Communication link switching method and device, aircraft and storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of aircrafts, and provides a communication link switching method and device, an aircraft and a storage medium. The environment data of the surrounding environment is collected through the environment sensor; base station identification is carried out according to the environment data, and base station position distribution in the surrounding environment is obtained; predicting the signal quality of a current communication link based on the base station at a future position according to the position distribution of the base station and the current flight route; if the signal quality is smaller than the quality threshold value, a standby communication link is determined, and the current communication link is switched to the standby communication link. According to the invention, link switching can be actively triggered before the signal quality is deteriorated, communication interruption is effectively avoided, and the reliability of aircraft communication is improved.

Description

Communication link switching methods, devices, aircraft and storage media Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aircraft technology, and in particular to a communication link switching method, a communication link switching device, an aircraft, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] An aircraft is an aerial vehicle capable of autonomous or remote-controlled flight, widely used in aerial photography, surveying, logistics, and inspection. Currently, to ensure real-time interaction of flight control commands and status information with the aircraft, it is necessary to connect the aircraft to a communication network, typically relying on mobile communication links provided by base stations, such as 4G / 5G. However, during flight, the high speed of the aircraft causes rapid changes in its relative position to the base station, making the signal quality of the communication link susceptible to severe fluctuations due to factors such as the Doppler effect, obstruction, and distance attenuation. This can lead to communication interruptions and endanger flight safety. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides a communication link switching method, a communication link switching device, an aircraft, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can actively trigger link switching before signal quality deteriorates, effectively avoid communication interruption, and improve the reliability of aircraft communication.

[0004] In a first aspect, the communication link switching method provided by the present invention includes: collecting environmental data of the surrounding environment through environmental sensors; identifying base stations based on the environmental data to obtain the location distribution of base stations in the surrounding environment; predicting the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path at the future location; and if the signal quality is less than a quality threshold, determining a backup communication link and switching from the current communication link to the backup communication link.

[0005] Secondly, the communication link switching device provided by the present invention includes: an environment sensing module for collecting environmental data of the surrounding environment through an environment sensor; a base station identification module for identifying base stations based on the environmental data to obtain the location distribution of base stations in the surrounding environment; a quality prediction module for predicting the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path at the future location; and a link switching module for determining a backup communication link and switching from the current communication link to the backup communication link if the signal quality is less than a quality threshold.

[0006] Optionally, in one embodiment, the environmental sensor includes an image sensor, and the environmental perception module is used to acquire environmental images of the surrounding environment through the image sensor; the base station identification module is used to identify base stations in the environmental images through a base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0007] Optionally, in one embodiment, the base station identification module is used to evaluate the visual visibility of the environmental image. If the visual visibility is greater than or equal to the visibility threshold, the base station identification module performs base station identification on the environmental image to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0008] Optionally, in one embodiment, the environmental sensor further includes a lidar, and the environmental perception module is further configured to acquire an environmental point cloud of the surrounding environment through the lidar when the visual visibility is less than the visibility threshold; the base station identification module is further configured to identify base stations based on the environmental point cloud to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0009] Optionally, in one embodiment, the base station identification module is used to perform image enhancement processing on the environmental image to obtain an enhanced environmental image; and to perform base station identification on the enhanced environmental image through the base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0010] Optionally, in one embodiment, the link switching module is used to establish a connection with a backup communication link and gradually migrate the service traffic carried by the current communication link to the backup communication link; after the service traffic migration is completed, the connection with the current communication link is disconnected.

[0011] Optionally, in one embodiment, the quality prediction module is used to send the base station location distribution and the current flight path to the edge computing node, and the edge computing node predicts the signal quality of the current communication link at the future location based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path; and receives the signal quality returned by the edge computing node.

[0012] Thirdly, the aircraft provided by the present invention includes: a body; a drive mechanism for driving the body to fly; a memory disposed in the body for storing a computer program; and a processor disposed in the body for executing the computer program to implement the communication link switching method provided in this application.

[0013] Fourthly, the computer-readable storage medium provided by the present invention stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the communication link switching method provided by the present invention.

