group is transmitted sequentially through the relay station and ground control terminal to the cloud database. Information from the ground control terminal is transmitted back to the UAV group. Data transmission prioritizes 4G or 5G signal communication; when 4G or 5G signal communication is unavailable, BeiDou short message encrypted communication is used.

[0007] The signal acquisition module includes a methane sensor, a temperature sensor, and an image acquisition module.

[0008] (ii) This invention proposes a method for inspecting oil and gas facilities based on the collaboration of Beidou satellites and UAVs.

[0009] A method for inspecting oil and gas facilities based on the collaboration of BeiDou satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is as follows: The cloud database outputs a planned cruise path to the ground control terminal based on the initial 3D terrain model of the inspection area. The ground control terminal formulates inspection tasks based on the planned cruise path, and the inspection tasks are transmitted to the UAV group via the relay station. The cruise task includes the cruise area, the planned cruise path, and the task allocation of the UAVs in the UAV group that perform the inspection task. The UAV that receives the inspection mission cruises along the planned cruise path specified in the inspection mission; during the cruise, the positioning module provides location information, the signal acquisition module collects environmental data, and the flight control system provides real-time UAV data, which together constitute real-time cruise data; Real-time cruise data is cached locally at the relay station and forwarded to the ground control terminal, ultimately constructing a secondary three-dimensional terrain model of the inspection area; the secondary three-dimensional terrain model may or may not be equal to the initial three-dimensional terrain model; the ground control terminal uploads the cruise data, the secondary three-dimensional terrain model of the inspection area, and the final flight path to the cloud database.

[0010] It also includes the ground control terminal receiving real-time environmental data streams transmitted by BeiDou satellites on the one hand, and real-time cruise data generated by the UAV group during the cruise on the other hand; based on the real-time environmental data streams and / or real-time cruise data under abnormal conditions, the ground control terminal dynamically analyzes the environment of the cruise area, delineates one or more temporary controlled airspaces, generates corresponding dynamic electronic fences, and the UAV group generates detour paths according to the dynamic electronic fences, and returns to the planned cruise path to continue the cruise after detouring around the dynamic electronic fences.

[0011] When the ground control terminal receives real-time cruise data under abnormal conditions, it triggers an alarm. The flight control system of the UAV group performs alarm classification and pre-judgment based on the abnormal situation, and controls the UAV group to perform emergency landing or call for support based on the pre-judgment result. The alarm is triggered by the UAV group detecting abnormal data through the signal acquisition module. At the same time, the positioning module records the geographic coordinates of the abnormal data and transmits the alarm information and geographic coordinates to the ground control terminal. After receiving the alarm information and geographic coordinates, the ground control terminal performs abnormal processing and executes corresponding emergency operations.

[0012] The signal acquisition module includes a methane sensor, a temperature sensor, and an image acquisition module. Cruise data under abnormal conditions includes methane concentration exceeding the threshold collected by the methane sensor, temperature change collected by the temperature sensor, and environmental anomalies collected by the image acquisition module. Methane concentration exceeding the threshold is judged as a suspected methane leak, temperature change is judged as a potential signal of fire or equipment overload, and environmental anomalies include but are not limited to equipment corrosion, equipment cracks, and flames.

[0013] The ground control terminal is an industrial computer with a built-in 3D environment modeling module. The 3D environment modeling module uses SLAM technology to construct a secondary 3D terrain model of the cruise area, overlays a GIS map, and provides spatial reference coordinates for the cruise area.

[0014] The specific process of obtaining the planned cruise route is as follows: the cloud database performs macro-global planning based on the initial three-dimensional terrain model of the inspection area, provides the optimal ranking among the key points to be inspected in the cruise area, and determines the optimal path through the A* algorithm, the Fast Random Tree (RRT) algorithm and the Dijkstra algorithm, which is then used as the planned cruise route.

[0015] The detour path is generated by combining the classic path search algorithm with a deep learning model. When the UAV group passes through the dynamic electronic fence, the flight control system autonomously triggers the Fast Random Tree (RRT) algorithm to generate an initial detour path. Combined with the deep learning model, the initial detour path is further adjusted to finally generate the detour path.

