Method and an appliance for remotely controlling a drone, in particular a rotary wing drone

• US 8,958,928 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Parrot Drones
• Original Assignee: Parrot SA
• Inventors: Seydoux, Henri, D'Haeyer, Frederic
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worden, Tommy
• Application Number:
  US13/040,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20110221692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/241 Touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• 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: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop

Abstract

The appliance includes a touch screen and wireless data transmission implementation for communicating with the drone. Drone piloting commands are activated by fingers contacting and/or moving over locations of corresponding piloting symbols displayed on the screen. The method proceeds by: detecting finger contact at an arbitrary contact point in at least one predefined zone of the screen on which piloting symbols are not already displayed; displaying a piloting icon on the screen at the contact point, the piloting icon including a movable icon displayed at a position that tracks any movement of the finger contact point over the screen from an initial position to an offset position; detecting the movement of the movable icon; on detecting the movement, analyzing the direction and/or the amplitude of the movement relative to the initial position; and activating a piloting command as a function of the result of the analysis.

Claims

1. A method of implementing a remote-control appliance for a drone, in particular a rotary wing drone, the appliance being a portable appliance comprising:

a touch screen for detecting at least one contact of a user'"'"'s finger on a surface of the screen and for determining a position of said at least one finger contact point relative to a corresponding symbol displayed on the screen; and

wireless data transmission device for issuing commands to the drone;

the method comprising activating drone piloting commands by the finger making contact with the screen or moving over the screen at the locations of corresponding piloting symbols displayed on the screen;

the method being characterized by;

a) detecting finger contact at an arbitrary contact point in at least one predefined zone of the screen;

b) displaying on the screen, at said contact point, a piloting icon comprising a movable icon displayed on the screen at a position that tracks the movement of any of the finger contact point on the screen from an initial position to an offset position;

c) detecting said movement of the movable icon;

d) on detecting said movement, analyzing a direction or an amplitude or a speed of said movement relative to the initial position; and

g) activating a piloting command as a function of a result of said analysis,

the method further wherein for remotely controlling a rotary wing drone provided with a selectively activatable system for independently stabilizing the drone in hovering flight in the absence of any command transmitted by the appliance, wherein the independent stabilization system is deactivated in response to detecting said finger in a).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after analyzing the direction or the amplitude or the speed of said movement relative to the initial position:

e) discriminating said piloting command to be activated in g) from amongst a plurality of different piloting commands, as a function of the direction of said movement.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said piloting command for activating in g) is a command for causing the drone to move up or down when the direction of said movement is oriented mainly upwards or downwards, respectively, relative to an orientation of an image displayed on the touch screen.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said piloting command for activating in g) is to pivot left or right about a yaw axis of the drone when the direction of said movement is mainly oriented to the left or to the right, respectively, relative to an orientation of an image displayed on the touch screen.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after analyzing the direction or the amplitude of said movement relative to the initial position:

f) quantifying said piloting command to be activated in g) as a function of the amplitude of said movement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the independent stabilization system remains deactivated after a) throughout the duration in which said finger contact is detected, and is activated in response to detecting a loss of contact.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the piloting icon displayed in b) comprises, in addition to the movable icon, a stationary reference icon which continues to be displayed on the screen at the initial finger contact point position even in the event of subsequent movement of the contact point.

8. The method of claim 1, for implementing an appliance including sensors for detecting an angle of inclination of the appliance about two axes relative to a neutral reference axis in a terrestrial frame of reference,

wherein detecting said finger contact in a) activates:

recording the direction of terrestrial vertical relative to the frame of reference of the appliance at the moment contact is detected; and

designating this vertical as the new reference axis.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising activating a piloting command for pivoting about a pitching axis or about a roll axis, as a function of the angle of inclination of the appliance as detected respectively about one or the other of said two axes relative to the reference axis.

10. The method of claim 9, including defining a neutral angular range about the reference axis such that pitching and roll commands are activated only for angles of inclination of the appliance outside said neutral angular range.

11. The method of claim 10, for remotely controlling a rotary wing drone provided with a selectively activatable system for independently stabilizing the drone in hovering flight in the absence of a command transmitted by the appliance, wherein the independent stabilization system is deactivated only for an angle of inclination of the appliance outside said neutral angular range.

12. The method of claim 1, for implementing an appliance that includes an accelerometer sensor, the method including:

detecting an acceleration peak imparted to the appliance by a user; and

generating a command in response to said detecting of a peak.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said command is a shoot command applied as input to said appliance.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the detection includes highpass filtering of the acceleration signal delivered by the accelerometer sensor of the appliance.

