CN113128817B

CN113128817B - Transport control method and transport control system based on aircraft

Info

Publication number: CN113128817B
Application number: CN202010025820.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周碧云; M·塞德尔
Original assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
Current assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
Filing date: 2020-01-10
Publication date: 2024-07-02
Anticipated expiration: 2040-01-10

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a transport control method and a transport control system based on an aircraft. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring transport request information from a transport requester, wherein the transport request information at least comprises a transport start point, a transport end point and a desired transport duration; determining transport control parameters according to the expected transport duration; and controlling the aircraft to perform a transport mission from the transport origin to the transport destination according to the transport control parameter.

Description

Transport control method and transport control system based on aircraft

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of transportation technology, and in particular, to a transportation control method and a transportation control system based on an aircraft.

Background

With the development of transportation technology, in a transportation system used in a certain area such as a city, an unmanned plane or other aircraft can be used to transport articles and the like, thereby improving transportation efficiency. However, current air traffic resources (e.g., available aircraft and transportation routes) remain limited, and there is a need for further improvement in the allocation of air traffic resources.

Disclosure of Invention

It is one of the objects of the present disclosure to provide an aircraft-based transportation control method, the method comprising:

Acquiring transport request information from a transport requester, wherein the transport request information at least comprises a transport start point, a transport end point and a desired transport duration;

Determining transport control parameters according to the expected transport duration; and

And controlling the aircraft to execute the transportation task from the transportation starting point to the transportation ending point according to the transportation control parameters.

In some embodiments, determining the transport control parameter based on the desired transport duration comprises:

Comparing the desired transport duration to a first threshold duration;

Determining that the transportation mission is being performed by one aircraft and that the aircraft is not performing other transportation missions that cause the transportation mission to be interrupted when the desired transportation duration is less than the first threshold duration;

When the desired transport time period is greater than or equal to the first threshold time period, determining that the transport mission is performed by one or more aircraft, and determining a shared transport segment of the transport mission performed by at least one of the one or more aircraft with other transport missions based on the transport start point and the transport end point.

In some embodiments, the transport control parameter comprises a flight altitude interval of the aircraft;

Determining transport control parameters according to the desired transport duration includes:

comparing the desired transport duration to a second threshold duration;

when the expected transportation duration is less than the second threshold duration, determining the flying height interval as a first preset interval;

When the expected transportation time length is greater than or equal to the second threshold time length, determining the flying height interval as a second preset interval;

Wherein at least a portion of the first preset zone is above the second preset zone and at least a portion of the second preset zone is below the first preset zone.

In some embodiments, the transportation control parameter includes a number of stops halfway the transportation mission;

comparing the desired transport duration to a third threshold duration;

When the expected transportation duration is smaller than the third threshold duration, determining that no stop or the midway stop times in the transportation task are a first preset times;

When the expected transportation time length is greater than or equal to the third threshold time length, determining that the midway stopping times are second preset times;

Wherein the first preset times are smaller than the second preset times.

In some embodiments, the transport control parameters include a flight path of the aircraft between the transport origin and the transport destination;

determining a safe area and a forbidden area in the areas associated with the transport starting point and the transport ending point according to the transport starting point and the transport ending point; and

And determining the flight route according to the expected transportation duration, enabling the flight route to pass through at least a preset number of the safety areas and not pass through the forbidden area.

In some embodiments, there is a rescue station in the safety zone for the aircraft to dock; and/or

In the safety zone there is a rescue vehicle for the rescue vehicle.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

feeding back at least a portion of the transport control parameters after determining the transport control parameters; and/or

After determining the transportation control parameters, calculating a transportation bill according to the transportation control parameters, and feeding back the transportation bill.

In some embodiments, controlling the aircraft to perform a transport mission from the transport origin to the transport destination in accordance with the transport control parameter comprises:

Detecting a transport state parameter of an aircraft, wherein the transport state parameter at least comprises a current position of the aircraft currently performing the transport mission;

Feeding back at least the current location in the transportation state parameters; and/or

Calculating a transportation bill according to the transportation state parameter, and feeding back the transportation bill.

detecting a transportation state parameter of an aircraft currently executing the transportation task; and

When the abnormal transportation state parameter is detected, rescue is performed according to the transportation state parameter and/or the transportation request information.

In some embodiments, controlling the aircraft to perform a transport mission from the transport origin to the transport destination in accordance with the transport control parameter further comprises:

detecting a transportation state parameter of an aircraft currently executing the transportation task and receiving updated transportation request information;

Determining updated transportation control parameters according to the transportation state parameters and the updated transportation request information; and

Controlling the aircraft to execute the transportation task according to the updated transportation control parameter.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also presented a transport control system comprising a data transmission device, a first control device, a second control device, and an aircraft, wherein: the data transmission device is configured to acquire transport request information from a transport requester, wherein the transport request information includes at least a transport start point, a transport end point, and a desired transport duration; the first control device is communicatively connected with the data transmission device, and the first control device is configured to determine transport control parameters according to the expected transport duration; the second control device is communicatively connected with the first control device, the second control device being configured to control the aircraft in accordance with the transport control parameters; and the aircraft is communicatively connected with the second control device, the aircraft being configured to perform a transportation mission from the transportation origin to the transportation destination under control of the second control device.

