CN114115306A

CN114115306A - Takeoff detection method and device for unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN114115306A
Application number: CN202111308414.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王璐; 覃颖; 贾向华
Original assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-11-05
Filing date: 2021-11-05
Publication date: 2022-03-01

Abstract

The application provides a takeoff detection method and device for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle and a storage medium, wherein the method comprises the following steps: before the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off, detecting whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly by using data detected by a detection device of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and if the surrounding environment is not suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly, preventing the unmanned aerial vehicle from taking off. This embodiment realizes detecting the surrounding environment before unmanned aerial vehicle takes off, is favorable to having improved unmanned aerial vehicle's flight security, avoids the user because do not carefully observe factors such as surrounding environment or maloperation before taking off, causes unmanned aerial vehicle to play the oar and hurts people or hit other barriers.

Description

Takeoff detection method and device for unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle and storage medium

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular to a takeoff detection method and device of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle and a storage medium.

Background

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are unmanned aircraft that are operated using radio remote control devices and self-contained program control devices, or are operated autonomously, either completely or intermittently, by an onboard computer. The unmanned aerial vehicle is widely applied to scenes such as aerial photography, agricultural plant protection, miniature self-timer, express transportation, disaster relief, wild animal observation, infectious disease monitoring, surveying and mapping, news reporting, power inspection, disaster relief, movie and television shooting.

Unmanned aerial vehicle can carry out the flight task (like aerial photography task, plant protection task etc.) under user's automation or semi-automatic control, and wherein, unmanned aerial vehicle's flight security has always been the problem of industry's concern.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, the present application provides a takeoff detection method and apparatus for an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a storage medium.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a takeoff detection method for an unmanned aerial vehicle, including:

before the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off, detecting whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly by using data detected by a detection device of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

and if the surrounding environment is not suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly, preventing the unmanned aerial vehicle from taking off.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an unmanned aerial vehicle's detection device that takes off, include:

one or more processors;

a memory for storing the processor-executable instructions;

the one or more processors individually or collectively execute the executable instructions to perform a method as described in the first aspect.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an unmanned aerial vehicle, including:

a body;

the power system is arranged on the body and used for providing flight power for the unmanned aerial vehicle;

and the takeoff detection device is arranged on the machine body and is provided with the second aspect.

In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method according to the first aspect.

The embodiment of the application realizes detecting the surrounding environment before unmanned aerial vehicle takes off, can carry out safety protection measure under the unsuitable unmanned aerial vehicle flight's of surrounding environment condition, for example safety protection measure takes off including preventing unmanned aerial vehicle to be favorable to having improved unmanned aerial vehicle's flight security, avoid the user because do not carefully observe factors such as surrounding environment or maloperation before taking off, cause unmanned aerial vehicle to play the oar and hinder the people or hit other barriers.

Drawings

Fig. 1 and 2 are schematic structural views of two different unmanned flight systems according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a usage scenario of a plant protection unmanned aerial vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 and 5 are different flow diagrams of a takeoff detection method of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a takeoff detection device of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, like numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present application, as detailed in the appended claims.

The embodiment of the application realizes detecting the surrounding environment before Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) takes off, can carry out safety protection measure under the unsuitable unmanned aerial vehicle flight's of surrounding environment condition, for example safety protection measure is including preventing unmanned aerial vehicle to take off to be favorable to having improved unmanned aerial vehicle's flight security, avoid the user because do not carefully observe factors such as the surrounding environment or maloperation before taking off, cause unmanned aerial vehicle to play the oar and hinder the people or hit other barriers.

Wherein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any type of drone may be used without limitation, and embodiments of the present application may be applied to various types of drones. For example, the drone may be a small or large drone. In certain embodiments, the drone may be a rotorcraft (rotorcraft), for example, a multi-rotor drone propelled through the air by a plurality of propulsion devices, embodiments of the present application are not so limited, and the drone may be other types of drones as well.

Fig. 1 and 2 are schematic architecture diagrams of an unmanned flight system according to an embodiment of the application. The present embodiment is described by taking a rotor unmanned aerial vehicle as an example. The drone 110 may be an agricultural drone or an industrial application drone, with the need for cyclic operation.

