Brake thermal overload protection method in autonomous exit stage of unmanned aerial vehicle, control equipment and medium

Abstract

The invention provides a braking thermal overload protection method for an unmanned aerial vehicle in an autonomous driving-out stage, control equipment and a medium, and relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle control. The method comprises the steps that a brake energy inheritance mechanism is constructed, and landing deceleration skating accumulated brake energy serves as an initial calculation value of an autonomous driving-out stage; after the autonomous driving-out program is started, the brake pipeline pressure and the wheel speed are collected in real time, and the accumulated total brake energy in the autonomous driving-out stage is dynamically calculated through an integral algorithm; and based on the ratio of the accumulated energy to the thermal overload design threshold value, a hierarchical response strategy is executed, and the strategy comprises early warning prompt, autonomous braking and emergency traction switching. According to the method, through full-period management of energy inheritance, real-time integration and graded response, the thermal overload risk caused by energy superposition in the landing and driving-out stages is solved, the limitation of a traditional temperature monitoring lag and pressure limiting method is overcome, calculation is not affected by the altitude of an airport, the service life of a brake disc is effectively prolonged, and operation safety is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control technology, and more specifically, to a method, device, and medium for brake thermal overload protection during the autonomous flight phase of a UAV. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of drone technology, the application of large fixed-wing drones in logistics, aerial surveying, emergency rescue, and other fields has seen explosive growth. More and more of these drones are being deployed at manned general aviation airports and even large civil aviation airports. The operational efficiency of modern airports is highly dependent on runway turnover rate; runway occupancy time directly determines the airport's throughput. Traditional drone recovery methods often rely on ground towing vehicles to enter the runway for towing, which is not only cumbersome but also results in excessively long runway occupancy times for drones, easily causing a chain reaction of delays in airport flight schedules. To integrate into the airport scheduling system and meet the access requirements of the national airspace system, the ability to "autonomously taxi out" after landing has become one of the core capabilities of large fixed-wing drones. This function requires the drone to quickly detach from the runway after landing and autonomously taxi to a designated parking position.

[0003] However, large fixed-wing UAVs face severe challenges in the thermal protection of their braking systems when performing autonomous takeoff missions. After undergoing a high-intensity landing deceleration run, the UAV's braking system converts a significant amount of kinetic energy into heat through friction. At this point, the thermal load on the brake discs typically reaches 60%-70% of the design threshold. Unlike manned aircraft or those using towing, UAVs cannot release heat through shutdown cooling during the autonomous takeoff phase. Instead, they need to continue using brakes frequently for low-speed, precise control, including deceleration, turning, and precise docking. This results in the high energy accumulation during the landing deceleration run combined with the continuous braking energy during the autonomous takeoff phase, making it highly likely that the thermal load on the brake discs will exceed the material's physical limits. This is especially problematic at high-altitude airports with high landing speeds or at large airports with long taxiing distances, easily leading to serious malfunctions such as high-temperature deformation of the brake discs, carbonization and spalling of friction materials, and even melting of hydraulic seals.

[0004] Existing brake protection technologies mainly rely on temperature monitoring and pressure limiting methods, but both have significant limitations in dealing with the aforementioned continuous high-energy operating conditions. Temperature monitoring methods typically involve installing temperature sensors on the brake discs or relying on manual detection. However, due to the time lag in heat conduction in brake discs, sensors often only measure surface temperature. By the time the surface temperature triggers an alarm, the core area inside the brake disc may have already experienced material failure due to overheating, resulting in a slow protection response and an inability to predict the temperature.

[0005] The pressure limiting method prevents brake lock-up or overload by setting a maximum threshold for brake pressure. However, this method only considers the current instantaneous pressure value, ignoring the "historical heat" status of the braking system. Specifically, in the scenario of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) autonomously exiting its flight path, this method cannot incorporate the significant thermal effects accumulated in the previous stage (landing deceleration), potentially leading to safety hazards even in the initial stages of autonomous departure.

[0006] Furthermore, existing technologies lack a graded early warning mechanism and full-cycle tracking method for braking energy, making it difficult to effectively intercept risks before sudden overload occurs. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a protection method that can comprehensively consider the energy superposition of the landing and exit phases and accurately predict the risk of braking thermal overload in real time. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the aforementioned technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0008] Therefore, the first aspect of the present invention provides a method for protecting against brake thermal overload during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

[0009] A second aspect of the present invention provides a drone control device.

