UAV Return Power Estimation Using Vertical Air Stream Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining the minimum power required for a UAV to return safely often result in forced landings due to inaccurate calculations, which do not adequately account for environmental factors such as vertical air streams, leading to excessively low battery levels.
Innovation Solution
An automatic return method that calculates the total power consumption by considering return information and environmental factors, including vertical air streams, to determine when the UAV should automatically return based on a battery level threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the minimum power is determined only according to return distance, current flight speed and current power consumption rate, then the calculation is simple, but the accuracy is insufficient leading to forced landing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary acquisition of environmental information (vertical air stream data) before calculating the minimum power requirement. This allows the power calculation to incorporate environmental factors in advance, improving accuracy without adding complex real-time computation during the return process
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors and compares the calculated minimum power requirement with the actual remaining battery level, providing feedback to determine whether to trigger automatic return. This feedback mechanism ensures accurate power management while maintaining a relatively simple calculation framework
2Reliability
If environmental factors such as vertical air streams are not considered, then the calculation process is simple, but the battery level becomes excessively low causing forced landing
Solution Approach 1:
Environmental information including vertical air stream characteristics is acquired in advance before the power calculation. This preliminary action allows the system to account for environmental factors that affect power consumption without complicating the real-time decision-making process
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates environmental parameters (vertical air stream strength, range) into the power consumption calculation model. By changing the calculation parameters to include these environmental factors, the system achieves more reliable power estimation while maintaining a straightforward calculation approach
3Use of energy by moving object
If the UAV returns only when battery level is very low, then energy is maximized, but the risk of forced landing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously compares the calculated minimum power requirement with the actual remaining battery level, creating a feedback loop that triggers automatic return when the threshold is met. This feedback mechanism ensures both efficient energy utilization and safe return by making an informed decision based on accurate power requirements
Solution Approach 2:
By calculating the minimum power requirement in advance considering all relevant factors (distance, speed, environmental conditions), the system can make a preliminary determination of the optimal return trigger point, maximizing energy use while ensuring safety
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and specifically discloses an automatic return method, device and UAV. By means of the foregoing technical solutions, the embodiments of the present invention can estimate a minimum power consumption required for the UAV to return from the current position to the return point in a more accurate way, so as to avoid forced landing of the UAV due to an excessively low battery level during a flight or a return.