Unmanned aerial vehicle cluster networking communication system and method
By employing dynamic network management, multi-band communication, dynamic key encryption, and fault repair mechanisms, the problems of poor topology adaptability, low stability, and weak security in UAV swarm communication systems have been solved, enabling efficient collaborative operation of UAV swarms in complex environments.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHONGQING LIULONG LINE TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-04
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-01
AI Technical Summary
Existing drone swarm communication systems suffer from poor topology adaptability, low communication stability, insecure data transmission, and weak fault handling capabilities. They are unable to adapt to changes in drone positions and complex environments, leading to communication interruptions and security threats.
The system employs a dynamic network management module for topology adjustment, supports multi-band communication, uses dynamic key encryption, sets up fault detection and autonomous repair mechanisms, and introduces relay drones to enhance signals, ensuring communication stability and security.
It achieves efficient, stable, and secure drone swarm communication, can adapt to complex environmental changes, reduce communication interruptions, improve data transmission security and network reliability, and ensure continuous mission execution.
Smart Images
Figure CN121968088A_ABST
Abstract
Description
A UAV swarm networking communication system and method Technical Field
[0001] This invention provides a drone swarm networking communication system and method, belonging to the field of drone communication technology. Background Technology
[0002] With the rapid development of drone technology, single drones are no longer sufficient to meet the demands of complex tasks. Drone swarms, with their collaborative operation capabilities, are widely used in various fields. The efficient operation of drone swarms relies heavily on stable and reliable network communication systems. Currently, traditional drone swarm network communication methods mostly employ fixed network topologies, which are ill-suited to the dynamic changes in drone positions during operations. When drone movement increases the distance between some nodes or obstructs obstacles, communication quality deteriorates, and communication may even be interrupted, severely impacting the collaborative efficiency of the drone swarm. Furthermore, existing drone swarm communication systems are limited in their choice of communication frequency bands, unable to flexibly switch according to complex communication environments, further reducing communication stability. In addition, regarding data transmission security, traditional encryption methods often use fixed keys; if these keys are leaked, the security of the entire communication system is threatened. Moreover, when some drones in the swarm experience communication failures, the lack of effective fault handling mechanisms can easily lead to network paralysis, affecting the normal execution of tasks.
[0003] In view of the problems existing in the above-mentioned technologies, such as poor adaptability of communication topology, single communication frequency band, low data transmission security and weak fault handling capability, there is an urgent need for a UAV swarm networking communication system and method that can dynamically adjust network topology, support multi-frequency band communication, have dynamic encryption function and can effectively handle faults. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of existing UAV swarm networking communication technologies, such as poor topology adaptability, low communication stability, insecure data transmission, and weak fault handling capabilities. This invention provides a UAV swarm networking communication system and method that can dynamically adjust the network topology according to changes in UAV location, communication quality parameters, and mission requirements. It supports multi-band communication switching, uses dynamic key encryption to ensure data security, and has a comprehensive fault handling mechanism to ensure efficient, stable, and secure UAV swarm communication.
[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention proposes the following technical solution: a drone swarm networking communication system and method, comprising: at least one master control drone, the master control drone being equipped with a first communication module, a first positioning module, a first data processing module, and a dynamic network management module, the dynamic network management module being used to dynamically adjust the network topology based on the location information, communication quality parameters, and task requirements of each drone in the drone swarm; multiple slave drones, each slave drone being equipped with a second communication module, a second positioning module, and a second data processing module, the slave drones communicating with the master control drone and other slave drones through the second communication module; and a relay drone, the relay drone being equipped with a third communication module and a signal enhancement module. A relay drone is used to enhance communication signals when the communication quality between the master control drone and slave drones, or between slave drones, is lower than a preset threshold. A ground control center, connected to the master control drone via wireless communication, is used to send control commands to the master control drone and receive drone swarm information transmitted by the master control drone. The dynamic network management module includes a network topology evaluation unit, a topology adjustment decision unit, and a topology reconstruction execution unit. The network topology evaluation unit is used to evaluate the communication efficiency and stability of the current network topology in real time. The topology adjustment decision unit is used to formulate a topology adjustment plan based on the evaluation results and task requirements. The topology reconstruction execution unit is used to execute the topology adjustment plan to achieve dynamic reconstruction of the network topology.
