A multi-aircraft control method and system

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of UAV communication and control technology, specifically providing a multi-aircraft control method and system based on communication control. The method includes: configuring a flight control module associated with the UAV, the flight control module having a display interface capable of displaying flight information from at least one dimension, including the UAV's flight interface and neighboring aircraft flight information; the UAV being set with initial interaction permissions, including communication permissions and / or display permissions; and updating the initial interaction permissions based on the UAV's remaining battery power to obtain updated interaction permissions. This invention decomposes the interaction permissions of the flight control terminal into two independently adjustable and hierarchically manageable dimensions: communication permissions and display permissions. It addresses the impact of these two types of permissions on communication resources, computing resources, and power consumption, enabling multi-level refined management through communication method restrictions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of multi-aircraft cooperative communication, and specifically relates to a multi-aircraft control method and system. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of drone technology and swarm collaborative control technology, multi-aircraft formation operation mode has been widely used in many civilian fields such as agricultural plant protection, power line inspection, geographic surveying and mapping, emergency rescue and disaster relief, regional security, and low-altitude logistics due to its advantages such as high operation efficiency, wide coverage, strong mission fault tolerance, and small impact of single point failure. At the same time, it also has extremely high application value in special scenarios such as low-altitude security and collaborative reconnaissance.

[0003] However, in the application of swarm collaborative control, higher requirements are also placed on the communication stability and reliability of multiple UAVs.

[0004] For example, Chinese patent application CN117389332A discloses a method, apparatus, and medium for dynamic planning of multi-UAV missions, relating to the field of UAV flight control technology. It addresses the problem of dynamically planning multi-UAV missions. The method includes: receiving real-time flight data from each UAV; evaluating the future mission execution capability of each UAV based on the real-time flight data, where the future mission execution capability includes: the first future mission execution capability of each UAV within a first future time period and the second future mission execution capability of each UAV within a second future time period, wherein the second future time period includes and is longer than the first future time period; dynamically planning future sub-tasks for each UAV based on the future mission execution capability; and sending each future sub-task to each UAV in real time. This prior art adjusts the future sub-tasks of each UAV in a timely manner according to the future mission execution capability to achieve dynamic planning of multi-UAV missions, improving the flexibility, reliability, and efficiency of multi-UAV mission execution.

[0005] The above-described dynamic planning method for multi-UAV missions inherently places extremely high demands on the communication performance of the UAV swarm. Any communication defects can easily lead to flight accidents or prevent the UAVs from truly coordinating multiple missions. Furthermore, high-quality communication places extremely high demands on the UAVs' configuration resources, such as increasing the hardware requirements of the equipment, resulting in excessively high flight costs. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-aircraft control method and system that partially solves or alleviates the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, enabling hierarchical control of aircraft interaction permissions (especially communication resources) and differentiated adjustments based on mission execution risks.

[0007] To solve the aforementioned technical problems, the present invention specifically adopts the following technical solution: A first aspect of the present invention is to provide a multi-aircraft control method, applied to a local aircraft and several neighboring aircraft performing a formation flight mission, comprising: Configure a flight control module associated with the local machine, the flight control module having a display interface, and the display interface being able to display flight information of at least one dimension, including the local machine's flight interface and the neighboring machine's flight information; The device is configured with initial interaction permissions, which include communication permissions and / or display permissions; the level of the communication permission is used to define the level of the device's permission to receive information from neighboring devices; the level of the display permission is used to limit the number of information display dimensions on the display interface. The initial interaction permissions are updated based on the remaining battery power of the device to obtain updated interaction permissions, specifically including: When the remaining battery power is less than a preset first battery power threshold, a first permission signal is generated to reduce the level of the interaction permission; Obtain the remaining flight missions of the machine; Based on the remaining flight missions, the execution risk level of the aircraft in the next phase is predicted, and the execution risk level is defined by the expected power consumption and / or flight risk. When the execution risk level is less than the preset first risk level, the execution of the first permission signal is permitted; The interaction permissions are updated in response to the first permission signal.

[0008] Furthermore, reducing the level of the interaction permission includes: reducing the level of the communication permission, and / or reducing the level of the display permission.

[0009] Furthermore, the steps to obtain the updated interaction permissions also include: When the execution risk level is less than a preset second risk level, the execution of the first permission signal is permitted; wherein the second risk level is greater than or equal to the first risk level; At least one neighboring machine is selected as the host from at least two neighboring machines, and the communication permission is used to limit the communication between the local machine and the host.

[0010] Furthermore, the step of selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines includes: Obtain the remaining power of at least two neighboring devices, and identify the neighboring device with a remaining power greater than a preset threshold as the first candidate host; Calculate the location score of the first candidate host, which is defined by a center score and a distance score. The center score is used to define the distance between the first candidate host and the center of the formation, and the distance score is used to define the distance between the first candidate host and the local machine. The first candidate host whose location score is greater than the preset first location score is selected as the second candidate host; A host is selected from at least one of the second candidate hosts.

[0011] Furthermore, the step of selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines also includes: When there are at least two second candidate hosts, calculate the task similarity between the second candidate hosts and the local machine; The second candidate host with greater task similarity is selected as the host.

[0012] Furthermore, the step of selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines also includes: When there are at least two second candidate hosts, the flight density of the second candidate hosts is calculated, and the flight density is used to define the number of aircraft in the flight area where the second candidate host is located; The second candidate host with lower flight density is selected as the host.

[0013] Furthermore, the step of selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines also includes: The display permissions are updated based on the location score.

[0014] Furthermore, the step of updating the display permissions based on the location score includes: When the location score of the host is greater than the preset second location score, the display permission is allowed to be lower than the set first display level; wherein, the second location score is greater than the first location score; When the host's location score is less than or equal to the third location score, the display permission is required to be higher than the set second display level; wherein the third location score is greater than the first location score and less than the second location score.

