A method and system for controlling a drone towed by a paraglider
By using a fixed drone ascent rate as a benchmark, combined with multiple sensor monitoring and tension adjustment, the problem of synchronizing the ascent rates of the paraglider and the drone was solved, achieving precise synchronization and stable flight between the paraglider and the drone, and improving the system's fault tolerance and scenario adaptability.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-10
AI Technical Summary
Existing drone towing methods make it difficult to synchronize the ascent rates of the paraglider and the drone, leading to safety hazards during the towing process.
By using a fixed drone ascent rate as a benchmark, combined with multiple sensors to monitor the relative altitude difference, and by using a pull rotor to adjust the traction force to synchronize the ascent rate of the paraglider and the drone, the system employs visual, dual GPS, dual barometric altitude and angle sensor monitoring methods, and is configured with a PID control strategy and a redundancy switching mechanism.
It achieves precise synchronization of the ascent rates of paragliders and drones, improving flight stability and system fault tolerance, simplifying control logic, reducing costs, and enhancing scenario adaptability.
Smart Images
Figure CN122363253A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) towing technology, and more specifically, to a UAV control method and system for paragliding towing. Background Technology
[0002] Paragliding is a fun aviation sport, but its takeoff is often limited by location and weather conditions. Traditional towing methods, such as ground winch towing or vehicle towing, require a large, flat area, and the towing rope is prone to interference with ground obstacles, posing certain safety hazards. In recent years, with the rapid development of drone technology, using heavy-duty drones to replace traditional towing devices has become a new approach. Directly towing paragliders from the air using drones can significantly reduce dependence on specific locations.
[0003] However, existing drone towing methods face a core technical challenge: how to achieve precise synchronization of the drone's and paraglider's ascent rates. During towing, the paraglider's ascent rate is affected by various factors such as airflow, wing shape, and load changes, causing a deviation between its ascent rate and the drone's. If the drone ascends too quickly, the towing rope may slacken or even become entangled in the rotor; if the drone ascends too slowly, the paraglider may fall due to insufficient traction, leading to towing failure or even a safety accident. Therefore, ensuring that both ascend stably at synchronized rates is a pressing technical problem that needs to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a control method and system for a drone used for paragliding towing. By fixing the drone's ascent rate as a benchmark, multiple sensors are integrated to monitor the relative altitude, and the ascent rate of the paraglider and the drone is synchronized by adjusting the pull force, achieving the effects of simple control, accurate rate synchronization, and strong scene adaptability.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for controlling a drone used for paragliding towing, comprising: The towing drone is controlled to ascend at a fixed rate of 2.5 m / s. The towing drone is connected to the paraglider via a tow rope. The towing drone includes a vertical rotor and a pull rotor. The vertical rotor is used to maintain the fixed ascent rate, and the pull rotor is used to provide adjustable traction. The relative altitude difference ΔH between the UAV and the paraglider is obtained using at least one sensor monitoring method, where ΔH = H. 机 -H 伞 H 机 H represents the absolute altitude of the drone. 伞The absolute altitude of the paraglider is defined by the sensor monitoring method, which includes one or more of the following: visual monitoring, dual GPS monitoring, dual barometric altitude monitoring, and angle sensing monitoring. The actual ascent rate v of the paraglider is determined based on the rate of change of the relative altitude difference ΔH. 伞 The v 伞 =2.5m / s - ΔH rate of change; Compared with the v 伞 The difference from 2.5 m / s is used to change the traction force by adjusting the rotational speed of the thrust rotor, thus making the v 伞 The ascent rate is kept stable within the range of 2.5 m / s ± 0.1 m / s, thus synchronizing the ascent rate of the paraglider and the towing drone.
