CN112752713A

CN112752713A - Unmanned aerial vehicle, control method, electronic equipment and battery power state management method

Info

Publication number: CN112752713A
Application number: CN202080005085.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张彩辉; 刘强
Original assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-01-13
Filing date: 2020-01-13
Publication date: 2021-05-04
Also published as: WO2021142592A1

Abstract

A method of controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle includes determining a power requirement for the unmanned aerial vehicle to perform an action (S110); determining a power output capability of the battery assembly according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameter of the battery assembly (S120); and controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to perform corresponding operation according to the power requirement of the action and the power output capacity of the battery pack (S130). A battery power state management method, an unmanned aerial vehicle, an electronic device, and a storage medium are also provided.

Description

Unmanned aerial vehicle, control method, electronic equipment and battery power state management method

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of batteries, and in particular, to an unmanned aerial vehicle, a control method, an electronic device, and a battery power state management method.

Background

Electronic devices powered by batteries generally need to rely on stable power supply from the batteries. Currently, the electronic device is generally limited to perform corresponding operations according to a fixed battery output power, for example, when the battery output power is insufficient, certain operations requiring a larger power for power supply are not performed, which may guarantee the safe and normal operation of the electronic device, but may limit the implementation of some operations, which affects the application of the electronic device and the user experience.

Disclosure of Invention

Based on this, the present specification provides an unmanned aerial vehicle and a control method, an electronic device, and a battery power state management method, aiming to match the power limit of a battery pack with the action performed by the electronic device.

In a first aspect, the present description provides a control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle that carries a battery assembly, the method comprising:

determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to attribute information of an action and the state parameter of the battery assembly;

and controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to execute corresponding operation according to the power output capacity of the battery assembly.

In a second aspect, the present specification provides a battery power state management method for an electronic device, where the electronic device is equipped with a battery pack; the method comprises the following steps:

determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the attribute information of the action in the battery assembly and the state parameter of the battery assembly;

and controlling the electronic equipment to execute corresponding operation according to the power output capability of the battery pack.

In a third aspect, the present specification provides a control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle that carries a battery assembly, the method including:

determining a power output capability of the battery assembly;

determining a payload of the UAV based on the power output capability;

and prompting a user to configure the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the loadable weight.

In a fourth aspect, the present specification provides an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of carrying a battery assembly, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a memory and a processor;

the memory is used for storing a computer program;

the processor is configured to execute the computer program and, when executing the computer program, implement the following steps:

In a fifth aspect, the present specification provides an electronic device capable of mounting a battery assembly, the electronic device comprising a memory and a processor;

the memory is used for storing a computer program;

In a sixth aspect, the present specification provides an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of carrying a battery assembly, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a memory and a processor;

the memory is used for storing a computer program;

determining a power output capability of the battery assembly;

determining a payload of the UAV based on the power output capability;

In a seventh aspect, the present specification provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the above-mentioned method.

The embodiment of the specification provides an unmanned aerial vehicle and a control method, an electronic device and a battery power state management method, wherein the power output capacity of a battery assembly is determined by the electronic device, such as attribute information of actions of the unmanned aerial vehicle and state parameters of the battery assembly, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to execute corresponding operations according to the power output capacity corresponding to the actions; when the state parameters of the battery assemblies are approximately the same, the attribute information of the actions is different, and the power output capacities of the battery assemblies are also different, so that the limitation on the action execution is more consistent with the attribute of the action, and the risk caused by the fact that the action execution is affected severely by the limitation on some actions and/or the limitation on some actions is loosened when the same power output capacity is adopted as the limitation on different actions when the state parameters of the battery assemblies are approximately the same can be avoided. The performance of the battery assembly can be fully exerted, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is supported to realize better operation performance; the operation experience can be better improved while the safety is guaranteed.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure as claimed.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present disclosure, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on the drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic flow chart of a control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of communication between a control terminal and an unmanned aerial vehicle;

FIG. 3 is a graphical illustration of power output capability versus ambient temperature and state of charge;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an equivalent circuit model of a battery assembly;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for managing a battery power state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating a method for controlling an UAV according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a movable platform provided by an embodiment of the present description;

fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present specification.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present specification without any creative effort belong to the protection scope of the present specification.

The flow diagrams depicted in the figures are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all of the elements and operations/steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the order depicted. For example, some operations/steps may be decomposed, combined or partially combined, so that the actual execution sequence may be changed according to the actual situation.

Some embodiments of the present description will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below and the features of the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic flowchart of a control method of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be applied to the unmanned aerial vehicle and is used for controlling the execution of the actions of the unmanned aerial vehicle and other processes; wherein unmanned vehicles can include rotor type unmanned aerial vehicle, for example four rotor unmanned aerial vehicle, six rotor unmanned aerial vehicle, eight rotor unmanned aerial vehicle, also can be fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle.

In some embodiments, data can be transmitted between the UAV and the control terminal over a wireless channel. The control terminal may include at least one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant, a wearable device, a remote controller, and the like.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 2, a wireless channel from the unmanned aerial vehicle to the control terminal, called a downlink channel, is used for transmitting data collected by the unmanned aerial vehicle, such as video, pictures, sensor data, and data such as status information (OSD) of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 2, a wireless channel from the control terminal to the unmanned aerial vehicle, referred to as an uplink channel, is used for transmitting remote control data; for example, the uplink channel is used for transmitting flight control commands and control commands such as photographing, video recording, return flight and the like.

