WO2018076467A1

WO2018076467A1 - Unmanned aerial vehicle and alarm system thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2018076467A1
Application number: PCT/CN2016/108977
Authority: WO
Inventors: 莫泽锋; 赵涛
Original assignee: 深圳市大疆创新科技有限公司
Priority date: 2016-10-31
Filing date: 2016-12-08
Publication date: 2018-05-03
Also published as: CN109564735A; CN206497536U

Abstract

An alarm system (100), applied to a movable platform. The alarm system (100) comprises a sounding device (12) and a control unit (15). The control unit (15) is connected to the sounding device (12), and controls the sounding device (12) to give out sounds for an alarm when the movable platform is out of control. The alarm system (100) can automatically give out sounds for an alarm when the movable platform is out of control, so as to remind surrounding persons to reduce the probability of person injuries; the direction and the position of the aerial vehicle are prompted by means of sounds, thereby helping a user find the aerial vehicle that falls off.

Description

Drone and its alarm system

Technical field

The invention relates to an aircraft alarm system, in particular to an unmanned aerial sound alarm system.

Background technique

UAVs, remotely piloted aircraft capable of hovering in the air or a series of complex flight operations rely on sensors, motors and power supplies integrated into the machine. Once these devices generate serious anomalies, such as a motor stall, the gyroscope is stuck, which may result in the aircraft not being able to maintain a stable flight attitude in the air. The most serious consequence is that the air is uncontrollably hitting the obstacle or Falling directly in the air can cause serious damage to people or property.

When the drone or remotely piloted aircraft has a serious abnormality (such as a runaway fall), the user can only judge based on the display of the remote control terminal or the LED light on the aircraft. In the event of a dangerous situation in which the aircraft crashed from the air, it cannot be noticed by the surrounding people in time, so the probability of personal injury occurring cannot be reduced.

When the drone, the remote control aircraft falls to the ground or hits the obstacle in the air, the user and the aircraft lose communication, and the user can only find it by memory, the last screen displayed on the remote controller terminal or the last GPS position recorded. aircraft. It is very likely that the user has found a position near the aircraft, but because of the blockage of the object, he has not been able to find the exact position of the aircraft, and ultimately can only bear the loss of the lost aircraft.

Summary of the invention

In view of this, it is necessary to provide a drone that can automatically sound an alarm when a serious abnormality occurs in the aircraft and an alarm system thereof.

An alarm system is applied to a movable platform, the alarm system includes a sounding device, the alarm system further includes a control unit, the control unit is connected to the sounding device, and the control unit is controlled when the movable platform is out of control The sounding device sounds an alarm.

A drone comprising a flight control system and an electrical component, the drone further comprising an alarm system as described above, the main power source powering the flight control system and the electrical component, the flight control system Connected to the control unit for using the control unit when an abnormality occurs in the drone The element sends an alarm request, and the control unit controls the sounding device to sound an alarm according to the alarm request.

A drone comprising a flight control system and an electrical component, the drone comprising a main power source, a sounding device and a backup power source for powering the flight control system and the electrical component, the flight control system detecting The UAV can control the sounding device to sound an alarm when an abnormality occurs, and control the standby power supply to supply power to the sounding device when the main power source falls off or fails.

The alarm system can automatically sound an alarm when the movable platform is out of control, reminding the surrounding people to reduce the probability of personal injury, and prompting the position of the aircraft by sound, thereby facilitating the user to find the dropped aircraft.

DRAWINGS

1 is a block diagram of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flow chart of an audible alarm provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an audible alarm according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an audible alarm according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Main component symbol description

Drone 1

Flight control system 10

Electrical components 11

Alarm system 100

Sounding device 12

Main power supply 13

Backup power supply 14

Control unit 15

Ranging unit 16

Transceiver 17

Sensor 18

Remote control terminal 2

The invention will be further illustrated by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts are within the scope of the present invention.

It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed" to another component, it can be directly on the other component or the component can be present. When a component is considered to "connect" another component, it can be directly connected to another component or possibly a central component. When a component is considered to be "set to" another component, it can be placed directly on another component or possibly with a centered component. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and the like, as used herein, are for illustrative purposes only.

All technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. The terminology used in the description of the present invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to limit the invention. The term "and/or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

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

Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drone 1 includes a flight control system 10, a power component 11 and an alarm system 100.