[0014] The communication link switching scheme provided by this invention collects environmental data of the surrounding environment through environmental sensors; identifies base stations based on the environmental data to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment; predicts the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path at the future location of the base station; if the signal quality is less than a quality threshold, a backup communication link is determined, and the current communication link is switched to the backup communication link. In this way, the unique wide field of view of the aircraft is utilized to actively detect the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment through environmental perception, and then, combined with the dynamic prediction of the signal quality change trend of the communication link based on the flight path, the link switching decision is made proactively. This allows for proactive triggering of link switching before signal quality deteriorates, effectively avoiding communication interruptions and improving the reliability of aircraft communication. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating the communication link switching method provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating environmental perception performed by an aircraft in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is an example diagram illustrating link switching performed by an aircraft in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram illustrating the communication link switching device provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram illustrating the aircraft provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is an example diagram illustrating the product form of the aircraft provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To make the technical problems solved, the technical solutions, and the beneficial effects of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0018] It should be understood that, when used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0019] It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0020] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "if" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "when," "once," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if [described condition or event] is detected" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as meaning "once determined," "in response to determination," "once [described condition or event] is detected," or "in response to detection of [described condition or event]."

[0021] Furthermore, in the description of this invention and the appended claims, the terms “second”, “third”, etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0022] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of the invention include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0023] While some solutions exist for dynamically switching communication links, these solutions typically require waiting for a long period of low-quality signal transmission before triggering the link switching mechanism. In other words, the switching process is only initiated after the signal quality deteriorates, which poses a significant risk of communication interruption.

[0024] To avoid communication interruptions and improve the reliability of aircraft communication, this invention provides a communication link switching method, a communication link switching device, an aircraft, and a computer-readable storage medium. The communication link switching method includes: collecting environmental data of the surrounding environment through environmental sensors; identifying base stations based on the environmental data to obtain the location distribution of base stations in the surrounding environment; predicting the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path at the future location; and if the signal quality is less than a quality threshold, determining a backup communication link and switching from the current communication link to the backup communication link.

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described below 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.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a flowchart of a communication link switching method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the process of the communication link switching method can be as follows: In S110, environmental data of the surrounding environment is collected by an environmental sensor.

[0027] An aircraft is an aerial vehicle capable of autonomous flight or remote control. It can perform flight maneuvers such as takeoff, hovering, forward movement, and landing through propellers, jets, or other types of propulsion mechanisms, and is typically powered by fuel or electricity. For example, an aircraft can be an electrically powered electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, suitable for scenarios such as urban air traffic, logistics delivery, and emergency rescue.

[0028] A communication link is a wireless connection channel between an aircraft and a ground control station or other communication nodes used to transmit data, commands, and status information. Its signal quality directly affects flight safety and mission execution efficiency. For example, a communication link can be a base station-based mobile communication link, such as a 4G / 5G mobile communication link, or it can use satellite communication or a dedicated microwave link.

[0029] Environmental sensors are hardware devices configured on aircraft to perceive information about their surrounding environment, including but not limited to image sensors, lidar, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensors, and so on.

[0030] For low-altitude flight scenarios of aircraft, this invention provides a communication link switching method, which is applicable to automatic link switching when the aircraft has established a base station-based communication link. The following describes the communication link switching method provided by this invention in detail, with the aircraft as the executing subject.

[0031] In this embodiment of the invention, please refer to Figure 2. The aircraft can collect environmental data of the surrounding environment through environmental sensors according to the configured data acquisition strategy. The data type of the collected environmental data depends on the type of environmental sensor. For example, environmental images of the surrounding environment can be collected through an image sensor, environmental point clouds of the surrounding environment can be collected through a lidar, and so on.

[0032] Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the configuration of the data acquisition strategy. For example, it can be configured to perform periodic acquisition at a fixed sampling frequency, or it can trigger dynamic acquisition based on the flight mission status or environmental changes. For instance, when the aircraft is in an open area, it uses the configured default sampling frequency for periodic acquisition, while when the aircraft enters a densely built area, it automatically increases the sampling frequency to obtain denser environmental data, ensuring accurate perception of complex scenes.

[0033] In S120, base station identification is performed based on environmental data to obtain the location distribution of base stations in the surrounding environment.

[0034] As mentioned above, after collecting environmental data of the surrounding environment through environmental sensors, the aircraft identifies base stations based on the configured base station identification strategy and obtains the location distribution of base stations in the surrounding environment, thereby providing a basis for decision-making for intelligent switching of communication links.

