Low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle instruction transmission method and device, electronic equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle communication, and provides a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle instruction transmission method and device, electronic equipment and a storage medium, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining to-be-transmitted instruction data; according to the data type of the instruction data and / or the quality parameter of the current network environment, a target communication protocol is selected from a preset communication protocol set, and the preset communication protocol set at least comprises a first communication protocol with priority in real-time performance and a second communication protocol with priority in reliability; and transmitting the instruction data to a receiving end through at least two communication links with different physical characteristics based on a preset transmission strategy and the target communication protocol. By adopting a mode of combining dynamic protocol selection and multi-link redundancy transmission, adaptive balance of instruction data transmission between real-time performance and reliability and stable redundancy of communication links are realized, and the method has the advantages of high transmission efficiency, stable connection, strong anti-interference capability and the like.

Description

Low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command transmission methods, devices, electronic equipment, and storage media Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium for transmitting commands from a low-altitude UAV. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of flight control, navigation, and communication technologies, drones have been widely used in many fields such as aerial photography, agricultural plant protection, logistics transportation, disaster relief, and power line inspection. Throughout the entire process of a drone mission, a stable, reliable, and low-latency communication link between the control terminal (such as a ground station or remote controller) and the drone is crucial to ensuring flight safety and mission success.

[0003] However, in low-altitude scenarios characterized by dense urban buildings and complex electromagnetic environments, existing UAV command transmission technologies face significant technical bottlenecks. First, traditional UAV command transmission typically employs a single command, making it difficult to simultaneously meet the high real-time requirements of control commands and the high reliability requirements of data transmission. Second, communication often relies on a single link, which is highly susceptible to interruption in environments with severe signal obstruction and interference, leading to the risk of UAVs going out of control. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a method, apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium for transmitting drone commands, in order to solve the shortcomings of existing drone command transmission technologies in complex low-altitude environments, which suffer from high transmission delays and easy interruptions due to the single communication protocol and unreliable transmission links.

[0005] This invention provides a method for transmitting commands from a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising: acquiring command data to be transmitted; selecting a target communication protocol from a preset communication protocol set according to the data type of the command data and / or the quality parameters of the current network environment, wherein the preset communication protocol set includes at least a first communication protocol prioritizing real-time performance and a second communication protocol prioritizing reliability; and transmitting the command data to a receiving end through at least two communication links with different physical characteristics based on a preset transmission strategy and the target communication protocol.

[0006] According to a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command transmission method provided by the present invention, the step of selecting a target communication protocol from a preset communication protocol set based on the data type of the command data and / or the quality parameters of the current network environment includes: selecting the first communication protocol as the target communication protocol when the data type of the command data is a first type; selecting the second communication protocol as the target communication protocol when the data type of the command data is a second type; and selecting the first communication protocol as the target communication protocol if the quality parameters meet a preset quality threshold when the data type of the command data is a third type, otherwise selecting the second communication protocol as the target communication protocol. Wherein, the first type is a real-time control command, the second type and the third type are both non-real-time data, and the data capacity of the second type is greater than or equal to a preset capacity threshold, while the data capacity of the third type is less than the preset capacity threshold.

[0007] According to a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command transmission method provided by the present invention, when the first communication protocol is selected as the target communication protocol, the method further includes: adding cyclic redundancy check information to the command data to be transmitted, and transmitting the command data using a preset transmission mode, wherein the preset transmission mode is a transmission mode that ensures that the command data is delivered at least once.

[0008] According to the present invention, a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command transmission method is provided, wherein the different physical characteristics include differences in transmission rate and anti-interference capability, and at least two communication links include a first communication link and a second communication link, wherein the first communication link is a cellular network link and the second communication link is a radio frequency communication link.

[0009] According to a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command transmission method provided by the present invention, the preset transmission strategy includes: using the first communication link as the main link for transmission; and switching to the second communication link for transmission when the first communication link fails to transmit a preset number of times or the transmission delay exceeds a preset delay threshold.

[0010] According to a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command transmission method provided by the present invention, the preset transmission strategy includes: splitting the command data into a command header and a command payload; transmitting the command header through a first communication link and transmitting the command payload through a second communication link; the receiving end is used to verify and reassemble the received command header and command payload according to a preset hash check value.

[0011] According to a method for transmitting commands from a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) provided by the present invention, the method further includes: calculating a verification signature on the content of the command data and attaching the verification signature to the command data; before executing the command corresponding to the command data, the receiving end calculates a verification value on the content of the received command data and executes the command if the verification value matches the verification signature.

[0012] The present invention also provides a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command transmission device, comprising: a data acquisition unit for acquiring command data to be transmitted; a protocol adaptation unit for selecting a target communication protocol from a preset communication protocol set according to the data type of the command data and / or the quality parameters of the current network environment, wherein the preset communication protocol set includes at least a first communication protocol prioritizing real-time performance and a second communication protocol prioritizing reliability; and a command transmission unit for transmitting the command data to a receiving end through at least two communication links with different physical characteristics based on a preset transmission strategy and the target communication protocol.

[0013] The present invention also provides an electronic device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and running on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the low-altitude UAV command transmission method as described above.

[0014] The present invention also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle command transmission method as described above.

[0015] The present invention also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle command transmission method as described above.