[0015] Furthermore, the local unit receives signals from the neighboring unit via broadcast reception.

[0016] The present invention also provides a multi-aircraft control system, applied to the aircraft and several neighboring aircraft performing formation flight missions, comprising: A flight control display unit is used to configure a flight control module associated with the local machine. The flight control module has a display interface, and the display interface can display flight information of at least one dimension, including the local flight interface and the flight information of neighboring aircraft. An interaction permission configuration unit is used to set initial interaction permissions for the local machine, the interaction permissions including communication permissions and / or display permissions; the level of the communication permission is used to define the level of the local machine's permission to receive information from neighboring machines; the level of the display permission is used to limit the number of information display dimensions of the display interface; An interaction permission update unit is used to update the initial interaction permissions based on the remaining battery power of the device to obtain the updated interaction permissions, specifically including: When the remaining battery power is less than a preset first battery power threshold, a first permission signal is generated to reduce the level of the interaction permission; Obtain the remaining flight missions of the machine; Based on the remaining flight missions, the execution risk level of the aircraft in the next phase is predicted, and the execution risk level is defined by the expected power consumption and / or flight risk. When the execution risk level is less than the preset first risk level, the execution of the first permission signal is permitted; The interaction permissions are updated in response to the first permission signal.

[0017] Beneficial technical effects: In response to the critical need for maintaining communication in multi-aircraft formation collaboration scenarios, this invention provides a hierarchical control mode for communication permissions, which reduces the consumption of communication resources by the aircraft while meeting the basic communication needs of the multi-aircraft formation.

[0018] Specifically, in this invention, dual verification is performed based on the remaining battery power and remaining flight missions of the machine, so as to reasonably limit the resources allocated to communication (such as reducing communication permissions to reduce the pressure on communication resource allocation) while ensuring flight safety as much as possible.

[0019] Furthermore, to enhance the resilience of the local machine or formation to communication degradation, i.e., to mitigate or reduce the risks associated with degradation, this invention also employs a host-assisted communication approach to reduce the necessary communication load on the local machine. For example, it can reduce autonomous communication needs by relaying signals or decisions from the host.

[0020] Furthermore, to reduce the additional burden on the host or other neighboring machines when de-weighting the local machine and selecting a host for auxiliary communication, the suitability of the host is evaluated based on its platooning position and its positional relationship with the local machine. By selecting a host located at an optimal communication distance, the communication difficulty between the host and the local machine, as well as other neighboring machines, can also be reduced.

[0021] From another perspective, the beneficial technical effects of the present invention are as follows: This invention avoids a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach to power consumption reduction (such as grounding the aircraft if its battery is insufficient to support communication). Instead, it breaks down the interaction permissions on the flight control terminal into two independently adjustable and hierarchically managed dimensions: communication permissions and display permissions. Multi-level, refined control rules are designed to address the impact of these two types of permissions on communication resources, computing resources, and power consumption. This invention allows for individual adjustment of communication or display permissions based on the actual scenario, or simultaneous adjustment of both types of permissions. While reducing aircraft power consumption, it does not completely eliminate formation coordination capabilities, effectively preventing unnecessary mission interruptions.

[0022] This invention employs a dual control approach based on remaining battery power and remaining task execution risk. Only when the remaining battery power is below a threshold and the task execution risk meets preset conditions is a demotion of execution authority permitted. Addressing the shortcomings of existing technologies where control actions are disconnected from actual task requirements, this invention achieves differentiated adaptation across all scenarios. When the aircraft's remaining battery power is low but the remaining task range is short, the flight environment is simple, and the execution risk is extremely low, demotion and power consumption reduction are permitted to ensure continuous task execution. Conversely, when the aircraft's remaining battery power just reaches the threshold but the remaining task range is long, the flight environment is complex, and the execution risk is high, demotion is prohibited to preserve complete situational awareness capabilities and prevent flight safety incidents caused by reduced authority.

[0023] The linkage rule between display permission level and host position score provided by this invention binds the local machine's permission control to the adaptation status of hosts within the formation. When a host's position score is high and the formation and communication adaptability is extremely strong, the local machine is allowed to further reduce its display permission level to maximize the reduction of display and control power consumption and fully utilize the redundancy capability of formation collaboration. When a host's position score is average and its adaptability is limited, the local machine is forced to retain a higher display permission level to ensure its autonomous situational awareness capability and eliminate potential flight safety hazards. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. In all the drawings, similar elements or parts are generally identified by similar reference numerals. The elements or parts in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a control method in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the control system in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the aircraft communication control method of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an aircraft communication control method as another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] In this document, suffixes such as "module," "part," or "unit" used to denote elements are used only for the purpose of illustrative purposes and have no specific meaning in themselves. Therefore, "module," "part," or "unit" may be used interchangeably.

[0028] In this document, the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "front," "rear," "one end," and "the other end," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the present invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] In this document, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "equipped with," "connected," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0030] In this document, "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed related items.

[0031] In this article, "multiple" means two or more, that is, it includes two, three, four, five, etc.

[0032] It should be noted that, in order to meet the current needs of large-scale formation operations of aircraft (such as drones), a stable and reliable communication mechanism will serve as a core technical support. Once communication is blocked or restricted, users (such as operators) will not be able to receive the latest flight status in a timely manner, or neighboring aircraft will not be able to monitor each other's flight dynamics, which may lead to mission failure or even serious hidden dangers such as collisions.

[0033] However, the applicant noted that maintaining stable communication over a long period of time also presents significant cost pressures for large-scale aircraft formations in terms of hardware configuration and related resources.

[0034] In response to the conflict of communication resources, this invention focuses on providing a scheme for hierarchical control of aircraft communication permissions. This scheme ensures that multiple aircraft can still work together safely and avoid mission interruption due to communication disruptions, while moderately controlling the cost of communication (such as communication energy consumption).

