KR102281804B1 - Drone control system for preventing conllisions - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drone control system for preventing collision. If there is a possibility of collision between drones or external obstacles, the drone provides time for the user to operate the drone to avoid collision, and if the user fails to modify the flight path of the drone, the drone automatically corrects the flight path By preventing collisions, even users who are inexperienced in drone operation can safely control the drone.

Description

Drone control system for preventing collisions

The present invention relates to a drone control system for preventing collision.

A drone or unmaned aerial vehicle refers to an air vehicle that is operated wirelessly without a person on board. Although developed for military use, the aircraft is light and easy to carry, fast, and economical, so it is frequently used for aerial photography for broadcast purposes, and is also used to identify areas that cannot be inspected by humans in case of natural disasters. In addition, the drone can be used for transporting goods by loading it to another place, and it can be used in various industries such as agriculture.

Recently, it has been spotlighted as a leisure sport such as general users carrying drones and aerial photography using a camera. These drones are lighter and smaller than the prior art, and are sometimes equipped with high-performance small cameras.

In general, when a user on the ground operates the remote control device of the drone, the drone receives the operation signal wirelessly and operates. However, it is difficult to control the drone using a remote control device, so collisions with trees, buildings, or other drones may occur.

When a collision occurs, the drone is destroyed, resulting in property damage, and there is a problem that expands into safety accidents such as damage to human life due to the collision. Accordingly, although research on various remote control devices for easy adjustment of drones is being actively conducted, it takes time for a user to become familiar with the remote control device. Accordingly, there is a need for a drone control system that prevents collisions between drones so that many people can comfortably and safely operate the drone regardless of the operation capability of the remote control device of the drone.

Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0107772

The present invention for solving the above problems may provide a drone control system and a control method thereof for preventing collision of a drone in flight.

In addition, the present invention can provide a drone control system and a control method therefor that warn a user of the possibility of a collision so that the user can avoid a collision through a remote control device of the drone.

In addition, the present invention can provide a drone control system and a control method therefor in which the drone automatically changes the route without the user's manipulation to control the drone in order to reduce the collision caused by the inexperience of the drone control to prevent the collision.

In addition, the present invention can provide a drone control system and a control method thereof that provide collision warning information so that, when there is a possibility of a collision between drones, even a drone that is a collision target can recognize and avoid the collision possibility.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A collision avoidance drone control system including a drone and a remote control device for a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems includes a power supply unit receiving power of the drone using a wired cable, and flying from the remote control device A communication unit that receives command information and communicates with an external device, a storage unit that stores the flight command information, a flight control unit that controls the flight of the drone according to the flight command information, and a reflected wave of electromagnetic waves generated externally through an electromagnetic wave sensor When is received, including a sensing unit for sensing the presence of an external obstacle and sensing a distance to the external obstacle, wherein the flight control unit collision occurrence time with the external obstacle based on the sensed distance and the current flight speed of the drone If it is within this preset threshold range, the drone's flight mode is switched from the manual driving mode to the collision avoidance mode, and collision warning information is transmitted to the remote control device, and after transmitting the collision warning information, the remote control is performed for a preset time. If the modified flight command information is not received from the device, the drone's flight mode is switched to the autonomous driving mode, the flight direction of the drone is rotated 180 degrees horizontally to fly, or the flight altitude of the drone is adjusted to the location of an external obstacle. It is characterized in that it operates by adjusting vertically according to it or disconnects the connection of the wired cable.

In addition to this, another method for implementing the present invention, another system, and a computer-readable recording medium for recording a computer program for executing the method may be further provided.

The present invention has an effect of increasing safety by preventing collision between drones or an external obstacle and the drone.

In addition, the present invention can avoid collision by providing a time margin for the user to operate the drone when there is a possibility of a collision between the drones or an external obstacle and the drone.

In addition, if the user fails to correct the flight path of the drone despite the time allowance, the drone can automatically correct the flight path to prevent collisions. Accordingly, there is an advantage in that even a user who is inexperienced in operating the drone can safely control the drone.

