RU2709562C1 - Drone control method and system for its implementation - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: training means.

SUBSTANCE: inventions relate to attractions and can be used for entertainment or for training control of radio-controlled aircrafts. Method of controlling a drone is characterized by forming, using a user panel, commands for controlling a drone in a polygon space, wherein obstacles, including side and lower boundaries of the polygon, are determined as a set of points of space, to which the approach of the drone is prohibited for a distance closer to the pre-set value of the buffer zone, during flight of the drone, data on the position of the drone in space are obtained using on-board sensors, the obtained data are transmitted through wireless communication channels to the central computing device, through which the velocity vector of the drone and the approach to the obstacle are calculated, correcting the drone control command, reducing the speed of its approach to the obstacle, so that as the boundary of the buffer zone of the obstacle reaches the speed of approach of the drone with the obstacle tends to zero.

EFFECT: increased safety of use, increased service life of drone, reduced average value of power inputs for flight session, increased convenience of use, possibility to increase speed of flight of drone inside polygon and expansion of application area.

16 cl, 8 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to attractions and can be used for entertainment or for training in the management of radio-controlled aircraft.

Terms used in the description

"Drone" is a radio-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle.

“Copter” - a drone built according to a helicopter scheme with one or more rotors. A quadcopter has a circuit with three or more rotors.

“Flight Session” - a set period of time for a continuous flight of a drone. The duration of the flight session can be limited, for example, by the capacity of the aircraft’s onboard battery.

"Polygon" or "Flight Space" - a space designed for flying a drone.

"User" - a person controlling the flight of the drone and forming the appropriate commands using the remote control.

State of the art

There is a method of forming a traffic accident scheme, including photographing and transmitting images to a computer, processing information, after receiving information about an accident, enter information into a database and at the same time start an unmanned aerial vehicle, with the coordinates of the accident and route data of an unmanned aerial vehicle, which equipped with a GLONASS / GPS module, software that generates in a directed automatic mode a given route according to the coordinates of an accident, and a photo-video camera high resolution from a height of 10-50 m, while controlling the flight process to the accident site and photo-video recording of the accident site using feedback, which is carried out by a wireless device for transmitting photos and video images, photo data from an unmanned aerial vehicle is transmitted to the central processing point information (see RU 2637067 C2).

The destination of the drone in the known method is a section of the road, which is characterized by the presence of traffic and pedestrians, and the flight path cannot but cross the places where people or vehicles under human control are present. Obstacles in the form of tall buildings, power lines, trees, birds, etc. can also appear on the flight path of the gorse. Flight planning avoids collision with stationary objects, but does not exclude the risk of collision with birds or other drones, as a result of which the drone may fall in a crowded a place or a car moving along the road. A drone may also be caused by gusts of wind or a malfunction. Falling from a height of 10-50 m can result in damage to objects or injuring people, even fatal ones, which makes it unsafe to use the known solution.

Another disadvantage of the known solution is the impossibility of implementing game functions with the participation of other drones or using it as a pilot training, since the given route is formed in automatic mode, and the operator can only control through feedback. This disadvantage limits the scope of the known solution.

A well-known universal target training complex containing a vehicle in which targets in the form of UAVs of various types are placed that simulate different types of targets with a unified launch vehicle, the control point is configured to simultaneously control several UAVs of various types and is connected to a remote monitor to display information real-time flight progress. (see RU 2612336 C2).

The known solution allows the use of several unmanned aerial vehicles simultaneously, controlled from the control panel as an attraction for the entertainment of visitors controlling unmanned aerial vehicles, for example, as part of a simple flight, or mutual opposition of aircraft.

However, the absence of strict restrictions on the flight space of unmanned aerial vehicles by a certain local area does not allow attracting ordinary users who do not have the appropriate skills to control an unmanned aerial vehicle without the threat of losing aircraft, which is unacceptable for entertainment or training purposes.

The lack of space restrictions for flights also creates the risk of injury to people who are in the flight zone or even along the path of the aircraft, which is also unacceptable in the framework of civilian use.

Another drawback of the known solution is the lack of the ability to simulate the defeat of aircraft with each other as part of their confrontation as part of entertainment, since the real destruction of objects provided for in the complex requires a large consumption of drones and may not be acceptable for entertainment purposes.

A known gaming system comprising a control panel provided with a transceiver unit, controllable game elements arranged to move in the game space simulating real and / or fantasy moving objects, each of which is equipped with a video camera with means for transmitting a signal from it to the visualization means, as well as means mechanical and / or electrical and / or wave action on other game elements included in the system, means for visualizing the signal from the video camera is made in the form two-stand or LCD monitors, mounted on the head member of the game to overlap the field of view of one or both eyes (see. RU 97 646 U1).

If we assume that the game elements are unmanned aerial vehicles - drones, then the well-known solution allows you to simulate the air battle of game elements for the entertainment of users.

However, a drone in flight is a source of danger and its collision with a person threatens to receive injuries of varying severity. Therefore, the absence of any boundaries of the flight space precludes the possibility of using the well-known solution with drones as game elements.

In addition, the absence of measures to prevent the mutual collision of drones, as well as their collision with other obstacles in the form of trees, poles, etc., entails a reduction in the life of the drones due to their premature destruction in a collision.

The presence of mechanical and / or electrical and / or wave effects in a known solution is not acceptable for use with drones since even a small effect on a flying drone can cause the drone to fall, and given the height of the fall and its destruction. Since the goal of the game is to defeat another game element, the life of the drones used may be minimal - lasting only one flight session or even shorter.

The closest in technical essence - the prototype is a method implemented in the attraction, including the implementation by the user of controlling the aircraft by moving it in a closed playing space by means of a control panel installed in the housing, having controls and control controls using a monitor and an on-board video camera. In this case, the copter is equipped with an inertial measuring system controller consisting of an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer and barometer, and the game zone is equipped with an airflow exhaust system as part of the exhaust duct and outdoor unit (See RU 2676782 C2).