Taking the application of the drone 110 in the field of aerial photography as an example, as shown in fig. 1, the unmanned flight system 100 may include the drone 110, a display device 130, and a remote control device 140. The drone 110 may include, among other things, a power system 150, a flight control system 160, a frame, and a pan-tilt 120 carried on the frame. The drone 110 may be in wireless communication with the remote control device 140 and the display device 130.

Taking the application of the drone 110 in the field of plant protection as an example, as shown in fig. 2, the unmanned aerial vehicle system 100 may include the drone 110 and a remote control device 140. The drone 110 may include, among other things, a power system 150, a flight control system 160, a frame, and a plant protection system 170 carried on the frame. The drone 110 may communicate wirelessly with the remote control device 140.

The airframe may include a fuselage and a foot rest (also referred to as a landing gear). The fuselage may include a central frame and one or more arms connected to the central frame, the one or more arms extending radially from the central frame. The foot rest is connected with the fuselage for play the supporting role when unmanned aerial vehicle 110 lands.

The power system 150 may include one or more electronic governors (abbreviated as electric governors) 151, one or more propellers 153, and one or more motors 152 corresponding to the one or more propellers 153, wherein the motors 152 are connected between the electronic governors 151 and the propellers 153, the motors 152 and the propellers 153 are disposed on the horn of the drone 110; the electronic governor 151 is configured to receive a drive signal generated by the flight control system 160 and provide a drive current to the motor 152 based on the drive signal to control the rotational speed of the motor 152. The motor 152 is used to drive the propeller in rotation, thereby providing power for the flight of the drone 110, which power enables the drone 110 to achieve one or more degrees of freedom of motion. In certain embodiments, the drone 110 may rotate about one or more axes of rotation. For example, the above-mentioned rotation axes may include a Roll axis (Roll), a Yaw axis (Yaw) and a pitch axis (pitch). It should be understood that the motor 152 may be a dc motor or an ac motor. The motor 152 may be a brushless motor or a brush motor.

Flight control system 160 may include a flight controller 161 and a sensing system 162. The sensing system 162 is used to measure attitude information of the drone, i.e., position information and status information of the drone 110 in space, such as three-dimensional position, three-dimensional angle, three-dimensional velocity, three-dimensional acceleration, three-dimensional angular velocity, and the like. The sensing system 162 may include, for example, at least one of a gyroscope, an ultrasonic sensor, an electronic compass, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), a vision sensor, a global navigation satellite system, and a barometer. For example, the Global navigation satellite System may be a Global Positioning System (GPS). The flight controller 161 is used to control the flight of the drone 110, for example, the flight of the drone 110 may be controlled according to attitude information measured by the sensing system 162. It should be understood that the drone 110 may be controlled by the flight controller 161 in accordance with preprogrammed instructions, or the drone 110 may be controlled in response to one or more remote control signals from the remote control device 140.

As shown in fig. 1, the pan/tilt head 120 may include a motor 122. The pan/tilt head is used to carry the photographing device 123. Flight controller 161 may control the movement of pan/tilt head 120 via motor 122. Optionally, as another embodiment, the pan/tilt head 120 may further include a controller for controlling the movement of the pan/tilt head 120 by controlling the motor 122. It should be understood that the pan/tilt head 120 may be separate from the drone 110, or may be part of the drone 110. It should be understood that the motor 122 may be a dc motor or an ac motor. The motor 122 may be a brushless motor or a brush motor. It should also be understood that the pan/tilt head may be located at the top of the drone, as well as at the bottom of the drone.

The photographing device 123 may be, for example, a device for capturing an image such as a camera or a video camera, and the photographing device 123 may communicate with the flight controller and perform photographing under the control of the flight controller. The image capturing Device 123 of this embodiment at least includes a photosensitive element, such as a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor or a Charge-coupled Device (CCD) sensor. It can be understood that the camera 123 may also be directly fixed to the drone 110, such that the pan/tilt head 120 may be omitted.

