Electronic device and method for controlling unmanned aerial vehicle using the same

• US 8,457,809 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Jingdong Century Trading Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hou-Hsien, Lee, Chang-Jung, Lo, Chih-Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US12/939,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701/3, 701/4, 701/8, 701/9, 701/11, 701/14, 701/120, 701/122, 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/410, 701/411, 701/418, 701/423, 701/467, 701/300, 701/302, 244/1, 244/75.1, 244/175, 244/189, 244/190, 244/1.R, 244/76.R, 340/945, 340/946, 340/963, 340/971
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00

Abstract

A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using an electronic device determines a designated relay station of the UAV using the electronic device, and creates a new flight path for the UAV according to the designated relay station. The method further directs the UAV to fly to the designated relay station upon the condition that the UAV can arrive at the designated relay station, and directs the UAV to fly to a subsequent relay station along the new flight path upon the condition that the UAV has not arrived at an endpoint of the new flight path.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using an electronic device, comprising:

determining a designated relay station of the UAV, the designated relay station being selected in a preset flight path of the UAV using the electronic device;

creating a new flight path for the UAV by removing specified relay stations of the preset flight path between a current position of the UAV and the designated relay station;

determining if the UAV can arrive at the designated relay station;

directing the UAV to execute an aerial task from the current position of the UAV to the designated relay station upon the condition that the UAV can arrive at the designated relay station; and

directing the UAV to fly to a subsequent relay station along the new flight path upon the condition that the UAV has not arrived at an endpoint of the new flight path.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining if the UAV can arrive at the designated relay station comprises:

determining that the UAV cannot arrive at the designated relay station upon the condition that the UAV has not enough power or fuel to support the aerial task of the UAV from the current position to the designated relay station, or a storage unit of the UAV cannot store entire data acquired by the UAV to execute the aerial task;

or

determining that the UAV can arrive at the designated relay station upon the condition that the UAV has enough power and fuel to support the aerial task of the UAV from the current position to the designated relay station, and the storage unit of the UAV can store the entire data acquired by the UAV to execute the aerial task.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

outputting a warning message to warn if an aerial task of the UAV from a current position to the designated relay station needs to continue upon the condition that the UAV cannot arrive at the designated relay station.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

directing the UAV to fly to the designated relay station upon the condition that the aerial task needs to continue.

5. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using an electronic device, comprising:

determining a flight section drawn on a display screen of the electronic device, the flight section comprising a start point and an endpoint, the start point being a current position of the UAV in a preset flight path;

determining a relay station nearest to the endpoint of the flight section;

creating a new flight path for the UAV by removing specified relay stations of the preset flight path between the current position of the UAV and the determined relay station;

determining if the UAV can arrive at the determined relay station;

directing the UAV to execute an aerial task from the current position of the UAV to the endpoint of the flight section and further from the endpoint to the determined relay station upon the condition that the UAV can arrive at the determined relay station; and

directing the UAV to fly to a subsequent relay station along the new flight path upon the condition that the UAV has not arrived at an endpoint of the new flight path.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of determining if the UAV can arrive at the determined relay station comprises:

determining that the UAV cannot arrive at the determined relay station upon the condition that the UAV has not enough power or fuel to support the aerial task of the UAV from the current position to the endpoint of the flight section and further from the endpoint to the determined relay station, or a storage unit of the UAV cannot store entire data acquired by the UAV to execute the aerial task;

or

determining that the UAV can arrive at the determined relay station upon the condition that the UAV has enough power and fuel to support the aerial task of the UAV from the current position to the endpoint of the flight section and further from the endpoint to the determined relay station, and the storage unit of the UAV can store the entire data acquired by the UAV to execute the aerial task.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

outputting a warning message to warn if an aerial task of the UAV from a current position to the determined relay station needs to continue upon the condition that the UAV cannot arrive at the determined relay station.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

directing the UAV to fly to the determined relay station upon the condition that the aerial task needs to continue.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

a display screen;

a storage device;

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 determine a designate relay station of the UAV, the designated relay station being selected in a preset flight path of the UAV using the electronic device;

to create a new flight path for the UAV by removing specified relay stations of the preset flight path between a current position of the UAV and the designated relay station;

to determine if the UAV can arrive at the designated relay station;

to direct the UAV to execute an aerial task from the current position of the UAV to the designated relay station upon the condition that the UAV can arrive at the designated relay station; and

to direct the UAV to fly to a subsequent relay station along the new flight path upon the condition that the UAV has not arrived at an endpoint of the new flight path.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the instruction to determine if the UAV can arrive at the designated relay station comprises:

determining that the UAV cannot arrive at the designated relay station upon the condition that the UAV has not enough power or fuel to support the aerial task of the UAV from the current position to the designated relay station, or a storage unit of the UAV cannot store entire data acquired by the UAV to execute the aerial task;

or

determining that the UAV can arrive at the designated relay station upon the condition that the UAV has enough power and fuel to support the aerial task of the UAV from the current position to the designated relay station, and the storage unit of the UAV can store the entire data acquired by the UAV to execute the aerial task.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more modules further comprising instructions:

to output a warning message to warn if an aerial task of the UAV from a current position to the designated relay station needs to continue upon the condition that the UAV cannot arrive at the designated relay station.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the one or more modules further comprising instructions to:

direct the UAV to fly to the designated relay station upon the condition that the aerial task needs to continue.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

a display screen;

a storage device;

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 determine a flight section drawn on a display screen of the electronic device, the flight section comprising a start point and an endpoint, the start point being a current position of the UAV in a preset flight path;

to determine a relay station nearest to the endpoint of the flight section;

to create a new flight path for the UAV by removing specified relay stations of the preset flight path between the current position of the UAV and the determined relay station;

to determine if the UAV can arrive at the determined relay station;

to direct the UAV to execute an aerial task from the current position of the UAV to the endpoint of the flight section and further from the endpoint to the determined relay station upon the condition that the UAV can arrive at the determined relay station; and

to direct the UAV to fly to a subsequent relay station along the new flight path upon the condition that the UAV has not arrived at an endpoint of the new flight path.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the instruction to determine if the UAV can arrive at the determined relay station comprises:

determining that the UAV cannot arrive at the determined relay station upon the condition that the UAV has not enough power or fuel to support the aerial task of the UAV from the current position to the endpoint of the flight section and further from the endpoint to the determined relay station, or a storage unit of the UAV cannot store entire data acquired by the UAV to execute the aerial task;

or

determining that the UAV can arrive at the determined relay station upon the condition that the UAV has enough power and fuel to support the aerial task of the UAV from the current position to the endpoint of the flight section and further from the endpoint to the determined relay station, and the storage unit of the UAV can store the entire data acquired by the UAV to execute the aerial task.

15. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the one or more modules further comprising instructions to:

output a warning message to warn if an aerial task of the UAV from a current position to the determine relay station needs to continue upon the condition that the UAV cannot arrive at the determined relay station.

16. The electronic device according to claim 15, wherein the one or more modules further comprising instructions to:

direct the UAV to fly to the determined relay station upon the condition that the aerial task needs to continue.