A disadvantage of the known solution is the need for walls and ceilings to physically enclose an enclosed playing space, which requires limiting the speed of drones in the playing area to minimize the risk of their destruction in a collision with the physical boundary of an enclosed space, which eliminates the possibility of using high-speed drones, for example, gliders.

The presence of a physical fence entails the inevitable collision of drones with the boundaries, resulting in, among other things, the fall of drones. In this case, even a fall without breaking the drone can be accompanied by its rollover, preventing the resumption of the flight without the intervention of maintenance personnel. However, any human penetration into the playing area with flying drones is traumatic, therefore it requires interruption of the session and the landing of all drones in the air. Thus, the physical boundaries of the playing area cause inconvenience of use due to uncontrolled interruptions in the duration of the session, which leads to excessive energy consumption caused by additional landings and take-offs of the drones due to the need to interrupt the session simultaneously for all used drones.

The risk of a session interruption also impedes the implementation of complex and lengthy maneuvers and entails an unpredictable increase in the duration of the actual session.

The condition of the physical boundary of the playing space limits its size, since it is difficult or even impossible to physically enclose the space over a large area, including the presence of a ceiling to limit flight altitude. A small space, for example, a car van limits the ability to maneuver drones, and also does not allow the use of high-speed aircraft. These disadvantages limit the scope of the known solutions.

A danger to drones is also their mutual collision or collision with an obstacle specially installed in the playing area. Collisions lead to falls and destruction of the drone structure, which also shortens their life.

During the flight session, an inexperienced user can form a team that leads to flight with an unacceptably high speed of descent, which may result in the drone hitting the floor of the flight space and destroying it. Damage to the drone due to the high speed of contact with the floor or the ground leads to the premature termination of the flight session and the associated inconvenience, and also reduces the life of the drones.

The danger of damage to the drones is also the process of their simultaneous landing, since when landing several aircraft simultaneously carried out manually by different users, it is possible to intersect the trajectories of the movement of the drones and their collision with subsequent damage.

The presence of a connection through a free tethered connection to the mains and the central computer eliminates the possibility of complicated maneuvering of drones, limiting the use of a well-known solution, for example, as training pilots or even simulating a drone confrontation.

The need to divert air flows from the confined space of the gaming zone also unnecessarily complicates the known solution.

The closest in technical essence - the prototype is an attraction with drones that includes a game enclosed space (game zone), equipped with a control system for executive elements as part of the central computer, lighting and sound equipment, as well as containing any number of game robots, which are made in the form of multicopter, with two, three, four, six or more screws that move in the play area in the programmed or controlled flight mode and are connected via freely tied to the mains and the central computer, and the game area is equipped with a system for the removal of air flows as part of the exhaust duct and outdoor unit. (See RU 2676782 C2).

A disadvantage of the known solution is the presence of walls and ceilings of the physical enclosure of the enclosed playing space, which requires limiting the speed of the drones in the playing area to minimize the risk of their destruction upon collision with the physical boundary of the enclosed space, which excludes the possibility of using high-speed drones, for example, gliders.

The presence of a physical fence entails the inevitable collision of drones with the walls of the landfill, resulting in, among other things, the fall of drones. In this case, even a fall without breaking the drone can be accompanied by its rollover, preventing the resumption of the flight without the intervention of maintenance personnel. However, any human penetration into the playing area with flying drones is traumatic, therefore it requires interrupting the session and landing of all drones in the air. The physical boundaries of the playing area cause inconvenience of use due to uncontrolled interruptions in the duration of the session, which leads to excessive energy consumption caused by additional landings and take-offs of the lrones due to the need to interrupt the session simultaneously for all drones used.

The risk of a session interruption also impedes the implementation of complex and lengthy maneuvers and entails an unpredictable increase in the duration of the actual session.

The condition for the physical boundary of the playing space limits its size, since it is difficult or even impossible to physically enclose the space over a large area, including the presence of a ceiling to limit flight altitude. A small space, for example, a car van limits the ability to maneuver drones, and also does not allow the use of high-speed aircraft. These disadvantages limit the scope of the known solutions.

A danger to drones is also their mutual collision or collision with an obstacle specially installed in the playing area. Collisions lead to falls and destruction of the drone structure, which also shortens their life.

During the flight session, an inexperienced user can form a team that leads to flight with an unacceptably high speed of descent, which may result in the drone hitting the floor of the flight space and destroying it. Damage to the drone due to the high speed of contact with the floor or the ground leads to the premature termination of the flight session and the associated inconvenience, and also reduces the life of the drones.

The danger of damage to the drones is also the process of their simultaneous landing, since when landing several aircraft simultaneously carried out manually by different users, it is possible to intersect the trajectories of the movement of the drones and their collision with subsequent damage.

The presence of a connection through a free tethered connection to the mains and central computer eliminates the possibility of complex maneuvering of drones, limiting the use of a known solution, for example, as an imitation of the opposition of drones.

The need to divert air flows from the confined space of the gaming zone also unnecessarily complicates the known solution.

Disclosure of the invention

The technical result is: increasing the safety of use, increasing the life of the drone, reducing the average energy consumption per flight session, increasing ease of use, providing the ability to increase the speed of flight of the drone within the range and expanding the scope.

This result is achieved by the fact that in the method of controlling the drone, characterized by the formation using the user remote control commands to control the drone in the polygon space, obstacles are determined, including the lateral and lower boundaries of the polygon, as a set of space points to which the drone is not allowed to approach the distance closer than the set values of the buffer zone in advance, during the flight of the drone, data are received using the on-board sensors about the position of the drone in space, and the received data is transmitted via Wireless communication to a central computing device, which calculates the drone velocity vector and the time of approaching the obstacle, adjusts the drone control command, reducing its speed of approaching the obstacle, so that as the border of the obstacle reaches the boundary, the speed of approach of the drone with the obstacle to zero.

