CN109991999B - Unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system, which comprises: the remote control equipment is used for sending a formation self-positioning instruction; the main unmanned aerial vehicle is used for establishing wireless communication connection with the remote control equipment and receiving a formation self-positioning instruction; the at least one slave unmanned aerial vehicle is used for establishing wireless communication connection with the master unmanned aerial vehicle so as to form unmanned aerial vehicle formation; the master unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a first optical communication module, the first optical communication module is used for sending optical signals and condensing propagation paths of the optical signals into a preset area, each slave unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a second optical communication module, and the second optical communication module is used for receiving the optical signals from the first optical communication module; when the second optical communication module is changed from receiving the optical signal to not receiving the optical signal, the slave unmanned aerial vehicle automatically flies into the propagation area of the optical signal. In addition, the invention also provides a positioning method applying the unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system.

Description

Unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system and method

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular to a self-positioning system and a self-positioning method based on unmanned aerial vehicle formation.

Background

Unmanned Aerial vehicles are collectively known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). It is an unmanned aerial vehicle operated by radio remote control equipment and self-contained program control device. Compared with manned aircrafts, unmanned aerial vehicles are generally more suitable for tasks that humans are unwilling to handle, operate in difficult environments, and can avoid threats to personal safety in dangerous situations. The initial stages of drones have come primarily from military applications, and nowadays, drones have been extended into commercial, scientific, entertainment, agricultural and other fields of application. However, limited by the flight load capacity of a single drone, it has been difficult to accomplish more complex tasks with one drone.

The unmanned aerial vehicle formation can greatly expand the performance and application field of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and has great application potential in the fields of cooperative investigation, disaster search and rescue, environment monitoring, flight performance and the like; therefore, the work which cannot be completed or is difficult to complete by a single unmanned aerial vehicle is completed by adopting the cooperative working mode of the formation of the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles, the success rate of executing tasks can be improved, the risk caused by the fault of the single unmanned aerial vehicle is reduced, meanwhile, the formation of the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles can obtain more comprehensive information, and the resource allocation is optimized. However, the premise for realizing the cooperative work of the formation of the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles is how to position the spatial positions of the unmanned aerial vehicles. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a method for positioning each drone in a formation of multiple drones.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a self-positioning system and method for formation of unmanned aerial vehicles, which can automatically position the spatial position of each unmanned aerial vehicle in the formation of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system, which comprises:

the remote control equipment is used for sending a formation self-positioning instruction;

the main unmanned aerial vehicle is used for establishing wireless communication connection with the remote control equipment and receiving the formation self-positioning instruction; and

at least one slave drone for establishing a wireless communication connection with the master drone to build a formation of drones;

the master unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a first optical communication module, the first optical communication module is used for sending optical signals and condensing propagation paths of the optical signals into a preset area, each slave unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a second optical communication module, and the second optical communication module is used for receiving the optical signals from the first optical communication module; when the second optical communication module is changed from receiving the optical signal to not receiving the optical signal, the slave unmanned aerial vehicle automatically flies into a propagation area of the optical signal.

Further, the remote control device comprises a first control module, a first safety module, a first wireless communication module and a first power supply module; the first control module is used for controlling and coordinating actions of the first safety module, the first wireless communication module and the first power supply module, and can generate corresponding control instructions according to requirements of users; the first safety module is electrically connected to the first control module and is used for encrypting and decrypting the received signal; the first wireless communication module is electrically connected to the first safety module and used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding radio signal ciphertext; the first power module is electrically connected to the first control module for providing electric energy for the remote control device in the operation process of each module.

Further, the main unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a second control module, a second safety module, a second wireless communication module, a third wireless communication module, a first optical communication module, a first power module and a second power module; the second control module is used for stabilizing the flight attitude of the main unmanned aerial vehicle and controlling the main unmanned aerial vehicle to fly autonomously or semi-autonomously; the second safety module is electrically connected to the second control module and is used for encrypting and decrypting the received instruction information; the second wireless communication module is electrically connected to the second security module, is in wireless communication connection with the first wireless communication module, and is used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding radio signal ciphertext; the third wireless communication module is electrically connected to the second security module and is used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding radio signal ciphertext; the first optical communication module is electrically connected to the second safety module and used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding optical signal ciphertext; the first power module is electrically connected to the second control module and drives the main unmanned aerial vehicle to execute various flight actions under the control action of the second control module; the second power module is electrically connected to the second control module to be used for providing electric energy in the operation process of each module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle.

