Drone Battery Return Decision Logic
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drones face risks of inundation or damage when returning with insufficient battery levels, as the flight distance they can cover changes with battery level, making it difficult to ensure safe return.
Innovation Solution
A drone control device that calculates flight distance, acquires battery status, estimates battery consumption, and decides whether to return based on these factors, including correcting estimates for longer distances and higher consumption, with a return signal generation unit to remind the drone to return.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the drone continues flying to extend operation time, then productivity increases, but the battery level decreases making safe return impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors battery level and calculates remaining flight distance capability, providing feedback to the operator through display or audio output. This feedback loop enables real-time decision-making about whether to continue mission or return, resolving the contradiction between extending operation and ensuring safe return capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system calculates and displays the remaining flight distance capability before the battery is depleted, allowing the operator to plan the return trajectory in advance. This preliminary assessment prevents the drone from entering a state where return becomes impossible, thus maintaining reliability while maximizing productivity.
2Reliability
If the drone returns immediately when battery level is low, then safe return is ensured, but operation time is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than forcing immediate return, the system provides continuous feedback about remaining flight distance capability, enabling the operator to make informed decisions. The operator can choose to continue the mission if the remaining capability is sufficient, thus maximizing operation time while maintaining the option to return when appropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the operational parameters based on real-time battery status. As battery level decreases, the remaining flight distance capability is recalculated, allowing flexible mission planning that adapts to changing conditions, thus optimizing both reliability and productivity.
3Productivity
If the drone flies longer distance to complete mission, then productivity increases, but battery consumption increases making return difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates the remaining flight distance capability based on current battery level before the drone exhausts its power. This preliminary calculation allows the operator to assess whether the drone has sufficient energy to complete the mission and return, enabling informed decisions about mission continuation that balance productivity with energy constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides continuous feedback about battery consumption and remaining flight distance capability, allowing the operator to monitor energy usage in real-time. This feedback enables the operator to adjust mission parameters or initiate return when energy levels indicate it's appropriate, thus managing the trade-off between mission completion and battery consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a technique for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle in flight according to a battery level. A drone control device controls a drone according to a battery level, including: a flight distance calculation unit, calculating a flight distance according to an airframe position at any time point and a landing place of the drone; a battery status acquisition unit, acquiring the battery level of the drone; an estimated battery consumption calculation unit, calculating an estimated battery consumption when the drone flies over the flight distance calculated by the flight distance calculation unit; and a return decision unit, deciding, on the basis of the battery level of the drone and the estimated battery consumption, whether the drone is capable of flying over the flight distance and return.