The flight control system 10 controls the operation of the drone 1 including takeoff, attitude change, landing, and in some embodiments, for controlling the operation of some functional components, such as sensors disposed on the drone 1 , load, etc. The flight control system 10 may receive a control command from an external device (eg, the remote control terminal 2), or generate a control command based on a preset flight plan and data sensed from a sensor provided on the drone 1 to The operation of the drone 1 is controlled. The controlling includes controlling a frame assembly of the drone 1 to change a position and an angle with respect to a fuselage of the drone 1, and controlling a rotational speed of the power device of the drone 1 to control a posture of the drone 1 And speed.

The power component 11 is a component or component that requires power supply on the drone, including, but not limited to, a power device for moving the drone 1 , a sensor for sensing a state parameter of the drone, A communication module for communicating with the outside world, a load carried on the drone 1, and the like.

The alarm system 100 is configured to sound an alarm when the drone 1 is seriously abnormal (for example, the drone 1 is out of control due to failure of the power unit or sensor failure or other component failure), including, but not limited to, The sounding device 12, the main power source 13, the backup power source 14, and the control unit 15.

The sounding device 12 is used to emit a sound to give a specific alert or prompt, including, but not limited to, a speaker or a buzzer or the like. The sound that is emitted can be a continuous long beep or intermittent short beep or a combination of long beep and short beep.

The main power source 13 is used to supply electric energy to the flight control system 10, the electric component 11 and the sounding device 12 of the drone 1 .

The control unit 15 is configured to detect whether the output of the main power source 13 is normal, for example, within a predetermined output value range, and when the output of the main power source 13 is lower than a given threshold, the control unit 15 can control the The backup power source 14 supplies power to the power component 11 of the drone 1 together with the main power source 13 as a supplemental power source. In the present invention, when the main power source 13 is severely abnormal, such as falling off, its output is substantially zero, the control unit 15 controls the backup power source 14 to supply power to the sounding device 12 to control the sounding. Device 12 sounds an alarm.

In some embodiments, the flight control system 10 is in communication with the control unit 15, and when the flight control system 10 determines that the drone 1 has a severe anomaly, the flight control system 10 can issue an alarm request. To the control unit 15, the control unit 15 controls the sounding device 12 to sound an alarm. The communication between the flight control system 10 and the control unit 15 can be wired or wireless.

In some embodiments, the drone 1 includes a transceiver 17 for transmitting and receiving data between the drone 1 and the remote terminal 2. The transceiver 17 can receive control commands from the remote terminal 2 and transmit the commands to the flight control system 10 of the drone 1 in any existing manner, such as wired or wireless. The transceiver 17 can transmit operating state parameters (eg, sensor data) of the drone 1 to the remote control terminal 2.

The transceiver 17 can be a radio frequency transceiver operating at a frequency in the range of 5.728 GHz to 5.85 GHz or 2.4 GHz. The transceiver 17 receives and transmits radio signals through an antenna. The transceiver 17 can be an application specific integrated circuit for performing transceiving of microwave signals.

In an embodiment, the transceiver 17 can be used as a communication terminal in a wireless communication network, such as a SIM card or a wireless network card. Therefore, any existing ones are suitable for wireless terminals The wireless communication protocol can facilitate communication between the drone 1 and the remote terminal 2.

The transceiver 17 can also be other types of transceivers, such as radio, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), cellular technology, satellite, and broadcast, or for infrared, Bluetooth, zigbee, NFC ( Near Field Communication, or SDR (software defined radio) transceiver. Exemplary wireless communication techniques exemplified include, but are not limited to, third or fourth generation wireless 3G or 4G mobile communication technologies for communication. In other embodiments, the transceiver 17 may employ a fifth generation (5G) mobile communication network for communication with the remote terminal 2. 5G is the next-generation mobile communication standard that goes beyond the current 4G/IMT-Advanced standard.

Therefore, existing wireless technologies for existing communication terminals can be easily applied to the drone 1. For example, by assembling a wireless card, like those used for mobile handsets, or other wireless communication hardware, the drone 1 can be easily integrated into an existing network. Alternatively, and/or further, proprietary communication hardware may also be employed as needed.

