Communication method and device, storage medium and program product

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method and device, a storage medium and a program product. The method comprises the following steps that: master control equipment acquires a message sending path from a source unmanned aerial vehicle to a target unmanned aerial vehicle based on a request message of the source unmanned aerial vehicle, and then sends routing information corresponding to the message sending path to the source unmanned aerial vehicle, so that the source unmanned aerial vehicle can send a message to the target unmanned aerial vehicle based on the routing information. According to the embodiment of the invention, communication between unmanned aerial vehicles can be realized. In the process, the routing information between the unmanned aerial vehicles is obtained through the main control equipment, a communication network of the whole unmanned aerial vehicle cluster does not need to be maintained, the unmanned aerial vehicles do not need to carry out routing calculation by themselves, and the communication efficiency of the unmanned aerial vehicles can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0002] With the widespread application of drone technology in various fields, the difficulty and complexity of the tasks undertaken by drones are constantly increasing. Among related technologies, drone swarms composed of multiple drones can be used to achieve collaborative operations or complete other specific tasks.

[0003] In this scenario, how drones communicate with each other in a drone swarm is a problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product to enable communication between drones in a drone swarm and improve the communication efficiency of drones.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), wherein the first UAV is communicatively connected to a main control device, and the method includes:

[0006] Obtain routing information, which indicates the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone;

[0007] Send or receive messages based on routing information.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the first drone is the source drone;

[0009] Obtain routing information, including:

[0010] Send a request message to the master control device. The request message is used to request the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone. The routing information is obtained by the master control device.

[0011] Receive routing information sent by the master control device. The routing information is used to indicate the message transmission path from the source drone to the destination drone.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the first UAV is a relay node or a target UAV in the message transmission path;

[0013] Obtain routing information, including:

[0014] Receive the message sent by the node preceding the first UAV in the message transmission path;

[0015] Obtain routing information based on the message header.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the message header includes a first part and a second part;

[0017] The first part carries the hop count information of the nodes that the message has passed through, and the second part carries the index information of the nodes in the message transmission path. The nodes in the message transmission path include at least the source UAV and the target UAV.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the first UAV is either the source UAV or a relay node in the message transmission path;

[0019] Based on the routing information, send a message, including:

[0020] Based on the hop count information in the first part and the index information in the second part, determine the next hop node in the message sending path;

[0021] Modify the hop count information in the first part to obtain the modified routing information, and send a message to the next hop node. The message header carries the modified routing information.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the message header also carries identification information of the target drone;

[0023] Based on the routing information, receive messages, including:

[0024] Retrieve the identification information from the message header;

[0025] If the identification information matches the identification of the first UAV, the target information in the message is obtained.

[0026] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to a main control device, wherein the main control device is communicatively connected to multiple drones, and the method includes:

[0027] Receive a request message sent by the source drone. The request message is used to request the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone.

[0028] Obtain routing information, which indicates the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone;

[0029] Send routing information to the source drone.

[0030] In one possible implementation, after obtaining the routing information, the method further includes:

[0031] If it is determined that the routing information is unavailable, an indication message is sent to the target node in the message sending path. The indication message is used to instruct the target node to move.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the routing information is obtained based on real-time information from multiple drones, including at least one of location information, direction of movement, latency information, battery level information, and congestion information.

[0033] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device applied to a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the first UAV being communicatively connected to a main control device, the device comprising:

[0034] The acquisition module is used to acquire routing information, which indicates the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone. The routing information is acquired by the main control device.

[0035] The transceiver module is used to send or receive messages based on routing information.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the first drone is the source drone;

[0037] The module for obtaining routing information is specifically used for:

[0038] Send a request message to the main control device. The request message is used to request the message transmission path from the source UAV to the target UAV.