[0006] Furthermore, both the first and second communication modules support multi-band communication and can automatically switch communication bands according to the communication environment. The multi-band communication includes microwave bands and millimeter-wave bands.
[0007] Furthermore, the main control UAV is also equipped with an encryption module, which is used to encrypt the data transmitted between the main control UAV and the slave UAV, and between the main control UAV and the ground control center. The encryption process adopts an encryption algorithm based on dynamic keys, and the dynamic keys are dynamically generated according to the location information and time information of the UAV.
[0008] Furthermore, the slave drone is also equipped with a fault detection module and an autonomous repair module. The fault detection module is used to detect whether the communication module of the slave drone itself has failed. The autonomous repair module is used to attempt autonomous repair when a communication module failure is detected. If the autonomous repair fails, it sends fault information to the master control drone and requests to leave the current network.
[0009] Further, the process includes the following steps: S1, the master control UAV establishes an initial communication network with multiple slave UAVs and obtains the initial position information and initial communication quality parameters of each slave UAV; S2, the dynamic network management module of the master control UAV constructs an initial network topology based on the initial position information, initial communication quality parameters, and preset task requirements of each slave UAV; S3, during the execution of tasks by the UAV cluster, the master control UAV obtains the real-time position information and real-time communication quality parameters of each slave UAV in real time; S4, the network topology evaluation unit of the dynamic network management module evaluates the communication efficiency and stability of the current network topology based on the real-time position information and real-time communication quality parameters; S5, if the evaluation result meets the preset conditions, the current network topology is maintained; if the evaluation result does not meet the preset conditions, the topology adjustment decision unit formulates a topology adjustment scheme, and the topology reconstruction execution unit executes the topology adjustment scheme to achieve dynamic reconstruction of the network topology; S6, during communication, when the communication quality between the master control UAV and slave UAVs or between slave UAVs is lower than a preset threshold, the master control UAV controls the relay UAV to move to the corresponding position to enhance the communication signal.
[0010] Furthermore, the specific method for constructing the initial network topology in step S2 is as follows: calculate the distance between any two slave drones based on the initial position information of each slave drone, and combine the initial communication quality parameters to construct an initial network topology with the master control drone as the center and the slave drones as nodes using a greedy algorithm.
[0011] Furthermore, the method for formulating the topology adjustment scheme in step S5 includes: determining the predicted movement trajectory of each UAV based on real-time location information, calculating the communication cost and communication efficiency of different topology adjustment schemes in combination with real-time communication quality parameters and task requirements, and selecting the scheme with the lowest communication cost and the highest communication efficiency as the final topology adjustment scheme.
[0012] Furthermore, it also includes a data encryption transmission step: the encryption module of the main control drone generates a dynamic key based on the real-time location information of the main control drone and the receiving drone, as well as the current time information. The dynamic key is used to encrypt the data to be transmitted before transmission. The receiving drone generates a dynamic key in the same way to decrypt the encrypted data.
[0013] Furthermore, it also includes the following steps for handling drone malfunctions: the drone's fault detection module monitors the working status of its own communication module in real time. When a fault is detected in the communication module, the autonomous repair module attempts to perform autonomous repair. If the autonomous repair is successful, it continues to participate in network communication. If the autonomous repair fails, it sends fault information to the main control drone. After receiving the fault information, the main control drone readjusts the network topology.
[0014] Furthermore, the specific method for controlling the relay drone to move to the corresponding position in step S6 is as follows: the main control drone calculates the optimal relay position based on the position information of two communication nodes whose communication quality is lower than a preset threshold, and controls the relay drone to move to the optimal relay position. The optimal relay position is the position where the communication quality between the two communication nodes and the relay drone is higher than the preset threshold.