In some embodiments, the transceiver 17 can receive an alert request from the remote terminal 2, and the transceiver 17 can communicate the alert request directly to the control unit 15 or the flight control system 10. For example, when the controller can not find the drone or the controller finds a serious abnormality, an alarm request can be issued through the remote terminal 2. When the control unit 15 receives the alarm request, the sounding unit may be controlled to sound an alarm.

In some embodiments, the drone 1 further includes a ranging unit 16 for determining the distance between the remote terminal 2 and the drone 1 . In some embodiments, the ranging unit 16 may acquire a current location of the drone 1 from a sensor on the drone 1 (eg, a position sensor GPS module), and receive the same from the remote terminal 2 The position information of the remote terminal 2 is calculated, and the distance between the drone 1 and the remote terminal 2 is calculated according to the current position of the drone 1 and the position information of the remote terminal 2. The calculated distance is transmitted to the control unit 15, and the control unit 15 can control the sounding device 12 to sound according to the distance. In some embodiments, the closer the remote control terminal 2 is to the drone 1, the louder the sound emitted by the sounding device 12. In some embodiments, when the distance of the remote control terminal 2 from the drone 1 reaches a predetermined value, the sound emitted by the sounding device 12 can be maintained at a predetermined lower volume, and the remote control terminal 2 is away from the When the distance of the drone 1 is lower than the predetermined value, the closer the remote terminal 2 is to the drone 1, the louder the sound emitted by the sounding device 12.

In some embodiments, the ranging unit 16 can also be disposed on the remote terminal 2. The remote terminal 2 acquires current location information of the drone 1 through the transceiver 17, and then acquires location information of the remote terminal 2 from a location sensor provided on the remote terminal 2, and according to the The current position information of the human machine 1 and the position information of the remote control terminal 2 calculate the distance between the drone 1 and the remote control terminal 2. The calculated distance information is transmitted to the control unit 15 through the transceiver 17.

In some embodiments, the ranging unit 16 can also measure by other means, such as Bluetooth ranging, wireless network ranging (such as WIFI ranging), and the like.

In some embodiments, the drone 1 may further include a sensor 18, which may include a sensor, such as a GPS module, for acquiring current location information of the drone. In some embodiments, the sensor 18 further includes a sensor for sensing an obstacle at the periphery of the drone 1, such as an ultrasonic sensor, a line of sight sensor, a laser sensor, or the like. When the sensor 18 senses that there is an obstacle within a predetermined distance range, the alarm volume can be controlled according to the distance of the obstacle from the drone 1 . For example, when the drone is seriously crashed, the sensor 18 senses that there is a person or thing under the drone 1, and can control according to the distance of the drone 1 from the obstacle. The alarm volume, the closer the obstacle is, the louder the sound, to remind the people around the drone 1 to avoid unnecessary damage.

In some embodiments, in order to save power, the drone 1 does not sound an alarm when an abnormality occurs at the beginning, and sounds an alarm only when an obstacle is sensed. In some embodiments, when the drone 1 is dropped on a surface (e.g., the ground), the control unit 15 controls the sounding device 12 to stop sounding. When the transceiver 17 receives an alarm request from the remote terminal 2, the control unit 15 controls the sounding device 12 to sound an alarm. In some embodiments, the control unit 15 further controls the ranging unit 16 to determine a distance between the drone 1 and the remote terminal 2, and the control unit 15 adjusts the distance according to the determined distance. The volume of the sounding device 12, that is, the closer the remote terminal 2 is to the drone 1, the greater the volume of the sounding device 12, thereby enabling the controller to find the drone 1.

In some embodiments, the control unit 15 may be integrated in the flight control system 10 or may be independent of the flight control system 10, such as a micro control unit MCU.

In some embodiments, the primary power source 13 can also charge the backup power source 14. When the control unit 15 detects that the output of the main power source 13 is normal, the main power source 13 can be controlled at The backup battery 14 is charged when power is supplied to the flight control system 10 and the electrical component 11 is used.

The backup battery 14 can be a group of rechargeable batteries, or a plurality of sets of rechargeable batteries, respectively, for supplying power to different components, for example, respectively supplying power to the sounding device 12, supplying power to the ranging unit 16, and transmitting and receiving the battery. The device 17 is powered. In some embodiments, the backup battery 14 may also include other energy sources, such as solar cells, wind energy batteries, and the like.

Please refer to FIG. 2, which is an alarm flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention. The order of the steps in the flowchart may be changed according to different requirements, and some steps may be omitted or combined.