[0016] The low-altitude UAV command transmission method, apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium provided by this invention can, firstly, intelligently and dynamically select the most suitable target communication protocol from a set of protocols with different characteristics, including real-time priority and reliability priority, based on the data type of the command data to be transmitted and / or the quality of the network environment monitored in real time. This dynamic protocol selection mechanism breaks the deadlock of traditional technologies using a single fixed protocol, enabling transmission to achieve the best balance between low latency and high reliability on demand, thereby optimizing the transmission efficiency of different types of data. Furthermore, this invention uses at least two communication links with different physical characteristics to perform transmission, constructing a redundant backup and anti-interference communication architecture. When the performance of one link degrades or is even interrupted due to signal obstruction, channel congestion, or strong electromagnetic interference, data can still be effectively transmitted through the other link, thereby reducing the risk of communication interruption, improving the continuity and stability of command transmission, and thus improving the communication quality and flight safety of UAVs in complex low-altitude environments. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this invention or related technologies, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating the low-altitude UAV command transmission method provided by the present invention; Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram illustrating the low-altitude UAV command transmission device provided by the present invention; Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram illustrating the electronic device provided by the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention 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 invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0020] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are unmanned aerial vehicles controlled by radio remote control equipment or their own program control devices. Throughout a UAV's mission, a stable, reliable, and low-latency communication link between the control unit (such as a ground station or remote controller) and the UAV is the lifeline for ensuring flight safety and mission success. This link is responsible not only for downlink transmission of the UAV's real-time status, sensor data, and high-definition image transmission, but more importantly, for uplink transmission of flight control commands.

[0021] However, as drone applications, especially in urban low-altitude environments, become increasingly complex, existing drone command transmission technologies have revealed several shortcomings, primarily in the following aspects: First, current drone command and data transmission typically employ a single, fixed communication protocol. For example, some solutions use HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)-based communication. While HTTP, based on a request-response model, offers high reliability and is suitable for large file transfers or non-real-time status reporting, its connection establishment overhead is high, and its redundant header information results in high communication latency (typically greater than 100 milliseconds), making it difficult to meet the transmission requirements of high-real-time control commands such as drone attitude adjustment and emergency obstacle avoidance.

[0022] To address real-time performance issues, some solutions employ the MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) protocol. MQTT is a lightweight publish / subscribe messaging protocol with advantages such as low overhead and low latency (typically less than 50 milliseconds). However, its lightweight design sacrifices data transmission integrity verification mechanisms to some extent. In complex network environments, packet loss can lead to the failure of critical commands, posing a serious threat to flight safety.

[0023] Secondly, traditional drones mostly rely on a single communication link (such as cellular networks, Wi-Fi, or dedicated data radios) for communication. In the low-altitude environment of cities with numerous buildings and severe signal obstruction, the electromagnetic environment is extremely complex, with numerous interference sources such as 5G base stations and Wi-Fi hotspots. A single link is highly susceptible to momentary interruptions due to signal attenuation, multipath effects, or channel congestion; actual measurement data shows that the disconnection rate of single-link transmission can be as high as 15%-30%. Any interruption of the communication link may cause the drone to go out of control, leading to a safety accident.

[0024] Furthermore, many existing solutions transmit drone command data in plaintext over the air, making them highly vulnerable to interception and decryption by third parties. This can expose the drone's flight path and mission information, and even lead to hijacking. In addition, relay nodes in the communication link (e.g., another drone used as a relay in beyond visual line of sight flights) often lack effective authentication and data integrity verification mechanisms. This provides an opportunity for man-in-the-middle attacks, allowing attackers to inject forged malicious commands into the drone, resulting in damage.

[0025] To address this issue, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for transmitting UAV commands. By combining dynamic adaptation of communication protocols with redundant multi-link transmission, it resolves the inherent contradictions and defects caused by the single protocol and single link in existing UAV communication. The present invention can intelligently match the most suitable protocol and transmission path combination for different types of command data according to actual needs and environmental changes. This flexible and adaptive mechanism significantly improves the real-time response capability and connection stability of the command link when facing complex low-altitude environments such as urban buildings and electromagnetic interference, thereby enhancing the safety of UAV flight and the reliability of mission execution.

[0026] It should be noted that the executing entity of the low-altitude UAV command transmission method provided by this invention can be a transmitting device in a UAV communication system. This system may also include a receiving device, and the transmitting and receiving ends are peer entities that achieve bidirectional communication. For example, the transmitting end can be a ground control station, a remote controller, or a cloud server, and the receiving end can be a low-altitude UAV; conversely, the transmitting end can also be a low-altitude UAV, and the receiving end can be a ground control station, a remote controller, or a cloud server. In this invention, "low-altitude" generally refers to airspace with a flight altitude below 1000 meters.

[0027] Figure 1 is a flowchart of the low-altitude UAV command transmission method provided by the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the method includes: step S10, acquiring command data to be transmitted.

[0028] Specifically, in this embodiment of the invention, the method begins when the executing entity (such as a ground control station or the UAV itself) generates data that needs to be transmitted. The aforementioned instruction data is a broad concept; it is not limited to instructions controlling the UAV's flight maneuvers, but encompasses all types of data information exchanged between the control unit and the UAV.

[0029] Specifically, command data can include control data, such as real-time control commands requiring the drone to perform specific flight maneuvers (e.g., adjusting attitude, changing speed, hovering), or flight mission planning commands (e.g., preset route waypoints). This type of data is typically small in volume but requires extremely high real-time transmission speed. It can also include status / media data, such as self-status reports transmitted by the drone to the ground station (e.g., GPS location, battery level, sensor readings), or media data collected by its onboard equipment (e.g., high-definition video streams, captured images, infrared images of disaster sites). This type of data can be very large in volume and requires high integrity and reliability in transmission. Furthermore, command data can also include management data, such as firmware upgrade packages and security authentication information for the drone. This type of data has the highest requirements for transmission reliability, needing to ensure that no errors occur during transmission.

