METHOD AND AN APPLIANCE FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING A DRONE, IN PARTICULAR A ROTARY WING DRONE

• US 20110221692A1
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parrot Drones
• Original Assignee: Parrot SA
• Inventors: D'Haeyer, Frederic, Seydoux, Henri
• Granted Patent: US 8,958,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/241 Touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• 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: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop

Abstract

The appliance comprises a touch screen and wireless data transmission means for communicating with the drone. Drone piloting commands are activated by one or two fingers making contact with and/or moving over the locations of corresponding piloting symbols displayed on the screen. The method proceeds by: a) detecting finger contact at an arbitrary contact point in at least one predefined zone of the screen on which piloting symbols are not already displayed; b) displaying a piloting icon on the screen at said contact point, the piloting icon comprising a movable icon displayed at a position that tracks any movement of the finger contact point over the screen from an initial position to an offset position; c) detecting the movement of the movable icon; d) on detecting said movement, analyzing the direction and/or the amplitude of the movement relative to the initial position; and e) activating a piloting command as a function of the result of said analysis.

Claims

1. A method of implementing a remote-control appliance for a drone, in particular a rotary wing drone, the appliance being a portable appliance comprising:

a touch screen;

means suitable for detecting at least one contact of a user'"'"'s finger on the surface of the screen and for determining the position of said at least one finger contact point relative to a corresponding symbol displayed on the screen; and

wireless data transmission means suitable for issuing commands to the drone;

the method comprising activating drone piloting commands by the finger making contact with the screen and/or moving over the screen at the locations of corresponding piloting symbols displayed on the screen;

the method being characterized by the following steps;

a) detecting finger contact at an arbitrary contact point in at least one predefined zone of the screen;

b) displaying on the screen, at said contact point, a piloting icon comprising a movable icon displayed on the screen at a position that tracks the movement of any of the finger contact point on the screen from an initial position to an offset position;

c) detecting said movement of the movable icon;

d) on detecting said movement, analyzing the direction and/or the amplitude and/or the speed of said movement relative to the initial position; and

g) activating a piloting command as a function of the result of said analysis.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after analyzing the direction and/or the amplitude and/or the speed of said movement relative to the initial position, a step of:

e) discriminating said piloting command to be activated in step g) from amongst a plurality of different piloting commands, as a function of the direction of said movement.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said piloting command for activating in step g) is a command for causing the drone to move up or down when the direction of said movement is oriented mainly upwards or downwards, respectively, relative to the orientation of the image displayed on the touch screen.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said piloting command for activating in step g) is a screen to pivot left or right about a yaw axis of the drone when the direction of said movement is mainly oriented to the left or to the right, respectively, relative to the orientation of the image displayed on the touch screen.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after analyzing the direction and/or the amplitude of said movement relative to the initial position, a step of:

f) quantifying said piloting command to be activated in step g) as a function of the amplitude of said movement.

6. The method of claim 1, for remotely controlling a rotary wing drone provided with a selectively activatable system for independently stabilizing the drone in hovering flight in the absence of any command transmitted by the appliance, wherein the independent stabilization system is deactivated in response to detecting said finger in step a).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the independent stabilization system remains deactivated after step a) throughout the duration in which said finger contact is detected, and is activated in response to detecting a loss of contact.

8. The method of claim 6, including defining a neutral zone around the contact point detected in step a), the neutral zone being defined in such a manner that the independent stabilization system remains activated so long as the position of the current finger contact point remains within said neutral zone.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the piloting icon displayed in step b) comprises, in addition to the movable icon, a stationary reference icon which continues to be displayed on the screen at the initial finger contact point position even in the event of subsequent movement of the contact point.

10. The method of claim 1, for implementing an appliance including means for detecting the angle of inclination of the appliance about two axes relative to a neutral reference axis in a terrestrial frame of reference,

wherein detecting said finger contact in step a) activates the steps of:

recording the direction of terrestrial vertical relative to the frame of reference of the appliance at the moment contact is detected; and

designating this vertical as the new reference axis.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising activating a piloting command for pivoting about a pitching axis and/or about a roll axis, as a function of the angle of inclination of the appliance as detected respectively about one and/or the other of said two axes relative to the reference axis.

12. The method of claim 11, including defining a neutral angular range about the reference axis such that pitching and roll commands are activated only for angles of inclination of the appliance outside said neutral angular range.

13. The method of claim 12, for remotely controlling a rotary wing drone provided with a selectively activatable system for independently stabilizing the drone in hovering flight in the absence of a command transmitted by the appliance, wherein the independent stabilization system is deactivated only for an angle of inclination of the appliance outside said neutral angular range.

14. The method of claim 1, for implementing an appliance that includes an accelerometer sensor, the method including a step of:

detecting an acceleration peak imparted to the appliance by the user; and

generating a command in response to said detecting of a peak.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said command is a shoot command applied as input to game software implemented in said appliance.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the detection step includes highpass filtering of the acceleration signal delivered by the accelerometer sensor of the appliance.

17. The method of claim 14, also comprising:

recording the state of the piloting commands on detecting an acceleration peak; and

maintaining said state throughout the duration of the acceleration peak.

18. The method of claim 1, for implementing an appliance coupled to a remote display peripheral, in particular video glasses, including the remote peripheral duplicating of said piloting icon displayed on the screen so as to provide a head-up type display.

19. The method of claim 1, further including emitting an alert signal when the minimum distance between the contact point detected in step a) and the edge of said predefined zone of the screen is less than a predetermined distance.

20. The method of claim 1, including defining a neutral zone around the contact point detected in step a), the neutral zone being such that the movement of the piloting icon in steps c) and d) is not taken into account unless the offset position lies beyond said neutral zone.

21. The method of claim 1, including defining a neutral zone around the contact point detected in step a), the neutral zone being such that the movement of the piloting icon in steps c) and d) is not taken into account unless the speed of the movement of the finger contact point on the screen relative to the initial position is greater than a predetermined minimum threshold.

22. The method of claim 21, further including, in the event of the contact point moving in the reverse direction at a movement speed that is greater than another predetermined minimum threshold, a step of resetting said initial position, the new initial position being redefined by the point where said reverse movement comes to an end.

23. An appliance for remotely controlling a drone, in particular a rotary wing drone, wherein the appliance is a portable appliance comprising:

a touch screen;

means suitable for detecting the contact of a user'"'"'s finger on the surface of the screen and for determining the position of the point of contact of said finger relative to a corresponding symbol displayed on the screen;

wireless data transmission means suitable for transmitting commands to the drone; and

means for implementing a method according to claim 1.

24. Software, downloadable into a portable appliance comprising:

a touch screen;

means suitable for detecting the contact of a user'"'"'s finger on the surface of the screen and for determining the position of the point of contact of said finger relative to a corresponding symbol displayed on the screen; and

wireless data transmission means suitable for transmitting commands to the drone;

the software including instructions suitable for implementing a method according to claim 1 for remotely controlling a drone, in particular a rotary wing drone.