[0039] Receive routing information sent by the master control device. The routing information is used to indicate the message transmission path from the source drone to the destination drone.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the first UAV is a relay node or a target UAV in the message transmission path;

[0041] The module for obtaining routing information is specifically used for:

[0042] Receive the message sent by the node preceding the first UAV in the message transmission path;

[0043] Obtain routing information based on the message header.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the message header includes a first part and a second part;

[0045] The first part carries the hop count information of the nodes that the message has passed through, and the second part carries the index information of the nodes in the message transmission path. The nodes in the message transmission path include at least the source UAV and the target UAV.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the first UAV is either the source UAV or a relay node in the message transmission path;

[0047] Based on the routing information, the message is sent. The transceiver module is specifically used for:

[0048] Based on the hop count information in the first part and the index information in the second part, determine the next hop node in the message sending path;

[0049] Modify the hop count information in the first part to obtain the modified routing information, and send a message to the next hop node. The message header carries the modified routing information.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the message header also carries identification information of the target drone;

[0051] Based on the routing information, the receiving module is specifically used for:

[0052] Retrieve the identification information from the message header;

[0053] If the identification information matches the identification of the first UAV, the target information in the message is obtained.

[0054] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device applied to a main control device, which is communicatively connected to multiple drones. The device includes:

[0055] The receiving module is used to receive request messages sent by the source drone. The request message is used to request the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone.

[0056] The acquisition module is used to acquire routing information, which indicates the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone.

[0057] The sending module is used to send routing information to the source drone.

[0058] In one possible implementation, after obtaining the routing information, the acquisition module is specifically used for:

[0059] If it is determined that the routing information is unavailable, an indication message is sent to the target node in the message sending path. The indication message is used to instruct the target node to move.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the routing information is obtained based on real-time information from multiple drones, including at least one of location information, direction of movement, latency information, battery level information, and congestion information.

[0061] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a drone, including: a transceiver, a processor, and a memory;

[0062] The memory stores the instructions that the computer executes;

[0063] The processor executes computer execution instructions stored in memory, causing the processor to perform a communication method as described in any of the first aspects.

[0064] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a master control device, including a transceiver, a processor, and a memory;

[0065] The memory stores the instructions that the computer executes;

[0066] The processor executes computer execution instructions stored in memory, causing the processor to perform a communication method as described in any of the second aspects.

[0067] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the first aspect and / or the second aspect and / or various possible implementations thereof.

[0068] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the first aspect and / or the second aspect and / or various possible implementations thereof.

[0069] The communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product provided in this application embodiment allow the master control device to obtain the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone based on the request message from the source drone, and then send the routing information corresponding to the message transmission path to the source drone, enabling the source drone to send messages to the target drone based on the routing information. In this application embodiment, the routing information between drones is obtained by the master control device, eliminating the need to maintain the communication network of the entire drone swarm. Furthermore, drones can send or receive messages based on the routing information provided by the master control device without having to perform routing calculations themselves, thus improving the communication efficiency of drones. Attached Figure Description

[0070] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0071] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0072] Figure 2 Interaction diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 ;

[0073] Figure 3 Interaction diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 ;

[0074] Figure 4 Interaction diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 3 ;

[0075] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 1 ;

[0076] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 2 ;

[0077] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of an unmanned aerial vehicle provided in this application;

[0078] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a main control device provided in this application.

[0079] The accompanying drawings illustrate specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of this application to those skilled in the art through reference to particular embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0080] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0081] With the widespread application of drone technology in various fields, the difficulty and complexity of the tasks undertaken by drones are constantly increasing, and traditional single drones can no longer handle these complex tasks. However, drone swarms composed of multiple drones can be interconnected through network technology, forming a centralized and unified whole, thereby enabling collaborative operations or the collaborative completion of other specific tasks.

[0082] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the drone swarm includes a main control device 100 and multiple drones (it should be noted that this application does not limit the number of drones in the drone swarm; this is just an example). Figure 1 (Only drones 101, 102, and 103 are identified in the text for illustrative purposes).

[0083] In some embodiments, a drone refers to an unmanned aircraft, which is an unmanned aircraft operated by radio remote control equipment and its own program control device, or operated autonomously, either completely or intermittently, by an onboard computer.

[0084] According to different platform configurations, drones can be divided into many types, including but not limited to fixed-wing drones, unmanned helicopters, multi-rotor drones, paragliding drones, flapping-wing drones, unmanned airships, unmanned paragliding aircraft, and near-space vehicles (such as stratospheric airships, high-altitude balloons, solar-powered drones, etc.).

