Model helicopter control and receiving means

• US 9,056,259 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mikado Model Helicopters GmbH
• Original Assignee: Mikado Model Helicopters GmbH, Ulrich Rohr
• Inventors: Rhr, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US12/698,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20100210169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,960 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/8, 701/529, 340/979, 340/679, 340/825.69, 244/194, 455/103
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle

Abstract

A control system for a remote-controlled device comprising at least one receiver configured to receive a plurality of control channel signals and an operational control unit. The operational control unit comprises at least one receiver input connected to the receiver via a high speed digital link. The input is configured to receive a sequence of digital packets of information from the receiver. This input may contain information relating to the plurality of control channels including at least one user input signal. The operational control unit also includes a sensor input for receiving signals from a sensor located on the device. The operational control unit includes a processor capable of processing the data. The operational control unit will include at least one output for transmitting an output signal to a mechanism for controlling operation of the device. This device may be specifically designed to work with remote-controlled helicopters.

Claims

1. A remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system, wherein the remote-controlled model helicopter comprises at least a tail, a tail rotor for controlling yaw of the model helicopter, a main rotor, and a swashplate for controlling the main rotor to control both pitch and roll of the model helicopter, said controller system comprising:

at least one receiver located on the remote-controlled model helicopter configured to receive a plurality of control channel signals, including a plurality of user input instruction signals comprising information corresponding to a plurality of user input instructions, each instruction designated to instruct one of a plurality of mechanisms for controlling at least one aspect of the remote controlled model helicopter;

an attitude control unit located on the remote-controlled model helicopter, optionally contained within a control system housing, said attitude control unit comprising;

a receiver input configured to be connected to said receiver via only a single communication link, said receiver input adapted to process said information through said single communication link, said communication link comprising a high-speed digital link;

at least one sensor input for receiving at least one sensor input signal from the at least one sensor, the at least one sensor input signal corresponding to at least one sensor input value,

a processor capable of processing said plurality of user input instructions and said at least one sensor input value, said processor programmed with one or more control algorithms for generating output instructions, and

a plurality of outputs for transmitting the output instructions to a plurality of mechanisms for controlling attitude; and

at least one sensor located on the remote-controlled model helicopter, optionally contained within the control system housing, the at least one sensor comprising an angular rate sensor;

wherein said control algorithms comprise at least a swashplate algorithm for generating output instructions for the swashplate for controlling both pitch and roll of the RC model helicopter and a tail control algorithm for generating output instructions for the tail rotor for controlling yaw of the RC model helicopter, said swashplate algorithm and said tail control algorithm each configured to provide information to the other control algorithm.

2. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, further comprising the plurality of mechanisms for controlling attitude connected to the attitude control unit, at least one of the plurality of mechanisms for controlling attitude comprising a servo drive.

3. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein said communication link comprises a high-speed digital link and said receiver is configured to transmit information from the receiver in the form of a sequence of digital packets of information and said control unit is configured to receive information from the receiver in the form of the sequence of digital packets of information.

4. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein said at least one receiver is located in a separate housing from said attitude control unit.

5. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein said at least one receiver is integrated into the same housing as said attitude control unit.

6. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein said at least one receiver operates with a redundant receiving principle.

7. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein said at least one receiver is a 2.4 GHz receiver.

8. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein said attitude control unit comprises three outputs to three different attitude servos.

9. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, further comprising said at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a biaxial or tri-axial angular rate sensor.

10. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 9, wherein the at least one sensor is integrated into the same housing as the attitude control unit.

11. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1 further comprising at least one input for a programming interface.

12. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1 further comprising a display.

13. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 12, wherein said display further comprises an input interface for programming apparatus parameters.

14. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein said processor is configured to receive one or more input signals from each of at least one attitude control sensor and at least one tail control sensor.

15. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 14, wherein said processor is further configured to process said plurality of user input instruction signals, said one or more input signals from said at least one attitude control sensor and said one or more input signals from said at least one tail control sensor to calculate adjustments to the attitude and tail control of the remote-controlled model helicopter and to output said adjustments to mechanisms for controlling the attitude and the tail.

16. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, further comprising an automatic tuning facility coupled to at least one of said one or more control algorithms for generating output instructions, and in which one or more of the plurality of user input instructions and the at least one sensor input value are in communication with both said at least one of said one or more control algorithms and said automatic tuning facility, wherein:

said automatic tuning facility is configured to;

calculate automatic tuning adjustment parameters based upon said one or more user input instructions and at least one sensor input value and information from said at least one of said one or more control algorithms, and

share said automatic tuning adjustment parameters with said at least one of said one or more control algorithms; and

said at least one of said one or more control algorithms is configured to;

calculate output control signals from said one or more user input instructions and at least one sensor input value and said automatic tuning adjustment parameters, and

send said output control signals to one or more of the plurality of mechanisms for controlling attitude and to said automatic tuning facility.

17. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein provides swashplate algorithm output instructions to the tail control algorithm and said tail control algorithm provides tail algorithm output instructions to said swashplate algorithm.

18. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein the remote-controlled model helicopter has a controlled portion and one or more of the plurality of mechanisms for controlling attitude is configured to control the controlled portion, said remote-controlled model helicopter controller system attitude control unit programmed with a learn function and a stop support algorithm for the controlled portion, said attitude control unit configured to receive said at least one sensor input value in addition to the plurality of user input instructions and further configured to:

provide output signals to the one or more mechanisms configured to control the controlled portion of the remote-controlled model helicopter

calculate a stop support ratio for use in deriving the output signals during a stop event;

initiate the learn function to store information corresponding to the plurality of user input instructions, the at least one sensor input value, and the output signals to the one or more mechanisms configured to control the controlled portion, upon receipt of information relating to an operator user input instruction signal instructing a stop event in which the one or more mechanisms configured to control the controlled portion are instructed to stop providing input to the portion of the remote-controlled model helicopter;

calculate, using said stop support algorithm, a series of curves defining the stop event based upon said information stored by the learn function;

characterize the stop event as an overshoot, an undershoot, or an acceptable stop event; and

decrease the stop support ratio in response to characterization of the stop event as an undershoot or to increase the stop support ratio in response to characterization of the stop event as an overshoot.

19. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein at least one receiver, the at least one sensor, and the attitude control unit are all integrated within a common housing.

20. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 19, wherein the common housing comprises at least one jack for receiving a connector for connecting the at least one output of the attitude controller to the at least one of the plurality of mechanisms for controlling attitude.

21. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein the at least one receiver comprises two redundant receivers for receiving the same plurality of user input instruction signals.

22. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 1, wherein the single communication link is a wired communication link.

23. A remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system, wherein the remote-controlled model helicopter comprises at least a tail, a tail rotor for controlling yaw of the model helicopter, a main rotor, and a swashplate for controlling the main rotor to control both pitch and roll of the model helicopter, said controller system comprising:

at least one communications receiver located on the remote-controlled model helicopter configured to receive a plurality of control channel signals, including information corresponding to a plurality of user input instructions each designated to instruct one of a plurality of mechanisms for controlling the remote controlled model helicopter, including at least one swashplate control mechanism and one tail control mechanism;

at least one sensor located on the remote-controlled model helicopter;

an attitude control unit located on the remote-controlled model helicopter, said attitude control unit comprising;

a receiver input adapted to process said user input instructions received from the receiver,

at least one sensor input for receiving at least one sensor input signal from the at least one sensor,

a processor capable of processing said user input instructions and said at least one sensor signal, said processor programmed with one or more control algorithms for generating output instructions, and

a plurality of outputs for transmitting the output instructions to the plurality of mechanisms for controlling the remote controlled model helicopter; and

a single high-speed digital communication link connecting the receiver to the receiver input of the attitude control unit, wherein said receiver is configured to transmit said information corresponding to the plurality of user input instructions in the form of a sequence of digital packets of information transmitted over said single high-speed digital communication link, and said receiver input is configured to receive and process said information corresponding to the plurality of user input instructions in the form of the sequence of digital packets of information transmitted over said single high-speed digital communication link;

wherein said control algorithms comprise at least a swashplate algorithm for generating an output for the at least one swashplate control mechanism and a tail control algorithm for generating an output for the at least one tail control mechanism, said swashplate algorithm and said tail control algorithm each configured to provide information to one another.

24. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 23, further comprising a housing for containing at least the attitude control unit.

25. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 24, wherein the housing further contains the sensor.

26. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 24, wherein the housing further contains the communications receiver.

27. The attitude control unit of claim 26, further comprising an attitude control unit housing for containing said control unit.

28. The attitude control unit of claim 27, wherein the at least one sensor is an angular rate sensor.

29. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 23, wherein the swashplate algorithm provides swashplate algorithm output instructions to the tail control algorithm and the tail control algorithm provides tail algorithm output instructions to the swashplate algorithm.

30. A remote-controlled model helicopter attitude control unit, said control unit comprising:

a receiver input configured to be connected to a receiver via only a single communication link, said receiver input configured to receive via said single communication link and to process a plurality of control channel signals, including a plurality of user input instruction signals comprising information corresponding to user input instructions, each instruction designated to instruct one of a plurality of mechanisms for controlling at least one aspect of a remote controlled model helicopter, said receiver input configured to receive and process information corresponding to the plurality of user input instructions in the form of the sequence of digital packets of information transmitted over said single high-speed wired digital communication link;

at least one sensor input for receiving at least one sensor input signal from at least one sensor configured to sense at least one characteristic of the remote controlled model helicopter;

a processor capable of processing said user input instructions and said at least one sensor input signal, said processor programmed with one or more control algorithms for generating output instructions, and

a plurality of outputs for transmitting the output instructions to a plurality of mechanisms for controlling attitude;

wherein said control algorithms comprise;

at least a swashplate algorithm for generating output instructions for at least one swashplate control mechanism of the remote controlled model helicopter for controlling both pitch and roll of the model helicopter, and

at least a tail control algorithm for generating output instructions for at least one tail control mechanism of the remote controlled model helicopter for controlling yaw of the remote controlled model helicopter,

said swashplate algorithm and said tail control algorithm each configured to provide information to one another.

31. The attitude control unit of claim 30, further comprising the at least one sensor, wherein at least one sensor is located within the attitude control unit housing.

32. The attitude control unit of claim 30, wherein the attitude control unit housing further comprises one or more jacks connected to the inputs or outputs of the control unit and configured to receive a connector attached to a signal-carrying cable.

33. The attitude control unit of claim 30, further comprising the receiver, wherein the receiver is contained in a receiver housing separate from the attitude control unit housing, and the receiver is connected to the receiver input of the attitude control unit by a signal carrying cable.

34. The attitude control unit of claim 30, further comprising the receiver, wherein the receiver is located within the attitude control unit housing.

35. The remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system of claim 30, wherein the swashplate algorithm provides swashplate algorithm output instructions to the tail control algorithm and the tail control algorithm provides tail algorithm output instructions to the swashplate algorithm.