In addition: - the lower boundary of the polygon is set above the level of the surface under the space of the polygon;

- an obstacle is also the upper boundary of the landfill, limiting the maximum flight altitude of the drone;

- the lateral boundaries of the polygon are determined relative to geographical coordinates using global positioning systems;

- the lateral boundaries of the polygon are determined relative to the local coordinate system of at least three beacons spaced in space, while the coordinates of the drone are determined based on the mutual delays of the signals of these beacons received by the corresponding on-board sensor;

- obstacles are also objects located inside the polygon;

- obstacles are also objects located inside the landfill, including other drones;

- adjust the drone control command, reducing the speed of its approach to the obstacle so that the time of approach with the border of its buffer zone remains at least a predetermined value;

- carry out light and / or sound accompaniment of the flight events of the drone.

The technical result is: increasing the safety of use, increasing the life of the drone, reducing the average energy consumption per flight session, increasing ease of use, providing the ability to increase the speed of flight of the drone within the range and expanding the scope.

To achieve a technical result in a system for implementing a method for controlling a drone containing a drone, control equipment and a training ground, the training ground is defined by the coordinates of the side borders and a surface set above the surface of the training ground with a lower boundary, the aircraft is equipped with a coordinate detection sensor connected by a telemetry channel to the corresponding the input of the central computing device of the control equipment, configured to simultaneously control multiple aircraft and, the central computing device is equipped with data input means and at least one user control panel, the set of space points inside the landfill prohibited for the drone, including the landfill boundary, are characterized as obstacles that have a buffer zone on the boundary of which the drone control team corresponds to the approach speed with the corresponding obstacle tending to zero.

In addition: - the coordinates of the lateral boundaries of the polygon are determined relative to the geographical coordinates, and the sensors for determining the coordinates are the sensors of the global positioning system;

- the coordinates of the lateral boundaries of the polygon are determined relative to the local coordinate system using at least three spaced apart beacons, and the coordinate determination sensor is configured to determine coordinates in the local coordinate system from the signals of the indicated beacons;

- obstacles besides the boundaries of the landfill are also objects located inside the landfill;

- obstacles besides the boundaries of the landfill are also objects located inside the landfill, including other drones;

- the drone is made according to the multicopter scheme, in which the engines and rotors are installed between the planes bounded by the upper and lower plates forming a rigid frame, between which a gasket of elastic material protrudes along the outer end part of the drone, forming an external bumper;

- the system is equipped with sound and / or color means for drone flight events.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The method of controlling a drone is illustrated with the help of the drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows guided drones located in a polygon space bounded by predetermined boundaries, in Figs. 2 - schematically the location of the beacons and the drone relative to the space of the landfill, FIG. 3 is an example of a functional drone control circuit; FIG. 4 is an example structural diagram of a system for implementing a drone control method in an embodiment using a global positioning system; FIG. 5 is an example of a processor control algorithm of a central computing device of the system for implementing a drone control method; FIG. 6 is an example of a control algorithm for a processor of a central computing device of a system for simulating a shot using a drone; FIG. 7 is an example of an embodiment of a method of controlling a drone involving simulating shots at targets; FIG. 8 is an example of a design of a system drone for implementing a method of controlling a drone.

The description and drawings contain specific embodiments of the technical solution, which are only illustrative, and do not limit the implementation of the solution, which can be implemented by other options within the framework of the formula. The following notation is made in the drawings.

1 - polygon, 2 - lateral borders of the polygon, 3, 4 upper and lower boundaries of the polygon, respectively, 5 - drone, 6 - buffer zone of the drone, having the shape of a cylinder from points of geographical coordinates, 7 - formation of operator commands using the operator console, 8 - central computing device; 9 - transmission of measurement data of on-board sensors via telemetric channels, 10 - individual user control panel, 11 - input of user control commands, 12 - remote control (input means) of the operator serving the system, 13 - loading of upper and lower boundaries, 14 - entering of geographical coordinates of the lateral borders of the landfill, 15 - transfer of commands to the board over the air, 16 - external bumper, 17 - drone lighting devices, 18 - main rotor ,. 19 - the upper plate of the hull, 20 - the compartment for the on-board equipment and battery, 21 - the on-board video camera, 22 - the beginning of the session, 23 - the geographical coordinates of the boundaries of the polygon, upper and lower boundaries, as well as the geographical coordinates of the obstacles inside the polygon, 24 - authorization drone, 25 - receiving drone coordinates from global positioning systems, as well as data from sensors via telemetry channels, 26 - receiving control command values from an individual user control panel, 27 - checking session end time conditions, 28 - completing the landing, 29 — end of the session, 30 — checking the condition of approaching the boundaries of the training ground or obstacle, 31 — correcting user commands, 32 — transmitting drone control commands on board over the air, 33 — generating sound and light signals for the events of the flight session, 34 — surface level under the space of the landfill, 35 - height of the lower boundary of the landfill, 36 - satellites of the global positioning system, 37 - airborne sensors of the telemetry system, 38 - obstacle inside the landfill, 39 - monitor, 40 - sound equipment with interrogation, 41 - control equipment, 42 - lighthouse, 43 - distance from the lighthouse to the drone, 44 - buffer zone of the drone in the shape of a sphere, 45 - orientation of the drone or weapon simulator for aiming, 46 - simulation of a shot, 47 - analysis of position data the drone at the time of the shot, and about the coordinates of other drones to determine the fact of hitting the target, 48 - animation that accompanies the defeat of the target, 49 - weapon simulator, aiming line, 50 - the cartesian coordinates of the polygon with the axes X, Y, Z, 51 - coordinate system drone with reference to its spatial orientation natsii, 52 - coordinate system of a weapon simulator with reference to its spatial orientation, 53 - drone, which plays the role of a target.

