UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120221180A1
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, HOU-HSIEN, LEE, CHANG-JUNG, LO, CHIH-PING
• Application Number:
  US13/170,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20120221180A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle

Abstract

A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using a control device receives a first direction of the control device and a control command of the UAV, obtains a second direction of the UAV, and calculates an angle deviation between the first direction and the second direction. The method further adjusts the second direction of the UAV according to the angle deviation, and controls a flight direction of the UAV according to the received control command.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle using a control device, the method comprising:

receiving a first direction of the control device and a control command of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);

obtaining a second direction of the UAV using an electronic compass chip of the UAV;

calculating an angle deviation between the first direction of the control device and the second direction of the UAV; and

controlling a flight direction of the UAV according to the received control command upon the condition that the angle deviation equals to zero;

or

adjusting the second direction of the UAV according to the angle deviation upon the condition that the angle deviation does not equal to zero, and controlling the flight direction of the UAV according to the received control command.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first direction of the control device comprises a first cardinal direction, a first deflecting direction, and a first deflecting angle of the control device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second direction of the UAV comprises a second cardinal direction, a second deflecting direction, and a second deflecting angle of the UAV.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of adjusting the second direction of the UAV according to the angle deviation comprises:

adjusting the second direction of the UAV to the first direction of the control device according to the angle deviation between the first direction and the second direction.

5. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in communication with a control device, comprising:

a storage device;

an electronic compass chip;

at least one processor; and

one or more modules that are stored in the storage device and are executed by the at least one processor, the one or more modules comprising instructions;

to receive a first direction of the control device and a control command of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);

to obtain a second direction of the UAV using an electronic compass chip of the UAV;

to calculate an angle deviation between the first direction of the control device and the second direction of the UAV; and

to control a flight direction of the UAV according to the received control command upon the condition that the angle deviation equals to zero;

or

to adjust the second direction of the UAV according to the angle deviation upon the condition that the angle deviation does not equal to zero, and control the flight direction of the UAV according to the received control command.

6. The UAV according to claim 5, wherein the first direction of the control device comprises a first cardinal direction, a first deflecting direction, and a first deflecting angle of the control device.

7. The UAV according to claim 5, wherein the second direction of the UAV comprises a second cardinal direction, a second deflecting direction, and a second deflecting angle of the UAV.

8. The UAV according to claim 5, wherein the instruction of adjusting the second direction of the UAV according to the angle deviation comprises:

adjusting the second direction of the UAV to the first direction of the control device according to the angle deviation between the first direction and the second direction.

9. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor of an unmanned aerial vehicle, causes the processor to perform a method for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle using a control device, the method comprising:

receiving a first direction of the control device and a control command of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);

obtaining a second direction of the UAV using an electronic compass chip of the UAV;

calculating an angle deviation between the first direction of the control device and the second direction of the UAV; and

controlling a flight direction of the UAV according to the received control command upon the condition that the angle deviation equals to zero;

or

adjusting the second direction of the UAV according to the angle deviation upon the condition that the angle deviation does not equal to zero, and controlling the flight direction of the UAV according to the received control command.

10. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the first direction of the control device comprises a first cardinal direction, a first deflecting direction, and a first deflecting angle of the control device.

11. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the second direction of the UAV comprises a second cardinal direction, a second deflecting direction, and a second deflecting angle of the UAV.

12. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the step of adjusting the second direction of the UAV according to the angle deviation comprises:

adjusting the second direction of the UAV to the first direction of the control device according to the angle deviation between the first direction and the second direction.

13. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the medium is selected from the group consisting of a hard disk drive, a compact disc, a digital video disc, and a tape drive.