[0085] The main control device 100 is communicatively connected to the drones. Optionally, the main control device 100 can communicate directly with the drone swarm, or it can communicate with the drone swarm via a communication relay (e.g., satellite). This allows it to send communication messages to the drone swarm and / or receive communication information from the drone swarm, or control the individual and / or group actions of the drone swarm.

[0086] It should be noted that this application does not limit the specific type of the main control equipment. For example, the main control equipment may be a ground station fixed on the ground, a mobile command vehicle, a specific aircraft, a satellite and space station, a ship and submarine with radio capabilities, etc.

[0087] In some embodiments, due to the limited wireless communication range of each drone in a drone swarm, it is impossible to communicate with all drones in the swarm. For example... Figure 1 As shown, for example, if the communication range of drone 101 includes drone 102, the communication range of drone 102 includes drones 101 and 103, and the communication range of drone 103 includes drone 102, then drone 101 can directly send and / or receive communication messages to drone 102, but drone 101 cannot directly send and / or receive communication messages with drone 103.

[0088] Therefore, how to achieve communication between drones in a drone swarm is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0089] In existing technologies, drone swarms can establish routing protocols that can adapt to changes in swarm topology through high-performance data link systems between individual drones, thereby enabling the sending and / or receiving of communication messages between drones.

[0090] However, the aforementioned existing technologies require each drone to maintain the topology of the entire drone swarm. Each drone needs to pay attention to neighbor information, congestion control, route calculation, and other tasks. Due to the high mobility of drones, each drone needs to have complex routing functions in order to maintain the dynamic topology. This results in a large number of drone resources being used to maintain the communication network of the entire drone swarm, reducing the resources that drones can devote to their main functions, such as sensing systems and braking systems, thus reducing the resource utilization of drones. On the other hand, as the number of drones in the drone swarm increases, the drone resources consumed in maintaining the communication network of the entire drone swarm will also increase. However, drone resources are limited, which restricts the number and functions that the drone swarm can expand to, thus reducing the scalability of the drone swarm.

[0091] The communication method provided in this application involves a master control device obtaining the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone based on the request message from the source drone, and then sending the routing information corresponding to the message transmission path to the source drone, enabling the source drone to send messages to the target drone based on the routing information. In this embodiment, communication between drones can be achieved. Furthermore, since the routing information between drones is obtained through the master control device in this process, there is no need to maintain the communication network of the entire drone cluster, nor is it necessary for the drones to perform routing calculations themselves, thus improving the communication efficiency of the drones.

[0092] The technical solution of this application and how the technical solution of this application solves the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with specific embodiments. These specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments. The embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0093] Figure 2 Interaction diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 ,like Figure 2 As shown, the communication method in this application embodiment includes the following steps:

[0094] S201, The first UAV obtains routing information.

[0095] The routing information is used to indicate the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone, and the routing information is obtained by the main control device.

[0096] Depending on their different positions on the message transmission path and the roles they play, the first UAV includes at least one of the source UAV, relay node, and target UAV.

[0097] The source drone is located at the starting point of the message transmission path. The source drone is the drone that needs to send a message to the target drone.

[0098] In one possible implementation, the source UAV determines routing information by using the historical message transmission path from the source UAV to the target UAV, wherein the historical message transmission path is obtained by the master control device;

[0099] For example, if source drone a previously sent a message to target drone c through relay node b, when source drone a needs to send a message to target drone c again, it can determine the routing information this time through the historical message sending path of source drone a → relay node b → target drone c.

[0100] In this context, a relay node is any drone in the message transmission path other than the source drone and the target drone. The relay node is used to receive messages sent by the node that is the previous hop of the relay node in the message transmission path, and to obtain routing information based on the message header. The previous hop of the relay node can be either the source drone or a relay node.

[0101] The target drone is located at the end of the message transmission path. The target drone is used to receive messages sent by the previous hop node in the message transmission path and obtain routing information according to the message header. The previous hop node of the target drone can be the source drone or a relay node.

[0102] In one possible implementation, if the target drone is within the communication range of the source drone, the source drone can directly send messages to the target drone, or it can first obtain routing information according to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, and then send messages to the target drone according to the routing information.