In addition, the present invention can prevent damage to the drone by preventing a collision with an obstacle by automatically or manually switching the flight direction of the drone when there is a possibility of a collision between the drones or an external obstacle and the drone.

In addition, the present invention has an advantage in that the drone can be operated in various environments by reducing the impact of the flight environment in which the drone is operated by reducing the possibility of collision between the drone and external obstacles.

Effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a block diagram of a drone control system for preventing collision according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a drone control system sensing an external obstacle and preventing a collision according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an example in which a drone control system according to an embodiment of the present invention prevents a collision.
4 is another example in which the drone control system according to an embodiment of the present invention prevents a collision.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully understand the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase. As used herein, “comprises” and/or “comprising” does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components in addition to the stated components. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout, and "and/or" includes each and every combination of one or more of the recited elements. Although "first", "second", etc. are used to describe various elements, these elements are not limited by these terms, of course. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Accordingly, it goes without saying that the first component mentioned below may be the second component within the spirit of the present invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein will have the meaning commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. In addition, terms defined in a commonly used dictionary are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless specifically defined explicitly.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a drone control system for preventing a collision according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drone control system 110 may be included in the drone to control the operation of the drone. 1, the drone control system 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives the flight command information from the remote control device and communicates with the external device and the communication unit 111, the received flight command information and It may include a storage unit 112 for storing the set flight command information, a flight control unit 113 for controlling the flight of the drone according to the flight command information, and a sensing unit 114 for sensing an external obstacle.

In addition, although not shown in FIG. 1 , the drone control system 110 includes a display unit that displays various information stored in the storage unit 112 , and a lighting unit that illuminates the light so that the image can be well sensed when the image is captured by the sensing unit 114 and various additional components such as a hardware key or a separate input unit such as a touch pad for receiving a user command.

The communication unit 111 is responsible for communication between the inside and outside of the drone, and may include various wireless communication modules such as mobile communication for long-distance communication or Bluetooth for short-distance communication, Wi-Fi, and short-range communication (NFC). . In addition, it may include a wired communication module for wired communication. Accordingly, when the user controls the drone in the manual driving mode through the remote control device, the communication unit 111 may receive a control signal of the remote control device.

Accordingly, the external device 120 that transmits/receives to and from the communication unit 111 may be a remote control device in which a user remotely operates the drone. The remote control device may be a separate device made for controlling the drone, or may be a smartphone. Also, the external device 120 may be another drone in flight.

The storage unit 112 may store control information, state information, setting information, sensing information, multimedia information, and the like of the drone control system 110 . The drone operates in an autonomous driving mode, in which the drone drives autonomously to a specific target point or in a pre-stored route, a manual driving mode in which the user manually controls the drone through a remote control device, a collision avoidance mode in which a collision is avoided by warning of possible collision, and an emergency It can be controlled in various operating modes, such as a landing mode. Accordingly, the storage unit 112 may distinguish and store the driving mode and control information, setting information, and sensing information according to the driving mode.

The flight control unit 113 may control the flight of the drone according to flight command information received from the communication unit 111 or flight command information pre-stored in the storage unit 112 . That is, the flight controller may control the flight route, flight altitude, flight speed, flight direction, etc. according to the operation mode, and may generate or update flight command information according to the operation mode.

The sensing unit 114 may include an electromagnetic wave sensor that generates an electromagnetic wave to the outside to detect an external obstacle and receives a reflected wave by the electromagnetic wave, and an image sensor so as to photograph the external obstacle. In addition, the sensing unit 114 may include at least one of a contact sensor for detecting contact with an external obstacle and a vibration sensor for detecting vibration due to contact with an external obstacle so as to detect a collision with the external obstacle. .

In addition, the sensing unit 114 may include various sensors necessary for the operation of the drone, such as a position sensor such as a GPS receiver, an altitude sensor, an acceleration sensor, an infrared sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a gyro sensor.

Accordingly, the sensing unit 114 may detect an external obstacle through various sensors and store the sensed external obstacle information in the storage unit 112 . The external obstacle information may include information on the flight speed of the external obstacle, the size of the external obstacle, the distance from the external obstacle, and information on the properties of the external obstacle. Also, when an external obstacle is detected, the sensing unit 114 may store location information of the external obstacle for each preset time unit in the storage unit 112 .