[0010] A third aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium.

[0011] This invention provides a method for protecting against brake thermal overload during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising: When the UAV finishes its landing deceleration run and starts the autonomous departure procedure, the accumulated braking energy during the landing deceleration run is obtained as the initial value for the autonomous departure phase. During the autonomous flight of the drone, braking energy-related parameters are collected in real time according to a preset sampling period. Based on the initial values ​​and real-time sampling data of the UAV autonomous driving process, the cumulative total braking energy during the autonomous driving phase is calculated. The accumulated total braking energy is compared with the brake disc thermal overload design threshold, and a graded response strategy is executed: when the accumulated total braking energy reaches the first preset threshold, a warning signal is issued; when the accumulated total braking energy reaches the second preset threshold, the drone is controlled to brake autonomously and switch to an emergency traction program; wherein, the second preset threshold is greater than the first preset threshold.

[0012] The UAV autonomous departure phase braking thermal overload protection method according to the above-described technical solution of the present invention may also have the following additional technical features: In the above technical solution, during the autonomous flight of the drone, the real-time collection of braking energy-related parameters according to a preset sampling period includes: Brake line pressure changes over time during the autonomous driving phase; And, the wheel speed as it changes over time during the autonomous driving phase.

[0013] In the above technical solution, calculating the cumulative total braking energy during the autonomous exit phase includes:

[0014] in, This represents the total accumulated braking energy during the autonomous driving phase. This indicates the accumulated braking energy during the landing deceleration run; This indicates the moment when the drone initiates its autonomous departure procedure; This indicates the moment when the drone is completely parked on the helipad; Indicates the heat exchange coefficient of the brake disc; This indicates the braking force under unit brake line pressure. This indicates the change in brake line pressure over time during the autonomous driving phase. This indicates the wheel speed as it changes over time during the autonomous driving phase. Indicates the sampling period.

[0015] In the above technical solutions, the methods for obtaining the accumulated braking energy during landing deceleration and skidding include: The system monitors the braking energy data of the UAV from the moment of landing and touchdown to the end of the landing deceleration run, and accumulates and records the braking energy generated during this period. The recorded value is locked as the initial calculated value at the moment the autonomous departure program starts.

[0016] In the above technical solution, during the autonomous departure process of the drone, the autonomous departure procedure is initiated according to the pre-designed departure route.

[0017] In the above technical solution, the first preset threshold corresponds to the thermal failure mode of brake disc material due to plastic deformation caused by exceeding the recrystallization temperature; the second preset threshold corresponds to the thermal failure mode of brake disc material due to the friction material peeling off caused by reaching the liquidus line.

[0018] In the above technical solution, the first preset threshold is set to 80% of the brake disc thermal overload design threshold; the second preset threshold is set to 90% of the brake disc thermal overload design threshold.

[0019] In the above technical solution, when the cumulative total braking energy is between 80% and 90% of the brake disc thermal overload design threshold, it is displayed in a graded manner on the drone control interface, prompting the user to pay attention to the braking energy or prepare for manual intervention. When the accumulated total braking energy reaches or exceeds 90% of the brake disc thermal overload design threshold, it is displayed in a graded manner on the UAV control interface, the UAV is controlled to execute an autonomous braking command, and the emergency procedure for manually towing the UAV is initiated; at the same time, the event that triggers the autonomous braking command is recorded; the preset total number of safe braking times of the UAV braking system is read; and the remaining number of safe braking times is calculated and updated by subtracting the number of times the autonomous braking command is triggered in the historical records from the preset total number of safe braking times.

[0020] The present invention provides a drone control device, including a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the method as described in any one of the above technical solutions.

[0021] The present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in any one of the above technical solutions.

[0022] In summary, due to the adoption of the above-mentioned technical features, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: This invention effectively addresses the risk of thermal overload caused by the superposition of braking energy during the continuous landing deceleration and autonomous departure phases of large fixed-wing UAVs by constructing a closed-loop management mechanism encompassing "braking energy inheritance + real-time energy integration + graded response strategy." Unlike traditional and lagging temperature monitoring methods or pressure limiting methods that ignore historical thermal effects, this invention uses the accumulated energy during the landing phase as the basis for calculation. Combined with real-time pressure and wheel speed integration, it achieves dynamic prediction and precise quantification of the internal thermal load of the brake disc. This transforms the uncontrollable probabilistic risk of brake disc overheating and damage into a monitorable and preventable deterministic event, significantly improving the safety of UAV ground operations.