The display device 130 is located at the ground end of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 100, can communicate with the unmanned aerial vehicle 110 in a wireless manner, and can be used for displaying attitude information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 110. In addition, an image photographed by the photographing device 123 may also be displayed on the display apparatus 130. It should be understood that the display device 130 may be a stand-alone device or may be integrated into the remote control device 140.

The remote control device 140 is located at the ground end of the unmanned aerial vehicle system 100, and can communicate with the unmanned aerial vehicle 110 in a wireless manner, so as to remotely control the unmanned aerial vehicle 110.

As shown in fig. 2, the plant protection system 170 may include a container 171 for holding the material, an output device 172 for outputting the material, and a detection device 173. Illustratively, the detecting device 173 includes a capacity detecting sensor for detecting a remaining capacity of the container and/or a flow meter for detecting a flow rate of the material output by the output device. Optionally, as another embodiment, the plant protection system 170 may further include a controller; the controller is connected in communication with the output device 172, and is configured to control whether the output device 172 outputs the material, for example, the controller may control the output device to output the material upon receiving a plant protection task execution instruction from the flight controller 161; the controller can also be in communication connection with the capacity detection sensor and/or the flow meter, and controls the capacity detection device to detect the residual capacity of the container and/or controls the flow meter to detect the flow rate of the material output by the output device during the material output process, so that high-precision material output control can be performed based on the residual capacity of the container and/or the flow rate of the material output by the output device.

The plant protection system can be a spraying system or a sowing system, the spraying system is used for spraying liquid pesticide or liquid materials such as water, and the sowing system is used for spraying solid materials such as seeds or powder. In the sprinkler system, the volume detection sensor includes a liquid level meter; in the sowing system, the capacity detection sensor comprises a level gauge.

It should be understood that the above-mentioned nomenclature for the components of the unmanned flight system is for identification purposes only, and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present application.

In the related art, an unmanned aerial vehicle generally takes off directly under the control of a user to perform a flight task, and when the user does not carefully observe the surrounding environment before taking off or operate by mistake, the unmanned aerial vehicle may cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to prop up to hurt people or collide against other obstacles. In an exemplary application scenario, a plant protection unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a spraying system is taken as an example, as shown in fig. 3, fig. 3 shows a usage scenario schematic diagram of the plant protection unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a spraying system, and considering that the size of the plant protection unmanned aerial vehicle is large, if a user does not carefully observe the surrounding environment before takeoff or causes such as misoperation before controlling the plant protection unmanned aerial vehicle to take off, and in the case that an operator exists in the surrounding environment of the unmanned aerial vehicle (for example, around a flying spot or in a farmland plot to be subjected to plant protection tasks), the aircraft may be caused to oar up and hurt the operator or hit other obstacles, and there is a potential safety hazard problem.

Based on this, please refer to fig. 4, an embodiment of the present application provides a takeoff detection method for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which can be executed by a takeoff detection device of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Illustratively, the takeoff detection device may be a flight controller 161 as shown in fig. 1 or fig. 2. The method comprises the following steps:

in step S101, before the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off, whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly is detected by using data detected by a detection device of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In step S102, if the surrounding environment is not suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly, the unmanned aerial vehicle is prevented from taking off.

In this embodiment, before the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off, whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be detected by using the data detected by the detection device of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and a safety protection measure is executed under the condition that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, for example, the safety protection measure includes the step of preventing the unmanned aerial vehicle from taking off, so that the flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle is improved, and the situation that the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off and hurts people or collides other obstacles due to the fact that a user does not carefully observe the surrounding environment before taking off or the factors such as misoperation is avoided.

In some embodiments, the detection device includes, but is not limited to, a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a vision sensor, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like. Whether the data detection surrounding environment that can select to use one of them detecting device to detect according to the practical application scene is fit for unmanned aerial vehicle flight, or fuse the data detection surrounding environment that two kinds of detecting device detected and fit for unmanned aerial vehicle flight. It can be understood that, the installation position and the installation number of the detection device in the unmanned aerial vehicle are not limited in the embodiment of the application, and the detection device can be specifically set according to actual application scenes.