Specifically, the unmanned aerial vehicle can carry a battery assembly for power supply. The battery assembly may include one or more battery cells, and may further include a battery circuit connected to the battery cells, where the battery circuit may control charging and discharging of the battery cells, and may also record factory information, usage history information, and the like of the battery assembly.

In particular, the unmanned aerial vehicle can carry task components, such as cameras for performing shooting tasks or surveying tasks, spraying devices for performing pesticide spraying tasks, and the like. The battery assembly can supply power for the unmanned aerial vehicle and can also supply power for the task assembly.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a control method of an unmanned aerial vehicle that carries a battery assembly, the method including:

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, the control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the embodiment of the present specification includes steps S110 to S130.

And S110, determining the power requirement of the unmanned aerial vehicle for executing an action.

It will be appreciated that the unmanned aerial vehicle may consume different amounts of power to perform different actions. For example, the unmanned aerial vehicle may consume different amounts of power when taking off, landing, turning around, climbing, measuring ground, spraying pesticides, and the like.

It will be appreciated that the power requirements for the unmanned aerial vehicle at takeoff vary from load to load.

For example, the power requirements of each action may be pre-stored, as shown in table 1:

TABLE 1 Power requirements for each action (W, W)

Movement of	Steering action	Turning around action	Takeoff motion (No-load)	Takeoff motion (5 kg)
					Power requirement	100	200	80	120

For example, the power requirement of each action can be determined according to information such as the load and the gear of the unmanned aerial vehicle. For example, when the payload of the unmanned aerial vehicle is larger, the power demand when performing an action is also larger.

For example, the action may be determined according to a control instruction of the control terminal, and/or the action may be determined according to a generated action instruction, and then the power requirement of the action may be determined.

For example, the control terminal can control the unmanned aerial vehicle to switch flight gears, execute maneuverable flight, steering, turning around, taking off, returning, landing and other actions, and the unmanned aerial vehicle can determine the action to be executed according to the control instruction of the control terminal.

For example, the unmanned aerial vehicle may also autonomously perform some actions, such as performing actions such as steering and turning around according to a preset route, or performing actions such as steering, turning around, returning, landing and the like when autonomously avoiding an obstacle, and the unmanned aerial vehicle may determine the action to be performed according to the generated action instruction.

And S120, determining the power output capacity of the battery pack according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameters of the battery pack.

In the embodiment Of the present invention, the Power output capability may be a State Of Power (SOP), which may also be referred to as a Power tolerance, and may represent a tolerance Of the battery assembly to a discharging Power, for example, a maximum discharging or charging Power that the battery assembly can provide within a certain time interval. For example, the power output capability of the battery assembly is 150 watts (W) under certain conditions.

To ensure the safety of the battery assembly and the performance of the unmanned aerial vehicle action, the unmanned aerial vehicle is generally permitted to perform an action when the power output capability of the battery assembly is not below the power requirement to perform the action. If an action is performed when the power output capability of the battery pack is lower than the power demand to perform the action, the unmanned aerial vehicle may cause a situation of an aircraft explosion, a flight instability and the like due to insufficient power supply.

The power output capability of a battery assembly is currently typically determined solely from its state parameters. For example, the power output capability Of a battery assembly is determined based on the ambient temperature Of the battery assembly and/or the State Of Charge (SOC) Of the battery assembly.

As shown in fig. 3, the abscissa represents the state of charge SOC of the battery assembly, which may be expressed as a percentage of the remaining capacity to the total capacity; the ordinate represents the power output capacity SOP of the battery pack, and four curves from top to bottom represent the power output capacity SOP versus the state of charge SOC at ambient temperatures of the battery pack of 25 ℃, 10 ℃, -5 ℃, -20 ℃, respectively, and it can be understood that these curves can be expressed as a function SOP ═ f (SOC, T) of the power output capacity versus the state parameter of the battery pack. From fig. 3 or the function it can be determined that the power take-off capability SOP of the battery assembly is 150W, for example when the ambient temperature is 25 c and the state of charge SOC is 45%.

The inventor of the application finds that the power output capacity of the battery pack is determined only according to the state parameters of the battery pack at present, and the same power output capacity is adopted as the limitation on the action when the unmanned aerial vehicle acts differently. The discharging capacity of the battery assembly is underestimated sometimes, the limitation on the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle is too strict, the execution of some actions is influenced, and the performance is wasted; sometimes, the discharge capacity of the battery assembly is overestimated, and the limitation on the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle is too loose, so that risks can be caused; the application and user experience of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be affected.

The inventors of the present application found that the correlation between the voltage and the current of the battery is not completely linear according to the electrochemical performance of the battery. A battery assembly, such as a lithium ion battery, can be represented by an equivalent circuit model as a series-parallel combination of capacitance, resistance, and inductance. One common equivalent circuit model is shown in fig. 4, which is equivalent to a series-parallel combination of an ideal voltage source Voc, a resistor Rs, a resistor Rp, and a capacitor Cp. It will be appreciated that the output voltage Vbatt of the battery assembly may be expressed as follows:

where Voc denotes an output voltage of an ideal voltage source, I denotes a current output from the battery pack, and t denotes a duration of discharge.

The power output capability SOP of the battery assembly may be expressed as follows:

the inventor finds that the power output capability SOP of the battery pack is not only related to the impedance of the battery pack, but also related to the time, and can understand that the power which can be output by the battery pack in different time requirements is different. For example, when the unmanned aerial vehicle performs an action for a longer time, the battery assembly may provide a lower power for a longer time; and when the time for the unmanned aerial vehicle to perform a certain action is short, the battery pack can provide a high power in a short time.