15. The method of claim 12, also comprising:

recording the state of the piloting commands on detecting an acceleration peak; and

maintaining said state throughout the duration of the acceleration peak.

16. The method of claim 1, for implementing an appliance coupled to a remote display peripheral, in particular video glasses, including the remote peripheral duplicating of said piloting icon displayed on the screen so as to provide a heads-up type display.

17. The method of claim 1, further including emitting an alert signal when a minimum distance between the contact point detected in a) and an edge of said predefined zone of the screen is less than a predetermined distance.

18. The method of claim 1, including defining a neutral zone around the contact point detected in a), the neutral zone being such that the movement of the movable icon in c) and d) is not taken into account unless the offset position lies beyond said neutral zone.

19. The method of claim 1, including defining a neutral zone around the contact point detected in a), the neutral zone being such that the movement of the piloting icon in c) and d) is not taken into account unless the speed of the movement of the finger contact point on the screen relative to the initial position is greater than a predetermined minimum threshold.

20. The method of claim 19, further including, in the event of the contact point moving in a reverse movement, the reverse movement being an opposite direction to the movement, at a movement speed that is greater than another predetermined minimum threshold, resetting said initial position, the new initial position being redefined by the point where said reverse movement comes to an end.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying on the screen of the piloting icon in b) is based on the contact point.

21. An appliance for remotely controlling a drone, in particular a rotary wing drone, wherein the appliance is a portable appliance comprising:

a touch screen for detecting the contact of a user'"'"'s finger on the surface of the screen and for determining the position of the point of contact of said finger relative to a corresponding symbol displayed on the screen;

wireless data transmission device for transmitting commands to the drone; and

a processing component for implementing a method of implementing a remote-control appliance for a drone, in particular a rotary wing drone;

the method comprising activating drone piloting commands by the finger making contact with the screen or moving over the screen at the locations of corresponding piloting symbols displayed on the screen;

the method being characterized by;

a) detecting finger contact at an arbitrary contact point in at least one predefined zone of the screen;

b) displaying on the screen, at said contact point, a piloting icon comprising a movable icon displayed on the screen at a position that tracks the movement of any of the finger contact point on the screen from an initial position to an offset position;

c) detecting said movement of the movable icon;

d) on detecting said movement, analyzing a direction or an amplitude or a speed of said movement relative to the initial position; and

g) activating a piloting command as a function of a result of said analysis, the method further wherein for remotely controlling a rotary wing drone provided with a selectively activatable system for independently stabilizing the drone in hovering flight in the absence of any command transmitted by the appliance, wherein the independent stabilization system is deactivated in response to detecting said finger in a),

the method further including defining a neutral zone around the contact point detected in a), the neutral zone being defined in such a manner that the independent stabilization system remains activated so long as the position of the current finger contact point remains within said neutral zone.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium of a portable appliance, the non-transitory computer readable medium configured for storing an application, the application comprising:

a touch screen for detecting the contact of a user'"'"'s finger on the surface of the screen and for determining the position of the point of contact of said finger relative to a corresponding symbol displayed on the screen; and

wireless data transmission device for transmitting commands to the drone;

the application including instructions suitable for implementing a method of implementing a remote-control appliance for a drone, in particular a rotary wing drone;

the method comprising activating drone piloting commands by the finger making contact with the screen or moving over the screen at the locations of corresponding piloting symbols displayed on the screen;

the method being characterized by;

a) detecting finger contact at an arbitrary contact point in at least one predefined zone of the screen;

b) displaying on the screen, at said contact point, a piloting icon comprising a movable icon displayed on the screen at a position that tracks the movement of any of the finger contact point on the screen from an initial position to an offset position;

c) detecting said movement of the movable icon;

d) on detecting said movement, analyzing a direction or an amplitude or a speed of said movement relative to the initial position; and

g) activating a piloting command as a function of a result of said analysis, the method further wherein for remotely controlling a rotary wing drone provided with a selectively activatable system for independently stabilizing the drone in hovering flight in the absence of any command transmitted by the appliance, wherein the independent stabilization system is deactivated in response to detecting said finger in a),

the method further including defining a neutral zone around the contact point detected in a), the neutral zone being defined in such a manner that the independent stabilization system remains activated so long as the position of the current finger contact point remains within said neutral zone.