[0035] Example 1: like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a multi-aircraft control method applied to a multi-aircraft formation collaborative operation scenario. The multi-aircraft formation includes at least two aircraft with autonomous flight and collaborative communication capabilities. Each aircraft can be considered the "local" aircraft, and the other aircraft in the formation besides the "local" aircraft are the "neighboring" aircraft.

[0036] As an example and to simplify the scenario, in this embodiment, the aircraft is a small multi-rotor drone, with a formation size of 5 drones, numbered UAV01, UAV02, UAV03, UAV04, and UAV05, respectively. The formation performs inspection tasks and uses a wireless self-organizing network to achieve real-time communication between the drones. Each drone has the ability to broadcast its own flight status information and receive broadcast information from other drones.

[0037] Before formation takeoff, the control parameters of this invention are pre-configured in a standardized manner. All parameters can be adaptively adjusted according to the formation size, operational scenario, and aircraft performance. The specific configuration is as follows: (a) The classification and definition of interactive permissions.

[0038] The interactive permissions include communication permissions and display permissions. Both types of permissions adopt a hierarchical system, such as 5 levels. The higher the level number, the higher the permission level, and the higher the corresponding resource consumption and power consumption.

[0039] The communication permission level is used to define the level of permission a local machine has to receive information from neighboring machines. The specific classification rules are as follows: Communication permission level 5, allowing the machine to receive all flight information from all neighboring aircraft in the formation, including position, speed, battery level, mission status, flight path planning, fault alarms and other full-dimensional data, without any receiving restrictions; Communication permission level 4, allowing the machine to receive core flight information from all neighboring aircraft in the formation, including position, speed, battery level, and mission status, while blocking non-core data such as flight path planning and fault alarms; Communication permission level 3 allows the machine to receive core flight information from neighboring aircraft within the formation that are less than a preset distance threshold (500m in this embodiment), while blocking all information from distant neighboring aircraft. Communication permission level 2, only allows the local machine to receive all flight information from the pre-selected host, and blocks all information from all other neighboring machines; Communication permission level 1: Only allows the local machine to receive the host's location and fault alarm information, and blocks all other data.

[0040] The display permission level is used to limit the number of information dimensions displayed on the display interface. The specific hierarchical rules are as follows: The display permission is level 5. The display interface simultaneously shows five dimensions of information: the local flight interface, the flight information list of all neighboring aircraft, the overall flight path map of the formation, the real-time status alarms of neighboring aircraft, and the mission progress information. The display permission is level 4. The display interface shows four dimensions: the local flight interface, the list of core flight information of neighboring aircraft, the formation track map, and the mission progress information. Non-core alarm information is blocked. Display permission level 3, the display interface shows the local flight interface, core flight information of nearby aircraft, and formation flight path. Figure 3 Each dimension masks task progress and non-core alarm information; Display permission level 2, the display interface only shows the local flight interface and the host's flight information, and hides all other neighboring aircraft information and formation map; Display permission level 1, the display interface only shows the flight interface of this machine, and hides all information related to neighboring machines.

[0041] (ii) Preset threshold and level parameter configuration.

[0042] In this embodiment, the specific configurations of various control thresholds are as follows: The first power threshold is set to 30% of the battery's full capacity. That is, when the remaining power SOC of the device is less than 30%, the permission update process is triggered. The execution risk level is divided into five levels, with the first risk level and the second risk level being the highest. The higher the number, the higher the risk. The first risk level is set to level 2, and the second risk level is set to level 4. The second risk level is higher than the first risk level. The ratings are divided into three positions: first position rating, second position rating, and third position rating. The maximum score for each position rating is 100 points. The first position rating is set at 60 points, the second position rating at 85 points, and the third position rating at 70 points. The order of these ratings is: second position rating > third position rating > first position rating. The first display level and the second display level correspond to the display permission level. The first display level is set to level 2 and the second display level is set to level 3. The remaining power threshold for candidate hosts is set to 50% of the full battery capacity, meaning that only neighboring hosts with ≥50% remaining power can enter the candidate host sequence.

[0043] This embodiment uses UAV01 in the formation as the local unit and the remaining UAV02-UAV05 as neighboring units to explain the complete execution flow of the control method of the present invention.

[0044] S1 basic environment configuration and initial interaction permission settings.

[0045] S101 configures the associated flight control module for the UAV01. This flight control module has built-in access control logic and provides a display interface that can be loaded onto the display and control terminal. In this embodiment, the display interface is the visual interface of the ground station display and control software, and can also be simultaneously displayed on the UAV01's onboard display screen. The display interface can display flight information in at least one of the following dimensions: The onboard flight interface. It contains core flight data such as the real-time position coordinates, flight altitude, flight speed, remaining battery power, heading angle, flight mode, flight path planning, and fault alarms of the onboard UAV01. It is the default main interface for displaying the data.

[0046] Neighboring aircraft flight information. Includes real-time location, remaining battery power, mission status, and relative distance of UAV02-UAV05 within the formation, which can be displayed in list or map format.

[0047] S102 sets the initial interaction permissions for the local UAV01.

[0048] In this embodiment, before the formation takes off, all aircraft can be configured with the highest level of initial interaction permissions, i.e., the initial communication permission is level 5 and the initial display permission is level 5. This ensures that during the takeoff phase and the initial stage of operation, the aircraft can obtain all the information of all neighboring aircraft in the formation, thus ensuring the stability of formation coordination.

[0049] S103's UAV01 receives flight information broadcast by neighboring UAVs UAV02-UAV05 in real time via a broadcast reception method through its communication module. At the same time, UAV01 also broadcasts its own flight information to all neighboring aircraft in the formation, enabling real-time information exchange within the formation.

[0050] S2 dynamically updates interaction permissions based on remaining battery power.

