JP6659778B2 - How to plan a flight path for an unmanned aerial vehicle using bird flight routes - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method of planning a flight path, and more particularly, to using a racing pigeon flying with a recording device, and calculating an optimal flight path by using data related to the obtained flight path. A method for planning and inputting an optimal flight path to a UAV such that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flies according to the optimal flight path.

Recently, UAVs have become increasingly popular. The high mobility of UAVs is an important point that makes UAVs widely acceptable.
For example, in the case of aerial photogrammetry, UAVs equipped with cameras or video recorders may have access to monitor natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods or landslides in order to obtain sufficiently accurate information. You can fly to where you want, or to urban areas to get an overview of traffic, road structure inspections, and public facilities structures. In addition, taking aerial photographs of the area in a wide-ranging manner can help identify local trends that are useful in making policy decisions.

  In another example, a UAV can be used to ship goods. UAVs used to deliver goods can fly directly to designated destinations to avoid traffic congestion and deliver without stoppages due to traffic and stop signals, thereby resulting in a particularly long flight. Provides a time-saving means for delivering goods by distance delivery.

Existing flight path planning for UAVs preferably takes place in open airspace where it is rare for obstacles to stand in the flight path of the UAV, resulting in the problem of colliding with obstacles during flight. Can be prevented. However, when using a UAV in a metropolitan area full of tall buildings, avoiding obstacles and the effect of wind on the tall buildings is a problem for the UAV.
UAVs still open to other obstacles, such as high-voltage towers, wires and cables, utility poles, signs, etc., in open airspace, despite uninterrupted traffic congestion and traffic lights There is.
If colliding with any of the obstacles, the UAV may break down and crash, causing falling parts or debris to hit pedestrians or other objects on the ground and damage human life or property. In some cases.

In order to avoid obstacles during the flight, the user typically controls the UAV manually. When the UAV encounters an obstacle, the user can control and turn the UAV to avoid an object by operating a controller such as a rocker stick. A constraint of such control means is that the distance is limited with respect to the connectivity between the UAV and the controller. The UAV collides with an obstacle when it is located beyond the limit distance because it cannot fly any more continuously or cannot recognize the obstacle.
Considering the continuous control of the UAV, the user must be located within the maximum connection range with the UAV. In other words, the criteria for the user to continue moving based on the movement of the UAV, which is inconvenient for the user, must be satisfied. On the one hand, the line of sight between the user and the UAV must be met. Assuming that the line of sight between the UAV and the user is maintained, the user still cannot determine the direction of flight of the UAV, even if the UAV is located within a controllable range.

A second way to avoid obstacles is to fly directly to the space above the tall building after the UAV departs, so that the UAV flies along a straight line to the space above the destination. And then descend vertically, effectively avoiding obstacles located between buildings.
However, if the average height of the building is high, it is natural that the height at which the UAV rises vertically will increase as well, and not only will it take more energy to fly to the destination, It takes a lot of time. On the other hand, UAVs that encounter unstable airflow in high altitude environments are prone to crashes.

  A third method of UAV flight path planning involves all kinds of environments, such as infrared (IR) sensors, ultrasonic sensors, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, light detection and ranging), and / or camera lenses. To install the sensor on the UAV and execute the obstacle avoidance algorithm. However, such methods are less efficient as far as cruising radius and flight path planning are concerned.

  An object of the present invention is to record a flight trajectory of a racing pigeon between two places by employing a plurality of recording devices respectively installed in a plurality of racing pigeons, and to use the analyzing device to be most effective. Identify an unobstructed flight path, enter the flight path into the UAV, and use a bird flight route to effectively and safely fly an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) between the two locations, UAV The purpose of the present invention is to provide a flight path planning method.

  To achieve the foregoing object, a method of UAV flight path planning using a bird flight route is a step of recording a plurality of flight data, wherein a plurality of recording devices are used to perform a first method. When a bird flies from a designated point to a second designated point, a plurality of flight data are recorded, and a plurality of recording devices are installed in each of the bird and a step of generating an optimal flight path. Accordingly, the analyzing device includes a step of collecting a plurality of flight data and calculating an optimal flight path, and a step of controlling the UAV so as to fly according to the optimal flight path input to the UAV.