[0016] The ground control terminal uploads the cruise data, the secondary three-dimensional terrain model of the inspection area, and the final flight path to the cloud database. The final flight path is either the planned cruise path or a combination of the planned cruise path and the detour path. The cloud database generates a standardized inspection report based on the final flight path.

[0017] It also includes an edge computing unit on the drone for localized image recognition and data preprocessing, and an AI model transfer learning module on the ground control terminal to improve the accuracy of abnormal state identification based on historical standardized inspection reports.

[0018] The technical effects of this invention are as follows: This invention enables unified processing and analysis of data collected by the signal acquisition module, improving the accuracy of anomaly identification. Through an adaptive path planning algorithm, the UAV can dynamically adjust its flight path based on the real-time environment, enhancing mission execution efficiency. Data transmission prioritizes 4G or 5G signal communication; when 4G or 5G communication is unavailable, BeiDou short message encrypted communication is used, making long-distance data transmission more secure and reliable, preventing information leakage and interference. Dynamic electronic fences enable the UAV to autonomously avoid obstacles and control boundaries in complex airspace, ensuring flight safety. Ultimately, this achieves efficient, safe, and intelligent inspection of oil and gas facilities. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a flowchart for dynamic path planning.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-machine collaborative communication network.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the algorithm processing. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Example 1 - Oil and Gas Facility Inspection System Based on BeiDou Satellite and UAV Collaboration The oil and gas facility inspection system based on BeiDou satellite and UAV collaboration includes a UAV group, a relay station, a ground control terminal, and a cloud database. Each UAV in the UAV group is equipped with a flight control system and a positioning module, signal acquisition module, and communication module connected to the flight control system. The relay station supports BeiDou short message encrypted communication. The ground control terminal includes an industrial control computer. Information from the UAV group is transmitted sequentially through the relay station and ground control terminal to the cloud database. Information from the ground control terminal is transmitted back to the UAV group. Data transmission prioritizes 4G or 5G signal communication; when 4G or 5G signal communication is unavailable, BeiDou short message encrypted communication is used.

[0023] The signal acquisition module includes a methane sensor, a temperature sensor, and an image acquisition module.

[0024] Example 2 - Oil and Gas Facility Inspection Method Based on BeiDou Satellite and UAV Collaboration A method for inspecting oil and gas facilities based on the collaboration of BeiDou satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is as follows: The cloud database outputs a planned cruise path to the ground control terminal based on the initial 3D terrain model of the inspection area. The ground control terminal formulates inspection tasks based on the planned cruise path, and the inspection tasks are transmitted to the UAV group via the relay station. The cruise task includes the cruise area, the planned cruise path, and the task allocation of the UAVs in the UAV group that perform the inspection task. The UAV that receives the inspection mission cruises along the planned cruise path specified in the inspection mission; during the cruise, the positioning module provides location information, the signal acquisition module collects environmental data, and the flight control system provides real-time UAV data, which together constitute real-time cruise data; Real-time cruise data is cached locally at the relay station and forwarded to the ground control terminal to finally construct a secondary three-dimensional terrain model of the inspection area. If no abnormal conditions are found during the inspection, the secondary three-dimensional terrain model is equal to the initial three-dimensional terrain model. The ground control terminal uploads the cruise data, the secondary three-dimensional terrain model (initial three-dimensional terrain model) of the inspection area, and the final flight path (planned cruise path) to the cloud database. The cloud-based database generates standardized inspection reports based on the final flight path.

[0025] Example 3 Based on Example 2, the specific process of obtaining the planned cruise path is as follows: the cloud database performs macro-global planning based on the initial three-dimensional terrain model of the inspection area, provides the optimal ranking among the key points to be inspected in the cruise area, and determines the optimal path through the A* algorithm, the Fast Random Tree (RRT) algorithm and the Dijkstra algorithm, and uses it as the planned cruise path.