[0051] The S201 local UAV01 acquires the remaining power data collected by the battery module in real time. When it detects that the remaining power is less than a preset first power threshold, it immediately generates a first permission signal to reduce the level of the interaction permission.

[0052] For example, when UAV01 performs an inspection mission for 35 minutes, the remaining power SOC collected by the BMS is 28%, which is less than the first power threshold of 30%. The flight control module immediately generates a first permission signal. The initial instruction of the first permission signal is to reduce the communication permission of the machine from level 5 to level 3 and the display permission from level 5 to level 3.

[0053] S202 obtains the remaining flight missions of the local UAV01.

[0054] In this embodiment, the total inspection task of the UAV01 is to complete the image acquisition inspection of 10 targets. Currently, the inspection of 6 targets has been completed. The remaining flight task is to complete the image acquisition of the remaining 4 targets. The total length of the remaining mission track is 8km, and the estimated flight time is 20 minutes.

[0055] S203 predicts the execution risk level of the aircraft in the next phase based on the remaining flight missions, the execution risk level being defined by the expected power consumption and / or flight risk.

[0056] In this step, the specific methods for predicting the risk level include: S2031 Estimated Power Consumption Calculation.

[0057] Based on the remaining mission trajectory length, flight speed, flight environment (terrain, wind speed), and load power consumption (camera, communication module), the estimated power consumption of the remaining mission is calculated. In this embodiment, the estimated power consumption of the remaining mission is calculated to be 18%, the current remaining battery power is 28%, the remaining battery capacity is 10%, and the estimated power consumption accounts for 64% of the current remaining battery power. S2032 Flight Risk Assessment.

[0058] The flight risk is assessed based on the terrain, weather conditions, obstacle distribution, and trajectory complexity of the remaining tasks. In this embodiment, the operation area is mountainous and hilly, with no dense obstacles, no strong airflow warning, and the trajectory is a preset fixed inspection trajectory, resulting in a low flight risk.

[0059] S2033 Implementation Risk Level Classification.

[0060] Based on the remaining flight missions, the operational risk level of the aircraft in the next phase is predicted. This operational risk level is defined by the estimated power consumption and / or flight risk. Combining the estimated power consumption and flight risk, the operational risk level is divided into 1-5 levels, with the specific classification rules as follows: Level 1: Estimated power consumption is less than 50% of the current remaining power, flight risk is extremely low; Level 2: Estimated power consumption is 50%-70% of the current remaining power, flight risk is low; Level 3: Estimated power consumption is 70%-90% of the current remaining power, or flight risk is moderate; Level 4: Estimated power consumption is 90%-100% of the current remaining power, or flight risk is relatively high; Level 5: Estimated power consumption exceeds the current remaining power, or flight risk is extremely high.

[0061] In this embodiment, the estimated power consumption accounts for 64% of the current remaining power, and the flight risk is low. Therefore, the predicted execution risk level is level 2. It should be noted that, for different operational scenarios, the execution risk level can be defined solely by the estimated power consumption or solely by the flight risk. For example, in a plain fixed-track operation scenario, the flight risk is extremely low, and the execution risk level can be defined solely by the estimated power consumption; in an emergency rescue and disaster relief complex environment operation scenario, the execution risk level can be defined solely by the flight risk.

[0062] S204 compares the predicted execution risk level with a preset risk level threshold to determine whether to allow the execution of the first permission signal. If the execution risk level is less than the preset first risk level, then the execution of the first permission signal is allowed.

[0063] This implementation is divided into two execution modes.

[0064] In Mode 1, when the execution risk level is less than a preset first risk level, the execution of the first authorization signal is permitted. In this embodiment, the first risk level is set to level 2, and the predicted execution risk level is level 2, which meets the release conditions. Therefore, the flight control module allows the execution of the first authorization signal. If the predicted execution risk level is greater than the first risk level, such as level 3 or above, the execution of the first authorization signal is prohibited, maintaining the current interaction authorization level. This avoids a decrease in the aircraft's situational awareness capability due to reduced authorization, thereby improving flight safety in high-risk scenarios.

[0065] In Mode 2, when the execution risk level is less than the preset second risk level, the execution of the first permission signal is permitted, and the host selection process is executed synchronously. After the permission is updated, the communication permission is used to limit communication between the local machine and the host. This mode is suitable for medium-to-high risk scenarios. For example, when the local machine has 28% remaining battery power, the predicted remaining task is expected to consume 25% of the power, accounting for 89% of the current remaining battery power, and the execution risk level is level 3, the execution risk level is greater than the first risk level 2 but less than the second risk level 4, which meets the release conditions of Mode 2. The execution of the first permission signal is permitted, and a host must be selected from the neighboring machines. The downgrade instruction of the first permission signal is adjusted to reduce the communication permission from level 5 to level 2 and the display permission from level 5 to level 3. Among them, the communication permission level 2 only allows receiving flight information from the host.

[0066] S205 responds to the first permission signal and updates the interaction permission.

[0067] In this embodiment, the flight control module executes the first permission signal, updating the communication permission of the local UAV01 from level 5 to level 3, and the display permission from level 5 to level 3. After the permission update, the local aircraft's communication permission only allows receiving core flight information from neighboring aircraft within 500m, while shielding non-core data from distant neighboring aircraft, significantly reducing the power consumption of the communication module and the computational power required for data processing; the display interface only shows the local aircraft's flight interface, core flight information from nearby neighboring aircraft, and formation flight paths. Figure 3 By blocking unnecessary information display from multiple dimensions, the computing power and power consumption of the display and control terminal are reduced, ultimately reducing the power consumption of the device and extending its battery life.

[0068] In addition, when reducing the level of the interaction permission, the following three independent or combined implementation methods can be adopted to adapt to different work scenarios.