[0030] The executing entity can obtain these instruction data to be transmitted in a variety of ways, such as by the operator inputting them through a remote control or ground station software interface, or by the automated task management system in the background.

[0031] Step S20: Select a target communication protocol from a preset communication protocol set according to the data type of the instruction data and / or the quality parameters of the current network environment. The preset communication protocol set includes at least a first communication protocol with real-time priority and a second communication protocol with reliability priority.

[0032] Specifically, after acquiring the instruction data to be transmitted, this embodiment of the invention does not use a fixed communication protocol for transmission, but instead performs a dynamic and intelligent protocol selection. This selection process is mainly based on two dimensions: the characteristics of the data itself and the current communication environment.

[0033] The preset communication protocol set is a set of selectable communication protocols pre-configured by the system. This protocol set includes at least one first communication protocol prioritizing real-time performance and one second communication protocol prioritizing reliability. Here, the first communication protocol prioritizing real-time performance refers to the protocol's design goal of minimizing data transmission latency. For example, the first communication protocol could be the MQTT protocol, a lightweight messaging protocol with low header overhead, ideal for transmitting frequent, small data packet control commands, and capable of achieving millisecond-level transmission latency.

[0034] The second communication protocol, prioritizing reliability, focuses more on ensuring data integrity and successful transmission. For example, the second communication protocol could be HTTP, which has reliable handshake, acknowledgment, and retransmission mechanisms, making it well-suited for transmitting large amounts of data packets where errors are unacceptable.

[0035] Specifically, the process of selecting a target communication protocol is dynamic. For example, the system can have a built-in protocol switching engine. When the engine analyzes the data type of the instruction data to be transmitted, if it determines that it is a real-time control instruction, it will prioritize the first communication protocol (such as MQTT); if it determines that it is a large amount of media data, it will prioritize the second communication protocol (such as HTTP).

[0036] Furthermore, the selection process can also incorporate quality parameters of the current network environment. These parameters are obtained in real time by the executing entity through the communication module and may include, but are not limited to, Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Round-Trip Time (RTT), and Packet Loss Rate. For example, even when transmitting real-time control commands, if the network environment is excellent (e.g., signal strength above -75dBm and packet loss rate below 1%), the system will firmly choose the MQTT protocol; however, if a sharp decline in network quality is detected, in order to enhance anti-interference capabilities, the system may temporarily switch to the more robust HTTP protocol to send degraded, critical commands, sacrificing some real-time performance in exchange for the reliability of command delivery.

[0037] Step S30: Based on the preset transmission strategy and the target communication protocol, the instruction data is transmitted to the receiving end through at least two communication links with different physical characteristics.

[0038] Specifically, after selecting the most suitable target communication protocol, at least two communication links with different physical characteristics can be used to perform transmission, and these links can be managed collaboratively through preset transmission strategies.

[0039] Here, different physical characteristics refer to the fundamental differences in the underlying physical implementation of these two or more links, resulting in their respective advantages and disadvantages in terms of transmission rate, anti-interference capability, coverage, and power consumption, thus forming complementary capabilities. For example, one link is a high-speed cellular network link (such as 5G cellular network), which has the advantages of high bandwidth and extremely low latency, but may have unstable signal in densely built-up areas or remote areas; another link is a radio frequency communication link with strong anti-interference capabilities (such as LoRa radio frequency communication), which has the advantages of long transmission distance, strong penetration, and excellent anti-interference capability, but lower speed.

[0040] The preset transmission strategy defines how these two links are used. For example, the preset transmission strategy can be a primary-backup redundancy strategy, where one link (such as a 5G cellular network link) is used as the primary link to carry all data transmission, while its transmission status is monitored. If a connection interruption or severe quality degradation is detected, it immediately and seamlessly switches to another backup link (such as a LoRa radio frequency communication link). Another example is a cooperative transmission strategy, which splits a data set, transmitting the real-time-critical parts (such as the command header) through a high-speed link and the reliability-critical parts (such as the command payload) through a high-interference-resistant link, and then reassembles them at the receiving end.

[0041] Through the above steps, this embodiment of the invention selects the optimal communication protocol for the instruction data to be transmitted based on its characteristics and network environment, and selects the most robust multi-link transmission for it, and finally sends it to the receiving end.

[0042] The method provided in this invention firstly intelligently and dynamically selects the most suitable target communication protocol from a set of protocols with different characteristics, such as real-time priority and reliability priority, based on the data type of the command data to be transmitted and / or the quality of the network environment monitored in real time. This dynamic protocol selection mechanism breaks the deadlock of traditional technologies using a single fixed protocol, enabling transmission to achieve the best balance between low latency and high reliability on demand, thereby optimizing the transmission efficiency of different types of data. Furthermore, this invention uses at least two communication links with different physical characteristics to perform transmission, constructing a redundant backup and anti-interference communication architecture. When the performance of one link degrades or is even interrupted due to signal obstruction, channel congestion, or strong electromagnetic interference, data can still be effectively transmitted through the other link, thereby reducing the risk of communication interruption, improving the continuity and stability of command transmission, and thus improving the communication quality and flight safety of UAVs in complex low-altitude environments.