[0006] Furthermore, the step of acquiring the relative altitude difference ΔH between the drone and the paraglider using at least one sensor monitoring method includes: Visual monitoring: The RGB gimbal camera on the towing drone captures the visual image of the paraglider, a visual recognition center is set, and the height offset between the visual image of the paraglider and the visual recognition center is monitored. Combined with the camera parameters and shooting distance, the relative height difference ΔH is calculated. Dual GPS monitoring: GPS modules are deployed at the drone end and the paraglider end respectively to collect the altitudes H1 and H2 of the drone and paraglider in real time, and the relative altitude difference ΔH = H1 – H2; Dual barometric altitude monitoring: Barometric altimeters are deployed at both the UAV end and the paraglider end to collect the barometric altitude values h1 and h2 in real time. Based on the conversion model between barometric pressure and altitude, the relative altitude difference ΔH = h1 – h2 is calculated. Angle sensing monitoring: The angle sensor installed on the drone tow rope connection mechanism collects the deflection angle θ of the tow rope relative to the horizontal plane. Combined with the real-time length L of the tow rope, the relative height difference ΔH=L×sinθ is calculated by trigonometric functions. The real-time length L is collected by the winch encoder at the drone end.
[0007] Furthermore, the control method also includes a PID control strategy: When the v 伞 When the speed is less than 2.4 m / s, the rotational speed of the tension rotor increases by 5%-10%; When the v 伞 When the speed is greater than 2.6 m / s, the rotational speed of the tension rotor decreases by 5%-10%.
[0008] Furthermore, the control method also includes a redundancy switching mechanism: The system monitors the working status of the sensors used in real time, and automatically switches to other available sensors when any sensor fails. If all sensors fail, the towing drone will stop ascending and remain hovering, while simultaneously issuing an alarm signal, which will be transmitted to the ground control station via wireless communication.
[0009] In a second aspect, the present invention also provides a drone control system for paragliding towing, for executing any of the control methods described above, comprising: A towing drone, the towing drone comprising a vertical rotor, a tension rotor, a winch encoder, and a towing rope connection mechanism, wherein the vertical rotor is configured to maintain a fixed ascent rate of 2.5 m / s, and the winch encoder is configured to acquire the real-time length L of the towing rope; The multi-sensor monitoring module includes one or more of the following: a visual monitoring unit, a dual GPS monitoring unit, a dual barometric altitude monitoring unit, and an angle sensing monitoring unit, configured to acquire the relative altitude difference ΔH between the drone and the paraglider; A control unit, deployed on the towing drone, is configured to execute any of the control methods described above; The switching unit is configured to monitor the working status of the multi-sensor monitoring module and realize automatic switching between faulty and normal sensors.
[0010] Furthermore, the control unit uses a PID algorithm to adjust the rotation speed of the thrust rotor, with an adjustment delay of ≤100ms.
[0011] Furthermore, the system also includes: The fault monitoring module is used to monitor the working status of the sensors used in real time. When any sensor fails, it automatically switches to other available sensor monitoring methods. The emergency control module is used to control the towing drone to stop ascending and remain hovering when all sensors fail, while simultaneously issuing an alarm signal, which is transmitted to the ground control station via a wireless communication module.
[0012] Thirdly, the present invention also provides a drone for paragliding towing, comprising a fuselage, a vertical rotor, a pull rotor, a towing rope connection mechanism, a multi-sensor monitoring component, a winch encoder, and a control unit, wherein the vertical rotor, the pull rotor, the multi-sensor monitoring component, and the winch encoder are all electrically connected to the control unit, and the drone is configured to implement any of the control methods described above. The multi-sensor monitoring component includes one or more of the following: an RGB gimbal camera, a drone-side GPS module, a drone-side barometric altimeter, and an angle sensor. The traction rope connection mechanism includes a traction seat, a rotating shaft, and a traction rope guide tube, and the angle sensor is mounted on the rotating shaft; The control unit includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing program code, and the processor configured to execute the program code to implement rate synchronization control and sensor switching logic. Beneficial effects
[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: (1) The fixed UAV ascent rate of 2.5 m / s is used as the synchronization reference to avoid traction imbalance caused by rate fluctuations and improve flight stability. Compared with the existing variable rate scheme, the control logic is simplified. (2) It integrates four monitoring schemes: vision, dual GPS, dual barometric altitude, and angle sensing. Users can choose flexibly according to the scenario to adapt to different meteorological and terrain conditions, thus solving the problem of insufficient scenario adaptability of the existing scheme. (3) Rate synchronization is achieved by adjusting the pull force rather than the drone altitude, resulting in fast control response (latency ≤ 100ms) and simple hardware configuration, eliminating the need for complex neural network processing units and reducing costs; (4) The present invention designs a redundancy switching mechanism. When the primary sensor fails, it can automatically switch to the backup sensor and trigger hover protection and alarm when all sensors fail, which significantly improves the fault tolerance and reliability of the system. Attached Figure Description
[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall process of a drone control method for paragliding towing.