[0069] Method 1: Only reduce the level of the communication permission, while keeping the level of the display permission unchanged.

[0070] This approach is suitable for scenarios where the local display and control terminal is a ground station with no onboard display power consumption. It reduces communication and data processing power consumption simply by lowering the communication permissions. For example, when the remaining battery power is 28% and the risk level is 2, the communication permission is lowered from level 5 to level 3, while the display permission remains unchanged at level 5. This reduces communication power consumption while retaining full-dimensional display capabilities, meeting the monitoring needs of ground operators.

[0071] Method 2: Only reduce the level of display permission, while keeping the level of communication permission unchanged.

[0072] This approach is suitable for scenarios with small formation sizes, a limited number of neighboring machines, low communication power consumption, and onboard high-power displays. For example, when the remaining battery power is 28% and the risk level is 2, only the display permission is reduced from level 5 to level 2, while the communication permission remains unchanged at level 5. This reduces display power consumption while preserving the ability to receive all neighboring machine information, ensuring the stability of formation coordination.

[0073] Method three involves simultaneously reducing both the communication permission level and the display permission level. This method, as described in the basic embodiment above, is applicable to most general scenarios, maximizing the reduction of the device's overall power consumption and achieving optimal battery life extension.

[0074] Example 2: This embodiment addresses the host selection requirements in the high-risk scenario described in Embodiment 1, providing a method for selecting the optimal host from neighboring hosts. The specific steps include: S301 is the first candidate host in the initial screening.

[0075] Obtain the remaining power data broadcast by all neighboring machines UAV02-UAV05, and identify the neighboring machines whose remaining power is greater than the preset candidate host remaining power threshold, such as 50%, as the first candidate host.

[0076] For example, the remaining power of each neighboring unit is as follows: UAV02 has 62% remaining power (≥50%), which meets the requirement; UAV03 has 55% remaining power (≥50%), which meets the requirement; UAV04 has 42% remaining power (<50%), which does not meet the requirement; and UAV05 has 58% remaining power (≥50%), which meets the requirement. Therefore, the first candidate host units are UAV02, UAV03, and UAV05.

[0077] S302 calculates the location score of the first candidate host.

[0078] Calculate the location score for each first candidate host. The location score is defined by the center score and the distance score. In this embodiment, the location score is calculated as follows: Location score P = Center score Pc × 60% + Distance score Pd × 40%, where the weight of the center score is 60% and the weight of the distance score is 40%. The weights can be adaptively adjusted according to the formation operation scenario.

[0079] The center score is used to define the distance between the first candidate host and the center of the formation. The calculation formula is: Pc = 100 - (Dc / Dmax) ×100, where Dc is the straight-line distance between the candidate host and the current center of the formation, and Dmax is the maximum distance between the aircraft in the formation and the center of the formation. The higher the center score, the closer the candidate host is to the center of the formation, the more suitable it is as the formation host, and the better it has global control capabilities.

[0080] For example, the center coordinates of the current formation are the average of the position coordinates of all aircraft. The calculated distance between UAV02 and the formation center is Dc=120m, the maximum formation distance is Dmax=800m, and Pc=85 minutes; the distance between UAV03 and the formation center is Dc=280m, and Pc=65 minutes; the distance between UAV05 and the formation center is Dc=80m, and Pc=90 minutes.

[0081] The distance score is used to define the distance between the first candidate host and the current local machine, and the calculation formula is Pd = 100 - (Dd / Dmax_d) × 100. In the formula, Dd is the straight-line distance between the candidate host and the current local machine UAV01, and Dmax_d is the maximum distance between the local machine and its neighboring machines within the platoon. A higher distance score indicates that the candidate host is closer to the local machine, resulting in better communication quality and lower communication power consumption. In this embodiment, the calculated distance between UAV02 and the local machine is Dd = 320m, the maximum neighboring machine distance is Dmax_d = 1000m, and Pd = 68 points; the distance between UAV03 and the local machine is Dd = 150m, and Pd = 85 points; the distance between UAV05 and the local machine is Dd = 450m, and Pd = 55 points.

[0082] Based on the above formula, the location scores of each first candidate host were calculated, namely UAV02 with 78.2 points; UAV03 with 73 points; and UAV05 with 76 points.

[0083] S303 second candidate host re-screening.

[0084] The first candidate host with a location score greater than a preset first location score, such as 60 points, is selected as the second candidate host. In this embodiment, the location scores of UAV02, UAV03, and UAV05 are all greater than 60 points, so they all enter the second candidate host sequence.

[0085] S304 main unit was the final choice.

[0086] The final host is selected from the second candidate hosts. If there is only one second candidate host, it is directly selected as the host. If there are at least two second candidate hosts, the final selection can be completed through the following two independent or combined rules.

[0087] Rule 1: Final selection based on task similarity.

[0088] Calculate the task similarity between each second candidate host and the local host. The task similarity is used to define the degree of matching between the candidate host and the local host for the remaining flight tasks. The calculation dimensions include: task type similarity, flight path overlap, task completion time similarity, and operation area overlap. The higher the comprehensive score, the higher the task similarity.

[0089] In this invention, the overall task similarity can be calculated using a weighted summation method. The matching degree between the candidate host and the remaining flight tasks of the host is quantified on a 0-100 score scale. The higher the score, the better the task coordination and the more suitable it is as a coordinating host for the host with low battery power.

[0090] Specifically, the task similarity score uses the following formula: S 综合 = S 类型 ×W 类型 +S 航迹 ×W 航迹 + S 区域 ×W 区域 + S 时间 ×W 时间 Calculate; where S 综合 S is used to score task similarity. 类型 S is a score for task type similarity. 航迹 S is the score for the remaining track overlap. 区域 S is the score for the overlap of the remaining work areas. 时间 W is used to score the similarity of task completion times. 类型 W 航迹 W 区域 W 时间 These are the corresponding weighting coefficients.