[0103] S202. The first UAV sends or receives messages based on the routing information.

[0104] In some embodiments, the message transmission method differs when the first drone is a source drone, a relay node, or a target drone. Specifically, the first drone may transmit messages in the following ways, including but not limited to:

[0105] Scenario 1: The first drone is the source drone. Specifically, the source drone encapsulates the target information and routing information into a message, and sends the message to the next-hop drone in the message sending path, based on the routing information.

[0106] Scenario 2: The first drone is either a relay node or a target drone. Specifically, this node obtains the message sent by the drone preceding it in the message transmission path, and retrieves the identification information in the message header. Based on the identification information, it determines whether the node is the drone corresponding to the identification information. If it is determined that the node is not the drone matched by the identification information, then the node is determined to be a relay node. At this time, the relay node obtains the routing information in the message header and, based on the routing information, sends the message to the drone following it in the message transmission path. If it is determined that the node is the drone corresponding to the identification information, then the node is determined to be a target drone. At this time, the target drone obtains the target information in the message.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the number of relay nodes is n, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 0. The message sent by the source UAV is forwarded through n relay nodes and finally sent to the target UAV.

[0108] It should be noted that this application does not limit the type of target information. For example, in a scenario of multiple drones cooperating on a mission, the target information can be collaborative mission information, including behavioral strategies and mission objective information, to ensure that multiple drones can cooperate to complete the mission.

[0109] In one possible implementation, drones send and / or receive messages via radio waves, employing encryption technologies such as Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and anti-interference measures such as frequency hopping and spread spectrum communication to improve the security and stability of the communication link.

[0110] The communication method provided in this application embodiment allows the drone to send or receive messages based on the routing information provided by the main control device, without having to perform routing calculations itself, thereby improving the communication efficiency of the drone.

[0111] Figure 3 Interaction diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 ,like Figure 3 As shown, the communication method in this application embodiment includes the following steps:

[0112] S301, The first UAV sends a request message to the main control device.

[0113] Among them, the first drone is the source drone, and the request message is used to request the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone.

[0114] Specifically, when the source drone needs to send a message to the target drone, regardless of whether the target drone is within the communication range of the source drone, the source drone can send a request message to the master control device to request the message sending path from the source drone to the target drone, so that routing calculations are not required.

[0115] In one possible implementation, a failure occurs in the main control device and / or communication relay, causing the main control device to lose communication with the first UAV, and the communication network between the UAVs automatically degrades to a conventional self-organizing network, such as a mesh network.

[0116] S302, The main control device obtains routing information.

[0117] Specifically, after the main control device receives the request message sent by the source drone, it obtains routing information based on the real-time information of multiple drones.

[0118] The real-time information includes at least one of the following: location information, direction of movement, latency information, battery level information, and congestion information.

[0119] Specifically, location information includes at least one of longitude, latitude, and altitude. Direction of movement includes, but is not limited to, at least one of flight direction, flight altitude, and flight speed; latency information includes, but is not limited to, at least one of latency between the drone and the main control device, and at least one of latency between the drone and other drones within communication range; battery information includes, but is not limited to, at least one of remaining battery power and remaining flight time corresponding to the current battery level; congestion information includes, but is not limited to, at least one of congestion status between the drone and the main control device, and at least one of congestion status between the drone and other drones within communication range.

[0120] In some embodiments, real-time information may be actively sent to the main control device by multiple drones, or the main control device may send control commands to multiple drones, and the multiple drones may send commands to the main control device according to the control commands.

[0121] Specifically, the main control device calculates the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone using a routing algorithm based on real-time information and request messages, and converts the message transmission path into routing information.

[0122] It should be noted that this application does not impose any limitations on the routing algorithm. In practical applications, an appropriate algorithm can be selected based on the scale of the UAV, performance requirements, and topology to achieve efficient routing. For example, the routing algorithm can be one of the following: distance vector routing algorithm, link-state routing algorithm, or shortest path routing algorithm.

[0123] In one possible implementation, if it is determined that the routing information is unavailable, an indication message is sent to the target node in the message transmission path, the indication message being used to instruct the target node to move.