The detection time of the detection device is not limited in any way, and the detection time can be specifically set according to actual application scenes. In some possible implementations, the detection device may be controlled to detect the surrounding environment after the drone is powered on. In other possible implementation manners, the power consumption required by the detection device to execute the detection process is considered to be large, if the detection device is always in a detection state after the unmanned aerial vehicle is powered on until the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off, the electric quantity loss of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be accelerated, so that the power consumption of the unmanned aerial vehicle is reduced, the cruising ability of the unmanned aerial vehicle is improved, the detection device can be controlled to detect the surrounding environment in response to the take-off trigger of the unmanned aerial vehicle, namely the detection device can detect when the unmanned aerial vehicle is ready to take off.

In an example, the unmanned aerial vehicle is in communication connection with a remote control device, the remote control device is provided with a rocker for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly, taking the millimeter wave radar as the detection device as an example, when it is detected that a user operates the rocker in the remote control device to trigger the unmanned aerial vehicle to take off, a buffer duration is set between the take-off trigger of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the take-off of the unmanned aerial vehicle, for example, a buffer duration of 3 seconds is set, the unmanned aerial vehicle can take off after the take-off trigger is 3 seconds, and during the buffer duration, the unmanned aerial vehicle can control the millimeter wave radar to detect the surrounding environment, and then, whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly is detected by using data detected by the detection device.

In some embodiments, it is considered that the detection device may fail due to internal factors, such as aging, wear or damage of internal components of the sensor for obstacle avoidance; or the detection device may also fail due to the influence of the external environment, for example, the visual sensor fails due to the fact that the brightness of the external environment cannot reach the preset working condition, and the laser radar fails due to the fact that the emitted laser pulse is difficult to penetrate through fine objects such as fog, smoke, dust and the like due to the environments such as haze and sand storm, so that the surrounding environment cannot be detected.

Therefore, before the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off, whether the detection device fails or not may be detected, and if the detection device fails, indication information may be sent to the remote control device, so that the remote control device outputs prompt information asking for scrutiny of the surrounding environment according to the indication information, where the prompt information includes, but is not limited to, visual information or auditory information. If the detection device operates normally, the unmanned aerial vehicle detects whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly or not by using data detected by the detection device of the unmanned aerial vehicle; wherein, the normal operation condition of the detection device comprises: the interior device of the detection device is not damaged, and the data detected from the surrounding environment meet the preset requirement, and the preset requirement indicates that the data detected by the detection device can be used for detecting effective obstacles.

In some embodiments, the surrounding environment detected by the detection device includes a specified range around the takeoff point of the unmanned aerial vehicle, thereby facilitating the taking-off safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle. In other embodiments, in the case that the detection distance of the detection device is far enough or the detection range is relatively wide, the surrounding environment may also include at least a partial area where the unmanned aerial vehicle is to perform a flight mission, where the at least a partial area is within the detection range of the detection sensor; in an example, taking the unmanned aerial vehicle as a plant protection unmanned aerial vehicle as an example, the surrounding environment may also include at least a part of the land to be subjected to the plant protection task, where the at least part of the land is within the detection range of the detection sensor, so as to ensure flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the plant protection task is performed. Certainly, for example, the flying spot of the unmanned aerial vehicle is close to the plot where the plant protection task is to be executed, or is in the plot where the plant protection task is to be executed, the surrounding environment can also include the designated range around the flying spot of the unmanned aerial vehicle and at least part of the plot where the plant protection task is to be executed, so that the flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle is further improved.

In some embodiments, the unmanned aerial vehicle may perform obstacle detection according to data detected by the detection device, and if it is detected that an obstacle affecting flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle exists in a surrounding environment, and it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle may perform a related safety protection measure, for example, the safety protection measure may be a measure for preventing the unmanned aerial vehicle from taking off, so as to improve flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and prevent a user from hurting a person or colliding with another obstacle due to the fact that the user does not carefully observe the surrounding environment before taking off or misoperation.