In step 20, the flight control system determines whether the aircraft has a serious abnormality. In some embodiments, the operating state of each component can be obtained according to the sensor 18 disposed on the drone 1, and whether the drone is severely abnormal according to the working state of each component. For example, when the power mechanism of the drone 1 fails or is damaged, and the sensor cannot acquire state information normally, the flight control system cannot generate an accurate control command or the like.

Step 22, the flight control system sends an alarm request to the control unit. In some embodiments, the flight control system can transmit an alarm command to the control unit by wire or wirelessly.

In step 24, the control unit controls the sounding device to sound an alarm. In some embodiments, the control unit may be omitted, and the flight control system may control the sounding device to sound an alarm directly by controlling a current/voltage output by the main power source to the sounding device.

In step 26, the control unit determines whether the main power source is detached or fails. The control unit may detect an output voltage/current of the main power source to determine whether the main power source is detached or failed. When the output voltage/current of the main power source is almost zero, the main power source can be considered to be detached or failed. If the control unit determines that the main power supply is detached or fails, the process proceeds to step 28; if the main power source does not fall off or fails, the process returns to step 22.

In step 28, the control unit controls the backup power supply to supply power to the sound emitting device.

Step 210: The control unit controls to control the sounding device to generate an alarm. The control unit may control the sounding device to sound an alarm by controlling a current/voltage output by the standby power source to the sounding device. The alarm sound may be a continuous interval of squeaking or continuous squeaking. The alarm sound can prompt surrounding personnel to avoid in time to reduce the probability of injury to the personnel. In some embodiments, the sounding device may continue to sing until the drone is dropped on a surface (eg, the ground) to stop squealing. In some embodiments, the sounding device continues to sound an alarm after falling onto a surface to prompt the controller to find the drone.

Please refer to FIG. 3, which is an alarm flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention. The order of the steps in the flowchart may be changed according to different requirements, and some steps may be omitted or combined.

In step 30, the flight control system determines whether the aircraft has a serious abnormality. In some embodiments, the operating state of each component can be obtained according to the sensor 18 disposed on the drone 1, and whether the drone is severely abnormal according to the working state of each component. For example, when the power mechanism of the drone 1 fails or is damaged, and the sensor cannot acquire state information normally, the flight control system cannot generate an accurate control command or the like.

In step 32, the flight control system issues an alarm request to the control unit. In some embodiments, the flight control system can transmit an alarm command to the control unit by wire or wirelessly.

Step 34: The control unit controls the sounding device to sound an alarm. In some embodiments, the control unit may be omitted, and the flight control system may control the sounding device to sound an alarm directly by controlling a current/voltage output by the main power source to the sounding device.

In step 36, the control unit determines that there is an obstacle within the predetermined range according to the information sensed by the sensor 18. The obstacle may include, but is not limited to, a stationary or moving person or thing.

In step 38, the control unit controls the volume of the sounding device according to the distance of the obstacle. The closer the obstacle is to the drone, the louder the sound.

Step 310: When the drone is dropped on a surface (such as the ground), the control unit controls the sounding device 12 to stop sounding an alarm. In some embodiments, the control unit may also control the sounding device 12 to continue to sound an alarm after the drone is dropped on a surface to prompt the relevant person to find the dropped drone.

Please refer to FIG. 4, which is an alarm flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention. The order of the steps in the flowchart may be changed according to different requirements, and some steps may be omitted or combined.

Step 40: The control unit receives an alarm request signal of the remote control terminal. The alarm request signal can be transmitted by the remote control terminal to the control unit 15 via the transceiver 17. When the control unit 15 receives the alarm request signal, the flow proceeds to step 42.

Step 42: The control unit controls the ranging unit to calculate a distance between the drone and the remote control terminal. Specifically, to save power, the control unit controls the backup battery to supply power to the sensor 18 and the ranging unit only when receiving the alarm request, to control the sensor 18 to acquire the unmanned The current location of the machine. The ranging unit is configured according to a current location of the remote control terminal sent by the remote control terminal, and the unmanned aerial vehicle acquired by the sensor 18 The current position calculates a distance between the drone and the remote terminal. In some other embodiments, the ranging unit may also be combined with other ranging methods or multiple ranging methods to obtain a more accurate distance. Other ranging methods include, but are not limited to, wireless network (such as WIFI) ranging, Bluetooth ranging, and the like.