Step S120, determining the power output capacity of the battery pack according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameters of the battery pack, and matching the limit of action execution with the attribute information of the action by taking the attribute information of the action as a factor influencing the power output capacity of the battery pack, so as to prevent the application and the user experience of the unmanned aerial vehicle from being influenced by the too low limit of some actions caused by whether the action can be executed by limiting the action by using the fixed battery output power; and/or damage to the battery when the battery assembly is discharged at a certain large power for a long time can be prevented.

In some implementations, the attribute information includes an action time and/or an action type.

For example, the action types may include flight gear, maneuver, turn, u-turn, take-off, return, landing, etc.; each type of action corresponds to a corresponding action time. For example, the duration of the power required for the take-off action, which may be tens of seconds to several minutes; for example, maneuver flights generally last for a short time, and the action time can be within seconds or even one second; for example, the action time of the turning action is shorter than the action time of the turning around.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: determining power output capacity corresponding to each of the plurality of actions; determining the action according to a control instruction of the control terminal and/or determining the action according to a generated action instruction.

Specifically, the power output capability of the battery assembly corresponding to each of the plurality of actions may be determined according to preset attribute information of the plurality of actions and the state parameter of the battery assembly. And when determining the action which needs to be executed by the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the control command and/or the action command, acquiring the power output capacity corresponding to the action.

Specifically, when determining an action that the unmanned aerial vehicle needs to execute according to the control instruction and/or the action instruction, the power output capability of the battery assembly corresponding to the action may be determined according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameter of the battery assembly.

Illustratively, a power data table corresponding to each action type and/or action time is stored in advance, wherein different actions correspond to different power data tables according to the types and the action times of the actions, and the power data tables comprise mapping relations between state parameters and power output capacities of the battery components.

For example, the state parameter of the battery assembly includes an ambient temperature and/or a state of charge of the battery assembly. For example, a battery circuit of the battery assembly may detect the state parameters, and the unmanned aerial vehicle may obtain the state parameters from the battery circuit of the battery assembly; alternatively, the UAV may detect a state parameter of ambient temperature and/or a state of charge of the battery assembly.

For convenience of explanation, as shown in table 2, power data tables corresponding to each operation type and operation time when the ambient temperature is a constant value are shown, wherein each column is a power data table corresponding to each operation type when the ambient temperature is a constant value, and the parenthesis after the operation type is the corresponding operation time. The data in the table are illustrative and not limiting for the examples of this specification.

TABLE 2 Power data table (W, W) corresponding to each action type

In some embodiments, the step S120 of determining the power output capability of the battery assembly according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameter of the battery assembly includes: and determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the state parameters of the battery assembly based on the power data table corresponding to the action.

For example, a power data table corresponding to the action is obtained, and then the power output capacity corresponding to the current ambient temperature and/or the state of charge of the battery assembly in the power data table is determined to be the power output capacity of the battery assembly corresponding to the action at present. For example, a corresponding power data table may be obtained according to the type to which the action belongs; or, the action time of the action can be obtained firstly, and a corresponding power data table is obtained according to the action time; or acquiring a corresponding power data table according to the type of the action and the action time.

In some embodiments, the step S120 of determining the power output capability of the battery assembly according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameter of the battery assembly includes: and calculating the power output capacity of the battery assembly on line according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameters of the battery assembly based on an on-line estimation model.

For example, the power output capability of the battery assembly may be estimated online based on an online estimation model.

Illustratively, the online estimation model includes a function of the power output capability with respect to the attribute information and the state parameter.

For example, the function g () of the power output capability with respect to the attribute information and the state parameter may be expressed as SOP ═ g (T, SOC, T), where T represents the operation time, SOC represents the state of charge of the battery assembly, and T represents the ambient temperature. And substituting the action time of a certain action and the current battery pack state of charge and ambient temperature into the function can determine the power output capacity of the current battery pack corresponding to the action.

For example, the online estimation model may include different functions f () corresponding to different actions of the attribute information, for example, a function corresponding to a certain action may be represented as SOP ═ f (SOC, T). And substituting the state of charge and the ambient temperature of the current battery pack into the function corresponding to the action, so as to determine the power output capacity of the current battery pack corresponding to the action.

Specifically, when the state parameters of the battery packs are substantially the same, if the operation time of one operation is longer than the operation time of another operation, the power output capacity of the battery pack corresponding to the operation is not greater than the power output capacity of the battery pack corresponding to the another operation.

It can be understood that the battery pack can allow a large power to be output in a short time, and can support the execution of actions with high power requirements while the output state of the battery is not damaged, so that the application of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be expanded, and the user experience is improved. When the battery pack needs to be discharged for a long time, the limit of the power output capability is low, and the battery can be prevented from being damaged when the battery pack is discharged for a long time with a certain large power.

For example, the determining the power output capability of the battery assembly according to the attribute information of an action and the state parameter of the battery assembly in step S120 includes: determining an action time to complete the action; and determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the action time and the state parameter of the battery assembly.

Specifically, the action time may represent a time difference between a time when the battery pack starts to supply power to support the execution of the action and a time when the action is completed.

Specifically, a power data table may be queried according to the action time and the state parameter of the battery assembly to obtain the power output capability of the battery assembly.

Specifically, the power output capability of the battery assembly can be estimated online according to the action time and the state parameter of the battery assembly based on an online estimation model.

In some embodiments, the determining the power output capability of the battery assembly according to the action time and the state parameter of the battery assembly includes: determining a time constant corresponding to the action time; and determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the time constant and the state parameter of the battery assembly.