[0023] Meanwhile, this invention fully utilizes the physical failure boundary properties of brake disc materials to design a progressive, graded response strategy, establishing multiple safety defenses from early warning prompts to autonomous braking and emergency traction. This not only avoids sudden and devastating damage, but also achieves full-cycle life tracking and management of the braking device by recording red alarm conditions and calculating the remaining safe braking times, thereby effectively extending the service life of the brake disc and significantly reducing the full life-cycle maintenance and usage costs of the UAV.

[0024] Furthermore, the calculation model based on wheel speed data and brake energy integral used in this invention is unaffected by atmospheric pressure and airport altitude during the core parameter acquisition and calculation process, overcoming the interference of environmental factors on monitoring accuracy. This makes the protection method highly adaptable to the environment, widely applicable to the complex operating environments of plain airports and high-altitude plateau airports, meeting the practical needs of large fixed-wing UAVs for cross-regional deployment.

[0025] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a method for protecting against brake thermal overload during the autonomous departure phase of a drone, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in these embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0028] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein, and therefore the scope of protection of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0029] The following reference Figure 1 This describes a method for protecting against brake thermal overload during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0030] Some embodiments of this application provide a method for brake thermal overload protection during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the first embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for brake thermal overload protection during the autonomous driving phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle, including the following steps S1 to S4.

[0032] S1. When the UAV finishes its landing deceleration run and starts the autonomous departure procedure, obtain the accumulated braking energy of the landing deceleration run as the initial value for the autonomous departure phase.

[0033] Specifically, methods for obtaining accumulated braking energy during landing deceleration include: The system monitors the braking energy data of the UAV from the moment of landing and touchdown to the end of the landing deceleration run, and accumulates and records the braking energy generated during this period. The recorded value is locked as the initial calculated value at the moment the autonomous departure program starts.

[0034] In one specific embodiment, the drone from the moment of landing and touchdown... From the moment of landing, deceleration and taxiing At the end of the time interval, brake energy monitoring is activated, and the cumulative brake energy during the landing deceleration run is recorded at the end of the landing deceleration run. .

[0035] Understandably, during this process, braking energy monitoring can employ conventional energy monitoring methods, including but not limited to traditional physical sensing technology (when the collected quantity is an intermediate quantity (such as temperature or pressure), the collected quantity needs to be converted into energy through calculation), kinetic energy conversion method (converting the kinetic energy of the UAV into braking energy in a certain proportion), or real-time calculation using an integral algorithm consistent with the subsequent step S3, i.e., the autonomous departure phase (the accumulated braking energy during landing deceleration and taxiing needs to be replaced with the corresponding initial value, usually 0).

[0036] Specifically, when the signal from the wheel-mounted sensors on the drone's landing gear changes from "air" to "ground," the system determines that the drone has completed landing and touchdown, marking this moment as... At this point, the airborne brake control unit immediately initializes the brake energy monitoring module, clears the current accumulated energy register to zero, and starts a high-frequency sampling timer. During the UAV's landing deceleration phase, any of the above methods are used for calculation / acquisition. The calculation process continues throughout the entire landing deceleration phase until the UAV's speed decreases to the taxiing speed threshold or comes to a complete stop. This moment is marked as the end of the landing deceleration phase. At that moment The drone may briefly wait on the runway or immediately begin taxiing. During this time, the system will... The final cumulative value calculated at each moment is defined as the cumulative braking energy during the landing deceleration run.

[0037] S2. During the autonomous driving process of the drone, brake energy-related parameters are collected in real time according to the preset sampling period.

[0038] It is understood that the autonomous departure process of the drone is the process described in the background art of this disclosure, namely, leaving the runway, moving to the taxiway, and parking in the parking position. Specifically, during the autonomous departure process, after the drone undergoes a landing deceleration run, it initiates the autonomous departure procedure according to the pre-designed departure route.