[0035] Among them, the base station location distribution refers to the geographical locations of different available base stations identified by the aircraft through environmental data analysis. The base station location distribution can be represented by a relative coordinate system based on the aircraft or by an absolute geographic coordinate system. For example, when using a relative coordinate system, a rectangular coordinate system can be established with the aircraft's current position as the origin and the aircraft's current flight direction as the front. The geographical location of each base station is represented by its azimuth and distance relative to the aircraft. When using an absolute geographic coordinate system, the geographical location of each base station can be represented by latitude and longitude.

[0036] Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention do not specifically limit the configuration of the base station identification strategy. It can be an identification strategy based on image feature matching, or an identification strategy based on point cloud contour analysis, etc.

[0037] In S130, based on the location distribution of base stations and the current flight path, the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base stations is predicted for its future location.

[0038] A flight path refers to the flight trajectory of an aircraft, either pre-planned or generated in real time. For example, when no flight path is pre-planned, the aircraft can obtain its current flight heading and speed in real time, and combine this information to predict its flight trajectory over a future period, which will serve as the current flight path. When a flight path has been planned, the pre-stored path information can be directly accessed.

[0039] Accordingly, after identifying the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment, the aircraft further combines its current flight path to predict the changes in the relative geometric relationship between the aircraft and each base station in its future position. Then, based on a signal propagation model, it estimates the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base stations at the future position. The future position refers to the aircraft's location determined by a preset time or distance extrapolated along the current flight path. The preset time and distance can be dynamically adjusted according to the aircraft's flight speed and mission requirements. For example, when the flight speed is high, the preset time can be shortened to increase the prediction frequency and ensure the real-time performance of the link quality assessment; when the mission has high requirements for communication stability, the preset distance can be appropriately extended to enhance the predictive foresight.

[0040] Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the specific form of the signal propagation model. It can be implemented based on the free space path loss model or the multipath fading model, or it can be constructed based on machine learning methods such as neural network models.

[0041] Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention do not impose specific limitations on the evaluation indicators for signal quality, including but not limited to key indicators such as reference signal received power, signal-to-interference plus noise ratio, signal-to-noise ratio, bit error rate, or channel capacity. One or more indicators can be selected for comprehensive evaluation according to actual needs.

[0042] In S140, if the signal quality is less than the quality threshold, a backup communication link is determined, and the current communication link is switched to the backup communication link.

[0043] The quality threshold is the worst signal quality standard used to constrain when an aircraft performs a link switch. Its value type depends on the signal quality assessment metric used, and its value depends on the actual communication requirements. For example, when the reference signal received power is used as the assessment metric, the quality threshold can be set to -90dBm, and when the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio is used as the assessment metric, the quality threshold can be set to -5dB.

[0044] Accordingly, in this embodiment of the invention, after predicting the signal quality of the current communication link at the future location, the aircraft compares it with a preset quality threshold. If the predicted signal quality is less than the quality threshold, it is determined that the current communication link may not meet the communication requirements at the future location. At this time, a backup communication link is determined, and the aircraft switches from the current communication link to the backup communication link to avoid possible communication interruption.

[0045] It should be noted that the method for determining the backup communication link in the embodiments of the present invention is not specifically limited. For example, other modes of communication links can be used as candidate communication links, such as satellite communication links, millimeter wave communication links, etc., as candidate links for ground base station links, and the candidate link with the highest priority is determined as the backup communication link according to the preset priority of each candidate link.

[0046] In addition, after switching to the backup communication link, the aircraft can still predict the signal quality of the original communication link at the new future location according to the signal quality prediction method described in the above embodiments, and when the signal quality recovers to above the quality threshold, it is determined that the original communication link has been restored to usability, and the communication link is switched back to the original communication link accordingly.