Illustratively, a plurality of preset power data tables respectively correspond to a plurality of determined time constants, or the online estimation model comprises a function corresponding to a plurality of determined time constants, so as to realize a multi-stage SOP estimation scheme.

Illustratively, the time constant may be t, which is the aforementioned time period representing the duration of the discharge.

Specifically, when the state parameters of the battery assembly are substantially the same, the power output capability of the battery assembly is in a negative correlation (e.g., negative exponential correlation) with the time constant. When the state parameters of the battery assemblies are approximately the same, the larger the time constant, the smaller the corresponding power output capability.

If the action time of an action is exactly equal to a certain time constant, the power output capability can be determined according to the power data table or function corresponding to the time constant.

The action time of a certain action can also be between two preset time constants, and the power output capability can be determined according to the power data table or function corresponding to the two time constants.

For example, the power output capability may be determined from a power data table or function corresponding to the higher or lower of the two time constants; or determining two power output capacities according to the power data tables or functions corresponding to the two time constants, and then determining the power output capacity corresponding to the action time by averaging, taking the maximum value or by interpolation, such as linear interpolation, exponential interpolation, logarithmic interpolation, multivariate function interpolation, and the like.

In another embodiment, the time constant corresponding to the action is greater than the action time, so that the safety can be improved. For example, the time constant is equal to N times the action time constant, N being greater than 1.

Specifically, after determining a time constant corresponding to the action time, the power output capability of the battery assembly may be determined according to the time constant, the type of the action, and the state parameter of the battery assembly.

For example, the online estimation model may include different functions h () corresponding to different types of actions, for example, a function corresponding to a certain type of action is represented as SOP ═ h (s, SOC, T), where s represents a time constant, SOC represents a state of charge of the battery assembly, and T represents an ambient temperature. When the action needing to be executed is determined, a function h () corresponding to the action type of the action is obtained, then a corresponding time constant is determined according to the action time of the action, and the time constant, the state of charge of the current battery pack and the ambient temperature are substituted into the function, so that the power output capacity of the current battery pack corresponding to the action can be determined.

And S130, controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to execute corresponding operation according to the power requirement of the action and the power output capacity of the battery pack.

For example, if the power demand of the unmanned aerial vehicle for performing an action determined in step S110 is 800 watts, and the power output capacity of the battery assembly corresponding to the action is determined in step S120 to be 1000 watts, it may be determined that the output power of the current battery assembly can meet the requirement of performing the action, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to perform a corresponding operation, for example, perform the action.

For example, if the power requirement of the unmanned aerial vehicle for performing an action determined in step S110 is 1000 watts, and the power output capability of the battery assembly corresponding to the action is determined in step S120 to be 800 watts, it may be determined that the output power of the current battery assembly does not meet the execution of the action, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to perform a corresponding operation, for example, the action is not performed, or the execution manner of the action is adjusted so that the output power of the battery assembly can meet the execution of the action.

In some embodiments, if the power requirement of the action is not less than the power output capability corresponding to the action, the execution of the action may be prohibited, so as to ensure the safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle and prevent the consequences of poor experience, such as an aircraft explosion, unstable flight, action execution failure, battery power jump, and the like, caused by insufficient supply power.

Illustratively, the method further comprises: if the power output capacity of the battery pack is not larger than the power requirement corresponding to the take-off action, the battery pack is not allowed to take off, and corresponding prompt information can be sent to prompt a user that the energy supply of the battery pack is insufficient.

In some embodiments, if the power requirement of the action is not less than the power output capability corresponding to the action, the action amplitude during the action execution can be reduced.

By reducing the magnitude of the action when the action is performed, the power at the time of performing the action can be reduced, so that the output power of the battery pack can support the performance of the action.

For example, the acceleration at the time of execution of the motion may be reduced to achieve a reduction in the magnitude of the motion at the time of execution of the motion. For example, at least one of the linear acceleration and the angular acceleration when the action is performed may be reduced, so that the actions of the unmanned aerial vehicle, such as turning, turning around, climbing, etc., may be more moderate and softer, and the unmanned aerial vehicle may be ensured to perform the action safely.

In some embodiments, said controlling said UAV to perform respective operations in accordance with a power output capability of said battery assembly comprises:

and if the actual output power of the current battery pack is not less than the power output capacity corresponding to the landing action, executing the landing task.

For example, the output voltage and the output current of the battery assembly can be detected during the action, and the power actually provided by the battery assembly can be determined according to the output voltage and the output current.

If the power actually provided by the battery assembly is higher than the power output capacity corresponding to the landing action when the unmanned aerial vehicle executes any action, it can be determined that the power supply capacity of the battery assembly is weakened or the amplitude of the action executed by the unmanned aerial vehicle is too large, for example, the unmanned aerial vehicle performs violent flight according to the control of the control terminal.

Illustratively, if the actual output power of the battery pack is detected to be not less than the power output capacity corresponding to the landing action for a preset duration or preset times, the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to land to ensure safety.

For example, if the actual output power of the battery assembly is not less than the power output capacity corresponding to the drop action, it is determined whether the state of charge and/or the output voltage of the battery assembly is not greater than a threshold value of charge and/or a threshold value of voltage; and if the state of charge and/or the output voltage of the battery pack are not larger than the charge threshold and/or the voltage threshold, prompting a user to drop due to power shortage.