Further, the slave unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a third control module, a third safety module, a fourth wireless communication module, a second optical communication module, a second power module, a second acquisition module and a third power module; the third control module is used for stabilizing the flight attitude of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle and controlling the slave unmanned aerial vehicle to autonomously or semi-autonomously fly; the third safety module is electrically connected with the third control module and is used for encrypting and decrypting the received instruction information; the fourth wireless communication module is electrically connected to the third security module, is in wireless communication connection with the third wireless communication module, and is used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding radio signal ciphertext; the second optical communication module is electrically connected to the third security module, performs optical communication with the first optical communication module, and is used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding optical signal ciphertext; the second power module is electrically connected to the third control module and drives the slave unmanned aerial vehicle to execute various flight actions under the control action of the third control module; the third power module is electrically connected to the third control module for providing the electric energy in the operation process of each module of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle.

Further, the first optical communication module comprises a first modulation module, a first driving module and a first light emitting module; the first modulation module, the first driving module and the first light emitting module jointly form an optical signal emitting assembly; the first modulation module is used for coding the digital signal generated by the second control module and transmitting the coded signal to the first driving module; the first driving module is electrically connected between the first modulation module and the first light emitting module and drives the first light emitting module to emit corresponding optical signals according to the coded signals; the first light emitting module comprises a light emitting source and a light adjusting piece, and the light emitting source emits corresponding light signals under the driving action of the first driving module; the light adjusting piece is close to the luminous source and used for condensing the propagation path of the optical signal to a preset area; the second optical communication module comprises a second optical receiving module, a second filtering module and a second demodulating module; the second optical receiving module, the second filtering module and the second demodulating module jointly form an optical signal receiving component; the second optical receiving module is configured to receive the optical signal sent by the first optical transmitting module and transmit the optical signal to the second filtering module, and the second filtering module is electrically connected between the second optical receiving module and the second demodulating module, and is configured to perform filtering processing on the received optical signal and transmit the filtered optical signal to the second demodulating module; the second demodulation module is used for demodulating the received optical signal and transmitting the demodulated signal to the third control module.

In addition, the invention also provides a positioning method adopting the unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system, and the positioning method comprises the following steps:

a remote control device controls a master unmanned aerial vehicle through wireless communication, and the master unmanned aerial vehicle and at least one slave unmanned aerial vehicle jointly form an unmanned aerial vehicle formation through wireless communication;

the remote control equipment sends a formation self-positioning instruction to the main unmanned aerial vehicle;

the main unmanned aerial vehicle receives the formation self-positioning instruction and sends an optical signal through a first optical communication module;

the at least one slave unmanned aerial vehicle receives the optical signals through the second optical communication module and feeds the optical signals back to the master unmanned aerial vehicle through wireless communication;

the first optical communication module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle gradually condenses the propagation path of the optical signal;

when a second optical communication module of a slave unmanned aerial vehicle changes from receiving the optical signal to not receiving the optical signal, the slave unmanned aerial vehicle instantly flies into a propagation area of the optical signal; and

the first optical communication module of the master unmanned aerial vehicle gradually condenses the propagation paths of the optical signals into a preset area, and then at least one slave unmanned aerial vehicle is positioned in the preset area.

Further, remote control equipment controls a main unmanned aerial vehicle through wireless communication, main unmanned aerial vehicle specifically includes through wireless communication with at least one from unmanned aerial vehicle group of unmanned aerial vehicle common formation:

a first control module of the remote control equipment generates first instruction information, a first safety module of the remote control equipment encrypts the first instruction information, and a first wireless communication module of the remote control equipment receives a first instruction information ciphertext from the first safety module and sends the first instruction information ciphertext; the second wireless communication module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle receives the first instruction information ciphertext and sends the first instruction information ciphertext to the second safety module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle for decryption, and the second control module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle controls the main unmanned aerial vehicle to make corresponding action according to the decrypted first instruction information plaintext;

the second control module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle generates second instruction information, the second safety module encrypts the second instruction information, and the third wireless communication module receives a second instruction information ciphertext from the second safety module and sends the second instruction information ciphertext; and each slave unmanned aerial vehicle receives the second command information ciphertext and sends the second command information ciphertext to the third safety module of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle for decryption, and the third control module of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle controls the slave unmanned aerial vehicle to make corresponding action according to the decrypted second command information plaintext.

Further, the receiving, by the master drone, the formation self-positioning instruction and the sending of the optical signal by the first optical communication module specifically include:

a second control module of the master unmanned aerial vehicle generates corresponding digital signals after receiving the formation self-positioning instruction, and a first modulation module of the first optical communication module encodes the digital signals generated by the second control module and transmits the encoded signals to a first driving module of the first optical communication module; the first driving module drives the first light emitting module of the first optical communication module to emit corresponding optical signals according to the coded signals.

Further, the at least one slave drone respectively receives the optical signal through the second optical communication module and feeds back the optical signal to the master drone through wireless communication specifically includes:

a second optical receiving module of the second optical communication module receives the optical signal sent by the first optical transmitting module and transmits the optical signal to a second filtering module of the second optical communication module, and the second filtering module performs filtering processing on the received optical signal and transmits the filtered optical signal to a second demodulating module of the second optical communication module; the second demodulation module demodulates the received optical signal and transmits the demodulated signal to the third control module of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle, and the third control module feeds back the result of the received optical signal to the master unmanned aerial vehicle through the fourth wireless communication module of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle.