[0015] Due to the adoption of the above technical solutions, the beneficial effects of the UAV swarm networking communication system and method of the present invention are as follows: 1. Dynamic topology adjustment, improving communication adaptability: The present invention, by setting a dynamic network management module, can dynamically adjust the network topology structure according to the real-time location information, communication quality parameters, and task requirements of each UAV in the UAV swarm. Compared with the traditional fixed topology structure, this dynamic adjustment mechanism can effectively adapt to the position changes of UAVs during operation, avoid communication quality degradation or interruption caused by UAV movement, significantly improve the adaptability and stability of UAV swarm communication, and ensure that the swarm can still work efficiently and collaboratively in complex environments. 2. Multi-band communication switching, ensuring communication stability: The first communication module of the master control UAV and the second communication module of the slave UAV both support multi-band communication (microwave band and millimeter wave band) and can automatically switch communication bands according to the communication environment. The microwave band has the characteristics of long transmission distance and strong anti-interference capability, and is suitable for long-distance and complex environment communication; the millimeter wave band has the characteristics of large bandwidth and high data transmission rate, and is suitable for short-distance and high-speed data transmission scenarios. Through automatic multi-band switching, the optimal frequency band can be selected according to the actual communication environment, ensuring the stability and efficiency of communication. 3. Dynamic Key Encryption for Enhanced Data Security: This invention employs a dynamic key-based encryption algorithm. The dynamic key is generated based on the UAV's real-time location and current time information, ensuring a unique key for each data transmission. Even if a key is accidentally cracked, it will not affect the security of other data transmissions, effectively avoiding the overall security risk caused by key leakage in traditional fixed-key encryption methods. This significantly improves the security of UAV swarm data transmission, making it particularly suitable for scenarios with high data security requirements, such as military reconnaissance and classified missions. 4. Robust Fault Handling Mechanism for Enhanced Network Reliability: The UAVs are equipped with fault detection and autonomous repair modules, enabling real-time detection of communication module faults and attempts at autonomous repair, reducing the impact of faults on the network. Simultaneously, upon receiving fault information from a slave UAV or detecting a slave UAV losing connection, the master control UAV can promptly adjust the network topology and remove faulty nodes, ensuring network integrity. This fault handling mechanism effectively prevents network paralysis caused by the failure of a single slave UAV, significantly enhancing the reliability of the UAV swarm communication network and ensuring the continuous progress of missions. 5. Relay Drone Assistance for Expanded Communication Coverage: When the communication quality of a relay drone falls below a preset threshold, it can move to the optimal relay position under the guidance of the main control drone, enhancing the communication signal. This design effectively solves the problem of poor communication quality caused by excessive distance or obstruction of obstacles in some nodes of a drone swarm, expands the communication coverage, and further improves the stability of the entire communication system.In summary, the UAV swarm networking communication system and method of the present invention can effectively solve the problems of poor communication topology adaptability, low communication stability, insecure data transmission, and weak fault handling capability in the prior art. It has high practicality and promotion value and can be widely applied to UAV swarm collaborative operation scenarios in multiple fields such as disaster relief, environmental monitoring, and military reconnaissance. Attached Figure Description
[0016] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a flowchart of system initialization and initial networking of a UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to the present invention.
[0017] Figure 2 is a flowchart of dynamic network topology reconstruction of a UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to the present invention.
[0018] Figure 3 is a flowchart of the relay UAV scheduling process of a UAV swarm networking communication system and method of the present invention.