For example, the surrounding environment includes a specified range around the departure point of the drone and/or at least a part of the area where the flight mission is to be performed (e.g., at least a part of the lot where the plant protection mission is to be performed), and if it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the flight of the drone based on the data detected by the detection device that a pedestrian is detected in the specified range around the departure point of the drone and/or at least the part of the area where the flight mission is to be performed (e.g., at least the part of the lot where the plant protection mission is to be performed), the drone may perform a related safety measure, such as the safety measure may be to prevent the takeoff of the drone.

For example, considering that there may be some obstacles in the surrounding environment that do not affect the flight of the drone, such as obstacles away from the flight path of the drone, if safety protection measures are taken to prevent the flight in this case too, it may be disadvantageous to the user experience. Therefore, in the case that the drone includes a preset flight path, it may be determined comprehensively, based on the flight path of the drone and the data detected by the detection means, whether the surrounding environment has obstacles that affect the flight of the drone, wherein the obstacles that affect the flight of the drone may include static obstacles that are substantially in the flight path of the drone and/or dynamic obstacles that are predicted to be in the flight path of the drone based on motion estimation. This embodiment is based on unmanned aerial vehicle's motion path carries out accurate detection to the barrier that influences unmanned aerial vehicle flight to be favorable to improving unmanned aerial vehicle's flight security.

Wherein the static obstacle approximately in the flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a static obstacle in the flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle or a static obstacle with the distance between the static obstacle and the flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle being smaller than a preset safety distance.

The unmanned aerial vehicle can determine whether the object to be detected is a static obstacle or a dynamic obstacle based on the data detected by the detection device; if the obstacle is a static obstacle, acquiring position information of the static obstacle based on the data detected by the detection device, and determining that the static obstacle is an obstacle influencing the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the shortest distance between the static obstacle and the flight path is determined to be smaller than the preset safety distance according to the position information of the static obstacle and the flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle; if for dynamic barrier, unmanned aerial vehicle can be based on data that detecting device detected carry out motion estimation to this dynamic barrier, predict the movement trend of this dynamic barrier, when the movement trend based on this dynamic barrier and unmanned aerial vehicle's the flight speed of predetermineeing confirms that this dynamic barrier is about to be in on unmanned aerial vehicle's the flight path to probably bump with unmanned aerial vehicle, confirm this dynamic barrier for influencing the barrier of unmanned aerial vehicle flight. This embodiment is based on unmanned aerial vehicle's motion path carries out accurate detection to the barrier that influences unmanned aerial vehicle flight to be favorable to improving unmanned aerial vehicle's flight security.

In some embodiments, after determining that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly and performing the safety protection measure for preventing flying, the unmanned aerial vehicle may further send indication information to the remote control device, so that the remote control device outputs prompt information whether to continue to perform the takeoff operation according to the indication information. If the takeoff trigger related to the prompt message is received, the user determines that the surrounding environment is suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly, the unmanned aerial vehicle responds to the takeoff trigger related to the prompt message, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to take off under the condition that the surrounding environment is not detected; optionally, considering that there is a variable factor in the surrounding environment, such as the influence of some dynamic obstacles, in order to improve the flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a limited time period may be set, for example, a preset time period, such as 30 seconds or 40 seconds, is preset, and if the takeoff trigger related to the prompt information is generated within the preset time period after the prompt information is output, the unmanned aerial vehicle may be directly controlled to take off by skipping the detection of the surrounding environment, so as to facilitate reducing the influence of multiple detection processes on the takeoff efficiency of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and improve the flight experience of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

If the user cancels the continuous execution of the takeoff operation after receiving the prompt message, the user determines that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly, if the takeoff trigger after canceling the continuous execution of the takeoff operation is received, flight suitability detection is still needed to be carried out on the surrounding environment, namely, the unmanned aerial vehicle still needs to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly by using data detected by a detection device of the unmanned aerial vehicle in response to the takeoff trigger after canceling the continuous execution of the takeoff operation, and whether safety protection measures for preventing flying are executed is determined according to a detection result, so that the flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle is guaranteed. The embodiment provides two execution strategies related to the prompt message, if the user selects to continue to execute the takeoff operation, the detection of the surrounding environment is skipped, and if the user selects to cancel the continuation of the takeoff operation, the next takeoff still needs to be detected for the surrounding environment, so that the takeoff efficiency and the flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle are considered.

