UAV and UAV landing control device and method

• US 10,156,854 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zerotech shenzhen Intelligence Robot Co Ltd
• Original Assignee: Zerotech shenzhen Intelligence Robot Co Ltd
• Inventors: Yang, Jianjun, Yang, Lin
• Primary Examiner(s): ALHARBI, ADAM MOHAMED
• Application Number:
  US15/198,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20170336804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/007 Helicopter portable landing pads
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/10 for releasing or capturing UAVs by hand
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/042 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV landing control device and method. The UAV landing control method includes: receiving a trigger command; starting to monitor under control of the trigger command and outputting monitoring information based on a landing platform below the UAV, where the UAV has one or more rotors; and determining whether to control the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation based on the monitoring information.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing control device, comprising:

a trigger command receiving module configured to receive a trigger command;

a monitoring module configured to start monitoring under control of the trigger command and to output monitoring information based on a landing platform below a UAV, wherein the UAV has one or more rotors; and

a rotor control module configured to determine whether to control the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation based on the monitoring information,

wherein;

the monitoring module includes an image acquisition device which is configured to capture and output a first image of the landing platform; and

the rotor control module is configured to control the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation when the first image of the landing platform outputted by the image acquisition device is not satisfied with a predetermined standard.

2. The UAV landing control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the monitoring module includes a distance sensor which is configured to monitor a vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform and to send the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform to the rotor control module; and

the rotor control module is configured to control the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation when the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform is less than a threshold.

3. The UAV landing control device according to claim 2, wherein:

the distance sensor is further configured to output invalid identification information when the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform is less than a minimum measuring distance of the distance sensor; and

the rotor control module is configured to control the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation based on the invalid identification information.

4. The UAV landing control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the monitoring module includes a velocity sensor which is configured to monitor a vertical descent velocity of the UAV; and

the rotor control module is configured to control the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation when the landing platform makes contact with the UAV to cause a sudden change in the vertical descent velocity of the UAV.

5. The UAV landing control device according to claim 2, wherein:

the distance sensor is further configured to monitor the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform after the one or more rotors of the UAV stops rotation; and

the rotor control module is configured to control the one or more rotors of the UAV to accelerate rotation when the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform is greater than the threshold.

6. The UAV landing control device according to claim 3, wherein:

the distance sensor is further configured to monitor the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform after the one or more rotors of the UAV stops rotation; and

the rotor control module is configured to control the one or more rotors of the UAV to accelerate rotation when the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform is greater than the minimum measuring distance of the distance sensor.

7. The UAV landing control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the image acquisition device is further configured to capture and output a second image of the landing platform after the one or more rotors of the UAV stops rotation; and

the rotor control module is configured to control the one or more rotors of the UAV to accelerate rotation when the second image of the landing platform is satisfied with the predetermined standard.

15. A UAV, comprising the UAV landing control device according to claim 1.

16. The UAV landing control device according to claim 1, wherein the trigger command receiving module includes at least one of an antenna, an acoustic sensor, an image acquisition device and a somatosensory unit.

17. The UAV landing control device according to claim 1, wherein the trigger command includes at least one of a key command, an acoustic control command and a gesture command.

18. The UAV landing control device according to claim 2, wherein the distance sensor includes an ultrasonic sensor, a laser distance sensor or an infrared distance sensor.

8. A UAV landing control method, comprising:

receiving a trigger command by a trigger command receiving module;

starting to monitor under control of the trigger command and outputting monitoring information based on a landing platform below a UAV by a monitoring module, wherein the UAV has one or more rotors;

determining whether to control the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation based on the monitoring information by a rotor control module;

capturing and outputting a first image of the landing platform; and

controlling the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation when the first image of the landing platform is not satisfied with a predetermined standard.

9. The UAV landing control method according to claim 8, further comprising:

monitoring a vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform; and

controlling the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation when the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform is less than a threshold.

10. The UAV landing control method according to claim 9, further comprising:

outputting invalid identification information when the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform is less than a minimum measuring distance; and

controlling the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation based on the invalid identification information.

11. The UAV landing control method according to claim 8, further comprising:

monitoring a vertical descent velocity of the UAV; and

controlling the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation when the landing platform makes contact with the UAV to cause a sudden change in the vertical descent velocity of the UAV.

12. The UAV landing control method according to claim 9, wherein after controlling the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation, the method further comprises:

monitoring the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform; and

controlling the one or more rotors of the UAV to accelerate rotation when the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform is greater than the threshold.

13. The UAV landing control method according to claim 10, wherein after controlling the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation, the method further comprises:

monitoring the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform; and

controlling the one or more rotors of the UAV to accelerate rotation when the vertical distance between the UAV and the landing platform is greater than the minimum measuring distance.

14. The UAV landing control method according to claim 8, wherein after controlling the one or more rotors of the UAV to stop rotation, the method further comprises:

capturing and outputting a second image of the landing platform; and

controlling the one or more rotors of the UAV to accelerate rotation when the second image of the landing platform is satisfied with the predetermined standard.