[0019] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the UAV fault handling process of a UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0020] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0021] Example 1: Emergency Rescue Scenario Application In earthquake disaster emergency rescue, a drone swarm is needed to conduct comprehensive reconnaissance of the disaster area and transmit images, videos, and other rescue information in real time. System Deployment: Deploy 1 master control drone, 8 slave drones (equipped with high-definition camera equipment), and 2 relay drones. The ground control center is located at the safe rescue command point. Initial Network Construction: The master control drone establishes an initial communication network with the 8 slave drones. The initial position information of each slave drone (different reconnaissance starting points around the disaster area) is obtained through the first and second positioning modules. The first and second communication modules detect initial communication quality parameters (such as signal strength and bit error rate). The dynamic network management module uses a greedy algorithm to calculate the distance between any two slave drones. Combined with the initial communication quality parameters, it constructs an initial star network topology with the master control drone as the center and the 8 slave drones as nodes, ensuring that the master control drone can efficiently receive reconnaissance data from each slave drone. Mission Execution and Topology Adjustment: During the rescue operation, the slave drones move into the disaster area according to mission requirements. The master control drone obtains the real-time location information of each slave drone through the first positioning module, and the first communication module obtains real-time communication quality parameters. When some slave drones penetrate deeper into the disaster area, the distance between them and the master control drone increases, and the communication quality parameters (signal strength) fall below a preset threshold (e.g., signal strength below -85dBm), the network topology evaluation unit assesses the communication efficiency (data transmission rate decreases from the initial 20Mbps to 8Mbps) and stability (data packet loss rate increases from 0.5% to 8%) of the current network topology, and determines that the preset conditions are not met (preset communication efficiency not lower than 15Mbps, data packet loss rate not higher than 3%). Based on the predicted movement trajectory of the drones (expected to continue moving 500 meters towards the center of the disaster area), real-time communication quality parameters, and rescue mission requirements (prioritizing image transmission to the center of the disaster area), the topology adjustment decision unit calculates the communication costs (such as drone energy consumption and data transmission latency) and communication efficiency of different topology adjustment schemes. Ultimately, it selects to adjust the original star topology to a hierarchical topology, with the four drones closest to the center of the disaster area as child nodes, and one of the drones with better communication status as an intermediate node communicating with the main control drone. This scheme reduces communication costs by 20% and improves communication efficiency to 18Mbps, becoming the final topology adjustment scheme, which is then executed by the topology reconstruction execution unit. Relay signal enhancement: When two slave drones communicate between the ruins of buildings in the disaster area, the communication quality (signal strength drops to -90dBm) is lower than the preset threshold. The master control drone calculates the optimal relay position (30 meters above the midpoint of the line connecting the two drones, avoiding obstruction by the ruins) based on the position information of the two slave drones. It then controls one relay drone to move to this position. The signal enhancement module of the relay drone is activated, which increases the communication signal strength between the two slave drones to -75dBm, meeting the communication requirements.Data Encryption and Fault Handling: The encryption module of the master control UAV generates a dynamic key based on its own real-time location (30.5°N, 104.3°E), the real-time location of the receiving slave UAV (30.52°N, 104.31°E), and the current time (e.g., 14:30:25). This key is used to encrypt the rescue image data transmitted by the slave UAV before transmission to the ground control center. The ground control center generates a key using the same method to decrypt and retrieve the images. If the communication module of one slave UAV malfunctions, the fault detection module detects the fault and the autonomous repair module attempts to restart the communication module or perform other repair operations. If the repair fails, a fault message is sent to the master control UAV. Upon receiving the message, the master control UAV readjusts the network topology, removes the faulty slave UAV, and allows other slave UAVs to share the reconnaissance task, ensuring that the rescue work is not affected. Example 2: Agricultural Plant Protection Scenario. In large-scale farmland (e.g., 1000 mu of paddy fields) plant protection operations, a cluster of UAVs is needed to collaboratively spray pesticides while simultaneously providing real-time feedback on farmland pest and disease conditions and pesticide residue levels. System Deployment: One master control UAV, 10 slave UAVs (equipped with pesticide spraying devices and pest detection sensors), and one relay UAV are deployed. The ground control center is located at the operation base station surrounding the farmland. Initial Network Construction: The master control UAV establishes an initial communication network with the 10 slave UAVs, acquiring the initial position information (different operation starting points at the edge of the farmland) and initial communication quality parameters (no significant obstructions in the farmland area, initial signal strength above -70dBm). The dynamic network management module uses a greedy algorithm, combining the distance between each slave UAV (100-meter spacing between adjacent slave UAVs) and the