[0124] Specifically, due to the high mobility of drones, one or more nodes in the message transmission path may fall out of the communication range of adjacent nodes, resulting in unusable routing information, including but not limited to the following two situations:

[0125] Scenario 1: If the main control device determines that the routing information is unavailable, it can send an indication message to the target node that is out of the communication range of the adjacent node in the message sending path. Accordingly, the target node can move to the communication range of the adjacent node according to the indication message to ensure that the message can reach the target UAV through the message sending path.

[0126] Scenario 2: For any UAV in the message transmission path, if the UAV cannot communicate with the next-hop node UAV or the previous-hop UAV, the routing information is determined to be unavailable. In this case, the UAV can send an error message to the master control device, indicating that the routing information is unavailable. Correspondingly, the master control device can send an instruction message to the corresponding UAV based on the error message, instructing the UAV to move to the communication range of the previous or next hop to ensure that the message can reach the target UAV through the message transmission path.

[0127] S303, The main control device sends routing information to the source UAV.

[0128] This embodiment of the application obtains the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone based on the request message from the source drone, and then sends the routing information corresponding to the message transmission path to the source drone, enabling the source drone to send messages to the target drone based on the routing information. In this embodiment, the routing information between drones is obtained by the master control device, without the need to maintain the communication network of the entire drone cluster.

[0129] Figure 4 Interaction diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 3 ,like Figure 4 As shown, the communication method in this application embodiment includes the following steps:

[0130] S401, the source drone obtains routing information.

[0131] It should be noted that the implementation process of step S401 can refer to the implementation process of steps S301 to S303, and will not be repeated here.

[0132] S402, the source drone sends messages based on the routing information.

[0133] The message header consists of a first part and a second part. The first part carries the hop count information of the nodes the message has already passed through, and the second part carries the index information of the nodes in the message transmission path. The nodes in the message transmission path include at least the source UAV and the target UAV.

[0134] It should be noted that this application does not impose any limitations on the hop count information. For example, the hop count information can be numbers, letters, etc., used to identify the number of nodes that the message has passed through. For example, when the number is 1, it means that one hop has been passed. The letters can refer to the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII). For example, the letter ba means that one hop has been passed.

[0135] It should be noted that this application does not impose any limitations on the index information; for example, the index information can be an array, a linked list, etc. The index information is used to indicate the identification information of each node in the packet forwarding path.

[0136] Specifically, the source drone encapsulates a message based on routing and target information. During this process, the hop count information in the first part of the message header is the initial hop count information. This initial hop count information can be carried in the routing information or preset by the source drone.

[0137] Furthermore, the source UAV determines the next-hop node in the message transmission path based on the hop count information in the first part and the index information in the second part; at the same time, the source UAV modifies the hop count information in the first part to obtain the modified routing information, carries the modified routing information in the message header, and sends the message to the next-hop node.

[0138] For example, taking a hop count of 0 and an index array [n1, n2, n3] as an example, where n1 is the identification information of the source UAV, n2 is the identification information of the relay node, and n3 is the identification information of the target UAV;

[0139] Specifically, when a node receives routing information with a hop count of 0, the corresponding index information for that node is n1; when a node receives routing information with a hop count of 1, the corresponding index information for that node is n2; and when a node receives routing information with a hop count of 2, the corresponding index information for that node is n3.

[0140] Specifically, when the source drone sends a message, it may fall into one of the following two categories:

[0141] Scenario 1: The source drone adds the hop count information from the first part, obtains the modified routing information, and sends a message to the next node.

[0142] For example, taking the hop count as a number and the index information as a one-dimensional array, for the source drone, the hop count can be incremented by 1 to determine the next hop node of the source drone. For example, if the hop count of the routing information received by the source drone is 0, the source drone n1 can increment the hop count by 1, and the index information corresponding to the hop count (i.e., 1), i.e., n2, can then determine the next hop node in the message transmission path as relay node n2;

[0143] Furthermore, the source drone can also modify the hop count information in the routing information and carry the modified hop count information in the packet header before sending the packet to the next relay node n2. For example, in the routing information of the packet sent by the source drone to n2, the hop count information is 1 and the index information is [n1, n2, n3].