[0047] For example, referring to Figure 3, the aircraft is currently connected to the communication link of ground base station A. When it is predicted that the signal quality at the future location will be lower than the quality threshold, the aircraft will use the highest priority satellite communication link as a backup communication link and switch from the current ground base station link to the satellite communication link. After switching to the satellite communication link, if the communication quality of the satellite communication link is still not met, it will further switch to a millimeter-wave communication link with a lower priority than the satellite communication link until a stable link that meets the communication quality requirements is found. In addition, if all candidate communication links fail to meet the communication quality requirements, the aircraft will attempt to switch back to the original communication link based on the base station and send a link anomaly alarm to the ground control center, requesting the scheduling of nearby available communication resources for relay support. At the same time, the aircraft will activate a low-power mode, compressing unnecessary data transmission and prioritizing the transmission and reception of navigation and control commands until the link quality is restored.

[0048] In other embodiments, if the aircraft predicts that the signal quality of the current communication link at a future location is greater than or equal to a quality threshold, it will continue to maintain the connection of the current communication link without performing a switching operation, thus ensuring the stability of the communication process.

[0049] In other embodiments, the aircraft can also use "maximizing communication stability and minimizing the number of handovers" as the reward objective to build an intelligent handover decision model based on reinforcement learning, dynamically evaluate the long-term stability and handover cost of each communication link, and prioritize the link that can maintain stable communication for longer and avoid frequent handovers as the backup communication link, thereby improving the overall communication efficiency and system robustness.

[0050] Optionally, in one embodiment, the environmental sensor includes an image sensor, and the environmental sensor collects environmental data of the surrounding environment, including: collecting environmental images of the surrounding environment through the image sensor; and performing base station identification based on the environmental data to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment, including: performing base station identification on the environmental images through a base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0051] In this embodiment of the invention, a base station identification model is also pre-trained. This model is configured to take an image that may include base station image content as input and a predicted bounding box indicating the location of a base station region in the image as output. It should be noted that this embodiment of the invention does not impose specific limitations on the model architecture and training method of the base station identification model, and those skilled in the art can flexibly choose according to actual needs.

[0052] For example, the base station identification model can be trained as follows: YOLOv8 is used as the base model for training the base station identification model. Its model structure includes the following components: Backbone network: The backbone network is a network used to extract image features. Its main function is to transform the original input image into a multi-layer feature map for use in subsequent detection tasks.

[0053] Neck network: The neck network is used to combine feature maps from different levels to generate feature maps with multi-scale information, thereby improving detection accuracy.

[0054] The detection head consists of three different output layers, each responsible for detecting targets of different scales: large, medium, and small.

[0055] During the training phase, a large number of real-world images and synthetic data containing various types of base stations were collected, covering different lighting, weather, angles, and occlusion conditions to construct a training dataset. Bounding boxes were labeled for base stations in the images, and cross-entropy loss and CIoU loss were jointly optimized. Iterative training was conducted to bring the model to converge, resulting in a base station recognition model suitable for detecting base station regions in images.

[0056] In addition, configured data augmentation strategies can be used to expand the training dataset, such as random rotation, scaling, color jitter, and mosaic enhancement, to improve the generalization ability of the base station recognition model.

[0057] Accordingly, in this embodiment of the invention, when collecting environmental data of the surrounding environment through environmental sensors, the aircraft collects environmental images of the surrounding environment through its onboard image sensors. For example, the aircraft can use an image sensor onboard that faces the ground or the surrounding area to collect images, thereby obtaining environmental images that may contain base station image content.

[0058] As described above, after acquiring environmental images of the surrounding environment, the aircraft further inputs these images into a pre-trained base station recognition model. The base station recognition model automatically detects possible base station areas in the image and outputs corresponding bounding boxes to locate the base station positions. Then, based on the coordinate information of the bounding boxes, combined with the calibration parameters of the image sensors and the installation attitude, the aircraft converts the coordinate information of the bounding boxes into base station position coordinates in a three-dimensional geographic space coordinate system (such as the WGS84 coordinate system, the Northeast-Northeast coordinate system, etc.), thereby obtaining the distribution of base station positions in the surrounding environment.

[0059] Optionally, in one embodiment, base station identification is performed on the environmental image using a base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment, including: performing image enhancement processing on the environmental image to obtain an enhanced environmental image; and performing base station identification on the enhanced environmental image using a base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0060] To improve the accuracy of base station identification, in this embodiment of the invention, after acquiring the environmental image, the aircraft does not directly input the original environmental image into the base station identification model. Instead, it first performs image enhancement processing to obtain an enhanced environmental image. The specific image enhancement method is not limited here; an appropriate enhancement method can be selected based on the actual imaging conditions. For example, Gaussian filtering can be used to smooth noise, histogram equalization can be used to improve contrast, or a dark channel prior algorithm can be used to enhance the clarity of foggy images. This improves the image quality degradation caused by insufficient lighting and fog interference, ensuring that the enhanced environmental image is more conducive to the base station identification model in terms of detail preservation and feature saliency, thereby achieving accurate identification of base stations in the surrounding environment.