The flight control unit 113 switches the flight mode of the drone from the manual driving mode to the collision avoidance mode based on the flight command information and the external obstacle information sensed by the sensing unit 114 and sends the collision warning information to the external device 120 can send At this time, the flight control unit 113 may determine whether the external obstacle is fixed (fixed object) or moving (moving object) using the location information of the external obstacle for each time unit, and whether the external obstacle is fixed or moving. Depending on how you avoid collisions, you can control differently. This will be described later in detail.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of preventing a collision according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

2 is a flowchart illustrating the drone control system 110 sensing an external obstacle and preventing a collision according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sensing unit 114 may generate an electromagnetic wave to the outside through the electromagnetic wave sensor (S210). Also, the sensing unit 114 may sense whether a reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave is received ( S220 ). When it is detected that there is an external obstacle, the distance to the obstacle may be calculated using the speed of the electromagnetic wave and the time at which the reflected wave is received (S230).

The flight controller 113 may calculate a collision occurrence time with an external obstacle by using the current flight speed of the drone and the distance from the external obstacle. Accordingly, the flight controller 113 may predict the collision by determining whether the collision occurrence time is within a preset threshold range based on the sensed distance and the current flight speed (S240). When a collision is predicted, the flight controller 113 may switch the flight mode from the manual driving mode to the collision avoidance mode (S250) and transmit collision warning information to the outside (S260). In this case, the outside may be a remote control device of the drone or another drone that is an external obstacle.

In addition, the flight controller 113 may slow down the collision occurrence time by decelerating the flight speed according to the critical range of the collision occurrence time. The advantage of decelerating flight speed is that it gives the user time to maneuver the drone to avoid a collision.

Meanwhile, the collision warning information may be in the form of one of visual information warning of a collision, acoustic information, and signal information. For example, the visual information may be an image of an external obstacle captured by a drone or an image warning of a collision. The acoustic information may be a warning alarm or a warning message predicting a collision or an evacuation guidance message. Accordingly, the drone control system 110 may further include at least one of a display unit for visually displaying the collision warning information, a sound output unit for outputting sound, and a lighting unit for indicating a danger signal by blinking light. In addition, when the external obstacle is a person or another drone, collision warning information can be checked and the location or flight path can be changed, thereby inducing collision avoidance.

As described above, there is also a method in which the drone control system 110 directly transmits the collision warning information to the outside so that a nearby user or a nearby device can recognize the possibility of a collision, but by transmitting the collision warning information to a remote control device that controls the drone, the user may induce the flight path to be modified. Accordingly, the remote control device may include at least one of a display unit that visually displays collision warning information, a sound output unit that outputs sound, and a vibrator that vibrates the remote control device to give a warning notification to the user. In particular, when a warning notification is given through the vibrator, it is intuitive and easily recognizable by the user, thereby increasing the user's reaction speed.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of preventing a collision in the flight control unit 113 will be described. As an embodiment, if the flight controller 113 does not receive the modified flight command information from the remote control device for a preset time after transmitting the collision warning information, the flight mode of the drone is switched to the autonomous driving mode or the flight direction of the drone is not received. The drone can be controlled to fly by rotating 180 degrees horizontally, or it can be operated by vertically adjusting the flight altitude of the drone according to the location of external obstacles.

In this case, the collision avoidance method may vary depending on whether the external obstacle is a fixed change or a movable change. As described above, the sensing unit 114 may store the sensed external obstacle location information for each preset time unit in the storage unit 112 . The flight controller 113 may determine whether the external obstacle is a fixed object or a movable object according to whether the location information for each time unit changes according to the passage of time. For example, if the location information of the external obstacle is the same for each time unit regardless of the passage of time, the flight controller 113 may identify the external obstacle as a fixed object. In addition, when the location information of the external obstacle changes for each time unit according to the passage of time, the flight controller 113 may identify the external obstacle as a moving object.

