System and method for supporting simulated movement

• US 10,134,298 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2016
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Inventors: Tao, Ye, Li, Shunnian, Zhang, Zhiyuan, Zhang, Liutao, Liu, Weifeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher, Jerry-Daryl
• Application Number:
  US15/349,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20170061813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 434 29, 434 30, 434 33, 434 37
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/08 for teaching control of aircraft, e.g. Link trainer
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/24 including display or recording of simulated flight path
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/302 the image being transformed by computer processing, e.g. updating the image to correspond to the changing point of view
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/46 the aircraft being a helicopter

Abstract

System and method can support a simulated movement of a movable object, such as a simulated flight of an unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV). A process, which can be on a user terminal, can receive state information about the simulated flight from a flight simulator that is associated with the UAV. Then, the process can determine flight information for the simulated flight by associating the received state information with context information obtained by the process on the user terminal, and provides the determined flight information to a display that is associated with the user terminal.

Claims

1. A method of supporting a simulated flight of an unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) operable in a flight mode and a simulation mode, the method comprising:

receiving flight control data via an input module of a user terminal when the UAV is in the simulation mode;

receiving, via a process executing on the user terminal, state information of a virtual UAV in the simulated flight from a flight simulator that is associated with the UAV, wherein the state information includes information identifying a location of the virtual UAV in a virtual space;

determining flight information for the simulated flight by associating the received state information with context information obtained by the process executing on the user terminal, wherein the context information includes information identifying a location of the user terminal, the user terminal being at a different location than the UAV in a real space;

providing the determined flight information to the user terminal; and

displaying the simulated flight of the virtual UAV on a display associated with the user terminal based on the determined flight information and the flight control data, wherein the user is able to control the simulated flight of the virtual UAV in the virtual space using the user terminal when the UAV is in the simulation mode and is able to control flight of the UAV in the real space when the UAV is in the flight mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a connection between the user terminal and the flight simulator that is associated with the UAV, and

sending one or more control signals to the flight simulator associated with the UAV.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

resetting or restarting at least a part of the simulated flight.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a user interface that is associated with the UAV on the display associated with the user terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

displaying a different user interface on the display associated with the user terminal, when the user terminal is connected with a flight simulator that is associated with a different UAV.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an animation of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight on the display associated with the user terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the received flight state information about the simulated flight contains coordinate information of the virtual UAV, wherein the coordinate information is relative to a take-off point of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight, and

the context information obtained by the user terminal includes longitude and latitude information of the take-off point of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a flight path of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight based on the received coordinate information of the virtual UAV and the longitude and latitude information of the take-off point of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying a flight path of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight on a map section of the display associated with the user terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying flight attitude information and/or payload status information of the virtual UAV on the display associated with the user terminal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a fictional or predetermined view based on a predetermined terrain model in an animation on the display associated with the user terminal.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the process is used by an application in the user terminal, wherein the application allows a user to configure and operate the virtual UAV in the simulated flight.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining location information of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight based on a priority list, which includes information received from the UAV, a remote control, and an application on the user terminal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user terminal includes a control terminal and/or a display terminal.

15. A system of supporting a simulated flight of an unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) operable in a flight mode and a simulation mode, the system comprising:

one or more microprocessors;

a process on a user terminal, executing on the one or more microprocessors, wherein the process operates to;

receive flight control data via an input module of the user terminal when the UAV is in the simulation mode;

receive state information of a virtual UAV in the simulated flight from a flight simulator that is associated with the UAV, wherein the state information includes information identifying a location of the virtual UAV in a virtual space;

determine flight information for the simulated flight by associating the received state information with context information obtained by the process executing on the user terminal, wherein the context information includes information identifying a location of the user terminal, the user terminal being at a different location than the UAV in a real space;

provide the determined flight information to the user terminal; and

display the simulated flight of the virtual UAV on a display associated with the user terminal based on the determined flight information and the flight control data, wherein the user is able to control the simulated flight of the UAV in the virtual space using the user terminal when the UAV is in the simulation mode and control flight of the UAV in the real space when the UAV is in the flight mode.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

a connection is established between the user terminal and the flight simulator that is associated with the UAV, and one or more control signals are sent to the flight simulator associated with the UAV.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the process operates to reset or restart at least a part of the simulated flight.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the display associated with the user terminal operates to display a user interface, which is associated with the UAV.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the display associated with the user terminal operates to display a different user interface, when the user terminal is connected with a flight simulator that is associated with a different UAV.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the display associated with the user terminal operates to display an animation of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the received state information about the simulated flight contains coordinate information of the virtual UAV, wherein the coordinate information is relative to a take-off point of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight, and

the context information obtained by the user terminal includes longitude and latitude information of the take-off point of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the process operates to determine a flight path of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight based on the received coordinate information of the virtual UAV and the longitude and latitude information of the take-off point of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein:

a flight path of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight is displayed on a map section of the display associated with the user terminal.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the display associated with the user terminal operates to display flight attitude information and/or payload status information of the virtual UAV.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the display associated with the user terminal operates to display a fictional or predetermined view based on a predetermined terrain model in an animation.

26. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the process is used by an application in the user terminal, wherein the application allows a user to configure and operate the virtual UAV in the simulated flight.

27. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the process operates to determine location information of the virtual UAV in the simulated flight based on a priority list, which includes information received from the UAV, a remote control, and an application on the user terminal.

28. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the user terminal includes a control terminal and/or a display terminal.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a processor, perform a method of supporting a simulated flight of an unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) operable in a flight mode and a simulation mode, the method comprising:

receiving flight control data via an input module of a user terminal when the UAV is in the simulation mode;

receiving, via a process executing on the user terminal, state information of a virtual UAV in the simulated flight from a flight simulator that is associated with the UAV, wherein the state information includes information identifying a location of the virtual UAV in a virtual space;

determining flight information for the simulated flight by associating the received state information with context information obtained by the process executing on the user terminal, wherein the context information includes information identifying a location of the user terminal, the user terminal being at a different location than the UAV in a real space;

providing the determined flight information to the user terminal; and

displaying the simulated flight of the virtual UAV on a display associated with the user terminal based on the determined flight information and the flight control data, wherein the user is able to control the simulated flight of the UAV in the virtual space using the user terminal when the UAV is in the simulation mode and control flight of the UAV in the real space when the UAV is in the flight mode.

30. A system of supporting a simulated flight of an unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) operable in a flight mode and a simulation mode, the system comprising:

one or more microprocessors;

an application executing on the one or more microprocessors, wherein the application operates to;

receive flight control data via an input module of a user terminal when the UAV is in the simulation mode;

receive state information of a virtual UAV in the simulated flight from a flight simulator that is associated with the UAV, wherein the state information includes information identifying a location of the virtual UAV in a virtual space;

determine flight information for the simulated flight by associating the received state information with context information obtained by the process executing on the user terminal, wherein the context information includes information identifying a location of the user terminal, the user terminal being at a different location than the UAV in a real space;

provide the determined flight information to the user terminal; and

display the simulated flight of the virtual UAV on a display associated with the user terminal based on the determined flight information and the flight control data, wherein the user is able to control the simulated flight of the UAV in the virtual space using the user terminal when the UAV is in the simulation mode and control flight of the UAV in the real space when the UAV is in the flight mode.