In some embodiments, the data transmission device is further configured to feed back at least one of: a transport control parameter from a first control device, a transport status parameter from a second control device or an aircraft, and a transport bill calculated from the transport control parameter or the transport status parameter.

In some embodiments, the first control device comprises: a positioning device configured to receive map information of an area associated with the transportation start point and the transportation end point, the map information including information reflecting a safe area and a forbidden area in the area; and a planning control device communicatively coupled to the positioning device and the aircraft, the planning control device configured to determine a flight path of the aircraft between the transport origin and the transport destination based on the desired transport duration, the safe zone, and the prohibited zone, to cause the flight path to pass through at least a preset number of the safe zones, and to not pass through the prohibited zone.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises a rescue device; the first control device further comprises a rescue control device configured to enable the rescue device to perform rescue according to the transportation state parameter and/or the transportation request information when an abnormality of the transportation state parameter of the aircraft is detected.

In some embodiments, the rescue apparatus includes at least one of a rescue station at which an aircraft is parked, a rescue aircraft for rescuing the aircraft, and a landing buffer provided on the aircraft.

In some embodiments, the map information includes at least one of: the population static distribution in the area, the population dynamic distribution in the area, the rescue station positions in the area, the rescue station occupation information in the area and the rescue aircraft positions in the area.

In some embodiments, the second control device includes: a plurality of private station apparatuses located at preset locations, the private station apparatuses configured to be communicatively connected with an aircraft within a preset area to provide navigation information for the aircraft according to the transport control parameters, wherein the preset area is associated with the preset locations.

In some embodiments, the special station device is further configured to receive a transport status parameter of the aircraft within the preset area and calculate a transport bill from the transport status parameter.

Other features of the present disclosure and its advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

The disclosure may be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a flow chart of an aircraft-based transportation control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of an altitude interval of an aircraft according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of a flight path of an aircraft according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a structural schematic of an aircraft according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a transport control system and a transport requestor in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of portions of components of a transport control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a second control device and an aircraft in a transport control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Note that in the embodiments described below, the same reference numerals are used in common between different drawings to denote the same parts or parts having the same functions, and a repetitive description thereof may be omitted. In some cases, like numbers and letters are used to designate like items, and thus once an item is defined in one drawing, no further discussion thereof is necessary in subsequent drawings.

For ease of understanding, the positions, dimensions, ranges, etc. of the respective structures shown in the drawings and the like may not represent actual positions, dimensions, ranges, etc. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed positions, dimensions, ranges, etc. as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that: the relative arrangement of the components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless it is specifically stated otherwise.

The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. That is, the structures and methods herein are shown by way of example to illustrate different embodiments of the structures and methods in this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that they are merely illustrative of the exemplary ways in which the disclosure may be practiced, and not exhaustive. Moreover, the figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components.

Additionally, the flow diagrams show examples of operational steps performed in a particular order, as indicated by the lines connecting the blocks, but the various steps shown in the flow diagrams may be performed in other orders or in other combinations or sub-combinations. It should be understood that in some embodiments, some of the steps described below may be combined into a single step, and in some embodiments, one or more additional steps may be included.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but should be considered part of the authorization specification where appropriate.

In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values should be construed as merely illustrative, and not a limitation. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

It should be understood that the aircraft-based transportation control method may be performed by at least one controller, and that the term "controller" may refer to a hardware device comprising a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store program instructions and the processor is configured to execute the program instructions to perform one or more processes described further below.

Fig. 1 shows a flow chart of an aircraft-based transportation control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In the method, the control of the transportation task can be realized based on the expected transportation time length.

In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, an aircraft-based transportation control method may include:

Step S100, acquiring transportation request information from a transportation requester;

step S200, determining transport control parameters according to the expected transport duration; and

Step S300, controlling the aircraft to execute the transportation mission from the transportation start point to the transportation end point according to the transportation control parameter.

The transportation requester may be a user who has a transportation requirement, or may be a person or organization who schedules transportation for other users who have a transportation requirement, etc. In particular, the transport requestor may be, for example, an emergency organization, a logistics company, or other businesses and individuals, or the like.

The transport requester provides its transport request to a controller or the like that performs the transport control method by making a transport request message. The shipping request information may include, in particular, a shipping origin (e.g., shipping location), a shipping destination (e.g., ship-to location), and a desired shipping duration associated with the shipping mission. Of course, in some examples, the shipping request information may also include shipping item information (e.g., the type of item, weight, etc.), as well as a desired shipping price, etc. The desired transportation time period may be directly given in the transportation request information, or may be calculated from the information of the article to be transported, the desired transportation price, and the like.

In some examples, the transportation request information may be transmitted over a wired or wireless communication link between the transportation requester and a controller or the like that performs the transportation control method.