initial communication quality parameters, to construct an initial grid network topology centered on the master control UAV with uniformly distributed slave UAVs. This facilitates unified scheduling of slave UAVs for plant protection operations by the master control UAV. Task Execution and Topology Adjustment: During plant protection operations, the slave UAVs move longitudinally along the farmland according to preset routes to spray pesticides. The master control UAV acquires the real-time position information and real-time communication quality parameters of each slave UAV. When the drone moved to the middle of the farmland, the communication quality between some of the drones and the main control drone slightly decreased (signal strength dropped to -82dBm) due to the obstruction of trees around the farmland. The network topology evaluation unit assessed the communication efficiency (data transmission rate decreased from 25Mbps to 22Mbps) and stability (data packet loss rate increased from 0.3% to 1.2%) of the current network topology and determined that the preset conditions were met (preset communication efficiency not lower than 20Mbps, data packet loss rate not higher than 2%), maintaining the current network topology. As the operation progressed, when the drones moved to the other end of the farmland, the distance between some of the drones increased to 500 meters, and the communication quality (signal strength dropped to -88dBm) fell below the preset threshold (signal strength not lower than -85dBm). The network topology evaluation unit determined that the preset conditions were not met.The topology adjustment decision unit calculates different topology adjustment schemes based on the predicted movement trajectory of the drones (expected to adjust the work area laterally by 300 meters), real-time communication quality parameters, and plant protection task requirements (ensuring uniform pesticide spraying and real-time information feedback). Ultimately, it selects to adjust the node spacing of the grid topology to 150 meters, increasing the communication connection points between the drones. This scheme increases communication costs by 10%, but improves communication efficiency to 24 Mbps and reduces the data packet loss rate to 0.8%. The adjustment is executed by the topology reconstruction execution unit. Relay signal enhancement: When a drone operates in a low-lying area at the corner of the farmland, the communication quality with the master drone (signal strength drops to -92 dBm) is below a preset threshold. The master drone calculates the optimal relay position (50 meters above the low-lying area, unobstructed) based on the location information of the drone and itself, and controls the relay drone to move to this position to enhance the communication signal, increasing the communication signal strength between the drone and the master drone to -78 dBm. Data Encryption and Fault Handling: The encryption module of the master control drone generates a dynamic key based on its own and the slave drones' real-time location information and the current time. This key encrypts the pest and disease detection data and pesticide residue data transmitted by the slave drones before transmitting them to the ground control center. The ground control center decrypts the data and adjusts the plant protection strategy accordingly. If the communication module of one slave drone malfunctions due to pesticide corrosion, and the autonomous repair module fails to repair it, it sends a fault message to the master control drone. The master control drone then readjusts the network topology, arranging adjacent slave drones to expand their operating range and cover the operating area of the malfunctioning slave drone, ensuring the timely completion of plant protection operations. Example 3: Urban Security Scenarios In the security work of large-scale urban events (such as concerts and sporting events), a drone swarm is needed to monitor the event site and surrounding areas in real time, identify potential safety hazards, and transmit information such as personnel movement and on-site order. System Deployment: Deploy 1 master control drone, 12 slave drones (equipped with infrared monitoring cameras and sound acquisition equipment), and 3 relay drones. The ground control center is located at the security command center at the event site. Initial Network Construction: The master control drone establishes an initial communication network with 12 slave drones, acquiring initial location information (monitoring points such as rooftops and road intersections around the event site) and initial communication quality parameters (in urban areas, some buildings obstruct the signal, resulting in initial signal strength of some slave drones around -75dBm). The dynamic network management module employs a greedy algorithm, combining the distances between slave drones (800 meters between adjacent drones based on the monitoring range) and initial communication quality parameters to construct an initial ring network topology centered on the master control drone, with slave drones covering the event site and surrounding areas. This ensures efficient transmission of information from each monitoring point to the master control drone.Task Execution and Topology Adjustment: During the event, the slave drones adjust their monitoring positions based on the flow of people on site. The master control drone acquires the real-time location information and communication quality parameters of each slave drone. When the flow of people at the event site increases, some slave drones need to move closer to densely populated areas (such as the event entrance) for monitoring, resulting in an increased distance from the master control drone. This causes the communication quality (signal strength drops to -86dBm) to fall below the preset threshold (signal strength not lower than -85dBm). The network topology evaluation unit assesses the communication efficiency (data transmission rate drops from 30Mbps to 28Mbps) and stability (data packet loss rate increases from 0.2% to 1.5%) of the current network topology and determines that the preset conditions are not met (preset communication efficiency not lower than 29Mbps, data packet loss rate not higher than 1%). The topology