KR20140137826A - Ground Control standard working system of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a standard operating system for a ground control of a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), the system including: a plurality of UAVs having various observation equipment and avionics equipment mounted thereon and individual IDs for each flight vehicle to fly by a remote control of a ground pilot after a security authentication; and a ground control system to authenticate the individual ID provided in the UAVs through a wireless communication, and simultaneously control a flight of various types of the UAVs by a network from the ground. According to the present invention, by standardizing the ground control system, which controls the flight of the UAV, as a technology reference for a common operating environment, because the flight of various types of the UAVs can be controlled by a single ground control system, ground operators can easily operate various UAVs even by being trained in only a single system thereby maximizing the operating compatibility of the UAV.

Description

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

The present invention relates to a ground control standard operation system for UAV,

This paper deals with a ground control standard operation system of UAV that maximizes the compatibility of operation of UAV by standardizing the ground control system that controls the UAV to be a technical standard for common operation environment.

Generally, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a type of aircraft that performs a flight mission by transmitting a flight control command over the air from a ground without a pilot. In addition to being able to carry out missions safely without loss of pilots when operating for military purposes, such "UWS" is also called "Sensor" in the Network Centric Warfare (NCW) And the weapon system that can simultaneously perform the surveillance and reconnaissance missions as the "Shooter", and its value and utilization are highly evaluated. It has proved its effectiveness through recent Afghanistan and Iraq war, and the role of UAV, which was previously limited to reconnaissance missions, can perform various military purposes such as precision ground attack, air combat, telecommunications relay and electronic warfare It is expected that the role will continue to expand. At present, it is not activated due to airspace and safety issues, but it is expected that Utilization of UAV will be developed variously in various private fields such as forest fire and coastal surveillance, traffic control, and logistics in the future. Therefore, it is predicted that a large number of UAVs will be used for various purposes in the future. In order to operate such unmanned aircraft, an operational environment must be provided for the pilots on the ground to carry out flight missions. Such a system is called an operation system.

Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional unmanned aerial vehicle system as described above includes a UAV 70, which is equipped with a variety of observation equipment and avionics equipment inside a body, and which is operated by remote control of a ground pilot;

And a ground control system (hereinafter referred to as GCS) for transmitting and controlling flight information such as flight attitude to the UAV 70 by wireless communication and receiving and displaying flight information from the UAV 70 do.

The GCS 71 of the UAV 72 processes the corresponding flight control command signal so that the UAV can receive the flight control command while watching the GCS 71, 70). The UAV 70 receives the flight control command of the GCS 71 and performs the flight function and transmits the flight information such as the flight attitude to the GCS 71 via the wireless communication, Not shown). Then, the ground pilot controls the flight of the UAV 70 remotely while watching the flight information of the UAV 70 displayed on the display of the GCS 71.

However, since the conventional unmanned aerial vehicle system as described above is a "Stovepipe" type system in which only one UAV is operated in one GCS, the GCS should be revised or newly developed every time a new technology is introduced into the UAV, Therefore, a large number of pilots are required to operate different GCSs or have to train for a long time, thus significantly reducing the maneuverability of the UAV. Also, for a non-interoperable UAV system, Therefore, there has been a problem that the flight for unmanned aerial operation also increases considerably.

Accordingly, the conventional unmanned aerial vehicle system as described above requires a common operating environment that promotes the development and introduction of various types of unmanned aerial vehicles, and interoperates with various types of aircraft. In order to develop the common operating environment, standardized technologies and interfaces need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a ground control system for flight control of UAVs standardized as a technical standard for a common operating environment, And to provide a ground control standard operating system of the UAV that can control the flight.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a ground control standard operation system for an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of easily controlling a new type of UAV by utilizing the existing ground control system as it is through a common operating environment even though various types of UAVs are newly developed .

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a navigation system including a plurality of observers and a plurality of observers, each of which is equipped with various observation equipment and avionics equipment inside a body, ;

And a ground control system for simultaneously authenticating a plurality of UAVs having various models from the ground to a network based on the IDs of the plurality of UAVs by wireless communication, .