  The present invention employs the animal instinct of a racing dove that automatically avoids obstacles during flight and creates multiple flight trajectories between two locations, one of which is the best fit for UAV flight paths. Selected flight trajectory. To be the most suitable flight trajectory, the flight distance or time should be minimal. Thus, not only can UAVs fly without having to worry about colliding with obstacles, but they can also achieve the goal of reaching destinations quickly, saving time and the cost of energy expended.

  Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

5 is a flow diagram of a method of UAV flight path planning using a bird flight route according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of an apparatus that performs the method of FIG. 1. 1 is a schematic diagram of a flight trajectory according to the present invention. 4 is a table of first flight data related to the flight trajectory in FIG. 3. It is a table of the remaining 1st flight data. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged schematic view of FIG. 3 having a flight trajectory. FIG. 4B is a trend chart of the first flight data of FIGS. 4A and 4B. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first flight path, a second flight path, and a third flight path superimposed on each other according to the present invention. FIG. 7B is a partially enlarged schematic view of FIG. 7A. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a fourth flight path according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged schematic view of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a table of second flight data related to the fourth flight path in FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 11 is a trend chart of the second flight data of FIG. 10.

  Please refer to FIG. A method of planning a flight path of an unmanned aerial vehicle using a bird flight route according to the present invention includes the following steps.

Step S101: Record a plurality of flight data.
At the same time, please refer to FIG. First, a plurality of recording devices 10 are installed on a plurality of birds, which may be racing pigeons. As an example, in the case of a racing pigeon, a plurality of racing pigeons are released from a first designated point, and a second designated point is defined in advance as a destination. In one embodiment, each recording device 10 is an electronic ankle and may be 2 seconds or 5 seconds, or may have a fixed time period pre-configured therein that can be adjusted based on user requirements. Good.
During the flight of the racing pigeon, the recording device records one flight data once every fixed time period for the generation of multiple flight data, and these flight data are stored at the current position, the latitude of the racing pigeon, Record longitude, altitude, UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, Coordinated Universal Time), flight direction, and flight speed.

Step S102: Generate an optimal flight path.
An optimal flight path is generated as follows.

Step S211: Generate a plurality of flight trajectories.
As an example, in the case of one racing pigeon, the racing pigeon wears one recording device 10 and flies from the first designated point to the second designated point. During the flight of the racing pigeon, the recording device 10 records one flight data every fixed time period at the data recording point, and outputs the flight data to the analysis device 20.
The analysis device 20 connects all data recording points, groups all flight data, and generates a flight trajectory. If a plurality of racing pigeons wear their respective recording devices 10, the analysis device 20 can generate at least one flight trajectory from each flight data.

Step S212: An optimum one of a plurality of flight trajectories is selected as the optimum flight path.
In the present embodiment, the analysis device 20 selects one of the flight trajectories of the racing pigeon with the shortest flight time as the optimum flight path. Alternatively, the analyzer 20 selects one of the flight trajectories of the racing pigeon with the shortest flight distance as the optimal flight path.

  Another method of establishing at least one optimal flight path is described below.

Step S221: Obtain a plurality of optimum flight data.
The analysis device 20 calculates the shortest distance flight data from the plurality of flight data recorded by the recording device at a plurality of data recording points between a first designated point and a second designated point. Select as optimal flight data .

Step S222: Obtain an optimal flight path.
A plurality of optimal flight data are grouped to form an optimal flight path.

Step S103: The UAV 30 is controlled according to the optimal flight path.
The optimal flight path is obtained from step S102, and the optimal flight path is input into the UAV 30 so that the UAV 30 flies between the first designated point and the second designated point according to the optimal flight path.