In an exemplary embodiment, please refer to fig. 5, fig. 5 shows a schematic flow chart of takeoff detection of another unmanned aerial vehicle, taking an unmanned aerial vehicle as a plant protection unmanned aerial vehicle as an example, considering that the plant protection unmanned aerial vehicle has a large volume, if there are pedestrians in the surrounding environment of the plant protection unmanned aerial vehicle, there is a large potential safety hazard. The method comprises the following steps:

after the unmanned aerial vehicle is powered on, in step S201, in response to a takeoff trigger of the unmanned aerial vehicle, controlling the detection device to detect the surrounding environment; wherein the surrounding environment comprises a specified range around the unmanned aerial vehicle takeoff point and/or at least a partial plot of a plant protection task to be performed;

in step S202, detecting a specified range around the unmanned aerial vehicle flying start point and/or whether there is a pedestrian in at least a part of the plot where plant protection tasks are to be performed based on data detected by the detection device; if not, executing step S203; if yes, go to step S204; of course, besides detecting pedestrians, whether other objects influencing the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle exist can be detected;

in step S203, controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to take off;

in step S204, preventing the unmanned aerial vehicle from taking off;

in step S205, sending instruction information to a remote control device, so that the remote control device outputs prompt information indicating whether to continue to execute a takeoff operation; if the take-off operation is confirmed to be continuously executed, skipping the detection of the surrounding environment and directly executing the step S203; if the take-off operation is cancelled to be continuously executed, the unmanned aerial vehicle keeps the stopped state, and the step S202 may be executed in response to the take-off trigger after the take-off operation is cancelled to be continuously executed.

In some embodiments, considering that different types of obstacles have different influence degrees on the flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle may send different indication information to the remote control device according to the different types of obstacles, so that the remote control device outputs prompt information with different warning effects, thereby performing accurate takeoff detection reminding.

Illustratively, the type of the obstacle at least includes pedestrians and non-pedestrians, the warning level of the pedestrians is higher than that of the non-pedestrians, for example, when the type of the obstacle is a pedestrian, the remote control device may be controlled by the first indication information to display visual prompt information with a red warning effect or play relatively urgent auditory prompt information on the interactive interface, and when the type of the obstacle is a non-pedestrian, the remote control device may be controlled by the second indication information to display visual prompt information with a blue warning effect or play relatively comfortable auditory prompt information on the interactive interface.

For example, the type of the obstacle may further include a dynamic obstacle and a static obstacle, and the warning level of the dynamic obstacle is higher than that of the static obstacle.

For the determination process of the type of the obstacle, in a possible implementation manner, the unmanned aerial vehicle may pre-store reference data of different types of obstacles according to requirements of an actual application scenario, for example, for a plant protection unmanned aerial vehicle, reference data of pedestrians and reference data of non-pedestrians (such as signal towers, telegraph poles, farmland scarecrow and the like) may be pre-stored; and then determining the type of the obstacle according to the difference between the data detected by the detection device and the reference data of the obstacle of a preset type, wherein if the difference between the data detected by the detection device and the reference data of the obstacle of a certain preset type is smaller, the obstacle detected by the detection device can be determined to belong to the preset type. In another possible implementation manner, the unmanned aerial vehicle may also perform motion estimation on the object to be detected according to the data detected by the detection device, so as to determine the type of the obstacle. Of course, other implementations may be adopted to determine the type of the obstacle, and the embodiment is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, it is contemplated that other factors in the surrounding environment may affect the flight of the drone in addition to obstacles in the surrounding environment of the drone. For example, the drone may determine whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly using the data detected by the detection device and at least one of: the altitude of the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, weather information, whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is in a no-fly area or an outdoor environment. For example, if the altitude of the position where the unmanned aerial vehicle is located is higher than 4500 meters, it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly; for example, the current weather temperature is higher than 45 ℃, or in heavy rain, wind or other extreme weather, the surrounding environment is determined not to be suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly; for example, the surrounding environment belongs to a no-fly area, and the surrounding environment is determined to be unsuitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly; for example, if the unmanned aerial vehicle is in an indoor environment, it is determined that the unmanned aerial vehicle is not suitable for flying. In this embodiment, carry out accurate detection to two kinds of factors of surrounding environment before unmanned aerial vehicle takes off, be favorable to improving unmanned aerial vehicle's flight security.