According to the present invention, since the ground control system that controls the flight control of the UAV can be standardized as the technical standard for the common operating environment, it is possible to control the UAVs of various types with the single ground control system, By training on the system, it is possible to easily operate various UAVs, thereby maximizing the operation compatibility of UAVs.

Even if various types of UAVs are newly developed, the present invention can easily control the UAVs of new models by utilizing the existing ground control system through the common operating environment, It can reduce the development cost and the time-to-market in response to the market demand by preventing duplication of investment in Utilization system and concentrating its ability to develop the technology necessary for introducing new technology. It is easy to realize the effect.

1 is an explanatory view for explaining an example of a conventional UAV system;
2 is an explanatory view for explaining an example of a ground control standard operating system of a UAV according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a STANAG 4586 message format to which the present invention is applied; FIG.
4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a data structure of an ID to which the present invention is applied;
5 is an explanatory view for explaining an interlocking concept between a VSM and a CUCS according to the present invention;
6 is an explanatory view for explaining an operation example of a UAV system according to the present invention;
7 is an explanatory view for explaining the structure of a GCS according to the present invention;
8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an interface of a VSM according to the present invention;
FIG. 9 (ab) is an explanatory view for explaining a screen display example of the CUCS according to the present invention. FIG.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a UAV control system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments of the UAV's ground control standard operating system according to the present invention described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments disclosed herein are provided so that the disclosure can be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification. It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified in the specification. The term " comprises " And / or "comprising" does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements, steps, operations, and / or elements.

Example

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view schematically illustrating an embodiment of a ground control standard operation system according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a STANAG 4586 message format to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view for explaining the interlocking concept between the VSM and the CUCS according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a view for explaining an operation example of the UAV system according to the present invention FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the interface of the VSM according to the present invention, and FIG. 9 (ab) is a diagram for explaining the structure of the CCS according to the present invention. Fig.

Referring to FIG. 2, the UAV ground handling standard operating system according to the embodiment of the present invention is equipped with various observation equipment and avionics equipment inside the body, has a separate ID for each flight, A plurality of unmanned aircrafts (1a-n) flying by remote control of a pilot;

A ground control system for simultaneously authenticating a plurality of unmanned aircrafts (1a-n) having various models from the ground to a network based on authentication of individual IDs provided in the plurality of unmanned aircrafts (1a-n) (2: Ground Control System: hereinafter referred to as GCS).

The GCS 2 includes a plurality of or a single GOT (Ground Data Terminal) 3 for performing wireless data communication with a plurality of UAVs 1a-n;

After authenticating the individual IDs provided in the plurality of the UAVs 1a through 1n via the GOT 3, only the UAVs 1a-n of the type corresponding to the set individual IDs are independently controlled by the function A plurality of Vehicle Specific Modules (VSMs) 4;

A plurality of ground pilots can perform a plurality of CUCSs that individually control the flight control by selecting the UAVs 1a-n of a model having an individual ID desired for flight control with the VSM 4 through individual IDs, (Core UAV Control System: 5).

Also, between the VSM 4 and the CUCS 5, there is a UDP / IP network-based many to many condition or communication ground control interworking structure based on the STANAG 4586 standard. At this time, the multi-level ground control interworking structure has a multi-node identification and interworking structure by applying the STANAG 4586 protocol (Data Link I / F (DLI: Datalink Interface)) and the STANAG 4586 unique ID.

Herein, the STANAG 4586 standard is a standard ICD for UAV operation standardized in order to secure UAV interoperability at the time of the union mission among NATO member countries as the document name is "Standard Interfaces of UAV Control System (UCS) for NATO UAV Interoperability & Interface Control Document. In addition, the CUCS (5) includes a task computer for mission pilot city computer, flight control computer, image control computer, and the like, which provides a GUI operating environment to a ground pilot and a mission operator. As shown in FIG.