[0026] Example 4 Based on Example 3, it also includes, The ground control terminal receives real-time environmental data streams transmitted by BeiDou satellites on the one hand, and real-time cruise data generated by the UAV group during the cruise on the other hand. Based on the real-time environmental data streams and / or real-time cruise data under abnormal conditions, the ground control terminal dynamically analyzes the environment of the cruise area, delineates one or more temporary controlled airspaces, and generates corresponding dynamic electronic fences. The UAV group generates detour paths according to the dynamic electronic fences, and returns to the planned cruise path to continue the cruise after detouring around the dynamic electronic fences. When the ground control terminal receives real-time cruise data under abnormal conditions, it triggers an alarm. The flight control system of the UAV group performs alarm classification and pre-judgment of the abnormal situation, and controls the UAV group to perform emergency landing or call for support based on the pre-judgment result. The alarm is triggered by the UAV group detecting abnormal data through the signal acquisition module. At the same time, the positioning module records the geographic coordinates of the abnormal data and transmits the alarm information and geographic coordinates to the ground control terminal. After receiving the alarm information and geographic coordinates, the ground control terminal performs abnormal processing and executes corresponding emergency operations. The ground control terminal uploads the cruise data, the secondary three-dimensional terrain model of the inspection area (≠ the initial three-dimensional terrain model), and the final flight path (a combination of the planned cruise path and the detour path) to the cloud database; the cloud database generates a standardized inspection report based on the final flight path; The cloud database determines whether to update the initial 3D terrain model based on the secondary 3D terrain model, and whether to update the planned cruise path based on the detour path.

[0027] Example 5 Based on Example 4, the method further includes generating the detour path by combining the classic path search algorithm with a deep learning model. When the UAV group passes through the dynamic electronic fence, the flight control system autonomously triggers the Fast Random Tree (RRT) algorithm to generate an initial detour path. Combined with the deep learning model, the initial detour path is further adjusted to finally generate the detour path.

[0028] Example 5 Based on Example 4, the signal acquisition module includes a methane sensor, a temperature sensor, and an image acquisition module. The cruise data under abnormal conditions includes methane concentration exceeding the threshold collected by the methane sensor, temperature change collected by the temperature sensor, and environmental anomalies collected by the image acquisition module. Methane concentration exceeding the threshold is judged as a suspected methane leak, temperature change is judged as a potential signal of fire or equipment overload, and environmental anomalies include but are not limited to equipment corrosion, equipment cracks, and flames. The ground control terminal is an industrial computer with a built-in three-dimensional environment modeling module. The three-dimensional environment modeling module uses SLAM technology to construct a secondary three-dimensional terrain model of the cruise area, overlay a GIS map, and provide spatial reference coordinates for the cruise area. It also includes an edge computing unit on the drone for localized image recognition and data preprocessing, and an AI model transfer learning module on the ground control terminal to improve the accuracy of abnormal state identification based on historical standardized inspection reports.

Claims

1. An oil and gas facility inspection system based on the collaboration of BeiDou satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles, characterized in that, Each system includes a drone group, a relay station, a ground control terminal, and a cloud database. The drones in the drone group are equipped with a flight control system and a positioning module, signal acquisition module, and communication module connected to the flight control system. The relay station supports BeiDou short message encrypted communication. The ground control terminal includes an industrial computer. Information from the drone group is transmitted sequentially through the relay station and the ground control terminal to the cloud database, while information from the ground control terminal is transmitted back to the drone group.

2. The oil and gas facility inspection system based on BeiDou satellite and UAV collaboration as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The signal acquisition module includes a methane sensor, a temperature sensor, and an image acquisition module.