Correspondingly, please refer to fig. 6, an embodiment of the present application further provides a takeoff detection device 30 for an unmanned aerial vehicle, including:

one or more processors 31;

a memory 32 for storing instructions executable by the processor 31;

the one or more processors 31, individually or collectively, execute the executable instructions to perform:

The Processor 31 executes executable instructions included in the memory 32, and the Processor 31 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general purpose Processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other Programmable logic device, a discrete Gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or the like. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

The memory 32 stores executable instructions of the return method, and the memory 32 may include at least one type of storage medium including a flash memory, a hard disk, a multimedia card, a card type memory (e.g., SD or DX memory, etc.), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, and the like. Also, the apparatus may cooperate with a network storage device that performs a storage function of the memory through a network connection. The memory 32 may be an internal storage unit of the takeoff detection device 30, such as a hard disk or a memory of the takeoff detection device 30. The memory 32 may also be an external storage device of the takeoff detecting device 30, such as a plug-in hard disk provided on the takeoff detecting device 30, a Smart Media Card (SMC), a Secure Digital (SD) Card, a Flash memory Card (Flash Card), and the like. Further, the memory 32 may also include both an internal memory unit and an external memory device of the takeoff detection apparatus 30. The memory 32 is used to store executable instructions and other programs and data required by the takeoff detection device 30. The memory 32 may also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

In some embodiments, the processor 31 is further configured to detect whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the flight of the drone, using data detected by the detection device of the drone, in response to a takeoff trigger of the drone.

In some embodiments, the processor 31 is further configured to send an indication message to a remote control device if the surrounding environment is not suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly, so that the remote control device outputs a prompt message indicating whether to continue to perform a takeoff operation; controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to take off without detecting the surrounding environment in response to a take-off trigger related to the prompt message; and detecting whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly or not in response to the takeoff trigger after the takeoff operation is cancelled to be continuously executed.

In some embodiments, the takeoff trigger associated with the reminder information is generated within a preset time period after the reminder information is output.

In some embodiments, the ambient environment includes a specified range around the drone takeoff point and/or at least a partial plot of plant protection tasks to be performed; wherein the at least partial parcel is within a detection range of the detection sensor.

In some embodiments, the ambient environment is not suitable for the drone to fly if a pedestrian is detected at a specified range around the drone takeoff point and/or at least a portion of the plot where plant protection tasks are to be performed.

In some embodiments, when it is detected, based on the data detected by the detection device, that there is an obstacle in the surrounding environment that affects the flight of the drone, it is determined that the surrounding environment is not suitable for the flight of the drone.

In some embodiments, the obstacle comprises: a static obstacle substantially in the flight path of the drone and/or a dynamic obstacle predicted to be in the flight path of the drone based on motion estimation.

In some embodiments, the processor 31 is further configured to send different indication information to the remote control device according to different types of obstacles, so that the remote control device outputs prompt information with different warning effects.

In some embodiments, the types of obstacles include at least pedestrians and non-pedestrians; wherein the warning level of the pedestrian is higher than the warning level of the non-pedestrian.

In some embodiments, the processor 31 is further configured to determine the type of the obstacle according to a difference between the data detected by the detecting device and reference data of a preset type of obstacle and/or according to a motion estimation of the object to be detected according to the data detected by the detecting device.

In some embodiments, the detection device comprises at least one of: a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a vision sensor, an infrared sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor.

In some embodiments, the processor 31 is further configured to determine whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly using the data detected by the detection device and at least one of: the altitude of the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, weather information, whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is in a no-fly area or an outdoor environment.