The drone control method is characterized in that they preliminarily determine the boundaries of the polygon, which are set virtually, in the form of coordinates defining the lateral boundaries of the polygon, and the lower boundary of the polygon in the form of a minimum flight height, as well as the upper boundary of the polygon in the form of a maximum flight height.

The lower boundary of the polygon does not coincide with the level of the surface located below the polygon, and is above its level, at a height the value of which is selected from the condition of the possibility of reducing the speed of fall or return to the space of the polygon of a drone that, due to an emergency, fell below the lower boundary of the polygon.

Moreover, in the embodiment using the global positioning system, the lateral boundaries are set by entering the corresponding geographical coordinates, and in the embodiment using separated beacons of the local positioning system, the polygon lateral borders, as well as the upper and lower boundaries, are set by entering the corresponding coordinates of the local system formed with using these beacons. Beacons can be at least three beacons, or ultrasonic emitters, the signals from which are sensed by the on-board sensor, so that it provides an unambiguous determination of the position of the drone relative to these beacons.

The boundaries of the polygon, as well as stationary objects located inside the polygon, are a set of space points that form obstacles, which are set by entering data using the operator panel and define them as obstacles with the prohibition of approaching them closer than a predetermined distance of the buffer zone. Predefined moving objects, including other drones located inside the landfill, are also considered obstacles for the drone with the prohibition of approaching them closer to the border that determines the beginning of their buffer zone, and their position is determined using their onboard sensors for determining coordinates.

Drone flight during a flight session is allowed only inside the polygon space, so that the buffer zones of obstacles, including the boundaries of the polygon, are inside this polygon space. Departure of the drone beyond the boundaries of the landfill can only be allowed at the stage of automatic landing of the drone.

After the start of the drone, its flight is controlled using commands generated by the user and sent through the central computing device via a radio channel to the actuators of the drone.

Using the on-board sensors, the coordinates of the drone are measured, which in the case of using the global positioning system are obtained by means of GPS / GLONASS sensors and an altimeter that determines the flight altitude. An accelerometer is also used on board the drone, which measures the direction and magnitude of the acceleration of the drone.

In a use case with a local positioning system by means of spaced beacons, the coordinates of the drone in the coordinate system of the landfill are determined using the corresponding on-board sensors based on the delays received by the onboard receiver of the drone of signals from at least three spaced beacons. Moreover, the flight altitude is also determined on the basis of the difference in the delay of the signals of the beacons, or using an onboard altimeter.

The measurement data is transmitted via telemetry channels to the input of the central computing device, in which the drone's velocity vector, its position relative to obstacles and the time of approach to the obstacle in the drone’s path are calculated.

If the time of approaching the obstacle, or rather, the border of the buffer zone of the obstacle, is less than the threshold value, then the drone control command is adjusted to reduce the speed of its approach to the obstacle, so that upon reaching the buffer zone, its speed of approach becomes minimal and tends to zero.

As a drone, rotary-wing aircraft equipped with electric or other engines - copters, as well as high-speed aircraft using the aerodynamic force of a glider with various types of engines can be used.

During the flight, light and / or sound accompaniment of drone flight events is carried out, as well as color illumination of the drone.

A system for controlling a drone, contains a drone, control equipment with a central computing device and a polygon, the boundaries of which are set in the form of coordinates in space and include lateral boundaries and a lower boundary that is above the level of the surface above which the polygon space is located. The coordinates of the lateral boundaries of the polygon are determined relative to the geographical coordinates of the global positioning system or relatively spaced at least three beacons that define the local coordinate system of the polygon.

The polygon also has an upper polygon boundary, which is specified as the maximum flight altitude.

The drone is equipped with GPS / GLONASS sensors for determining geographic coordinates or sensors for determining the coordinates of a local positioning system in a coordinate system formed using lighthouses spaced apart in space. The sensors for determining coordinates are connected via telemetry channels to the corresponding input of the central computing device of the control equipment, configured to simultaneously control multiple drones. The central computing device is equipped with data input means and at least one user control panel.

The control equipment contains a transmission medium — a transmitter of control commands over a radio channel aboard the drone connected to the corresponding output of the central computing device, and the drone is equipped with a receiver of control command signals.

The boundaries of the polygon, as well as the objects inside the polygon, including other drones, are points of space at which they try to exclude the location of the drone, since these points of space are considered forbidden for the drone and equate them with obstacles. These obstacles are characterized by the presence of a buffer zone, at the border of which the drone control team corresponds to zero approach speed with the corresponding obstacle. As obstacles inside the landfill can be, for example, delivered poles, the coordinates of which are previously entered into the memory of the central computing device of the control equipment, or moving balls and other objects equipped with a coordinate determination sensor and radio communication with the central computing device. Pillars and other fixed obstacles are used as artificial obstacles to increase the entertainment of the attraction or to train pilots' skills.

The drone is made according to the multicopter scheme, in which the engines and rotors are installed between the planes bounded by the upper and lower plates forming a rigid frame, between which a gasket of elastic material is protruded along the outer end part of the drone, forming an external bumper.

In an embodiment of using a global positioning system, the height sensor includes an altimeter, which is made on the basis of a laser, ultrasonic or barometric range finder.

The central computing device is a computer whose processor is running a program that implements drone flight control taking into account user control commands and provides the drone flight process, storing the boundaries of the landfill, generating and adjusting control signals for transmitting them over the air, receiving and analyzing coordinates drone, adjusting the velocity vector, as well as the formation of sound signals for the events of the flight session.