In addition, the VSM 4 is a core component for supporting the concept of interoperability presented by STANAG 4586, and has a function for accommodating the characteristics of different suppliers or models so that the CUCS 5 can provide It plays a role of giving independence. Particularly, the VSM 4 as described above is capable of real-time control and management of an aircraft (performing functions such as control device input processing and real-time control command generation required for manned maneuvering), protocol conversion function (operating a specific UAV having a unique ICD protocol The STANAG 4586 message is transformed into the corresponding protocol message and the inverse transformation is carried out. In addition, the unit conversion of the data element is included as required. This is particularly effective for the backward compatibility of existing unmanned assets, (To provide interoperability by providing various functions), multi-type UAV support function (function to support different characteristics according to UAV type, including functions for supporting the characteristics of loading mission equipment, And a function to reflect the model characteristics. Through this, (Which can provide forward compatibility to the extensibility and CUCS to control many types of UAVs introduced), interworking with data link equipment (for controlling the data link equipment performing wireless communication to operate UAVs) Interface function),

In addition, a protocol for operating a UAV and a DLI (Datalink Interface) defining a common standard message and a data element are used between the VSM 4 and the CUCS 5. The CUCS 5 also uses a command and control interface (CCI) that provides a function to be integrated as a C4I network node for the interface between the CUCS 5 and the external C4I system 6. The CUCS (5) is an interface between the CUCS and the GCS operator and specifies the basic requirements for the UI configuration, thereby using the HCI (Human Control Interface) which defines the basic requirements for providing compatibility between the STANAG 4586-based CUCSs do.

The VSM 4 is a functional module for allowing the CUCS 5 to have independence with respect to the UAV. To provide this independence, only the common standard message defined in the standard between the CUCS 5 and the VSM 4 , The VSM 4 simultaneously provides a function of processing a private message defined for a corresponding UAV having an individual ID set in addition to the common standard message defined in STANAG 4586. [

Here, the message structure of a STANAG 4586 based there, and define the messages and data elements required for UAV operations, the two separated by a side common standard message to support a common control in the UAV model (Common Standard related to UAV operations Message) and a private message to support control functions for each model type. Here, the private message is allocated only a range of message numbers in a standard document, and actual messages are individually defined and used in order to support different functions for each model. For example, the message according to the present invention defines 79 common standard messages in the case of Edition 2.5, and up to 400 private messages can be defined and used. The common standard message also includes functions such as identification and connection establishment between the CUCS 5 and the VSM 4, flight control and status, mission equipment control and status, data link control and status, mission planning messages, It contains messages for implementation and corresponding data elements.

Meanwhile, the message format of STANAG 4586 applied to the present invention defines the interworking interface between the CUCS 5 and the VSM 4 as interworking by the UDP network, as shown in FIG. 3, and in particular, by the UDP multicast It is defined to be able to operate many times between CUCS (5) and VSM (4) through most connectivity. At this time, each of the CUCS 5, the VSM 4, and the UAV 1-n has a 4-byte unique ID so that each node can be identified, Also included in the Message Data.

In addition, two interfaces are realized between the CUCS 5 and the VSM 4, namely, a generic interface and a vehicle specific interface. The Generic Interface is an interface for transmitting and processing a common standard message over a UDP network, and the Vehicle Specific Interface is an interface for processing Vehicle Specific Information supporting characteristics suitable for a UAV. At this time, even if the CUCS 5 has independence from the UAV, even if the UAV is changed, the Vehicle Specific Interface itself needs to be independent from the CUCS 5 in order for the CUCS 5 to operate in common. Accordingly, the operator can inquire the vehicle specific data on the VSM 4 screen provided by the VSM 4 through the CUCS 5, and deliver the command to the VSM 4 as required by the operator.

Further, the VSM 4 can reconfigure the range of data displayed in the CUCS 5 screen to match the characteristics supported by the UAV by using a message included in the General Configuration Message group among the messages of the STANAG 4586 have. For example, the range of altitude or speed with which an unmanned aerial vehicle can fly can be different depending on the UAV type and grade, and CUCS (5) It is possible to reset the display of the UI optimized for each model by setting the range of the data elements displayed to the operator using the UAV characteristic information provided by the UAV 4.