FIG. 3 shows an actual flight trajectory in which a racing dove flies from the first designated point SP to the second designated point FP under a situation where the flight distance is wide. The fixed time period is preset to 15 seconds before the departure of the racing pigeon.
Referring to FIG. As shown in the flight data, when the racing pigeon wearing the recording device 10 flies to the first data recording point DP1, the recording device 10 transmits the first flight data DATA1 at the first data recording point DP1. And the recording time and altitude of the first flight data DATA1 are 6'59 "09 and 9 meters, respectively. After 15 seconds, the racing dove flies to the second data recording point DP2. The device 10 records the second flight data DATA2 at the second data recording point DP2, and the recording time and altitude of the second flight data DATA2 are 6'59 "24 and 8 meters, respectively. As indicated by the first recording data DATA1 and the second recording data DATA2, the racing pigeon is not flying.

Please refer to FIG. 4B and FIG. When the racing pigeon flies to the 29th data recording point DP29, the recording device 10 also records the 29th flight data at the 29th data recording point DP29. The recording time, distance from starting point, altitude, and speed associated with the 29th data recording point DP29 are 42'26, 18.97 kilometers, 42 meters, and 734.41 meters / minute, respectively.
When the racing pigeon flies to the 30th data recording point DP30, the recording device 10 also records the 30th flight data at the 30th data recording point DP30. The recording time, distance from starting point, altitude, and speed associated with the thirtieth data recording point DP30 are 45'26, 23.23 kilometers, 53 meters, and 1419.62 meters / minute, respectively. As described above, to record all data recording points from the first designated point SP, the analysis equipment 20 groups the data related to all data recording points and creates a first flight trajectory. TRACK1 can be configured.

  Please refer to FIG. After analyzing all flight data related to all data recording points in the first flight trajectory TRACK1, the analysis device 20 outputs a first flight speed curve 31 and a first flight altitude curve 32, and outputs a plurality of flight speed curves 31 and 32. Calculate high-level data. Each high level data includes an average flight speed, a maximum flight speed per hour, an average flight altitude, and the like.

Please refer to FIG. 7A. The analysis device 20 groups a plurality of flight data recorded by the recording device 10 worn by different racing pigeons, respectively, and generates a plurality of flight trajectories, respectively. In the present embodiment, there are three flight trajectories, that is, a first flight trajectory TRACK1, a second flight trajectory TRACK2, and a third flight trajectory TRACK3.
Referring to FIG. 7B. After the first flight trajectory TRACK1, the second flight trajectory TRACK2 and the third flight trajectory TRACK3 are superimposed on each other, so that it can be confirmed that all the flight trajectories TRACK1, TRACK2, and TRACK3 differ by a certain range. The flight trajectory with the shortest flight distance is interpreted as the optimal flight path. Therefore, in the present embodiment, since the first flight trajectory TRACK1 has the shortest flight distance, all the flight data related to the first flight trajectory TRACK1 is input to the UAV so that the UAV flies according to the optimum flight path. .

If the flight distance covers a short range, reference is made to FIGS. Each racing pigeon wearing the recording device 10 flies from the first designated point SP to the second designated point FP in the city, and the recording device 10 outputs the flight data at each data recording point. For example, the 55th flight data DATA55 is recorded at the 55th data recording point DP55.
Please refer to FIG. 10 and FIG. After analyzing and collecting the flight data at each data recording point, the analysis device 20 outputs a plurality of second flight data to the trend chart. The trend chart includes a second flight altitude curve 41 and a second flight speed curve 42 associated with a plurality of second flight data.

Due to the feature that the racing pigeons automatically avoid obstacles during the flight, a number of racing pigeons wearing the recording device 10 will be able to reach the first designated point SP in order to obtain an optimal flight path. From the second designated point FP. As a result, the optimal flight path can be entered into the UAV such that the UAV flies according to the optimal flight path, not only significantly reducing the possibility of colliding with obstacles during the flight, but also reducing the flight time and flight distance. Shorter time saves time and energy consumption costs.
Considering flying in the concrete jungle, assuming that the UAV needs to fly from the second floor of a building in one urban area to the eleventh floor of another building, only three blocks away, The ability to avoid obstacles becomes very important, and it is beneficial to apply the method of UAV flight path planning using bird flight routes according to the present invention in an urban area full of obstacles. is there.