adjustment decision unit calculates different topology adjustment schemes based on the predicted movement trajectory of the drones (expected to stay around the event entrance for 1 hour), real-time communication quality parameters, and security task requirements (focusing on monitoring personnel flow at the event entrance). Ultimately, it selects to add one communication relay node (operated by one slave drone) around the event entrance. This slave drone establishes direct communication with the master control drone and simultaneously communicates with three surrounding slave drones. This scheme increases communication costs by 15%, improves communication efficiency to 32Mbps, and reduces data packet loss rate to 0.6%. The topology reconstruction execution unit then performs the adjustment. Relay signal enhancement: When two slave drones are monitoring from the tops of two large buildings at the event site, the communication quality between the two drones (signal strength drops to -95dBm) is lower than the preset threshold due to building obstruction. The master control drone calculates the optimal relay position (100 meters above the open area between the two buildings) based on the location information of the two drones, controls one relay drone to move to this position, and activates the signal enhancement module to increase the communication signal strength between the two slave drones to -72dBm, ensuring that monitoring information can be shared. Data Encryption and Fault Handling: The encryption module of the master control drone generates a dynamic key based on its own and the slave drones' real-time location information and the current time. This key encrypts the on-site monitoring video data transmitted by the slave drones before transmitting it to the ground control center. Security personnel can then monitor the situation on-site in real time using the decrypted video data. If the communication module of one slave drone malfunctions due to sudden electromagnetic interference, the fault detection module detects the fault, and the autonomous repair module attempts to adjust the communication frequency and perform other repair operations. If the repair fails, it sends a fault message to the master control drone. Upon receiving the message, the master control drone readjusts the network topology, allocating the monitoring area of the faulty slave drone to two surrounding slave drones, ensuring comprehensive urban security monitoring. Example 4: Power Line Inspection Scenario. In the inspection of high-voltage transmission lines (such as a 50-kilometer 220kV transmission line), a drone swarm is needed to inspect the transmission line's towers, conductors, insulators, and other equipment, providing real-time feedback on equipment defects.System Deployment: One master control UAV, six slave UAVs (equipped with high-definition zoom cameras and infrared thermal imagers), and two relay UAVs are deployed. The ground control center is located at an inspection workstation near the power transmission line. Initial Network Construction: The master control UAV establishes an initial communication network with the six slave UAVs, acquiring the initial location information (near different towers near the starting point of the power transmission line) and initial communication quality parameters (no strong electromagnetic interference areas around the power transmission line, initial signal strength above -68dBm). The dynamic network management module uses a greedy algorithm, combining the distance between each slave UAV (10 km between adjacent slave UAVs along the power transmission line direction) and the initial communication quality parameters, to construct an initial chain-like network topology centered on the master control UAV, with slave UAVs distributed along the power transmission line. This facilitates the slave UAVs sequentially inspecting the power transmission line equipment and transmitting data. Task Execution and Topology Adjustment: During the inspection, the slave UAVs move along the power transmission line towards the endpoint. The master control UAV acquires the real-time location information and real-time communication quality parameters of each slave UAV. When the drone moves to the mountainous area in the middle of the power transmission line, due to the obstruction of the mountains, the communication quality between some drones and the main control drone (signal strength drops to -87dBm) is lower than the preset threshold (signal strength not lower than -85dBm). The network topology evaluation unit evaluates the communication efficiency (data transmission rate drops from 22Mbps to 19Mbps) and stability (data packet loss rate increases from 0.4% to 2.5%) of the current network topology and determines that the preset conditions (preset communication efficiency not lower than 20Mbps, data packet loss rate not higher than 2%) are not met. Based on the predicted movement trajectory of the drone (expected to continue moving 15 kilometers deeper into the mountains along the transmission line), real-time communication quality parameters, and inspection task requirements (focusing on inspecting insulator defects in the mountainous section of the transmission line), the topology adjustment decision unit calculates different topology adjustment schemes. Ultimately, it selects to adjust the chain topology to a tree topology, with the three drones located in the mountainous section as child nodes, and one of the drones located near the mountaintop with good communication status as the parent node to communicate with the main control drone. This scheme reduces communication costs by 18%, improves communication efficiency to 23 Mbps, and reduces data packet loss rate to 1.2%. The topology reconstruction execution unit then performs the adjustment. Relay signal enhancement: When a slave drone is inspecting a power transmission line crossing a river, and the communication quality with the slave drone on the opposite bank (signal strength drops to -93dBm) is lower than the preset threshold, the master control drone calculates the optimal relay position (80 meters above the center of the river, with no obstructions) based on the location information of the two slave drones (located on opposite banks of the river, 800 meters