For example, if the actual output power of the battery assembly is not less than the power output capacity corresponding to the drop action to execute the drop task, and if the state of charge of the battery assembly is not greater than the charge threshold value at the moment, for example, 5%, the user is prompted to drop because the battery pack is in power shortage.

According to the control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the power output capacity of the battery assembly is determined through the attribute information of the action of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the state parameters of the battery assembly, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to execute corresponding operation according to the power output capacity corresponding to the action; when the state parameters of the battery assemblies are approximately the same, the attribute information of the actions is different, and the power output capacities of the battery assemblies are also different, so that the limitation on the action execution is more consistent with the attribute of the action, and the risk caused by the fact that the action execution is affected severely by the limitation on some actions and/or the limitation on some actions is loosened when the same power output capacity is adopted as the limitation on different actions when the state parameters of the battery assemblies are approximately the same can be avoided. The performance of the battery assembly can be fully exerted, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is supported to realize better operation performance; the operation experience can be better improved while the safety is guaranteed.

In some embodiments, the step S120 of determining the power output capability of the battery assembly according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameter of the battery assembly includes: and determining the power output capacity of the battery pack according to the attribute information of the take-off action and the state parameters of the battery pack. For example, the battery assembly has a power output capacity of 700 watts corresponding to takeoff maneuvers.

Illustratively, the step S130 controls the unmanned aerial vehicle to perform corresponding operations according to the power requirement of the action and the power output capability of the battery assembly, including: determining a payload of the UAV based on a power output capability of the battery assembly; and prompting a user to configure the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the loadable weight.

Specifically, the loadable capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle may be determined according to the power output capability of the battery assembly before takeoff, and the user may be prompted to configure the payload of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the loadable capacity. The loadable capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle is estimated by using the maximum power requirement corresponding to the preset take-off action before take-off, the upper limit of the recommended load is informed to the user in advance, the user is reminded to reasonably configure the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the problem that the load cannot be accurately estimated before take-off can be solved, and the smooth completion of the operation task is guaranteed. And the performance of the battery pack can be fully utilized, and the waste performance caused by limiting the load according to a conservative upper limit of the load or the risk caused by limiting the load according to an aggressive upper limit of the load is prevented.

For example, unmanned aerial vehicles include agricultural drones that carry medicine boxes and sprinklers. The user can be reminded of the volume or weight of the added liquid medicine before the operation.

For example, unmanned vehicles includes express delivery unmanned aerial vehicle, and this express delivery unmanned aerial vehicle can carry on the express delivery parcel, can remind user express delivery parcel's weight upper limit before the operation.

For example, the correspondence between the power demand of the take-off action and the loadable weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle may be stored in advance. After determining the power output capability corresponding to the takeoff motion in step S120, the corresponding loadable weight may be determined according to the current power output capability.

In some embodiments, step S110 determines a power requirement for the UAV to perform an action, including: and acquiring the power requirements of the unmanned aerial vehicle at different loads.

For example, the power demand for the unmanned aerial vehicle to take off at different loads may be pre-stored. The greater the load, the greater the power required. For example, the power demand is 500 w when the load is 5 kg, 700 w when the load is 15 kg, and 1000 w when the load is 30 kg.

For example, the loadable weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle may be determined according to pre-stored power requirements for takeoff of the unmanned aerial vehicle at different loads and the power output capability of the battery assembly.

Specifically, it can be determined that the load corresponding to the takeoff power demand not greater than the takeoff power output capacity is the loadable capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle. For example, when the power output capacity of the battery assembly corresponding to the take-off action is 700 watts, it may be determined that the loadable weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle is not greater than 15 kilograms.

In one embodiment, the actual load capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be obtained according to the actual output power in the process of executing the takeoff action, and the current actual load capacity can be reminded to a user in a display mode at a remote control end.

For example, the greater the actual output power during the take-off maneuver, the greater the actual payload of the UAV may be determined.

In some embodiments, if the power during the execution of the action is greater than a preset load power threshold, the user is prompted to overload and drop.

Specifically, the reason for the overload landing may be that the load carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle is too large, and the power consumed during the operation is greater than the load power threshold.

For example, although the user is reminded to reasonably configure the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle before takeoff, the user is still configured with the overweight load, and the overweight load can be reminded when the user lands in an overload manner, so that the user can develop a good operation habit and the flight safety is protected.

According to the control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the user can be prompted to reasonably configure the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle by determining the loadable capacity corresponding to the power output capacity of the battery pack before takeoff; the unmanned aerial vehicle can be controlled to execute corresponding actions according to the power output capacity corresponding to each action in the flight process; the unmanned aerial vehicle can be controlled to be forced to land when the battery assembly is insufficient in function or the unmanned aerial vehicle is in violent flight or overload flight; the performance of the battery assembly can be fully exerted, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is supported to realize better operation performance; the operation experience can be better improved while the safety is ensured; the safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle is guaranteed, good user habits can be developed, and the SOP protection of the battery in the whole service cycle can be realized.

It is to be understood that the control method of the foregoing embodiment of the present specification may also be applied to some electronic devices other than the unmanned aerial vehicle, such as a robot, a robotic boat, an electric vehicle, or an automated unmanned vehicle.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure further provides a battery power state management method, which is applied to an electronic device, where the electronic device is equipped with a battery pack; the method comprises the following steps:

Specifically, please refer to fig. 5 in conjunction with the foregoing embodiment, and fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a battery power state management method according to another embodiment of the present application. The battery power state management method can be applied to electronic equipment such as unmanned aircrafts, robots, robotic boats, electric vehicles or automatic unmanned vehicles and is used for controlling the execution of actions of the electronic equipment and other processes. Specifically, the electronic device may be equipped with a battery pack. As shown in fig. 5, the battery power state management method includes steps S210 to S220.