[0061] As described above, after obtaining the enhanced environmental image, the aircraft uses a base station identification model to identify base stations in the enhanced environmental image, thereby obtaining the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment. For details on how to use the base station identification model to identify base stations in the enhanced environmental image to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment, please refer to the relevant description in the above embodiments; it will not be repeated here.

[0062] Optionally, in one embodiment, before performing base station identification on the environmental image using a base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment, the method further includes: evaluating the visual visibility of the environmental image; if the visual visibility is greater than or equal to a visibility threshold, performing base station identification on the environmental image using a base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0063] In this embodiment of the invention, to ensure that the base station identification results based on environmental images have sufficient reliability, the visual quality of the environmental images is pre-evaluated before identification is performed through the base station identification model.

[0064] After acquiring environmental images through image sensors, the aircraft evaluates the visual visibility of the environmental images according to a configured visibility assessment strategy. The specific configuration of the visibility assessment strategy is not limited here. For example, a comprehensive scoring mechanism based on image sharpness and illumination intensity can be used. Sharpness is quantified by calculating the average gradient magnitude and histogram distribution entropy, while illumination conditions are determined by combining the global average brightness and contrast. The visual visibility score is then obtained by weighting the above indicators. Alternatively, a deep learning network can be used for end-to-end evaluation of the image's visual visibility, directly outputting the visual visibility score of the environmental image. This deep learning network can be based on a convolutional neural network or a visual Transformer architecture, trained using a large number of image samples labeled with visibility levels.

[0065] The visibility threshold is a preset critical value used to determine whether the environmental image meets the visual quality requirements for base station recognition. Its value can be configured according to actual needs.

[0066] As described above, after evaluating the visual visibility of the obtained environmental image, the aircraft compares this visual visibility with a preset visibility threshold. If the visual visibility of the environmental image is greater than or equal to the visibility threshold, it is determined that the environmental image meets the visual quality requirements for base station identification. The aircraft then continues to perform base station identification on the environmental image using the base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment. For details on how to use the base station identification model to perform base station identification on the environmental image to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments; they will not be repeated here.

[0067] Optionally, in one embodiment, the environmental sensor further includes a lidar. After evaluating the visual visibility of the environmental image, the sensor further includes: if the visual visibility is less than a visibility threshold, acquiring an environmental point cloud of the surrounding environment using the lidar; and identifying base stations based on the environmental point cloud to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0068] This invention also provides an alternative base station identification scheme for identifying the location distribution of base stations in the surrounding environment when the visual visibility of the environmental image is insufficient.

[0069] Understandably, compared to image sensors, lidar is unaffected by visual factors such as lighting conditions and can stably acquire 3D point cloud data of the environment under low light, strong light interference, or adverse weather conditions. Accordingly, in this embodiment of the invention, when the visual visibility of the environmental image acquired by the image sensor is lower than the visibility threshold due to insufficient lighting, fog or haze, or dynamic blurring, the aircraft actively emits excitation signals through its onboard lidar to scan the surrounding environment and receive reflected signals. Based on the signal reception time difference and intensity information, it constructs an environmental point cloud of the surrounding environment, thereby achieving 3D perception of the surrounding environment.

[0070] As described above, after acquiring the environmental point cloud of the surrounding environment, the aircraft further identifies base stations based on this environmental point cloud to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment. Specifically, the aircraft can first perform preprocessing such as filtering and segmentation on the environmental point cloud to extract point cloud clusters of potential base station carriers such as buildings and towers. Then, combined with a pre-constructed 3D geometric feature model of the base station, it identifies the location of the base station in the environmental point cloud through template matching or a machine learning classifier. Finally, it converts this location into base station location coordinates in a 3D geospatial coordinate system (such as the WGS84 coordinate system or the Northeast-Eastern Sky coordinate system), thereby obtaining the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0071] Optionally, in one embodiment, switching from the current communication link to the backup communication link includes: establishing a connection with the backup communication link and gradually migrating the service traffic carried by the current communication link to the backup communication link; and disconnecting the connection with the current communication link after the service traffic migration is completed.