Further, the gradual condensation of the propagation path of the optical signal by the first optical communication module of the master drone specifically includes:

the first optical communication module performs condensation on the transmitted optical signal through a light modulation piece; and driving a light source and the dimming part to move oppositely, gradually shielding light signals emitted by the light source to the periphery by the dimming part, and driving the light source and the dimming part to move oppositely for a distance b at preset intervals of t seconds until the light signals emitted by the light source are condensed on a preset plane or straight line.

According to the unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system and method, the first optical communication module is arranged on the master unmanned aerial vehicle, the second optical communication module is respectively arranged on the at least one slave unmanned aerial vehicle, when the master unmanned aerial vehicle receives an unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning instruction, the first optical communication module sends out optical signals, the at least one slave unmanned aerial vehicle respectively receives the optical signals through the second optical communication module and feeds the optical signals back to the master unmanned aerial vehicle through wireless communication, the first optical communication module of the master unmanned aerial vehicle gradually condenses the propagation path of the optical signals to a preset area, and during the period, if the second optical communication module of one slave unmanned aerial vehicle is changed from receiving the optical signals to not receiving the optical signals, the slave unmanned aerial vehicle instantly flies into the propagation area of the optical signals. Finally, at least one slave unmanned aerial vehicle is positioned in the preset area, and then automatic positioning of the space position of the unmanned aerial vehicle is achieved.

Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a formation self-positioning system for drones according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the structure of the unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the first optical communication module and the second optical communication module in the unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system shown in fig. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a first optical transmit module of one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a first optical transmit module according to another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the positioning of the unmanned aerial vehicle by the unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a flow chart of a positioning method of the unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system of the invention.

Description of the main elements

Unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system	100
		Remote control device	10
First control module	11
		First security module	12
Firstwireless communication module	13
		Firstpower supply module	14
Main unmannedaerial vehicle	20
		Second control module	21
Second security module	22
		Secondwireless communication module	23
Thirdwireless communication module	24
		Firstoptical communication module	25
First modulation module	251
		First drive module	252
Firstlight emitting module	253
		Light emitting source	2531
Light modulation member	2532
		Shading plate	2533
Shadingtube	2534
		Firstlight receiving module	254
First filtering module	255
		First demodulation module	256
First power module	26
		First acquisition module	27
Secondpower supply module	28
		Slave unmannedaerial vehicle	30
Third control module	31
		Third security module	32
Fourthwireless communication module	33
		Secondoptical communication module	34
Second modulation module	341
		Second drive module	342
Secondlight emitting module	343
		Secondlight receiving module	344
Second filter module	345
		Second demodulation module	346
Second power module	35
		Second acquisition module	36
Thirdpower supply module	37

The following detailed description will further illustrate the invention in conjunction with the above-described figures.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

Referring to fig. 1 to fig. 3, an embodiment of the present invention provides a self-positioning system 100 for formation of unmanned aerial vehicles, which is used for automatically positioning spatial positions of all unmanned aerial vehicles in the formation of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system 100 comprises aremote control device 10, a master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 and at least one slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30, wherein theremote control device 10 is in wireless communication connection with the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 so as to control the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 through theremote control device 10; the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 establishes a wireless communication connection with at least one slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30, the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 and the at least one slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30 jointly form a formation of unmanned aerial vehicles, and the at least one slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30 is controlled by the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 respectively.

Specifically, theremote control device 10 includes afirst control module 11, afirst security module 12, a firstwireless communication module 13, and a firstpower supply module 14. Thefirst control module 11 is configured to control and coordinate actions of thefirst security module 12, the firstwireless communication module 13, and thefirst power module 14, and can generate a corresponding control instruction according to a user's requirement; thefirst security module 12 is electrically connected to thefirst control module 11, and is configured to perform encryption and decryption processing on a received signal; preferably, thefirst security module 12 supports a symmetric cryptographic algorithm, an asymmetric cryptographic algorithm, and a hash, hash cryptographic algorithm; the firstwireless communication module 13 is electrically connected to thefirst security module 12, and is configured to receive and transmit a corresponding radio signal ciphertext; thefirst power module 14 is electrically connected to thefirst control module 11 for providing power to the modules of theremote control device 10 during operation. Preferably, thefirst power module 14 is a lithium battery.

Themaster drone 20 includes asecond control module 21, asecond security module 22, a secondwireless communication module 23, a thirdwireless communication module 24, and a firstoptical communication module 25.