[0144] Scenario 2: The source drone reduces the hop count information in the first part, obtains the modified routing information, and sends a message to the next node.

[0145] For example, taking the hop count as a number and the index information as a one-dimensional array, for the source drone, the hop count can be decremented by 1 to determine the next hop node of the source drone. For example, if the hop count of the routing information received by the source drone is 2, the source drone n1 can decrement this hop count by 1, and thus the index information corresponding to this hop count (i.e., 1), i.e., n2, can be used to determine that the next hop node in the message transmission path is the relay node n2.

[0146] Furthermore, the source drone can also modify the hop count information in the routing information and carry the modified hop count information in the packet header before sending the packet to the next relay node n2. For example, in the routing information of the packet sent by the source drone to n2, the hop count information is 1 and the index information is [n3,n2,n1].

[0147] S403. The relay node determines the next-hop node in the message sending path based on the hop count information in the first part and the index information in the second part; the relay node modifies the hop count information in the first part, obtains the modified routing information, and sends the message to the next-hop node.

[0148] The number of relay nodes is n, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 0. The message sent by the source UAV is forwarded through n relay nodes and finally sent to the target UAV.

[0149] Specifically, the node obtains the message sent by the UAV preceding it in the message transmission path, and obtains the identification information in the message header. Based on the identification information, if it is determined that the node is not the UAV corresponding to the identification information, then the node is determined to be a relay node. At this time, the relay node obtains the routing information in the message header, and determines the next hop node in the message transmission path based on the hop count information in the first part and the index information in the second part. The relay node modifies the hop count information in the first part, obtains the modified routing information, and sends the message to the next hop node.

[0150] For example, the node's identifier is n2, and the identifier information in the header of the message obtained by the node is n3. Based on the identifier information and the node's identifier, the node is determined to be a relay node.

[0151] Specifically, when relay nodes send messages, there are including but not limited to the following two situations:

[0152] Case 1: The relay node adds the hop count information from the first part, obtains the modified routing information, and sends the message to the next node.

[0153] For example, taking hop count as a number and index information as a one-dimensional array, a relay node can increment the hop count by 1 to determine its next-hop node. For instance, if the hop count of the routing information received by the relay node is 1, relay node n2 can increment this hop count by 1, thus determining the index information corresponding to this hop count (i.e., 2), i.e., n3, and consequently determining the next-hop node in the message transmission path as the target UAV n3.

[0154] Furthermore, the relay node can also modify the hop count information in the routing information and carry the modified hop count information in the packet header before sending the packet to the next node, the target drone n3. For example, in the routing information of the packet sent by the relay node to n3, the hop count information is 2 and the index information is [n1, n2, n3].

[0155] Scenario 2: The relay node reduces the hop count information in the first part, obtains the modified routing information, and sends the message to the next node.

[0156] For example, taking hop count as a number and index information as a one-dimensional array, a relay node can decrement the hop count by 1 to determine its next-hop node. For instance, if the hop count of the routing information received by the relay node is 1, relay node n1 can decrement this hop count by 1, thus obtaining the index information corresponding to this hop count (i.e., 0), which is n3, and thereby determining the next-hop node in the message transmission path as the target drone n3.

[0157] Furthermore, the relay node can also modify the hop count information in the routing information and carry the modified hop count information in the packet header before sending the packet to the next node, the target drone n3. For example, in the routing information of the packet sent by the relay node to n3, the hop count information is 0 and the index information is [n3, n2, n1].

[0158] S404. The target UAV obtains the identification information in the message header. If the identification information matches the identification of the target UAV, the target information in the message is obtained.

[0159] It should be noted that this application does not impose any limitations on the identification information. For example, the identification information may be an IP address, a numerical sequence number, a specific number, etc.

[0160] Specifically, the target drone obtains the message sent by the drone on the message sending path, obtains the identification information in the message header, compares the identification information with its own identification, and if the identification information matches the identification of the target drone, the target drone parses the message and obtains the target information in the message.

[0161] For example, the target drone obtains the identification information n3 in the message header, and the target drone's own identification is n3. The identification information matches the target drone's identification, and the target drone obtains the target information in the message.