Step S210, when an instruction for executing any action is received, determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameter of the battery assembly.

For example, the action to be executed may be determined according to a control instruction of the control terminal, and/or the action to be executed may be determined according to a generated action instruction.

Illustratively, the attribute information includes an action time and/or an action type.

For example, the state parameter of the battery assembly includes an ambient temperature and/or a state of charge of the battery assembly.

For example, the power output capability of the battery assembly may be determined according to the state parameter of the battery assembly based on a power data table corresponding to the action. And different actions correspond to different power data tables, and the power data tables comprise the mapping relation between the state parameters and the power output capacity of the battery pack.

For example, the power output capability of the battery assembly may be calculated online based on the attribute information of the action and the state parameter of the battery assembly based on an online estimation model. In particular, the online estimation model comprises a function of the power output capability with respect to the attribute information and the state parameter.

For example, when the state parameters of the battery assemblies are substantially the same, if the action time of one action is longer than the action time of another action, the power output capacity of the battery assembly corresponding to the action is not greater than the power output capacity of the battery assembly corresponding to the other action.

For example, the determining the power output capability of the battery assembly according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameter of the battery assembly comprises: determining an action time to complete the action; and determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the action time and the state parameter of the battery assembly.

For example, a time constant corresponding to the action time may be determined, and then the power output capability of the battery assembly may be determined according to the time constant and the state parameter of the battery assembly.

For example, a time constant corresponding to the action time may be determined, and then the power output capability of the battery assembly may be determined according to the time constant, the type of the action, and the state parameter of the battery assembly.

For example, when the state parameters of the battery assembly are approximately the same, the power output capability of the battery assembly is inversely related to the time constant.

And step S220, controlling the electronic equipment to execute corresponding operation according to the power requirement of the action and the power output capacity of the battery pack.

The specific principle and implementation manner of the battery power state management method provided in the embodiment of this specification are similar to those of the control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the foregoing embodiment, and details are not described here.

In the battery power state management method provided by this embodiment, the power output capability of the battery assembly is determined according to the attribute information of the motion of the electronic device and the state parameter of the battery assembly, and the electronic device is controlled to execute corresponding operations according to the power output capability corresponding to the motion; when the state parameters of the battery assemblies are approximately the same, the attribute information of the actions is different, and the power output capacities of the battery assemblies are also different, so that the limitation on the action execution is more consistent with the attribute of the action, and the risk caused by the fact that the action execution is affected severely by the limitation on some actions and/or the limitation on some actions is loosened when the same power output capacity is adopted as the limitation on different actions when the state parameters of the battery assemblies are approximately the same can be avoided. The performance of the battery assembly can be fully exerted, and the electronic equipment is supported to realize better operation performance; the operation experience can be better improved while the safety is guaranteed.

Referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to another embodiment of the present application. The control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be applied to the unmanned aerial vehicle and is used for controlling the execution of the actions of the unmanned aerial vehicle and other processes; wherein unmanned vehicles can include rotor type unmanned aerial vehicle, for example four rotor unmanned aerial vehicle, six rotor unmanned aerial vehicle, eight rotor unmanned aerial vehicle, also can be fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle.

Specifically, the unmanned aerial vehicle can carry a battery pack.

As shown in fig. 6, the control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present embodiment includes steps S310 to S330.

And S310, determining the power output capacity of the battery pack.

For example, the power output capability of the battery assembly can be determined according to the attribute information of the takeoff action and the state parameter of the battery assembly. For example, the battery assembly has a power output capacity of 700 watts corresponding to takeoff maneuvers.

And S320, determining the loadable weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the power output capacity.

S330, prompting a user to configure the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the loadable weight.

Specifically, the loadable capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle may be determined according to the power output capability of the battery assembly before takeoff, and the user may be prompted to configure the payload of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the loadable capacity. The loadable capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle is estimated by the power output capacity corresponding to the takeoff action before takeoff, the user is informed of the recommended upper limit of the load in advance, the user is reminded of reasonably configuring the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the problem that the load cannot be accurately estimated before takeoff can be solved, and the smooth completion of the operation task is guaranteed. Moreover, the performance of the battery pack can be fully utilized, and the waste performance caused by limiting the load according to the conservative upper limit of the load or the risk caused by limiting the load according to the upper limit of the load of the fund can be prevented.

For example, the correspondence between the power demand of the take-off action and the loadable weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle may be stored in advance. The determining a payload of the UAV from the power output capability includes: and determining the loadable weight corresponding to the current power output capacity of the battery assembly based on the corresponding relation between the preset loadable weight and the power demand of the takeoff action.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: and acquiring the power requirement of the unmanned aerial vehicle for takeoff at different loads.

For example, the payload of the UAV may be determined based on the power demand for takeoff and the power output capability of the battery assembly.

Illustratively, the determining a payload capacity of the UAV based on the power output capability includes: determining that the power demand for takeoff is not greater than the load of the current power output capacity of the battery assembly.

Specifically, the payload for which the takeoff power demand is not greater than the takeoff power output capacity may be determined to be the payload of the unmanned aerial vehicle. For example, when the power output capacity of the battery assembly corresponding to the take-off action is 700 watts, it may be determined that the loadable weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle is not greater than 15 kilograms.