The drone is equipped with an on-board video camera, and the control panel contains means for displaying signals from the on-board video camera, such as a monitor or glasses with a monitor.

The system is equipped with sound support for the events of the flight session.

The size of the buffer zone is determined taking into account the maximum speed of the drone, the strength of wind gusts affecting the drone, etc.

The implementation of the invention

The method of controlling a drone is as follows.

To prepare the launch of the drone, preliminary actions are carried out, consisting in the fact that the boundaries of the polygon are determined in the form of geographical coordinates on the map of the area, which are entered using the data input means opera into the memory of the central computing device as part of the control equipment. They set the minimum flight altitude and maximum altitude, which are also loaded into the memory of the central computing device using the data input means — the operator console.

The virtual boundaries of the landfill expands the scope of the drone control method, which can be used both in open areas excluding the presence of a physical fence, and in rooms that limit the landfill space with walls and ceiling.

In addition to the boundaries of the landfill, the geographical coordinates of stationary objects located inside the landfill space and capable of being an obstacle to the flight of the drone are also introduced. Such objects can be natural obstacles - pillars, trees, or specially installed obstacles, such as inflatable towers, etc.

Obstacles are also objects moving on the landfill, for example, drones of other users or, for example, service personnel working inside the landfill and equipped with a coordinate detection sensor, which in the use of the global positioning system are GPS / TJIOHACC sensors. Fixed obstacles can also be equipped with sensors for determining coordinates, the data from which are constantly updated and sent to a central computing device.

For the boundaries of the landfill and other obstacles inside the landfill, a buffer zone value is entered, selected based on the possible maximum speed of the drone, the dimensions of the landfill, etc., equal to, for example, 1 m. They try to avoid crossing the boundary of the buffer zone, i.e. Recognize that the drone is not inside the buffer zone, and even more so beyond the border of the obstacle, and therefore, when the drone hits the border of the buffer zone, a control command is formed that forces the drone to leave the forbidden space.

In the general case, the buffer zone, i.e. the shape formed by the boundaries of the buffer zone, of an individual or point obstacle inside the polygon in shape is a sphere or cylinder surrounding the obstacle. The boundary of the buffer zone of an obstacle in this case is the set of points in the polygon space that are remote from the corresponding obstacle by the size of the buffer zone. However, in an embodiment that does not imply for the formation of the buffer zone, taking into account the height of a point obstacle, the buffer zone is a cylinder of geographical coordinates bounded by the lower and upper boundaries of the polygon and the radius of the buffer zone. The boundary of a point obstacle in this case is the geographical coordinates that are remote from the coordinate of the obstacle by the size of the buffer zone.

The buffer zone of the polygon borders repeats the shape of the corresponding border and is located inside the polygon space.

In an embodiment involving the use of a local positioning system using at least three beacons spaced in space, the boundaries of the polygon are determined relative to the local coordinate system of these beacons and are entered into the memory of the central computing device in the form of local coordinates of the boundaries of the polygon. The coordinates of other obstacles are also local, formed in the local coordinate system of these beacons.

The coordinates of a drone or other moving object in the local system are determined by measuring the relative delays received by the on-board receiver of signals emitted by space-separated beacons. In this case, either local beacons or ultrasonic emitters can be used in the local system.

The buffer zone of a point obstacle in the embodiment using a local positioning system is a sphere or cylinder surrounding a point obstacle, the diameter and height of the cylinder is equal to twice the value of the buffer zone.

Drones are prepared and set to their original positions.

With the beginning of the flight session, the user, using an individual control panel, generates launch and subsequent control commands for the corresponding drone. In this case, the flight session can begin simultaneously with the drones of other users, or independently.

The start time of the session is determined by the operator using the operator’s console, he also provides support for the session, including the formation of commands for its premature completion.

Data from GPS / GLONASS sensors together with data from altitude sensors and an accelerometer via telemetry channels with a frequency of 100 Hz are sent to the input of a central computing device.

In an embodiment using a local positioning system via telemetry channels, the data of the coordinate determination sensor in the local coordinate system formed by spaced beacons are transmitted to the input of the central computing device.

As the data is updated, the central computing device calculates the drone's velocity vector, its position relative to obstacles, and the time the drone approaches the obstacle in its path.

If the estimate of the component of the velocity vector aimed at approaching the drone with the obstacle turns out to exceed a threshold value, for example, such a speed that allows the obstacle to be reached in less than 1 second, then the control command is corrected by the central computing device so that the component of the velocity vector directed to the obstacle decreases, and remains within the pre-threshold value of the time to reach the obstacle along the entire path of approach to the obstacle. Thus, if the user directed the drone at an obstacle with a high approach speed, the approach speed will linearly decrease as the drone approaches the obstacle and when the boundary zone of the obstacle reaches the boundary, it will become zero.

Correction of the approach speed with the obstacle allows you to approach the obstacle with a minimum speed and prevents crossing the border of the obstacle caused by the action of the user command and other factors, for example, drift drift by a gust of wind. The minimum speed at the boundary of the buffer zone reduces the likelihood of the drone getting inside the buffer zone and helps prevent the drone from colliding with an obstacle, and also helps to eliminate the fact that the drone leaves the boundaries of the landfill, which ensures safety for people and equipment.

Moreover, a person inside the training ground and equipped with a coordinate detection sensor is perceived as an obstacle with a buffer zone that is forbidden for the drone to cross, which ensures the safe use of the method and ease of maintenance, without interrupting the flight session.

Correction with the help of a central computing device of the speed of approaching with an obstacle leads to the cancellation of the user’s command to approach the obstacle at the buffer zone border and replacing it with a command that excludes further approach. In this case, the user command can be replaced, for example, by a stop command for further approach or by a team directing the drone in the opposite direction from the approach, imitating an elastic bouncing from a collision with an obstacle. After the user changes the approach command with the obstacle to a command that excludes such approach, or if the drone moves away from the obstacle and the speed of approach with the obstacle falls below the threshold, the central computing device returns the control of the drone to the user in full.