If the external obstacle is a fixed object such as a tree or a building, the flight controller 113 may maintain the current flight position of the drone until it receives the modified flight command information from the remote control device. Since both the drone and external obstacles do not change their positions, collisions do not occur, and there is an advantage in that sufficient time can be secured for the user to recognize the possibility of collision and correct the flight path.

However, if the modified flight command information is not received from the remote control device, the drone must maintain its current position indefinitely, which is fatal to power consumption. Accordingly, the flight control unit 113 updates or newly generates flight command information so that it can move to the destination without colliding with the external obstacle by using the location information of the external obstacle and the external obstacle information, thereby controlling the flight to the destination. .

On the other hand, when the external obstacle is a moving object such as a drone, the flight control unit 113 may control the flying direction of the drone to be rotated 180 degrees horizontally to fly, or the flight altitude of the drone may be adjusted vertically according to the position of the external obstacle. This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 4 .

3 is an example in which the drone control system 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention prevents a collision. If the flight control unit 113 does not receive the modified flight command information for a preset time after transmitting the collision warning information, as shown in FIG. 3 , the flight direction (a) of the drone 310 is horizontally rotated 180 degrees It can be controlled to fly in the opposite direction (b). A collision with the external obstacle 320 can be easily avoided by changing the flight direction.

4 is another example in which the drone control system 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention prevents a collision. When the flight control unit 113 does not receive the modified flight command information for a preset time after transmitting the collision warning information, as shown in FIG. 4 , the flight control unit 113 adjusts the flight altitude of the drone 410 to the external obstacle 420 . Collision can be avoided by adjusting vertically according to the position of As described above, the distance between the drone and the external obstacle 420 may be sensed using an electromagnetic wave sensor or an image sensor, and the altitude of the external obstacle may also be calculated based on the current altitude of the drone 410 . Accordingly, the flight control unit 113 may increase the flight altitude by a certain height (a) to fly higher than the current altitude of the external obstacle 420, and the flight altitude to fly lower than the current altitude of the external obstacle 420 can be lowered by a certain height (b).

In addition, the flight control unit 113 can be controlled to return to the flight direction and flight position at the time when the collision avoidance mode was switched to the collision avoidance mode when a preset time elapses after rotating the flight direction or adjusting the altitude as shown in FIGS. 3 to 4 . there is. The preset time may be determined according to a change in the moving speed or position of the external obstacle, and may be preset longer than the critical range of the collision occurrence time depending on the critical range of the collision occurrence time. In addition, the storage unit 112 may store the time when the flight mode of the drone is switched from the manual driving mode to the collision avoidance mode, the location of the drone at that time, and flight command information.

In this way, the drone control system 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention adjusts the position of the drone so that external obstacles can move without collision to prevent collision, and then returns to the original position to the destination according to the existing flight command information. to be able to reach In some embodiments, the flight control unit may calculate the time taken to return to the original position after being changed from the manual driving mode to the collision avoidance mode, and increase the flight speed from the existing flight command information according to the calculated amount of time.

Meanwhile, the drone control system 110 may be wireless, but may also be wired. For example, the power supply unit for supplying power to the drone control system 110 may receive power from the drone using a wired cable. Power supply using a wired cable is possible even when the drone is in flight. Such wired drones have the advantage of being able to fly for a long time because there is no power supply limitation. Accordingly, the field of use is expanding to agricultural, environmental, and the like. However, if a collision occurs while the wired cable is connected, there is a possibility of a secondary accident due to the wired cable. Therefore, in order to reduce the risk, the flight control unit 113 may disconnect the wired cable if it does not receive the modified flight command information for a preset time after switching to the collision avoidance mode. In this case, even when the connection of the wired cable is disconnected, it may include a battery capable of being charged and detached so that there is no interruption in power supply, and the power supply unit may directly switch the power source to the battery when the wired cable is disconnected.

In addition, a method of controlling the drone control system 110 for preventing collision according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The control method according to an embodiment includes receiving flight command information from the external device 120, storing the flight command information, controlling the flight of the drone according to the flight command information, sensing an external obstacle step, switching the flight mode of the drone to a collision avoidance mode based on the flight command information and external obstacle information, and transmitting collision warning information to the upper body.