Step 44: The control unit controls the sound emitting device to sound an alarm at a predetermined volume according to the calculated distance between the drone and the remote control terminal. In some embodiments, when the remote control terminal is located outside a predetermined distance (eg, 50 meters), the sounding device 12 can alert a predetermined lower volume, when the remote control terminal is located within the predetermined distance, The volume of the sounding device 12 may increase as the distance of the remote control terminal from the drone decreases, thereby facilitating the relevant personnel to find the drone.

It will be appreciated that the alarm system can be applied to various types of mobile platforms, including manned aircraft, space vehicles, ships, submarines, etc., in addition to the drones described in the above embodiments.

In addition, those skilled in the art can make various other changes and modifications in accordance with the technical concept of the present invention, and all such changes and modifications are within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

An alarm system for a mobile platform, the alarm system comprising a sounding device, wherein the alarm system further comprises a control unit, the control unit is connected to the sounding device, and the movable platform is The sounding device is controlled to sound an alarm when it is out of control.
The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein said alarm system comprises a main power source and a backup power source, wherein said main power source and said standby power source are respectively connected to said control unit, and when the main power source falls off or fails, A power source provides power to the sounding device.
The alarm system according to claim 2, wherein said control unit controls the main power source to charge the backup power source when the main power source output is normal.
The alarm system according to claim 2, wherein said backup power source comprises one or more of a solar battery and a wind energy battery.
The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein said alarm system further comprises a distance measuring unit, said distance measuring unit determines a distance between said movable platform and said remote control terminal, said control unit being movable according to said The distance between the platform and the remote control terminal controls the volume of the sounding device.
The alarm system according to claim 5, wherein said ranging unit is coupled to a sensor for acquiring a current position of said movable platform from said sensor, said ranging unit acquiring said said remote terminal The current location of the remote control terminal is calculated, and the distance between the movable platform and the remote control terminal is calculated according to the current location of the movable platform and the current location of the remote control terminal.
The alarm system according to claim 6, wherein said ranging unit acquires a current position of said remote terminal from said remote terminal via a transceiver.
The alarm system according to claim 7, wherein said transceiver is a radio frequency identification transceiver, an infrared transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a wifi transceiver, a zigbee transceiver, and NFC (Near Field Communication, Near field communication) transceiver or SDR (software defined radio) transceiver.
The alarm system of claim 6 wherein said sensor comprises a GPS module and/or a wireless network positioning module.
The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit receives distance information between said remote control terminal and said unmanned aerial vehicle from said remote control terminal via said transceiver, and controls said sound emitting device based on said distance information volume.
The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein said sensor includes a sensor for sensing an obstacle, and said control unit controls a volume of said sounding device in accordance with a distance of the obstacle from said drone.
The alarm system according to claim 11, wherein said sensor for sensing an obstacle comprises one or more of an ultrasonic sensor, a laser sensor, and a line-of-sight sensor.
The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit controls said sounding device to stop sounding an alarm when said movable platform is supported on a surface.
The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit controls said sounding device to sound an alarm when receiving an alarm request from said remote terminal.
The alarm system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit controls the volume of said sound generating device according to a distance of said remote control terminal from said drone, said closer to said remote control terminal The volume of the sounding device is louder.
The alarm system of claim 1 wherein said control unit is an MCU.
A drone, comprising a flight control system and an electrical component, characterized in that the drone further comprises the alarm system according to any one of claims 1 to 16, the main power supply to the flight control system And supplying power to the control unit, wherein the flight control system is connected to the control unit, configured to send an alarm request to the control unit when an abnormality occurs in the drone, and the control unit controls the sound generation according to the alarm request The device sounds an alarm.
An unmanned aerial vehicle includes a flight control system and an electrical component, wherein the drone includes a main power source, a sounding device, and a backup power source for supplying power to the flight control system and the power component, and the flight control The system can control the sounding device to sound an alarm when detecting that the drone is abnormal, and control the standby power supply to supply power to the sounding device when the main power source falls off or fails.
The drone according to claim 18, wherein said flight control system controls the volume of said sound generating device according to a distance of said remote control terminal from said drone, said remote control terminal being remote from said drone Recently, the volume of the sound emitting device is larger.