Method for protection unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned aerial vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12339672-B2
Application number	US-202318171896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2023
Priority date	Aug 21, 2020
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for protecting an unmanned aerial vehicle and an unmanned aerial vehicle are provided. After a positioning system of the unmanned aerial vehicle fails, a flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle is acquired at a time point before the positioning system fails, and then a flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle is determined according to the flight speed, where the flight state includes a low-speed flight state and a high-speed flight state; and then a flight protection strategy of the unmanned aerial vehicle is adjusted according to the flight state. By implementing the method, after the positioning system of the unmanned aerial vehicle is in failure, explosion probability of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be reduced, and flight safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be improved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for protecting an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising:
acquiring a flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle before the positioning system fails;
determining a flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the flight speed; and
controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to adjust a flight protection strategy of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the flight state.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the flight state comprises a low-speed flight state and a high-speed flight state, and the determining a flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the flight speed comprises:
determining the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle as the low-speed flight state when the flight speed is within a low-speed threshold range; and
determining the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle as the high-speed flight state when the flight speed is within a high-speed threshold range.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the adjusting a flight protection strategy of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the flight state comprises:
acquiring attitude angle information and a current flight height of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the flight state is the low-speed flight state;
adjusting the flight attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the attitude angle information;
controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to climb to a preset height from the current flight height after waiting for a preset time threshold; and
determining if the unmanned aerial vehicle receives positioning data;
adjusting the flight attitude into a protection attitude if the unmanned aerial vehicle does not receive the positioning data.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein
the attitude angle information comprises a pitch angle, a roll angle and a yaw angle; and
the adjusting the flight attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the attitude angle information comprises:
keeping the pitch angle and the roll angle within a preset angle range, and controlling the yaw angle to be unchanged.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the adjusting the flight attitude into a protection attitude comprises:
keeping the pitch angle and the roll angle within the preset angle range, reducing a flight height of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and controlling the yaw angle to rotate with a preset angular rate.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the adjusting a flight protection strategy of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the flight state comprises:
acquiring attitude angle information, a current flight height and a throttle value of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the flight state is the high-speed flight state;
adjusting the flight attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the attitude angle information, the current flight height and the throttle value;
determining if the unmanned aerial vehicle receives positioning data after waiting for the preset time threshold;
if the unmanned aerial vehicle does not receive the positioning data, controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to hover and drop to a set height, controlling a current throttle value of the unmanned aerial vehicle to be unchanged, and keeping a current roll angle of the unmanned aerial vehicle at a preset roll angle; and
adjusting the flight attitude into the protection attitude when the flight height of the unmanned aerial vehicle is detected to be lower than a preset height threshold.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein
the attitude angle information comprises a pitch angle, a roll angle and a yaw angle; and
the adjusting the flight attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the attitude angle information, the current flight height and the throttle value comprises:
controlling the current flight height of the unmanned aerial vehicle to be unchanged and hover with the preset roll angle, and controlling the throttle value to be unchanged.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the adjusting the flight attitude into a protection attitude when the unmanned aerial vehicle is detected to be lower than a preset height threshold comprises:
keeping the pitch angle and the roll angle within a preset angle range, controlling the yaw angle to be unchanged, and controlling the throttle value to be reduced to zero with a preset rate; and
after waiting for a preset time threshold, keeping the pitch angle and the roll angle within the preset angle range, reducing the flight height of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and controlling the yaw angle to rotate with a preset angular rate.

9. The method according to claim 4 , wherein
the preset angle range is (−2°, 2°).

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the preset angle range is (−2, 2°).

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising an apparatus for protecting an unmanned aerial vehicle that, when executed by a processor, performs:
acquiring a flight speed of an unmanned aerial vehicle before a positioning system fails;
determining a flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the flight speed; and
controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to adjust a flight protection strategy of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the flight state.

12. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:
an unmanned aerial vehicle body;
unmanned aerial vehicle arms connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle body;
a power system arranged on the unmanned aerial vehicle arms and configured to provide flight power for the unmanned aerial vehicle; and
a flight controller arranged on the unmanned aerial vehicle body,
wherein the flight controller comprises:
at least one processor; and
a memory which is in communication connection with the at least one processor, wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
acquire a flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle before the positioning system fails,
determine a flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the flight speed; and
controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to adjust a flight protection strategy of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the flight state.

13. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein the flight state comprises a low-speed flight state and a high-speed flight state, and the at least one processor is configured to:
determine the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle as the low-speed flight state when the flight speed is within a low-speed threshold range; and
determine the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle as the high-speed flight state when the flight speed is within a high-speed threshold range.

14. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
acquire attitude angle information and a current flight height of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the flight state is the low-speed flight state;
adjust the flight attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the attitude angle information;
control the unmanned aerial vehicle to climb to a preset height from the current flight height after waiting for a preset time threshold; and
in response to determining that the unmanned aerial vehicle does not receive positioning data, adjust the flight attitude into a protection attitude.

15. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein
the attitude angle information comprises a pitch angle, a roll angle and a yaw ang

Assignees

• Autel Robotics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lu Minghua
• Wang Kangli

Classifications

• G05D1/617

  Safety or protection, e.g. defining protection zones around obstacles or avoiding hazards (arrangements for controlling the position or course of two or more vehicles for avoiding collisions therebetween G05D1/693; arrangements for reacting to or preventing system or operator failure G05D1/80) · CPC title

• G05D1/49

  Control of attitude, i.e. control of roll, pitch or yaw · CPC title

• B64D45/00

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64U50/10 Primary

  Propulsion (rotors specially adapted for rotorcraft or VTOL B64U30/20) · CPC title

• G05D1/0055

  with safety arrangements · CPC title