[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control system in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-sensor monitoring scheme in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0017] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments described herein are merely for a better understanding of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention.
[0018] Please refer to Figure 1 This embodiment proposes a control method for a drone used for paragliding towing, including: S1: Control the towing drone to ascend at a fixed rate of 2.5 m / s. The towing drone is connected to the paraglider via a towing rope. The towing drone includes a vertical rotor and a pull rotor. The vertical rotor is used to maintain the fixed ascent rate, and the pull rotor is used to provide adjustable traction. S2: Using at least one sensor monitoring method, obtain the relative altitude difference ΔH between the drone and the paraglider, where ΔH = H 机 -H 伞 H 机 H represents the absolute altitude of the drone. 伞 The absolute altitude of the paraglider is defined by the sensor monitoring method, which includes one or more of the following: visual monitoring, dual GPS monitoring, dual barometric altitude monitoring, and angle sensing monitoring. S3: Determine the actual ascent rate v_parachute of the paraglider based on the rate of change of the relative altitude difference ΔH. 伞 = 2.5 m / s - ΔH rate of change; S4: Compare with the v 伞 The difference from 2.5 m / s is used to change the traction force by adjusting the rotational speed of the thrust rotor, thus making the v 伞 The ascent rate is kept stable within the range of 2.5 m / s ± 0.1 m / s, thus synchronizing the ascent rate of the paraglider and the towing drone.
[0019] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a drone control system for paragliding towing, used to execute the above-described drone control method, comprising: A towing drone, the towing drone comprising a vertical rotor, a tension rotor, a winch encoder, and a towing rope connection mechanism, wherein the vertical rotor is configured to maintain a fixed ascent rate of 2.5 m / s, and the winch encoder is configured to acquire the real-time length L of the towing rope; The multi-sensor monitoring module includes one or more of the following: a visual monitoring unit, a dual GPS monitoring unit, a dual barometric altitude monitoring unit, and an angle sensing monitoring unit, configured to acquire the relative altitude difference ΔH between the drone and the paraglider; A control unit, deployed on the towing drone, is configured to execute any of the control methods described above; The switching unit is configured to monitor the working status of the multi-sensor monitoring module and realize automatic switching between faulty and normal sensors.
[0020] Furthermore, the overall configuration of the drone control system is as follows: Figure 2As shown, the system includes a tow drone 100, a tow rope 200, a paraglider 300, and a ground control station 400. The tow drone 100 is connected to the paraglider 300 via the tow rope 200. A multi-sensor monitoring component 150 is deployed at both the drone and paraglider ends. A control unit 170 is deployed inside the fuselage of the tow drone 100 and interacts with the ground control station 400 via wireless communication. The tow drone 100 includes a vertical rotor 110 and a pull rotor 130. The vertical rotor 110 primarily provides lift to maintain the drone at a fixed ascent rate of 2.5 m / s; the pull rotor 130 provides forward traction, and its rotational speed is adjustable to change the magnitude of the pull on the paraglider 300.
[0021] Furthermore, a multi-sensor monitoring scheme employing a multi-sensor monitoring component 150 is as follows: Figure 3 As shown. Includes: Visual monitoring: The RGB gimbal camera captures real-time images of the paraglider 300. The image processing subunit sets the imaging center as the visual recognition reference. By identifying the vertical offset pixels between the key points of the paraglider outline and the center, and combining the camera focal length and shooting distance, the height offset, i.e., the relative height difference ΔH, is calculated. This is suitable for providing an output reference for the traction program when other sensor signals are unstable or damaged. Dual GPS monitoring: The positioning accuracy of the GPS module on the UAV end and the GPS module on the paraglider end is ≤1m. The altitudes H1 and H2 of the UAV and paraglider are collected in real time. The control unit 170 calculates ΔH=H1-H2, which is suitable for open and unobstructed flight scenarios. Dual-barometry altitude monitoring: The measurement accuracy of the barometry altimeter at the UAV end and the barometry altimeter at the paraglider end is ≤0.5m. Based on the International Standard Atmosphere Model (ISA), the air pressure value is converted into altitude values h1 and h2, and ΔH=h1 - h2 is calculated. It is suitable for low and medium altitude scenarios with stable winds. Angle sensing monitoring: An angle sensor (measurement error ≤ 0.5°) collects the deflection angle θ of the guide tube of the traction rope, and the winch encoder (length measurement error ≤ 0.1m) collects the real-time length L of the traction rope 200. The relative height difference is calculated by ΔH=L×sinθ, which is suitable for various complex airspaces.