[0091] In this embodiment, the task similarity of each second candidate host is calculated, that is, the comprehensive task similarity of UAV02 is 92 points; the comprehensive task similarity of UAV03 is 45 points; and the comprehensive task similarity of UAV05 is 75 points.

[0092] The second candidate host with greater task similarity is selected as the host. In this embodiment, UAV02 has the highest task similarity, so UAV02 is selected as the host to ensure the consistency of collaborative operation between the local machine and the host.

[0093] Rule 2: Final selection based on flight density.

[0094] The flight density of each second candidate host is calculated. Flight density defines the number of aircraft within the flight area of ​​the second candidate host. In this embodiment, flight density is calculated as the total number of aircraft within a spherical area with a radius of 1000m centered on the candidate host. A higher number of aircraft results in a higher flight density and a higher risk of communication interference. In this embodiment, the calculated flight density for UAV02 is 5; for UAV03, it is 8; and for UAV05, it is 4.

[0095] The second candidate host with lower flight density is selected as the host. In this embodiment, UAV05 has the lowest flight density, therefore UAV05 is selected as the host to reduce the risk of communication interference and ensure communication stability.

[0096] After selecting a host, the display permissions can be updated a second time based on the host's location score, thus achieving a closed-loop linkage between display permissions and host compatibility.

[0097] Specifically, the location score of the selected host is obtained and compared with the preset second and third location scores.

[0098] When the host's position score is greater than a preset second position score, such as 85 points, it indicates that the host's formation position adaptability is extremely high, enabling it to provide stable global control and collaborative support for the formation. The host does not need to rely on displaying all neighboring aircraft information to ensure situational awareness capabilities; therefore, the display permission is allowed to be lower than the set first display level. For example, if the selected host UAV05 has a position score of 92 points (>85 points), the host's display permission can be further reduced from level 3 to level 1. The display interface will only show the host's flight interface, blocking all neighboring aircraft information and minimizing display power consumption.

[0099] When the host's position score is less than or equal to the third position score (e.g., 70 points), it indicates that the host's formation position adaptability is average and cannot provide sufficient global coordination support. The host needs to maintain a higher situational awareness capability, therefore requiring a display permission higher than the set second display level. For example, if the selected host UAV03's position score is 68 points ≤ 70 points, then the host's display permission must not be lower than level 3, and it is prohibited to reduce the display permission to level 2 or below to ensure flight safety.

[0100] When the host's location score is between the third location score and the second location score, the current display permission level remains unchanged without secondary adjustment, thus achieving a balance between power consumption and security.

[0101] It is understood that the multi-aircraft communication control in this embodiment can be applied to the following different scenarios: 1) Execution of tasks such as smart agriculture, public safety and emergency rescue, urban governance inspection, and formation performance; 2) Simulated flight scenarios for aviation enthusiasts. In order to achieve flight scenario simulation, displays are usually provided through a visual interface (such as through flight control modules or video glasses) to optimize the enthusiast's flight experience. In this embodiment, the hierarchical control of communication and display permissions can coordinate the optimization of the enthusiast's flight simulation experience and the management of flight safety, so as to control operational risks while optimizing the experience.

[0102] Example 3: like Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a multi-aircraft control system (or communication control system) applied to the aircraft and several neighboring aircraft performing formation flight missions, including: An interactive permission configuration unit is used to configure a flight control module associated with the local machine. The flight control module has a display interface, and the display interface can display flight information of at least one dimension, including the local flight interface and the neighboring aircraft flight information. The device is configured with initial interaction permissions, which include communication permissions and / or display permissions; the level of the communication permission is used to define the receiving permission level (communication range) of the device for receiving information from neighboring devices; the level of the display permission is used to limit the number of information display dimensions of the display interface. An interaction permission update unit is used to update the initial interaction permissions based on the remaining battery power of the device to obtain the updated interaction permissions, specifically including: When the remaining battery power is less than a preset first battery power threshold, a first permission signal is generated to reduce the level of the interaction permission; Obtain the remaining flight missions of the machine; Based on the remaining flight missions, the execution risk level of the aircraft in the next phase is predicted, and the execution risk level is defined by the expected power consumption and / or flight risk. When the execution risk level is less than the preset first risk level, the execution of the first permission signal is permitted; The interaction permissions are updated in response to the first permission signal.

[0103] In other words, in this embodiment, the aircraft includes: the local aircraft performing the flight mission and several neighboring aircraft, and the method is used for communication permission control of at least one aircraft, and control of display permissions related to the communication permission.

[0104] For example, communication range can refer to the range of data types that are allowed to be communicated, such as multiple data types related to flight information, such as different data types of position, speed, battery level, mission status, flight path planning, and fault alarms. Alternatively, communication range can refer to the spatial range that is allowed to be communicated, such as the distance at which communication can be established. Or, communication range can refer to the scale of the aircraft that are allowed to communicate (such as the number of aircraft that are allowed to establish communication).

[0105] It should be understood that, in this embodiment, the relationship between display permissions and communication permissions means that, since the neighbor information displayed by the local machine usually needs to be obtained from other modules through communication (such as directly from communication with the neighbor, or indirectly through the flight control module or other communication modules), when the communication permission decreases, the display permission of the local machine will also be affected (for example, when the communication permission decreases, the number of information dimensions that the local machine can obtain decreases, and therefore the number of information dimensions that can be displayed will also be limited).

[0106] See Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, this embodiment also provides a communication control method.

[0107] In some embodiments, reducing the level of the interaction permission includes: reducing the level of the communication permission, and / or reducing the level of the display permission.

[0108] In some embodiments, it also includes: When the execution risk level is less than a preset second risk level, the execution of the first permission signal is permitted; wherein the second risk level is greater than or equal to the first risk level; At least one neighboring machine is selected as the host from at least two neighboring machines, and the communication permission is used to limit the communication between the local machine and the host.