According to the control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the power output capacity of the battery assembly of the unmanned aerial vehicle is determined, and the loadable weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle is determined according to the power output capacity, so that the user can be prompted to configure the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the loadable weight. The upper limit of the recommended load is informed to the user in advance, the user is reminded of reasonably configuring the load of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the problem that the load cannot be accurately estimated before takeoff can be solved, and the smooth completion of the operation task is guaranteed. Moreover, the performance of the battery pack can be fully utilized, and the waste performance caused by limiting the load according to the conservative upper limit of the load or the risk caused by limiting the load according to the upper limit of the load of the fund can be prevented.

Referring to fig. 7, fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle 700 provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The unmanned aerial vehicle 700 includes a processor 701 and a memory 702.

Illustratively, the processor 701 and the memory 702 are connected by a bus 703, such as an I2C (Inter-integrated Circuit) bus.

Illustratively, unmanned aerial vehicle 700 also includes a flight assembly 704 for flying.

Specifically, the Processor 701 may be a Micro-controller Unit (MCU), a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), or the like.

Specifically, the Memory 702 may be a Flash chip, a Read-Only Memory (ROM) magnetic disk, an optical disk, a usb disk, or a removable hard disk.

The processor 701 is configured to run a computer program stored in the memory 702, and when executing the computer program, implement the steps of the aforementioned control method for the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Illustratively, the processor 701 is configured to run a computer program stored in the memory 702 and to implement the following steps when executing the computer program:

Specifically, the processor 701 is configured to run a computer program stored in the memory 702, and when executing the computer program, implement the following steps:

determining a power requirement for the unmanned aerial vehicle to perform an action;

determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameters of the battery assembly;

and controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to execute corresponding operation according to the power requirement of the action and the power output capacity of the battery assembly.

determining a power output capability of the battery assembly;

determining a payload of the UAV based on the power output capability;

The specific principle and implementation of the unmanned aerial vehicle provided in the embodiments of this specification are similar to the control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the foregoing embodiments, and are not described here again.

Embodiments of the present specification also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program including program instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the steps of the method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle provided in the above-described embodiments.

The computer readable storage medium may be an internal storage unit of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to any of the foregoing embodiments, for example, a hard disk or a memory of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The computer readable storage medium may also be an external storage device of the UAV, such as a plug-in hard disk, a Smart Media Card (SMC), a Secure Digital (SD) Card, a Flash memory Card (Flash Card), etc. provided on the UAV.

Referring to fig. 8, fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device 800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device 800 comprises a processor 801 and a memory 802.

Illustratively, the processor 801 and the memory 802 are connected by a bus 803, such as an I2C (Inter-integrated Circuit) bus.

Specifically, the Processor 801 may be a Micro-controller Unit (MCU), a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), or the like.

Specifically, the Memory 802 may be a Flash chip, a Read-Only Memory (ROM) magnetic disk, an optical disk, a usb disk, or a removable hard disk.

The processor 801 is configured to run a computer program stored in the memory 802, and when executing the computer program, implement the steps of the battery power state management method described above.

Illustratively, the processor 801 is configured to run a computer program stored in the memory 802, and when executing the computer program, to implement the following steps:

determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the attribute information of an action and the state parameters of the battery assembly;

The specific principle and implementation manner of the electronic device provided in the embodiments of this specification are similar to those of the battery power state management method in the foregoing embodiments, and are not described herein again.

Embodiments of the present specification also provide a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, where the computer program includes program instructions, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the processor is enabled to implement the steps of the battery power state management method provided in the foregoing embodiments.

The computer-readable storage medium may be an internal storage unit of the electronic device according to any of the foregoing embodiments, for example, a hard disk or a memory of the electronic device. The computer readable storage medium may also be an external storage device of the electronic device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a Smart Media Card (SMC), a Secure Digital (SD) Card, a Flash memory Card (Flash Card), and the like, provided on the electronic device.

In the unmanned aerial vehicle, the electronic device, and the computer-readable storage medium provided in the above embodiments of the present specification, the power output capability of the battery assembly is determined by the electronic device, such as attribute information of an action of the unmanned aerial vehicle and a state parameter of the battery assembly, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to perform a corresponding operation according to the power output capability corresponding to the action; when the state parameters of the battery assemblies are approximately the same, the attribute information of the actions is different, and the power output capacities of the battery assemblies are also different, so that the limitation on the action execution is more consistent with the attribute of the action, and the risk caused by the fact that the action execution is affected severely by the limitation on some actions and/or the limitation on some actions is loosened when the same power output capacity is adopted as the limitation on different actions when the state parameters of the battery assemblies are approximately the same can be avoided. The performance of the battery assembly can be fully exerted, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is supported to realize better operation performance; the operation experience can be better improved while the safety is guaranteed.

It is to be understood that the terminology used in the description herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the description.

It should also be understood that the term "and/or" as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present disclosure, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope of the present disclosure, and these modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present specification shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle that carries a battery pack, the method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining power output capacity corresponding to each of the plurality of actions;

determining the action according to a control instruction of the control terminal and/or determining the action according to a generated action instruction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute information comprises an action time and/or an action type.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein when the state parameters of the battery assemblies are substantially the same, if the action time of one action is longer than the action time of another action, the power output capability of the battery assembly corresponding to the action is not greater than the power output capability of the battery assembly corresponding to the another action.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the power output capability of the battery assembly based on the attribute information of an action and the state parameter of the battery assembly comprises:

determining an action time to complete the action;

and determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the action time and the state parameter of the battery assembly.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the power output capability of the battery assembly based on the action time and the state parameter of the battery assembly comprises:

determining a time constant corresponding to the action time;

and determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the time constant and the state parameter of the battery assembly.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the power output capability of the battery assembly based on the action time and the state parameter of the battery assembly comprises:

determining a time constant corresponding to the action time;

and determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the time constant, the action type and the state parameter of the battery assembly.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the power output capability of the battery assembly is inversely related to the time constant when the state parameters of the battery assembly are substantially the same.