[0022] Furthermore, it also includes rate synchronization control logic, specifically: After the towing drone 100 is started, the vertical rotor 110 operates according to preset parameters, maintaining a fixed ascent rate of 2.5 m / s. The control unit 170 receives the relative altitude difference data from the multi-sensor monitoring component 150 in real time and calculates the rate of change of ΔH to obtain the actual ascent rate v of the paraglider. 伞 .
[0023] For example, when using angle sensing for monitoring, if the tow rope length L = 100m and the deflection angle θ = 30°, then ΔH = 50m; if ΔH decreases by 1m within 1 second, it indicates that the paraglider's ascent rate is faster than that of the drone. 伞 = 2.5 - (-1) = 3.5 m / s. At this time, the control unit 170 controls the rotation speed of the thrust rotor 130 to decrease by 8% through the PID algorithm, thereby reducing the traction force and making v 伞 It dropped back to around 2.5 m / s.
[0024] In this invention, the towed drone ascends at a fixed rate of 2.5 m / s. This value is determined based on a comprehensive consideration of the paraglider's typical takeoff performance, the simplicity of the control strategy, and the drone's dynamic characteristics. 2.5 m / s is an ideal ascent rate range for a paraglider during unpowered towed takeoff, ensuring stable relative airflow to the wing and maintaining good inflation and lift. This avoids stalling or altitude loss due to excessively slow ascent, as well as excessive wing deformation or sudden changes in tow rope tension caused by excessively rapid ascent. Fixing the drone's ascent rate to a constant value effectively simplifies the control logic: using the drone's rate as a reference, synchronization between the two rates can be achieved simply by adjusting the rotational speed of the tow rotor to change the traction force on the paraglider. This avoids the complex coupling problems associated with real-time adjustments to the drone's own ascent rate, significantly improving control response speed and synchronization accuracy. Furthermore, 2.5 m / s balances the vertical flight capability and energy efficiency of common commercial drones, allowing the vertical rotor to operate within its efficient working range, extending effective operating time while ensuring tow performance. In summary, a fixed ascent rate of 2.5 m / s is the preferred benchmark value established by this application after comprehensively considering the aerodynamic characteristics, control strategy, dynamic performance, and system safety of the paraglider.
[0025] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.
Claims
1. A control method for a drone used for paragliding towing, characterized in that, include: The towing drone is controlled to ascend at a fixed rate of 2.5 m / s. The towing drone is connected to the paraglider via a tow rope. The towing drone includes a vertical rotor and a pull rotor. The vertical rotor is used to maintain the fixed ascent rate, and the pull rotor is used to provide adjustable traction. The relative altitude difference ΔH between the UAV and the paraglider is obtained using at least one sensor monitoring method, where ΔH = H. 机 -H 伞 H 机 H represents the absolute altitude of the drone. 伞 The absolute altitude of the paraglider is defined by the sensor monitoring method, which includes one or more of the following: visual monitoring, dual GPS monitoring, dual barometric altitude monitoring, and angle sensing monitoring. The actual ascent rate v of the paraglider is determined based on the rate of change of the relative altitude difference ΔH. 伞 The v 伞 =2.5m / s - ΔH rate of change; compared with the stated v 伞 The difference from 2.5 m / s is used to change the traction force by adjusting the rotational speed of the thrust rotor, thus making the v 伞 The ascent rate is kept stable within the range of 2.5 m / s ± 0.1 m / s, thus synchronizing the ascent rate of the paraglider and the towing drone.
