Remote controlled object macro and autopilot system

• US 10,210,905 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2016
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Castleman, Dennis Dale, Chen, Ruxin, Zhao, Frank, Black, Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Shardul D
• Application Number:
  US15/394,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20180095463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3, 701 7, 701 16, 701400
• 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 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/39 Battery swapping
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816

Abstract

A flight path management system manages flight paths for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The flight path management system receives a sequence of controller inputs for the UAV, and stores the sequence of controller inputs in a memory. The flight path management system accesses the memory and selects a selected section of the sequence of controller inputs corresponding to a time period. The flight management system outputs the selected section to a playback device in real time over a length of the time period.

Claims

1. A method for managing flight paths for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) by a flight path management system, the method comprising:

receiving a sequence of controller inputs at a recording device, the received sequence of controller inputs associated with controlling a flight path of the UAV;

storing the sequence of controller inputs in a memory associated with the recording device, the sequence of controller inputs stored in association with the flight path;

receiving a selection of a portion of the flight path at a user interface associated with a playback device, the portion corresponding to a time period within a duration of the flight path;

identifying a section of the sequence of controller inputs corresponding to the time period within the duration of the flight path based on execution of instructions by a processor associated with the playback device; and

outputting a graphical representation of the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs to the playback device in real time over a length of the time period.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording the controller inputs received from a controller device at the recording device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the sequence of controller inputs comprises retrieving a saved flight path from an online database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing movement of the UAV via at least one sensor; and

identifying the sequence of controller inputs that correspond to the movement of the UAV via the processor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback device is a self-piloting UAV, and further outputting control instructions executable by the self-piloting UAV to fly according to the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the graphical representation further comprises displaying the graphical representation of the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs on a virtual model of a controller device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback device includes a flight stick, and wherein the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs comprises one or more lever movements of the flight stick.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation further comprises a first-person view playback of the UAV corresponding to the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs as displayed on the playback device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation further comprises a third-person view playback of the UAV corresponding to the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs as displayed on the playback device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the graphical representation further comprises a trace of the flight path of the UAV corresponding to the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs as displayed on the playback device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback device comprises a head-mounted display (HMD).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the graphical representation of the identified section occurs concurrently with receiving the sequence of controller inputs.

13. A system for managing flight paths by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the system comprising:

a recording device that receives a sequence of controller inputs associated with controlling a flight path of the UAV;

a memory coupled to the recording device that stores the sequence of controller inputs in association with the flight path; and

a playback device configured to;

access the memory and select an identified section of the sequence of controller inputs corresponding to a time period within a duration of the flight path based on a received selection of a portion of the flight path, the portion corresponding to the time period within a duration of the flight path; and

output a graphical representation of the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs to a playback device in real time over a length of the time period.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising at least one sensor that senses movement of the UAV;

and a processor that executes instructions stored in memory to identify the sequence of controller inputs that corresponds to the movement of the UAV.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the playback device is a self-piloting UAV that further outputs control instructions executable by the self-piloting UAV to fly according to the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the playback device outputs the graphical representation by displaying the graphical representation of the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs on a virtual model of a controller device.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the playback device includes a flight stick, and wherein the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs comprises one or more lever movements of the flight stick.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the playback device outputs the graphical representation by displaying a first-person view playback of the UAV corresponding to the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs as displayed on the playback device.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the playback device outputs the graphical representation by displaying a third-person view playback of the UAV corresponding to the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs as displayed on the playback device.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the playback device outputs the graphical representation by displaying a trace of the flight path of the UAV corresponding to the identified section of the sequence of controller inputs as displayed on the playback device.