The STANAG 4586 standard of the VSM 4 also provides standard messages for control and monitoring of mission-mounted devices such as EO / IR, SAR, Data Recorder, IFF, and Weapon. In order to reflect the unique characteristics of the equipment, a private message may be defined and used. However, it is possible to support a variety of mission-type UAV by providing a message reflecting the elements common to each mission equipment.

6, the GCS 2 can be tested and operated in conjunction with the UIL (Integrated Hardware Test System) / ITS (Integrated Test System) system as well as the UAV 1a-n. .

7, a VSM computer 7, an LCD monitor 8, a HILS 9 and an ITS 10 interworking port are connected to the VSM 4, as shown in FIG. 7, A ground communication device and a video encoder 11 are provided in the CUCS 5 and a plurality of monitors 12a-b and a CUCS computer 13 are provided in the CUCS 5. The operator panel 14 is provided with an external manipulator 15 A serial server 16 and an operation panel 17 are provided, and each of the components 4 to 17 is constituted by a UDP / IP network. Here, the GCS (2) has an Ethernet connection port and can be interworked with an external IP network.

8, the VSM 4 implements a UDP interface for processing a common standard message between the CUCS 5 and the VSM 4 in order to realize the independence between the CUCS and the VSM, 7) by configuring the web server in CUCS (5) to interoperate with VSM application through web browsing, so that the operator can view the UAV characteristics stored in the VSM (4) through the VSM screen (Vehicle Specific View) And status, and can issue commands. In this structure, the information and commands shown on the VSM screen are data and functions built in the VSM computer 7, so that when the UAV performance is improved or the model is changed, the VSM 4 is upgraded without modifying the CUCS 5 It can support UAV of the model.

In addition, the CUCS 5 provides a UI screen for providing a common operating environment to the ground operator as shown in (ab) of FIG. 9, implements a screen design considering the HCI requirements of STANAG 4586, The mission functions of the city, the flight control, and the image control are integrated into a single software, and each function is implemented as an independent plug-in module in the individual operation screen. In particular, since the operating screens of the CUCS 5 are implemented in a form of a dockable panel, the screen can be reconfigured and stored and managed according to the convenience of use, thereby enhancing the recyclability of the common software and providing ease of operation have.

Next, the operation and effect of the system of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described.

The system of the present invention is configured such that an operator on the ground first sets the UAV 1a-n having the individual ID via the operation panel 17 of the operator panel 14 or the external manipulator 15, The flight control command signal is input to the CUCS computer 13 of the CUCS 5 via the UDP / IP network via the serial server 16. The CUCS computer 13 of the CUCS 5 then transmits the individual ID of the set UAV 1a-n to the VSM computer 7 of the VSM 4 via the UDP / IP network in the communication message. Accordingly, the VSM computer 7 of the VSM 4 analyzes and processes the communication message including the individual ID of the UAVs 1a-n and the flight control command signal from the CUCS 5, A flight control command signal including an individual ID and a flight control command signal, such as flight status, flight status, mission equipment status, communication equipment status, image data, flight control commands, mission planning commands, mission equipment control commands, And the like are wirelessly transmitted to the UAV 1a-n set to the corresponding individual ID via the GDT 3, and the response data is received.

Then, the VSM computer 7 of the VSM 4 analyzes the received response data, converts the response data into a communication message, and transmits the communication message to the CUCS computer 13 of the CUCS 5 through the UDP / IP network do. At this time, the VSM computer 7 of the VSM 4 encodes video data through the video encoder 11 when the video data is required to be encoded.