[0072] To improve the stability and data continuity of the link handover process, this embodiment of the invention provides a soft handover mechanism.

[0073] While maintaining the connection with the current communication link, the aircraft establishes a connection with the backup communication link, completes preprocessing processes such as frequency band matching, identity authentication, and session resource allocation, and ensures that the backup communication link is in a ready state and can carry out data transmission tasks at any time.

[0074] After establishing a connection with the backup communication link, the aircraft gradually migrates the service traffic from the current communication link to the backup communication link according to a preset strategy, ensuring uninterrupted transmission. During the migration process, the aircraft monitors the communication quality of the two links in real time and dynamically adjusts the traffic allocation ratio. When the backup communication link stably carries all service traffic and the communication quality meets the preset quality threshold, the aircraft disconnects from the current communication link, completing a seamless handover.

[0075] The preset strategies for migrating service traffic can be configured according to actual needs, including but not limited to a gradual switching strategy that migrates traffic step by step at fixed time intervals, and a priority switching strategy that migrates critical service traffic according to service priority, etc. For example, the aircraft first migrates high-priority service traffic such as control commands and positioning information carried by the current communication link to the backup communication link, and then migrates low-priority service traffic such as video streams and status reports to the backup communication link. After all service traffic has been migrated smoothly, the connection with the current communication link is then disconnected.

[0076] Optionally, in one embodiment, predicting the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path at the future location includes: sending the base station location distribution and the current flight path to an edge computing node, whereby the edge computing node predicts the signal quality of the current communication link at the future location based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path; and receiving the signal quality returned by the edge computing node.

[0077] It is understandable that aircraft have limited computing resources. In order to ensure the real-time performance and stability of the core control tasks of the aircraft, the signal quality prediction task is offloaded to the edge computing node in this embodiment of the invention, thereby reducing the occupation of the aircraft's computing resources.

[0078] An edge computing node is a computing device deployed at the network edge close to a base station, possessing strong computing and data processing capabilities.

[0079] In this embodiment of the invention, after identifying the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment, the aircraft encapsulates its current flight path and the base station location distribution into a prediction request, which is then sent to a nearby edge computing node via the current communication link. The edge computing node requests that, based on the base station location distribution in the aircraft's surrounding environment and the current flight path, predict the signal quality of the aircraft's current communication link at its future location and return the predicted signal quality. The method by which the edge computing node predicts the signal quality is not limited here; prediction algorithms based on signal propagation models, machine learning models, or other suitable prediction methods can be used.

[0080] Accordingly, the aircraft receives the signal quality returned by the edge computing node after completing the prediction, and makes a link switching decision based on the signal quality. Please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0081] As can be seen from the above, the communication link switching scheme provided by this invention collects environmental data of the surrounding environment through environmental sensors; identifies base stations based on the environmental data to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment; predicts the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path at the future location; if the signal quality is less than a quality threshold, a backup communication link is determined, and the current communication link is switched to the backup communication link. In this way, the unique wide field of view of the aircraft is utilized to actively detect the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment through environmental perception, and then, combined with the dynamic prediction of the signal quality change trend of the communication link based on the flight path, the link switching decision is made proactively. This allows for proactive triggering of link switching before signal quality deteriorates, effectively avoiding communication interruptions and improving the reliability of aircraft communication.

[0082] To facilitate better implementation of the above communication link switching method, this application also provides a corresponding communication link switching device. The meanings of the terms used are the same as in the above communication link switching method; for specific implementation details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0083] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication link switching device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, the communication link switching device may include an environment perception module 210, a base station identification module 220, a quality prediction module 230, and a link switching module 240. The environment perception module 210 is used to collect environmental data of the surrounding environment through environmental sensors; the base station identification module 220 is used to identify base stations based on the environmental data to obtain the location distribution of base stations in the surrounding environment; the quality prediction module 230 is used to predict the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path at the future location; and the link switching module 240 is used to determine a backup communication link and switch from the current communication link to the backup communication link if the signal quality is less than a quality threshold.