9. The method of any of claims 1-8, wherein determining the power output capability of the battery assembly based on attribute information of an action and a state parameter of the battery assembly comprises:

determining the power output capacity of the battery assembly according to the state parameters of the battery assembly based on the power data table corresponding to the action;

and different actions correspond to different power data tables, and the power data tables comprise the mapping relation between the state parameters and the power output capacity of the battery pack.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the state parameters include ambient temperature and/or state of charge of the battery assembly.

11. The method of any of claims 1-8, wherein determining the power output capability of the battery assembly based on attribute information of an action and a state parameter of the battery assembly comprises:

and calculating the power output capacity of the battery assembly on line according to the attribute information of the action and the state parameters of the battery assembly based on an on-line estimation model.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the online estimation model comprises a function of the power output capability with respect to the attribute information and the state parameter.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-8, further comprising determining a power requirement for the UAV to perform an action;

the controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to perform corresponding operations according to the power output capacity of the battery pack comprises the following steps:

14. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling the UAV to perform respective operations based on the power requirements of the actions and the power output capability of the battery assembly comprises:

determining a payload of the UAV based on a power output capability of the battery assembly;

15. The method of any of claims 13, wherein controlling the UAV to perform respective operations based on the power requirements of the actions and the power output capability of the battery assembly comprises:

and if the power requirement of the action is not less than the power output capacity corresponding to the action, reducing the action amplitude when the action is executed.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein reducing the magnitude of the action performed comprises:

reducing an acceleration at the time of execution of the motion.

17. The method of any of claims 13, wherein controlling the UAV to perform respective operations based on the power requirements of the actions and the power output capability of the battery assembly comprises:

and if the power requirement of the action is not less than the power output capacity corresponding to the action, prohibiting the action from being executed.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein said controlling the UAV to perform respective operations based on the power output capability of the battery assembly comprises:

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

if the actual output power of the battery assembly is not smaller than the power output capacity corresponding to the falling action, judging whether the charge state and/or the output voltage of the battery assembly are not larger than a charge threshold and/or a voltage threshold;

and if the state of charge and/or the output voltage of the battery pack are not larger than the charge threshold and/or the voltage threshold, prompting a user to drop due to power shortage.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

and if the power in the action executing process is larger than a preset load power threshold value, prompting a user to perform overload landing.

21. A battery power state management method is used for an electronic device, and the electronic device is loaded with a battery pack; the method comprises the following steps:

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the attribute information comprises an action time and/or an action type.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein when the state parameters of the battery assemblies are substantially the same, if the action time of one action is longer than the action time of another action, the power output capability of the battery assembly corresponding to the action is not greater than the power output capability of the battery assembly corresponding to the another action.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein determining the power output capability of the battery assembly based on the attribute information of an action and the state parameter of the battery assembly comprises:

determining an action time to complete the action;

26. The method of claim 25, wherein determining the power output capability of the battery assembly based on the action time and the state parameter of the battery assembly comprises:

determining a time constant corresponding to the action time;

27. The method of claim 25, wherein determining the power output capability of the battery assembly based on the action time and the state parameter of the battery assembly comprises:

determining a time constant corresponding to the action time;

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the power output capability of the battery assembly is inversely related to the time constant when the state parameters of the battery assembly are substantially the same.

29. The method of any of claims 21-28, wherein determining the power output capability of the battery assembly based on the attribute information of an action and the state parameter of the battery assembly comprises:

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the state parameters include ambient temperature and/or state of charge of the battery assembly.

31. The method of any of claims 21-28, wherein determining the power output capability of the battery assembly based on the attribute information of an action and the state parameter of the battery assembly comprises:

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the online estimation model comprises a function of the power output capability with respect to the attribute information and the state parameter.

33. A control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle that carries a battery pack, the method comprising:

determining a power output capability of the battery assembly;

determining a payload of the UAV based on the power output capability;

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said determining a payload of the UAV based on the power output capability comprises:

and determining the loadable weight corresponding to the current power output capacity of the battery assembly based on the corresponding relation between the preset loadable weight and the power demand of the takeoff action.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

and acquiring the power requirement of the unmanned aerial vehicle for takeoff at different loads.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said determining a payload of the UAV based on the power output capability comprises:

determining that the power demand for takeoff is not greater than the load of the current power output capacity of the battery assembly.

37. An unmanned aerial vehicle capable of carrying a battery assembly, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a memory and a processor;

the memory is used for storing a computer program;

38. An electronic device capable of carrying a battery assembly, the electronic device comprising a memory and a processor;

the memory is used for storing a computer program;

and controlling the electronic equipment to execute corresponding operation according to the power requirement of the action and the power output capacity of the battery assembly.

39. An unmanned aerial vehicle capable of carrying a battery assembly, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a memory and a processor;

the memory is used for storing a computer program;

determining a power output capability of the battery assembly;

determining a payload of the UAV based on the power output capability;

40. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement:

a control method of the unmanned aerial vehicle of any one of claims 1-20; and/or

The battery power state management method of any of claims 21-32; and/or

A method of controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 33 to 36.