Specifically, thesecond control module 21 is configured to stabilize the flight attitude of themain drone 20, and control themain drone 20 to fly autonomously or semi-autonomously; thesecond security module 22 is electrically connected to thesecond control module 21, and is configured to perform encryption and decryption processing on the received instruction information; preferably, thesecond security module 22 supports symmetric cryptographic algorithms, asymmetric cryptographic algorithms and hash, hash cryptographic algorithms. The secondwireless communication module 23 is electrically connected to thesecond security module 22, and is in wireless communication connection with the firstwireless communication module 13, and configured to receive and transmit a corresponding radio signal ciphertext. In this embodiment, the firstwireless communication module 13 and the secondwireless communication module 23 cooperate with each other to realize the control of themaster drone 20 by theremote control device 10. The thirdwireless communication module 24 is electrically connected to thesecond security module 22, and is configured to receive and transmit a corresponding radio signal ciphertext. The firstoptical communication module 25 is electrically connected to thesecond security module 22, and is configured to receive and transmit a corresponding optical signal ciphertext.

The firstoptical communication module 25 includes afirst modulation module 251, afirst driving module 252, a firstoptical transmitting module 253, a firstoptical receiving module 254, afirst filtering module 255, and afirst demodulating module 256.

Thefirst modulation module 251, thefirst driving module 252 and the firstlight emitting module 253 together form an optical signal emitting assembly. Thefirst modulation module 251 is configured to encode the digital signal generated by thesecond control module 21, and transmit the encoded signal to thefirst driving module 252; thefirst driving module 252 is electrically connected between thefirst modulation module 251 and the firstoptical transmitter 253, and drives the firstoptical transmitter 253 to transmit a corresponding optical signal according to the encoded signal.

The firstlight emitting module 253 comprises alight emitting source 2531 and alight adjusting member 2532, wherein thelight emitting source 2531 emits a corresponding light signal under the driving action of thefirst driving module 252; thelight modulation member 2532 is adjacent to thelight emitting source 2531 for modulating the propagation area of the light signal.

As shown in fig. 4, in an embodiment of the present invention, thelight modulator 2532 can condense the light signals emitted from thelight source 2531 to the surrounding on a predetermined plane. Specifically, thelight adjusting member 2532 includes twolight shielding plates 2533, the twolight shielding plates 2533 are symmetrically spaced along a predetermined plane, front ends of the twolight shielding plates 2533 are respectively outwardly expanded, and rear ends of the twolight shielding plates 2533 are respectively arranged in parallel with the predetermined plane. In the initial position, thelight source 2531 is outside the twolight shielding plates 2533, and thelight source 2531 can emit light signals to the periphery; when thelight source 2531 and the twolight shielding plates 2533 are driven to move towards each other, a part of the light signals emitted by thelight source 2531 to the periphery is gradually shielded by the twolight shielding plates 2533 until thelight source 2531 moves to the rear ends of the twolight shielding plates 2533, and at this time, only a part of the light signals emitted by thelight source 2531 propagating along the symmetry plane remains.

It is understood that before the optical signal is condensed, the symmetrical plane of the optical signal can be adjusted by adjusting the postures of the twolight shielding plates 2533, so that the optical signal propagates along the symmetrical plane.

As shown in fig. 5, in another embodiment of the present invention, thelight modulation member 2532 can condense the light signals emitted from thelight source 2531 to the surrounding on a predetermined straight line; specifically, thelight adjusting member 2532 includes alight shielding cylinder 2534, thelight shielding cylinder 2534 is disposed in axial symmetry, and the front ends of thelight shielding cylinders 2534 are respectively flared outward and are substantially horn-shaped; the rear end of thelight shielding tube 2534 is substantially cylindrical and parallel to the axis. In the initial position, thelight source 2531 is outside theshade cylinder 2534, and thelight source 2531 can emit light signals to the periphery; when thelight source 2531 and thelight shielding cylinder 2534 are driven to move towards each other, part of the light signals emitted by thelight source 2531 to the periphery are gradually shielded by thelight shielding cylinder 2534 until thelight source 2531 moves to the rear end of thelight shielding cylinder 2534, and at this time, only the part of the light signals emitted by thelight source 2531 propagating along the axis is retained.

It will be appreciated that the axis of the light signal may be adjusted by adjusting the attitude of thegobo 2534 before it is condensed, thereby causing the light signal to propagate along the axis.

The firstoptical receiving module 254, thefirst filtering module 255 and thefirst demodulating module 256 together form an optical signal receiving component. The firstoptical receiving module 254 is configured to receive an external optical signal and transmit the external optical signal to thefirst filtering module 255, and thefirst filtering module 255 is electrically connected between the firstoptical receiving module 254 and thefirst demodulating module 256, so as to filter the received optical signal and transmit the filtered optical signal to thefirst demodulating module 256; thefirst demodulation module 256 is configured to demodulate the received optical signal and transmit the demodulated signal to thesecond control module 21.

