CONTROL OF UAV

• US 20140142784A1
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flir Unmanned Aerial Systems AS (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Prox Dynamics AS (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Muren, Petter, Paulsen, Dag Henning
• Granted Patent: US 8,886,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• 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 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention discloses a control stick for controlling an UAV formed by a bar with buttons on the bar head and a GUI displaying airplane like icons providing feedback of current steering control status of a UAV.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an aircraft with a remote control displaying steering control status of an aircraft on a display by means of an aircraft symbol and a number of directional speed symbols, comprising:

displaying one or more directional speed symbols positioned on the longitudinal or lateral axis or between two the longitudinal or lateral axis, wherein the number of directional speed symbols and position relative to the aircraft symbol is depending on current steering control status; and

when pushing one of the pair of opposite effecting buttons, adding or removing one of the directional speed symbols,

the aircraft symbol being shaped to indicate the longitudinal and lateral axis passing through an origin of the aircraft symbol and a forward direction of the aircraft, and the directional speed is stepwise shifted by a pair of opposite effecting buttons on a control device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the directional speed symbols are bars and the aircraft symbol is an airplane symbol seen from above where an airplane nose on the plane symbol indicates the forward direction of the aircraft.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein one push on a first button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a speed shift in the forward direction of the aircraft, one push on a second button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a speed shift in a backward direction of the aircraft, the bars are positioned on said longitudinal axis at a distance to the origin, and the directional speed that the respective bars represent is increasing with the distance of the bars'"'"' position to the origin.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein one push on a first button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a speed shift in a left direction of the aircraft, one push on a second button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a speed shift in a right direction of the aircraft, the bars are positioned on said lateral axis at a distance to the origin, and the directional speed that the respective bars represent is increasing with the distance of the bars'"'"' position to the origin.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein one push on a first button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a rotational speed shift in a clockwise direction of the aircraft, one push on a second button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a rotational speed shift in a counterclockwise direction of the aircraft, and the bars are positioned between said lateral and longitudinal axes.

6. A remote control for controlling an aircraft, comprising:

a control stick with a pair of opposite effecting buttons adjusted to stepwise shifting a directional speed;

a graphical user interface (GUI) adjusted to display steering control status of an aircraft by means of an aircraft symbol and a number of directional speed symbols, the aircraft symbol being shaped to indicate a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis passing through an origin of the aircraft symbol and a forward direction of the aircraft,

the GUI further adjusted to display one or more directional speed symbols positioned on the longitudinal or lateral axis or between the longitudinal and lateral axes, a number of directional speed symbols and position relative to the aircraft symbol is depending on a current steering control status, and to add or remove one of the directional speed symbols when one of the pair of opposite effecting buttons are activated.

7. The remote control according to claim 6, wherein the directional speed symbols are bars and the aircraft symbol is an airplane symbol seen from above where an airplane nose on the plane symbol indicates the forward direction of the aircraft.

8. The remote control according to claim 7, wherein one push on a first button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a speed shift in the forward direction of the aircraft, one push on a second button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a speed shift in a backward direction of the aircraft, the bars are positioned on said longitudinal axis at a distance to the origin, and the directional speed that the respective bars represent is increasing with the distance of the bars'"'"' position to the origin.

9. The remote control according to claim 7, wherein one push on a first button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a speed shift in a left direction of the aircraft, one push on a second button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a speed shift in a right direction of the aircraft, the bars are positioned on said lateral axis at a distance to the origin, and the directional speed that the respective bars represent is increasing with the distance of the bars'"'"' position to the origin.

10. The remote control according to claim 6, wherein one push on a first button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a rotational speed shift in a clockwise direction of the aircraft, one push on a second button of the pair of opposite effecting buttons generates a rotational speed shift in a counterclockwise direction of the aircraft, and the bars are positioned between said lateral and longitudinal axes.