Not the materiality of the boundaries of the landfill, together with the possibility of eliminating the facts of their intersection by the drone, provides the ability to create large areas of landfills that do not limit the high speed of the drone and perform complex maneuvers. As drones can be used, including gliders, without the risk of losing them from a collision with the border of the landfill.

Any other drone located inside the landfill is perceived as an obstacle with its buffer zone, which also excludes the possibility of mutual collision of drones.

Elimination of collision with an obstacle, including with another drone, ensures the elimination of incidence from collision and destruction of the drone, which in turn provides an increase in the life of the drone and an increase in its overhaul period, which improves the operational characteristics of the system for implementing the method.

Elimination of the causes of the fall of drones from a collision with an obstacle eliminates the need for unforeseen breaks in the session, which increases the convenience of the method and reduces energy consumption for the flight session.

When the drone approaches the buffer zone of the lower boundary of the landfill, the user’s command to further decrease is also corrected using a central computing device, ensuring that the descent stops at the boundary of the buffer zone. As soon as the user changes the command aimed at further reducing at an excessively high speed, the central computing device returns control to the user in the vertical direction.

The presence of space between the lower boundary of the polygon and the surface level under the space of the polygon allows you to return a drone that has gone beyond the lower boundary of the polygon, experiencing, in addition to the command to reduce, the effect of gravity and inertia, or to reduce the speed of the drone falling to the minimum acceptable value, excluding the drone's impact on the ground. An overly rapid decline may occur, for example, due to incorrect user commands. The exclusion of the facts of hard landing of the drone also contributes to the extension of its service life.

Exceeding the height of the lower boundary of a person’s height ensures safe use of the method even when there are people in the area above which the polygon space is given.

As the drone approaches the boundary of the buffer zone of the upper boundary, the approach speed is also reduced to zero. User commands for further climb are corrected by replacing them with the stop climb command at the boundary of the buffer zone. After the user changes the control by canceling the further drone rise with excessive speed, the central computing device returns control to the user in the vertical direction.

The ability to set the upper boundary of the landfill allows you to exclude the drone flying to an uncontrolled flight altitude, as well as collision with high-rise structures under conditions of use at different landfills and also helps to extend the life of the drone.

Algorithms for adjusting the speed of approaching an obstacle ensure that the drone stops at the beginning of the buffer zone, but if the drone is in the buffer zone of the border of the landfill or even outside the landfill as a result of a wireless interruption or due to a strong gust of wind, or even outside the landfill, it is formed using a central computing device the command to return the drone to the polygon space along the shortest path, ensuring safety for people outside the polygon.

One of the options for using the drone control method can be provided by simulating a drone confrontation as part of an entertainment attraction or pilot training system. In this embodiment, the sequence of actions within the confrontation can be described as a method of simulating hunting or shooting ranges and involves aiming using an on-board video camera, the image of which is transmitted over the air to user visualization tools, such as a monitor or FPV glasses. As part of the aiming operation, the drone is oriented by unfolding it so that the object inside the polygon intended for destruction is on the aiming line. Aircraft orientation data is obtained using an onboard gyro sensor. The line of sight corresponds to the direction that defines the crosshair available on the image from the onboard camera and displayed on the monitor. The orientation of the drone is carried out using user commands generated by the user’s control panel and transmitted on board the drone over the air. At the moment of simulating the shot, the central computing device that collects the coordinates of the drone aiming, the data about other objects participating in the session, including other drones that may be targets, calculates the position and spatial orientation of the drone and the position of other objects inside the polygon . The moment of time of the simulation of a shot carried out using the user’s control panel is fixed. Then, using the central computing device, the direction of the shot is calculated taking into account the coordinates of the drone, its pitch and roll angles, and the fact of the presence of a target on the aiming line at the time of the shot is determined. As part of the analysis of factors affecting the determination of the success of hitting the target, they form a similarity of a beam propagating from the drone along the aiming line, analyze the possible intersections of the formed beam with other objects on the polygon and select the closest target that appeared on the line of the beam at the time of the shot, if the beam intersected with multiple objects.

If the target at the time of simulation of the shot was located on the line of sight, then decide that the target is hit and simulate the defeat of the target in the form of sound, light or other effects.

To create a reality effect, flight animation is performed, in which the drone during a shot falls off for a short time along the pitch angle, simulating the recoil from the shot, and the target experiences a roll, etc. Observation of these effects from the on-board video camera contributes to a deeper immersion of the user in the role he plays.

A use case may also include premature landing of a drone acting as an affected target.

A variant of the execution of the drone control method may be a realization of a shooting range, which provides for a scenario of confronting a user on the ground equipped with a weapon simulator with integrated GPS / GLONASS sensor, a compass and a gyro sensor, and a drone flying under the control of another user or according to a predetermined algorithm. In this case, a shot is simulated by a user using a weapon simulator, and the fact of a drone’s defeat is determined using a central computing device based on the measurement data of a weapon simulator and a drone’s sensors, as described above.

Aiming of the user can be carried out using sighting optics mounted on the weapon simulator.

In an embodiment using a local positioning system, the drone and aiming objects are equipped with sensors for determining coordinates in the local coordinate system of beacons and gyro sensors, the data from which are transmitted via telemetry channels to the input of the central computing device. They analyze the position and orientation of the drone and aiming objects, as described above, and decide on the fact of a successful shot and hitting the target. In an embodiment involving the use of a weapon simulator with sighting optics, the weapon simulator is also made using a coordinate determination sensor in the local coordinate system of the beacons and is equipped with a gyro sensor.