In this embodiment, theprimary drone 20 further includes afirst power module 26, afirst acquisition module 27, and asecond power module 28. Thefirst power module 26 is electrically connected to thesecond control module 21, and drives themain drone 20 to execute various flight actions under the control of thesecond control module 21. Preferably, thefirst power module 26 may include a motor and a rotor (not shown), the motor driving the rotor to rotate so as to cause themain drone 20 to perform a corresponding flight action. Thefirst acquisition module 27 is electrically connected to thesecond control module 21, and is used for acquiring data information of the main unmannedaerial vehicle 20 and the surrounding environment. Preferably, thefirst acquisition module 27 includes a sensor and a camera, but is not limited thereto. Thesecond power module 28 is electrically connected to thesecond control module 21 for providing electric energy to the modules of themain drone 20 during operation. Preferably, thesecond power module 28 is a lithium battery.

Theslave drone 30 includes athird control module 31, athird security module 32, a fourthwireless communication module 33, and a secondoptical communication module 34.

Specifically, thethird control module 31 is configured to stabilize the flight attitude of theslave drone 30 and control theslave drone 30 to fly autonomously or semi-autonomously; thethird security module 32 is electrically connected to thethird control module 31, and is configured to encrypt and decrypt the received command information; preferably, thethird security module 32 supports symmetric cryptographic algorithms, asymmetric cryptographic algorithms and hash, hash cryptographic algorithms. The fourthwireless communication module 33 is electrically connected to thethird security module 32, and is in wireless communication with the thirdwireless communication module 24 for receiving and transmitting a corresponding radio signal ciphertext. In this embodiment, the thirdwireless communication module 24 and the fourthwireless communication module 33 cooperate with each other to realize the control of theslave drone 30 by themaster drone 20. The secondoptical communication module 34 is electrically connected to thethird security module 32, and is in optical communication with the firstoptical communication module 25, and configured to receive and transmit a corresponding optical signal ciphertext.

The secondoptical communication module 34 includes asecond modulation module 341, asecond driving module 342, a secondoptical transmission module 343, a secondoptical reception module 344, asecond filtering module 345 and asecond demodulation module 346.

Thesecond modulation module 341, thesecond driving module 342 and the secondlight emitting module 343 together form an optical signal emitting assembly. Thesecond modulation module 341 is configured to encode the digital signal generated by thethird control module 31, and transmit the encoded signal to thesecond driving module 342; thesecond driving module 342 is electrically connected between thesecond modulation module 341 and the secondlight emitting module 343, and drives the secondlight emitting module 343 to emit a corresponding light signal according to the encoded signal.

The second optical receivingmodule 344, thesecond filtering module 345 and thesecond demodulating module 346 together form an optical signal receiving component. The second optical receivingmodule 344 is configured to receive the optical signal sent by the firstoptical transmitting module 253 and transmit the optical signal to thesecond filtering module 345, and thesecond filtering module 345 is electrically connected between the second optical receivingmodule 344 and thesecond demodulating module 346, so as to filter the received optical signal and transmit the filtered optical signal to thesecond demodulating module 346; thesecond demodulation module 346 is configured to demodulate the received optical signal and transmit the demodulated signal to thethird control module 31.

In the present embodiment, the second optical transmitmodule 343 has the same structure as the first optical transmitmodule 253, and a detailed description of the second optical transmitmodule 343 is omitted herein for brevity.

Theslave drone 30 also includes asecond power module 35, asecond acquisition module 36 and athird power module 37. Thesecond power module 35 is electrically connected to thethird control module 31, and drives theslave drone 30 to execute various flight actions under the control of thethird control module 31. Preferably, thesecond power module 35 may include a motor and a rotor (not shown), the motor driving the rotor to rotate so as to cause theslave drone 30 to perform a corresponding flight action. Thesecond collection module 36 is electrically connected to thethird control module 31, and is configured to collect data information from thedrone 30 itself and the surrounding environment. Preferably, thesecond acquisition module 36 includes a sensor and a camera, but is not limited thereto. Thethird power module 37 is electrically connected to thethird control module 31 for providing electric power to theslave drone 30 during operation of the modules. Preferably, thethird power module 37 is a lithium battery.

Referring to fig. 6, thelight emitting sources 2531 of themaster drone 20 emit light signals to the periphery, the plurality of slave drones 30 located around themaster drone 20 receive the light signals through the secondlight receiving modules 344, respectively, and then eachslave drone 30 feeds back the received light signals to themaster drone 20 through the fourthwireless communication module 33, respectively. Themaster drone 20 adjusts the relative position of thelight adjusting member 2532 and thelight emitting source 2531 to gradually reduce the light signal area, when the secondlight receiving module 344 of aslave drone 30 changes from receiving the light signal to not receiving the light signal, at this time, theslave drone 30 enters the sheltering area from the light signal area; theslave drone 30 can fly back to the optical signal area by the shielding area through thesecond power module 35 until the optical signal emitted by thelight emitting source 2531 of themaster drone 20 remains only the portion propagating along the plane or straight line, at which time both the plurality of slave drones 30 and themaster drone 10 are positioned on the plane or straight line.