The transportation control parameter may be a sharing scheme between the present transportation task and other transportation tasks, or may refer to parameters related to stopping in the transportation task, flight of the aircraft, etc. during the completion of the transportation task, for example, a flight altitude section of the aircraft, number of times of midway stopping of the transportation task, midway stopping site, midway stopping time, flight route between a transportation start point and a transportation end point, etc.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, step S200 may include:

Step S210, comparing the expected transportation duration with a first threshold duration;

Step S221, when the expected transportation time length is smaller than the first threshold time length, determining that the transportation task is executed by one aircraft, and the aircraft does not execute other transportation tasks causing the transportation task to be interrupted;

In step S222, when the desired transport time period is greater than or equal to the first threshold time period, it is determined that the transport mission is performed by one or more aircraft, and a shared transport segment of the transport mission performed by at least one of the one or more aircraft with other transport missions is determined based on the transport start point and the transport end point.

Specifically, in the case of an emergency such as a disaster, or in the case where a transportation requester has strict requirements on the transportation time period, it is desirable that the transportation time period is short. For example, when the desired transport duration is less than the first threshold duration, to ensure completion of the transport mission, the entire transport mission may be performed by only one aircraft to avoid changing the aircraft between different transport segments of the transport mission, thereby avoiding time waste resulting from the replacement of the aircraft.

Furthermore, to save on the length of the transportation, the aircraft may be used only to perform the transportation mission, while other transportation missions cannot share the aircraft with the transportation mission. In this case, however, the transportation cost tends to be high. Other transportation tasks meeting certain conditions may also be allowed to share the aircraft with the transportation task in order to more reasonably utilize the air traffic resources. In particular, other transport tasks should not cause interruption of the transport task, which may have the same transport start and transport end points as the transport task, or share the aircraft with the transport task in part of the transport section, with the guarantee of preferential completion of the transport task.

In other cases, the length of transportation is not very critical in order to save transportation costs. For example, when the desired transportation time period is greater than or equal to the first threshold time period, the transportation task may be "spelled out" of other transportation tasks. In particular, the transportation mission may be performed by one or more aircraft. In addition, a plurality of transport segments can be divided between the transport start point and the transport end point. In at least one transport section, the transport mission may share the aircraft with other transport missions.

For example, if the transport start point and the transport end point of the transport task a are formed by the transport segments a1, c1, and a2, the transport start point and the transport end point of the transport task B are formed by the transport segments c1, B1, and B2. Then, in a specific example, the aircraft 1 may be employed to perform the entire transportation mission a, i.e. the aircraft 1 carries the respective items in the transportation mission a across the transportation segments a1, c1 and a2. There is a stop between the transport sections a1 and c1, i.e. the aircraft 1 is again taking off after a certain period of landing, in which case the corresponding items in the transport mission B can also be loaded onto the aircraft 1, after which the aircraft 1 flies through the transport section c1, i.e. the aircraft 1 is simultaneously carrying out transport mission a and transport mission B in the transport section c 1. There is also a stop between the transport sections c1 and a2, at which time the corresponding item in the transport mission B on the aircraft 1 can be unloaded and loaded onto the aircraft 2. Thereafter, aircraft 1 continues to fly through transport segment a2 for transport mission a, while aircraft 2 flies through transport segments B1 and B2 for transport mission B. In this example, transport mission a is performed by one aircraft, transport mission B is performed by a plurality of aircraft, and there is a shared transport segment between transport mission a and transport mission B.

Of course, determining the transportation control parameters may also include determining information related to parking in different transportation tasks, and parameters such as take-off time and landing time of each aircraft participating in the transportation tasks according to the situation of "spelling" among the different transportation tasks.

In some exemplary embodiments, other threshold durations may also be preset according to different requirements of the transportation requester, and different sharing schemes for implementing the transportation task may be set when the desired transportation duration is in different ranges.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 2, step S200 may include:

step S230, comparing the expected transportation time period with a second threshold time period;

step S241, when the expected transportation duration is less than the second threshold duration, determining the flight altitude interval as a first preset interval 810;

step S242, when the desired transportation time period is greater than or equal to the second threshold time period, determining the flight altitude interval as a second preset interval 820;

wherein at least a portion of the first preset zone 810 is above the second preset zone 820, and at least a portion of the second preset zone 820 is below the first preset zone 810.

The number of aircraft 400 used to complete the entire transportation mission may be one or more. In a relatively simple case, one or more aircraft 400 for accomplishing the same transport mission are in the same flight altitude interval during flight.

Then, as shown in fig. 2, when the desired transportation duration is shorter, for example, less than the second threshold duration, the aircraft 400 may be controlled to fly in the higher first preset interval 810 to avoid or reduce interference to the flight, for example, the building 900, thereby avoiding or reducing detouring of the aircraft or stopping in the transportation mission, improving the transportation efficiency, and shortening the transportation duration.

