Drone Relay Discovery for Beyond-Range Command Center Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drone control systems are limited to scenarios where direct line-of-sight and communication with deployed drones are maintained, and once communication is lost, the control system cannot monitor the drone's status, leading to restricted operational capabilities and loss of control.
Innovation Solution
Implementing drone discovery mechanisms that allow drones to broadcast discovery information to neighboring drones, which can be relayed back to a command center, enabling monitoring and control even when direct communication is unavailable, using a combination of long-range and short-range transceivers and time-to-live parameters for message propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If direct line-of-sight communication is used between command center and drones, then communication reliability is improved, but operational range is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces intermediary drones that relay communication messages between the command center and deployed drones. When a deployed drone is out of direct communication range, other drones act as intermediaries to forward status information and control commands, thereby extending operational range while maintaining communication reliability through multi-hop relay communication.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If drones broadcast discovery information frequently, then drone discovery capability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic discovery information broadcasting where drones transmit their status and location at predetermined time intervals rather than continuously. This periodic action maintains effective drone discovery capability while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous broadcasting.
3Length of moving object
If message propagation uses multiple hops, then communication range is extended, but message delivery time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes predetermined routing paths and intermediary drone selections before communication needs arise. Drones are pre-configured with knowledge of potential relay nodes and communication routes, allowing messages to be forwarded along optimized paths rather than requiring dynamic route discovery, thus reducing message delivery time while maintaining extended communication range.
Data Source
AI summary
Deployed drones are managed. For instance, a first drone detects whether the first drone is in communication with a command center via a first communication network to determine a configuration parameter of a first message to broadcast discovery information associated with the first drone. In response to the first drone being in communication with the command center via the first communication network, the first drone broadcasts the first message configured with a first value for the configuration parameter. Or, in response to the first drone not being in communication with the command center via the first communication network, the first drone broadcasts the first message configured with a second value for the configuration parameter different from the first value.