In addition, many racing pigeons wearing each recording device 10 can fly between two different points in the area. Since racing pigeons usually fly in safe, unobstructed airspace, these data recording points recorded by recorder 10 are also locations where UAVs can fly, and these data recording points are grouped together. To create an unobstructed airspace within the area, including all data recording points that all racing pigeons can safely reach.
When the UAV needs to fly from the first designated point SP to the second designated point FP, the first designated point SP and the second designated point SP are Carefully select all data recording points that form the shortest path between the designated points FP, and then ensure that the UAV flies safely and quickly from the first designated point SP to the second designated point FP. Enter these data recording points into the UAV to ensure that the UAV is not damaged by colliding with obstacles during the flight.

  In addition, due to the high efficiency and low cost of collecting data related to bird flight paths, timely updating flight path planning and safe airspace based on seasonal and environmental changes , The flight safety and performance of the UAV, and the effect of economic energy can be achieved.

  Even though numerous features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. To the fullest extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms expressed in the following claims, within the principles of the invention, particular modifications have been made to the shapes, sizes, and arrangements of the parts. Is also good.

Reference Signs List 10 recording equipment 20 analysis equipment 30 UAV
31 first flight speed curve 32 first flight altitude curve 41 second flight altitude curve 42 second flight speed curve SP first specified point FP second specified point DP1 first data recording Point DP2 Second data recording point DP29 29th data recording point DP30 30th data recording point DP55 55th data recording point DATA1 First flight data DATA2 Second flight data DATA55 55th flight data TRACK1 First Flight trajectory TRACK2 second flight trajectory TRACK3 third flight trajectory

Claims (6)

A method of planning a flight path of a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle) using a bird flight route,
(A) recording a plurality of flight data, wherein when the bird flies from a first designated point to a second designated point using a plurality of recording devices, Recording flight data, wherein the plurality of recording devices are respectively installed on the birds;
(B) generating an optimal flight path, wherein the analyzing device collects the plurality of flight data and calculates the optimal flight path;
(C) controlling the UAV to fly according to the optimal flight path input to the UAV ;
The step (b) includes:
(B11) connecting a plurality of data recording points, grouping the plurality of flight data recorded by the recording device at the respective data recording points, and generating the plurality of flight trajectories;
(B12) selecting the flight trajectory with the shortest flight distance or the shortest flight time from the plurality of flight trajectories as the optimal flight path;
Characterized by further comprising:
Method. A method of planning a flight path of a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle) using a bird flight route,
(A) recording a plurality of flight data, wherein when the bird flies from a first designated point to a second designated point using a plurality of recording devices, Recording flight data, wherein the plurality of recording devices are respectively installed on the birds;
(B) generating an optimal flight path, wherein the analyzing device collects the plurality of flight data and calculates the optimal flight path;
(C) controlling the UAV to fly according to the optimal flight path input to the UAV;
The step (b) includes :
(B21) acquiring a plurality of optimal flight data, wherein the analysis device records the plurality of data at a plurality of data recording points between the first designated point and the second designated point; Selecting the shortest distance flight data as the optimal flight data from the plurality of flight data recorded by the device ;
(B22) obtaining the optimum flight path, further comprising: grouping the plurality of optimum flight data to form the optimum flight path .
Method. In the step (a), each of the recording devices includes, for each preset fixed time period, the current latitude, longitude, altitude, UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, Coordinated Universal Time), flight direction, and flight direction of the corresponding bird. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flight speed is recorded. The recording apparatus is characterized in that said a electronic foot wheels for birds, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The step (a) further includes a step of generating an airspace free of obstacles in an area, wherein the plurality of data recording points recorded by the recording device are positions that the bird can reach. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein Wherein said bird is a pigeon racing, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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