It can be understood that photosensitive sensors (not shown) are installed at different positions of theslave drone 30, and when the optical signal sweeps across theslave drone 30, the shrinking direction of the optical signal is determined according to the existence of the optical signal received by the photosensitive sensors at the different positions, so as to cause theslave drone 30 to automatically fly back to the optical signal area according to the shrinking direction.

Referring to fig. 7, the present invention further provides a positioning method using the above-mentioned unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioningsystem 100, which includes the following steps:

step 1, aremote control device 10 controls a master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 through wireless communication, and the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 and at least one slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30 jointly form an unmanned aerial vehicle formation through wireless communication;

specifically, thefirst control module 11 of theremote control device 10 may generate first instruction information, thefirst security module 12 performs encryption processing on the first instruction information, and the firstwireless communication module 14 receives a first instruction information ciphertext from thefirst security module 12 and sends out the first instruction information ciphertext; the secondwireless communication module 23 of the main unmannedaerial vehicle 20 receives the first instruction information ciphertext and sends the first instruction information ciphertext to thesecond security module 22 for decryption, and thesecond control module 21 controls the main unmannedaerial vehicle 20 to make corresponding actions according to the decrypted first instruction information plaintext;

thesecond control module 21 of themaster drone 20 may generate second instruction information, thesecond security module 22 encrypts the second instruction information, and the thirdwireless communication module 24 receives a second instruction information ciphertext from thesecond security module 22 and sends out the second instruction information ciphertext; the fourthwireless communication module 33 of the slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30 receives the second instruction information ciphertext and sends the second instruction information ciphertext to thethird security module 32 for decryption, and thethird control module 31 controls the slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30 to perform corresponding actions according to the decrypted second instruction information plaintext.

And 2, theremote control equipment 10 sends a formation self-positioning instruction to the main unmannedaerial vehicle 20.

Step 3, the main unmannedaerial vehicle 20 receives the formation self-positioning instruction and sends out an optical signal through a firstoptical communication module 25;

specifically, thesecond control module 21 of themaster drone 20 generates a corresponding digital signal after receiving the formation self-positioning instruction, and thefirst modulation module 251 performs encoding processing on the digital signal generated by thesecond control module 21 and transmits the encoded signal to thefirst driving module 252; thefirst driving module 252 drives thelight emitting source 2531 of the firstlight emitting module 253 to emit a corresponding light signal according to the encoded signal.

Step 4, at least one slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30 receives the optical signals through the secondoptical communication module 34 and feeds the optical signals back to the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 through wireless communication;

specifically, at least one of the second optical receivingmodules 344 of the slave drones 30 respectively receives the optical signals sent by the firstoptical transmitting module 253 and transmits the optical signals to thesecond filtering module 345, and thesecond filtering module 345 performs filtering processing on the received optical signals and transmits the filtered optical signals to thesecond demodulating module 346; thesecond demodulation module 346 demodulates the received optical signal and transmits the demodulated signal to thethird control module 31, and thethird control module 31 feeds back the result of the received optical signal to themain drone 20 through the fourthwireless communication module 33.

Step 5, the firstoptical communication module 25 of the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 gradually condenses the propagation path of the optical signal;

specifically, the firstoptical communication module 25 performs condensation polymerization on the emitted optical signal through thelight modulator 2532; thelight source 2531 and thelight adjusting member 2532 are driven to move towards each other, the light signals emitted from thelight source 2531 towards the periphery are gradually shielded by thelight adjusting member 2532, and every preset interval t(s) is used for driving thelight source 2531 and thelight adjusting member 2532 to move towards each other for a distance b (the value of b is determined according to the actual situation) until thelight source 2531 moves to the rear end of thelight adjusting member 2532, so that the light signals emitted from thelight source 2531 are condensed on a preset plane or straight line.

Step 6, when the secondoptical communication module 34 of a slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30 changes from receiving the optical signal to not receiving the optical signal, the slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30 instantly flies into the propagation area of the optical signal;

specifically, after thelight emitting source 2531 and thelight adjusting member 2532 move a distance b toward each other, when the secondlight receiving module 344 of aslave drone 30 changes from receiving the light signal to not receiving the light signal, theslave drone 30 enters the blocking area from the light signal area; then, thelight emitting source 2531 and thelight adjusting member 2532 remain relatively stationary t(s), at this time; theslave drone 30 may fly back to the optical signal zone by the sheltered zone through thesecond power module 35.

It can be understood that the photosensitive sensors are installed at different positions of theslave drone 30, and when the optical signal sweeps across aslave drone 30, the contraction direction of the optical signal is determined according to the existence of the optical signal received by the photosensitive sensors at different positions, so as to prompt theslave drone 30 to automatically fly back to the optical signal area according to the contraction direction.