apart). The master control drone then moves a relay drone to this position, and the relay drone's signal enhancement module is activated, increasing the communication signal strength between the two slave drones to -76dBm. This ensures timely exchange of inspection data and avoids information gaps caused by river obstructions.Meanwhile, the main control UAV monitors the relay UAV's operational status in real time. When it detects a decrease in the relay UAV's signal enhancement module power, it promptly sends an adjustment command to increase the signal enhancement power by 15%, further ensuring communication stability across the river section. Data encryption transmission: The main control UAV's encryption module generates a dynamic key based on its own real-time location (e.g., 32.1°N, 118.5°E), the receiving UAV's real-time location (e.g., 32.12°N, 118.53°E), and the current time (e.g., 9:45:18). For example, the location information is converted to decimal coordinates (retaining four decimal places) and hashed with a timestamp (accurate to the second) to generate a 128-bit dynamic key. This key encrypts images of transmission line insulator defects and conductor temperature data transmitted from the UAV before transmitting them to the ground control center via the first communication module. The ground control center uses the same hash algorithm to generate a key based on the real-time location information and the same timestamp of the master control UAV and the corresponding slave UAV, and decrypts the encrypted data to ensure that the inspection data is not stolen or tampered with during transmission, thus ensuring the security of power inspection data.
[0022] Troubleshooting for drones: If a drone responsible for inspecting power pole foundations experiences a communication module malfunction due to electromagnetic interference from high-voltage transmission lines, the fault detection module monitors parameters such as signal transmission power and data reception success rate in real time. If the signal transmission power drops from the normal 20dBm to 5dBm and the data reception success rate drops from 98% to 30%, the communication module is determined to be faulty. The autonomous repair module immediately initiates a repair process. First, it attempts to switch the communication frequency band (from microwave to millimeter-wave). After the switch, the signal transmission power recovers to 18dBm, and the data reception success rate increases to 85%, but this still does not reach the normal operating threshold (signal transmission power not lower than 18dBm, data reception success rate not lower than 95%). Subsequently, the autonomous repair module attempts to restart the communication module. After restarting, the signal transmission power stabilizes at 19dBm, and the data reception success rate increases to 96%, indicating a successful repair. The drone can then continue its power pole foundation inspection mission. If the communication module of another slave drone malfunctions due to hardware damage (such as a broken antenna), and the autonomous repair module fails to restore communication after attempting various repair operations, it sends a fault message to the master control drone. This message includes the fault type (hardware damage), the current location (32.15°N, 118.55°E), and the completed inspection section (5 km of transmission line inspected). Upon receiving the fault message, the master control drone immediately readjusts the network topology, assigning the uninspected section (remaining 3 km of transmission line) of the faulty slave drone to two adjacent slave drones. One slave drone gains an additional 2 km of inspection task, and the other gains an additional 1 km. The master control drone also updates the communication connections between the slave drones to ensure uninterrupted inspection of the entire high-voltage transmission line, completing the comprehensive inspection of the 50 km transmission line on time.
[0023] The present invention and its embodiments have been described above. This description is not restrictive. In short, if a person skilled in the art is inspired by this description and designs a similar structure and embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention, such design should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A drone swarm networking communication system and method, characterized in that, include: At least one master control drone, the master control drone being equipped with a first communication module, a first positioning module, a first data processing module, and a dynamic network management module, the dynamic network management module being used to dynamically adjust the network topology based on the location information, communication quality parameters, and task requirements of each drone in the drone cluster; multiple slave drones, each of the slave drones being equipped with a second communication module, a second positioning module, and a second data processing module, the slave drones communicating with the master control drone and other slave drones through the second communication module; and a relay drone, the relay drone being equipped with a third communication module and a signal enhancement module, the relay drone being used to enhance the communication signal when the communication quality between the master control drone and the slave drones or between slave drones is lower than a preset threshold; The ground control center is connected to the main control UAV via wireless communication and is used to send control commands to the main control UAV and receive UAV swarm information transmitted by the main control UAV. The dynamic network management module includes a network topology evaluation unit, a topology adjustment decision unit, and a topology reconstruction execution unit. The network topology evaluation unit is used to evaluate the communication efficiency and stability of the current network topology in real time. The topology adjustment decision unit is used to formulate a topology adjustment plan based on the evaluation results and mission requirements. The topology reconstruction execution unit is used to execute the topology adjustment plan to achieve dynamic reconstruction of the network topology.
