METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SETTING A FLIGHT ROUTE

• US 20170221368A1
• Filed: 04/21/2017
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Inventors: ZHANG, Zhiyuan, TAO, Ye, ZHU, Guodong
• Granted Patent: US 10,692,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones

Abstract

A method and a device for setting a flight route are provided. The method comprises acquiring route data of an aerial vehicle, determining waypoint coordinates in the route data, configuring a route display interface according to maximum distances between the determined waypoint coordinates, displaying a route of the aerial vehicle in the configured route display interface according to waypoint coordinates in the route data, and resetting the route displayed in the route display interface according to edit information corresponding to a received edit operation to obtain updated route data of the aerial vehicle.

Claims

1. A flight route setting method comprising:

acquiring route data of an aerial vehicle, the route data comprising waypoint coordinates of waypoints on a route;

displaying the route of the aerial vehicle in a route display interface zoomed at a zoom ratio according to the waypoint coordinates; and

resetting the route displayed in the route display interface according to an edit operation to obtain updated route data of the aerial vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the zoom ratio, comprising;

calculating a first maximum planar distance between the waypoints in a first direction in a planar coordinate system;

calculating a second maximum planar distance between the waypoints in a second direction in the planar coordinate system; and

calculating the zoom ratio according to a screen coordinate of a screen showing the route display interface, and the first and second maximum planar distances.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein resetting the route comprises:

detecting the edit operation;

detecting, if the edit operation instructs to update one of the waypoints to a target position, whether the target position is within a no-fly zone;

if yes, issuing a prompt of forbidding to set; and

if no, resetting the route displayed in the route display interface according to the edit operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the route data comprises:

acquiring a geometric figure drawn on a planar map;

calculating slopes corresponding to position points on the geometric figure;

determining two or more of the position points on the geometric figure as the waypoints on the route, the two or more of the position points comprising a start point of the geometric figure and a position point having a corresponding slope greater than a preset slope threshold and a distance to a previous position point no less than a preset distance threshold; and

obtaining the route data according to coordinates of the two or more of the position points.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, before calculating the slopes:

judging whether the geometric figure is a straight line;

if yes;

determining a start point and an end point of the straight line as the waypoints on the route, and

obtaining the route data according to coordinates of the start point and the end point; and

if no, calculating the slopes corresponding to the position points on the geometric figure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the route display interface is a three-dimensional route display interface, and

displaying the route comprises displaying the route in the three-dimensional route display interface with preset waypoint heights of the waypoints according to the waypoint coordinates, the preset waypoint heights being preset according to altitudes of corresponding regions on the route or preset height values from a ground.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein resetting the route comprises, if the edit operation instructs to perform a waypoint height editing:

recording heights of the aerial vehicle when the aerial vehicle flies to the waypoints; and

resetting the route displayed in the route display interface using the recorded heights of the waypoints to obtain the updated route data of the aerial vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling a display of the route in response to a user operation, comprising one of;

performing a three-dimensional zooming operation on the route in response to a gesture of two-finger pinching;

moving the route in response to a gesture of single-finger dragging on a central region of the route display interface;

flipping the route in response to a gesture of single-finger dragging on a periphery region of the route display interface; and

entering into an edit mode to edit a waypoint in response to a single-finger click on the waypoint.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the edit operation comprises at least one of:

adjusting a distance of a selected waypoint in a direction facing a screen by two-finger pinching,

moving a position of the selected waypoint up and down or left and right by a gesture of singer-finger dragging,

moving an unselected waypoint to a center of the route display interface for editing by single-finger clicking on the unselected waypoint,

saving a previous editing by clicking on a confirm button, or

cancelling the previous editing by clicking on a cancel button.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

saving the updated route data of the aerial vehicle;

or

incorporating the updated route data of the aerial vehicle into a map for displaying.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling, when a flight control operation is detected, the aerial vehicle to fly automatically in accordance with the updated route data.

12. A flight route setting device comprising:

a processor;

a communication device coupled to the processor and configured to communicate with an external device; and

a memory coupled to the processor and the communication device, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

acquire route data of an aerial vehicle, the route data comprising waypoint coordinates of waypoints on a route,

display the route of the aerial vehicle in a route display interface zoomed at a zoom ratio according to the waypoint coordinates, and

reset the route displayed in the route display interface according to an edit operation to obtain updated route data of the aerial vehicle.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

calculate a first maximum planar distance between the waypoints in a first direction in a planar coordinate system,

calculate a second maximum planar distance between the waypoints in a second direction in the planar coordinate system, and

calculate the zoom ratio according to a screen coordinate of a screen showing the route display interface, and the first and second maximum planar distances.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

detect the edit operation and, if the edit operation instructs to update one of the waypoints to a target position, detect whether the target position is within a no-fly zone,

issue, if the target position is within the no-fly zone, a prompt of forbidding to set, and

reset, if the target position is not within the no-fly zone, the route displayed in the route display interface according to the edit operation.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

acquire a geometric figure drawn on a planar map,

calculate slopes corresponding to position points on the geometric figure,

determine two or more of the position points on the geometric figure as the waypoints on the route, the two or more of the position points comprising a start point of the geometric figure and a position point having a corresponding slope greater than a preset slope threshold and a distance to a previous position point no less than a preset distance threshold, and

obtain the route data according to coordinates of the two or more of the position points.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

judge whether the geometric figure is a straight line,

determine, if the geometric figure is a straight line, a start point and an end point of the straight line as the waypoints on the mute, and obtain the route data according to coordinates of the start point and the end point, and

calculate, if the geometric figure is not a straight line, the slopes corresponding to the position points on the geometric figure.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein:

the route display interface is a three-dimensional route display interface, and

the instructions further cause the processor to display the route in the three-dimensional route display interface with preset waypoint heights of the waypoints according to the waypoint coordinates, the preset waypoint heights being preset according to altitudes of corresponding regions on the route or preset heights from a ground.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

record, if the edit operation instructs to perform a waypoint height editing, heights of the aerial vehicle when the aerial vehicle flies to the waypoints, and

reset the route displayed in the route display interface using the recorded heights of the waypoints to obtain the updated route data of the aerial vehicle.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

save the updated route data of the aerial vehicle, and

incorporate the updated route data of the aerial vehicle into a map for displaying.

20. The device of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

control, when a flight control operation is detected, the aerial vehicle to fly automatically in accordance with the updated route data.