When a longer transport period is desired, such as greater than or equal to the first threshold period, the aircraft 400 may be controlled to fly in a second, lower preset interval 820. When a longer transport duration is desired, there may be a dock between different transport segments in the transport mission, which may be facilitated by controlling the aircraft 400 to fly in the lower second preset interval 820. Furthermore, flying in the lower second preset interval 820 may facilitate more convenient control of the aircraft 400, particularly where the aircraft 400 is controlled remotely. And, when the aircraft 400 is flying in the second lower preset interval 820, the flying cost can also be reduced to some extent.

It should be noted that although the first preset section 810 and the second preset section 820 are shown in fig. 2 as non-overlapping, in other examples, a lower portion of the first preset section 810 and an upper portion of the second preset section 820 may have a partial overlap.

When the transport mission is performed by a plurality of aircraft, the flight altitude interval of the aircraft may be different in each transport section. For example, for a transport section with a shorter expected transport duration, the aircraft may be controlled to fly in a higher flight altitude interval; and secondly, for a transport section with a longer expected transport duration, the aircraft can be controlled to fly in a lower flight altitude interval.

It will be appreciated that more preset intervals of different altitudes may also be set according to other preset threshold time periods to control the flight of the aircraft.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, step S200 may include:

step S250, comparing the expected transportation duration with a third threshold duration;

Step S261, when the expected transportation time length is smaller than the third threshold time length, determining the number of times of stopping at no place or in midway in the transportation task as a first preset number of times;

Step S262, when the expected transportation time is longer than or equal to the second threshold time, determining the midway stopping times as second preset times;

wherein the first preset times are smaller than the second preset times.

The transportation task can be completed by one aircraft flying uninterruptedly from a transportation starting point to a transportation ending point; or may have one or more stops during a transportation mission. Before and after docking, the aircraft that continues to perform the transport mission may be replaced or not replaced. During docking, certain supplies or maintenance may be performed to the aircraft or the item to be transported may be transferred from one aircraft to another to continue to complete the transport.

When the desired transport duration is short, e.g., less than the third threshold duration, it may be determined that no berthing is occurring in the transport mission, i.e., the aircraft is directly controlled to fly from the transport origin to the transport destination, to avoid an increase in transport duration due to berthing, to meet the requirements of the transport requester. Or the first preset times with smaller midway stopping times can be determined, and particularly can be one to two times or the like, and when stopping, the aircraft can be supplied or maintained so as to continuously complete the transportation task; or transferring the item to be transported from one aircraft to another aircraft, with the other aircraft continuing to complete the transport mission.

When the desired transportation period is longer, for example, greater than or equal to the second threshold period, the number of halfway stops may be determined as a second preset number of times that is greater. When the number of the transit stops is large, different transportation tasks can be conveniently configured to share at least part of the transportation sections, so that the full utilization of air transport capacity resources is realized.

It can be understood that different midway stop times can be set according to more preset threshold time periods respectively, so that the full utilization of the air transport capacity resource and the requirement of a transport requester can be considered as much as possible.

In the above-described exemplary embodiments, the first threshold time period, the second threshold time period, and the third threshold time period may be equal or unequal, and the above-described exemplary embodiments may be combined with each other. For example, as shown in fig. 2, in a particular example, when the desired transport duration is less than 30 minutes, it may be determined that the aircraft 400 is flying in the highest first preset interval 810 and is not parked partway; when the desired transport time is greater than or equal to 30 minutes and less than 180 minutes, it may be determined that the aircraft 400 is flying in the lower second preset interval 820 and the number of halfway stops is one; when the desired transportation time is greater than or equal to 180 minutes, it may be determined that the aircraft 400 is flying in the lowest third preset interval 830 and the number of halfway stops is two. In the first preset interval 810, the aircraft 400 is far from the building 900, so no detour for the building 900 is required, and a desired transport duration of less than 30 minutes can be satisfied. In the second predetermined interval 820, the aircraft 400 is relatively close to the building 900, but the building 900 does not obscure the aircraft 400, so the aircraft 400 does not need to detour as well. But may be conveniently docked closer to building 900 for replenishment or maintenance of aircraft 400 or replacement of aircraft 400 performing a transportation mission. In the third preset interval 830, the aircraft 400 may be blocked by a part of the higher building 900, and the flight path needs to be planned accordingly. However, in the case of such a low flight level interval, the transportation costs can be reduced to some extent.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 3, step S200 may include:

Step S270 of determining a safe area 730 and a forbidden area 740 in the areas associated with the transportation start point 710 and the transportation end point 720 according to the transportation start point 710 and the transportation end point 720 in the transportation request information;

in step S280, a flight path of the aircraft between the transport start point and the transport end point is determined according to the desired transport duration, such that the flight path passes through at least a preset number of safety zones 730 and does not pass through the forbidden zone 740.