[0084] Optionally, in one embodiment, the environmental sensor includes an image sensor, and the environmental perception module 210 is used to acquire environmental images of the surrounding environment through the image sensor; the base station identification module 220 is used to identify base stations in the environmental images through a base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0085] Optionally, in one embodiment, the base station identification module 220 is used to evaluate the visual visibility of the environmental image. If the visual visibility is greater than or equal to the visibility threshold, the base station identification module performs base station identification on the environmental image through the base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0086] Optionally, in one embodiment, the environmental sensor further includes a lidar, and the environmental perception module 210 is further configured to acquire an environmental point cloud of the surrounding environment through the lidar when the visual visibility is less than the visibility threshold; the base station identification module 220 is further configured to identify base stations based on the environmental point cloud to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0087] Optionally, in one embodiment, the base station identification module 220 is used to perform image enhancement processing on the environmental image to obtain an enhanced environmental image; and to perform base station identification on the enhanced environmental image through the base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

[0088] Optionally, in one embodiment, the link switching module 240 is used to establish a connection with a backup communication link and gradually migrate the service traffic carried by the current communication link to the backup communication link; after the service traffic migration is completed, the connection with the current communication link is disconnected.

[0089] Optionally, in one embodiment, the quality prediction module 230 is used to send the base station location distribution and the current flight path to the edge computing node, and the edge computing node predicts the signal quality of the current communication link at the future location based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path; and receives the signal quality returned by the edge computing node.

[0090] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the above modules are based on the same concept as the method embodiments of this application. For details on their specific functions and technical effects, please refer to the method embodiments section, which will not be repeated here.

[0091] In one embodiment, an aircraft is provided, the internal structure of which can be as shown in Figure 5. The aircraft includes a main body and, on the main body, a memory 310, a processor 320, a power supply 330, an environmental sensor 340, a communication module 350, a positioning module 360, a drive mechanism 370, and a bus 380. The processor 320 is coupled to the memory 310, power supply 330, environmental sensor 340, communication module 350, positioning module 360, and drive mechanism 370 via the bus 380.

[0092] Memory 310 may include one or more random access memories (RAM) and one or more non-volatile memories (NVM). The RAM can be directly read and written by the processor 320 and can be used to store executable programs (such as machine instructions) of the operating system or other running programs, as well as user and application data. The RAM may include static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), etc.

[0093] Non-volatile memory can also store executable programs and user and application data, and can be pre-loaded into random access memory for direct reading and writing by the processor 320. Non-volatile memory can include disk storage devices and flash memory.

[0094] The memory 310 is used to store one or more computer programs. The one or more computer programs are configured to be executed by the processor 320. The one or more computer programs include multiple instructions, which, when executed by the processor 320, implement the aircraft deviation detection method provided by this invention.

[0095] In other embodiments, the aircraft also includes an external memory interface for connecting to an external memory to expand the aircraft's storage capacity.

[0096] Processor 320 may include one or more processing units, such as an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or a neural network processing unit (NPU). These different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0097] The processor 320 provides computing and control capabilities, for example, the processor 320 is used to execute computer programs stored in the memory 310 to implement the aircraft deviation identification method provided by the present invention.

[0098] The power source 330 is used to supply power to the aircraft. In one embodiment of the present invention, the power source 330 may include any one or more power supply devices of the type such as batteries, fuel generators, solar power modules, and wind power modules.

[0099] The environmental sensor 340 is used to acquire information for the aircraft, such as environmental information and aircraft movement information. In one embodiment of the present invention, the environmental sensor 340 may include one or more sensors of the types such as image sensors, lidar, millimeter-wave radar, infrared sensors, and ultrasonic sensors.

[0100] The communication module 350 is used to enable communication between the aircraft and other devices. In one embodiment of the present invention, the communication module 350 can interact with other devices via wired and / or wireless communication. The aforementioned wireless communication may include one or more combinations of communication methods such as Bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi communication, and Near Field Communication (NFC).

[0101] The positioning module 360 ​​is used to determine the position of the aircraft. In some embodiments of the present invention, the positioning module 360 ​​may include one or more of the following types of positioning modules: Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Inertial Navigation System, Real-time Kinematic (RTK) Carrier Phase Differential System, etc.