[0043] Based on any of the above embodiments, step S20 specifically includes: step S21, when the data type of the instruction data is a first type, selecting the first communication protocol as the target communication protocol; step S22, when the data type of the instruction data is a second type, selecting the second communication protocol as the target communication protocol; step S23, when the data type of the instruction data is a third type, if the quality parameter meets a preset quality threshold, then selecting the first communication protocol as the target communication protocol; otherwise, selecting the second communication protocol as the target communication protocol; wherein, the first type is a real-time control instruction, the second type and the third type are both non-real-time data, and the data capacity of the second type is greater than or equal to a preset capacity threshold, and the data capacity of the third type is less than the preset capacity threshold.

[0044] Specifically, based on the real-time requirements and data volume, command data can be divided into at least three types: Type I, Type II, and Type III. Type I is defined as real-time control commands. The core characteristic of this type of data is its extreme sensitivity to transmission delays; any significant delay can lead to control failure or even safety incidents. Its data packets are typically very small. Examples include drone attitude adjustment commands, speed change commands, emergency hovering or return-to-home commands generated by an operator pushing a joystick.

[0045] The second type is defined as large-volume non-real-time data. This type of data is not sensitive to real-time performance, but has high requirements for the integrity and accuracy of transmission, and its data volume is large. The "large volume" here is defined by comparing it to a preset capacity threshold. For example, this threshold can be set to 1MB. When the data volume is greater than or equal to 1MB, it is classified as the second type. Typical examples include large firmware upgrade packages that drones need to download, and high-definition aerial map files that need to be transmitted back.

[0046] The third type is defined as small-capacity non-real-time data. This type of data falls between the first two types. The data packets are small, i.e., smaller than the preset capacity threshold. There are requirements for latency, but not as stringent as for flight control commands, while it is desirable for the data to be as complete as possible. Examples include status information packets such as the drone's own GPS coordinates, battery voltage, and flight duration reported periodically, or short text messages sent to the drone by the ground station.

[0047] Based on the above data classification, the protocol selection logic in this embodiment of the invention is as follows: When the data type of the instruction data to be transmitted is determined to be of the first type, the system will unconditionally select the first communication protocol (such as MQTT) as the target communication protocol. This is because for real-time control instructions, transmission latency is the primary consideration. Choosing a lightweight protocol like MQTT aims to minimize communication overhead and ensure immediate response of control instructions.

[0048] When the data type of the instruction data to be transmitted is determined to be of type two, the system will unconditionally select the second communication protocol (such as HTTP) as the target communication protocol. This is because for large files, the reliability and integrity of transmission are core requirements. The HTTP protocol is based on TCP, and its inherent flow control, error checking, and retransmission mechanisms can effectively ensure that large data blocks are transmitted completely and correctly in complex network environments, avoiding serious problems such as firmware upgrade failures or unusable map files due to data corruption.

[0049] When the data type of the instruction data to be transmitted is determined to be type three, the system will perform a dynamic decision based on the network environment. At this point, the system will first evaluate the quality parameters of the current network environment and compare them with a preset quality threshold. This quality parameter can be a single indicator, such as Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), or a weighted combination of multiple indicators, such as considering RSSI, Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), and packet loss rate. The preset quality threshold is a pre-set critical value; for example, it can be set to "RSSI above -85dBm and packet loss rate below 2%".

[0050] If the quality parameters meet the preset quality threshold, it indicates that the current network condition is good, and the system will select the first communication protocol (such as MQTT) as the target communication protocol. The reason for this is that, under stable network conditions, using the lightweight MQTT protocol to transmit small data packets can achieve faster speeds and lower system resource consumption, thereby improving overall communication efficiency.

[0051] If the quality parameters do not meet the preset quality threshold, it indicates that the current network conditions are poor and unstable. In this case, the system will select a second communication protocol (such as HTTP) as the target communication protocol. This is because even small data packets face a high risk of loss in poor network environments. Switching to the more robust HTTP protocol comes at the cost of an acceptable slight increase in latency, in exchange for the reliability of status data packet transmission, ensuring that the ground station can continuously acquire the critical status of the UAV.

[0052] By introducing the above-mentioned refined data classification and protocol selection logic, this invention can dynamically match the optimal communication protocol for each piece of data based on the data's own value attributes (real-time performance, capacity) and changes in the external environment (network quality), thereby achieving a balance between real-time performance, reliability, and efficiency of communication resources and significantly improving the environmental adaptability of the entire communication system.

[0053] Based on any of the above embodiments, when the first communication protocol is selected as the target communication protocol, the method further includes: adding cyclic redundancy check information to the instruction data to be transmitted, and transmitting the instruction data using a preset transmission mode, wherein the preset transmission mode is a transmission mode that ensures that the instruction data is delivered at least once.

[0054] Specifically, when transmitting the first type of data (real-time control commands) or the third type of data (small-volume non-real-time data) when the network is good, the system selects the first communication protocol. Although this protocol has the advantage of low latency, its default reliability guarantee may be insufficient, especially in harsh electromagnetic environments. To address this, embodiments of the present invention introduce two enhancement measures.

[0055] The first measure is to append Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) information to the instruction data to be transmitted. In this embodiment of the invention, when the sending end (such as a ground control station) prepares to send an instruction data packet via the first communication protocol, it first performs a CRC algorithm on the original instruction data to generate a short checksum (e.g., a 16-bit or 32-bit binary number). Then, this CRC checksum is appended to the end of the original instruction data to form a new, slightly larger data packet for transmission.