The method according to an embodiment of the present invention described above may be implemented as a program (or application) to be executed in combination with a server, which is hardware, and stored in a medium.

The above-described program is C, C++, JAVA, machine language, etc. that a processor (CPU) of the computer can read through a device interface of the computer in order for the computer to read the program and execute the methods implemented as a program It may include code (Code) coded in the computer language of Such code may include functional code related to a function defining functions necessary for executing the methods, etc., and includes an execution procedure related control code necessary for the processor of the computer to execute the functions according to a predetermined procedure. can do. In addition, the code may further include additional information necessary for the processor of the computer to execute the functions or code related to memory reference for which location (address address) in the internal or external memory of the computer should be referenced. there is. In addition, when the processor of the computer needs to communicate with any other computer or server located remotely in order to execute the functions, the code uses the communication module of the computer to determine how to communicate with any other computer or server remotely. It may further include a communication-related code for whether to communicate and what information or media to transmit and receive during communication.

The storage medium is not a medium that stores data for a short moment, such as a register, a cache, a memory, etc., but a medium that stores data semi-permanently and can be read by a device. Specifically, examples of the storage medium include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device. That is, the program may be stored in various recording media on various servers accessible by the computer or in various recording media on the computer of the user. In addition, the medium may be distributed in a computer system connected by a network, and a computer readable code may be stored in a distributed manner.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in relation to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented directly in hardware, as a software module executed by hardware, or by a combination thereof. A software module may contain random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or It may reside in any type of computer-readable recording medium well known in the art to which the present invention pertains.

As mentioned above, although embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can realize that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without changing its technical spirit or essential features. you will be able to understand Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

Claims (3)

In the anti-collision drone control system,
a power supply unit connected to a wired cable and receiving power from the drone through the wired cable;
a communication unit for receiving flight command information from a remote control device and communicating with an external device;
a storage unit for storing the flight command information;
a flight control unit for controlling the flight of the drone according to the flight command information; and
When a reflected wave of electromagnetic wave generated externally through the electromagnetic wave sensor is received, a sensing unit for detecting that there is an external obstacle and sensing a distance from the external obstacle;
The flight control unit,
If the collision occurrence time with the external obstacle is within a preset threshold range based on the sensed distance and the current flight speed of the drone, after switching the flight mode of the drone from the manual driving mode to the collision avoidance mode, the remote control send collision warning information to the device;
When detecting the presence of the external obstacle through the sensing unit, storing the location information of the external obstacle for each preset time unit in the storage unit,
storing the flight position information of the drone at a time when the flight mode of the drone is changed from the manual driving mode to the collision avoidance mode;
After transmitting the collision warning information, if the location information of the external obstacle is the same for each time unit regardless of the passage of time, the external obstacle is identified as a fixed body, and the remote control is performed to avoid collision with the external obstacle as a fixed body. Maintains the current flight position of the drone until it receives modified flight command information from the device;
When the location information of the external obstacle varies by time unit as time passes, the external obstacle is identified as a moving object, and the flight altitude of the drone is determined based on the position of the external obstacle to avoid collision with the external obstacle, which is a moving object. It is adjusted vertically high or low, and when a preset time elapses, control to return to the flight position at the time when the manual driving mode was changed to the collision avoidance mode,
Calculating the time taken to return to the flight position at the time when the manual driving mode was changed from the manual driving mode to the collision avoidance mode after the change from the manual driving mode to the collision avoidance mode, and the stored flight command according to the calculated amount of time Change the information to increase the flight speed, and control the flight speed of the drone to increase according to the changed flight command information,
If the modified flight command information is not received from the remote control device for a preset time after transmitting the collision warning information, the flight altitude of the drone is vertically adjusted to high or low based on the location of the external obstacle,
If the modified flight command information is not received from the remote control device for the preset time after the manual driving mode is changed to the collision avoidance mode, the power supply unit controls to disconnect the wired cable, and the power supply unit It is connected to a battery instead of the wired cable and controls to receive the power of the drone through the battery,
The collision avoidance drone control system, wherein the collision warning information includes an image warning of the collision displayed on a display unit of the remote control device. delete delete

Images