The safe area 730 and the forbidden area 740 in the associated area may be determined according to the transportation start point 710 and the transportation end point 720 in consideration of safety and the like. For example, the safe area 730 and the forbidden area 740 may be determined according to population distribution in the area and distribution of rescue stations 610, rescue aircraft 620. The safe area 730 may specifically be a suburban area with sparse population, or even an area with no people such as a river water surface. In these areas, even if the aircraft falls due to a fault or the like, there is little to no effect on the population on the ground or the like. The safety area 730 may also be an area in which the rescue station 610 or the rescue vehicle 620 is located, which may be landed on the rescue station 610 in an emergency or be helped by the rescue vehicle 620 (e.g., bringing the vehicle to a specified location or bringing an item transported on the vehicle to a specified location) when the vehicle fails. The prohibited area 740 may specifically be a densely populated area above, and aircraft is prohibited from flying through the prohibited area 740 to avoid additional safety hazards to the ground in the event of a failure.

In view of the transport efficiency, a flight path of the aircraft between the transport start point and the transport end point can be determined as quickly as possible according to the desired transport duration. Alternatively, the flight path of each aircraft between the start and end of the transport may be determined in conjunction with the desired length of transport, taking into account the overall efficiency between the plurality of aircraft. In the latter case, each aircraft may not fly along the most transport efficient flight route, but the transport efficiency of all aircraft as a whole may be at or near the highest.

Meanwhile, in determining the flight path, the flight path may be further passed through at least a preset number of safety areas 730 for safety, and not passed through the forbidden area 740. For example, in fig. 3, the aircraft may not fly along a straight path (shown in phantom) between the transport start point 710 and the transport end point 720 due to the presence of a forbidden region 740 along the straight path. In an example, if the preset number is two, it can be seen from fig. 3 that the aircraft can fly along any one of the path 1 (shown by a solid line in the figure), the path 2 (shown by a dash-dot line in the figure), and the path 3 (shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure).

In determining the security area 730 and the prohibited area 740, it may be obtained from map information provided by a third party or the like. The map information may include at least one of: the population static distribution within the area associated with the transportation start point 710 and the transportation end point 720, the population dynamic distribution within the area, the rescue site 610 location within the area, the rescue site 610 occupancy information within the area, and the rescue vehicle 620 location within the area. Where a static population distribution may refer to a population distribution density within the area over a longer period of time (e.g., in months or years). The demographic profile may be a real-time or substantially real-time demographic profile density. Rescue site 610 occupancy information may indicate whether rescue site 610 is still available for landing by the failed aircraft at the present time, so that the aircraft may determine the next action based on the situation. Rescue vehicle 620 location may include the location of rescue vehicle 620 in a stationary state or may be a real-time location of rescue vehicle 620 in flight.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises:

step S410, after determining the transportation control parameters, feeding back at least a part of the transportation control parameters; and/or

Step S420, after determining the transportation control parameters, calculates a transportation bill according to the transportation control parameters, and feeds back the transportation bill.

Specifically, to facilitate monitoring of the shipping status by the shipping requester, shipping receiver, or the like, at least a portion of the determined shipping control parameters may be fed back to the shipping requester, shipping receiver, or the like. The portion of the transport control parameters may be available as stop information in the transport mission, planned flight routes for each aircraft performing the transport mission, etc. By selectively feeding back transport control parameters, the amount of data that needs to be fed back can be reduced to reduce communication costs. Of course, in other exemplary embodiments, all transport control parameters including flight altitude intervals and the like may also be fed back to the transport requester or transport receiver and the like to meet their particular needs.

In addition, in other exemplary embodiments, the transportation bill of the present transportation task may also be calculated according to the transportation control parameter, and the transportation bill may be fed back to the transportation requester or the transportation receiver, etc., so as to implement intelligent charging.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, step S300 may include:

Step S310, detecting a transportation state parameter of the aircraft, wherein the transportation state parameter at least comprises the current position of the aircraft currently executing the transportation task;

Step S320, feeding back at least the current position in the transportation state parameters; and/or

Step S330, calculating a transportation bill according to the transportation state parameters, and feeding back the transportation bill.

The transport state parameters may in particular comprise the current position of the aircraft, the speed, the stop location, the predicted departure time, etc. In order to make the current transport state more accurately known to the transport requesting party, the transport receiving party, etc., the transport state parameters of the aircraft may be fed back in real time or substantially in real time during the execution of the transport tasks. A transport mission may be performed by one or more aircraft, it being noted that in the case of a plurality of aircraft, only the transport state parameters of the aircraft currently performing the transport mission may be detected in order to grasp the transport state in real time or substantially in real time; or may also detect the transport status parameters of some or all other relevant aircraft not currently performing the transport mission in order to learn about the situation during the previous or later transport, to facilitate the tracking or prediction of the transport status of the item by the transport requester or transport receiver etc. or to handle according to the transport status parameters of the aircraft for special situations such as loss of the item.

In addition, in other exemplary embodiments, the transportation bill of the present transportation task may also be calculated according to the transportation status parameter, and the transportation bill may be fed back to the transportation requester or the transportation receiver, etc., so as to implement intelligent charging.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, step S300 may include:

step S340, detecting a transportation state parameter of an aircraft currently executing a transportation task; and

Step S350, when detecting that the transportation state parameter is abnormal, rescue is performed according to the transportation state parameter and/or the transportation request information.