[0102] The drive mechanism 370 is used to drive the aircraft to fly, and can be different types of drive mechanisms such as jet engines, propeller engines, and rotors. In some embodiments of the present invention, the drive mechanism 370 can realize the flight function of the aircraft according to the control of the processor 320.

[0103] Bus 380 is used at least to provide a channel for communication between the memory 310, processor 320, power supply 330, environmental sensor 340, communication module 350, positioning module 360, and drive mechanism 370 in the aircraft.

[0104] The main body of the aircraft can be a cargo hold or a crew cabin, used to carry goods or personnel.

[0105] It is understood that the structures illustrated in the embodiments of the present invention do not constitute a specific limitation on the aircraft. In other embodiments of the present invention, the aircraft may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0106] For example, as shown in Figure 6, the actual product form of the aircraft can be an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, with a compound rotor as its drive mechanism and a crew cabin for carrying personnel as its main body.

[0107] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the computer program can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Any references to memory, storage, databases, or other media used in the embodiments provided by this invention can include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in various forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), dual data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), Rambus direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM), etc.

[0108] The present invention also provides a computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed on a processor, causes the processor to implement the steps in the communication link switching method provided by the present invention.

[0109] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is used as an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0110] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. 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. Such 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, and should all be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0111] It should be noted that when the above embodiments of the present invention are applied to specific products or technologies, and user-related data is involved, user permission or consent is required, and the collection, use and processing of related data must comply with the relevant laws, regulations and standards of the relevant countries and regions.

Claims

1. A communication link switching method, applicable to aircraft, characterized in that, include: Environmental data of the surrounding environment is collected through environmental sensors; Based on the environmental data, base station identification is performed to obtain the location distribution of base stations in the surrounding environment; Based on the location distribution of the base stations and the current flight path, the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base stations is predicted at the future location; if the signal quality is less than a quality threshold, a backup communication link is determined, and the current communication link is switched to the backup communication link.

2. The communication link switching method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The environmental sensor includes an image sensor. The step of collecting environmental data of the surrounding environment through the environmental sensor includes: collecting environmental images of the surrounding environment through the image sensor; the step of identifying base stations based on the environmental data to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment includes: identifying base stations in the environmental images through a base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

3. The communication link switching method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Before performing base station identification on the environmental image using the base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment, the method further includes: evaluating the visual visibility of the environmental image; if the visual visibility is greater than or equal to a visibility threshold, performing base station identification on the environmental image using the base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

4. The communication link switching method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The environmental sensor also includes a lidar. After evaluating the visual visibility of the environmental image, the method further includes: if the visual visibility is less than the visibility threshold, then acquiring an environmental point cloud of the surrounding environment using the lidar; and identifying base stations based on the environmental point cloud to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

5. The communication link switching method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of identifying base stations in the surrounding environment by using a base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment includes: performing image enhancement processing on the environmental image to obtain an enhanced environmental image; and performing base station identification on the enhanced environmental image by using the base station identification model to obtain the distribution of base station locations in the surrounding environment.

6. The communication link switching method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Switching from the current communication link to the backup communication link includes: establishing a connection with the backup communication link and gradually migrating the service traffic carried by the current communication link to the backup communication link; and disconnecting the connection with the current communication link after the service traffic migration is completed.

7. The communication link switching method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The step of predicting the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path in the future includes: sending the base station location distribution and the current flight path to an edge computing node, whereby the edge computing node predicts the signal quality of the current communication link in the future location based on the base station location distribution and the current flight path; and receiving the signal quality returned by the edge computing node.

8. A communication link switching device, suitable for aircraft, characterized in that, include: The environmental sensing module is used to collect environmental data of the surrounding environment through environmental sensors. The base station identification module is used to identify base stations based on the environmental data and obtain the location distribution of base stations in the surrounding environment. The quality prediction module is used to predict the signal quality of the current communication link based on the base station's location distribution and the current flight path at the future location. The link switching module is used to determine a backup communication link and switch from the current communication link to the backup communication link if the signal quality is less than a quality threshold.

9. An aircraft, characterized in that, include: ontology; A drive mechanism is used to drive the body to fly; A memory, located in the main body, is used to store computer programs; A processor, disposed in the body, is used to execute the computer program to implement the communication link switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the communication link switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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