Simulation of a shot and analysis of hitting the target eliminates the physical impact on the drone, due to which there are no reasons for damage to the drone and its fall, which helps to increase the useful life used in the implementation of the device method.

Lighting includes flashes of the backlight of the drone at the time of the shot and / or defeat. The sound accompaniment of events includes the sounds of shots, explosions, etc. The implementation of the light and sound accompaniment of drone flight events helps to increase the safety of use by attracting attention at certain critical moments of the session. Color highlighting helps to distinguish between drones by users and also improves safety of use, for example, if it is known that one of the drones is not fully functional.

At the end of the flight session, the central computing device includes an algorithm for forced landing of the drone, in which the landing route is formed automatically, eliminates collisions with obstacles, including other drones, and provides a soft landing of the drone to its original location.

The drone control method can be implemented using standard electronic components, including computing tools based on processors, and standard materials using standard components.

Thus, the drone control method provides high security of use, is characterized by an increase in the drone’s life due to the elimination of the possibility of collision of the drone with the walls of the landfill and with objects inside the landfill, including other drones, minimal energy consumption per flight session, more convenient to use, and also provides an opportunity to increase the flight speed of the drone inside the landfill and has a wider scope.

The system for controlling the drone operates as follows.

Before using the system, the boundaries of the polygon within which the drone is supposed to be used, as well as the coordinates of fixed obstacles, are set and entered.

In an embodiment of the use of the global positioning system, the geographical coordinates of the lateral boundaries restricting the flight space are determined and entered into the memory of the central computing device of the control equipment. Set the lower and upper boundaries of the polygon, also by entering through the input means the height values in the memory of the control equipment. The preferred lower limit is 2 m and the upper is 10 m.

In an embodiment of the use of a local positioning system, the coordinates of the boundaries are determined in the local coordinate system formed using spaced beacons and are also entered into the memory of the central computing device.

The virtual nature of the boundaries of the landfill expands the scope of the system for implementing the drone control method, which can be used both in open areas of the terrain, excluding the presence of a physical fence, and in rooms that limit the space of the landfill with walls and ceiling.

Install charged batteries in a drone with electric power engines and set it to its original position, preferably within the geographic coordinates of the landfill, to the places where they will land.

At the beginning of the flight session, the drone is launched using the user's control panel.

An embodiment of the drone control system may provide that the user controls the drone. observing its movement directly in flight space, for example, from a room through a protective glass.

In another embodiment, the observation of the drone is carried out using glasses with a built-in monitor - video glasses. The image obtained from the drone's on-board video camera is displayed on the video glasses. Aiming lines can be superimposed on the video sequence to facilitate aiming at the target when firing shots.

Another embodiment of the invention involves the user observing the drone either directly or through a monitor, and aiming using a monitor.

Forced adjustment of the control commands of the central computing device is aimed at eliminating collisions with obstacles and concerns only the component of the user command that is aimed at approaching the obstacle. The remaining components of the user command continue to be executed.

Due to the presence of a buffer zone and speed limitation at the boundary of the buffer zone, at any time, the drone is located no closer than the buffer zone from an obstacle, such as the boundary of the polygon, a stationary and moving object inside the polygon, including obstacles such as other drones, which eliminates the possibility of a physical collision with obstacles due to user actions. Elimination of the facts of a collision of an aircraft with an obstacle ensures safety and increases the life of the aircraft.

The non-materiality of the boundaries of the landfill, together with the possibility of eliminating departures beyond the borders, allows you to create large spaces of the landfill, which in turn allows the use of drones inside the landfill with high flight speed.

A person equipped with a coordinate detection sensor, connected by a telemetry channel to the input of the central computing device, can stay and move safely within the boundaries of the training ground without risking injury from a drone strike, which eliminates the need to interrupt the session if it is necessary to carry out work inside the training ground, which helps reduce energy costs by flight session and makes maintenance convenient. Moreover, if the height of the lower border exceeds the height of a person, then this creates the conditions for a safe location of a person in the landfill even without any special measures.

The presence of the lower boundary of the playing space eliminates the possibility of the drone hitting the ground during maneuvers involving a sharp decrease, and the determination of the lower boundary above the ground surface below the polygon provides an additional section for speed compensation even if the inertia and force are due to the high reduction speed Earth's gravity will make the drone go beyond the lower boundary.

The presence of the upper boundary of the landfill is due to the need to comply with safety measures in the presence of aircraft above the landfill or the presence of nearby high-rise structures, for example, power lines.

The processor control algorithm for the central computing device is considered as an example using a global positioning system and includes the following steps.

At the beginning of session 22, necessary constants are entered or confirmed, such as the size of the buffer zone, the value of the time limit for approaching the obstacle, etc. Then 23 are entered or the geographical coordinates of the boundaries of the polygon, its lower and upper boundaries are entered, and the geographical coordinates of fixed obstacles are entered or confirmed inside the polygon. Authorize the 24 drone required to complete the flight. 25 determine the position of the drone within the range using data from on-board sensors obtained via telemetry channels.

Form on the signals from the user control panel commands 26 of the launch of the drone and further control.

During the session, check 27 expiration of the session time. If the session is not over, then check 30 conditions of convergence with the boundaries of the landfill or other obstacle and the time of approach with the obstacle. If the time of approaching the obstacle is lower than the threshold, then 31 control commands are adjusted to decrease the speed of approaching as one approaches the obstacle.

32 control command signals are generated for transmission to the aircraft. In established cases, 33 sound and light signals of the flight session events are also generated for reproduction by appropriate on-board illumination means and / or sound equipment.

If the session has expired, perform a 28 forced landing, after which the 29th session ends.