3. The oil and gas facility inspection method based on BeiDou satellite and UAV collaboration according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method is as follows: The cloud database outputs a planned cruise path to the ground control terminal based on the initial 3D terrain model of the inspection area. The ground control terminal formulates inspection tasks based on the planned cruise path, and the inspection tasks are transmitted to the UAV group via the relay station. The cruise task includes the cruise area, the planned cruise path, and the task allocation of the UAVs in the UAV group that perform the inspection task. The UAV that receives the inspection mission cruises along the planned cruise path specified in the inspection mission; during the cruise, the positioning module provides location information, the signal acquisition module collects environmental data, and the flight control system provides real-time UAV data, which together constitute real-time cruise data; Real-time cruise data is cached locally at the relay station and forwarded to the ground control terminal, ultimately constructing a secondary three-dimensional terrain model of the inspection area; the secondary three-dimensional terrain model may or may not be equal to the initial three-dimensional terrain model; the ground control terminal uploads the cruise data, the secondary three-dimensional terrain model of the inspection area, and the final flight path to the cloud database.

4. The oil and gas facility inspection method based on BeiDou satellite and UAV collaboration according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes the ground control terminal receiving real-time environmental data streams transmitted by BeiDou satellites on the one hand, and real-time cruise data generated by the UAV group during the cruise on the other hand; based on the real-time environmental data streams and / or real-time cruise data under abnormal conditions, the ground control terminal dynamically analyzes the environment of the cruise area, delineates one or more temporary controlled airspaces, generates corresponding dynamic electronic fences, and the UAV group generates detour paths according to the dynamic electronic fences, and returns to the planned cruise path to continue the cruise after detouring around the dynamic electronic fences.

5. The oil and gas facility inspection method based on BeiDou satellite and UAV collaboration according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the ground control terminal receives real-time cruise data under abnormal conditions, it triggers an alarm. The flight control system of the UAV group performs alarm classification and pre-judgment based on the abnormal situation, and controls the UAV group to perform emergency landing or call for support based on the pre-judgment result. The alarm is triggered by the UAV group detecting abnormal data through the signal acquisition module. At the same time, the positioning module records the geographic coordinates of the abnormal data and transmits the alarm information and geographic coordinates to the ground control terminal. After receiving the alarm information and geographic coordinates, the ground control terminal performs abnormal processing and executes corresponding emergency operations.

6. The oil and gas facility inspection method based on BeiDou satellite and UAV collaboration according to claim 5, characterized in that, The signal acquisition module includes a methane sensor, a temperature sensor, and an image acquisition module. Cruise data under abnormal conditions includes methane concentration exceeding the threshold collected by the methane sensor, temperature change collected by the temperature sensor, and environmental anomalies collected by the image acquisition module. Methane concentration exceeding the threshold is judged as a suspected methane leak, temperature change is judged as a potential signal of fire or equipment overload, and environmental anomalies include but are not limited to equipment corrosion, equipment cracks, and flames.

7. The oil and gas facility inspection method based on BeiDou satellite and UAV collaboration according to claim 3, characterized in that, The ground control terminal is an industrial computer with a built-in 3D environment modeling module. The 3D environment modeling module uses SLAM technology to construct a secondary 3D terrain model of the cruise area, overlays a GIS map, and provides spatial reference coordinates for the cruise area.

8. The method for inspecting oil and gas facilities based on the collaboration of BeiDou satellite and UAV as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The specific process of obtaining the planned cruise route is as follows: the cloud database performs macro-global planning based on the initial three-dimensional terrain model of the inspection area, provides the optimal ranking among the key points to be inspected in the cruise area, and determines the optimal path through the A* algorithm, the Fast Random Tree (RRT) algorithm and the Dijkstra algorithm, which is then used as the planned cruise route.

9. The oil and gas facility inspection method based on BeiDou satellite and UAV collaboration according to claim 4, characterized in that, The detour path is generated by combining the classic path search algorithm with a deep learning model. When the UAV group passes through the dynamic electronic fence, the flight control system autonomously triggers the Fast Random Tree (RRT) algorithm to generate an initial detour path. Combined with the deep learning model, the initial detour path is further adjusted to finally generate the detour path.

10. The oil and gas facility inspection method based on BeiDou satellite and UAV collaboration according to claim 9, characterized in that, The ground control terminal uploads the cruise data, the secondary three-dimensional terrain model of the inspection area, and the final flight path to the cloud database. The final flight path is either the planned cruise path or a combination of the planned cruise path and the detour path. The cloud database generates a standardized inspection report based on the final flight path.

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