The various embodiments described herein may be implemented using a computer-readable medium such as computer software, hardware, or any combination thereof. For a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented using at least one of an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Digital Signal Processing Device (DSPD), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a processor, a controller, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, and an electronic unit designed to perform the functions described herein. For a software implementation, the implementation such as a process or a function may be implemented with a separate software module that allows performing at least one function or operation. The software codes may be implemented by software applications (or programs) written in any suitable programming language, which may be stored in memory and executed by the controller.

The implementation process of the functions and actions of each unit in the above device is specifically described in the implementation process of the corresponding step in the above method, and is not described herein again.

Correspondingly, this application embodiment still provides an unmanned aerial vehicle, includes:

a body;

the power system is arranged in the machine body and used for providing power for the unmanned aerial vehicle;

and a takeoff detection device 30 as shown in fig. 6 arranged in the fuselage.

For example, the takeoff detecting device 30 may be a flight controller in the embodiment shown in fig. 1 or fig. 2.

In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, such as a memory comprising instructions, executable by a processor of an apparatus to perform the above-described method is also provided. For example, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be a ROM, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, instructions in the storage medium, when executed by a processor of a terminal, enable the terminal to perform the above-described method.

It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. As used in this application and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It is to be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one type of information from another. For example, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information, without departing from the scope of the present application. The word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at … …" or "when … …" or "in response to a determination", depending on the context. The terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an … …" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any invention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. In other instances, features described in connection with one embodiment may be implemented as discrete components or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system modules and components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

Thus, particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. Further, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In some implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

The above description is only exemplary of the present application and should not be taken as limiting the present application, as any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A takeoff detection method of an unmanned aerial vehicle is characterized by comprising the following steps:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly using data detected by a detection device of the drone before takeoff of the drone comprises:

and responding to the takeoff trigger of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and detecting whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly by using the data detected by the detection device of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein if the surrounding environment is not suitable for the drone to fly, further comprising:

sending indication information to remote control equipment so that the remote control equipment outputs prompt information for judging whether to continuously execute the takeoff operation;

controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to take off without detecting the surrounding environment in response to a take-off trigger related to the prompt message;

and detecting whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly or not in response to the takeoff trigger after the takeoff operation is cancelled to be continuously executed.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the takeoff trigger associated with the reminder information is generated within a preset time period after the reminder information is output.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ambient environment comprises a specified range around the drone takeoff point and/or at least a partial parcel of a plant protection mission to be performed;

wherein the at least partial parcel is within a detection range of the detection sensor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the ambient environment is not suitable for the drone to fly if a pedestrian is detected at a specified range around the drone takeoff point and/or at least a portion of a plot where plant protection tasks are to be performed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the ambient environment is determined to be unsuitable for the drone to fly when it is detected, based on the data detected by the detection device, that there are obstacles in the ambient environment that affect the drone to fly.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the obstruction comprises: a static obstacle substantially in the flight path of the drone and/or a dynamic obstacle predicted to be in the flight path of the drone based on motion estimation.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

and sending different indication information to remote control equipment according to different types of the obstacles so that the remote control equipment outputs prompt information with different warning effects.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the types of obstacles include at least pedestrians and non-pedestrians;

wherein the warning level of the pedestrian is higher than the warning level of the non-pedestrian.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

and performing motion estimation on the object to be detected according to the difference between the data detected by the detection device and the reference data of the obstacle of a preset type and/or according to the data detected by the detection device, and determining the type of the obstacle.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection device comprises at least one of: a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, a vision sensor, an infrared sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the drone to fly using the data detected by the detection device of the drone comprises:

determining whether the surrounding environment is suitable for the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly by using the data detected by the detecting device and at least one of the following information: the altitude of the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, weather information, whether the unmanned aerial vehicle is in a no-fly area or an outdoor environment.

14. A takeoff detection device of an unmanned aerial vehicle is characterized by comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory for storing the processor-executable instructions;

the one or more processors individually or collectively execute the executable instructions to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

a body;

and a takeoff detection device as claimed in claim 14 provided in the body.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.