[0109] In some embodiments, the step of selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines includes: Obtain the remaining power of at least two neighboring devices, and identify the neighboring device with a remaining power greater than a preset threshold as the first candidate host; Calculate the location score of the first candidate host, which is defined by a center score and a distance score. The center score is used to define the distance between the first candidate host and the center of the formation, and the distance score is used to define the distance between the first candidate host and the local machine. The first candidate host whose location score is greater than the preset first location score is selected as the second candidate host; A host is selected from at least one of the second candidate hosts.

[0110] In some embodiments, the step of selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines further includes: When there are at least two second candidate hosts, calculate the task similarity between the second candidate hosts and the local machine; The second candidate host with greater task similarity is selected as the host.

[0111] In some embodiments, the step of selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines further includes: When there are at least two second candidate hosts, the flight density of the second candidate hosts is calculated, and the flight density is used to define the number of aircraft in the flight area where the second candidate host is located; The second candidate host with lower flight density is selected as the host.

[0112] For example, in some embodiments, the host can assist the local machine in undertaking tasks that have been downgraded, including tasks such as relaying nearby flight information and relaying flight mission decisions.

[0113] For example, in some embodiments, when the remaining power of the host is assessed to be sufficient to support autonomous decision-making, the host preferably helps the host to carry out the task of information transmission. For example, when the host receives flight information (such as location, trajectory, etc.) from multiple neighboring aircraft adjacent to the host, it can package and forward it to the host.

[0114] For example, in some embodiments, when the remaining power of the host is insufficient to support autonomous decision-making, the host will not only receive flight information from multiple neighboring aircraft adjacent to the host, but can also directly assist the host in making subsequent flight mission decisions (e.g., calculating or setting its specific execution parameters, such as planning its subsequent flight trajectory).

[0115] In this embodiment, the host is selected by location scoring, which can prevent the host from increasing the communication pressure too much when it undertakes additional communication tasks (such as when its location has better communication conditions than its own and related neighboring machines).

[0116] In some embodiments, the step of selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines further includes: Display permissions are updated based on location ratings.

[0117] In some embodiments, the step of updating the display permissions based on the location score includes: When the location score of the host is greater than the preset second location score, the display permission is allowed to be lower than the set first display level; wherein, the second location score is greater than the first location score; When the host's location score is less than or equal to the third location score, the display permission is required to be higher than the set second display level; wherein the third location score is greater than the first location score and less than the second location score.

[0118] In some embodiments, the local machine receives signals from the neighboring machine using a broadcast reception communication method.

[0119] Example 4: This embodiment provides a method for displaying the relative position of an aircraft based on communication interaction, the specific steps of which include: S401 acquires real-time flight status data of the aircraft itself, as well as real-time flight status data of neighboring aircraft. S402 calculates the relative position, relative altitude, and relative attitude parameters of the neighboring aircraft relative to itself based on the flight status data; S403 converts the flight status data of the aircraft and neighboring aircraft into a relative coordinate system with the aircraft as the reference, generates airspace situation display data, and displays it visually.

[0120] Furthermore, when the distance between the neighboring device and the local device is less than a threshold distance, a control signal is generated based on the relative orientation information of the neighboring device relative to the local device, and the control signal is used to drive the joystick module for prompting in the remote control terminal to generate a physical offset in the corresponding direction.

[0121] Furthermore, the flight status data of neighboring aircraft is managed through a pre-defined network queue of surrounding aircraft, specifically including: The system continuously scans and identifies surrounding aircraft. If an identified aircraft already exists in the network queue, its latest flight status data is updated. If the identified aircraft does not exist in the network queue and the network queue is not full, then the aircraft and its flight status data are added to the network queue. If the identified aircraft does not exist in the network queue and the network queue is full, then compare the relative distance between the aircraft and the farthest aircraft in the network queue. If the relative distance between the aircraft and the farthest aircraft in the queue is less than the relative distance between the aircraft and the farthest aircraft in the queue, then replace the farthest aircraft; otherwise, discard the identified aircraft. Establish an independent timestamp timing mechanism for each neighboring aircraft in the network queue. When an aircraft does not receive a data update within a preset threshold time, it is removed from the network queue.

[0122] Furthermore, the airspace situation display data includes the aircraft's flight speed, flight attitude, flight altitude, flight time data, as well as the relative position, relative altitude, and relative attitude parameters between the aircraft and neighboring aircraft.

[0123] Furthermore, the first and second display areas are used to display airspace situation data; The first display area is used to update the flight status display UI of the aircraft in real time based on the aircraft's flight speed, flight attitude, flight altitude, and flight time data; The second display area is used to update the surrounding airspace situation display UI in real time based on the relative position, relative altitude, and relative attitude parameters of the local and neighboring aircraft.

[0124] Furthermore, when displaying airspace situation data, the current heading of the aircraft is used as a reference direction to fix the aircraft's position at the center of the display interface. The display positions of neighboring aircraft are dynamically rotated and adjusted according to changes in the aircraft's heading to reflect the relative positional relationship of neighboring aircraft with respect to the aircraft's nose direction in real time.

[0125] Example 5: This embodiment provides a hierarchical communication method for multiple aircraft, applying the communication between multiple aircraft in Embodiment 3. The specific steps include: The S501 monitors the remaining battery power in real time. When the remaining battery power falls below a preset threshold, it generates and executes a communication level downgrade adjustment command. The communication level downgrade adjustment command includes: The first adjustment command is to disable the signal broadcasting function, retain only the signal receiving function, analyze and execute the received signals; select at least one other aircraft as the host, and receive flight commands transmitted by the host. The second adjustment command is to disable the signal broadcast transmission function, obtain the aircraft ID information of the receiving signal, parse and execute only the signals corresponding to the aircraft IDs in the preset whitelist, and discard the signals outside the whitelist; select at least one other aircraft in the whitelist as the host, and accept the flight commands transmitted by the host.

