Systems and methods for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle

• US 10,175,687 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2017
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
• Inventors: Lema, Pablo, Ip, Shu Ching
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US15/606,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20170269588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle recognize and interpret gestures by a user. The gestures are interpreted to adjust the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a sensor carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle, or both.

Claims

1. A system for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, the system comprising:

an image sensor configured to generate output signals conveying visual information, the visual information including one or more images of a user; and

one or more physical processors configured by computer-readable instructions to;

recognize one or more gestures from the user based on the visual information;

interpret the one or more gestures from the user as any of flight control information and sensor control information;

provide flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the flight control information; and

control the image sensor based on the sensor control information, the image sensor controlled through adjustments of any of aperture timing, exposure, focal length, angle of view, depth of field, focus, light metering, white balance, resolution, frame rate, object of focus, capture angle, a zoom parameter, video format, a sound parameter, and a compression parameter.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a remote controller configured to provide the flight control information and the sensor control information to the one or more physical processors.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the remote controller is further configured to be carried or worn by the user.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the remote controller is further configured to project a pattern on an object, wherein the one or more physical processors is further configured by the computer-readable instructions to recognize the pattern based on the visual information and interpret the pattern as any of the flight controller information and the sensor control information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the flight control includes control of any of altitude, longitude, latitude, geographical location, heading, and speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions to provide the flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle such that a target altitude differential between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the remote controller is maintained, and wherein the one or more gestures include a gesture interpreted by the one or more physical processors to adjust the target altitude differential.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions to provide the flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle such that a target cardinal direction between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the remote controller is maintained, and wherein the one or more gestures include a gesture interpreted by the one or more physical processors to adjust the target cardinal direction.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions to provide the flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle such that a target distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the remote controller is maintained, and wherein the one or more gestures include a gesture interpreted by one or more physical processors to adjust the target distance.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions to provide the flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle such that a target distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the remote controller is maintained, and wherein the one or more gestures include a gesture interpreted by the one or more physical processors to rotate the unmanned aerial vehicle around the remote controller by a predetermined number of degrees.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions to provide the flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle such that a target distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and an object is maintained, and wherein the one or more gestures include a gesture interpreted by the one or more physical processors to adjust the target distance.

11. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method being implemented in a system including a sensor and one or more physical processors, the method comprising:

generating, by the sensor, output signals conveying visual information, the visual information including one or more images of a user;

recognize, by the one or more physical processors, one or more gestures from the user based on the visual information;

interpreting, by the one or more physical processors, the one or more gestures from the user as any of flight control information and sensor control information;

providing, by the one or more physical processors, flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the flight control information; and

controlling, by the one or more physical processors, the image sensor based on the sensor control information, the image sensor controlled through adjustments of any of aperture timing, exposure, focal length, angle of view, depth of field, focus, light metering, white balance, resolution, frame rate, object of focus, capture angle, a zoom parameter, video format, a sound parameter, and a compression parameter.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more physical processors, the flight control information and the sensor control information from a remote controller.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the remote controller is configured to be carried or worn by the user.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the remote controller is configured to project a pattern on an object, the method further comprising:

recognizing, by the one or more physical processors, the pattern based on the visual information; and

interpreting, by the one or more physical processors, the pattern as any of the flight controller information and the sensor control information.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the flight control includes control of any of altitude, longitude, latitude, geographical location, heading, and speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle includes maintaining a target altitude differential between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the remote controller, wherein interpreting the one or more gestures effectuates an adjustment of the target altitude differential.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle includes maintaining a target cardinal direction between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the remote controller, wherein interpreting the one or more gestures effectuates an adjustment of the target cardinal direction.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle includes maintaining a target distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the remote controller, wherein interpreting the one or more gestures effectuates an adjustment of the target distance.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle includes maintaining a target distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the remote controller, wherein interpreting the one or more gestures effectuates a rotation of the unmanned aerial vehicle around the remote controller by a predetermined number of degrees.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the flight control for the unmanned aerial vehicle includes maintaining a target distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle and an object, wherein interpreting the one or more gestures effectuates an adjustment of the target distance.