[0056] Upon receiving a data packet, the receiving end (such as a drone) separates the original data portion from the CRC checksum portion. It uses the exact same CRC algorithm as the sending end to calculate a locally computed CRC checksum on the received original data portion. Finally, it compares the locally computed CRC checksum with the received CRC checksum. If they match, the data is considered to have been transmitted without error, and the command is valid. If they do not match, it indicates that the data was interfered with or corrupted during transmission, and the receiving end will proactively discard this erroneous command data packet, thus preventing the drone from executing a dangerous command that has been altered or damaged.

[0057] The second measure is to use a preset transmission mode to transmit command data. This preset transmission mode ensures that command data is delivered at least once. This measure enhances reliability at the protocol level. Taking the specific implementation of the first communication protocol, MQTT, as an example, it defines different Quality of Service (QoS) levels. In this embodiment of the invention, the transmission mode that ensures command data is delivered at least once can be specifically implemented as the QoS=1 mode in the MQTT protocol.

[0058] When using QoS=1 transmission, the process is as follows: First, the sender sends a command data packet to the receiver; after successfully receiving it, the receiver replies with an acknowledgment message; if the sender does not receive this acknowledgment message within the set timeout period, it assumes the data packet may have been lost and retransmits it (usually with a retransmission flag). This closed-loop mechanism of sending, acknowledging, and retransmitting ensures that the command data packet eventually arrives at the receiver at least once, solving the problem of data packets potentially being lost in unreliable networks.

[0059] This invention enhances the reliability of critical command (such as flight control commands) transmission by superimposing an application-layer error detection mechanism and a protocol-layer at least once delivery transmission mode on a real-time-priority communication path. This ensures that even in complex interference environments, the UAV can accurately and reliably receive control commands, thereby providing a higher level of protection for the safe flight and stable operation of the UAV.

[0060] Based on any of the above embodiments, the different physical characteristics include differences in transmission rate and anti-interference capability, and at least two of the communication links include a first communication link and a second communication link, wherein the first communication link is a cellular network link and the second communication link is a radio frequency communication link.

[0061] Specifically, in the above embodiments, the present invention proposes to transmit command data through at least two communication links with different physical characteristics. These different physical characteristics are mainly reflected in two complementary dimensions: transmission rate and anti-interference capability. One link pursues the ultimate speed, while the other pursues the ultimate stability. The combination of the two forms a communication system that combines performance and reliability.

[0062] Specifically, the aforementioned at least two communication links include a first communication link and a second communication link. The first communication link can be a cellular network link, specifically employing the currently mainstream fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5G) network or fourth-generation mobile communication technology (4G / LTE) network. Its core physical characteristics are extremely high transmission rate and low transmission latency, making it very suitable for carrying services with extremely high real-time requirements such as high-definition video stream backhaul and real-time control command issuance.

[0063] The second communication link can be a radio frequency (RF) communication link, specifically employing LoRa RF communication technology. Its core physical characteristics are extremely strong anti-interference capabilities and long-distance transmission capabilities. This makes it very suitable for transmitting UAV control commands and critical telemetry data that are small in volume but extremely important.

[0064] This invention provides a solid physical foundation for the flexibility of upper-layer applications by adopting a heterogeneous dual-link architecture of cellular networks and radio frequency communication. It organically combines the high-speed advantage of cellular networks with the strong anti-interference and long-range advantages of dedicated radio frequency communication, enabling UAVs to cope with various complex communication scenarios from urban centers to remote suburbs. This expands the effective operating range of UAVs and improves their connection reliability and flight safety in various environments.

[0065] Based on any of the above embodiments, the preset transmission strategy includes: using the first communication link as the main link for transmission; and switching to the second communication link for transmission when the first communication link fails to transmit a preset number of times or the transmission delay exceeds a preset delay threshold.

[0066] Specifically, in this embodiment of the invention, the preset transmission strategy is concretized into a highly reliable primary / backup switching strategy. This strategy clarifies the specific logic for selecting and switching between the cellular network link (i.e., the first communication link) and the radio frequency communication link (i.e., the second communication link).

[0067] Specifically, during system initialization or normal operation, the system defaults to setting the higher-performance cellular network link as the primary link. This means that all command data to be transmitted, regardless of its type (control commands, status data, media data, etc.), will be sent preferentially through this link. This is done to maximize the use of the high bandwidth and low latency advantages of the cellular network, providing the best performance experience for drone operation, such as achieving smooth high-definition image transmission and millisecond-level remote control response.

[0068] While using the cellular network link as the primary link, the system has an independent monitoring module that continuously and in real-time assesses its health status. The system will automatically execute a link handover when any of the following preset handover conditions are met: Trigger condition one is that the first communication link experiences a preset number of transmission failures. Here, transmission failure can be defined as various specific events, such as failing to receive an application layer acknowledgment (ACK) from the receiving end within a specified timeout period after sending a data packet, or three consecutive ACKs being lost. The preset number is to avoid erroneous handovers caused by single network jitters. For example, the system can be set to determine a substantial failure of the primary link if three consecutive transmission failures occur within one second. This count and time window are configurable according to actual needs.

[0069] The second trigger condition is that the transmission delay of the first communication link exceeds a preset delay threshold. Transmission delay typically refers to the round-trip time (RTT) of data, which can be measured by periodically sending heartbeat packets. The preset delay threshold is a critical value set according to business requirements. For example, for real-time flight control commands, the tolerance for delay is extremely low, and this threshold can be set to 100 milliseconds. When the RTT of the main link is detected to be consistently higher than 100 milliseconds, even if the link has not been completely interrupted, it is considered that its service quality can no longer meet the requirements for safe flight control, and a handover should be triggered.