Meanwhile, the CUCS computer 13 of the CUCS 5 receives the image received from the UAV / IP network set up with the individual ID received as a message through the UDP / IP network from the VSM computer 7 of the VSM 4, And state information data, and then displays the image information and the state information on the screen of the monitor 12a-b as shown in (ab) of FIG. Accordingly, the operator located on the operator panel 14 performs the manipulation while viewing the image and status information of the UAV 1a-n displayed on the monitor 12a-b of the CUCS 5. [

8, the VSM 4 implements a UDP interface for processing a common standard message between the CUCS 5 and the VSM 4 to implement the independence between the CUCS and the VSM, 7) and configure the web server to interact with the VSM application through web browsing in CUCS (5). Accordingly, the operator can confirm the UAV characteristic information and state stored in the VSM 4 through the VSM screen of the CUCS software, and can apply the command. Therefore, since the information and commands shown in the VSM screen of the CUCS 5 as described above are data and functions built in the VSM computer 7, the VSM 4 can be upgraded without modification of the CUCS (5) , It can support many kinds of UAV.

According to the system of the present invention as described above, when a variety of UAVs are developed and operated for the military purpose and the civilian field, a common operating environment is formed for the integrated and effective operation of the UAVs, It is possible to operate various UAVs with ease by training alone, and it is also possible to recycle existing common operating resources in terms of product development. Therefore, it is possible to prevent duplication of investment and concentrate competence in technology development for introducing new technology. It will be able to realize a time-to-market that meets the demand. In particular, according to the system of the present invention, standardization of technical standards for a common operating environment is ensured so that compatibility between developers can be ensured, technology development through competition can be promoted, and industry can be expected to be activated.

1a-n: UAV 2: GCS
3: GOT 4: VSM
5: CUCS 6: External C4I system
7: VSM computer 8: LCD monitor
9: HILS 10: ITS
11: Video encoder 12a-b: Monitor
13: CUCS computer 14: Operator panel
15: External controller 16: Serial server
17: Operation panel

Claims (11)

A plurality of UAVs mounted with various observation equipment and avionics equipment inside the body and equipped with a separate ID for each flight vehicle and flying by remote control of the ground pilots after security authentication;
And a ground control system for simultaneously authenticating a plurality of UAVs having different models from the ground to a network based on the IDs of the plurality of UAVs by wireless communication, . The method according to claim 1,
The ground control system includes a plurality of or a single GOT (Ground Data Terminal) for performing wireless data communication with a plurality of UAVs;
A plurality of Vehicle Specific Modules (VSMs) independently controlling the functions of the UAVs of the type corresponding to the individual IDs set after security authentication of the individual IDs provided in the plurality of UAVs via the GOT;
A plurality of CUCS (Core UAV Control System) for selecting a plurality of ground pilots to independently perform flight control by selecting a UAV of a model having an individual ID (ID) desiring flight control with the VSM through an individual ID And a control unit for controlling the operation of the UAV. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the VSM and CUCS have UDP / IP network based multi-terrestrial control interworking structure based on the UAV control standard (STANAG 4586). The method according to claim 1,
The VSM uses the common standard message defined in the CUCS and the standard, but has the function of processing the private message defined for the corresponding UAV having the individual ID set in addition to the common standard message defined in the UAV (STANAG 4586) And a control unit for controlling the operation of the UAV. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the common standard message implements functions such as identification and connection establishment between CUCS and VSM, flight control and status, mission equipment control and status, data link control and status, mission planning message, And a data element of the UAV. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the CUCS, the VSM, and the UAV have a unique ID of 4 bytes so as to identify each node, and the ID is included in the common standard message. The method according to claim 1,
And a generic interface and a vehicle specific interface are implemented between the CUCS and the VSM. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the Generic Interface is an interface for transmitting and processing a common standard message over a UDP network and the Vehicle Specific Interface is an interface for processing Vehicle Specific Information supporting characteristics corresponding to the UAV type, Operating system. The method according to claim 1,
The VSM reconfigures the range of data displayed in the CUCS screen to match the characteristics supported by the UAV by using a message included in the General Configuration Message group among the messages of the UAV (STANAG 4586) Ground control standard operating system. The method according to claim 1,
The GCS is configured to be tested and operated in conjunction with the HILS and ITS systems of the ground test equipment. The method according to claim 1,
The VSM implements a UDP interface for processing a common standard message between the CUCS and the VSM in order to realize the independence of the CUCS, and configures a web server in the VSM computer so that the VSM interacts with the VSM application through web browsing in the CUCS Unmanned ground control standard operation system.

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