[0039] During the autonomous driving process of the drone, braking energy-related parameters are collected in real time according to a preset sampling period, including: brake line pressure and wheel speed that change over time during the autonomous driving phase.

[0040] Specifically, the drone initiates the autonomous driving procedure. From the moment the aircraft comes to a complete stop on the tarmac At the end of the time period, brake energy monitoring is activated at a preset interval. (Corresponding sampling rate) Collect brake energy-related parameters, including: brake line pressure changing over time during the autonomous exit phase. Wheel speed changes over time during the autonomous driving phase It should be noted that the collected wheel speed data is independent of airport altitude and is applicable to the deployment of large fixed-wing UAVs in both plains and plateau airport environments.

[0041] S3. Based on the initial calculation value and the real-time sampling data of the UAV autonomous driving process, calculate the cumulative total braking energy during the autonomous driving phase.

[0042] In some embodiments, calculating the cumulative total braking energy during the autonomous exit phase includes:

[0043] The parameters are illustrated below: The total cumulative braking energy during the autonomous driving phase is expressed in joules. The amount of braking energy accumulated during the deceleration roll for landing, measured in joules. The time when the drone initiates its autonomous departure procedure, in seconds; The time it takes for the drone to come to a complete stop on the helipad, in seconds; The heat exchange coefficient of the brake disc; Braking force under unit brake line pressure, unit: Newton / megapascal; Brake line pressure as a function of time during the autonomous driving phase, unit: megapascals; Wheel speed during the autonomous driving phase varies over time, in meters per second; The sampling period is expressed in seconds.

[0044] Similarly, the braking energy integral is independent of airport altitude and is applicable to the deployment of large fixed-wing UAVs in both plain and plateau airport conditions.

[0045] S4. Compare the accumulated total braking energy with the brake disc thermal overload design threshold and execute a graded response strategy: when the accumulated total braking energy reaches the first preset threshold, issue a warning signal; when the accumulated total braking energy reaches the second preset threshold, control the drone to brake autonomously and switch to the emergency traction program; wherein, the second preset threshold is greater than the first preset threshold.

[0046] In step S4, in order to fully consider the safety margin design and the failure boundary characteristics of the brake disc material, a progressive risk interception approach is adopted to design and handle countermeasures to avoid sudden overheating damage to the brake disc.

[0047] Regarding the characteristics of the failure boundary properties of brake disc materials: Before brake discs are damaged, they will first undergo a thermal failure stage. There are two main modes of thermal failure: one is plastic deformation caused by exceeding the recrystallization temperature, corresponding to the first preset threshold (brake disc thermal overload design threshold). The warning line is 80%; the second is the friction material peeling caused by reaching the liquidus line, corresponding to the second preset threshold brake (disc thermal overload design threshold). (90%) warning line.

[0048] It is understood that the above threshold design is merely an illustrative representation of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can make adaptive adjustments to the specific proportions and values ​​of the preset thresholds as needed.

[0049] In some embodiments, when the cumulative total braking energy is between 80% and 90% of the brake disc thermal overload design threshold, it is displayed in a graded manner on the drone control interface, prompting the user to pay attention to the braking energy or prepare for manual intervention. When the accumulated total braking energy reaches or exceeds 90% of the brake disc thermal overload design threshold, it is displayed in a graded manner on the UAV control interface, the UAV is controlled to execute an autonomous braking command, and the emergency procedure for manually towing the UAV is initiated; at the same time, the event that triggers the autonomous braking command is recorded; the preset total number of safe braking times of the UAV braking system is read; and the remaining number of safe braking times is calculated and updated by subtracting the number of times the autonomous braking command is triggered in the historical records from the preset total number of safe braking times.

[0050] The hierarchical display can be differentiated using different colors, text, or other types of audio-visual displays.