Specifically, in an example, when an abnormality in a transportation state parameter of an aircraft currently performing a transportation mission is detected, a nearest available rescue station or rescue aircraft may be found according to a current position of the aircraft in the transportation state parameter, and the aircraft may be controlled to fly to the rescue station or to send the rescue aircraft to rescue the failed aircraft.

In another example, as shown in fig. 4, a landing cushioning device, such as a parachute 410, a cushion airbag 420, or the like, may be provided on the aircraft 400. At least one of the landing buffers may also be activated when an anomaly in a transport status parameter of the aircraft currently performing the transport mission is detected, enabling the aircraft 400 to land relatively smoothly for subsequent processing.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, considering that some emergencies may be involved in the course of performing a transportation mission to change the transportation state of an aircraft, step S300 may include:

step S360, detecting the transportation state parameter of the aircraft currently executing the transportation task and receiving updated transportation request information;

step S370, determining updated transportation control parameters according to the transportation state parameters and the updated transportation request information; and

In step S380, the control aircraft performs the transport mission according to the updated transport control parameters.

For example, in a transportation mission having a long desired transportation time period, there is often a case where an aircraft is shared with other transportation missions in a certain transportation section. And this sharing-related information may be changed. For example, when, during execution of a certain transport segment, new other transport request information with which the aircraft may be shared in a later transport segment is received, updated transport control parameters, such as changing the docking station, docking time period, etc. of the aircraft may be determined from the transport status parameters and the updated transport request information.

Or in another example, if an emergency situation suddenly occurs, each aircraft needs to be rescheduled to perform a transportation task, for example, some aircraft are scheduled to perform some transportation tasks, or aircraft on some flight path are controlled to be out of the way of other aircraft, etc., flexible scheduling can also be performed according to the current transportation state parameters and updated transportation control parameters of the aircraft.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, there is also provided a transport control system, as shown in fig. 5, comprising a data transmission device 100, a first control device 200, a second control device 300, and an aircraft 400.

Wherein the data transmission device 100 is configured to obtain transport request information from the transport requestor 150. The shipping request information may include, in particular, a shipping origin (e.g., shipping location), a shipping destination (e.g., ship-to location), and a desired shipping duration associated with the shipping mission. Of course, in some examples, the shipping request information may also include shipping item information (e.g., the type of item, weight, etc.), as well as a desired shipping price, etc. The desired transportation time period may be directly given in the transportation request information, or may be calculated from the information of the article to be transported, the desired transportation price, and the like.

In some embodiments, the data transmission device 100 may also store at least a portion of the above-described transportation request information and transmit at least a portion of the transportation request information to the first control device 200 communicatively connected thereto.

In some embodiments, the data transmission device 100 may be further configured to feed back at least one of: the transport control parameters from the first control device 200, the transport status parameters from the second control device 300 or the aircraft 400, and the transport bill calculated from the transport control parameters or the transport status parameters.

The first control device 200 may in particular be a control device provided by a service manager. The first control device 200 may receive at least a portion of the transportation request information from the data transmission device 100, the first control device 200 being configured to determine the transportation control parameter according to the desired transportation time period. After determining the transport control parameters, the first control device 200 may transmit the transport control parameters to a second control device 300 communicatively connected thereto.

Specifically, in some embodiments, the first control device 200 may be configured to perform the steps of:

In some embodiments, the first control device 200 may be further configured to perform the steps of:

step S241, when the expected transportation duration is less than the second threshold duration, determining the flight altitude interval as a first preset interval;

step S242, when the expected transportation time is longer than or equal to the second threshold time, determining the flight altitude interval as a second preset interval;

wherein at least a portion of the first predetermined interval is above the second predetermined interval and at least a portion of the second predetermined interval is below the first predetermined interval.

Step S262, when the expected transportation time is longer than or equal to the third threshold time, determining the number of midway stops as a second preset number;

wherein the first preset times are smaller than the second preset times.

Step S270, determining a safe area and a forbidden area in the areas associated with the transport start point and the transport end point according to the transport start point and the transport end point; and

Step S280, determining a flight path according to the expected transportation duration, enabling the flight path to pass through at least a preset number of safety areas and not pass through the forbidden area.

In some embodiments, after determining the transport control parameters, the first control device 200 may be further configured to feed back at least a portion of the transport control parameters to the data transmission device 100, which is then fed back by the data transmission device 100 to the transport requestor 150 or transport receiver, etc.

Or after determining the transportation control parameter, the first control device 200 may be further configured to calculate a transportation bill according to the transportation control parameter, feed back the transportation bill to the data transmission device 100, and feed back the transportation bill to the transportation requester 150 or the transportation receiver by the data transmission device 100, etc.