Step 7, the firstoptical communication module 25 of themaster drone 20 gradually condenses the propagation paths of the optical signals into a preset area, and then at least oneslave drone 30 is positioned in the preset area.

Specifically, after repeating the above step 6 for several times, thelight adjusting member 2532 of the main unmannedaerial vehicle 20 gradually condenses the propagation path of the optical signal onto a preset plane or straight line, and correspondingly, at least one of the slave unmannedaerial vehicles 30 and the main unmannedaerial vehicle 10 are both positioned on the plane or straight line.

It is understood that the step 1 further includes:

the firstremote control device 10 and the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 perform bidirectional identity authentication and key agreement; themaster drone 20 and the at least oneslave drone 30 perform two-way authentication and key agreement.

According to the unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system and method, the firstoptical communication module 25 is arranged on the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20, the secondoptical communication modules 34 are respectively arranged on the at least one slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30, when the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 receives an unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning instruction, the master unmanned aerial vehicle sends out an optical signal through the firstoptical communication module 25, the at least one slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30 receives the optical signal through the secondoptical communication modules 34 and feeds the optical signal back to the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 through wireless communication, the firstoptical communication module 25 of the master unmannedaerial vehicle 20 gradually condenses a propagation path of the optical signal into a preset area, and during the period, if the secondoptical communication module 34 of one slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30 is changed from receiving the optical signal to not receiving the optical signal, the slave unmannedaerial vehicle 30 instantly flies into the propagation area of the optical signal. Finally, at least oneslave drone 30 is positioned within said preset area, thus enabling automatic positioning of the spatial position of the drone.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system, comprising:

the remote control equipment is used for sending a formation self-positioning instruction;

the main unmanned aerial vehicle is used for establishing wireless communication connection with the remote control equipment and receiving the formation self-positioning instruction; and

at least one slave drone for establishing a wireless communication connection with the master drone to build a formation of drones;

the master unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a first optical communication module, the first optical communication module is used for sending optical signals and condensing propagation paths of the optical signals into a preset area, each slave unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a second optical communication module, and the second optical communication module is used for receiving the optical signals from the first optical communication module; when the second optical communication module is changed from receiving the optical signal to not receiving the optical signal, the slave unmanned aerial vehicle automatically flies into a propagation area of the optical signal.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system of claim 1, wherein the remote control device comprises a first control module, a first security module, a first wireless communication module, and a first power module; the first control module is used for controlling and coordinating actions of the first safety module, the first wireless communication module and the first power supply module, and can generate corresponding control instructions according to requirements of users; the first safety module is electrically connected to the first control module and is used for encrypting and decrypting the received signal; the first wireless communication module is electrically connected to the first safety module and used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding radio signal ciphertext; the first power module is electrically connected to the first control module for providing electric energy for the remote control device in the operation process of each module.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system of claim 2, wherein the master unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a second control module, a second security module, a second wireless communication module, a third wireless communication module, a first optical communication module, a first power module, and a second power module; the second control module is used for stabilizing the flight attitude of the main unmanned aerial vehicle and controlling the main unmanned aerial vehicle to fly autonomously or semi-autonomously; the second safety module is electrically connected to the second control module and is used for encrypting and decrypting the received instruction information; the second wireless communication module is electrically connected to the second security module, is in wireless communication connection with the first wireless communication module, and is used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding radio signal ciphertext; the third wireless communication module is electrically connected to the second security module and is used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding radio signal ciphertext; the first optical communication module is electrically connected to the second safety module and used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding optical signal ciphertext; the first power module is electrically connected to the second control module and drives the main unmanned aerial vehicle to execute various flight actions under the control action of the second control module; the second power module is electrically connected to the second control module to be used for providing electric energy in the operation process of each module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system of claim 3, wherein the slave unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a third control module, a third safety module, a fourth wireless communication module, a second optical communication module, a second power module, a second acquisition module, and a third power module; the third control module is used for stabilizing the flight attitude of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle and controlling the slave unmanned aerial vehicle to autonomously or semi-autonomously fly; the third safety module is electrically connected with the third control module and is used for encrypting and decrypting the received instruction information; the fourth wireless communication module is electrically connected to the third security module, is in wireless communication connection with the third wireless communication module, and is used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding radio signal ciphertext; the second optical communication module is electrically connected to the third security module, performs optical communication with the first optical communication module, and is used for receiving and transmitting a corresponding optical signal ciphertext; the second power module is electrically connected to the third control module and drives the slave unmanned aerial vehicle to execute various flight actions under the control action of the third control module; the third power module is electrically connected to the third control module for providing the electric energy in the operation process of each module of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system of claim 4, wherein the first optical communication module comprises a first modulation module, a first driving module, and a first optical transmission module; the first modulation module, the first driving module and the first light emitting module jointly form an optical signal emitting assembly; the first modulation module is used for coding the digital signal generated by the second control module and transmitting the coded signal to the first driving module; the first driving module is electrically connected between the first modulation module and the first light emitting module and drives the first light emitting module to emit corresponding optical signals according to the coded signals;