[0162] In this application, routing information is obtained from the source drone, and a message is sent based on the routing information. The message is then forwarded by the relay node according to the hop count information in the first part and the index information in the second part, and sent to the target drone. The target drone matches the identification information and obtains the target information, thus realizing communication between drones in the drone cluster and improving communication efficiency.

[0163] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 1 ,like Figure 5 As shown, the communication device 500 provided in this embodiment includes:

[0164] The acquisition module 501 is used to acquire routing information, which indicates the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone.

[0165] The transceiver module 502 is used to send or receive messages based on routing information.

[0166] In one possible implementation, the first drone is the source drone;

[0167] Obtaining routing information, module 501 is specifically used for:

[0168] Send a request message to the main control device. The request message is used to request the message transmission path from the source UAV to the target UAV.

[0169] Receive routing information sent by the master control device. The routing information is used to indicate the message transmission path from the source drone to the destination drone.

[0170] In one possible implementation, the first UAV is a relay node or a target UAV in the message transmission path;

[0171] Obtaining routing information, module 501 is specifically used for:

[0172] Receive the message sent by the node preceding the first UAV in the message transmission path;

[0173] Obtain routing information based on the message header.

[0174] In one possible implementation, the message header includes a first part and a second part;

[0175] The first part carries the hop count information of the nodes that the message has passed through, and the second part carries the index information of the nodes in the message transmission path. The nodes in the message transmission path include at least the source UAV and the target UAV.

[0176] In one possible implementation, the first UAV is either the source UAV or a relay node in the message transmission path;

[0177] Based on the routing information, the transceiver module 502 is specifically used to send messages.

[0178] Based on the hop count information in the first part and the index information in the second part, determine the next hop node in the message sending path;

[0179] Modify the hop count information in the first part to obtain the modified routing information, and send a message to the next hop node. The message header carries the modified routing information.

[0180] In one possible implementation, the message header also carries identification information of the target drone;

[0181] Based on the routing information, the message is received, and module 501 is specifically used for:

[0182] Retrieve the identification information from the message header;

[0183] If the identification information matches the identification of the first UAV, the target information in the message is obtained.

[0184] The communication device provided in this embodiment can execute the method provided in the above method embodiment. Its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, and will not be described in detail here.

[0185] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 2 ,like Figure 6 As shown, the communication device 600 provided in this embodiment includes:

[0186] The receiving module 601 is used to receive a request message sent by the source drone. The request message is used to request the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone.

[0187] The acquisition module 602 is used to acquire routing information, which indicates the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone.

[0188] The sending module 603 is used to send routing information to the source drone.

[0189] In one possible implementation, after obtaining the routing information, the acquisition module 602 is specifically used for:

[0190] If it is determined that the routing information is unavailable, an indication message is sent to the target node in the message sending path. The indication message is used to instruct the target node to move.

[0191] In one possible implementation, the routing information is obtained based on real-time information from multiple drones, including at least one of location information, direction of movement, latency information, battery level information, and congestion information.

[0192] The communication device provided in this embodiment can execute the method provided in the above method embodiment. Its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, and will not be described in detail here.

[0193] Figure 7 This is a structural schematic diagram of a drone provided in this application. Figure 7 As shown, the UAV 700 provided in this embodiment includes: a transceiver 701, a memory 702, and a processor 703.

[0194] Transceiver 701 may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transmitter may also be referred to as a transmitter, transmitter, transmitting port, or transmitting interface, and the receiver may also be referred to as a receiver, receiver, receiving port, or receiving interface, etc. Exemplarily, transceiver 701, memory 702, and processor 703 are interconnected via bus 704.

[0195] In the above embodiments, it should be understood that the processor can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in this invention can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0196] The memory may include random access memory (RAM) and may also include non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk storage device.

[0197] The bus can be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses can be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, the buses shown in the accompanying drawings are not limited to a single bus or a single type of bus.

[0198] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a main control device provided in this application. Figure 8 As shown, the main control device 800 provided in this embodiment includes: a transceiver 801, a memory 802, and a processor 803.