2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method of acquiring the relative altitude difference ΔH between the drone and the paraglider using at least one sensor monitoring method includes: Visual monitoring: The RGB gimbal camera on the towing drone captures the visual image of the paraglider, a visual recognition center is set, and the height offset between the visual image of the paraglider and the visual recognition center is monitored. Combined with the camera parameters and shooting distance, the relative height difference ΔH is calculated. Dual GPS monitoring: GPS modules are deployed at both the drone and paraglider ends to collect the altitudes H1 and H2 of the drone and paraglider in real time, and calculate the relative altitude difference ΔH=H1-H2; Dual barometric altitude monitoring: Barometric altimeters are deployed at the UAV end and the paraglider end respectively to collect the barometric altitude values h1 and h2 of the UAV and paraglider in real time. Based on the conversion model between barometric pressure and altitude, the relative altitude difference ΔH=h1-h2 is calculated. Angle sensing monitoring: The angle sensor installed on the drone tow rope connection mechanism collects the deflection angle θ of the tow rope relative to the horizontal plane. Combined with the real-time length L of the tow rope, the relative height difference ΔH=L×sinθ is calculated by trigonometric functions. The real-time length L is collected by the winch encoder at the drone end.
3. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, include: When the v 伞 When the speed is less than 2.4 m / s, the rotational speed of the tension rotor increases by 5%-10%; When the v 伞 When the speed is greater than 2.6 m / s, the rotational speed of the tension rotor decreases by 5%-10%.
4. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The system monitors the working status of the sensors used in real time, and automatically switches to other available sensors when any sensor fails. If all sensors fail, the towing drone will stop ascending and remain hovering, while simultaneously issuing an alarm signal, which will be transmitted to the ground control station via wireless communication.
5. A control system for unmanned aerial vehicles used for paragliding towing, characterized in that, include: A towing drone, the towing drone including a vertical rotor, a tension rotor, a winch encoder and a towing rope connection mechanism, the vertical rotor being configured to maintain a fixed ascent rate of 2.5 m / s, and the winch encoder being configured to collect the real-time length L of the towing rope; The multi-sensor monitoring module includes one or more of the following: a visual monitoring unit, a dual GPS monitoring unit, a dual barometric altitude monitoring unit, and an angle sensing monitoring unit, configured to acquire the relative altitude difference ΔH between the drone and the paraglider; A control unit, deployed in the towing drone, is configured to execute the control method according to any one of claims 1-4; The switching unit is configured to monitor the working status of the multi-sensor monitoring module and realize automatic switching between faulty and normal sensors.
6. The control system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The control unit uses a PID algorithm to adjust the rotation speed of the thrust rotor, with an adjustment delay of ≤100ms.
7. The control system according to claim 5, characterized in that, Also includes: The fault monitoring module is used to monitor the working status of the sensors used in real time. When any sensor fails, it automatically switches to other available sensor monitoring methods. The emergency control module is used to control the towing drone to stop ascending and remain hovering when all sensors fail, while simultaneously issuing an alarm signal, which is transmitted to the ground control station via a wireless communication module.
8. A drone for paragliding towing, characterized in that, The drone includes a fuselage, a vertical rotor, a tension rotor, a traction rope connection mechanism, a multi-sensor monitoring component, a winch encoder, and a control unit. The vertical rotor, tension rotor, multi-sensor monitoring component, and winch encoder are all electrically connected to the control unit. The drone is configured to implement the control method described in any one of claims 1-4. The multi-sensor monitoring component includes one or more of the following: an RGB gimbal camera, a drone-side GPS module, a drone-side barometric altimeter, and an angle sensor. The traction rope connection mechanism includes a traction seat, a rotating shaft, and a traction rope guide tube, and the angle sensor is mounted on the rotating shaft; The control unit includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing program code, and the processor configured to execute the program code to implement rate synchronization control and sensor switching logic.
9. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: Memory, used to store computer programs; A processor for executing the computer program to implement the steps of the unmanned aerial vehicle control method for paragliding towing as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.
10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Used to store computer programs; wherein, when executed by a processor, the computer programs implement the unmanned aerial vehicle control method for paragliding towing as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.