[0070] Once any of the above conditions are met, the system performs a switching operation, switching the transmission channel of command data from the first communication link (cellular network link) to the second communication link (RF communication link). Furthermore, in a more preferred implementation, this switching can be differentiated. The system immediately switches the most critical command data (such as real-time control commands and key status information) to the RF link for transmission to ensure critical communication; while for non-essential, high-volume data (such as high-definition video streams), transmission can be paused or discarded to accommodate the lower bandwidth of the RF link.

[0071] In addition, this strategy may include an automatic recovery mechanism. After switching to the backup link, the system will continue to monitor the status of the primary link. When the transmission success rate and latency of the primary link are detected to have returned to normal levels and remain stable for a period of time (e.g., 10 seconds), the system can automatically switch data transmission back to the primary link to regain high-performance communication capabilities.

[0072] The automatic primary / backup switching strategy provided in this invention offers a specific, feasible, and highly reliable fault response solution for UAV command transmission. This strategy can automatically and seamlessly switch core communication services to a highly reliable backup link the instant the primary link performance degrades or completely fails, effectively preventing the risk of UAV loss of control due to single-point failure of the communication link, thereby greatly improving the operational safety of UAVs in complex and dynamically changing network environments.

[0073] Based on any of the above embodiments, the preset transmission strategy includes: splitting the instruction data into an instruction header and an instruction payload; transmitting the instruction header through the first communication link and transmitting the instruction payload through the second communication link; the receiving end is used to verify and reassemble the received instruction header and instruction payload according to a preset hash check value.

[0074] Specifically, unlike the primary / backup switching strategy described in the above embodiments, this embodiment of the invention concretizes the preset transmission strategy into a dual-path collaborative differential transmission strategy. In this strategy, the two communication links with different physical characteristics (i.e., the first communication link and the second communication link) are no longer in a primary / backup relationship, but are simultaneously activated to collaboratively complete a complete instruction data transmission task.

[0075] Specifically, when the sending end has a data packet of instructions to be transmitted, the system first performs a structured breakdown. The instruction header is the part of the data packet containing metadata. It is very small in size but contains crucial information for parsing and verifying the entire data packet. This may include the instruction's unique identifier, instruction type, instruction length, and a hash checksum used to verify the integrity of the instruction payload.

[0076] The command payload is the main body of the command data, containing the actual content to be transmitted. For example, for a firmware upgrade package, the payload is the data block of that upgrade package; for an aerial photography mission, the payload might be the data of a high-resolution image.

[0077] After the splitting is complete, the system utilizes the physical differences between the two links for differential transmission. The instruction header is sent to the first communication link (cellular network link). Leveraging the high speed and low latency of this link, it ensures that the instruction header, containing critical information, arrives at the receiving end quickly, allowing the receiver to immediately recognize an incoming complete instruction and prepare for reception and verification. The instruction payload is then sent to the second communication link (RF communication link). Utilizing the strong anti-interference and high reliability of this link, it ensures the stability and integrity of the larger data content during transmission. Even with a slower transmission rate, ensuring reliable, error-free delivery of non-real-time data in complex environments is a more critical objective.

[0078] The receiving end (such as a drone) monitors two links simultaneously. Upon receiving the command header from the first communication link, it immediately parses out the command identifier and a preset hash checksum. This hash checksum is a unique identifier generated by the sending end before transmission by running a hash algorithm (such as SHA-256) on the original command payload.

[0079] Subsequently, once the receiving end has received the complete instruction payload from the second communication link, it will use the exact same hash algorithm to calculate the received payload content and obtain a locally calculated hash value.

[0080] Finally, the hash checksum obtained from the instruction header is compared with the locally calculated hash value to ensure they are completely identical. If they match, the instruction payload has been intact and tamper-proof during transmission. The receiving end can then consider the reception successful and logically recombine the instruction header and payload into a complete, executable instruction. If they do not match, the payload is discarded, and the transmission failure can be reported to the upper-layer application using the information in the instruction header.

[0081] The collaborative differential transmission strategy provided in this invention is a scheme for concurrent transmission that leverages the advantages of heterogeneous networks. This strategy not only improves the overall reliability of transmission but also optimizes the receiving end's processing flow by delivering the command header in advance. Compared to simple master-slave switching, this concurrent collaborative mode can utilize communication resources more efficiently in certain scenarios, providing another flexible and reliable option for UAV command transmission.

[0082] Based on any of the above embodiments, the method further includes: calculating a verification signature on the content of the instruction data and appending the verification signature to the instruction data; before executing the instruction corresponding to the instruction data, the receiving end calculates a verification value on the content of the received instruction data and executes the instruction if the verification value matches the verification signature.

[0083] Specifically, in drone communication, in addition to ensuring the real-time performance and reliability of command transmission, preventing malicious interception, tampering, or forgery of commands is equally crucial. This invention aims to address this security issue by introducing a cryptographic-based authentication and integrity verification mechanism.

[0084] Specifically, before the instruction data is ready to be sent (e.g., it has been protocol-encapsulated and CRC-added), the system performs the following operations: First, it calculates a fixed-length hash value by using a standard cryptographic hash function (such as SHA-256) on the core content of the instruction data. Next, the sender uses its private key, which is held only by itself, to encrypt (sign) the hash value generated in the previous step using an asymmetric encryption algorithm (such as ECDSA or RSA). This encrypted result is used to verify the signature.