[0199] Transceiver 801 may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transmitter may also be referred to as a transmitter, transmitter, transmitting port, or transmitting interface, and the receiver may also be referred to as a receiver, receiver, receiving port, or receiving interface, etc. Exemplarily, transceiver 801, memory 802, and processor 803 are interconnected via bus 804.

[0200] In the above embodiments, it should be understood that the processor can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in this invention can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0201] The memory may include random access memory (RAM) and may also include non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk storage device.

[0202] The bus can be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses can be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, the buses shown in the accompanying drawings are not limited to a single bus or a single type of bus.

[0203] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described method.

[0204] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the above-described method.

[0205] The aforementioned readable storage medium can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk. The readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0206] An exemplary readable storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the readable storage medium. Of course, the readable storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the readable storage medium can reside in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Alternatively, the processor and the readable storage medium can exist as discrete components in the device.

[0207] The division of units is merely a logical functional division; in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices, or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0208] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0209] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0210] If a function is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0211] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the above-described method embodiments can be implemented by hardware related to program instructions. The aforementioned program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the program performs the steps of the above-described method embodiments; and the aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0212] Finally, it should be noted that other embodiments of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This invention is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention that follow the general principles of the invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein, and is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is communicatively connected to a main control device, the method includes: Obtain routing information, which is used to indicate the message transmission path from the source UAV to the target UAV, and the routing information is obtained by the main control device; Send or receive messages based on the routing information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first drone is the source drone; The acquisition of routing information includes: Send a request message to the main control device, the request message being used to request the acquisition of the message transmission path from the source UAV to the target UAV; The system receives routing information sent by the main control device, which is used to indicate the message transmission path from the source UAV to the destination UAV.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first UAV is a relay node or target UAV in the message transmission path; The acquisition of routing information includes: Receive the message sent by the previous hop node of the first UAV in the message sending path; The routing information is obtained based on the message header.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The message header includes a first part and a second part; The first part is used to carry the hop count information of the nodes that the message has passed through, and the second part is used to carry the index information of the nodes in the message transmission path. The nodes in the message transmission path include at least the source UAV and the target UAV.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first drone is either the source drone or a relay node in the message transmission path; The step of sending a message based on routing information includes: Based on the hop count information in the first part and the index information in the second part, the next hop node in the message sending path is determined; Modify the hop count information in the first part to obtain the modified routing information, and send the message to the next hop node. The message header carries the modified routing information.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The message header also carries identification information of the target drone; The step of receiving a message based on the routing information includes: Obtain the identification information from the message header; If the identification information matches the identification of the first UAV, then the target information in the message is obtained.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, applied to a main control device that is communicatively connected to multiple drones, includes: Receive a request message sent by a source drone, the request message being used to request the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone; Obtain routing information, which is used to indicate the message transmission path from the source UAV to the target UAV; The routing information is sent to the source drone.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, After obtaining the routing information, the process also includes: If the routing information is determined to be unavailable, an indication message is sent to the target node in the message sending path, the indication message being used to instruct the target node to move.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The routing information is obtained based on real-time information from multiple drones, including at least one of location information, direction of movement, latency information, battery level information, and congestion information.

10. A communication device, characterized in that, Applied to a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the first UAV being communicatively connected to a main control device, the device includes: The acquisition module is used to acquire routing information, which is used to indicate the message transmission path from the source UAV to the target UAV. The routing information is acquired by the main control device. The transceiver module is used to send or receive messages based on the routing information.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, The device is applied to a main control device, which is communicatively connected to multiple drones, and includes: The receiving module is used to receive a request message sent by the source drone, the request message being used to request the message transmission path from the source drone to the target drone; The acquisition module is used to acquire routing information, which is used to indicate the message transmission path from the source UAV to the target UAV; The sending module is used to send the routing information to the source drone.

12. A drone, characterized in that, include: Transceiver, processor, memory; The memory stores computer-executed instructions; The processor executes computer execution instructions stored in the memory, causing the processor to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

13. A master control device, characterized in that, Transceiver, processor, memory; The memory stores computer-executed instructions; The processor executes computer execution instructions stored in the memory, causing the processor to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 7-9.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

15. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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