[0126] Furthermore, before generating a communication level downgrade adjustment instruction, a safety risk assessment of the remaining flight missions is first performed based on the flight mission information of the machine; if the assessment is a high-risk flight mission, the current communication status is maintained; if the assessment is a medium-risk flight mission, the first adjustment instruction is executed; if the assessment is a low-risk flight mission, the second adjustment instruction is executed. The low-risk flight missions include simply maintaining formation flight; the medium-risk flight missions include taking photos and transmitting them back in real time; and the high-risk flight missions include collaboratively searching for specific targets and transmitting video in real time.

[0127] Furthermore, the host selection strategy includes at least one of the following three: Select aircraft with sufficient remaining battery power, wide signal coverage, and located at the center of the formation; Select aircraft located in areas with low airspace flight density; Select aircraft whose flight trajectories are more similar to the local aircraft than a preset threshold.

[0128] Furthermore, when executing the communication level downgrade adjustment command, the auxiliary display content in the visualization of airspace situation display data is turned off, while the core flight status and surrounding aircraft situation display content are retained; if the surrounding airspace flight density is detected to be higher than the preset density threshold, the complete surrounding aircraft situation display function is retained even in the communication level downgrade state.

[0129] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0130] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a computer terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0131] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these forms are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-aircraft control method, characterized by, The aircraft includes: the primary aircraft performing the flight mission and several neighboring aircraft. The method is used for communication access control of at least one aircraft, and control of display access related to the communication access, including: Configure a flight control module associated with the local machine, the flight control module having a display interface, and the display interface being able to display flight information of at least one dimension, including the local machine's flight interface and the neighboring machine's flight information; The device is configured with initial interaction permissions, which include communication permissions and / or display permissions; the level of the communication permission is used to define the scope of the device's communication range for receiving information from neighboring devices; the level of the display permission is used to limit the number of information display dimensions on the display interface. The initial interaction permissions are updated based on the remaining battery power of the device to obtain updated interaction permissions, specifically including: When the remaining battery power is less than a preset first battery power threshold, a first permission signal is generated to reduce the level of the interaction permission; Obtain the remaining flight missions of the machine; Based on the remaining flight missions, the execution risk level of the aircraft in the next phase is predicted, and the execution risk level is defined by the expected power consumption and / or flight risk. When the execution risk level is less than the preset first risk level, the execution of the first permission signal is permitted; The interaction permissions are updated in response to the first permission signal.

2. The multi-vehicle control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Reducing the level of the interaction permission includes: reducing the level of the communication permission, and / or reducing the level of the display permission.

3. The multi-vehicle control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: When the execution risk level is less than a preset second risk level, the execution of the first permission signal is permitted; wherein the second risk level is greater than or equal to the first risk level; At least one neighboring machine is selected as the host from at least two neighboring machines, and the communication permission is used to limit the communication between the local machine and the host.

4. The multi-vehicle control method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The steps for selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines include: Obtain the remaining power of at least two neighboring devices, and identify the neighboring device with a remaining power greater than a preset threshold as the first candidate host; Calculate the location score of the first candidate host, which is defined by a center score and a distance score. The center score is used to define the distance between the first candidate host and the center of the formation, and the distance score is used to define the distance between the first candidate host and the local machine. The first candidate host whose location score is greater than the preset first location score is selected as the second candidate host; A host is selected from at least one of the second candidate hosts.

5. The multi-vehicle control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines also includes: When there are at least two second candidate hosts, calculate the task similarity between the second candidate hosts and the local machine; The second candidate host with greater task similarity is selected as the host.

6. The multi-vehicle control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines also includes: When there are at least two second candidate hosts, the flight density of the second candidate hosts is calculated, and the flight density is used to define the number of aircraft in the flight area where the second candidate host is located; The second candidate host with lower flight density is selected as the host.

7. The multi-vehicle control method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of selecting at least one neighboring machine as the master from at least two neighboring machines also includes: Display permissions are updated based on location ratings.

8. The multi-vehicle control method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The step of updating the display permissions based on the location score includes: When the location score of the host is greater than the preset second location score, the display permission is allowed to be lower than the set first display level; wherein, the second location score is greater than the first location score; When the host's location score is less than or equal to the third location score, the display permission is required to be higher than the set second display level; wherein the third location score is greater than the first location score and less than the second location score.

9. The multi-vehicle control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The local machine uses a broadcast reception communication method to receive signals from the neighboring machine.

10. A multi-aircraft control system, characterized in that, The aircraft includes: the primary aircraft performing the flight mission and several neighboring aircraft. The system is used for communication access control of at least one aircraft, and for control of display access related to the communication access, including: An interactive permission configuration unit is used to configure a flight control module associated with the local machine. The flight control module has a display interface, and the display interface can display flight information of at least one dimension, including the local flight interface and the neighboring aircraft flight information. The device is configured with initial interaction permissions, which include communication permissions and / or display permissions; the level of the communication permission is used to define the scope of the device's communication range for receiving information from neighboring devices; the level of the display permission is used to limit the number of information display dimensions on the display interface. An interaction permission update unit is used to update the initial interaction permissions based on the remaining battery power of the device to obtain the updated interaction permissions, specifically including: When the remaining battery power is less than a preset first battery power threshold, a first permission signal is generated to reduce the level of the interaction permission; Obtain the remaining flight missions of the machine; Based on the remaining flight missions, the execution risk level of the aircraft in the next phase is predicted, and the execution risk level is defined by the expected power consumption and / or flight risk. When the execution risk level is less than the preset first risk level, the execution of the first permission signal is permitted; The interaction permissions are updated in response to the first permission signal.

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