SYSTEM FOR PILOTING A DRONE IN IMMERSION

• US 20160313732A1
• Filed: 04/19/2016
• Published: 10/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parrot Drones
• Original Assignee: Parrot Drones
• Inventors: Seydoux, Henri, Brulez, Nicolas, Ferrand, Arsene
• Granted Patent: US 9,886,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• 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 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle
• 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: G05D 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

The system comprises a drone and a ground station. The ground station includes a console provided with a directional antenna adapted to be directed towards the drone maintain the quality of the wireless link with the latter, and virtual reality glasses rendering images taken by a camera of the drone. The system comprises means for determining the position of the drone with respect to a heading of the console, and means for including in the images (I) rendered in the virtual reality glasses a visual indication (C, Ce, G, Id) of misalignment of the drone with respect to the console heading. Although he is isolated from the external real environment, the pilot is able, based on this visual indication, to reorient the console, typically by turning on himself, so that the directional antenna thereof suitably points towards the drone.

Claims

1. A system for piloting a drone in immersion, comprising a drone (10) provided with imaging means (14) and a ground station (16) communicating with the drone through a wireless link,

the ground station comprising:

a console (20) provided with a directional antenna (34) adapted to be directed towards the drone to maintain the quality of the wireless link, and

virtual reality glasses (40) rendering images (I) taken by means of the imaging means and transmitted from the drone by the wireless link, as well as visual indications included in the rendered images,

the system being characterized in that it further includes;

means (15, 38, 39, 410-450) for determining a defined angular coordinate (γ

) between a heading direction (CC) of the console and a direction (D) of the drone; and

means sensitive to said determination means, to include in said visual indications an indication of misalignment (C, Ce, G, Id) of the drone with respect to the console heading, this indication of misalignment being function of said determined angular coordinate (γ

),

so as to allow a user of the console to perform a corrective action of reorientation of the console towards a reduction of said angular coordinate (γ

).

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the position determination means comprise a magnetometer (38) to determine the console heading.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the position determination means comprise GPS positioning modules (15, 39) provided in the drone (10) and in the ground station (16), and processing means (430) for determining an orientation of the drone, corresponding to a line (D) passing through the drone and the console, with respect to a direction of the North (N).

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the means for determining said angular coordinate (γ

) comprise a means (450) for subtracting the heading angle (α

) of the console heading (CC) and the corresponding angle (β

) of said drone orientation (D).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the position determining means comprise a means (470) for comparing the angular position of the drone relative to a heading (CC) of the console with an angular template (G) corresponding to an angular sector, centred on said heading, outside of which said wireless link is liable to be of bad quality, or lost.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless link is adapted to operate in one of at least two modes corresponding to different directivities of the antenna (34), and also comprising means for selecting an angular template of good reception as a function of the active mode of the wireless link.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising means (480, 490) sensitive to the level of the wireless link signal received from the drone to selectively include or not said visual indication.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said visual indication is included in the case where the angular position of the drone is comprised in the angular template but the level of the signal is lower than a predetermined threshold, and is not included in the case where the angular position of the drone is not comprised in the angular template but the level of the signal is higher than a predetermined threshold.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said visual indication comprises a visual signalling of the relative position of the console and of the drone, with a sector of a circle (G) representative of an angular template of good reception, and a pictogram (1d) whose position is representative of the angular position of the drone with respect to the template.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said visual indication also comprises a set of directional arrows (F1-F2 ;

F1-F4) able to be each selectively displayed to indicate a desired direction of displacement for the console so as to bring the console heading (CC) towards the direction (D) of the drone, said directional arrows comprising arrows towards the left and towards the right (F2, F1) and/or towards the top and towards the bottom (F3, F4).

11. The system of claim 3, wherein the means for determining said angular coordinate (γ

) comprise a means (450) for subtracting the heading angle (α

) of the console heading (CC) and the corresponding angle (β

) of said drone orientation (D).