Drone Flight Planning With Terrain-Adaptive Altitude Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drone control systems struggle to maintain a consistent altitude over varying terrain, leading to inefficiencies in chemical spraying and increased chemical loss when operating in areas with slopes or hills, as they cannot adjust flight height dynamically to reflect changes in ground height during autonomous flight.
Innovation Solution
A drone control system and intelligent flight planning method that utilize real-time contour and building height data from geographic information systems, combined with GPS information, to dynamically adjust and reflect altitude changes in the flight plan, ensuring the drone maintains a stable altitude relative to the ground through a cloud-based system and flight simulation analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the drone flies at a fixed height determined by take-off point, then the flight plan is simple to establish, but the drone cannot maintain a certain height from the ground when terrain height changes
Solution Approach 1:
The flight plan transitions from a static fixed height approach to a dynamic height adjustment approach. The ground control system receives real-time position information from the drone and automatically adjusts the flight height based on terrain data from map databases, allowing the drone to adapt to changing terrain conditions while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the ground control system continuously receives position information from the drone, queries terrain height data from map databases based on the drone's current location, and automatically adjusts the flight height accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures the drone maintains a constant distance from the ground surface throughout its flight path.
2Reliability
If the drone flies at higher altitude to prevent collision with terrain features, then collision risk is reduced, but chemical spraying efficiency decreases and loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of maintaining a fixed high altitude, the system dynamically adjusts the drone's flight height based on real-time terrain data. By querying map database information corresponding to the drone's position and calculating appropriate height adjustments, the system enables the drone to fly close to the ground over flat areas for efficient spraying while automatically gaining altitude over terrain features to prevent collisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The flight height is optimized locally according to terrain conditions at each position along the flight path. The ground control system queries terrain data for the specific area where the drone is located and adjusts the flight height accordingly, allowing the drone to maintain low altitude over suitable areas for effective chemical application while clearing terrain obstacles only where necessary.
3Reliability
If manual altitude adjustment is performed by watching drone screen, then altitude can be adjusted to terrain conditions, but autonomous flight capability is compromised and operation becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The ground control system performs automatic altitude adjustment without requiring manual intervention. The system autonomously receives position information from the drone, queries terrain height data from map databases based on the drone's current location, calculates the appropriate flight height to maintain constant ground clearance, and sends adjustment commands to the drone automatically, preserving autonomous flight capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes an automated feedback loop where position information from the drone triggers automatic terrain data queries and height calculations. The ground control system continuously monitors the drone's position, compares it with terrain data, and automatically adjusts the flight plan to maintain optimal altitude, eliminating the need for manual screen monitoring while preserving altitude adaptation capability.
Data Source
AI summary
According to the present invention, a drone control system includes: a flying drone; a cloud server configured to transmit and receive information to and from the drone by wireless communication; and a ground control system configured to establish a flight plan of the drone by connecting the drone and the cloud server by the wireless communication.