2. The UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the first and second communication modules support multi-band communication and can automatically switch communication bands according to the communication environment. The multi-band communication includes microwave bands and millimeter-wave bands.
3. The UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The master control drone is also equipped with an encryption module, which is used to encrypt the data transmitted between the master control drone and the slave drone, and between the master control drone and the ground control center. The encryption process adopts an encryption algorithm based on dynamic keys, and the dynamic keys are dynamically generated according to the drone's location information and time information.
4. The UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slave drone is also equipped with a fault detection module and an autonomous repair module. The fault detection module is used to detect whether the slave drone's own communication module has failed. The autonomous repair module is used to attempt autonomous repair when a communication module failure is detected. If the autonomous repair fails, it sends fault information to the master control drone and requests to leave the current network.
5. The UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1. The master control UAV establishes an initial communication network with multiple slave UAVs and obtains the initial position information and initial communication quality parameters of each slave UAV. S2. The dynamic network management module of the master control UAV constructs an initial network topology based on the initial position information, initial communication quality parameters, and preset task requirements of each slave UAV. S3. During the execution of tasks by the UAV cluster, the master control UAV acquires the real-time position information and real-time communication quality parameters of each slave UAV in real time. S4. The network topology evaluation unit of the dynamic network management module evaluates the communication efficiency and stability of the current network topology based on the real-time position information and real-time communication quality parameters. S5. If the evaluation result meets preset conditions, the current network topology is maintained; if the evaluation result does not meet preset conditions, the topology adjustment decision unit formulates a topology adjustment plan, and the topology reconstruction execution unit executes the topology adjustment plan to achieve dynamic reconstruction of the network topology. S6. During communication, when the communication quality between the master control UAV and slave UAVs or between slave UAVs is lower than a preset threshold, the master control UAV controls the relay UAV to move to the corresponding position to enhance the communication signal.
6. The UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The specific method for constructing the initial network topology in step S2 is as follows: calculate the distance between any two slave drones based on the initial position information of each slave drone, and combine the initial communication quality parameters to construct an initial network topology with the master control drone as the center and the slave drones as nodes using a greedy algorithm.
7. The UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The method for formulating the topology adjustment scheme in step S5 includes: determining the predicted movement trajectory of each UAV based on real-time location information, calculating the communication cost and communication efficiency of different topology adjustment schemes in combination with real-time communication quality parameters and task requirements, and selecting the scheme with the lowest communication cost and the highest communication efficiency as the final topology adjustment scheme.
8. The UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a data encryption transmission step: the encryption module of the main control drone generates a dynamic key based on the real-time location information of the main control drone and the receiving drone, as well as the current time information. The dynamic key is used to encrypt the data to be transmitted before transmission. The receiving drone generates a dynamic key in the same way to decrypt the encrypted data.
9. The UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes the drone fault handling steps: the drone's fault detection module monitors the working status of its own communication module in real time. When a fault is detected in the communication module, the autonomous repair module attempts to perform autonomous repair. If the autonomous repair is successful, it continues to participate in network communication. If the autonomous repair fails, a fault message is sent to the main control drone. After receiving the fault message, the main control drone readjusts the network topology.
10. The UAV swarm networking communication system and method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The specific method for controlling the relay drone to move to the corresponding position in step S6 is as follows: the main control drone calculates the optimal relay position based on the position information of two communication nodes whose communication quality is lower than a preset threshold, and controls the relay drone to move to the optimal relay position. The optimal relay position is the position where the communication quality between the two communication nodes and the relay drone is higher than the preset threshold.