the first light emitting module comprises a light emitting source and a light adjusting piece, and the light emitting source emits corresponding light signals under the driving action of the first driving module; the light adjusting piece is close to the luminous source and used for condensing the propagation path of the optical signal to a preset area;

the second optical communication module comprises a second optical receiving module, a second filtering module and a second demodulating module; the second optical receiving module, the second filtering module and the second demodulating module jointly form an optical signal receiving component; the second optical receiving module is configured to receive the optical signal sent by the first optical transmitting module and transmit the optical signal to the second filtering module, and the second filtering module is electrically connected between the second optical receiving module and the second demodulating module, and is configured to perform filtering processing on the received optical signal and transmit the filtered optical signal to the second demodulating module; the second demodulation module is used for demodulating the received optical signal and transmitting the demodulated signal to the third control module.

6. A positioning method for the unmanned aerial vehicle formation self-positioning system according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the positioning method comprises:

a remote control device controls a master unmanned aerial vehicle through wireless communication, and the master unmanned aerial vehicle and at least one slave unmanned aerial vehicle jointly form an unmanned aerial vehicle formation through wireless communication;

the remote control equipment sends a formation self-positioning instruction to the main unmanned aerial vehicle;

the main unmanned aerial vehicle receives the formation self-positioning instruction and sends an optical signal through a first optical communication module;

the at least one slave unmanned aerial vehicle receives the optical signals through the second optical communication module and feeds the optical signals back to the master unmanned aerial vehicle through wireless communication;

the first optical communication module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle gradually condenses the propagation path of the optical signal;

when a second optical communication module of a slave unmanned aerial vehicle changes from receiving the optical signal to not receiving the optical signal, the slave unmanned aerial vehicle instantly flies into a propagation area of the optical signal; and

the first optical communication module of the master unmanned aerial vehicle gradually condenses the propagation paths of the optical signals into a preset area, and then at least one slave unmanned aerial vehicle is positioned in the preset area.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the remote control device controls a master drone through wireless communication, and the master drone jointly constructs a formation of drones with at least one slave drone through wireless communication specifically comprises:

a first control module of the remote control equipment generates first instruction information, a first safety module of the remote control equipment encrypts the first instruction information, and a first wireless communication module of the remote control equipment receives a first instruction information ciphertext from the first safety module and sends the first instruction information ciphertext; the second wireless communication module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle receives the first instruction information ciphertext and sends the first instruction information ciphertext to the second safety module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle for decryption, and the second control module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle controls the main unmanned aerial vehicle to make corresponding action according to the decrypted first instruction information plaintext;

a second control module of the main unmanned aerial vehicle generates second instruction information, the second safety module encrypts the second instruction information, and a third wireless communication module receives a second instruction information ciphertext from the second safety module and sends the second instruction information ciphertext; and each slave unmanned aerial vehicle receives the second command information ciphertext and sends the second command information ciphertext to the third safety module of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle for decryption, and the third control module of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle controls the slave unmanned aerial vehicle to make corresponding action according to the decrypted second command information plaintext.

8. The positioning method according to claim 6, wherein the receiving, by the master drone, the formation self-positioning instruction and sending out the optical signal through the first optical communication module specifically includes:

a second control module of the master unmanned aerial vehicle generates corresponding digital signals after receiving the formation self-positioning instruction, and a first modulation module of the first optical communication module encodes the digital signals generated by the second control module and transmits the encoded signals to a first driving module of the first optical communication module; the first driving module drives the first light emitting module of the first optical communication module to emit corresponding optical signals according to the coded signals.

9. The positioning method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one slave drone respectively receiving the optical signal through a second optical communication module and feeding back to the master drone via wireless communication specifically comprises:

a second optical receiving module of the second optical communication module receives the optical signal sent by the first optical transmitting module and transmits the optical signal to a second filtering module of the second optical communication module, and the second filtering module performs filtering processing on the received optical signal and transmits the filtered optical signal to a second demodulating module of the second optical communication module; the second demodulation module demodulates the received optical signal and transmits the demodulated signal to the third control module of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle, and the third control module feeds back the result of the received optical signal to the master unmanned aerial vehicle through the fourth wireless communication module of the slave unmanned aerial vehicle.

10. The positioning method according to claim 6, wherein the gradually condensing the propagation path of the optical signal by the first optical communication module of the master drone specifically includes:

the first optical communication module performs condensation on the transmitted optical signal through a light modulation piece; and driving a light source and the dimming part to move oppositely, gradually shielding light signals emitted by the light source to the periphery by the dimming part, and driving the light source and the dimming part to move oppositely for a distance b at preset intervals of t seconds until the light signals emitted by the light source are condensed on a preset plane or straight line.

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