[0085] Understandably, CRC can only detect unexpected errors during transmission (such as noise interference), while signature verification, because it uses the private key in asymmetric encryption, can not only verify data integrity (preventing tampering) but also verify the source of the data (preventing forgery and man-in-the-middle attacks). Only the public key paired with the private key can successfully decrypt the signature.

[0086] Finally, the sending end appends the generated verification signature to the end of the original instruction data to form the final data packet for transmission.

[0087] Upon receiving the data packet, the receiving end first separates the instruction data content from the attached verification signature. Using the same hash function as the sending end, it calculates a local verification value (i.e., a locally calculated hash value) on the received instruction data content. The receiving end then uses a pre-securely stored public key belonging to the sending end to decrypt (verify) the received verification signature. If decryption is successful, a hash value (i.e., the original hash value) is obtained. The receiving end then compares this hash value decrypted from the signature with its own calculated verification value. If they match, it indicates that the instruction content has not been tampered with in any way during transmission, and the instruction was indeed issued by the legitimate sending end holding the corresponding private key. At this point, the receiving end confirms the instruction is secure and trustworthy, and continues to execute the actions required by the instruction (such as adjusting flight attitude).

[0088] If the verification fails, it indicates that the instruction may have been tampered with or originated from an illegal source. The receiving end will immediately discard the instruction, refusing to execute it, and may report a security alert to the upper-layer application or ground station.

[0089] This invention, through the introduction of an asymmetric encryption digital signature mechanism, constructs a secure firewall for drone command transmission. This solution effectively resists various cybersecurity threats such as man-in-the-middle attacks and command forgery, ensuring that the drone only executes tamper-proof commands from a legitimate, authorized control unit, thereby enhancing the operational security and reliability of the drone system.

[0090] The low-altitude UAV command transmission device provided by the present invention is described below. The low-altitude UAV command transmission device described below can be referred to in correspondence with the low-altitude UAV command transmission method described above.

[0091] Based on any of the above embodiments, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the low-altitude UAV command transmission device provided by the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the device includes: a data acquisition unit 210, used to acquire command data to be transmitted; a protocol adaptation unit 220, used to select a target communication protocol from a preset communication protocol set according to the data type of the command data and / or the quality parameters of the current network environment, wherein the preset communication protocol set includes at least a first communication protocol with real-time priority and a second communication protocol with reliability priority; and a command transmission unit 230, used to transmit the command data to the receiving end through at least two communication links with different physical characteristics based on a preset transmission strategy and the target communication protocol.

[0092] The apparatus provided in this invention can first intelligently and dynamically select the most suitable target communication protocol from a set of protocols with different characteristics, such as real-time priority and reliability priority, based on the data type of the command data to be transmitted and / or the quality of the network environment monitored in real time. This dynamic protocol selection mechanism breaks the deadlock of traditional technologies using a single fixed protocol, enabling transmission to achieve the best balance between low latency and high reliability on demand, thereby optimizing the transmission efficiency of different types of data. Furthermore, this invention uses at least two communication links with different physical characteristics to perform transmission, constructing a redundant backup and anti-interference communication architecture. When the performance of one link degrades or is even interrupted due to signal obstruction, channel congestion, or strong electromagnetic interference, data can still be effectively transmitted through the other link, thereby reducing the risk of communication interruption, improving the continuity and stability of command transmission, and thus improving the communication quality and flight safety of UAVs in complex low-altitude environments.

[0093] Based on any of the above embodiments, the protocol adaptation unit 220 is specifically configured to: select the first communication protocol as the target communication protocol when the data type of the instruction data is a first type; select the second communication protocol as the target communication protocol when the data type of the instruction data is a second type; and select the first communication protocol as the target communication protocol if the quality parameter meets a preset quality threshold when the data type of the instruction data is a third type, otherwise select the second communication protocol as the target communication protocol; wherein, the first type is a real-time control instruction, the second type and the third type are both non-real-time data, and the data capacity of the second type is greater than or equal to a preset capacity threshold, and the data capacity of the third type is less than the preset capacity threshold.

[0094] Based on any of the above embodiments, when the first communication protocol is selected as the target communication protocol, the instruction transmission unit 230 is further configured to: add cyclic redundancy check information to the instruction data to be transmitted, and transmit the instruction data using a preset transmission mode, wherein the preset transmission mode is a transmission mode that ensures that the instruction data is delivered at least once.

[0095] Based on any of the above embodiments, the different physical characteristics include differences in transmission rate and anti-interference capability, and at least two of the communication links include a first communication link and a second communication link, wherein the first communication link is a cellular network link and the second communication link is a radio frequency communication link.

[0096] Based on any of the above embodiments, the preset transmission strategy includes: using the first communication link as the main link for transmission; and switching to the second communication link for transmission when the first communication link fails to transmit a preset number of times or the transmission delay exceeds a preset delay threshold.

[0097] Based on any of the above embodiments, the preset transmission strategy includes: splitting the instruction data into an instruction header and an instruction payload; transmitting the instruction header through the first communication link and transmitting the instruction payload through the second communication link; the receiving end is used to verify and reassemble the received instruction header and instruction payload according to a preset hash check value.

[0098] Based on any of the above embodiments, the device further includes a verification unit, which is configured to: calculate a verification signature on the content of the instruction data and append the verification signature to the instruction data; before executing the instruction corresponding to the instruction data, the receiving end calculates a verification value on the content of the received instruction data and executes the instruction if the verification value matches the verification signature.