Further, in some embodiments, the first control device 200 may determine updated transport control parameters based on the transport status parameters of the aircraft currently performing the transport mission and the updated transport request information.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the first control apparatus 200 may include a positioning device configured to receive map information of an area associated with a transportation start point and a transportation end point in the transportation request information, the map information including information reflecting a safe area and a forbidden area in the area, and a planning control device 210; the planning control device 210 is communicatively coupled to the positioning device and the aircraft 400, and the planning control device 210 is configured to determine a flight path of the aircraft between the start of the transport and the end of the transport based on the desired length of the transport, the safe area, and the forbidden area, to cause the flight path to traverse at least a preset number of safe areas, and to not traverse the forbidden area.

The second control device 300 is communicatively connected with the first control device 200, the second control device 300 may be provided by a service operator providing and directly controlling the aircraft 400. The second control device 300 may receive transport control information from the first control device 200, in particular the second control device 300 may receive transport control information from the planning control apparatus 210, and the second control device 300 may be configured to control the aircraft communicatively connected thereto in accordance with the transport control parameters.

Specifically, in some embodiments, the second control device 300 may detect a transport status parameter of the aircraft 400, wherein the transport status parameter includes at least a current location of the aircraft currently performing the transport mission; at least the current position in the transportation status parameter is fed back to the data transmission device 100, and the data transmission device 100 feeds back the above information to the transportation requester 150 or the transportation receiver.

Or the second control device 300 may calculate a transportation bill from the transportation state parameter after detecting the transportation state parameter of the aircraft 400, and feed back the transportation bill to the transportation requester 150 or the transportation receiver through the data transmission device 100.

In some embodiments, the second control device 300 may be further configured to perform the steps of:

The first control device 200, which is communicatively connected with the second control device 300, may be configured to perform the steps of:

In some embodiments, the second control device 300 may also be configured to control the aircraft 400 to perform the transportation mission in accordance with the updated transportation control parameters from the first control device 200.

Of course, in other embodiments, the aircraft 400 may be provided with corresponding sensors and processors, etc. so that its transportation status parameters may be detected by the aircraft 400 itself, or a transportation bill may be calculated from the transportation status parameters, etc., and the transportation status parameters or the transportation bill may be transmitted by the aircraft 400 to other devices, such as the second control device 300, etc., for further processing.

As shown in fig. 6, the first control device 200 may include a planning control device 210 and a rescue control device 220. Rescue control device 220 is configured to enable a rescue device to perform a rescue in accordance with the transportation state parameter and/or the transportation request information when an abnormality in the transportation state parameter of aircraft 400 is detected.

Wherein the sensing device 500 shown in fig. 6 may be comprised in the aircraft 400, the first control device 200, the second control device 300 or be a separate sensing device. Sensing device 500 may obtain static and dynamic information, where the static information may include population static distribution, rescue site 610 location, a static location of rescue aircraft 620, and the like; while the dynamic information may include demographic dynamic distribution, rescue site 610 occupancy information, real-time location of rescue vehicle 620, and the like. The sensing device 500 may also detect a transport status parameter of the aircraft 400. When the transportation state parameter is abnormal, that is, when an event requiring rescue is detected, information is transmitted to the rescue control device 220, and a route, a mode and the like for initiating rescue to the aircraft 400 are designed by the rescue control device 220.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the rescue apparatus may include at least one of a rescue station 610 at which an aircraft is stopped, a rescue aircraft 620 for taking over the aircraft to perform transportation, and a landing buffer provided on the aircraft, such as a parachute 410 and a buffer airbag 420.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 7, the second control apparatus 300 may include a plurality of special purpose station devices 310, the special purpose station devices 310 being located at preset locations (e.g., a roof of a building 900, a traffic light pole, etc.), the special purpose station devices 310 may be configured to be communicatively connected with the aircraft 400 within a preset area to provide navigation information for the aircraft according to transport control parameters. The special station device 310 may also be configured to receive transport status parameters of the aircraft 400 within the preset area and calculate a transport bill based on the transport status parameters, enabling intelligent charging.

The private station apparatus 310 may employ general cellular mobile technology or the like to communicate with the aircraft 400. By employing the special station apparatus 310, the processor and the like that need to be provided on the aircraft 400 can be greatly reduced, thereby reducing the cost and transportation cost of the aircraft 400 itself.

In addition, the private station device 310 may also be communicatively connected with other cloud servers and the like, so as to transmit relevant data information to the cloud servers and the like for processing, thereby reducing complexity and cost of the private station device 310 itself.

The words "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "over," "under," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the disclosure described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.

As used herein, the word "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not as a "model" to be replicated accurately. Any implementation described herein by way of example is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the detailed description.

As used herein, the term "substantially" is intended to encompass any minor variation due to design or manufacturing imperfections, tolerances of the device or element, environmental effects and/or other factors. The word "substantially" also allows for differences from perfect or ideal situations due to parasitics, noise, and other practical considerations that may be present in a practical implementation.

In addition, the foregoing description may refer to elements or nodes or features being "connected" or "coupled" together. As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, "connected" means that one element/node/feature is directly connected (or in direct communication) electrically, mechanically, logically, or otherwise with another element/node/feature. Similarly, unless expressly stated otherwise, "coupled" means that one element/node/feature may be mechanically, electrically, logically, or otherwise joined with another element/node/feature in a direct or indirect manner to allow interactions, even though the two features may not be directly connected. That is, "coupled" is intended to include both direct and indirect coupling of elements or other features, including connections utilizing one or more intermediate elements.