In the case of using several drones, the presence of geographical sensors, accelerometers, gyro sensors and altitude sensors mounted on drones allows using the central computing device to analyze the relative position of the drones to simulate drone shots as part of the implementation of drones or dash hunting and objectively assess the presence or absence of a fact hitting the target. A version of the system that implements a shooting range can be used if there is another user controlling the corresponding drone or if the user has a weapon simulator equipped with positioning and orientation sensors in a global or local coordinate system, for example, a gyro sensor.

Determining the fact of hitting a target when simulating shots is not accompanied by any effect on the drone and eliminates its damage.

The algorithm for controlling the processor of the central computing device during the simulation of the shot provides for the following actions. Performing the necessary tilt of the drone or orienting the weapon simulator to direct the aiming line at the target 45. Simulating a shot 46. Analysis of 47 data on the position of the drone or the weapon simulator in space, data on the coordinates of other drones at the time of simulation of the shot to determine if the target was located aiming lines at the time of the shot. The nearest target is also determined if several drones were located on the aiming line at the time of simulating the shot. If the target at the time of the shot was on the aiming line, then they decide on the fact of hitting the target and carry out the animation that accompanies the hitting of target 48. If a miss is detected, they switch to a new aiming.

In the drone used in the system to implement the drone control method, the rotors and engines are located between the planes of the upper and lower plates, which eliminates the possibility of injury or damage to the rotary propellers of the drone accidentally located next to a person. This design improves the safety of using the system, and also contributes to better safety of the rotating parts of the aircraft structure in the event of an accidental collision or fall.

The design of the drone with an external bumper made of elastic material also improves safety during system failures, resulting in a collision with an obstacle or a person, and increases the life of the drone.

The flat form of the drone, characterized by the absence of parts protruding beyond the plane of the hull, improves the aerodynamics of the drone and, together with the possibility of increasing the polygon's space, by eliminating its physical boundaries, provides the possibility of increasing the maximum speed of the drone.

Less windage due to the absence of protruding parts reduces the risk of uncontrolled drift by a gust of wind, which, together with the presence of a buffer zone, reduces the likelihood of collision with an obstacle and the resulting damage to the drone.

In addition, the presence of a buffer zone of obstacles allows the use of more inertial, safer, bumper-equipped drones, and at the same time equipped with low-power engines, which reduces the energy intensity of the session.

The system for implementing the drone control method can be implemented using standard electronic components, including computing tools based on processors, and standard materials using standard components.

Thus, the system for implementing the drone control method provides high security of use, is characterized by an increase in the drone's service life due to the elimination of the possibility of a collision of the drone with the walls of the landfill and with objects inside the landfill, including other drones, minimal energy consumption per flight session, more convenient to use , and also provides the ability to increase the flight speed of the drone inside the landfill and has a wider scope.

Claims (16)

1. The method of controlling the drone, characterized by the formation using the user remote control of drone control commands in the polygon space, characterized in that it defines obstacles, including the lateral and lower boundaries of the polygon, as a set of space points to which the drone is not allowed to approach the distance closer than previously set values of the buffer zone, during the flight of the drone, data on the drone’s position in space are obtained using on-board sensors, transmitting the received data via wireless channels with ides on a central computing device with which calculate the velocity vector of the drone and time closer to the obstacle is corrected drone control command to decrease its speed of approach with an obstacle, so that as it reaches the buffer zone boundary of the obstacle approach speed drone obstacle tends to zero. 2. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the lower boundary of the polygon is set above the level of the surface under the space of the polygon. 3. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the obstacle is also the upper boundary of the polygon, limiting the maximum flight height of the drone. 4. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the lateral boundaries of the polygon are determined relative to geographical coordinates using global positioning systems. 5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the lateral boundaries of the polygon are determined relative to the local coordinate system spaced in the space of at least three beacons, while the coordinates of the drone are determined based on the mutual delays of the signals of these beacons received by the corresponding on-board sensor. 6. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the obstacles are also objects inside the polygon. 7. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the obstacles are also objects located inside the polygon, including other drones. 8. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the drone control command is adjusted, reducing the speed of its approach with the obstacle so that the time of approach with the boundary of its buffer zone remains at least a predetermined value. 9. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that they carry out light and / or sound accompaniment of the flight events of the drone. 10. A system for implementing a drone control method, comprising a drone, control equipment and a training ground, characterized in that the training ground is defined by the coordinates of the side borders and a surface set above the surface above which the training ground is located with a lower boundary, the aircraft is equipped with a coordinate detection sensor connected to a telemetry channel with the corresponding input of the central computing device of the control equipment, configured to simultaneously control multiple drones, the central The intelligence device is equipped with data input and at least one user control panel, the set of space points inside the landfill prohibited for the drone, including the landfill boundary, are characterized as obstacles that have a buffer zone, at the border of which the drone control command corresponds to speed rapprochement with the corresponding obstacle tending to zero. 11. The system according to p. 10, characterized in that the coordinates of the lateral boundaries of the polygon are determined relative to geographical coordinates, and the sensors for determining the coordinates are the sensors of the global positioning system. 12. The system according to p. 10, characterized in that the coordinates of the lateral boundaries of the polygon are determined relative to the local coordinate system using at least three spaced beacons, and the coordinate determination sensor is configured to determine coordinates in the local coordinate system from the signals indicated lighthouses. 13. The system according to p. 10, characterized in that the obstacles in addition to the boundaries of the polygon are also objects inside the polygon. 14. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that the obstacles in addition to the boundaries of the landfill are also objects located inside the landfill, including other drones. 15. The system according to p. 10, characterized in that the drone is made according to the multicopter scheme, in which the engines and rotors are installed between planes bounded by the upper and lower plates forming a rigid frame, between which a strip of elastic material protruding along the outer end face is fixed parts of the drone, forming an external bumper. 16. The system according to p. 10, characterized in that the system is equipped with sound and / or color accompaniment of drone flight events.

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