[0099] Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of the physical structure of an electronic device. As shown in Figure 3, the electronic device may include: a processor 310, a communication interface 320, a memory 330, and a communication bus 340. The processor 310, communication interface 320, and memory 330 communicate with each other via the communication bus 340. The communication interface 320 can be used to communicate with external devices and typically integrates at least two communication modules supporting different physical layer communication technologies, such as a cellular network communication module (e.g., a 5G module) and a radio frequency communication module (e.g., a LoRa module). The processor 310 can call logical instructions in the memory 330 to execute a low-altitude UAV command transmission method. This method includes: acquiring command data to be transmitted; selecting a target communication protocol from a preset communication protocol set based on the data type of the command data and / or the quality parameters of the current network environment, wherein the preset communication protocol set includes at least a first communication protocol prioritizing real-time performance and a second communication protocol prioritizing reliability; and transmitting the command data to the receiving end through at least two communication links with different physical characteristics based on a preset transmission strategy and the target communication protocol.

[0100] Furthermore, the logical instructions in the aforementioned memory 330 can be implemented as software functional units and, when sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to related technologies, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0101] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program that can be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the computer can execute the low-altitude UAV command transmission method provided by the above methods. The method includes: acquiring command data to be transmitted; selecting a target communication protocol from a preset communication protocol set according to the data type of the command data and / or the quality parameters of the current network environment, wherein the preset communication protocol set includes at least a first communication protocol prioritizing real-time performance and a second communication protocol prioritizing reliability; and transmitting the command data to the receiving end through at least two communication links with different physical characteristics based on a preset transmission strategy and the target communication protocol.

[0102] In another aspect, the present invention also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the low-altitude UAV command transmission method provided by the above methods. The method includes: acquiring command data to be transmitted; selecting a target communication protocol from a preset communication protocol set according to the data type of the command data and / or the quality parameters of the current network environment, wherein the preset communication protocol set includes at least a first communication protocol prioritizing real-time performance and a second communication protocol prioritizing reliability; and transmitting the command data to a receiving end through at least two communication links with different physical characteristics based on a preset transmission strategy and the target communication protocol.

[0103] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement this without any creative effort.

[0104] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that each embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms, and of course, it can also be implemented by hardware. Based on this understanding, the above technical solutions, in essence or the parts that contribute to the related technology, can be embodied in the form of software products. This computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable 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, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments or some parts of the embodiments.

[0105] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention 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 of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting commands from a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), characterized in that, include: Obtain the instruction data to be transmitted; Based on the data type of the instruction data and / or the quality parameters of the current network environment, a target communication protocol is selected from a preset communication protocol set, wherein the preset communication protocol set includes at least a first communication protocol with real-time priority and a second communication protocol with reliability priority. Based on the preset transmission strategy and the target communication protocol, the instruction data is transmitted to the receiving end through at least two communication links with different physical characteristics.

2. The low-altitude UAV command transmission method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of selecting a target communication protocol from a preset set of communication protocols based on the data type of the instruction data and / or the quality parameters of the current network environment includes: selecting the first communication protocol as the target communication protocol when the data type of the instruction data is a first type; selecting the second communication protocol as the target communication protocol when the data type of the instruction data is a second type; and selecting the first communication protocol as the target communication protocol when the data type of the instruction data is a third type, if the quality parameters meet a preset quality threshold, otherwise selecting the second communication protocol as the target communication protocol. Wherein, the first type is a real-time control instruction, the second type and the third type are both non-real-time data, and the data capacity of the second type is greater than or equal to a preset capacity threshold, while the data capacity of the third type is less than the preset capacity threshold.

3. The low-altitude UAV command transmission method according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the first communication protocol is selected as the target communication protocol, the method further includes: adding cyclic redundancy check information to the instruction data to be transmitted, and transmitting the instruction data using a preset transmission mode, wherein the preset transmission mode is a transmission mode that ensures that the instruction data is delivered at least once.

4. The low-altitude UAV command transmission method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The different physical characteristics include differences in transmission rate and anti-interference capability, and at least two communication links include a first communication link and a second communication link, wherein the first communication link is a cellular network link and the second communication link is a radio frequency communication link.

5. The low-altitude UAV command transmission method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The preset transmission strategy includes: using the first communication link as the primary link for transmission; and switching to the second communication link for transmission when the first communication link fails a preset number of times or the transmission delay exceeds a preset delay threshold.

6. The low-altitude UAV command transmission method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The preset transmission strategy includes: splitting the instruction data into an instruction header and an instruction payload; transmitting the instruction header through the first communication link and transmitting the instruction payload through the second communication link; the receiving end is used to verify and reassemble the received instruction header and instruction payload according to a preset hash check value.

7. The low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: calculating a verification signature on the content of the instruction data and appending the verification signature to the instruction data; before executing the instruction corresponding to the instruction data, the receiving end calculates a verification value on the content of the received instruction data and executes the instruction if the verification value matches the verification signature.

8. A low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) command transmission device, characterized in that, include: The data acquisition unit is used to acquire instruction data to be transmitted. The protocol adaptation unit is used to select a target communication protocol from a preset communication protocol set according to the data type of the instruction data and / or the quality parameters of the current network environment. The preset communication protocol set includes at least a first communication protocol with real-time priority and a second communication protocol with reliability priority. The instruction transmission unit is used to transmit the instruction data to the receiving end through at least two communication links with different physical characteristics, based on a preset transmission strategy and the target communication protocol.

9. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and running on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle command transmission method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle command transmission method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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