In addition, for reference purposes only, the terms "first," "second," and the like may also be used herein, and are thus not intended to be limiting. For example, the terms "first," "second," and other such numerical terms referring to structures or elements do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context.

It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, and/or groups thereof.

In this disclosure, the term "providing" is used in a broad sense to cover all ways of obtaining an object, and thus "providing an object" includes, but is not limited to, "purchasing," "preparing/manufacturing," "arranging/setting," "installing/assembling," and/or "ordering" an object, etc.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the boundaries between the above described operations are merely illustrative. The operations may be combined into a single operation, the single operation may be distributed among additional operations, and the operations may be performed at least partially overlapping in time. Moreover, alternative embodiments may include multiple instances of a particular operation, and the order of operations may be altered in other various embodiments. Other modifications, variations, and alternatives are also possible. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of example, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in any desired manner without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that various modifications might be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of aircraft-based transportation control, the method comprising:

Controlling the aircraft to execute the transport mission from the transport start point to the transport end point according to the transport control parameters,

Wherein the transportation control parameter comprises a sharing scheme between the transportation task and other transportation tasks, and wherein determining the transportation control parameter according to the desired transportation duration comprises:

Comparing the desired transport duration to a first threshold duration;

When the desired transport time period is greater than or equal to the first threshold time period, determining that the transport mission is performed by one or more aircraft, and determining a shared transport segment of the transport mission with other transport missions based on the transport start point and the transport end point, on which at least one of the one or more aircraft simultaneously performs the transport mission with the other transport mission.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport control parameter comprises a flight altitude interval of the aircraft;

comparing the desired transport duration to a second threshold duration;

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transportation control parameter comprises a number of stops halfway the transportation mission;

comparing the desired transport duration to a third threshold duration;

Wherein the first preset times are smaller than the second preset times.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport control parameter comprises a flight path of an aircraft between the transport origin and the transport destination;

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that there is a rescue station in the safety area for the aircraft to dock; and/or

In the safety zone there is a rescue vehicle for the rescue vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

7. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling an aircraft to perform a transport mission from the transport origin to the transport destination in accordance with the transport control parameter comprises:

8. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling an aircraft to perform a transport mission from the transport origin to the transport destination in accordance with the transport control parameter comprises:

9. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling an aircraft to perform a transport mission from the transport origin to the transport destination in accordance with the transport control parameter further comprises:

10. A transport control system, characterized in that the system comprises a data transmission device, a first control device, a second control device and an aircraft, wherein:

The data transmission device is configured to acquire transport request information from a transport requester, wherein the transport request information includes at least a transport start point, a transport end point, and a desired transport duration;

the first control device is communicatively connected with the data transmission device, and the first control device is configured to determine transport control parameters according to the expected transport duration;

the second control device is communicatively connected with the first control device, the second control device being configured to control the aircraft in accordance with the transport control parameters; and

The aircraft being communicatively connected to the second control device, the aircraft being configured to perform a transport mission from the transport origin to the transport destination under control of the second control device,

Wherein the transportation control parameters comprise a sharing scheme between the transportation task and other transportation tasks, and wherein the first control device is configured to determine transportation control parameters from the desired transportation duration by:

Comparing the desired transport duration to a first threshold duration;

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the data transmission device is further configured to feed back at least one of: a transportation control parameter from a first control device, a transportation status parameter from a second control device or an aircraft, and a transportation bill calculated from the transportation control parameter or the transportation status parameter.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first control device comprises:

a positioning device configured to receive map information of an area associated with the transportation start point and the transportation end point, the map information including information reflecting a safe area and a forbidden area in the area; and

A planning control communicatively coupled to the positioning device and the aircraft, the planning control configured to determine a flight path of the aircraft between the transport origin and the transport destination based on the desired transport duration, the safe zone, and the prohibited zone, to traverse the flight path through at least a preset number of the safe zones, and to not traverse the prohibited zone.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a rescue device;

The first control device further comprises a rescue control device configured to enable the rescue device to perform rescue according to the transportation state parameter and/or the transportation request information when an abnormality of the transportation state parameter of the aircraft is detected.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the rescue apparatus comprises at least one of a rescue station at which an aircraft is to be docked, a rescue aircraft for rescuing the aircraft, and a landing buffer disposed on the aircraft.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the map information includes at least one of: the population static distribution in the area, the population dynamic distribution in the area, the rescue station positions in the area, the rescue station occupation information in the area and the rescue aircraft positions in the area.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the second control device comprises:

A plurality of private station apparatuses located at preset locations, the private station apparatuses configured to be communicatively connected with an aircraft within a preset area to provide navigation information for the aircraft according to the transport control parameters, wherein the preset area is associated with the preset locations.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the special station device is further configured to receive a transport status parameter of the aircraft within the preset area and calculate a transport bill from the transport status parameter.