[0051] In one specific embodiment, when the total braking energy during the autonomous exit phase is less than the brake disc thermal overload design threshold... When the energy level reaches 80%, the energy ring on the drone control interface will display green, which is the normal color, and the drone will autonomously fly out normally. When the total braking energy during the autonomous driving phase is greater than or equal to the brake disc thermal overload design threshold 80%, less than or equal to the brake disc thermal overload design threshold When the energy level is 90%, the energy ring on the drone control interface will turn yellow as a warning, indicating that manual attention to the braking energy is required. In an emergency, manual intervention can be used to stop the drone. When the total braking energy during the autonomous driving phase is greater than or equal to the brake disc thermal overload design threshold When the energy level reaches 90%, the energy ring on the drone control interface turns red, an alarm color. The drone then brakes autonomously, triggering an emergency procedure for manual towing of the drone. The remaining safe braking count is recorded and calculated. The remaining safe braking count equals the total number of safe braking counts related to brake life minus the number of red alarms recorded for brake energy.

[0052] Other embodiments of the present invention provide a drone control device, including a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0053] Some embodiments of the present invention provide a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0054] In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the terms used do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or examples. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0055] Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of this invention shall be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A method for brake thermal overload protection during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), characterized in that, include: When the UAV finishes its landing deceleration run and starts the autonomous departure procedure, the accumulated braking energy during the landing deceleration run is obtained as the initial value for the autonomous departure phase. During the autonomous flight of the drone, braking energy-related parameters are collected in real time according to a preset sampling period. Based on the initial values ​​and real-time sampling data of the UAV autonomous driving process, the cumulative total braking energy during the autonomous driving phase is calculated. The accumulated total braking energy is compared with the brake disc thermal overload design threshold, and a graded response strategy is executed: when the accumulated total braking energy reaches the first preset threshold, a warning signal is issued; when the accumulated total braking energy reaches the second preset threshold, the drone is controlled to brake autonomously and switch to an emergency traction program; wherein, the second preset threshold is greater than the first preset threshold.

2. The method for brake thermal overload protection during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the autonomous flight of the drone, braking energy-related parameters are collected in real time according to a preset sampling period, including: Brake line pressure changes over time during the autonomous driving phase; And, the wheel speed as it changes over time during the autonomous driving phase.

3. The method for brake thermal overload protection during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to claim 2, characterized in that, The calculation of the cumulative total braking energy during the autonomous exit phase includes: in, This represents the total accumulated braking energy during the autonomous driving phase. This indicates the accumulated braking energy during the landing deceleration run; This indicates the moment when the drone initiates its autonomous departure procedure; This indicates the moment when the drone is completely parked on the helipad; Indicates the heat exchange coefficient of the brake disc; This indicates the braking force under unit brake line pressure. This indicates the change in brake line pressure over time during the autonomous driving phase. This indicates the wheel speed as it changes over time during the autonomous driving phase. Indicates the sampling period.

4. The method for brake thermal overload protection during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to claim 1, characterized in that, Methods for obtaining the accumulated braking energy during landing deceleration include: The system monitors the braking energy data of the UAV from the moment of landing and touchdown to the end of the landing deceleration run, and accumulates and records the braking energy generated during this period. The recorded value is locked as the initial calculated value at the moment the autonomous departure program starts.

5. The method for brake thermal overload protection during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the autonomous departure process, the drone initiates the autonomous departure procedure according to the pre-designed departure route.

6. The method for brake thermal overload protection during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first preset threshold corresponds to the thermal failure mode of brake disc material due to plastic deformation caused by exceeding the recrystallization temperature. The second preset threshold corresponds to the thermal failure mode in which the friction material peels off due to the brake disc material reaching the liquidus line.

7. The method for brake thermal overload protection during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first preset threshold is set to 80% of the brake disc thermal overload design threshold; the second preset threshold is set to 90% of the brake disc thermal overload design threshold.

8. The method for brake thermal overload protection during the autonomous departure phase of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to claim 7, characterized in that, When the cumulative total braking energy is between 80% and 90% of the brake disc thermal overload design threshold, it is displayed in a graded manner on the drone control interface, prompting the user to pay attention to the braking energy or prepare for manual intervention. When the accumulated total braking energy reaches or exceeds 90% of the brake disc thermal overload design threshold, it is displayed in a graded manner on the UAV control interface, the UAV is controlled to execute an autonomous braking command, and the emergency procedure for manually towing the UAV is initiated; at the same time, the event that triggers the autonomous braking command is recorded; the preset total number of safe braking times of the UAV braking system is read; and the remaining number of safe braking times is calculated and updated by subtracting the number of times the autonomous braking command is triggered in the historical records from the preset total number of safe braking times.

9. A drone control device, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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